Allen Family Picnic

It's that time of year again for the Annual Allen Family Picnic in Bush Park. It was great to see all the family and spend some time with my grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. Carson is always elated to see his cousin Isaac.


Grandmommy and Mom share a hug.

The boys socialize in a group
And the girls in another
Jacob takes a break
Now it's time for a little father-son chat

Madelyn enjoyed herself. Well, she enjoyed the chips anyway

Two peas in a pod: Isaac and Ian
The girls had Madelyn swinging for quite a while. Madelyn LOVES the swing
Mother-son egg toss went to the dogs. Alsie and Josie did a lot of clean up.

Karter is ONE!!!

Wow...how time flies. My Best Friend Kersten's little girl, Karter turned one on the 21st. We were lucky to celebrate the occasion with many friends and family. Carson and Madelyn had a great time. The activities were endless from the balloons, hand prints, pinata, cake and presents. It was a great party. Karter and Madelyn are only 10 months apart and I just know they are going to be the best of friends.



Karter is quite social and great with other kids. Here she is hugging one of her favorite playmates.

Madelyn take a break from the balloons to indulge mom with photo

Karter gets her hand print done by Grandma.


Carson's turn for handprints

Pinata time.
Who's Birthday is it??? "It's mine, it's mine...this is my cake"
See, all mine
Mmmmm that was good...is there anymore?
Karter had a great time opening all her gifts.

Backyard photography

I was camera happy one afternoon and decided to get some shots of the kids. I love the way the fence looks in the background and how innocent and sweet they both look.

Kid's day at the Airshow

It was community kid's day at the Hillsboro Airshow last Friday and we had to check it out. Carson was looking for all the missles and guns on every plane and jet. Madelyn even sat in a helicopter. I think we might have a couple future pilots on our hands.


Ooooo a real missle
"Who is this kid?....get me out of here"


Sky-writer plane...Have a nice day!!!

Raegen's Birthday Party

Our Friends Russ and Sharon's little girl, Raegen celebrated her 3rd birthday last week. We went to one of our great neighborhood parks and played and played. All the kids had fun blowing bubbles, playing ball and most of all....eating cupcakes.

The birthday girl in her new adorable outfit.
Catch it!!

Poor Raegen...Madelyn blew out her candles....she wasn't too happy about it.She quickly recovered when the presents arrived
Carson, Ryanne and Sean dig in
Madelyn can't stop

Can I have another one pleeeeeeeeez?
The birthday table...I can't believe they all sat down and wore their hats at the same time.

Maui Fever

Wow!! What an amazing trip to Hawaii. Carson and I had a lot of time to spend together, just the two of us. It was so much fun. We were on the beach within 2 hours of jumping off the plane in Maui. We loved the weather and all the fun stuff to do. Jeremy got to spend the last couple days with us after he completed all his work. Carson didn't want to come home. We can't wait to go back and take the whole family next time.




Carson's "happy" face after getting off the plane in the airport in Maui
Burying his feet in the sand and warm ocean water at Ulua Beach
Playing in the gentle waves



Our morning hangout on Alan's front porch

Carson and the dog at Alan's place, Angel. They were best buds

The Maui Ocean Center

Green Sea Turtle

Carson in amazement of all the sharks

Still in awe

Touching a Sea StarChoo-choo. Time to ride the Sugar Cane Train in Ka'anapali

Carson didn't want to take a picture.
A drought in Maui has caused a lot of brush fires. This one was from the night before
Listening carefully to the speaker on the train
The train lets off some steam over a tresselCarson climbs the amazing Banyan Tree in Lahaina


Whoa that's a big tree. It takes up a whole city block!!

Carson is ready to catch some fish off of Alan's boat off the island of Lana'i

The views of Lana'i from the fishing boat

Playing in the sand and water at Hulopo'e Beach on the island of Lana'i
The waves were Huge!!! They were a bit overwhelming, but Carson had a blast
Riding the waves with Dad