November through my iphone

My favorite November yet.

It all started by integrating the 'giving tree' into our home.  Such a delight for us to do service for others in such a fun & positive manner.

Penny started physical therapy + I took a WHOLE LOT of Christmas mini sessions.

We attended Brent's funeral (Blake's uncle) such a treasure to be able to celebrate such a wonderful man + hear all the cool stories of his life.  Truly an uplifting service.

We purchased some new Thanksgiving books + Penny learned how to SQUEAL.  So darn cute.

We ate at a yummy taco truck + who am I kidding...we pretty much ate out everyday in Nov.

We bought a new car + I'm still missing the truck.

I sent a special package to a dear friend who has been on my mind + 

I got all my Christmas shopping done.

I went on a much needed girls weekend + it was the MOST FUN one yet.

Kenzie & I had to pump every 3-4 hours, Tessa got designated as the official milk holder, we stayed up much too late, ate lots of yummy food, exchanged letters, shopped until we dropped, + laughed our little bellies off.

THANKSGIVING + black friday shopping.  

My sisters & I were hard core this year...shopped from 11 thanksgiving night until 5 the next morning.  YeeHaw.  Our most successful black friday shop yet.  Plus, hanging out with my sisters/sisters in laws is pretty much the bees knees. 

All in all, November shaped up to be a great month.

The older I get, the more this month means to me.

Penny Ann: 3 Months

You are the sweetest little thing ever.

My favorite thing is to put you on your side & face me on my side when you are sleepy....as soon as you feel my lips on your forehead, you nuzzle in & fall asleep immediately  It's the sweetest.

You love to watch your sister play.

You laugh so hard when we 'eat' your armpits, thighs, & belly.

You just wanna play all day...kicking, cooing, blowing bubbles, & smiling.

If we happen to catch your eye, your smile goes out of the roof.
You think you are so big & cool when we help you stand/sit up.

You spent your first night without me this month & we trained you on a pumped bottle for weeks in preparation.  You finally got the hang of it, & did fine without me the entire time I was gone.....
But, you were more than happy to have the boobies back
& you wanted me to hold you straight for the following three days.
You started physical therapy on your little neck & head this month.
Your neck is already doing so much better & now we are trying to work on your head.

I couldn't imagine our lives without your sweet spirit.

You are such a blessing & I thank my Heavenly Father every day for you!

Thankful

The day after Halloween, I woke up, rolled over to Blake, and said, "Well, time to put the tree up."
Ok, that might be just a tad bit early, but, I always shoot the gun with the Christmas decorations.
I can't help it....I love the lights, the ambiance, & the feeling that Christmas & Christmas decorations bring.  This year,  I will try my darndest to at least wait until the week of Thanksgiving...
But, in the end, why does it even matter when ppl put their Christmas decorations up?
I say, do whatever makes you happy.
Who's to say I won't pull out the tree tomorrow & cry as I watch a cheesy HallMark Christmas movie?

Anyway, sorry about the above tangent.  I really wanted to talk about Thanksgiving in this post...not Christmas.  This month is so special to me...the older I get, the more Thanksgiving means to me.  I am now a mother of two & have an amazing husband....I have SO much to be thankful for. I know I should take time & consider all I have to be thankful for everyday of the year, & I want to try harder from here on out.  It should be a no brainer, since I'm so much more positive & happy when I think of reasons to be thankful.  However, I'm really thankful that we have this month to celebrate our thankfulness, blessings, & giving.  And, I'm glad that this month reminds me of how rich my life truly is.  Life is so fiercely good to me.

With a combination of wanting to start a Thanksgiving tradition to make this holiday more meaningful for me & my little family + with London going Mahamad Ali on a little boy + trying to incorporate the spirit of giving and thanks for this special season, this website came at just the right time.  If you are looking for something meaningful + simple, check it out.  I love that the main focus is giving with thanks.  Giving?  Shouldn't we all do it more?  Why is it so hard to find time & ways to give?  It really isn't all that hard....even a simple smile to a stranger can go a long way.  We just started it Monday & I can already see a difference in all of our perspectives & attitudes.  It's funny how serving others will make you feel so good?  It's a natural high, I tell ya.  While we were 'giving' back to our community by cleaning & weeding our townhome sandbox a couple days ago, a peace swept over me.  I knew that by doing a simple thing like making the sandbox look nice, we were teaching London (and ourselves) a valuable lesson.  My heart overfilled with joy as London wrote an apology letter to a friend (the boy she went Mahamad Ali on) & 'gave' her friendship.  She was so happy & I know her little heart felt so good.  We have been filling up our tree with giving leaves & my heart has been filling up right along side it.  Most of the time, I think 'giving' should be done without acknowledgements. My heart gets fine tuned every single time I 'give'.  The feeling I get is something I cherish & ponder on....something I hold dear to my heart & something that is personal.

This world is SO good & has amazing people.  If I just open my eyes, I see that people 'give' to me every single day....even multiple times a day.  It can come in all forms...from Blake playing with my hair to London telling me she loves me to a complete stranger seeking me out because Penny had lost a shoe.  I am surrounded by amazing family, friends, & even strangers.  Good is everywhere.  This Thanksgiving season, I want the spirit of 'giving' to envelope me.  It already has. 

Photo Cred:  Dani Lamb. 

Thanks again sweet girl for capturing all these priceless moments.

I will always look at these & cherish them for the rest of my life.

You're a doll.

A VERY VERY special day for Penny

I cannot even begin to fully explain how much I love Penny & how much joy she has brought into our home.  She watches me all day just wanting to smile at me.  She balances us all out with her calm personality + she gets anxious with lots of people around & would rather just retreat upstairs & talk to mama & London.  She is cuddly, sweet + she snorts when she cries.  She is a mama's girl through & through & I am so proud that she is.  My dad always tells me how much of a mama's girl I was....
So, it fills me with joy that my sweet little Penny Pie is a mama's girl.  She is LOVED so very much.

Penny's blessing day will ALWAYS hold a very special spot in my heart...reserved just for her.
My beautiful & talented sister made Penny's blessing dress & bonnet + I couldn't have been more happy with the results. 

Sunday mornings are a l w a y s SO crazy at the Allen household.
But, on this very Sunday, things couldn't have ran more smoothly.
We made it to church on time + came with a special spirit about us.
Blake gave the most genuine, sincere, & heartfelt baby blessing I have ever heard.
The blessing had me weeping like a willow + dry eyes were nowhere in sight.
Truly touching & heartfelt.
Penny is one lucky lady to have such a daddy.
Thankfully, I recorded it & will be typing it up for Penny's baby book.
I love that she will be able to always read & treasure the words that her daddy blessed her with.

It was so lovely to have all of our closest friends & family supporting us & Penny on her special day.

The lunch was delicious, the company even better, & miss Penny was the star of the day as she was passed around & held by everyone.

We couldn't be more thrilled with how the day turned out.

It truly was a very very special day for Penny.