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

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.....some more and some more and some more

A winter wonderland! . There is almost two feet of snow outside. We actually had to hire someone to plow the driveway. The snow was so thick and heavy that we couldn't come close to getting it ourselves; even with the help of our upstairs neighbor. It took us 1 hour just to finish the sidewalk and walkway. The driveway is so long, the task was impossible. We were hoping for some young whippersnappers to come by with their shovels wanting to make a bit of extra money. But, to no avail, we had to hire a professional. Steve is eyeing the bobcat now wondering how much money he could make this winter with one of those. People are willing to pay any amount to have their driveways plowed. Of course, Melissa stopped him dead in his thought. No money to buy the bobcat, remember? Oh, yeah right.......

Enjoy the pictures! We sure are enjoying the snow. Megan and Michael have played out in the snow for hours! We have all made snow angels, lots of snowmen and snow balls have flown all around. Looks like we will have a white Christmas this year!!!!!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Oh boy! Open Now Presents!!!!!!!

When Melissa was a little girl, her Neenee and Papaw would send Christmas presents. But, these weren't just to be opened on Christmas day. There were, "Open Now" presents. She looked forward to those presents every year. She loved the homemade Christmas cookies and other fun prizes. The spirit of giving would always fill her heart. Of course, it only made the anticipation of Christmas morning only more real!

So, Grandma Brenda has passed that tradition down to our kids. We all received the Christmas box and opened it up to find several, "Open Now" presents. This was not limited to just the kids. Grandma Brenda knows how much Melissa is still a kid inside. She had big round eyes as big as Michael and Megan's.

Here are the pictures of the kids with their gifts. Notice Megan starring intently at one of the presents. Grandma Brenda sure knows what it takes to get her attention!









And, the wonderful present that Grandma Brenda gave to us was this beautiful ornament. We love getting ornaments to fill our Christmas Tree. Every one of them has a story and we love remembering them every time we put it on the tree. This one will be remembered for having received it while living in Boston and receiving one of the biggest snow storms in years!

Introducing the Official Brownie...............MEGAN

This is Megan's very favorite friend. Before this picture was taken, Megan asked her if she could give her a hug. Her friend said yes. Megan started to hug her and proceeded to not let go. She told her she loved her and said she couldn't have done it without her. As the hug continued going past the point of no return, I could see her friend wasn't sure how to exit Megan's continueing embrace. So, I asked if I could take a picture of them. Megan looks like she is choking Olivia. I don't know why she had her hand like that, maybe it is a comfort thing.

Michael and I pinned Megan with her Brownie pin introducing her as an official Brownie Girl Scout. We could not have been more pleased. She is really having a great time with all of her friends. When I went to the ceremony yesterday, Megan was very upset that I wasn't leaving. She is used to going to Brownies' without me. She did not want me there. Once she realized other parents were staying, she accepted me being there.

It is so amazing to see her transformation and her ability to socialize with peers her age. She is working so hard and we couldn't be more proud of her.