May 2013

Another monthly post from the Klein/Allens:

 

Here's Andi trying on a hat that's way too small for her, being goofy before bedtime.  Goofiness is a usual routine come 8:30 at night.

Andi with her friend Elizabeth Buckway....A friend from our old ward.  So grateful those friends will still come over to play with us now that we live on the other side of town.

My mom likes to have lunches at her house every so often for her grandkids.  So here we are in her backyard, having a picnic.  You can see Andi waiting for a drink and Ava with Grandpa.  Ava has grown quite an affinity for Grandpa Luke.

I always like taking pictures that prove I make effort in the kitchen...at least sometimes.  :)  This night I made sweet 'n sour chicken...The yummy breaded kind (not the healthy kind.)  It was so very yummy and I was proud of myself.

This is a good illustration of how Ava loves her My Little Pony toy--"Rainbow Dash."  It's been fun to see her get into something like she has with the ponies.

Abbey went to "Baby Animal Days" with her "BFF" McKenzie and McKenzie's family.  At that fair, she was able to get a fun face painting.  She came home very happy. 

This is Mother's Day 2013.  I decided as a Mother's Day wish that I would have Eric take a pic with me and the girls each year.  So here's Year One, in our backyard. 

My preferred picture.  More like the real us.  :)

My Mother's Day Loot.  From left to right:  A darling, wonderful card from Abbey, tennis balls from Eric, an adorable card from Andi, flowers from Eric (he knows I love pink), a tennis racket from Eric (we have a city tennis court that sits right behind our house, so I gotta' find time to learn :) ), and a beautiful bouquet from Cathi and Bethany.  Those two are always so good about remembering me on special days, on Michael's behalf. 

Sure do appreciate the love.  Even though it's all just stuff, it means a lot that my family would make the effort.  Love you guys!

Family Home Evening:  WEEDING!  Our new FHE activity, now that we have a yard to take care of.

My mom, Kylie, and Lori at Andi's music class dress rehearsal. (It was also Chloe and Chase's dress rehearsal, too, since they were in that class as well.)  Kylie is a good family friend and Mom always brings her around about once a week. She's a dear friend and I'm so glad my mom helps us all stay a part of her life.

More weeding.  Getting back in the groove of this yard work stuff...

 

Abbey in her very own "garden."  As you may see, we had a lot of weeding to do.

Ava helping with yard work.

Freshly painted, new door.  While I'm not totally dissatisfied with the result, I've decided to paint it another color.  New color will be posted soon.  :)

I took Andi and Ava to Baby Animal Days (Abbey had already gone with her friends.)  We met up with Grandma Joann, Grandma Cathi, Aunt Bethany, and Baby Gigi.  It was on Mother's Day weekend and it was a tradition I want to start and keep up. 

Andi and Ava were brave and rode on horses.  I was so proud of them.

Here Ava is!--Just goin' for it, even though she was mighty nervous.  I was impressed.

Bethany, my sister-in-law whose love and friendship I treasure, was made official a few weeks ago at her licensing ceremony to become an official attorney of the state of Utah.  I was so excited to go and help her celebrate this big moment.  Here she is after the program with her mother-in-law, Keri, and her darling baby girl, Gigi.  I am so proud of Bethany and know that many, many others are too.

While going through much storage the past few months during moving, I found an old dog "car seat" that my mom gave me a few years back.  It didn't really fit well in my old cars, but I decided to try it again on the 4Runner to see if it might work.  I think this picture is proof enough that it is a screaming success--Harry loves his "new" dog bed and it fits perfectly well in the 4Runner.  I especially like his legs crossed during the drive.  :) 

Two cute girls.  They were helping me pack for our Memorial Day weekend trip up to the cabin and they both made sure they packed those all-important sunglasses.

Andi was in a music class this winter and spring, and she had a show for it on May 20th.  They were told to dress "animal-like" so she said she wanted to be a cheetah.  My dearest sister Leslie painted her face for me, being that her artistic skills soar over mine.  As you can see, Leslie is with child.  I'm so excited to meet another darling Francis baby.  They are such a fun family and I adore them.

Thanks Les!

The finished product.

At the show with Grandma Luke,

and Grandma Joann.

You could tell she was getting a little nervous for her performance, but she did great.  So proud.

It was my brother Chris' birthday on May 20th.  I'm always looking for ways to honor him on those special days, and I know this might sound weird to some, but I'm glad to be so near him now that I live right above the cemetery.  Happy birthday, Chris.

Abbey's class had an "art gallery" one evening this last month to show off all the fun art work they did during the school year.  Of course Abbey's worked shined above the rest (and I'm pretty sure that's still a true statement even though I'm biased.)  She's quite the good little artist.  And I might add, she has grown SO MUCH this last year in first grade.  Her level of maturity has just soared.  She has grown into a very kind, obedient kid that really just wants to do the right things.  Seeing her grow like this has been fulfilling to watch and it has blessed our family a lot.

Andi's Preschool Graduation Program.  Hard to see her move on from these last two years of preschool.  Here she is in the pink shirt playing the "crocodile" in the program that put on for parents.  So proud of her.

Chloe, Grandpa, and Noah at Andi's graduation program.  You can tell they were having fun with "Pa," as I like to call him.

 

Here's Andi with her cheetah hat on at her program.

Andi was in preschool with a lot of friends--Her cousin Chase, her friend Anastasia, my friend Marie's twins, Eli and Emma, and a handful of other friends she's grown to love.  You can see them performing here in their program.

Andi and her friend Anastasia Chandler.

We went up to Mom and Dad's cabin in Bear Lake for Memorial Day weekend.  On Saturday of that weekend, we went on a hike. 

Andi and Grandpa at preschool graduation.

Chase, the preschool graduate, with Miss Lori.

Andi and her adored preschool teacher, Miss Lori.

This month, we finished Andi's first season of soccer and Abbey's second season.  Andi was on a team with her friend Elizabeth (shown here), and Abbey was on a team with her "BFF" McKenzie.  Oftentimes the girls would have their games at the same time, so Eric would go to Abbey's and I would go to Andi's, which is why I don't have a picture of Abbey.  They both did fairly well, though. I wouldn't say they loved every minute of it, but I would call the experience a success in that it's giving them good experiences.

First night up at the cabin--a full moon.  So beautiful from the deck.  The picture does it no justice.

Being cute goofballs on our hike.

Andi and Harry, hikin' up the mountain.

Eric and Andi braving it up the hill.

Picking flowers.

 

Harry knows how to hike.  He likes to run ahead of us and wait in the shade.

 

Ava is getting to like shoulder rides a lot more these days! 

Getting ready for some four-wheelin'.

 

We built a fort in the cabin.

The craziest story of our Memorial Day cabin adventure:

We discovered that Abbey's BFF, McKenzie, was staying at her grandparents' cabin at the same time, on the same road, right across the street!  What in the world are the chances?  So crazy.

We were invited to McKenzie's birthday party at her family's cabin, and we couldn't refuse.

Love when I have enough time to braid the girls' hair.  I guess I have to wait 'til we're at the cabin and we have time to spare.

Harry, the new Ariel.

A rainy spring morning on our deck.  The girls wanted to "splash in puddles."

Andi has been so funny lately...Every time I get on the treadmill she wants to "work out too," so she gets on the elliptical.  At first I thought she'd put in about five minutes and then be done with it, but she did several consistent, full-on workouts with me the past few weeks.  Maybe it helps that I play "Princess and the Popstar" music for her on my iPod while we work out.  Love it.

You may not be able to tell from the picture, but here's the cemetery just a day after Memorial Day.  It was a stunning sight pulling up to it after that weekend.  Not one grave was neglected.  Flowers everywhere.  What an honor to those people.  So proud of my community and touched that there is so much goodness and love in people when given the opportunity to honor those who have passed on.

 

I am really coming to enjoy my new place of residence--just a block above the cemetery.  Some people may not like it, but to me, it is a wonderful, sacred thing.  A reminder of the eternal perspective, I guess.

Couldn't help but take this picture as I went in to wake her up after a long nap.  She loves to use my iPad during "rest time."  Today during this rest time, she was clearly tired enough to doze off.  Precious girl.

The previous owners of our "new" home made a wonderful spot for a garden and a chicken coop.  As you can see, I had a lot of weeding to do before I could plant anything.  I begrudgingly got it done, though, and hope my efforts might produce some decent veggies in the fall.  I suppose I can't NOT plant some good veggies given this awesome garden space, even though sometimes adding another thing on my list of "to-do's" just might topple me over the edge.

The first fruits of our strawberry patch.  I can't keep the girls' hands out of 'em.  Okay, Andi's.

 

So that's it for the month, at least until I get more pictures from Eric to add to the collection. 

We are adjusting more and more to the new home and we're grateful to be here.  I think the biggest adjustment will come when the girls start school next year at a different elementary.  Abbey and Andi especially will have to make a lot of new friends, but I'm confident they're up to the task.  They are good girls. 

 

While there are some days around here that I'm not so sure I can keep holding it all together, I am grateful for the sisterhood these girls share.  I am also grateful for all the good moments we had this last month that I can post about and share.  It's good for me to see, amidst the difficult days, that there are indeed many good moments to talk about.