A spring outing

During Steve's spring break this year, we decided to take some mini-vacations and tour around a bit of Boston. The Paul Revere House was celebrating an anniversary and the cost of admission was only $.25 cents (the same price at the time it opened). Steve was kind enough to get the directions on how to get there from the T-Station to the Bus Stop. Well, needless to say, after two hours of walking through Dorchester and then through South Boston, we asked a kind elderly woman where Paul Revere's house was? She looked at us as though we were from a different world.....she said.....his house is in the North End.......

Well, a few choice thoughts passed through EVERYONE's heads and we decided to pass going to his house and found our way to California Pizza and enjoyed some homemade pizza and peach lemonade....YUM YUM.

Well, the very next day we were going to go on a hike. I found a really great family estate just South of Boston where you can go and walk through meadows, farm land, walk beside a bubbling brook and tour the old estate house. Again, Steve got the directions off of the website and we headed off. After an hour's worth of driving and several u-turns, the location was no where to be found. Poor Steve.....he was so frustrated.....he had done it again. So, at the spur of the moment, we decided to drive to Rhode Island. We had never been there before, so off we went.

We, of course, had absolutely no idea what to do once we got there. We found a little beach and spent some time in the water and building sand castles and then headed home. We were absolutely exhausted when we got home and didn't want to take a drive for a really, really, really long time.

Okay, so I could resist this picture. This is such a classic picture of Megan. This great feature on our camera allows for you to put it in a "cartoon" format. I thought it was just beautiful. But, it is just as wonderful in Black and White and in color. It is very rare to get a picture of Megan like this. This is a keeper.

On the last day of Steve's vacation we walked around Mt. Auburn Cemetery. Truly an extraordinary place! I guess, it is Martha Stewart's favorite place to come when she is visiting Boston....a little strange....but to each their own I guess. The really incredible part about this cemetery, besides the fact that is humongous, there is a tower built up on the hill that overlooks all of Boston. You can see everywhere. One of these days, I am going to go back and take a panoramic picture. It truly is a remarkable sight!

After that long walk in the cemetery, Sammy needed to have his own walk. He wasn't allowed in the cemetery, for obvious reasons, so off I went with my camera in hand. I could not resist the Magnolia trees this year, they are absolutely gorgeous! There were two trees in particular in our neighborhood I had to get a picture of, plus a few other flowers.

And, then Sammy. I could not resist getting these pictures of him and Michael. They are absolute buddies!

Michael is so photographic....lucky guy...

Sammy is going to get that flower......he was sure it was going to eat him! What a tough dog!

This past fall, Michael Megan and I planted tulips and daffodils that filled up our front and back yards. Absolutely stunning! It was such a special moment when the flowers came up and then bloomed! The kids had waited months and months and then, there it was, the fruits (colors) of their labor. I am so happy to know that for years down the road, those that rent this little place will enjoy a surprise of color each and every spring.

The beginning of the Pine Wood Derby

Yes, my friends, it has begun. Michael entered his red speedracer into the Cambridge Stake Pinewood Derby. He placed 10th. He is very disappointed but, still enjoyed racing his car and watching it cross a very fancy finish line.

Megan was in tow to give her support and show mom a thing or to on dribbling a basketball.....where did she get those moves?

So silly and yet......

So sweet! How did we ever get to be so lucky!

Welcoming the newest member of the Allen clan........

No, she is already a member of the clan....



No, he is already a member of the clan....




Oh, yes, here he is...... introducing.....SAMMY

So, this is our adorable Sammy! As you can see, Michael and Megan are his two most adoring fans.

As many of you know, Michael and Megan had an intense fear of dogs, to the point that it was starting to interfere with playdates, going for a walk around the neighborhood or anywhere a dog would be, which is pretty much everywhere! After many months of pondering what to do to help them get over their fear, we decided to get a dog. Melissa looked at several adult dogs, but not one seemed to fit the family. She started doing research on hypoallergenic dogs and dogs that don't shed; because dog hair is not the newest accessory this coming spring season. She began to look into toy breeds, especially Yorkies, but was unsure about their fragilility and how well they would stand up to children. Then, she began looking into new cross-breeds. While searching through pictures of Yorkies, she stumbled upon "Festus'" aka Sammy's, picture. His little eyes said it all, and that was it. Her heart was taken by this little fuzz ball. He seemed to say, "Take me Home with You!". Which is exactly what Melissa planned to do.

We adopted Sammy from a breeder in Arkansas named Eileen. She is a very sweet southern woman who has a Yorkie farm out in the sticks. Of course, that in intself is an interesting thought considering Yorkie's tend to be thought of as "Snobby" dogs. It is hard to imagine a bunch of long haired, bow tied hair , sweater wearing, miniature puppies flopping around an old chicken farm, but that is exactly what they did. After several weeks of corresponding, Sammy took his first airplane flight from Arkansas and landed at the Logan International Airport on a freezing January day.

Upon first sight of this adorable pooch, it was an instant connection! We were all still stunned at how small he actually was, a whole whopping 4 pounds! He curled right up to Michael on the trip home and didn't make a peep all night long.

He is such a good little guy! He sleeps through the night, no crying and is an absolute love! His favorite thing to do is going running in the park and eat his chewy toys. Of course, the chewy toys is because he is teething! Holy Smokes! We never saw a dog chew so much in our entire lives! He will chew on anything that comes within a millimeter of his mouth. Watch out for those soft fingers.....He lost both of his bottom front teeth for awhile. It was pretty cute. He has an underbight, so it was especially adorable to see pink gums.

Michael has especially bonded to Sammy. They are the best of buddies! Sammy just loves him and can't wait for him to come home from school. He is always excited to see Michael and gives him lots and lots of kisses. Sammy kisses Michael, on the lips! Can you imagine just one month ago Michael was petrafied of any dog and now he allows one to lick him on his face? Pretty incredible! Michael is an amazing helper! He takes Sammy for walks and out to use the potty. Of course, he makes sure mom is the one who picks up after the dog.....but......she is not complaining! The help is always appreciated. They play games and Sammy loves to romp on Michael's bed. It is a treat to sit on anyone's bed in this house!

So, the three funniest and cutiest things about Sammy are:

1. His ears. He inherited his mother's poodle ears, so they are HUGE for his head and flop all over the place. When he lays upside down, you could fit the entire eerie canal in there! WOW!

2. His front paws. They are so fury and adorable! He likes to hold his chewy toys between his paws! It really is the sweetest thing!

3. His little tail that is constantly wagging! He is a happy camper. Even after he got his shots today, he was still wagging his tail....poor little guy.

So, I hope you enjoy the pictures of our trip to Plymouth and Sammy's first time at the beach. He loved it! He was sure the water was going to swallow him up. Of course, if any one of us were his size, I think we would believe it too. The water came up to his belly on several occassions, burrrrr. The Atlantic Ocean is pretty chilly this time of year.

Notice the ear flopping in the wind!!!!

Plymouth is a great little town with lots of historical opportunities, but, being New England, and being that we have only lived here for a short time, we didn't know it was a "seasonal" location. The Mayflower II was not in port, Plymouth Plantation was closed, all the museums were closed, BORING. The only thing we did see was Plymouth Rock, which was quite anti-climactic. When you see the picture, you will understand why.

Michael was pretty upset that we didn't know all of this before we went to Plymouth on vacation. (A little bit of adolescent thinking starting to begin in this 9 year old boy....) We will be going back to Plymouth sometime in March, to see all the sites, so look for the pictures.

LOVE TO ALL!

The much anticipated wrapping paper frenzy too early in the morning for pictures Christmas day.....

Well it had to happen. Steve and I had enjoyed sleeping in on Christmas day now for 8 years. Well, that ended abruptly this year. The excitement for the kids was too much and they woke up a little before 6:00. Steve had to be coaxed out of bed (more like forced) and the kids went CRAZY! They were so excited to see their stockings and the note Santa had left for them. Michael had put a note by the cookies and milk Christmas Eve to let Santa know where to go and that he had been a VERY good boy that year.

It was an exciting time. Megan opened the first present and, the only one she has talked about for the past two months. It was Disney's Pixar movie shorts. We have endured for years having every disney movie sprawled out on the floor so Megan could watch the shorts that accompanied the full length movie. Finally, she now has one CD that has them ALL. YEAH! She was not too interested in the other presents after that, unfortunately.

Michael enjoyed every moment. It was very difficult to wait for his turn, but he persevered. A great lesson in patience. He passed with flying colors. It was so much fun to watch them open the presents and see the items they had asked for. Michael is now our new Picasso. He has started painting and enjoying creating his own interpretive images of life. Megan, of course, has not stopped watching the Pixar Shorts....maybe it was not the best thing to do.....

Megan and Melissa went to see Finding Nemo, Disney on Ice. Although there are no pictures here, it was something Megan will never forgot. She was attentive the entire 2 hour show and really enjoyed all of the skating and lights and fireworks and characters....The great news is that she went on a Finding Nemo movie kick after that for a little while so we were relieved of the shorts movie for a "short" time.

We hope everyone had a great Christmas with their families and felt the peace that this time of year brings in celebration of our Savior and Redeemer, even Jesus Christ's birth. Our hope for you is that that spirit of peace follows you throughout the new year. Merry Christmas to everyone! We love you all and thank you for your sweet thoughts and prayers during this year.

Sledding down the trecherous icy mountain....well uh...maybe not mountain....

Christmas Eve was beautiful here in New England. The sky was clear, the wind was mild, and all the snow had frozen into stiff, slippery ice. So, of course, what else was there to do than go sledding on it. Ouch! Here are some pictures of us enjoying the weather. Michael is so photogenic. I don't think I have ever taken a bad picture of him. Steve struck a pose for the camera. I am not sure he and Michael share the same zeal for the camera.....

There is also a nice video to enjoy!

Winter Concert

Check out our budding musicians. Michael played Jingle Bells on the recorder and they both sang a beautiful song at the end. As you can see, Michael was all smiles that day. Of course, it is hard to decipher if it was because Christmas was only a few days away or because he was able to get out of class for an assembly.......hmmmmmm