The Artist Formerly Known as Our Handsome Little "Prince"

Our boy - so talented - so comical - such a ham!

Since the last time

This is what we've been up to...

1.  Not blogging (but that's obvious, right?)

2 - Eating chocolate pudding while mom tries not to be OCD and wipe my mouth after every bite!

3.  Setting up and sleeping in our big boy bed!

4.  Eating lunch with Pops wearing matching shirts!

5.  Digging out from the snow...La Nina Who?

What number am I on?  Oh yeah...6.  Spending an hour making my sweetheart a fruit bouquet!

7.  Taking pictures of aforementioned sweetheart EATING his fruit bouquet...in 10 minutes!

8.  Making Valentine's for Malachi's Class!

As you can see...we've really done some fun things together since Christmas came and went!  Thomas is doing ABSOLUTELY fantastic on his diet and has lost 20 pounds in the last 6 weeks!!!  He feels great, looks even better and has more energy than he has in a VERY long time!!  I, on the other hand, have TOTALLY fallen off the wagon!  I certainly haven't gained anything, but I'm just not losing anything either.  Honestly, I gained about 30 pounds after high school (I was a TOOTHPICK) and have stayed the same weight for the last 9 or so years (except for about an 18 month period during and after baby!)  I'm pretty okay with where I'm at!!

We're also celebrating the fact that Tuesday marked the end of our "3 month post-miscarriage wait" and now have the full blessing of our doctor to hurry up and get pregnant again!!  I will be saving the news this time for a while, but I covet everyones' prayers for the health of our next pregnancy...and that it will happen SOON!!  We're so ready to have a second little Allen running around!!!  Everyone was right...the 3 months went by SO quickly!  

I got the unique opportunity of meeting a sweet new life last Saturday as a former high school classmate welcomed her new baby girl Riley into she and her husband's life!  She was so sweet at the shower and I was blessed to have her handed off to me so I could cuddle her!  Congratulations Lindsey and Josh - the Lord has been good to you both!!! 

We've had a little sickness here and there, but we've been blessed to stay relatively healthy through this winter!  Getting out of consumer debt is so close we can SMELL it and we can't wait to get our income tax back and hopefully spurn us into financial freedom!!  (Well...except for our house and student loans!)

I keep saying that one of these days I'll upload Christmas pictures and here it is February 10th!  Oh well...life happens!  Now we're planning for Malachi's 3rd birthday (I can't believe it) and I'm thinking we'll go with a Veggie Tales theme...He's stuck on Veggie Tales and the Pirates Who Don't Do Anything right now so hopefully I can come up with something creative for that!! 

Other than that, life has continued to be good to us and we continue to feel God's presence in our life together! 

And, just in case I haven't mentioned it in a while...I sure do love my husband!  He is an incredible father, and incredible husband and an incredible man!  He sets the bar in my book!!!

We're alive!

Man I cannot believe it's been almost a month since Christmas!  This last three weeks has FLOWN by!!  Right after New Years, Daddy and I took a trip to Austin, just the two of us, for a work trip and had a fantastic time!  It was just the rejuvenating couple days we needed!  We stayed in a super-swanky hotel in downtown, had dinner with good friends and spent the trip re-connecting.  Of course, we were VERY ready to get back home to our baby boy, but couple time is ALWAYS a good thing!  Oh, and no, I didn't take any pictures.  I just wanted to live for those 48 hours!!

I will update with Christmas pictures soon (I hope) so you can see all the fun we had!!!  This was the first Christmas that Malachi seemed to understand even a little bit of what was going on so it was pretty fun opening gifts with him!!  He is STILL asking about that big green Christmas tree, but the questions are coming fewer and farther between!  Hopefully he'll either (a) forget about it or (b) finally figure out that he'll see it again next year!  (I'm thinking the former is much more likely than the latter...although ask me in June - he may still be asking by then!) 

We're figuring out that Malachi has a mind like a freaking steel trap!  The boy doesn't forget ANYTHING!  He can hear a song once and have it down (ask me about Bushel and a Peck...CUTEST THING EVER) - he remembers details from things that happened WEEKS ago that even WE have to struggle to remember!  However, the greatest thing that he has done since Christmas is to memorize John 3:16!  Christmas night before bed he wanted to read his Calendar (Advent Calendar...see video post below this)!  Unfortunately we tried to explain to him that our Calendar was finished - finally, the idea popped into my head to go get my Bible and read John 3:16 to him.  In 2 weeks, he had it down!  Now, when he's paying attention, he can recite it with very little help from Thomas or I!  I don't think there's anything else I'd rather be filling my sweet boy's head with than Bible verses!  If you have any ideas about what other verses are special to you, let me know.  Next, I think we're moving on to Psalm 27:1!! 

The other major news in the Allen family right now is that we are all working hard to lose weight/tone up.  Thomas started on CHRISTMAS DAY...talk about dedication!  He had a salad while the rest of us pigged out on enchiladas, beans, rice, chips, hot sauce and queso!  And, in less than a month, he's lost 15.4 pounds!!!!  I'm not really watching my weight, but more what I am putting into my body and whether or not it's good for me.  I've lost like 3 pounds, but I'm pretty much at my ideal weight now so I want to TONE!  We are borrowing my parents' WII (to make sure we'll use it before we invest in it) and we're working out with the Biggest Loser Challenge.  Thomas is doing a lot of high-energy routines and circuit training.  And believe me when I tell you, it's kicking his butt!  Bob and Jillian are hard-core even when they're animated!!!  I, on the other hand, am sticking to Yoga and very low-impact exercises.  My knees are in terrible shape, so much so that our family doctor recommended that I keep an eye on it and go to an orthopedist if they start hurting.  It sounds like Rice Krispies every time I bend my right knee!!!  However, the Yoga is pretty intense.  I'm doing it for about an hour a day and I LOVE it.  It's enough to get your heart-rate going and get you sweating AND keep you sore the next day!!!  So, we're buying low-calorie foods, stocking up on fruits and veggies (which is a MAJOR shift if you know me at all) and overall just eating more healthy!  Some combination of dried fruit/granola bars/yogurt makes up our breakfast routine and neither of us have eaten beef in about 3 weeks!  For this steak and potatoes girl, it's been a committment!  But, we're enjoying our turkey, string cheese, tuna and other food items and trying to remember that food is for fuel...not for enjoyment!!!  (At least not all the time - I've still splurged on ice cream 2 or 3 times...but you can't deny yourself completely or you'll get demovativated VERY quickly!!)

Finally, we are continuing our debt snowball and should be out of debt (except for student loans) no later than March or April of this year!  We paid off about $2,600.00 this month, but added about $300 for Thomas' plane ticket to Austin with me so our totals are a bit off!  Right now we have $5,900 in our first snowball, approximately $42,000 in student loans and then we'll be done!  We will be getting a little out of line as far as the "baby steps" are concerned because we're going to delay paying off our student loans in order to beef up our Fully Funded Emergency Fund since HOPEFULLY we'll have a new Allen in 2011!  Thomas and I continue to talk that 2011 is going to be our year!  Getting out of consumer debt, funding our emergency fund, MAYBE moving and adding another sweet baby to our home are on tap among MANY other exciting developments this year!  I pray that you are as excited about this year as we are and that 2011 will be a blessing for us all! 

Oh, and next time, pictures, I promise!

Advent Calendar!!

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Lately...

Lately, we've been very busy preparing for the Christmas holidays!  This is by far my favorite time of year (which sounds SO cliche, I know, but it REALLY is!)  I didn't take ONE SINGLE PICTURE on Thanksgiving because it was just so full of playing and resting and eating and sleeping and chilling.  It was such a wonderful way to spend the day! 

Since then we've been doing lots of list making, shopping, list crossing offing, party going, Santa seeing and other general holiday comings and goings.  Malachi absolutely adores our "Kissmas" tree and it's the first thing he asks for every morning!  That, and the beautiful "Jesus Cross" that Daddy made for our front yard!!  I am so proud of our little house this year!  It's definitely not my dream house, but our sacrifices now will pay off BIG in the near future, I can just feel it!!!

One day while we were shopping, Daddy remembered something that he wanted to start with Malachi as a good memory from HIS childhood!!  So, we searched and searched, until we found what he was looking for! 

I would like to start a Jesus Tree next year, when Malachi is old enough to kinda understand it, but this will forever be a tradition in our family! Malachi LOVES reading and getting his chocolate every night before bed!

We've spent lots of time decorating both the daycare and my mom's house as well and Daddy has worked very hard to make sure the City of Canyon is as beautiful as everyone expects it to be!  (Hey Daddy, you succeeded!  I've never been so proud to see a 30 foot (20 foot?) LED Christmas Tree in all my life!  Can you spot Malachi?)

Laying Under Lolli's Tree!  It spins so it's really cool to watch it from underneath!

In the little bit of quiet, family time that we HAVE had, we've gone out to dinner and spent some quality time, just the three of us!!!

Finally, after church last Sunday, we all went out to eat and I snapped this CUTE picture of Karter, Malachi and Kadi Jo!  They sure love each other!!

Lolli watched Malachi during naptime on Sunday afternoon and Daddy and I got some more shopping done!  Then, it was time to come home and start ANOTHER new tradition!!!  

 Malachi was so excited and did REALLY well helping me put this together!  (And, if I can brag on myself a little bit, I think I did pretty well not being too OCD about it looking perfect!!!  haha)

 We shared lots of giggles...

 ...lots of eating yummy candy...

 ...lots of icing licking...

 and lots of pride in our first Gingerbread house!!



Thomas and I continue to heal and grow with one another in our faith and in our love!  The last two years have brought a lot to our plate, but I'm so thankful that we have grown together!  If I was to be completely honest, I would tell you all that I have been experiencing some bitterness and frustration with our current situation.  I would tell you that I'm sick of seeing pregnant women all around me and that sometimes I even get angry.  Not at God, just at the situation.  Now, that being said, please don't misunderstand me.  I know as soon as those feelings come in that it's just the Devil trying to dissuade me in my belief that God is still on the throne and that He ultimately knows the best for me!  I know it's bitterness and as soon as I start feeling it, I try really hard to just put it out of my head.  I don't WANT to feel this way!  However, I'm also realistic in that this is probably a normal emotion to be going through!  So, if you're pregnant and you're reading this, please know this is not targeted at you in ANY way.  I am thrilled for those women whom God has chosen to be pregnant in this season of my life.  Because, I realize this is just a season and that seasons pass, all too quickly sometimes!!  Our doctors' appointments are all finished, and now, we wait.  Which stinks...and which we're not so good at!  I don't WANT to wait (she says, stomping her feet and crossing her arms!)  I want a baby and I want one NOW!  Above all, though, I WANT to be used of the Lord in this situation.  I have always told God that I want to be used of Him.  Of course, I never thought this was how He would do it, but I pray that He will use me to be a testimony to someone, anyone, out there who might be experiencing the same things as I am!  I'm sure Paul and Silas didn't exactly plan on being thrown into prison when they surrendered, but when they did so, it was with joyfulness and singing unto the Lord!  And, I'm sure that prison guard in Heaven now is thankful that they had the attitude they did!!!

Funny Things Malachi Has Said!

So apparently we have been singing "Ring Around the Rosie" all wrong! I've been singing "ashes ashes we all fall down." According to Malachi it's "a@#less a@#less" we all fall down. Pretty appropriate if you ask me considering the boy has no butt!!

Oh, and tonight as I was *ahem* cleaning him up in the bathroom, he said "Look Mom, 2 popcorns!" and then he flushed! I guess I should be happy he can count!!!

He is SUCH a mess!

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This weekend -

Sorry for the lack of creativity!  It eludes me at the moment...you'll just have to forgive me!!!  ha

This weekend was full, but in a very relaxing, very re-charging way!  Friday didn't start out so great as our sweet baby boy was diagnosed with and got a BIG shot of steroids to treat Croup!  Can I just say, YUCK?  Croup is what caused him to get so sick 2 years ago so I'm not a big fan of the virus itself!  When he woke up Thursday night around 11:30 and coughed, I knew IMMEDIATELY what the cough was and what it meant.  So, Daddy stayed home Friday and after we took him to the Dr., they both went home and rested!  (Well deserved for Daddy...he's been pretty busy in the last week!)

Saturday morning, Malachi's cough was gone and he seemed to be feeling well so we decided that for ALL of our sakes, we needed to get out of the house for a little while.  We headed to breakfast with Lolli and Pop before we spent some time at the "scratch and spit" stores, Lowe's and Home Depot looking around!!  Then, we came home, took a nap, cleaned house (kinda) and got ready for Aunt Donna and Uncle Steve to come over.  They're some of Malachi's favorite people - especially Uncle Steve!  Although, we continuously laugh that we're not sure who's more tired when they leave, Malachi or Uncle Steve!!!  hahaha 

Sunday, since Malachi had been sick, we decided to keep him home from church and we got busy around the house! By 10:00 a.m. the dishes were done, laundry was separated and going and several loads had been completed, closets were cleaned out and Malachi's room looked like this...

We were planning on transitioning to a big boy bed this weekend, but with him being sick, we didn't want to rock the boat!  He's not climbing out of it or anything, but it's time!  (insert sad face here)  I cannot believe my little boy will be 2.5  years old tomorrow!!!  So, we're going to HOPEFULLY go to a big boy bed NEXT weekend!!!  I'll be sure and update on how that goes!!  As a friend pointed out on facebook, though, at least it was his room and not the living room that looked like that.  So true...however, THIS is what the living room looked like approximately an hour later!!

Yes!!  We were decorating for Christmas.  Now, before I hear all the moans and groans that it's not even Thanksgiving yet...let me explain.  Not only are we responsible for decorating our own house, but we also help my parents decorate their daycare AND their house.  So, it's necessity that we decorate early - or it might be too late by the time we DO get around to our own house!  Just like last year, we went with the lime green, white, silver and red motif and I LOVE it just as much as I did last year!!!  Sorry the picture's a little dark...the lights were off and all of these pictures were taken with my phone!

This is our tree topper this year!  My mom bought it for me and I LOVE how whimsical it makes the tree feel!!!

This little cutie likes it too!!! 

 

 Cheese!!!

 All we have left to do for our house is hang our giant stocking on our front door, decorate our light pole outside and hang the lights outside!!!  Hopefully that'll be done by this weekend!!

As far as other things are concerned - here's where we stand.  I had my blood drawn last Wednesday and my "levels" dropped significantly from last Monday's levels.  This (I guess) indicates that my pregnancy was NOT ectopic which (again, I guess) is a good thing.  I'm still trying to wrap my head around everything!  We are headed back to the doctor this Wednesday to do a final check of my levels and then meet with our fabulous doctor to discuss.  What we're going to discuss, I'm really not sure.  I want to know why they thought it was ectopic to begin with...I want to know where we go from here and when our 3 months starts...I want to know what we do when we do get pregnant again - Will we be more cautious when I do get pregnant again?  Will we do more close monitoring when I do get pregnant again?  What should I do for the next 3 months to get my body as ready for another baby as possible?  Do I HAVE to wait 3 months?  (I know the answer to this...but I still want to ask!) 

Emotionally and spiritually we're doing very well.  We've had lots of time to cry, snuggle, talk and joke over the last week and that has done WONDERS for our marriage!  Truly - I've never felt closer to my husband than I do at this very moment!  Thomas has been my rock this last week and continues to lead me through this.  I have a husband that lots of women would kill for - and that fact is not lost on me!  Some of the hardest things we've had to do is to try to choke back tears when Malachi comes up and points to my belly, laughing and saying it's a boy.  (It's a game we played...he would say it was a boy and I would tickle him and tell him it was a girl!)  Throwing away the baby's pumpkin from a couple posts back and then telling Malachi we had to throw it away when he asked where it was...Packing up his "big brother" T-Shirt because we just can't bear to look at it right now.  These are all things we've had to just push our way through this week!  On the other hand, we've never questioned why...I had a few angry moments last Wednesday after my blood draw, but, again, Thomas comforted me (on facebook, nonetheless) and brought me back to reality pretty quickly!!!  We're just ready to put this behind us, never forgetting, but moving forward with the next stage in our life together!!!  I've been listening to my Pandora "Selah" station a LOT lately and have been comforted by many of the songs the Lord has chosen to play for my sake!  All in all, life is good, God is better and we're thankful for what we DO have and who we DO get to hold and cuddle each night!!!