Back to School Night

A quick picture heading to our very first back to school night. How did I get old enough to have a child in kindergarten? Time has gone by way too fast. Blake's first day is tomorrow. I hope I can fight back the tears.

Blake and Ashley with his teacher Miss Hansen. I think she will be wonderful, and she told me she is a germaphobe too. Perfect! :)

Blake's cubby

Blake's coat hook. Very first one next to the door. It pays to have a last name that starts with an A.

My pretty girl and I.

My handsome man. Blake took this one himself. Made me laugh when I saw it.

Just having fun.

Blake gave a talk in primary. He wanted to wear a tie. He looks pretty snazzy, and Ashley looks darling in her dress.

Ashley, my little fashionista. She comes up to me wearing this and said, "Don't worry Mom, it's me, Ashley."

This is Sister Brough. She was my life saver at church. She sat with us at church and was Ashley's Nursery leader. Her husband was the bishop. They just moved out of our ward. So sad. She is like a 3rd grandma to my kids. I will be forever grateful for Sister Brough.

Summer Fun

This picture makes me smile every time I see it. Ashley's first time wearing goggles. Yes, she didn't brush that day. :) We have had a really fun summer, it has gone by way too fast. It was fun to see Marcie and Brackon and their family and to meet baby Kade. He is darling.

Ashley in her floatie in my parents little above ground pool.

Ashley in her sweet life jacket my mom got for her. It doubles as bumper pads on the slip and slide! Blake and Ashley spent 3 weeks in July with Eric and they came back fish. Eric is a really good swimmer and he did a great job teaching them.

Two nights before they left for Vegas I came in before I went to bed and found that Ashley has crawled into bed with Blake. So cute. They had such a fun time in Vegas and I had a great time too! Is that awful to say?

Spanish Fork Rodeo. The bucking broncos.

The #1 roper in Canada.

I don't know why I added this pic. Just cute cowboys, I guess. :)

Not the best picture of me, but I took the kids to their first Rodeo. It was the Salt Lake County Fair and Rodeo. It was perfect rodeo for kids. It was just the bucking broncos, barrel racing and of course, the bulls.

Love watching the barrel racing.

I would LOVE to do what this girl does. She did the greatest tricks while riding her horse.

Doesn't that look fun??!! I think in my next life I want to do that. :)

This is a bad picture, I was trying to watch the bulls and snapped this pic without really looking at the camera. Blake asked me if when he is older he could be a bull rider. I don't know how those mothers can even watch.

Blake and Ashley on a ride at the fair.

I'm so sad this turned out fuzzy. I missed Ashley waving to the crowd of people immediately after getting on the horse. She loved the show girl on her horse too!

Blake riding, he was more nervous than Ash.

It cost a dollar to feed a bunch of goats and it was hysterical. I wish I got more pics, but my card was full. These goats are so aggressive. Blake and Ashley both had a cup full of carrots and Ashley was the perfect height and they knocked her cup out of her hands. JACKPOT! Luckily Blake saved some for her.

Once we got in there, I heard Blake say really loud, "Oh dear, oh dear, nice little goat."

Blake prayed that he would find a snake in the backyard and he did! He was so happy.

All last week Blake was complaining that he wanted a pet that he could pet and one that would walk around the house. He would say, "All I have is a darn fish who is really boring. "On Saturday this dog just showed up at our house. Blake played with her ALL DAY. Hence, he is still in his jams. I called 3 shelters and left my number with the police department if anyone was looking for her. No one has called. Blake named her Shirley and she is such a sweet dog. I am not a dog person, but she is so fun and well behaved. She is already house broken and barely barks. My Dad really likes her. Maybe more then all of us combined like her. :) A tender mercy for sure.

She is so pretty.

I can't believe Blake starts Kindergarten in just over a week. Time has gone by way too fast. I wish I could just push pause so my kids wouldn't grow up so fast. They are so much fun.

May and June

Playing hide and go seek.

There they are!!

Blake and Uncle Spencer playing with Blake's soaker football that he got from Grandma and Grandpa Allen for preschool graduation.

In May it was my birthday and my sweet kids got me a new vaccuum. Thanks Mom and Dad. :)

Blake and Ashley told my Mom that I didn't like sugar and cake has sugar in it, but that I really like Oreos. So funny!

I had a great birthday. In the morning I ran a 10k up Provo Canyon and was so suprised and pleased that I finished it in 48 minutes.

Blake loves to go look for snakes in the backyard, he is such a bravesoul to hold one.

The first part of June Blake and Ashley were in swimming lessons. They loved them and they both did really well.

The light was horrible, but if you look close you can see Ashley and her class.

After swim lessons.

A few weeks ago I took the kids to see Spongebob and Dora at RC Willey. Yes, there are people in those costumes. Ashley was a little freaked out.

Uncle Luke (Eric's Youngest Brother) came over this morning with the rest of the family to say bye to us. So sweet. Luke entered the MTC today and is headed to Lima Peru.

Blake and his first cousin on the Allen side Aspen. She is a month today and is such a doll.

15 years ago today...

15 years ago at 4:25pm my 3 sisters and I were in a very serious car accident. Patti (20), Micki,(16) Honey (14) and I (13) were driving from Regina, Saskatchewan to Cardston, Alberta to stay at my grandparents house. My Dad had just been called to be a mission president in Detroit, Michigan so my parents were already in UT getting ready to enter the MTC ,and were visiting my oldest sister Jeannie and her family in Logan, UT.

I was sitting behind the passenger side where the door is missing. They had to use the jaws of life to get my sister Honey out who was in the front. I have no memory of being taken out of the car or being strapped to a backboard. Honey and I were both asleep when the accident happened, and we both had our heads resting on the windows, so when the accident happened we both took the windows out with our heads. Thus, the reason why I can't remember being taken out of the car.

There were many miracles in this accident. The first that we all survived. My sister Micki and I both were not wearing our seat belts. Micki saw the whole accident happen and she said that when the two cars collided instead of going forward she felt two hands on her shoulders push her back down in her seat. We had our four quad scriptures in the back window they didn't move, Micki's Work and the Glory book flew out the window. :)

My sister Honey remembers my sister Patti handing her the car phone and Honey could hear my Dad giving her a blessing over the phone. Come to find out that when our stake president whose house we had stayed at the night before found out about the accident he called my parents and my parents hit the floor on their knees, and my Dad blessed each one of us by the power of the priesthood, Honey heard the exact words my Dad had said. Honey later found out in the hospital that the car phone had been broken in the accident.

The other man's car. As you can see, he unfortunately didn't make it. We later found out that he was from Ethiopia and didn't understand that before entering the highway he had to stop at the blinking stop sign and blew past the rumble strips. We broadsided him going 70 mph.

The brake pedal stuck to the ground from Patti pushing it so hard.

I got stitches on my cheeck from my glasses. I had such a bad concussion that I threw up 11 times in half an hour. It was insane! I really don't remember much due to my concussion, I do remember asking the paramedics to leave me alone so I could just go back to sleep. :)

My sister Honey with stitches in her head and a broken collar bone.

My sister Patti getting her knee cleaned out. She cut it on the steering wheel.

My brother John was at the MTC at the time. Here we are together before my parents got set apart. My parents and my brother were in the MTC at the same time. Don't you love my glasses? :) These were my old ones because my new ones got mangled in the accident. I don't think my new ones were much better, it was the nineties people! :)

As I think back I cannot believe that this happened 15 years ago. This experience really strengthened my testimony at the age of 13. I am so grateful that I have all my family members. It could have so easily taken one or all of us. I know we had angels around us that day. Maybe, just maybe, it was our future children protecting their mothers.

A "Hairy" Situation

I love coupons! I love getting a good deal. I love seeing my grocery bill or another bill shrink because I have slammin' coupons. This week I learned the hard way that not all coupons should be used. I got this great coupon for a haircutting school. I thought, I need a haircut anyway, score. Wrong! Wrong! I got my haircut, well butchered, just butchered. It was AWFUL! I really wish I would have taken a picture of the massacre before I got it fixed, but frankly I never wanted to remember that haircut. EVER.

Gratefully, I went to a great salon last night and Leisha did her magic and saved my hair. I told her what happened and her first response to my hair was, "Girl, she gave you a full on mullet." It was that bad. Leisha is my new best friend! :)

Here is my hair now.

Who Let the Dogs Out??!!

I have debated putting this on my blog for fear that I may offend, but it was too funny and I know Blake will get a kick out of this when he is older reading this blog book.

Yesterday the kids and I were coming home from running a ton of errands and we passed Petsmart. On Saturdays they have Adoption day so they have a whole bunch of dogs in this one fenced in area on the corner. We were sitting in the car waiting for the light to turn green when Blake was watching the dogs and all of the sudden said to me, "Wow, Mom look, that dog is giving the other dog a piggy back ride!!" I looked over and just started laughing!! :) How do you explain that one??!!