Chugga-Chugga Choo-Choo, Ethan Turns TWO

We had a Train theme party for Mr. Ethan Allen this year because that boy is SOOO into trains this year! We had the Big 2 party in Utah this year since my parents happened to have their Mission Farewell talk on his birthday. It was a simple party with lots of loved ones there. I can't believe my boy is 2! 

Rhino Riding in Box Canyon

As soon as the summer heat let up a little in September, we packed some lunch, loaded the kids up in the Yukon one Saturday and hauled the rhino down the road so we could spend a little family time outdoors.

 Aren't our kids adorable in their HUGE goggles?!

This is David looking back every now and then to make sure one of the kids hadn't bounced out. :)

Breyonna is FEARLESS! She was laughing almost the entire time and screaming at David to take her on more big bumps.

 Running from whatever was in that cave!!! Haha!

Great times!!

And, she's FOUR....

 Little Miss Breyonna turned FOUR on September 19th. Where the time has gone, I'm just not sure. When we look at Breyonna, we see such an amazing, sweet, intelligent, caring, helpful, loving girl who has so much love and sunshine to offer those around her. She really lights up our lives every single day since the moment we found out I was pregnant with her. I could not be more proud and honored than to have her as my little girl. She truly is ONE of a kind! It's sad to think about how fast she is growing up. Although, I truly am enjoying the young girl she is becoming. It is fun to watch her grow. I just wish the process wouldnt go by so fast.

 Brey's birthday was on a Monday this year so David wouldnt be able to spend the day with her. So he took her the Saturday before to Tumbleweed Park so that he could spend the whole day doing something fun with her.

On Brey's actual birthday, Breyonna woke up in her newly painted and decorated room where she also was greeted by dangling balloons as well as balloons covering her floor. She and Ethan had a blast running through the balloons together! Pink rose petals covered the entire floor from her bedroom door to the kitchen where it was decorated with birthday fun. I set aside some gifts from us and some from my parents and sister and I let her open 1 to 2 presents every 1 to 2 hours from the morning to the afternoon. She loved that because she was opening gifts ALL day long!! Mostly because Gramma Crawford spoiled her with gifts. :)

Good Morning Birthday Girl!!

This is Brey's homemade card we sent to Sprout Tv (her favorite tv channel) for it to be shown online for her birthday. She loved that idea.

David came home a little early so we took Brey to watch The Lion King in 3D. It was her first time viewing the movie (also 1st time watching one in 3D) and she loved it!

Make a wish!!!     On Tuesday, we had the Allen gang over for Breyonna's actual birthday party. She loved the fairy theme. It suited her well to dress up like a fairy princess from head to toe.

 Little Fairy Princess'

The Birthday Cake!

Good Night Birthday Girl!!

I believe the little princess had herself an awesome 3 days of celebrating her FOURTH birthday! :)

Should I stay or should I go now?

My sweet husband of 6 years now, secretly planned a mini getaway for us this year. He made arrangements for his brother and his wife to watch the kids for the weekend. David left it up to me to pick a hotel anywhere. Right before I picked the hotel he mentioned that the kids were not going. WHAT??!! :) I wasnt about to waste kidless time on a 6 hour drive to and from Cali or Vegas so I decided I was very much happy with a stay-cation here in the Phoenix valley. So I booked us this fine 4 star hotel and we enjoyed a weekend together at The Arizona Grand Hotel which had a water park that included a wave pool, a tall slide and a lazy river and a pool. Not to mention a poolside bar which had some pretty tastey food. Staying in town worked out great. David is all over the valley for work but, it was great for him to stop and take on the city in a non work related way.

We went didnt do anything too fun. But, we were able to enjoy each other's company in a way we havent been able to do since having the kids. I love my kids to death. We both do. Although, it was extremely amazing and seriously needed to have time to cut out the rest of the world and look at eachother as husband and wife, partners in life and as friends instead of... roomates, a dad, a mom, financial provider, house maid.... I got to spend one on one time with my better half. I thank him for that amazing anniversary weekend where we just stayed in town to watch Money Ball, eat out at The Keg, roam the mall, do a take out order of bread sticks from Claim Jumpers(haha) , hang out poolside all the while hanging out with the best friend with no worries.

Sometimes we need a Vacation.... but, sometimes a Stay-cation is just as good!!! This September 24th will go down in the books. I can't believe we are on our 6th year of marriage. Here's to many many many many more years with this amazing man that I LOVE!! Happy Anniversary Michael David!

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An incredibly special THANKS to Ben & Jill.. our amazing fam who took the kids for us. You guys are the best!!

My little family has not yet gotten the pleasure and blessing of entering a Holy Temple to be sealed for FOREVER. On the very bright side, we have worked even harder in the last year and a half to get ourselves active enough for David to become an Elder. Last fall that happened and because of it, he was able to give our son a baby blessing. I thought that was the coolest day yet. Well, our little family is looking forward to yet another amazingly cool day....the day we get sealed to eachother! In the collage is my mom and I (& Ethan) at White Elegance on September 2nd going shopping for my temple clothes!! It was so crazy awesome to be there doing that. We are planning for David and I to go get our endowments the first week of October and then go get our family sealed a couple weeks later... SO CRAZY!!! I still cant even believe it!! I am so so grateful for these upcoming life changing blessings. I cant even begin to describe how happy I will be when the day comes that my family gets to kneel at the alter of the Lord and be sealed together for the Eternities! Im so proud of my family for getting ourselves out of our inactive rut we were in and have pushed through to meet these family goals. David and I really kick ourselves since we didnt just get active back then and get sealed instead of getting married and then hoping to get active and go to the temple a year later. We took the fast way to marriage back then and it ended up taking us 6 years (this September 24th is our 6th civil anniversary) to get this close to getting to the temple. What a bunch of lazy butts we are. But truthfully we dont regret it. We have grown so much on a personal level and as partners. We would never have been able to grow and mature spiritually as much had it not been for our struggles to get out of that lazy sunday rut. We have had to really prove to the Lord that we really want to be at church every sunday and that we really want to do his will and keep his commandments. Not just some of them but, all of them. We have had to prove to him that we really want to go to his Holy House and get our family sealed to him so that we may one day be in his presence again...for Forever. David and I didnt just get engaged and blissfully get sealed together. We have struggled to attend all the church meetings and such over the years. It especially got harder after having a baby, then another one. But I can firmly tell all that I do not regret this. I see a change in David that makes me even more attracted to him than when I wanted to marry him to begin with. I have seen a spiritual change in myself too. I regret how long we have let it take to get here to this point but, i dont regret the fact that we have had to prove ourselves to the Lord. It has made us so much stronger spiritually & emotionally and our DAILY family prayers (not just random anymore) that we have participated in for the last year have completely brought our family together. We know what we want, where we want to be and are finally willing to go all in and do what we need to do to get there. We know how hard it was to get this far and I hope we can remember that and never take the temple blessings for granted. I hope we can make sure we make the time often to go to the temple and to do work for those who have passed on. I am so grateful to be at this point in my life. Thank you to all of you for being such amazing examples to us!!! So glad to have you as a friend!!! Thats all for now. . . .

Dad's Day 2011

I have been very behind on my blogging. I'll try to catch up...

Father's Day 2011:

This year we knew we weren't going to do anything big for Father's Day like we did last year when we rented an oceanfront beach condo and a beach house for a week. This year was laid back. David had a full day's work. So the kids got him a movie which we watched after a yummy dinner and then I got to watch another day of my sweet man play with his kids. Nothing big. But was great family time.

I absolutely love my husband. He is my best friend still, as he was my best friend before we got married. I couldn't ask for a better father for my kids. I love Michael David Allen so much!!! The kids absolutely adore him!! Every night when he comes home from work they just want their daddy. Unless they want food or Ethan needs a diaper change then they could pretty much be content with just having their daddy!!!

The Sweetest Thing Ever....

I guess there is something about wedding which makes people do crazy things. Breyonna and her new friend Waylen, in her aunts words,'stole the show' at her Aunt Pammy's wedding. They were so adorable to watch hold hands and walk around together! Loved it!! So innocent and sweet!