Kaylee Girl

Dear Kaylee,
You are in the cutest stage ever right now. Everything you say and do is just making me giggle. Even the way I see you out of the corner of my eye streaking down the hallway to get the bathroom stool so you can go potty on your own. You talk so much. You have the cutest little voice, it's so sweet. My favorite sayings right now are...

"need help, me!"

"said no?!"

"Mommy, nuggle me?"

The "said no?!" is my absolute favorite. Every time you ask us for something and we tell you no you say that in absolute shock. How could someone say no to you? The other night you wanted a brownie in the car and Daddy told you not until you get home. You got one anyway and Daddy took it away and told you that now you couldn't have one when we got home because you disobeyed. You looked at him heartbroken, started crying immediately and through sobs said, "No Brownie?" Daddy replied, "That's right, no brownie." Then you just broke down into heaving sobs. It was so hard not to giggle because you were so stinkin' cute.

You rough house right along with the boys. You love to play Star Wars and you make people laugh with your "force" stance.

You still love to dance at home and your favorite dancing song right now is the "I like to Move it, Move it" song. You have a variety of moves and every day you add to them.

You LOVE to have your face painted! You ask Daddy all the time to paint your face. Sometimes you just want a green nose, sometimes you want to be a Hello Kitty. It's very random, but regardless of what you choose, you always love the way it looks!

You also like to paint. Daddy took you to the store and bought you some special watercolors and the two of you sit there and paint pictures together.

We made some family rules together. You had a great time coloring the poster and using stickers to decorate it. You understand the rules, but you don't necessarily follow them. Although you are such a good girl as it is. We're working really hard on sharing and talking nice so those two made the rule list for sure.

We took you to the mall and we saw the Easter Bunny there. You thought he was fantastic and you wanted to see him and wave to him, but you did not want to sit with him! We spent a lot of time just admiring him from a distance. Grammy Darrlyn was going to buy you a stuffed bunny to take home but you picked a pink teddy bear with spots. You love that bear and take it almost everywhere with you.

You still love your Princess Snow Boots! You wear them all the time, regardless if you're in a dress or shorts. They are cute boots, but they are so clunky you can hardly walk in them. The warmer it gets the less often you put them on, but you think about it every time.

Josie gave you her old bike. You love it. You tell me all the time it's your bike. The boys don't have bikes yet even! You're pretty proud of it. You had a great time with Daddy while he was helping you ride it. You even let the boys ride your bike too.

You still love to cook and help in the kitchen. Last night you were suppose to be helping me unwrap mini Reeses PB cups but you were eating them all instead! I think that's your favorite part of helping in the kitchen, the taste testing!

I love you sweet girl, thanks for always wanting to nuggle me and for making me giggle.
Mommy

Connor Bug

Dear Connor,

You're four. I can't believe it. The last few weeks have been filled with so much fun and excitement I don't even know where to start!

You played indoor soccer this season. The first game was hilarious! You stood in the middle of the field while all the other kids ran back and forth around you. You didn't move an inch. I'm still not sure what was going on in your head. Each game got a little better until the last few games when you were really very good! You kicked the ball and you even scored a goal! You then went around telling everyone you knew that "I GOALED!" So very cute...

One night at Grammy Darrlyn's house you noticed her plants. You told her you wanted a plant and then ripped a leaf off of hers. We had a talk with you about how that can kill plants and please don't do that again. Then Grammy said she was going to get you your own plant. Later that evening on the way home, you just broke into tears. When we asked you what was wrong you sobbed," I feel so bad I broke Gramma's plant!" We called Grammy and told her you were sorry again, and then she came over bright and early the next morning to go pick out a plant with you. You had so much trouble picking. You were getting very overwhelmed! You finally did pick though. A big hanging plant. It was originally hanging in your room, but it started to die from lack of sun, so we brought it out into the dining room. You love your plant.

Star Wars and Spiderman is the talk of the town right now. However, you got really neat light sabers for your birthday and you have "fight outs" all the time. You love to use the force and gang up on Daddy. Daddy even had to go get his own light saber so he could keep up with you and Hunter. Kaylee even uses the force, which everyone thinks is hysterical! You are a good big brother and you have "fight outs" with Kaylee too although I think you prefer playing with Daddy.



Your birthday was so fun this year! You were very excited for it and we had a countdown going for over a month! You wanted a star wars party. For your birthday we did all things star wars. You loved your cake, and yours wasn't that hard for Mommy! The lego figurines fell off frequently, but we just put them back on and you were fine with it. You even kept finding figurines around the house to add to it as the day went on.

At preschool you got your own birthday snack day. That was really exciting for you and you decided you wanted to take Iron Man cookies. Grammy made the cookies, and Daddy and I decorated them. Thankfully Daddy helped, because they turned out fantastic! You got a birthday hat at preschool and you got to be the line leader which are very important and fun things. I love how excited you got this year.


Here's to another year! I'm so excited to see what it will bring. I love you buddy, more every day!

Hunter Boy

Dear Hunter,
You're four. I can't believe it. The last few weeks have been filled with so much fun and excitement I don't even know where to start!
We'll start with you running into the door a few weeks back. We still don't know exactly how it happened, but one night I asked you to go to the bathtub for a bath. You went running around the corner and fell into the side of the door. This is where it gets confusing because we don't know how you managed to cut your head open, but you did. You were convinced that Connor pushed you but Connor was in front of you so there was no way! You were screaming and crying out of pain. Kaylee was standing naked in the bathtub screaming for us to come turn on the water because she was cold, and Connor saw all the blood from your head rolling into your eyes and was convinced that you had lost an eye and could no longer see so he was screaming and crying. Daddy and I for a slight second were overwhelmed. We had no idea who to quiet down first. We ended up going to the emergency room where you got 5 staples in your head. You were a very brave boy. You were hilarious in the emergency room because the doctor would walk in and you would instantly clam up. Then when he left the room you would start talking again. You kept telling us you were afraid he was going to cut you open. We kept trying to explain that you were already cut open and he was going to close it up. It was a battle we just couldn't win, you were not to be convinced. 
It didn't seem to hurt you to badly unless you were laying down, and you did not want to lay down. The first few nights were really long nights because we couldn't get you to fall asleep. However, halfway through the week Daddy had an idea. He gave you his work hat and told you it was a special hat. This special hat would keep your head from hurting. You put it on your head, laid down, and went right to sleep. The rest of the week you took your special hat to sleep with you every night. You also wore your special hat to school to cover up the bandage so nobody would make fun of you. You were incredibly worried about people making fun of you. Your friends Abby and Grace made you a get well card and got you a cool Toy Story plate as a get better soon present. Abby drew a picture of the two of you getting married and she giggled like a school girl when she showed you. It was rather adorable and I saved the card she made in your box just in case I ever need to pull it out and embarrass you two as teenagers!

You played indoor soccer this season. You are always the fastest runner on the team, and you love to be told that you "run so fast." You don't like to kick the ball though, so you spend the entire game running next to the person kicking the ball. It's adorable. You are so proud of yourself. You could easily steal the ball from anyone who had it, but you are just content as a clam to run next to it.

Grammy Darrlyn took you to buy a plant at Walmart. It was a really hard decision but you went with the cactus. I am thrilled about that because we don't have to water them as much! You love having your own plant and check on it all the time. It's hard for you that we don't get to water it much, but you still love your pick.

We made some house rules again. Largely for Kaylee, but you two boys sure loved to help make the rules and decorate the poster. I would say we're still struggling to follow the rules on the poster, but it's nice to once again have a few rules that we use all day every day. I also love looking at your poster.

Star Wars and Spiderman is the talk of the town right now. However, you got really neat light sabers for your birthday and you have "fight outs" all the time. You love to use the force and gang up on Daddy. Daddy even had to go get his own light saber so he could keep up with you and Connor. Kaylee even uses the force, which everyone thinks is hysterical! You are a good big brother and you have "fight outs" with Kaylee too although I think you prefer playing with Daddy.

Your birthday was so fun this year! You were very excited for it and we had a countdown going for over a month! You wanted a spiderman party. For your birthday we did all things spiderman. You loved your cake, although it was really hard for Mommy to make. The walls weren't working and so I wasn't going to put them on. I told you about it and you stared at the cake long and hard before saying, " I really think it would look better with walls." So, we found a way to make the walls work. You were thrilled! You loved the cake topper candle the most.



At preschool you got your own birthday snack day. That was really exciting for you and you decided you wanted to take Captain America cookies. We had to make them twice because the first ones looked more like Nacho Libre than Captain America, but in the end they were adorable and it was a big hit at preschool. You got a birthday hat and got to be the line leader which are very important and fun things. I love how excited you got this year!

Here's to another year! I'm so excited to see what it will bring. I love you buddy, more every day!
Mommy

Princess Dance

Dear Kaylee,
Every year at the Trac they have a father/daughter dance. It's very expensive and thousands of people go. I thought you were too young to go to the dance this year, especially considering the expense but I was also afraid of the crowd of people. Daddy was a little disappointed but understood. Then a few weeks later we heard about another father/daughter dance being held at the church down the road. The girl scouts were hosting the dance as a fundraiser. It was only $15. We decided that it would be fun to let you go to that dance. Grandma Karen had given you a very pretty Easter dress for your birthday that was perfect for the dance. We told you a few days before the dance and you were so excited. You kept telling us it was a "princess dance."

The day of the dance I took you to a new salon called Kid Biz. You got your hair cut and styled, complete with glitter. The salon owner is an acquaintance of mine and she totally spoiled you. You were about as excited as they come. After your hair was done I took you to payless to buy some shoes for your dress. We picked out some pink sandals that would match the dress, but that you could wear for summer too. You LOVE picking out shoes so that only added to your excitement.

When we finally got home, we put on your princess dress. You kept telling me, "nice." I told you to go show Daddy and he ooohed and aaaahhhed appropriately. Although, he didn't have to try hard because you were adorable. You even spun a few times in your dress.

You were in a hurry to leave, and kept telling the boys  "Bye! Love You Too!" The boys thought it was all pretty fun watching you get dressed up and getting ready to go on your date.
We took a few pictures outside with you and Daddy and you completely hammed it up for the camera. Daddy was having a good time already. The two of you were pretty cute!

Daddy took you to dinner at Applebees and then to the dance. He said you had a great time at both places. Kendall was at the dance and you danced with her a lot. Daddy said you two would dance and then run to the table for a drink or bite of cookie, dance,  and then run to the table. You danced with Daddy, enjoyed all the cute snacks, and thoroughly enjoyed yourself. You didn't stay for the whole dance, because that would have been a little long for you. When you got home you showed everyone the plate of snacks you brought home and shared with the boys. Then you asked me to help you strip down and you snuggled on the couch with a blanky and watched The Gruffalo. I went to snuggle with you and after a few minutes of sitting together and watching the movie you turned to me and said, "Daddy, Dance, FUN!" You've never announced having a good time like that before so it was pretty special that you chose this event to be your first announcement of a good time.

You are such a sweetie pie. A true princess. I love you, and I'm so glad you enjoyed your special dance with Daddy.

Love,
Mommy

Angry Bird Cupcakes

Dear Bubbas,
Angry Birds are everywhere. The Angry Bird marketing team has been doing an amazing job because we can't go into one store without seeing them at least fifty times. Daddy lets you play ten minutes or so a week with him on his lap. You think it's a pretty funny game. The other day we decided to make some Angry Bird cupcakes. It was a lot of fun and I absolutely love how your birds turned out. You guys liked them so much that it took you over a day to finally eat one! I love how serious you guys are when you're decorating your cupcakes. It's a very important task!
Thanks for making something as simple as making cupcakes the best part of our day! I love you!
Mommy

Hunter Boy

Dear Hunter,
I have so much to tell you that I don't even know where to start. The other night you were excited to take a bath and you went running down the hallway. Daddy and I still are unsure of exactly what happened but we heard you fall and then scream wildly. I went around the corner and saw you laying on the ground covered in blood. It turns out you had somehow hit your head on the door and cut a huge gash into your head. Uncle Wade came right over to watch Kaylee and Connor and we took you to the emergency room. While we were getting you ready to go and waiting for Uncle Wade we had to stop Connor from freaking out because he was convinced with all the blood that was running into your eye initially that you had poked your eye out and were blind. He could hardly stand the though. Then we had to calm Kaylee down because she was livid that she was standing naked in the bathroom waiting for us to turn on the water and she was cold. It was a very interesting five minutes in the Allen household.
You were so brave at the hospital. Daddy was making us laugh so hard by being silly while we waited. However, whenever the doctor walked into the room your face went stone cold. You told us you were worried he was going to cut you open. We tried our hardest to explain that you already had a giant cut on your head and that he was going to fix it, but you thought for sure that meant he was going to cut open your head. Where you get these ideas I have no idea. You ended up with five staples in your head. You only screamed on the last one which I think may have been because the numbing cream didn't get that little area all the way. On the way home you told Daddy you were hungry so he swung through the Mcdonald's drive through and bought you chicken nuggets. Then Daddy took me home to relieve uncle Wade and you two went to Walmart to pick out breakfast for the morning and a toy for being so brave.
Daddy said you had a good time making a pick and you chose the coolest Superman lego set. Connor was incredibly jealous when he woke up and saw it, but after talking to him and showing him your staples he decided it wasn't that big of a deal.
You have to keep gauze over the staples because they aren't in very well, so you have a giant ace bandage wrapped around your head. You are incredibly concerned about any of your clothing touching the bandage. You are also always asking me if your bandage is coming off. Your head hurts pretty bad so you don't even want to lay it down on your pillow. That has made our nights pretty long lately because you aren't sleeping. The other night you only got three hours of sleep. Last night you didn't fall asleep until almost eleven, however you are still sleeping now at 8 am so I'm hoping that is a sign you feel better. We'll go get the staples out later this week, which I'm sure will freak you out pretty good, but we'll see.
You and Connor have been the best of friends lately. Like all friendships you two drive each other crazy at times. Connor tells you what to do a lot. He's very concerned about following the rules and so he'll tell you to pick up the library books or to put your shoes in the closet. The other day you just flipped out on him and yelled, "Connor treats me like a baby! I know what to do, STOP TELLING ME!" We had a long talk with Connor about how his constant reminders make you feel and it's gotten much better.
Your singing drives Connor insane. You like to sing the Spiderman song. Except you sing it wrong. You sing, "Spiderman, Spiderman, does whatever a spider do."
Connor yelled the other day, "It's whatever a spider CAN!"
Even though we tell you that we don't like it when you yell at each other and we coach you on how to handle situations with grace and patience I think it's absolutely hilarious when you have these freak out moments on each other. It makes me laugh at the things that you guys just "can't handle."
You went on a date with Grandma Karen and Papa Jerry last weekend. You had such a great time. They took you to the store to pick a toy, to the park to see the birds, and you got to go to the mall for My Fro Yo. Grandma Karen said towards the end of the date you were just sitting down to enjoy your frozen yogurt when you saw a Cat in the Hat mascot and completely wigged out! You were adamant that they take you home immediately. You have a very sincere fear of all mascots and unfortunately there have been a lot out and about lately! At the Trac
On your date with Grandma and Grandpa Allen you picked a toy(s). They're called Squinkies. They are the world's smallest rubber action figures. Seriously smaller than your thumb nail. You love them! You played with them and only them for three days straight. They're so small you would misplace one and beg me to find it. I finally made a rule that if I happened to see one of your superheros I would put them in a bin for you but that I wasn't going to go looking for them. Now it's almost a game for  me. I find myself walking around the house, eyes peeled to the floor looking for a superhero. I have to admit, they are cute toys.
I love you buddy! So very much do I love you! I'm sorry you had to get staples in your head. Thanks for being such a sweetie pie through it all.
Love Mommy