Happy 50th Year, Dad!

Things We Love About Dad:

His sense of humor!
The face and hand gestures he makes when he says, "Atta Boy," and the tone of voice he uses.
That he loves his new backyard so much that he goes outside and "ponders" the beauty of it by sleeping under the clothesline.
That he always puts his family first.
That he ran a 5K on his 49th birthday!
That knife companies love him so much that they send him "mysterious knives" in the mail.
That his face is on a billboard.
That he is the best daddy a little girl could ask for (and more)! [Chandi]
That he teases the family dog just as much as the little brothers do.
He makes us laugh all the time!
That he honors his Priesthood.
That he wears the fake wig around and swishes his head like he's a super model.
That he raised such an amazing family and daughter. [Bryan]
That he only makes purchases when he is getting a really great deal.
That he is so freaking excited to be a grandpa!

Happy Birthday, Daddy! We love you!!!

Almost 50 never looked so good.

Getting Closer

28 Weeks, and. . .

. . .30 Weeks, and. . .. . .lovin' it!

Baby Shower

Thanks to Kenzie & Jamie, my first baby shower on Saturday was full of fun, friends, and tiny pink things! It was so nice to see some old and some new friends!

Special thanks to CeCe, Joan, Lenzi, Roxann, and Becker for coming all the way from Vegas to attend the shower! I'm still stumped wondering how I was blessed with such amazing friends in Las Vegas! THANK YOU!

And, sorry that our sweetie pie didn't move around for you all. I tried my hardest. (And, looked my beautiful-est, if I may say so myself.)

Yes, the punch bowl was actually a baby bathtub that I got to take home!

We had a great time with the games! First, we all had babies. Mandy's was breech.

The game where everyone had to make a baby out of Playdough was my favorite! What beautiful babies (minus the heads rolling around on the tray)!

The food was delicious! The plates were even adorable!

I'm not gonna lie - - the part where I opened presents was my favorite! I got TONS of fun pink stuff, teeny outfits, diapers, blankies, and our Pack 'n Play! Everyone was very generous! Thank you so much, girls!!

You might think that Jamie & Kenzie were all out of darling ideas. Think again. Take a look at the party favor. "Thank you for coming from Chandi's BUN in the oven!"

Thank you to everyone who helped put the shower together and to everyone who came! It was absolutely perfect and made me & Bryan even more (if that's possible) excited for our little girl! Yes, we actually put the Pack 'n Play up in our room. We're so excited!

One Year Older and Wiser Too

Bryan came home on his birthday to some surprise decor, AND. . .

. . .a pile of surprise loot!

First, we opened presents.

"Is this what I think it is?" [Yep, it really is some new Nike shoes!]

And then, we got Bryan's fave dish: Chicken Alfredo Pizza from Pizza Factory! In case his face doesn't illustrate his emotions, he was quite excited.

Next: Cake time! Bryan's favorite treat is homemade oreos, so I made an oreo cake, complete with 25 whole candles (three whole boxes)!

He almost got them all. Almost.

Bryan was happy with the loot! I'm sure he would like to extend a warm "Thank You," to everyone who wished him a happy birthday and to everyone who sent him gifts, especially the ones who sent cash and gift certificates!

Happy birthday, Shooga! 25 never looked so good!

Happy Birthday, Bryan!

25 Things I LOVE About Bryan:

How I knew from about two months before he got home from his mission that he was going to be my hubby because there was something different about him.
His eyes and long eyelashes.
That he has never stopped doing things like holding doors, opening the car, opening the house and letting me in first.
That he took me to the temple to be sealed to him for eternity.
How excited he is to be a daddy to a little girl!
How he tells me that he loves me at least twice per day.
He has a strong, deep testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
When he gets laughing hard, he giggles.
He is a hard-worker.
His crooked smile.
He tickles my back or plays with my hair every single night so I can sleep.
He is a dedicated student.
He is always thinking of our future family.
He loves his family.
He loves my family.
He makes shampoo mohawks in the shower.
He makes me laugh daily.
The way I feel when he hugs me.
That he loves Disneyland as much as I do.
He rolls himself up in the rug when I'm in the bathroom.
He loves me exactly as I am.
He does goofy and silly things with me and doesn't care who is watching, like dress up like quarter.
He is hot.
No matter how mad or sad I am, he can always make me giggle by using his mocking voice.
He's going to be the best daddy in the whole, wide world!

Happy, happy 25th birthday, Bryan! I LOVE everything about you and I'm so glad that you're mine!

Why I Love Halloween

Reason #1: I can wear my cute studded skull shirt to work and not get any "looks."
Reason #2: It makes co-workers smile when I "get a tooth knocked out during lunch."

Reason #3: Some people are brave enough to dress up at work and walk around in spooky old lady character all day long.

Reason #4: Homemade holiday eating at work begins!

Reason #5: Both of my parents dressed up this year and both looked darling!

Reason #6: When asked to pose for a picture, my dad pulled one of these:

Reason #7: Our Halloween decorations, including "Spidey" get to come out for our 3rd Annual Allen Family Halloween Party!

Reason #8: We get to dress up! This year, Bryan was a quarter. [Note: Get a quarter out of your pocket. Notice how he is even facing the correct way.]

And, I was a gumball machine! Get it?

Reason #9: Costume Prep: Bryan wore the long wig before we made it into George Washington's hair and it made me giggle.

Reason #10: Our Halloween Costume Party! Look who came:

A Go-Go Dancer, a Go-Go Partner, a Skunk, and Spiderman;

Cinderella and a Lady Bug;

a Couple from the hit show, "The Biggest Loser," and their Trainer;

a tiny Bumblebee, a Beehive, and a Bottle of Honey;

Superwoman, Superman, and a Dragon;

a 50's Lady, her 50's Partner, and a tiny Chicken;

a Caveman and a Cavewoman;

and Sarah Palin and John McCain!

Of course, we had to get a group shot in!

Reason #11: It's close enough to Bryan's birthday that I can surprise him with a cake and 25 candles at our party!

Reason #12: He was actually surprised.

Reason #13: It's the beginning of the holiday season!!!