I love Christmas!!!

We have been so excited for Christmas this year at our house. I have had our decorations up for about 2 weeks now! We don't have our tree up yet, but I have already helped put two other ones up!!! My sister, Mom, and I went and helped my grandma get her tree up this year. I don't think she would have got it up otherwise. And that, my dear friends, is not acceptable at Christmas time!!! I also helped decorate a tree for The Trees for Charty event they do every year here. All the proceeds go to our Christmas party for the National Guard, so I hope it does well. We decorated the tree in red, white, and blue and had a vinyl sign on it that said, "God Bless America." It turned out really cute! So Ty has asked me everyday this week if we are getting the tree out, so next time I am blogging, our tree will be up. This time of year is so wonderful to remember our Savior and the sacrifice he made for us. I feel so blessed. I have an amazing family. We are all healthy, other than the occasional cold and whatnot. I could go on and on, but I won't because I get a little boring anyways. I just wanted to say I really do love Christmas...and it has nothing to do with presents!

Halloween!

I know Halloween is over, but I wanted to post the pictures. The kids had a lot of fun all dressed up. Ty couldn't decide what he wanted to be. He really wanted to be Bumblebee the Transformer. I couldn't spend 25 bucks on the costume though. That seemed like so much!!! So Grandma Pam bought him a green skeleton costume, and Aunt Mandy got him Optimus Prime. He was going to be Optimus until about 5 minutes before we left. So I hurried and changed him, but I just found out I didn't take any pictures of him in his skeleton costume!!! I told him he could choose though. He really liked the skeleton because it had gloves and a mask and he felt really scary! Maycee was happy to be Tinkerbell. I made her a green tutu. And she had fairy dust. I think I payed too much attention to detail for a 2 year old, but it was fun. Maycee didn't really like some of the costumes. Some were a little scary for her. But overall we had a great night. Ty is already thinking what he will be next year!!!

Justin's trip to Germany

For Justin's AT (annual training) this year, he went to Germany. They were stationed in Hohenfels. He got to visit the Nuswanstein Castle, which is the castle that Walt Disney modeled the original Disney castle after. It was also right next to Swan Lake! He was in Germany for a total of just over 3 weeks. He also visited another town-I can't remember the name of it. He got some cool pictures of the cathedral there. He also got to eat German ice cream, which is supposedly the best ice cream on earth. I was so jealous!!! I think he had fun, but we're all glad he is home. So is he!

Fun at the park

On the 29th of Aug, the kids and I went to the park with Grandma Neece. It was Grandpa'swork party, but he had to work, so we just went. They had all sorts of huge blow-up toys and games. We had a blast! I sure got my workout though! Maycee wanted to go on the big blow-up obstical course-I can't spell-, and she wasn't big enough to go alone; you guessed it. I had to take her. And the huge slide at the end was her favorite part, so we went over and over and over!!! It was a nice distraction since our daddy is gone to Germany. He left the day before, so we're really missing him!

New Family Picture

So when Sarah and Josh and the kids were here, Sarah was soooo kind to do our family pics again. I don't know if we'd have any pics if she didn't do them for us! The ones she sent us turned out fabulous...I have no other words for them. She is such a great photographer. She seems to catch our personalities in the photo...How does she do it!??? And Ty's cast is hardly noticable.

Oh, I love my Hunny!!!

Blessed

As I sat in church today, I had the overwhelming feeling of how truly blessed I am. Have you ever noticed sometimes at church there is an underlying theme in all the testimonies and lessons; as if everyone knew just what to say to tie everything together? That is how it felt today, and I thought, "Everyone is talking just to me!" Apparently I needed to hear what the Lord had to say, and I wasn't listening to the still small voice, so he had the bulk of our ward tell me! That underlying theme today was trials and how to overcome. In the last two weeks I have felt like the world could crash around me at any moment. I've had some personal trials I've had to deal with, and at times I felt hopeless. But today as I sat in church, I couldn't help but start counting my blessings and all those hard things seemed to just melt into the back of my mind, as if they weren't even there. It felt like the Lord took all those hard things and tossed them aside and reminded me of the things I really need to focus on. In Relief Society our teacher had a couple of wonderful quotes. I can't even remember who they are by, but they made me really think about a couple of things. The first quote was something along the lines of fear and faith cannot coexist in the heart at the same time. How true is this, especially in the world today. If we go along and worry and fear about all the things that come our way, there is no room for faith, which means there is no room for the Lord. The second quote was something like we as women need to have courage to realize our imperfection as we strive for perfection. WOW! That really hit home. I know for me, I am so hard on myself if everything and everyone are not just pefect. We need to forget about the things that don't go right and keep striving for that perfection. I just feel at peace today as I realize how abundantly blessed I really am.

Allred Reunion

We just had our Allred family reunion this last weekend. We had lots of fun together, but we're all sooo tired!!! We stayed up late, ate good food, and chased kids til we couldn't run anymore!!! We had a surprise early 50th birthday party for Grandpa Kevin. Teralyn made wonderful cake for everyone. The kids even got their own cakes! Sarah took family pictures, and she did a great job. (She always does!) We can't wait to see those. It was so fun to see how much the kids had grown and how cute they played together. We only had a few "misunderstandings" but over all we had a great weekend. I can't wait to do it again! Love you all!

Fishing again

Yesterday Justin, Tyler, and I went to Matt Warners to try our luck at fishing there. Maycee wanted to stay with Grandma Neece. Well Just got Ty's pole ready and threw it in while we got mine ready to fish. About 2 minutes later, Ty had his first fish!!! He was so excited. He wasn't quite sure what to do, so I had to help him a little. So to make a long story short, Ty ended up catching 2 fish. Justin caught a monster of a fish. It was about 18 inches long, and probably close to 2 lbs. It was a really nice fish. His face was just priceless. He was just like Ty; the excitement was hardly containable!!! We talked to some older guys that had been there for 2 days and betweeen the two of them, they caught 3 fish. So we did really well. It was so nice to get up on the mountain. Thanks Grandpa Kerry for the advice. He told us the secret, and aparently it worked! We also saw lots of wildlife. It was a good day!

A visit to Aunt Teralyn and Uncle Kevin's

We went and visited Teralyn and Kevin a couple of months ago. (It has taken me this long to get it on here!) We had a really nice time. We played lots of games and had lots of time to chat and just hang out. We put a movie on for the kids and they got to eat popcorn before bed. They were so cute sitting on the couch together. You can't tell they're cousins, can you?!!!

My soldiers

A few months ago, Justin was getting ready for drill. He had to go to Camp Williams in SLC, so he had to pack a bag. He was almost ready when Ty comes running in all dressed up in his little ACU's that Justin had gotten him when he was at boot camp. He had a little bag and told Justin he was ready to go to drill with him. It was the cutest thing in the whole world. He was really upset when Justin told him he had to stay home with me. Ty loves his daddy so much. They remind me of each other so much. Ty wants to be just like Justin. I love watching my boys

together.

Fishin' at Jones' Hole

On Saturday, Jone's Hole Fish Hatchery had their kids fish free day. Grandma Neece and Grandpa Kevin took us up and we had a blast. It was nice to have so many adults to help with the kids, because the water is deep and just taking Ty anywhere right now challenging! Before we started, we got to feed the fish that they were raising (I don't know if that's the right word?) to let go in lakes and rivers all over. The kids thought that was really cool.

Then we headed down to where we were going to fish. We saw a snake while we were walking down to the ponds. Ty was in awe! He asked me "Is it real Mom?" Tori was a little scared. She didn't want to get close to it.

We had about an hour or so before we had to be done. Tori skunked us and caught 2. Ty didn't get any, so he was a little cranky. He told me, "I had a poopy day because I didn't catch a fish!" I hope we can go again soon so he can catch one. Maycee didn't really get it. She was more interested in the holes in the sidewalk than anything.

We just had so much fun. After they kicked us out because they were done, we went and had a picnic (in the truck) and drove home. I'm excited to do it again next year. We'll do it without the broken leg though!!!

5 week craziness!

Well as most of you have heard, Ty broke his femur a little over a week ago. We were visiting friends in Hurricane and had been there for about 3 hours. Ty was running around the table and tripped on the power cord to the laptop. It was a freak accident. He should have just got up and been fine. I saw him right after he fell, and his leg was twisted in a way even barbie's leg doesn't bend. I knew it was broke that second. We drove like crazy people to St. George since there is no hospital in Hurricane. They x rayed his leg and we found out he broke it. It was a spiral fracture in his left femur. The hospital had to move him to the pediactric wing a few blocks away since they were remodeling and didn't have that part done yet. So they put a splint on him and Ty and I rode the "short bus" to the other hospital. Justin and Newt went home to check on Mandy and Maycee who had been left in a rush. Tyler and I spent a restless night in the hospital. The next morning I talked to nurses and the doctor and social workers. We had to talk to social workers because they said the story was inconsistent with the break. Nothing really came of it, but they interogated Justin like he had done it. He was irate! About noon Ty was taken back to the other hospital and they put him under and set the break and put the cast on. He is in a cast from right above the belly button and all the way down his left leg and right above the knee on his right. He has been so tough; I didn't think a three year old could go through something like that and have such a good attitude. He was really mad the first few days about the cast. He'd wake up in the night and yell, "I hate this cast!!!" He has to be in the cast for 5 weeks as long as everything looks good. I am running out of ideas to do with a 3 year old that is hardly moveable and a little cranky at times. So if anyone has any good ideas for things to do, let me know!

We're still alive...

Hello everyone! We're still alive and well. We've just been really busy. Justin finally got his job! (Yea! What a relief!) He started last Monday. So far he's been "baptized by fire" as the other full-timer called it. Oh by the way, he is working at the Armory full time as a supply sergeant. He has lots of training this year. He has reclass school at the end of July. He has to get a new job in the army since they redid the unit out here. He's going to be a plumber. That class will be 2 weeks. Then the end of August he gets to go to Germany for 3 weeks for AT (annual training). I'm very jealous! I would love to go, but I can't! Then the middle of October he has supply training in Arkansas. So he'll be gone a lot, but there are a lot of benefits to this job. It is really secure (he won't get laid off unless the Utah National Guard goes under!). He gets 30 days paid vacation a year. The health benefits rock! So we are feeling really blessed. We also actually moved again. Yeah, that's #13, but it was way cheaper rent, so it was worth it. Justin says it is a little bigger too, so that helps. Well that is our life story for the last few weeks. Justin says I shouldn't share our whole lives with people, but that's what I'm supposed to do right! We hope all is well with you!

We moved again---#12!

We have finally moved into an apartment!!! It has been so nice to see all of our stuff. I forgot what stuff we even had. The kids have been so happy. They love having their own rooms. Ty is going to bed all by himself finally! We moved in last Wednesday. I'm almost done unpacking-you had better hurry Moo; I'm winning! Mandy moved about 2 weeks ago, and I told her I would race her to unpack! I've had a little help from Justin though! We love our new place and hope we'll be there until we buy our own house!

Craft It Forward

The first three people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. As for you, this offer does have some restrictions and limitations:
1- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2- What I create will be just for you.
3- It'll be done this year.
4- You have no clue what it's going to be.
5- I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.
The catch is that you must repost this on your blog and offer the same to the first 3 people who do the same on your blog. The first 3 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift by me! Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it!

Who's in?

Trailer Trash Fabulous!!!

Yeah, that's right...we're now officially white trash! We moved into our trailer a little over a week ago, and surprisingly we haven't done too bad. We've had a few little problems, but overall, we've done great. I finally filled my last empty drawer, but we still have lots of room. I'm ready to get rid of the dog, but it'll happen in time. The kids have done really well. Ty loves living in the trailer. Maycee thinks she's big stuff. She can get up to the table and she sits up there. Grrr, but what do ya do. The mud is finally drying out too, so that helps. But we're doing well. We just need to find Justin a job (he got layed off last week), and then we'll be on our way! We hope all is well with you!

Maycee the princess

I bought Maycee a new Sunday dress, and of course I had to take a few pictures; she was just too dang cute. I bought this dress at K-mart on clearance (it was 2 bucks!), so I needed to try it on and it was just right-maybe a little tiny too big, but she'll grow into it. I put it on her, and she told me, pretty, and then proceeded to tell everyone in the house, "preepree". She loves to dress pretty; she has it in her DNA. I haven't really pushed it, she just knows! Maycee is really our princess!

Well I'm not even sure what to write today...I'm feeling very humble, yet something is missing. We have sad news, but I have a hard time not being grateful for what I do have. Sunday night I miscarried our third baby. Yet through all the heartache, I am so thankful for my two wonderful children that I do have and that they are healthy. And only being 23, I still have a while before I am finished having babies. But it's still sad. Sometimes I am okay, other times I really feel the loss. Physically I still don't feel great, but I'm on the mend. We'll really be okay, but I thought I had better let everyone know, so when I am not pregnant next time we see each other, you won't wonder what happened. And like I have mentioned before I am so thankful for my two healthy babies and my wonderful husband. They've really helped me through this. I know everything happens for a reason, but sometimes it's hard to see the end result when you're right in the middle of things. But we'll survive, we've made it through lots already, as a family we are strong.

Circus, circus, we love the circus!

We went to the circus last night. Maycee stayed at Grandma Pam's while Ty, Justin, and I went to watch all the fun stuff. There were lions, tigers, and bears, OH MY! There were elephants too. Tyler and I got to ride on one. His name was Bimbo. Ty really wanted to ride the pony, but we can do that anytime here. Ty was just so excited (so was I!). About half way through the show, Ty wanted a drink. Well we had spent our money on a light up sword he had wanted-he knew that, but you know how 3 year olds are. So I found some change in my coat, and at intermission, we went on a hunt. We found a pop machine (I couldn't believe it was on!) and a 25 cent candy machine,and we got a treat and a pop for less than a dollar. Everything at the concessions was 3, so we made a steal. It was a good thing since the adult tickets were $16 a piece! But it was so worth it. We had lots of fun. Ty's favorite things were the elephant rides, the lions and tigers, and the poodles. They had a bunch of poodles, all sizes, dyed pink and blue. They did tricks, and Ty just thought it was so cool. (He liked that they were like his Linus buddy!) They had motorcycles driving in a big metal ball. There were lots of acrobatic people too. It was fun to get out with Ty and spend some time together!

Say Cheese!

I had to post this...in the mornings, in fact, most of the time, Maycee has her "pretties" on. I just happened to catch her looking like this! She even posed for the picture! I thought it was so cute and so funny. I had to share it! She loves to dress up and be pretty. Her daddy thinks she is a princess. (So do I!)

All dressed up...

Yesterday, Mandy and I decided to try and take pictures of her girls. We had fun, but Hadlee didn't think we were funny in any way! Maycee kept trying to sit right where we were taking pictures, and Ty wanted to sit on my lap and help. So we had our hands full, but we did get a few good ones. And they're so cute anyways, it was fun to dress them up. I love having a girl to dress up and do her hair. Ty is wonderul for hugs and loves and bugs, but Maycee lets me make her "pretty." (She knows the word well already!) Her daddy tells her everyday what a princess she is and how pretty she is. I love it! I knew children would be fun, but no one could ever decribe the deep love you feel for your kids. Well now that I'm totally off subject, here are a few of the pictures we took yesterday. I put one of Tori too cuz she's so dang cute!