Happy Holidays!

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The latest...

So the home sale is going well I think. We had 3 people come through the first day and one actually made an offer. It was low and we countered and were told they were going to accept...and then nothing. We heard from they're realtor Monday who said they'd seen another house they were considering, but we're still leaning toward ours and again we haven't heard anything since. Am I the only one who thinks this is flaky? Whatever. I figure they're not going to pan out. We've had 3 more showings since then - one every day - so I feel good about our prospects especially given the time of year. So we'll just keep at it! Everything else is progressing I guess. Really we can't do much until the house is sold, but the company is taking care of our visas and passports and as of right now were scheduled to leave on the 26th or 27th of January? For now, I guess I should start to think about Christmas - haven't bought a single gift!!!

On the market...

After hours and hours and more hours of painting, cleaning, organizing, weeding, rearranging furniture and every other thing you can think of to prepare a house to sell, the house is officially on the market and I'm REALLY tired! We still have some little things to do - but the bulk of it is done. Anyway - here's the link to our listing: http://www.rakin.com/list/halsey/halseydetails.html We had 3 showings today and supposedly one is intersted. Think good thoughts for us!!

Moving across the pond...

We're moving to LONDON! ...which, with the exception of a few vague comments in earlier posts, I'm just realizing I haven't talked much about until now! Actually - it just became official today. Wade spent most of November in the UK exploring a opportunity to work there for his current employer. Since then life has been a flurry of "maybes" and "what-ifs" and "just in case we moves"! We've been so busy working on the logistics of all of this, that there hasn't been time for much else - thus the lack of blogs. Now that it's official though, I can put all of the preparations we've made in to action. The house goes on the market Friday, so there's tons to do. I just broke away from cleaning under the fridge to write this blog! Amazing what finds it's way under your fridge in almost 2 years. Sick! Wade starts February 4th, so we have almost 2 months (minus the 2 weeks we're in Utah for Christmas) to sell our house, cars, any furniture that's not worth storing (about half of what we own), get everyone squared away with doctor and dentist appointments, secure passports, visas, and work permits, buy all the things that are too expensive to wait and buy in London and do all the other 10,000 little things that need to be done before we go - all while I try to give my kids some kind of closure to their lives here. Yes, I'm freaking out just a little! We're excited though...even Drew thinks he's excited (although when Wade told him we might not have a back yard - he was NOT happy!). I'll try to keep everyone posted...obviously I haven't had time to blog since it's been 3 weeks since my last!

Noah in the tub...

Noah in the tub from erin on Vimeo.

Noah's first "real" food... from erin on Vimeo.

Mmmm...rice cereal and bananas...food of the gods. I'm posting this mostly for Wade's benefit - don't want him to miss any of Noah's firsts. Seems to be the plan though - first food, his first two teeth also popped through last week (thank goodness) and laughed his first laugh. Noah has grown like a weed the last few weeks - Wade will probably hardly recognize the kid. So I'll do what I can from here and hope it will suffice! No decisions yet on London, by the way...

Another soccer season comes to an end...

We just finished another great soccer season with the Vipers. Drew had a great time and we finished things out with a trophy party at TJ Hartford's where they have a nickel arcade for the kids. So here's a bunch of pictures from the party and from the season. FYI - there are 30 pics - so if you don't want to wait for the slide show to do it's thing...click on the "view all images" icon located just under the slide show to view them at your own pace!

I Miss Wade...

Having my husband so far away for so long is well...basically pretty lame, but they say absense makes the heart grow fonder, right? Not much of a consolation, but what can you do? So since I can't see my husband in real life, I pulled out some pictures to remind me of what he looks like! So babe - I thought I'd post them so you can remember what your wife looks like too! "I love technology...but not as much as you, you see..." Love ya, Babe!

Tired boy...

Noah snoozin' in the swing from erin on Vimeo.

Poor, tired Drew

Untitled from erin on Vimeo.

A few pics for Daddy

Strong, or just strong willed?!

Just had to share something funny Addie said tonight...as we were about to say family prayer, I asked Addie to come join us so we could say a prayer that we will be protected tonight (Drew's been having issues with being afraid at night). Addie said, "Mommy, I'm stwong. I don't need to be pweetected. You can say it wichout me." She's probably right...she could scare away anything that came after her!

Fitness log...5 weeks

I'm not doing very good with my fitness blogging! I'm still going strong though and feel like I'm making progress even though I was up 2 pounds this week (maybe it's all muscle! Ha!). I have a feeling it was a combination of the jar of homemade raspberry jam I got from Julie Gatherum (which is now gone) and a little trunk-or-treat candy. Luckily I can't eat chocolate or I would have been in real trouble! I did a KILLER leg workout with my trainer this week. I've never been so jello-legged! I need to take measurements again - but my tape measure is missing (Addison!)...so later I guess!

Off to "Trunk-or-Treat"!

Here they are...Drew the pirate and Addie the princess (I didn't pose her, by the way - Miss Priss did that all by herself)! I think Drew looks like "Sportacus" if any of you know who that is (from "Lazytown")! We didn't quite get around to Noah - he was probably too cranky to play along anyway! I'll post more pictures after "real" Halloween!

Recent Pictures

Brilliant!

So - if you haven't heard already, Wade left for London tonight for a 3 week test run on an opportunity to transfer there for a couple of years. We're honestly pretty excited about the possibility of living overseas for a while - and it's now or never before the kids are too big to drag away from friends and school. There's a lot that has to transpire before this becomes a reality - but I'd say we have about a 50/50% chance of being in the UK sooner than later. Hopefully there will be more details to come over the next 3 weeks. This all happened VERY suddenly and we still don't really know all that much. We just found out Wade was heading to London on Wednesday! For now though, I'll be focusing on the goal at hand...not going insane as a single parent between now and Thanksgiving when Wade gets back! Actually, my mom is coming to my rescue and will be here for about 2 of the 3 weeks. Got to love moms!

The Annual Picture...

We went and had the annual photo of the kids taken this week. What a fiasco - between a few choice Addi-tude moments and Noah pooping up his back - I can't believe we scored this shot! Good times!

Fitness log...3 weeks

So it's been 3 weeks and I'm still feeling pretty good. I've lost a total of 5 pounds as of today. Good considering I only made it in 3 times each of the last two weeks - thanks to a nasty stomach virus making it's way through our family. I signed up with the training program at the gym - and worked with them last Thursday and will again tomorrow. They put me through some lower body stuff on Thursday and I could barely walk by the time Saturday came around! Yikes! So I'm guessing Wednesday I'll be hurting again. No pain, no gain, right?!

A few pictures...

I seem to be having a hard time finding the time to blog lately, so this is the best I can do for now...a few pictures from the last week or so. Some of last weeks soccer game, some at a local park, and some of the fam kickin' it watching conference. We had a family-wide stomach virus last week...EVERYBODY got it, even poor little Noah. He was down almost a full pound when I took him in for his four month well check. So now he wants to eat every hour and a half! HELP! Now we're all picking up a cold. Will it never end!? Otherwise things are good and crazy as always!

"Redneck Mr. T"

I'm so sad...Noah's hair is falling out. At first I just thought it was his head growing, but I keep finding little Noah hairs in my mouth! So there's no denying it now. Funny because my hair is starting to do the post pregnancy shed too. We'll be a couple of baldies together. You can see it fairly well here...mostly around the sides and back leaving just his mullet and mohawk (nice). Hopefully he'll keep keep that much at least - though I think if he does, we'll have to decide on either the mohawk or the "SFLB" look. Both is just not working for me. I'm curious to see if it stays dark or comes back in blonde...or red! It's funny. I've had more people think he's a redhead! For some reason his hair always photographs red - but I swear it's brown! Anyway, we'll see! In the meantime though - he's looking just a little bit funny.

Pictures from this week

Fitness check-in

So - I forgot to weigh in on Friday (I thought it was Thursday when I left the gym) so I had to wait til Monday. As of Monday I've lost 2 whole pounds. Whoopee. I was a little disappointed until I came home and took measurements. I've lost 1" around my waist and hips, 1/4" around my arms, and a 1/2" around my thighs! So I have made progress! I was 5 for 5 on my workouts last week and have worked up to a full 45 minutes of cardio - which was my goal. I also had my "orientation" with a trainer last week - and after having my butt kicked like it ain't never been kicked before - I'm thinking about signing up for regular workouts with a trainer if I can find a way in the budget to swing it. Best of all though - I just feel good! Onward!!!

My babies...

I've been trying to figure out who Noah looks like. I think I've decided he's really a good mix of both Drew and Addison? Here's a picture of all 3 at about the same age (3 mos) in reletively the same position. Addison was definitely the chubby one - Noah is our skinny guy - and I think Addison looks clearly more feminine than the other two (good since she's a girl!). I've been meaning to add some pics of Wade and I as babies - but haven't found the time! Regardless of who they look like - I think those are three of the cutest babies ever!

Go away, baby fat!

I started my big "get-back-in-shape" push last week...joined the gym, bought some new work out clothes, started eating better, etc. I've debated blogging about my progress for about a month now and I've decided that I will - mostly for myself, but the outside chance that someone else might read it just might keep me motivated. So - every Friday, I'm going to post my progress...weight lost, inches lost, number of days I worked out, etc. I figure I have a solid 10 pounds to lose - maybe 15. The truth is though, I don't care if I way 400 pounds as long as my "skinny" clothes fit. Right now I can barely get into my "fat" clothes. I have really enjoyed my first week back in the gym - and being able to drop my kids in the childcare and have a little time to myself is priceless. By the way - for all you local gals - I joined at LA Fitness - it's great and almost half the price of Lifetime. Anyway...here I go!

Sweet Noah...

I just have to talk about little Noah for a minute. He has turned into the sweetest little guy over the last few weeks. I don't know if it's because his reflux issues are under control or just that he's a little older, but as long as I don't eat something I shouldn't, he's just a very laid back, happy little man - always smiling and happy to see me and everyone else. I'm crossing my fingers that this continues...I could use an easy going kid...we haven't had one of those yet!

Lake Tawakoni

Over Labor Day weekend we took a somewhat impromptu trip with some friends, the Strattons and Rasmussens, to Lake Tawakoni. I had originally nixed the idea of a Labor day trip to Broken Bow Lake with the argument that, although I really like Broken Bow, there are no cabins on the lake which means you pretty much pack up and spend the whole day at the lake. I didn't think me stuck in a cabin with a newborn for 4 days while the rest of the family was gone at the lake all day was such a great idea for a family vacation (I know, I'm a brat). So the men, wanting their wake boarding adventure weekend (AKA pretend like we're 19 weekend) found a last minute substitute...a cabin ON the lake with it's own dock and acreage for the kids to play on...plus only 1 1/2 hours away. OK - that might just work! So we went, and everyone had a great time. The kids went out on the boat - Addison even went on the tube a couple of times - and spent hours catching little frogs that were all over around the cabin. Wade got his fill of wake boarding - perfected a few tricks (I'll post a video soon). I spent most of my time in the cabin and on the dock watching the kids swim. I even caught a nap or two with Noah and was able to spend some quality time with the family thanks to our proximity to the lake. Yea!

Help! Stuck in the car with 3 kids!

We had to pick up Wade yesterday from work. I just happened to have the camara with me to document what happens when the car stops and the kids aren't let out immediately. At one point I had Noah screaming at the top of his lungs, Addie throwing a fit because I was out of lifesavers, and Drew standing on his head in his seat. Nice. Heaven forbid we have to just sit for 10 minutes!!!

Our little ballerina...

Since Addison pretty much dances her way through everything she does - we decided it was finally time for dance lessons. So here she is in her little tutu on her way to her first dance lesson...

Noah's 3!

Tomorrow is Noah's 3 month birthday - so I decided it was time for "the box". I've sat all my kids in a little box when I feel like they have the neck strength. They seem to like to be able to see what's going on and interact with the family. Anyway - Noah is doing well - getting big fast. He's really come alive over the last few days. He smiles and talks and is interested in his hands and reflection. He's more content for longer periods of time too - can lay him on the floor and let him play for 15 minutes before he starts to object. Yea! And he's starting to settle into a routine - which I've been dying for! Unfortunately, the downside to all of this is that he's lost most of his tiny newborn look and feel, but I guess you can't have it both ways, right?

I'm famous...

This story just ran in our local paper about the stake wide project we're doing in relief society. So there I am in all my puffy, pregnant glory! Yikes! I think if you click on the picture you can get a large enough view to read the story.

Fat-doggin' it...

Oh, to sleep that comfortably again...and look at the rolls my little squirt is putting on! I love it!

Drew's first day of school...

Drew's first day of kindergarten was today. He was really excited - so much so that when Wade took him into his class this morning, Drew kept telling him he needed to leave! What a grown up little man! When I picked him up, he had nothing but great things to say about school and to my surprise, didn't seem all that tired. I thought after 7 hours he'd be pooped! We even met up with friends for ice cream after school and then Drew played at a friends house for another 2 hours. Of course by bedtime, he was very ready. I'm realizing that this summer may have marked the peak of kid induced chaos for us. After a day with only 2 kids again, I think it may all be down hill from here (all of you with teenagers are laughing at me). I enjoyed a little one on one time with Addie while Noah was asleep and even had the chance to work out for a few minutes for the first time since Noah was born. Most of all, I'm just looking forward to a little structure in all of our lives again. Between it being summer and having a baby - structure has been MIA at our place. So, here's to the beginning of a new phase for our family and to what promises to be a great year for Drew!

Smile!

I FINALLY got a picture of Noah smiling. He really started turning on the charm while we were in Wisconsin, but as soon as the camara came out... of course he wouldn't do it. I'm loving that he's becoming more interactive, although that means he's growing up which makes me a little sad too!

A fallen Hero...

We received some sad news this week. Wade's close high school friend, Pilot and Chief Warrant Officer Clayton S. Barnes died Monday August 20th when his Apache helicopter went down for unknown reasons just east of Eagle Mountain, Utah. Clayton was young, just 30 years old with a wife, Melinda, 3 young children and another due in November. He was an Orem native who gave 13 years of his life to the Utah National Guard, including a year in Afghanistan in 2004. Clayton served an LDS mission in the Philippines and graduated from BYU. Ironically, this was Clayton’s last scheduled flight, as he was on his way to dental school. As Wade and I have reflected on all of this, we have a renewed appreciation for the thousands of men and women that sacrifice so much, even their lives, to preserve the freedoms we enjoy each and every day. We are so lucky to live in this amazing country. Clayton's passing is a tremendous loss to our Nation, his family, and friends. Our hearts and prays go out to Melinda and his family at this difficult time.

Headed north...

We spent last week escaping the Texas heat in Wisconsin with my parents. It was really nice - mostly in the high 70s and low 80s. While we were there we took a trip up to Door County, WI - up on the peninsula. The resort we stayed at had pools, paddle boats and a beach - so the kids were happy. We visited "The Farm" while we were there where the kids fed the animals and then went up to Cana Island. We were hoping to get inside the lighthouse, but it was closed. The setting was beautiful however, and the kids had fun exploring the beach and I took a lot of pictures. Back at Mom and Dad's we spent a day at the beach in Sheboygan and the kids played with the dogs and even got a ride on Grandpa's new John Deere lawnmower - a necessity when you have a full acre. We've decided that the kids and I will be spending a few weeks up there next summer. My parents just finished seeding their huge backyard - and by next summer it will be a little kid paradise. Imagine...grass you can actually walk on with bare feet! Sorry - I love Texas, but I'm not a fan of our bermuda grass!! All in all - we had a lovely, relaxing time as a family, which was exactly what we needed!

Daddy, the red hippo...

If you know our family very well - you know our kids have sleeping issues. We get a lot of night terrors and sleep walking, although it seems to be getting better - less frequent at least! Last night Addison fell out of bed and Wade went to tuck her back in. She must have been asleep still and started banging Wade in the face! When Wade tried to stop her, she came to, looked at Wade a little strange and said, "Sorry, Daddy. I thought you were the red hippo." She was playing "Hungry, Hungry Hippos" before she went to bed...and after it seems. Weird kid.

2 months...

Noah had his 2 month check up today. Obviously he wasn't amused with the 5 shots they gave him - poor kid! I can't believe he's already 2 months - and growing so fast. Today he was 22 3/4 inches (50th%), 11 lbs. 10 oz. (50th%) and his head was 15 3/8 inches (25th%) - all my kids are pin heads (probably because Wade and I are too!). The doctor said we'll probably want to test him for allergies at 6 months since we've had issues with it already (I'm off dairy completely now, by the way). Apparently, they can test as soon as 3 months if there's a need, but I feel like we have it fairly under control, so I think we'll hold off a bit. He goes in at 4 months - we can decide then I guess. Anyway - otherwise, Noah is doing pretty well. his reflux seems to be under control. Of course he still spits up A LOT and I have to be pretty careful about what I eat, but the kid is eating and sleeping and relatively pleasant most of the time - and I'm happy with that!!! He's slept two 6-hour stretches this week! He's starting to smile a little, but he won't do it for his dad, so Wade doesn't believe that he can! Hopefully I'll get a picture of him smiling to post soon.

Show Off...

So I guess Wade encountered some nay-sayers who didn't believe he could barefoot...so here's a video to prove it from way back in 2002.




Wade Barefooting 7-02 from erin and Vimeo.

Our little fish...

We found a great swimming teacher this year. She's no-nonsense and aggressive which is exactly what Drew needed. His confidence in the water has gone through the roof. He could get around the pool on his own a little before, but I usually made him wear his floaties. Now I don't worry about him a bit. He has a cute little stroke and can dive - and is confident in doing so. Unfortunately this was the last summer his teacher is teaching, or I would have him signed up for next summer already!



Swimming Lessons from erin and Vimeo.

Video test #2

Ok - I think I've got it! Here's a favorite old video of Drew from our Chicago days. Drew's about a year old here, sharing all of his opinions from the tub. Look how young Wade looks! It's a little long, but I love this one! I miss my little Roo Baby! I promise we'll start working on some current videos now.



Deep Thoughts from erin and Vimeo.

Video test #1

So...I'm trying to figure out how to post video on our blog...so I picked one of my favorite videos of Addison when she was about 8 months. Let's see how it goes!




Chicken Little from erin and Vimeo.

Hooray for poopy!!

So - just a warning...if you don't like the word "poopy"...you probably should skip this one. Anyway...a momentous occasion has occurred at the Allen house. Addison FINALLY went "poopy in the potty"! She's had the "other half" down for months now and even wears "big girl pants" pretty much exclusively (except for at night), but the elusive poopy in the potty just wasn't happening for her. To her defense, the poor kid has had major constipation (another fabulous subject!) issues since she was about 18 months. Every time she has to go (maybe twice a week at the most) she starts in on the "poopy dance" up to 3 days before the big event. It's been a little traumatic. So you can see why this has been a challenge. We've had 3 successful attempts now, so we think she's got it! Yea for Addie! And a bigger "Yea" for Mom and Dad who hope never to change one of her diapers ever again!

Wade's latest injury

Wade did a number on his ankle last Saturday (the 14th) playing basketball. After more than a week, and the suggestion of his father (who's a physician), he finally went to get xrays. We were afraid he had actually fractured his fibula for a number of reasons, but turns out he just has a nasty sprain and probably some torn ligaments. Poor Wade. So here are a couple pictures of his nasty ankle and the xrays.

The latest on Noah...

So I was looking at our blog and realized that the last posting that I actually talked much about Noah is sooo out of date. No longer is he the sleeping mellow child that we came home with, but a little ball of reflux and allergy disaster! We've had a really hard time getting his reflux under control. He rarely takes a whole feeding which means he wants to eat every hour and a half to two hours and that doesn't leave much time for sleeping. So he eats - yaks for awhile then sleeps a fitful 45 minutes or so, waking up to yak again every so often. FUN!! On top of it all, we're starting to discover some of his allergies and sensitivities to what I'm eating. So far I'm off dairy and nuts and we're still experimenting a bit with soy. Plus any of the usual things babies are sensitive to, he definitely has issues with...chocolate, broccoli, spices, etc. So I'm living on apples and grapes and rice krispy squares! Actually it's not that bad. I've only cut out direct dairy - so I can't have a glass of milk or a piece of cheese, but if there happens to be dairy listed in the ingredients of the bread I bought, I still eat it. So far that seems to be working ok - no violant reactions at least. Things are looking up - we changed up his medications a bit over the last couple of days and he slept a 5 1/2 hour stretch last night! So maybe there's hope and I can start being a productive member of society before noon someday soon! Despite it all he's a sweet little guy and we all love him to pieces. I just want the poor kid to enjoy his little life a bit!

Go, Speedracer, Go!

While we still had Wade's parents and my dad in town, we took the kids to their favorite place, Aloha Adventure Park. My kids LOVE the go-carts there. They even have little ones that Drew can drive himself. So here he is about to "speed" off on his own. I think he may have hit a good 2 mph this time (he's not exactly a dare devil). Go, Drew!

A name and a blessing...

We blessed Noah on July 8th and were lucky enough to have both Grandpas there to be in the circle. Others in the circle were friends Matt Martin, Kirk Rasmussen, Chris Kneeland and Bishop Jon Cannon.

Grandpa Scott and Grandpa John with Wade and Noah

Grandpa John and Grandma "Wanna" (Wade's parents)

Grandpa Scott (Erin's dad)

Proud (and tired) Parents

Big Brother Drew & Baby Noah

Let me think....