Halloween 2011

Our family had a very enjoyable Halloween time this year.  We had three nights when we celebrated and several other activities that made the season enjoyable.  Above you can see the "Happy Halloween" sign that Owen and I made as he learned how to safely use his scissors, and above and below you can see Owen and Bryce carving our Jack-o-Lantern Sunday evening (Owen's specialty was using clay to make a base to keep the candle up).

Owen's costume from last year still fit him, so he got to be Superman again.  This year he really got into character as he flew around the house and constantly tried to save the world from a horde of imaginary bad guys.

Last Friday (Oct. 28th) our ward had a Trunk-or-Treat activity and Bryce and I dressed up too.  Bryce was a ninja - using a costume that he made for a class in grad school but never got to wear -  and Owen determined that I was Superman's Mom.

Last night (Halloween) Bryce and I didn't dress up, but we had fun taking our little Superman around our neighborhood to go trick-or-treating.  He was a bit shy, and had more fun pretending to fly than knocking on doors and getting candy, but by the end he had figured out that it paid to say "trick or treat" and take the candy that was offered.  

Now I get to take down the decorations, bake the pumpkin for later goodies, and pack the costumes back up, but the important part of the last week has been that we've had a fun time enjoying the season and we've had a lot of fun as a family.  So Happy Halloween everyone!

Morning at the Park

I'm very proud of myself today.  I remembered to take my camera with me when Owen and I went to the park - so I can post some pictures and show you all how much fun Owen has at the park.

First of all, Owen rode his bike (which he lovingly calls his "motorcycle") the 3 blocks to the park this morning.  He did really well peddling down hill and on the flat areas, but I had to help him a little bit going up the hills, but I have confidence that he'll figure out the up hills soon too.  The other pictures below are some of things that he does while at the park - playing peek-a-boo from the windows of the big toy, sliding down the slide, and his favorite toy - the digger.  He can only work one handle at time, but he has fun trying.

Here are some of the other things that Owen loves at the park:  jumping on on the wiggly bridge on the big toy, swinging on the swings, and climbing up the twisty ladder (today was the first time he had the courage to climb up it all by himself).  The final picture is of him racing his shadow home from the park - everything is more fun if you are racing : ).

I love playing with big little boy and I'm so glad that we have a park so close to our house to play at.

Wall-E Owen

Owen and I raked leaves in our front yard this morning.  He played in them until they were all in a big pile and then he started making weird sounds and talking like a robot.  I finally figured out what it was that he was playing - he was trying to be Wall-E - a Pixar robot that turns garbage into cubes.  Here's a video clip and some pictures that I took of him playing in the leaves.

The Past Month

The past month has gone really fast for me.  Bryce finished up one show - Secret in the Wings - and has started another one - Blithe Spirit.  He is kept plenty busy, but things seem to be going okay for him overall.  Owen and I have been busy keeping the house clean - Owen relearning how to pick up toys when mommy asks, and Mommy relearning that it's easier to keep the house clean rather than have to clean it up from a messy state when she wants it clean.  Owen is potty trained now - only wearing a diaper to sleep in now.  I've also had up days and down days with my energy levels and morning sickness, but overall I seem to manage to accomplish anything that I deem necessary.

I've also had a couple of doctor's appointments and we found out this past Monday that we are going to having a baby girl and we've currently scheduled a C-section delivery for March 6, 2012.  If she decides to come on her own before then we may have our baby before then, but March 6th is pretty much the latest that she'll join our family.

I had a wonderful birthday weekend, with the Smiths coming up to visit for a few days.  We played games, ate cookies and cake, yummy food and just had a really good time.  I took a few pictures (so there are no pictures of me) and somehow missed Harvey, but he was here with the rest of the family:

 Yummy spice cake with cream cheese frosting - my favorite!

 Owen joined the adults (Leslie, Captain, Bryce, James, Rachel and myself) in playing Settlers of Catan.  He was on Mommy's team and although we didn't win we sure had a lot of fun.

 While Daddy decides what to do Owen just plays with the pieces and dice.

 James and Rachel joined us for the fun.

Happy little Lia!

Other things that have been happening in our lives:  Uncle Garrett Allen received his mission call to the Argentine Salta Mission and reports to the MTC on Dec. 21; Aunt Nita Royer took 1st Place at the 2A State Tennis Tournament; and I hopefully have managed to get rid of the tail-rot in my big fish tank and now have 3 pretty angelfish swimming around with my other fish.  All told we've been having a great time and we're enjoying our Fall here in St. Louis.

Where do I start . . .

So I haven't written anything on my blog for quite a while. . . Partially because I haven't been taking very many pictures, and partially because I just haven't.  So let me see if I can go back in time and update everyone on what has been going on with the Allens.

First of all, we are back in St. Louis.  We had a lovely summer in Utah where Bryce and I worked for the Utah Festival Opera.  We were blessed to have my cousin, Miranda, and my sister, Nita, to watch Owen for me while I worked and then after my responsibilities were over, Nita stayed with us and worked for the Opera as well.  This summer was the summer of seeing family and getting back in touch with everyone.  We got to see many of our family and friends and it was wonderful to have them back in our lives for a short while.  We miss them already, but St. Louis is home for now, so we'll put on a brave face and see our friends again the next time we get to go to Utah for a visit.

Second, and this probably should have been first, we are expecting a baby this upcoming March 11.  After a few years of waiting and praying we felt it was time for our family to grow, and we have been blessed again.  As of our first ultrasound last week, the baby is healthy and active and seemed to be waving at the camera.  We will most likely find out the gender, but not for another 5 or 6 weeks.  Owen still doesn't exactly understand the concept of us having a baby, and he has put in a request for both a boy and a girl - but (I breathed a sigh of relief) the ultrasound confirmed that there is only one baby, so he'll just have to accept one or the other for the time being.  I haven't been as sick this time as I was with Owen, but I haven't felt great either.  My body doesn't seem to like processed sugar, so I've greatly had to reduce the foods that I like to eat, and I have been tired constantly.  It's made it hard to get motivated at times, but where my motivation lags, Owen is there to keep me active and busy.

Third, it's been nice being back in our house in St. Louis.  We've had several visitors since we got back home - The Smiths from Southern Illinois - twice, our new friends Rachel & James (Leslie's sister and her boyfriend who have just moved to St. Louis), Bryce's Aunt Sharon, and next week we'll have our friend Nik from Utah who is coming to help Bryce out with props for his current show at SLU as a guest artist.  We've also been getting reacquainted with some of our favorite places - such as the Zoo and the Science Center, and we've also finally visited the Arch and President Ulysses S. Grant's historical farm here in St. Louis.  Bryce has been working hard to get the first set built, since he only has until the end of the month to complete it, but he has a good bunch of kids helping him and it should be done in plenty of time for him to also get the sound design completed before the show opens.

All in all, we're keeping busy, having fun, and looking forward to this upcoming winter here in St. Louis.  I'll try to write more and keep everyone updated.  Take care everyone and know that we say "Hi!" to all of our friends and family across the country.  Love ya!