FOR THOSE WHO INQUIRED...

This is a sample of the ornanments that I made. I used three different scrapbook papers, but this one turned out to be my favorite.

ENJOY!

Our first Christmas!

It's so hard to believe that Christmas has already come and gone. Yesterday was so nice- we just woke up whenever we wanted, had our quiet little Christmas morning, and then joined the Heywood family for the rest of the day. Richard and I read Luke 2 before we opened any gifts, just to help us keep in mind what we are actually celebrating. It was a nice little tradition to start- we'll see if we can keep that up when we have kids who are can't wait to start opening their gifts!

Here's what we found Christmas morning:

The big box on the right is a memory

foam mattress topper that Richard got us.

We slept on it last night... LOVE IT! It is so

comfy! Highly recommended!

Our stockings

The happy couple!

Richard's basketball! He's wanted one for a while!

AND ANNOUNCING......

We're having a baby! YAY!!!!!!! We are soooo excited! Right now it's about the size of a bean (that's what we call it, our little bean), but we are so excited for it to grow and finally come out to meet us sometime in July. The due date is July 31. So far, I have been feeling wonderful, not sick at all, so I'm hoping I can keep it up! What a blessing our new little addition will be for our family!

Let it rain, let it rain, let it rain!

Can you believe this Arizona weather? It waits two extra months to cool down, and then we freeze! At least, I freeze! I love the rain, but I prefer it in the summer when it's warm rain. Cold and wet, anyone? No thank you! Anyway, I am grateful for the moisture. We definitely need it.

Some friends of ours (thanks Mark and Kristen!) gave us a gorgeous tree that we finally got time to decorate. We didn't have much to put on it, so I decided to make some ornaments. They turned out very cute, and we bought a package of glass balls and some ribbon. I think it turned out great. Here is an up-close view.

I love this time of year! All the lights and colors are so pretty, and I'm just in this crafty mood. It's so easy to just be busy at this time of year, but I love when things finally calm down and I can just look at the tree and think about the true meaning of Christmas.

This is what my kitchen table has looked like all month. Finally I finished some projects, so the ModPodge can be put away! Merry Christmas everybody!

Thanksgiving in Utah

Whoa! Have I been slacking or what? Every time I look at my blog to get to everyone else's blogs, I feel like such a slacker. So, let's catch up. For Thanksgiving, Richard and I went up to my sister Valora's house in Kaysville, UT. Tyler (little bro) also came up from BYU, and we had a great Thanksgiving meal, for which I prepared the gravy. Yes, I was very proud of myself. We had a great 4 or 5 days there, and were able to stay for the blessing of Marybelle Olson, my sister Marilla's new baby. Marilla and Valora live right around the corner from each other, but Marilla's in-laws were in town, so that's why we didn't do Thanksgiving with them. Anyway, it was so great to see them and also my brothers Tyler and Justin. I have actually seen them quite a few times this year, because of the wedding and then the funeral, but it's always so fun to hang out with the family. I wish we lived closer together. I also wish I had taken pictures while up there. I brought my camera, but I don't think it even made it out of the car. Sad, but true. My brothers-in-law were looking forward to playing basketball with Richard, (he talks big) and they went on Thanksgiving morning. It turns out my husband isn't all talk! Go team Heywood!

Brandon Todd Allen

On Friday, October 17, we lost my sweet little nephew Brandon. What a cutie he was! My family was all able to come for his funeral on Thursday, the 23rd, including my parents. These are pictures from Richard's birthday party, where Brandon stayed in the swing for most of the night, but ventured to the slide for this small photo shoot. He was almost 2, and acted like it! We will sure miss him and his sweet hugs and kisses. Mmmwah! He would say that every time! Brandon was great at saying No! and uh-huh, mom, Stop!, and many other words. When he said no, it was always nooooo, while he waved you off with his hand, like he was really saying, "would you just go away?" We all loved it, and made him laugh when we imitated him. He sure left us with some fun and great memories. We love Brandon!

Richard's Birthday

So... it's been a while. Yikes... so much to say. Over a month ago, we celebrated Richard's 24th birthday. We had a little backyard BBQ in the park that's in our neighborhood. We are so grateful that we have family living close by. Richard's parents and grandparents live in Mesa, and my brother Tim and his family live in Queen Creek. They all came and we had a little pot-luck. Shirell (my sister in law) brought a fabulous carrot cake that was 100% dairy free. No milk for my honey! These are some pictures inside, as it was super-duper hot outside. We have Grammy and Papa Heywood, Austin, Morgan, me, Richard, and Mom and Dad Heywood. Kristalyn snuck into the one on the stairs. Fun, fun, fun!

Gilbert High School Orchestra Retreat

What an adventure! As many of you know, I have been teaching orchestra at Gilbert High School for over 4 years now. This year, I decided it was time to take my Symphony on a retreat. So, we went to Prescott, AZ and stayed in these big cabins, and had a great time. We rehearsed a lot, and I think my kids had a positive experience. Here are a few pictures of them in sectionals, rehearsals, etc. They played their instruments for probaby 5 hours each day, and I definitely wore them out, but they sure are sounding good! We also had other kinds of fun... I took them outside and we played human fuzball. It was hilarious! They loved that, as well, even though it was pretty hot, and we ended up stopping early. We will have to modify it a little, but I would like to do it again next year.

Overall, we had a great time. I am also adding some pictures of our talent show. These kids are hilarious! I love every one of them!

You can't see the one on the left very well, but it is four girls, the two in the back "invisible" and "helping" the girls in the front with their makeup.

CAMPING TIME!

Richard and I were able to go camping over Labor Day weekend with my brother, Tim, and his family. We had so much fun! We went up to Canyon Creek and sat around a campfire, made s'mores, ate A LOT, and made boats out of whatever we could find in nature.

This is all of the entries in this year's race. The boat race is an Allen family tradition that we started about 5 years ago up at Black River (another family tradition- that's where we always go). Our entry is the one on the very left. It came in second! Not too shabby!

On Sunday, it was raining for most of the day, so rather than sitting around, Richard and I decided to go into Heber and check out this cabin that he stayed at a few years ago. Can you say gorgeous? It's huge! It has a lake on the property, as well as a very cute red barn. I have always loved barns, even thought I don't know what I would do with one if I had it. I still want one!

So, we enjoyed our first camping trip together. It was fun to spend time with my family, and see how my little nieces and nephews responded to the different things that happen unexpectedly. The whole area had a bunch of these little purple beetles. My niece Lacey just couldn't get enough of them. She was searching everywhere for them!

One day while we were there, we saw two elk just off the side of the road. They both had huge sets of antlers, and they were butting heads. They were only about 20 yards away, so it was neat to watch them. They stuck around for a long time, and gathered quite a crowd. I'd only really ever seen an elk from the car before, so it was pretty cool to be so close. What a fun trip!

Our Honeymoon!

I finally found my camera cable! For our honeymoon, Richard and I went to Huntington Beach and stayed in Grammy and Papa's condo. It was so great! We loved just being able to relax and do whatever for a few days. On the 4th of July, we went to the Huntington Beach parade and sat on the curb for a few hours. Here we are waiting for the parade... it took FOREVER because we were sitting at the very end of the parade route. That evening we went to the beach for fireworks. It was so great to watch the fireworks over the water!

Another day we decided to walk along the pier and eat dinner. This is a picture of us actually on the pier. It was funny, because there were people all over the place fishing off the pier, and cleaning their fish right there. Disgusting! I guess people gotta make a living!

We went to Disneyland and California adventure, as well. We had to take a picture in front of the California sign, of course! For lunch we had peanut butter sandwhiches in the car. However, we forgot a knife, so Richard got to spread everything on the bread with his finger! It was hilarious, and the sandwhiches were amazing! What a good sport!

We loved walking along the beach (although my legs were killing me by the end of our trip!), and Richard decided to write "Honeymoon July 2008" in the sand before the tide could wash it away! We had such a great time, and I am told that we will have to celebrate similarly for our anniversary each year!

One Month Anniversary

Well, today is our one month anniversary. We made it this far...yay! We haven't killed each other yet, so that's a great sign. Actually. it's just getting better and better! This is our car after the reception. Our friend DaNelle Wolford did this for us. We loved it!

This last week I was in Utah to help my sister Valora while she had a new baby. So, I left my poor husband for a week and got to take care of 4 kids! It was crazy! I told Richard several times that I was sure glad children usually come one at a time! The baby sure is a cutie, though. I was glad that I was able to help, but definitely ready to come home.

This week school starts...already. CRAZY! How did that happen? Anyway, I am excited to see what fun a new school year will bring. I wonder if should keep a tally of how many times I get called Miss Allen. I love working with the high school kiddos- it's fun to see them grow up.

As soon as I find the cord to my camera, I will get pictures of our honeymoon on here!

Our Wedding!

Well, we have been married just shy of 3 weeks, and we are love, love, loving it! Richard moved in with me, so it has taken a little adjustment for him to find a place in the house, but I think we are finally making it work! Until school starts, I am a stay at home wife, which is obviously new for me, so I am trying my hardest to stay busy. I do get a little bored sometimes, so it is always exciting to finally hear the garage door open and know that my hubby is home! I love being married, and getting to know Richard better each day. He takes care of me, and I am so grateful for our little family!