Christmas at Disneyland

I know that I have been a little remiss at posting to my blog over the Christmas break, but we had a lot of fun with our family.  For Christmas we went to Disneyland with Bryce's family.  Here are some of the pictures that we took to show you how much fun we had.

Top Left: Owen and I got to visit Santa Clause (as long as he could sit safely on Mommy's lap and not on Santa's)
Top Middle: Owen had fun exploring Tarzan's Treehouse
Top Right:  The whole Allen family just inside the gate at Disneyland. We are all wearing the awesome T-shirts that StacyAnn designed and gave us.
Middle Left:  The Allen family on the staircase in New Orleans Square.  It is a family tradition to take a picture on these stairs - it started the first time that Steven and LaFon went to Disneyland together before Bryce was born.
Center:  Sleeping Beauty's Castle lit up for Christmas
Middle Right:  StacyAnn & Owen riding the train at Disneyland (You can also see Garrett in the background)
Bottom Left:  Bryce, Owen & Jennie with Mater and Lightning McQueen from Cars (One of Owen's favorite Movies - he was super excited to see these characters)
Bottom Middle: Owen chillaxin' at the Paradise Pier Restaurant.  He has his bendy straw and pictures to color - what more could one kid ask for?
Bottom Right:  Bryce, Jennie & Owen on the staircase in New Orleans Square

Merry Christmas from the Allen Family

Top (L to R): Jonathan, Bryce

2nd Row: Garrett, Mom (LaFon)

3rd Row: Craig, Lindsay, StacyAnn

Front: Owen, Jennie

Once There Was a Snowman

Owen and I made a snowman at Grandma Allen's house last week.

Daddy took a picture of Owen and I with our snowman.

Making a snowman was fun, but I think Owen just enjoyed being able to play outside in the awesome snow in his Toy Story snowboots that have lights when he walks.

Driving Home for Christmas

We leave our home and head west,

and cross mile after mile of seemingly endless highway.

There is no end in sight

as we pass countless semi-trucks and other vacationers.

After two days of driving, the landscape begins to change:

the hills get higher and sagebrush replaces winter’s barren cornfields.

We strain our eyes as we look towards the horizon

and finally see jagged mountain tops in the distance.

From the moment when the mountains appear

a subtle excitement feels the cab.

We know that a mere six hours away

we will find the warmth and love of family.

The final hours pass quickly as landmarks are pointed out

and childhood memories are shared.

Eventually we arrive at the home that centers in those memories

and as we disembark, the door is opened, and we join those memories inside.

Baking Cookies

Owen and I made cookies yesterday. Here's the story about the adventure:

First, we put on our aprons.

Second, we made sure that we had all the right tools.

Third, we added the ingredients.

Fourth, Owen watched all the ingredients mix together in the mixer.

Fifth, Owen tested the cookie dough to make sure that it tasted just right.

While Owen tested the dough, Mommy got the dough ready for the oven.

Fifteen minutes later - we had perfect cookies right out of the oven.

And last of all, Owen thinks that warm cookies are always the best to eat.