Boo'd

We got BOO'D last week. I was actually really surprised. We usually don't get boo'd until the end of the season. I like to think it is because we have 9 people in our family and it isn't easy to make treats for 9 people! Anyways, we got it early this year, Halloween cupcakes and my kids were thrilled. This is a fun tradition, but it sometimes stresses me out. The note says you have 24 hours to make treats and BOO two other families. First of all, we got Boo'd late Friday night. Second of all our Saturday was so full, I didn't even have time to feed my own family. Third of all I am really not a baker. So, at about 11 pm on Saturday night I found myself at the grocery store searching the aisles for a Halloween treat. I came home with 2 boxes of Booberry cereal and 2 bags of spiderweb cotton candy. I tied them up with a Halloween bow and we were ready to go. When my kids saw these treats they went nuts. They wanted the cereal so bad, but I wouldn't let them near it. They so loved the drop off where they put the treats on the doorstep, rang the bell and then raced for the open car door for a quick get away. They wanted to do it again and again, but will have to wait until next Halloween.

Oh, and on Monday I ran back to the store, picked up some Booberry cereal and for good measure threw in a Count Chocula and Frankenberry. When the kids got home from school these were waiting for them and it was the BEST Family Home Evening treat they had had in a long time!

Tradition Tuesday-The Annual Pumpkin Walk

Every Fall, our elementary school hosts it's annual Pumpkin Walk. And that's what it is... a walk through a bunch of decorated pumpkins. Each class picks a value and then they decorate their pumpkins to represent that value. It is fun and precious and interesting and exhausting (the last one only if you are a room mom!) We look forward to it every year. It screams fall with the hot chocolate, popcorn, bales of hay, scarecrows and of coarse....the pumpkins!

Ethan's value was friendship. They went with a Toy Story theme. They each painted their own portraits on their pumpkins. Ethan was very meticulous about his. I think it looked just like him, cute as can be! (By the way, Kara made the sign for this display, it is so handy to have such a talented daughter!)

Alyssa's class chose helpfulness as their value.
They were groovy 1960's stylin pumpkins each with big outstreched helping hands. Ready to help whenever asked.
Peace out!



I think Bryson's value was wisdom. I think. They made owls and they each had to write something about gaining wisdom by their little owl. Bryce personalized his by handcrafting some great looking spectacles for his pumpkin owl out of paperclips. That's my Brycie!


This is Brandon's last year in the Pumpkin Walk. His value was Honor. They made knights. He thought his was dumb because he just put a helmet and shield on it. But the sword he made out of cardboard and tinfoil was pretty cool, I thought.






I love this tradition. I love the creativity of these kids. I love that they focus on such great values. And I love pumpkins, you kind of gotta for this great annual walk amongst hundreds of them!

More pumpkin walk favorites

These are just some of my favorites this year

(aside from my kids classes which were by far my most favorite!)

The ghosts!


Mr. and Mrs. Potato Heads


The cupcakes (you cant' see the sprinkles)

The smores

And finally, the pumpkins of the Caribbean!

Until next year!

Thoughts on a Sunday-written on a Monday

*I really think Fall might be my favorite season. We got out all of our Halloween/fall decorations and I love it. My house looks so cozy with all my decorations out. I lit my pumpkin spice candle and my whole house smells like fall. One of my favorite things are those little battery operated tea light candles; I have them all over in all my little decorations and each night we turn them all on and enjoy the soft flickers in all the decorations. Love it!



*We had parent teacher conferences this past week. I have great kids. I just really do!



*I think Ethan, who has been our most difficult child in the night, has turned a corner. It used to be at least 2-3 times a week that he would wake up- confused, disoriented, and oh so cranky. He would scream and cry; you really couldn't console him. What he needed was to go to the bathroom, but he refused to believe that. It was a nightmare, has been for 3 years, until now. He hasn't had an episode in weeks. And recently, I will wake up because I hear something and it is little Ethan going potty all by himself- without tears, screams, or flailing arms. In my book, this is a small and very welcomed miracle. I hope it lasts.



*Did you know they make dry erase crayons? Well they do, and I bought some. They have been a hit at our house and I have no more worries that the dry erase markers will get all over the carpet or get dried out because someone left the lids off. Yeah!



*We had a huge storm this week. It was a night to remember. My kids and I were watching a Mormon message on youtube (yes, we are very spiritual around here), when we heard a huge crack and the power went out, right from under us. My kids ran around trying all the switches; they couldn't believe the TV didn't work. It was glorious, for many reasons. First, it was cozy. We lit some candles, even though it wasn't totally dark yet, and turned on all of our tea lights (see above entry). It was quiet for once in our house. There was no TV or music. The kids played quietly and it was divine. I didn't have to make dinner. I just couldn't without electricity! We had a busy evening ahead of us, so busy, in fact, that I was triple booked. It was going to be tricky, as it is so many nights, to get and be everywhere we needed to be. Because of the storm, 3 soccer practices were cancelled. Because of the lack of electricity, pack planning meeting and pack meeting were cancelled. It was wonderful. Trevor took the boys to their football games (which never get cancelled), and I was able to attend the Mr. Caveman competition with Kara at the high school. I am hoping for the power to go out at least once a week until Christmas. Is that too much to ask?



*We got an email from Brandon's teacher this week telling us what great boys we have. Apparently, Brandon is in charge of flag duty at the school for the time being. The other boys who were supposed to be helping him didn't show up for a couple of days. Brandon went to get his teacher to help with the ropes (a two man job). She got out there and said she witnessed Bryson helping Brandon fold the flag and little Ethan holding the state flag while they tended to the American flag. She ended her email by saying that the elementary school was a better place today because of the example of the Allred boys. Like I said, I have great kids. Also, I am so thankful for good teachers who take the time to tell me things like this. I probably would never have known this little incident happened if it wasn't for her email. She is a fantastic teacher!



*One of Alyssa's spelling words last week was "dude." Really? Dude? How am I supposed to use that in a sentence for her spelling homework? "Hey, dude, pass me a cig." "Dude, you look tight today!" Anyways, she kept spelling it dood, an honest mistake when you have other words like smooth and food. I wasn't too worried about it, because honestly how many times in the real world will she need to spell it? Dood I have no idea!



Until next week!

Fridays Favorites-Livin in a college town

I love living in (OK, minutes from) a college town. There really isn't anything like it. It is the college where both Trevor and I went to, our beloved Alma Mater. It is the college where we learned the skills we still use today to support and raise our family. It is the college where all the memories and feelings come rushing back every time we go there and walk through the beautiful campus. It is BYU and we all love it! Our kids were practically born loving BYU. And every time the fall football season comes around you can find us decked out in our BYU blues and cheering on our cougars!

We love going to the games. There is excitement in the air. The freeway is packed. The BYU flags are blowing in the wind on all the cars. The faces are painted. The money for stadium treats is ready to be spent. And as we settle into our seats we are ready to "Rise and Shout" for any touchdown.

Sometimes that opportunity comes often....

...sometimes it doesn't. But with the thrill of victory also comes the agony of defeat. It's all part of the game.

The game that we love.

Yes, we are BYU!

We are tried and true cougars.

We bleed blue, everyone of us in good times and in bad.

Tradition.

Spirit.

Honor.

That's who we are, it's where our heart is and always will be.

Rah, rah rah rah rah

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO COUGARS!

Baptism Day

Is there anything more precious than a little child's baptism day? I don't think so. Our sweet Alyssa Jane was baptized last month. It was a beautiful day for our beautiful girl. She was so ready to be baptized, ready to receive the Holy Ghost and ready to share this wonderful day with those who love her most.

She was baptized by her dad and the spirit was strong. She was baptized in the same dress her sister and cousin were baptized in. She cried the whole time during the Bishop's talk, she said she knew it was the Holy Ghost.

She made me cry.

Some of her cute little friends came to her baptism to show their love and support. Every night I thank my Heavenly Father that my children have good friends who help them choose the right and be the best that they can be.

These girls are answers to my prayers.


We had a little luncheon after. Alyssa received some special gifts, like the traditional Holy Ghost shadow box from Grandma. It is now sitting on her dresser, a constant reminder of the precious gift she has been given and to help her remember her baptismal covenants.

It was a small gathering of family this time. Many aunts, uncles and cousins have moved away. We missed them, but felt blessed to be surrounded by our fantastic family and Alyssa felt the love of those far away. There was a lot of love on Alyssa's baptism day. We love her for the great daughter and example she is to us. We love the gospel and know she does too. We love being a family. We love the thought that we will all be together someday. We love that Alyssa is making so many good choices in her life!

Alyssa was baptized on September 11th. All of the flags were out in remembrance. Alyssa doesn't really even know the significance of September 11th. And that's OK. We now have a great memory of September 11th. The day our Alyssa became the newest member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

A day we will never forget.

More baptism

Alyssa felt like an angel (or a princess) in her white baptism dress.

I think she looked like one too!

She received a set of scriptures of her very own for her birthday.

The little bow in her hair was the same bow that was tied around her wrist on the day she was blessed. It will be kept safe until her wedding day where we will somehow incorporate it into her third white dress.

Alyssa radiates goodness.

She is kind, gentle and such a happy little girl.

Yep, she's definitely going here someday.

I can't wait!

Homecoming

After a day of rafting down the Provo River, Kara came racing home to get ready for her first date dance. She had 50 minutes to get ready. That is not really a lot of time for a girl, especially after rafting in dirty water all day. With Rylee as our personal hair professional and 20 minutes left until pick up, we thought all was well. She was actually going to make it....until the doorbell rang. Her date came 20 much needed minutes early. I was dying, as I tried to entertain him upstairs (do you want to watch some Nascar?). Kara and Rylee were dying as her hair was only half done and her date was probably dying because they needed to be someplace at 7 (There was a mis-communication about the pick up time). Rylee did an amazing job fixing and kind of finishing the 1/2 done hair, we threw on the dress and she ran upstairs.

Her date was a football player, fellow student council member, and a good friend- Grant or "Baby G". Despite the rushed departure and the fact that I barely had time to even get this picture, she was happy, looked beautiful, and was looking forward to a great night.

And then she was off. My little girl all grown up. When did it happen? I don't know, but it sure is fun to watch her experience all the great things about being a teenager, being in High School, and being a fabulous young woman. I'm loving every minute of it and I hope she is too!

Thoughts on a Sunday

*This is one of my favorite weekends of the year. I love General Conference. I decided this weekend that I really think we should start having Conference 4 times a year. I think I will write to the Prophet and tell him that. I love the counsel that is given. I love being at home with my family. And I love the spirit that I feel and the desire I have to be better. Yep, I could use that at least 4 times a year.

*We are now at the time of year where soccer and football seasons overlap for about 2-3 weeks. It is madness because that means we have about 10 games a week. It is crazy and busy and exhausting and my boys are loving every minute of it. Me, not so much.

*Speaking of soccer, Ethan came home from one of his practices and told me that his coach told the team they would be moving up a level next season because they were so good. His exact words, "the people who made soccer said we are moving up to play 8 year olds." Wow, I didn't know the people who made soccer had time to watch some little 6 year olds running around, but I guess they do because the rumor was actually true. Gotta love those Lemonheads!

*Three of my boys need new church shoes. Every Sunday they squeeze their rapidly growing feet into their old church shoes and complain all the way to church. I promise every Sunday that I will buy them new church shoes THIS week and then I forget, because I am not thinking about church shoes during the week. It's a vicious cycle-you get the picture. Needless to say, they still don't have new church shoes. I am going to try really hard to remember this week.

*I have been nesting like crazy lately. I am cleaning out closets and garages and drawers like a mad woman. You would think I am having a baby or something. I am definitely not, but am acting like I am. There's not much I love more than a clean, organized clutter free house. Mine is getting there. I love getting rid of things, de-junking and simplifying my life. It feels good.

*Ethan and Ashlyn have been playing so good together lately. Every morning after the kids go to school they trot on up to the playroom and just play. They play a lot of barbies (Eto is always an animal, never a barbie), school, cars whatever. I love to just listen to them pretend and be friends. It warms my heart and allows me to get ready each morning in peace. It is wonderful.

*One of Alyssa's favorite things to do is play church. Today she played "conference." The only difference between church and conference is that she added a pearl necklace to her dress up dress like the General Primary President wore in her talk. She then gave a pretend talk about a person who died. I asked her what her gospel point in the talk was. She said there wasn't one, the person just died! Oh well, I guess she isn't totally ready for the big pulpit just yet.

*I have started Christmas shopping. I actually started over a month ago. It makes me happy. I am ready for the holidays to start. My little pile of presents in my closet is starting to grow. Yea!

*On a very sad note I lost Nanny McPhee. Nanny McPhee, the very appropriate nickname for my mouthguard, is gone. I have searched high and low for her. I tore my bed and bedroom apart looking for her. She is really gone. It's too bad too, because she cost over $300! Ouch!

And those are just a few of my million thoughts this week!

More Bling

Because I am so new at blogging, I can't figure out how to put more than 5 pictures on each post. I had more "Bling it On" pictures that I wanted to document. So here they are.

My supply table and goody bags. In the goody bags I had emerald soda (just green soda), a ring pop, gushers (which are shaped like jewels), razzles, jewel rings, and some little candy bars.

The blinged out table. Black table cloth with silver confetti stars, big diamond jewels, netting and Alyssa's three tiaras. Silver balloons.

One of my favorite touches, that probably went unnoticed by the party goers. The jewel glued onto the end of the spoon!

The end result of the "Bling it On" party. Lots of bling, glittery nails and 6 very happy 8 year old girls!

Bling it On!

When I asked Alyssa what kind of birthday party she wanted, she said, "I don't know, something with jewels and stuff." That's not much to go on, jewels and stuff, but I brainstormed and came up with the "Bling it On" party and it was a great success!

We started out the party by making some bracelets and anklets. We had to start getting our bling on. It was so easy. I had a big bag of diamond jewels from a previous project that I dumped in a bowl. Then I put masking tape inside out on their wrists and ankles and they stuck the jewels onto the tape. They loved it. (By the way, kara made one and wore it to school and got tons of compliments on it!

We then talked about birthstones, they picked their birthstone from a little jewel jar and then we glued them onto the silver happy birthday hats I found at the dollar store. We then added more bling to our faces by putting sticker jewels by their eyes.

It still wasn't enough bling, so they went on a diamond hunt in the basement (after an explanation that you have to mine for diamonds) where they found their honkin diamond rings (Walmart) and then another hunt in the living room for a cheesy dollar sign necklace.

When they were adequately blinged out we played princess princess where's your jewel (just like doggy doggy where's your bone) where they had to guess who had the diamond and the ruby.

They were assigned jewel names like ruby, pearl, opal etc. and had to go by those names for the entire party (the girl who was named opal wasn't totally happy about her name:)) After cake and ice cream and opening presents the final activity was to get glitter nails. They picked their color and the final touch to all the sparkly fun was their beautiful glittery manicure! There was definitely a lot of BLING at this party.

Fridays Favorites- My Scout drawer

I am completely involved in Scouts. I have to be with 4 boys. I don't really have a choice. What I do have a choice on is how I approach the whole scouting thing, my attitude about it and how my feelings towards scouts will affect my boys. I made the choice when Tyler started 6 years ago to love Scouts. And I really do. I love Scouts. I truly believe my boys are better boys because of scouting. They have been exposed to things they never would have without scouts. They have learned a lot. I have learned a lot. We have learned together and most of it has been really fun. (For example, the dentistry merit badge. How can it be bad for a boy to learn how to really take care of their teeth, what happens if you don't, and about a possible career in dentistry. It was one of my favorites!)

Scouting, in my opinion, does require a little bit of organization. When we started I didn't know what I was doing. A great lady in my ward gave me a sheet of paper with her scouting suggestions on it. I have clung to those suggestions and my path along the scout trail with my boys has been a lot easier because of it. One suggestion was to have a scout drawer. I followed that suggestion and have been so glad I did. I put everything in it. All the scout books, any merit badge earned, merit badge worksheets, merit badge books, calendars from each den. This way I always know where my stuff is. I just recently had to help Tyler fill out his Eagle application. We went to the scout drawer and had all the info we needed right there. It was a lifesaver and saved tons of time. My very full and overflowing scout drawer is definitely one of my favorite things!