Just Keep Running

Today was Jonah's last cross country meet for this school year! To be honest, I was a little surprised when he came home the first week of school telling me he wanted to join the team. It's not that Jonah isn't athletic, it's just that, well...I've never known him to be a big fan of running. :) However, he is a fan of wanting to join anything and everything he possible can! In kindergarten, it was football. First grade, soccer. Second grade, karate. You get the point...we get around. I'm not against this at his age, though, because it lets him have many different experiences and he can get a feel for what he likes!

Jonah wasn't the fastest kid on his team, but he never gave up! Every race, we gave him a little pep talk and it went something like this: "Jonah, whatever you do, just keep RUNNING!" Inspirational, I know. And with the exception of one race (which was a 100 degree day), he did just that! He kept running. He didn't give up. And that's what we're most proud of.

This is what I love about running. It's so relatable to life. No matter how bad things get, how painful, how many times you mess up...you just keep running. or walking. or crawling, if you have to.



Jonah and Garrett pre-race...he's too cool to smile.




Ready. Set. Go.




Me and Eva waiting on the race to start!



Emma and Hasson would rather play than watch the race!

Jonah and Walter after the race.

Friday Night Dinner: Kid's Choice!

Sliders and Sweet Potato Fries

We have a rare Friday night...and by rare, I mean Walter is actually staying home instead of going to a football game! Yea! I usually don't like to cook on Friday nights, but I decided to tonight to save a little money. If I DO cook on Fridays, it's got to be easy and quick!

This is one of the kid's favorites, and ours, too! It's just hamburgers, I know, but it turns into something fun when you make them smaller...plus, you get to eat TWO instead of one! Who doesn't love that, right? It gets even better when you put bacon and cheese on top! Oh bacon, how I love you. You make everything better...sorry, I digress. We also prefer sweet potato fries to regular fries in our family. Did you know that, ounce for ounce, the sweet potato is the most nutritious food you can pick up in the produce department? Even if you don't care about the health benefits, they just taste so dang good. Anyways, this was a great, tasty dinner we all enjoyed! Give sliders a try if you haven't already...they'll be a hit with the kiddos!

Happy 10 Months, Eva!

She loves playing under the kitchen table!

She also loves to eat...takes after her momma!

Eva @ 10 Months:

• You love your momma, daddy, & GJ...that's about it. Seriously. But you're coming around!
• You are a super speedy crawler and pull up on everything. You even stood up by yourself for a little while yesterday!
• Still sleeping through the night MOST of the time!
• Ok, you're not the biggest fan of people, but you absolutely love seeing all the dogs in the neighborhood!
• Jonah and Emma have the best chance of getting a laugh out of you...especially when Emma runs around the kitchen table! You think that's hilarious for some reason. Drives me crazy, but I can't complain because it also allows me to get dinner ready!
• There is nothing you won't eat! Avocados and strawberries are your favorites.
• You can wave bye-bye, shake your head "no" (this is also your dance move!), clap, and are starting to dance!
• I think you're going to love music like your mom and brother because whenever you hear a song you start "singing"!

Eva, we're so thankful God blessed our lives with you. You're a true joy to our little family! We love you!

What am I doing???

I must be out of my ever-loving mind!!! I can't believe I'm starting a blog: me, who has not ONE creative bone in her body. You should know up front, English was not my best subject..not really sure that I even had a BEST subject!! I am not a writer, and never will be...so why am I doing this?

I wanted a way to record what's going on in our little family, so one day my kids can look back and reminisce. And, it's a great way for family and friends who live somewhere else to keep up with the Allens...not that there's always that much to keep up with!

Also, I love to cook. I figured I go to the effort, I might as well share it with others! So, people, be patient with me as I enter the blogging world! It will be a fun journey for sure!