The Best Christmas Pageant 2007

More Boys

What a week! Can't beat 75 degrees in December! The boys have been outside everyday and Tait even wore some shorts one day. They had a fun playdate with Bryce and Dylan!

Five Boys

The boys had a slumber party on the night of the Hayden Harper Christmas party. It was an entertaining morning with five boys five and under. We got a little taste of what some parents experience daily.

The Allen Post Office

The boys celebrated their 4th and 2nd birthdays with a mail birthday brunch. They invited all boys to be mail"MEN" (with the exception of a few baby sisters or helping older sisters). The letter hunt with mail bags and the mail truck pinata with candy were the big hit! Tait chose a letter cake and Grayson had a mailbox cake. Happy Birthday!

Thanksgiving in the Mountains

We enjoyed a fun week in the NC mountains for Thanksgiving. Lots of hiking, eating, laughing, playing games, eating, chatting and eating (did i mention eating). Some hikes (or hikers!) were a little crazier than others. The boys had a blast with all the family that traveled to join us!

TACO TIME

Uncle Matt (or Uncle Matty Boy as he's often referred to) is an amazing uncle. Tait and Grayson adore him! He always has fun games involving chasing, tickling, wrestling, etc. "Taco time" has become one of the boys' favorites!

Fall Fun

The boys had fun raking leaves with Daddy. I'm not sure exactly how helpful they were:)! And Mommy had some fall fun with getting a shorter do. Still can't quite compete with the crazy mullet hair-do!

Big Boy Bed

Since Grayson has been able to crawl out of his crib for the last 6 months+, we finally took the time to move him to his new bed, the toddler bed. He loves it! No major transition...probably due to the fact that he would regularly climb out of his crib and come out the door. I did decide to put a safety lock on his doorknob. We'll see how long it takes him to figure it out!

Grayson on the scooter

Grayson does his best to keep up with his big brother. He finally figured out how to ride the scooter this past month. Here are a few clips of scooter boy!

Dressing Up Fun

Tait enjoyed his last soccer practice on Halloween Eve--a costume practice. He wore Daddy's army gear (Chris wore when he was little). Tait loved playing "Pirates" where you dribble around, knocking down cones, looking for the hidden treasure (a candy bar).

On Halloween, Tait went to Gopher Buddies (his Awana program at the big, pink church) like usual, but he went as the soldier King David (only costumes from the Bible of course:). Our little Brewer, Grayson, had fun handing out candy--and eating his fair share--at our friends' house (the Bards) where we enjoyed a great dinner!

And Chris was able to get out his favorite hair-do! For some reason I see that thing more often than I'd like!

Wheaton Reunion

A quick weekend getaway took us to Peachtree City, GA (south of Atlanta) to meet up with some college roomies. Steve and Maura have two kiddos that are the same age as Tait and Gray. Never a dull moment! Fun to play hard, relax, catch up and eat Maura's delicious cooking.

Pumpkin Party

Carving pumpkins and decorating pumpkin cookies...always some good fall activities. The boys had fun drawing their designs and scooping out the insides for about...2 minutes. Then the moms had the privilege of scooping and carving 5 pumpkins. Joy! Next year I think we'll let the dads tackle the event. How many seeds can be in a little pumpkin anyhow?!

Tait's Soccer Videos

Here are a few quick clips from Tait's soccer game:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxV5NWZBBls

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qndK5JOO88c

First Camp Out

Tait and Daddy had a special date: Tait's first night camping. They collected firewood, found a good spot and set up the tent, and even shared their dinner over the fire with Mommy and Grayson...all in the backyard. Tait slept well and I think Daddy even had a good night of sleep (on Tait's schedule from 8:30-7:00).

Pumpkin Farm

Another hot fall day, but you can still pick out pumpkins and feed the animals at the farm! We were in good company with the Swinehart boys--and girls! Tait's highlight was watching the farm girl milk the cow. Grayson just ran around petting every animal and saying hi. The adventurous hay ride took us through the farmer's huge pasture--the natural beauty of the new neighborhoods along the fence line and the dried-up ponds left us in awe. :)Ha!

Lazy 5 Ranch

We kicked off our hot October with a trip to Lazy 5 Ranch with some of our buddies. What an adventure! Lots of animals to pet and feed and observe. The giraffes and buffalo were some of the favorites. Fearless Grayson tried to grab the buffalo's big horns. And the giraffe slobbered all over Tait's head.

Fall Soccer

Tait is playing on his first little soccer team at a local church. His best buddies, Bryce and Tyler, are on his team and he loves his coaches--Daddy and Dustin! They play 3 v. 3 on a tiny field, but I think Tait would probably confess that rolling down the big grass hill is just as fun as the soccer:)!

Summer Highlights

A little behind on the summer blogging. Here's a quick overview: Allen family camp in Lake Geneva, WI. Tait and Jamie got baptized in the lake. Visit to Wausau, WI to see Uncle Matt and Papa Jim's baseball game. Chris and Jamie to Africa; Tait and Grayson to the Midwest. End of the summer wedding of Grandma Sue and John over Labor Day weekend.