Welcome Jacob Garland Allred!

We were blessed with our sweet little boy on Monday, November 8th at 5pm! He was 7 lbs 15 oz and 19 1/2 inches long. He's already calm, mild and sweet (yea!). We can't really say wether he's blond or dark haired. It's kind of humorous actually. I think he has "old man" hair. There's very little blond peach fuzz on the top. Around the back and sides he has quite a bit of hair which is both dark AND blond (salt and pepper!). we might be sticking with hats for a while :)
Abby and Joseph were so fun to watch when they came to the hospital to visit. Abby kept squealing and making funny comments like "it's a REAL baby!" "ooohh, look at his little ears!". Joseph was curious but more cautious at first, he was also worried about me. He would go see Jacob for a minute and then come back to check on me. But soon enough his curiosity would take him back over to Jacob. He loved pulling Jacob's hat off and rubbing his head. We are home and doing great, sorry for taking a bit to get this posted.

Joe loved giving him kisses.

Rubbing his head is so fun!

Happy Halloween! (all week long)

We have been counting down the days until Halloween . . . well, since LAST Halloween! Abby has been planning to be Snow White since last year! (thank goodness she picked a feasible costume since she was so determined!) I had fun making Joe's little pirate outfit (not the hat and hook of course) and we had to add a cape to Abby's, since of course Snow White has a cape.
On Wednesday we went to Story Time at the library with my sister Jessica and her little boy, Blake, where of course we. . . dressed up! (Well, more specifically, they dressed up)
Then of course we had to got trick-or-treating down town on Friday. Joe picked up on this VERY quickly, by the third or so store, he was walking ahead with his bucket held up high, saying "twick-r-tweat!".
Finally on Saturday we headed out to my family's for some great Halloween parties! First a visit to Grandma and Grandpa Whitlock's, where I sadly took no pictures, but will get some from Grandma. Then we headed to the Westwood's for their grand kid party full of games and fun!

Blake, Joe and Abby at story time

Abby, then Joe with a donut eating contest
(little stinker using his hands!)



Spencer and my uncle Steve doing a GIANT marshmallow eating contest!

Oct 27. . .SNOW DAY?!

A couple Wednesdays ago we woke up to snow! Abby was so excited that Santa was going to come before Halloween, yea!! (I wish I could say I was actually so on the ball we could have celebrated then, but no.) The weather was crazy enough that Spencer came back from work by about 9:00am because their power was out. It was so fun to have him here and take the kids out in the snow. Abby loved showing Joe how to make snow angels, eat snow, and sled! They were so cute and excited! (To top off such a great day, my sister Jessica and her little guy, Blake, came to visit from Logan for a few days!)

Jacob Gandolf?

Well, we've had a lot of people ask us if we've picked a name for the baby. . . no, not yet. But, Abby overheard Spencer joking with me about some "great" Lord of the Ring names and decided Jacob Gandolf Allred sounded good. So now she's been telling everyone our son will be named Jacob Gandolf. . . yeah. . . probably not my first pick ;o) I thought it was still funny and wanted to share.

The Queen of Hearts

The Queen of Hearts

she made some tarts
all on a summer's day;

The Knave of Hearts
he stole the tarts
and took them clean away.

The King of Hearts called for the tarts
and beat the Knave full sore
The Knave of Hearts
brought back the tarts
and vowed he'd steal no more.

So after reading this rhyme one day, guess what we had to do.

Didn't taste great in the end, but she didn't care,
she just liked how they looked.

Delicious Sugar Cookies

My aunts kept making these yummy cookies at our reunions
and we finally got the recipes, which are easy! So, we wanted to share them with you!

Sour Cream Sugar Cookies
1 cup butter (softened) 2 eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar 1 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla 5 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoon baking powder

Cream butter, sugar, and vanilla together. Add eggs, then alternate adding sour cream and flour, then finish adding salt, soda, and baking powder. Dough will be slightly sticky, won't feel as stiff as regular sugar cookie dough. Roll out dough to 1/4" or 1/2" thickness (can use lots of flour on counter top, just don't mix too much into cookies. Slice with pizza cutter or cookie cutters. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. Don't bake until brown or they'll go hard, the bottoms will be brown but nothing else. Within a couple minutes move cookies to cooling racks.

Strawberry Frosting (This is what really makes it great!)
1 cup butter
1 cup strawberries, diced (or chopped)
2 lb powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Blend well, at least 5 minutes. (I don't worry about chopping strawberries too tiny because they tend to get broken up a little more here). If too thick them add a few strawberries, too thin then add a little powdered sugar. Be careful not to over thicken or strawberry flavor won't come out as well. Pipe or spread onto cookies and enjoy! (I just used a gigantic piping tool and it was done in no time at all!)

Just a few pictures. . . .adios summer

Water Fights!

who says you can't mix horse shoes and kids

Abby's first hair trim, by her Aunt Julia at Cosmetology school!

Oh there are so many fun pictures, I just picked a few quick. . .
sorry they don't do the summer justice.

OOPS! Not such a good blogger. . .

So, WOW it's been just a little while since I've posted last. It's a good thing blogging isn't my job, or I'd be fired! Well, since I won't be able to ever catch up even though there are a lot of fun stories and pictures, I'd better just start keeping up instead. (ha ha everyone's thinking, I know).
Let's see if I can catch up on a few of the basics. Our summer was super busy and extra fun! We were able to go to a couple fun reunions, camping and boating included. The kids LOVED getting to be outside so much and Abby is already talking about next year at the "unions".
I'm loving my calling in the young womens, our ward is seriously the best, no offense to everyone else :) Spencer was called as the new Elder's Quorum President a couple months ago and was VERY busy with it at first but things are starting to settle down that way.
He's been gone a lot with work and fires, and we've really missed him, but when he is home he makes every moment count. I just can't tell you how much my love for him has grown as I realize his whole life is dedicated to taking care of our family and making us happy and comfortable. I just want to find every way possible to make his life as great as he makes ours.
Our little baby is growing fine, only about 7 more weeks and he will be with us! I am trying really hard not to count down yet, but it's hard when I'm CONSTANTLY reminded with kicks and punches. Holy cow, Abby was a very active baby in the womb, but she can't even hold a candle to this child! (I tell you I wouldn't be surprised if my belly is covered in bruises by the time we're done!)
We've also visited with my family and friends a lot, canned peaches, gone to the Zoo, and the Dino Museum at Thanksgiving Point and all kinds of fun things, including lazy days when we just stay home. Anyway, I'm embarrassed it's been so long since I've posted but if I keep waiting to "get caught up" you'll never hear from me again. So, here's the quick and dirty version and we'll see how well I do after this!

What are Sisters and Aunts for?

So, a few weekends ago Becca came out from Provo to visit. It was so much fun seeing her, we stayed up til the weeeeeee hours talking each night and had a blast. Abby and Joseph both loved seeing her, but Abby was especially pampered. Becca brought her Pretty Pretty Princess game AND they had a tea/juice party. This wasn't just any old tea party, it was with Becca's special China tea set from her trip to China. They were so cute together! I love you sis, thanks for visiting, it means a lot.

Happy Birthday Spencer and One Year Joseph!

Happy Birthday to the men in my life! (you know, from February 18th and 20th) I love you both and can't imagine life without you!

Running Anyone?

I got caught taping my arches before exercising and of course Abby had to match. Well, when Joe saw her getting attention, he HAD to join in. Hence, we are all ready to go with our supported arches. Joe cried when his tape finally fell off.

Peanut Butter Play Dough

The first step in any play dough is to follow the recipe and knead well.

Once kneaded and mixed to satisfaction, play away!

And of course the very best part about peanut butter play dough. . . it's edible! Yummm

Thanks for playing with me Abby, you are a sweet girl.

Shave and a Hair Cut. . .

Abby loves to help with everything we do, laundry, dishes, mopping, sweeping, taking out the trash, and EVEN helping Spencer shave. (can I just say Spencer, you are a BRAVE saint!)

Ahhhh! That's all I can say!

Just a few more. . . .

Cousin Charlie and Joe hangin' out in the snow!

Spencer and Abby finishing a run. Abby hopped on everyone's sleds so it was difficult to keep track of her and get pictures, but she sure was happy.

Christmas at the Allred's.