Our trip to Baltimore

The first weekend of October we went to Baltimore to see some family. We decided to leave after work Thursday and just drive until we got there. Well, at around 1130 we changed our minds and decided to stop and spend the night in a hotel and finish the trip in the morning. We had hoped to get into Ben and Kim's house and not wake them up, I am very glad that we changed our minds. Isabella had been totally asleep in the car, that is until the motor was turned off. She decided when we got to our hotel room that she was wide awake and wanted to talk--I bet that we laid there and tried to get her to go back to sleep for at least a half hour!

We finally got to Baltimore around noon the next day, and after a quick stop for lunch, and at the grocery store, Isabella and I were laying down for a nap by 1:30pm--and when we got up around 3 Ben was home from school! Shortly after that Kim got home from work and our weekend together got underway!

That night we went out to G&M restaurant and feasted on the best crab cakes ever! I always say that you can't go to Baltimore and not eat a crab cake! To make it even nicer--Ben and Kim treated as a slightly belated birthday gift to me. Thank you again, it was wonderful!!

Saturday morning was pretty quiet, just hanging out with Ben and Kim. That afternoon we went over to my cousin Emma's house to celebrate the baby shower of her brother and his wife! They are expecting their first baby girl in December! It was a great afternoon of showering Valerie (and Walter) with gifts, and watching football with a lot of family we don't get to see nearly enough!

Saturday evening we drove to downtown Baltimore to catch some fireworks that the City of Baltimore was putting off in celebration of Michael Phelps. Apparently the city celebrated him (he is from Baltimore and still lives there) all day on Saturday! We missed the rest of the celebrations, but made it for the fireworks! With the help of Emma's husband Joe (he is a Baltimore county transport policeman) we were able to park close enough to see the fireworks, and actually hear Micheal Phelps speak just before the fireworks, but still far enough away to miss traffic!!

Not sure why there did not turn out better, I even used the night setting!

Isabella and her Aunt Kim!

Emma has new twins (Ava and Landon) that are almost 3 months old! That Sunday they were Baptized and we got to go the the ceremony. After the ceremony we all headed back to Emma and Joe's house to continue to hang out together and get ready for the Sunday night football game between the Steelers and the Jaguars!

The proud parents on the left, Godparents on the right, and big sister in front!!

The vast majority of my family are Steelers fans!

Madison, Isabella, and Uncle Ben--all decked out in their Steelers gear! Thanks Uncle Ben and Aunt Kim for Isabella's new jersey, she loves it!

The girls with Uncle Tom!

Isabella celebrating a Touchdown with Uncle Ben!!

Monday we had to get in the car and come home! We had a wonderful weekend with family, it was great to get so much time with them!! It is also, and always, great to watch Isabella with Ben and Kim. They all just love each other so much!!

Thanks for a wonderful weekend Ben and Kim. We love you so much!!

ISABELLA

Happy 2nd Birthday to our precious, sweet Isabella! I can't believe that it has already been two years! I will catch up on posts soon, and post some pics from her family birthday party!

Thank you Lord for the privilege of being her parent, and taking care of her! I am standing in awe of Him and His creations today!!

It's a baby ...

You may know that ever since we told Isabella that we are going to be having another baby she has said that it is a "baby sister!" Absolutely every time, that was her answer, without exception!

One night we were laying on the floor talking and playing (Jason was at church), and I asked her how she knew that it is a baby sister, and without skipping a beat she looked at me and said "Jesus." I said, "are you telling Mommy that Jesus told you that it is a baby sister?" "Yes Mommy," she said!

I think that I was so much more eager to find out this time because she was absolutely so set on a baby sister. We snuck and had an ultrasound at work one day during week 14, and we were not quite able to tell yet, although it was really great to see the baby at that point. We could see everything--the valves of its heart, ventricles in its brain--absolutely everything except a good shot at the area in question!!

So at 16 weeks we snuck and had another peek at work, and this time she was totally able to tell without any question that.... Isabella was right and it is a baby sister!! We totally and honestly did not care wether it was a boy or girl, but now that we know for sure, I am so excited for Isabella to have a sister. As much as I love my brother, I always wanted a sister too! All of these years of hearing stories about my Mom and all of her sisters, we are are so excited! And I really was not looking forward to trying to explain to Isabella if she had possibly heard Jesus wrong--how exactly I would have done that I am glad that I did not have to find out!!

I have an adorable video of Isabella saying that she thinks that it is a sister, I will download it as soon as I figure out how too!

The last month or so...

Whew! The last month around here has been really busy, that sounds so cliche'! September was full of tons of fun times; I got the stomach bug twice, had to spend 2 weekends in bed, and my Mom was sick and had to be hospitalized!! Thank you Lord, we all made it through it, and my Mom is on the mend from her pneumonia!

Another big day for us!!

Today was a milestone day around the Allen household!

About 3 weeks ago we purchased a potty for Isabella at Target and put it in the bathroom. Whenever we use the bathroom, she goes with us and sits on her potty (with her clothes on). For the last week or so we have had her sit on it naked just before her bath time, and nothing has happened, until tonight!! Tonight Jason was getting her ready for her bath, and urgently called me to the bathroom! I ran in there (as fast as I can lately), and we found pee in her little potty! Of course we danced around the bathroom, and sang, praised her, and told her how happy and proud of her we are! We have been really hoping that she might be totally toilet trained by March, hopefully this is just the beginning of a wonderful relationship between her and the potty! Tomorrow is another day, we will see if it happens again!!

To make the day even better--MOUNTAINEER football started back today!! We decided that we would order College Game day on our DirectTV for Jason as an early Christmas present, just in time for the season opener today! Being here in SC we would not ordinarily get all the WVU games, but with Game Day we should not have to miss any of them!! Yes Keri, we did have chips and a dip while watching the game--it's a little tradition for us!!

We have been working on Isabella saying "Let's go Mountaineers!!" She comes pretty close, the "let's go" is totally clear, and if you know that she is trying to say Mountaineers, you could probably recognize it!

She wore her WVU tee shirt today, it is getting a little tight, but mine is too lately!! She will probably get a new one for her birthday!

The cutest little WVU fan ever!

Reading the newspaper with her Grand during half-time!

I tried to include a recent video, but blogger is taking forever, and I am quite tired and need to go to bed. Hopefully I will get to post it soon!

Some recent pictures

I have made several post lately, and not posted many pictures, this one is dedicated to pictures!!
My Mom and I were making curtain, and she thought it made a good sarong!!

Papa and his grandbabies!!

Cousins Mackenzie and Jesse

Our 4th of July girl!

She just looks like she is up to something!

So grown up!

For some reason she loves to put socks on her hands lately!

Cheesy smile in her prissy nightgown, with her princess cup!

My sweet babes!!

More Jesus, Mommy!!

Ever since Isabella was tiny, before she goes to bed at night we rock in the rocker, pray and sing 4 worship songs. "I love you Lord," "Prepare me to be a Sanctuary," "This little light of mine," and "Jesus loves me."
For several months now whenever we are finished praying, she has said (rather loudly) "Amen." The last few weeks she will ask to "Talk to Jesus," and then she will put her hands together, and lower her head--it is seriously about the cutest thing I have ever seen!
She will out of the blue during the day look at one of us and ask for "Jesus Mommy?" That means that she would like you to please sing "Jesus loves me." It really could happen anywhere, shopping in Target, walking into church this morning, riding in the car, or just playing. Those of you that know we well, know that I am not much of a singer, but the way that she asks I have to sing to her. You just can't turn down your child who is asking you to sing about Jesus, and don't think that you can get away with just singing it once, she always says "More Jesus, Mommy!!"
Tonight when I was just going through the night time routine and getting ready to sing, she would not let me sing anything except "Jesus Mommy."
I know that I have said it a thousand time, but she is absolutely such a sweet, sweet child!!