Happy Birthday Girls

We have been celebrating birthdays for months around here! On April 7, Maggie turned 5, on June 8, Hallie had her 7th birthday and on July 7 Lainey Shae turned 3. I can't believe how big they are getting. I will have a 2nd grader and a Kindergartner! That just doesn't seem real. And I feel like Lainey has been 2 for about 3 years, so it is fun to say she is 3 . . . although she will tell you she is 4! We milked the celebrations as much as we could. For Mag we had a party with the cousins and went to pretend city on her real birthday and then a fun party in CA with friends and Grandma and Grandpa. She also got to celebrate at school. For Hallie, we had one party in UT, one in MO with all the fam that came to visit, and one on her real birthday! We did the same with Lainey. We had one on her real birthday. My neighbor Chris made Lainey the most darling Cinderella cake as a surprsise for all of us! I couldn't believe it. And then a few days later we had a party with the Jankes! I adore being mom to my girls and love them more than I could ever express. I love to celebrate birthdays and celebrate their lives and the ways that they have change my life. So here is to my three birthday girls! I love you sweet, sweet girls and I am so thankful for everyday that I have with you.

Here are lots of pictures of the parties . . . in reverse order!

Lainey's Ariel Party

Lainey's Cinderella Party

Hallie's Tangled Party

Aaron was Flynn Ryder

Lainey was Pascal. the Chameleon and Maggie was Maximus, the horse

Hallie's UT Cousin Party

Maggie's Karaoke Party

Her Doggie Cake Pops for School

Maggie's Cousin Party

Pickin' Berries

We found a fun little place to go and pick blueberries. It was hotter than blazes but we had fun. The babies found a tree full of blueberries and never left it. They ate every berry off that tree! We planned on picking lots of berries and making a blueberry pie, but Aaron got called into the hospital before we made it too far. So we just ate the berries we picked. We got ice cream for the way home and the girls were so sticky when we got home, we got out and hosed everyone off. That turned into a giant water fight with the hose. I think they were pretty happy.

Oh What Do You Do in the Summertime?

Swimming on the blow up slide and game night on the gazebo.

This is what we do just about every day! I LOVE LOVE LOVE Lazy summer days!

Happy Birthday America!

I love the 4th of July. I think it is such a fun holiday. And it is so important to take time to be appreciative of the freedoms we enjoy in the USA and to appreciate those who sacrifice to secure those freedoms. I truly am so thankful to all who sacrifice in so many different ways to make this country an amazing place to live. Despite the struggles we face as a nation, I love the USA!

We had such a fun weekend. We spent Sunday with the Jankes and spent the night at their house. How crazy is it that we are spending holidays together again? We had so much fun. The kids are in heaven being back together, and so are we! We ate LOTS of yummy food and played games and stayed up way too late. Then we all woke up at the crack of dawn and went to a breakfast at the church. Nothing like showing up with 13 people for breakfast! A little overwhelming, but fun. Then we took the kids to a parade in Webster Groves. After being caught in a completely unexpected downpour and getting soaked to the bone; after several slips and falls and scrapes and bruises; and after waiting FOREVER for the parade to come, we watched a fun parade, ate lots of candy and had a great time. Then we headed home, took a nap and went to a ward party at the Bohn's house. They have a great swimming pool and an ice cream machine and cotton candy machine. They made food for everyone and we had a blast. The kids loved swimming and made some new friends last night. It was a great holiday! Here are a few pictures. Unfortunately my camera broke so I have to get some more pics from Jennifer and from Aaron's phone. But this is what I got before it broke.

Happy Graduation!

Happy Graduation to Aaron! I am so proud of his accomplishment. Amazing that he/we made it with a family of seven, but we did. I must admit that I got a little emotional when he walked in during the processional. It just felt like such a huge thing to have finsihed and we are so happy! And I can honestly say that the journey has been great. We have had a few stumbling blocks, but all in all it has been great for our family. We have learned a million lessons and have become a very close family unit. It is hard on the girls to move so much, but they are becoming such good friends and I love it. They really rely on each other. We have settled into our new home in Missouri and we are starting to really like it here. I think it is going to be great for us. A big HUGE thank you to our parents for being there to support us, not only on graduation day, but through this whole process! We love you so much and could not have done it without you! And thank you for helping us with the move. Of course we didn't pull the move off without a hitch (or two or three). And so now we have some great memories to laugh about! Thank you, thank you! We love you!

We are back

Wow! We have been on a little hiatus! Actually we have been in C-R-A-Z-Y mode. It has been the most hectic, crazy year of our lives and I could kick myself for not staying up on the blog. I have missed so many great moments. But instead of stressing out about catching up, I have decided to move forward with new conviction.

So tomorrow wraps up our stay in CA. It has been wonderful here and we have loved it. There is nothing like being with family. It has been amazing and we are going to miss it so much. My parents have been incredible and I feel so lucky to have had even a brief year with them. Was it worth packing up our stuff and our family to move across the country for a year, only to move right back where we came from? ABSOLUTELY! I am so glad we had this time and that my kids had the opportunity to see their grandparents on such a regular basis. What a treat. I could never thank my parents enough.

We have also made incredible friends and are sad to leave them. Moving a ton is hard, but it gives us the opportunity to meet wonderful people and make lifelong friends.

I really can't write a novel tonight. We are packing the truck tomorrow and I am asking myself, what the heck am I doing on the computer? But I needed a breather and it was refreshing to take a break and check in on some friends, which in turn inspired me to post. So here are the Allreds, checking back in and hopefully getting the ball rolling! Here is to a new adventure that begins tomorrow . . .