Sunday, December 30, 2012

Review of 2012

I like to review the year and I thought I would do it with pictures this time. 2012 was a fun and busy year for us and I am thankful for all our blessings. I count this a great year because we welcomed  a new family member and all of our family members are here with us. After losing my dad in 2011, I have learned that things you hold dear can be taken away in a flash and I count it a good day when we get to spend it with those we love. To those whom have lost love ones this year, my heart goes out to you. I wish you all a wonderful 2013 and a happy New Year!


March, our new house was finished and we moved in!
Eli turned two and we cut the curls (and mullet!)
May, Olivia Jane Allison was born

Summer at Nana's! We loved swinging on the porch

Isaac had friends over to swim and play

Josh cut his hair! Finally!


We went to the beach
We stayed for two weeks


Olivia got her pretty pink ears
We hiked some
We played at home
Isaac started Jr. High and football

Eli started pre-school (2 days a week)

Eli and Carter took swimming lessons
I took lots of pictures of Olivia sleeping
We dressed up the babies and went trick or treating
We went to the corn maze for Eli's field trip
Eli and Olivia played

We celebrated Thanksgiving
It got cold and we built our first fire in our fireplace
We bought a new tree (it's fake)
We celebrated Christmas at my sister's house on Christmas Eve
Christmas night at home after the kiddos were asleep


Family gatherings

This year we hosted Josh's extended family (his dad's siblings and family) to our house for a pot luck dinner. We ended up with around 55 people at our house. It was nice to see all Josh's cousins and family. This is a picture of Ella and Olivia and they both wear pink hearing aids! Ella and Olivia are pretty far removed in relation and they don't have the same type of loss or cause but isn't it odd that there are two kids with hearing loss in the same family. Ella is such a beautiful little girl and you would never know she even wears hearing aids. Her mom has been a big help to me and even showed me Ella's FM system. We will probably be getting a FM system for Olivia after her first birthday. 




Christmas 2012

Christmas Eve we headed to my sister's house for a celebration with my family. We had steaks, twice baked potatoes, Chris's deer meat filet with wrapped bacon (yum!), salad, broccoli casserole and appetizers. We opened presents that evening after dinner and the boys loved tearing into the paper and checking out their gifts. Eli got a truck and tractor, Isaac ended up with clothes and Nook gift cards, and Olivia got some 'girl' toys! Carter, Camden and Eli had a bath together and then we headed home. 

That night we put out our Santa treat (fudge) and milk, and read the Christmas story together. After Eli went to bed, Josh and Isaac started putting together the toys while I wrapped. The kids each get 3 presents from Mom and Dad and then get stockings and Santa presents as well. We have been doing our 3 present rule for a few years now and love it. It simplifies life so much and really takes a lot of stress and 'give-me's' out of Christmas. No one is comparing number of boxes and we don't end up with a house full of toys that we don't need. "If 3 presents were good enough for Jesus, they are good enough for anybody!" I would love to take the kids to a homeless shelter to help serve when they are older or find some other way to give to others. We always take an angel off the tree to buy for, but it would be nice to find another way to give and teach the kids to give. 

 Unfortunately that night as we were playing Santa's Elves Eli started crying and coughing every 15 minutes. Finally about 1:00 am Josh went to sleep with him in the guest room and I headed to our bedroom. About 30 minutes later as I was dozing I hear commotion upstairs. Poor Eli had coughed so hard he threw up all over Josh and the bed. I helped clean up and change sheets and we headed to sleep. We set alarm for 6 am so we could finish getting everything out and house ready for our family to come over for brunch at 10:30. Eli was up at 7:00 and we started the morning. His eyes got so big and he said "Santa came!" My family came over to our house around 10:30 and we had a big brunch together. It was wonderful having everyone here even though Josh and I were going on fumes from the night before. 

Around 2:30 we headed to Old Fort to Josh's parents' house, ate AGAIN and opened presents with his family. All of his family were there except his oldest brother and his family. Isaac was a bit moody after having such little sleep and needed a few attitude adjustments. Eli made it without a nap, and Olivia was pretty content.  I role played with Eli practicing saying "thank you" when someone gave him a present earlier that morning and he did pretty good! We went up to see Josh's grandmother (she's is her 90's) and Eli handed them their presents. This year we didn't get to go see Santa, the kids were sickly, we were tired, but in the end it doesn't matter. We are thankful for another year to be together and for the birth of our savior! 

Happy birthday Jesus!



Eli and Isaac fighting over Papa
Carter and Eli excited after their bath

This is a pic of Uncle Richard dressed as Santa and Aunt Jane before they headed to NC.
Aunt Jane, Josh, and Livi
Our Elf helping Santa
Miss Priss in her Christmas pj's

Ready for Christmas morning (well the kids were.. Josh and I were ready for sleep!)
Eli on his new tractor. We took off the trailer so he could ride it around inside.   He's done pretty good not to run into things.



The rest of my pics are on my real camera but these were a few I had on my phone. 

Thursday, December 27, 2012

My streaker

Gotta love him!

Let's see the Christmas mess!

2 days post Christmas= still one huge mess. Does anyone have me beat?

Pic of the moment

Eli, "This is my sissy." "I like to play with her."


(Working on mounds of laundry)

Saturday, December 22, 2012

7 months

I am 7 months old and I am such a happy girl. I'm really a good girl most of the time. Lately I have not wanted my Mommy out of my sight and I cry if she walks away from me. Of course when I cry she comes and picks me up and then I give her a big smile and she totes me around wherever she goes. I can sit pretty good now and I am learning how to crawl. I especially like to go get Eli's cars.. they taste so good (it's probably the dirt). Mommy always takes them from me and Eli says "No bite Baby". I don't know why they say that to me all the time. "No bite, no bite". I can't chew on anything fun.

Mommy and Eli like to feed me Puffs and those things are GOOD! I'm really good at putting them in my mouth. I still don't like those nasty pureed green beans that Mommy feeds me but she gave me the real thing last night and I ate a whole plate of green beans. I don't have any teeth yet... Eli wants to buy me some when we go to the grocery store but Mommy says you can't buy teeth there. I wish I would get some teeth so they would give me more table food!

Mommy says I am doing better keeping my hearing computers in. I don't take them out quite as much as I was doing but I still really like to chew on them and I scream loudly when she takes them out of my mouth. Daddy and Mommy both call me Banshee sometimes. I think it's because I have a high pitched squeal and can scream really loud. I don't mind it too much because I know they love me!



Isaac's 1st band concert

Isaac is playing my old saxophone that I played in Jr. High. I strongly encouraged him to play a saxophone since I had one :) He was actually excited about it. All we needed was a new reed because the saxophone was in great shape. He had his first concert on Tuesday and had to dress his his tux shirt equipped with button covers and cufflinks. He is first chair right now and he seriously doesn't practice. He totes the thing home everyday and it sits in our mudroom until he takes it to school the next day. His excuse is the babies are always asleep... hum... I don't buy it. Maybe he is musically inclined :)

The crawl

 Here is Olivia's new crawl.. It's not technically a crawl but she can maneuver across the floor pretty fast.

Monday, December 17, 2012

Merry Christmas from the Allisons!

















Love, Josh, Summer, Isaac (12 years), Eli (2 1/2 years), and Olivia (7 months)