Grandma Gloria and Logan

This moment occurred while we were at the Allen house in Kahoka for Thanksgiving. I have many more pictures from our time spent there for the holidays but I just had to post this one now. I hope you enjoy it Gloria-- love, rebecca.

hanging around the house

so kissable!

Those cheeks are so kissable!

Fun in the yard

...and there's more!

pure joy!

A day at the park

I have so many cute photos from our evening at the park on Thursday. Here's one of them. More to come later today...

Happy Saturday, love rebecca

The latest...

So what's been happening with the Allen's lately? Well, it's about time I give you an update. For those of you whom we don't communicate with on a regular basis, you might not know that I've changed jobs. I now work at Bleu Restaurant and Wine Bar in downtown Columbia. My last day with the Admissions office at MU was August 1. I was sad to leave my wonderful boss and coworkers but was very excited to do something different. This new adventure has made possible two things that I desperately wanted: more time with Logan and more time for photography. Now, instead of babysitting four kids two days a week and working in an office for the other two and a half days of the work week, I am home with Logan full-time during the weekday. I wait tables Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights when Seth has arranged to get off work early to stay home and care for Logan. It's so nice that we don't have to depend on the babysitting co-op anymore and can be independent in our childcare. I really enjoy spending my days with Logan and it's obvious he is benefiting from the one-on-one attention. I think it's important he interact with other kids, though, so we try to make sure that kid-friendly social outings are on our to-do list each week. 

Of those outings, one of Logan's favorites is a trip to the library. We try to go once a week or at least every two weeks to get new books for Logan. Right now he seems to favor books that have texture. About a month ago he started showing signs that he wanted to be read to. He would go to the stack of library books or books that we own, pick one out, walk to me and give me the book, then motion to sit on my lap so I could read to him. He does this on a daily basis now. Don't get me wrong, we've always read to him, but now he actually wants to listen, has a longer attention span and is starting to understand some of what we are saying. This was exemplified just the other day when Seth and Logan were hanging out. We currently have a book from the library called Tickle the Duck. The parts of the duck that you "tickle" are actually furry so toddlers can experiment with touch and texture. Logan loves this so we read this book A LOT, over and over. Now, I don't remember details of the situation, but the important part is that when Seth and Logan were playing together, Seth made reference to "tickle the duck" and upon hearing those words, Logan left the room. Where did he go? Well, to find the "Tickle the Duck" book, of course! He found it and amazed Seth by showing that he associate that phrase with that particular book!  We are just blown away by Logan's development. He is growing so fast, mentally and physically. He is no longer our little baby!

Here are some other words that Logan understands and/or can identify:

- belly button

- ear

- foot

- diaper

- cup

- fan

- block (he's becoming pretty good at stacking objects, too)

- highchair

- banana

- dog, doggie

- cat, kitty

- book

- bath

- ball

- cracker

He also understands phrases and commands, such as when we tell him it's time for a nap or time to go to his room to change his diaper (sometimes he runs away when we say the latter!).

Oh, and speaking of naps, the little man just woke up from his morning siesta so I gotta go! 

love, rebecca

random

Here are a few pictures from the Rodriguez/Martinez reunion this summer in Wyoming. 

St. Louis Zoo

We went to the St. Louis Zoo on the Sunday before Logan's birthday last month. I've posted some photographs from that day below. Unfortunately, our point-and-shoot digital camera was not charged so we only had my large digital camera and zoom lens to work with. Consequently, I couldn't get many photos of Logan. 

Here is one of my favorites from the day, though.

Seth captured this giraffe with great light and a clean background to make it pop. Great job, honey!
This was my take on a similar situation. Look at that tongue!

love, rebecca

On August 19th...

...we celebrated Logan's 1st birthday!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LOGAN!!!

NOW YOU'RE A TODDLER!

A year ago today I was sitting at home with Seth, staring at Logan in awe. We read so many books and articles on pregnancy and birthing, we hired a dula to coach us through the labor and delivery, we listened to and digested what the doctor, friends and family had to say about health and personal experience...so, obviously, we were prepared--RIGHT? Uh, no, at least not for what comes after birth--BUT, man, has it been fun! Logan is such a big boy now--no longer our little baby. He's toddling all over the place, climbing, babbling and dancing.  In the past year our "spirited" toddler (did I mention we had a boy--a boy who in every way exemplifies rough and tumble, loud, high energy and strong opinions) has learned, exhibited, experimented, and grown in so many ways. Here's a review of some of his accomplishments:

- smiles

- waves

- claps

- rolls over

- sits up

- crawls

- WALKS (oh my gosh, it's super adorable to see him waddle around--his stance is that of a cowboy who's been on a horse for 10 days straight)

- self feeds with fingers, fork and spoon (if we put the food on the utensil for him)

- drinks from a sippy cup

- says a few words (ie. "nana" for banana) and of course "ma ma" and "da da" for the correct person

- dances

- stacks blocks

- imitates talking on the phone

- initiates and understands peek-a-boo

- wrestles

- brushes his teeth (well, chews on the brush at least, and gets upset if we don't include him when we brush our teeth)

- puts objects in containers and takes them out

- understands that an object is still there even if it is covered up

- can put lids or tops on appropriate objects

- KISSES! It's cute, he actually puckers his lips and makes the "smacking" kiss sound

- understands (although does not always follow) simple requests/commands such as "Sit down, please" and "Come here"

I'm sure there's more--heck every day he amazes us by doing something new. I am so proud to be a mother and we look forward to each day with Logan and all the happiness and challenges he brings to our family. And believe me, there's certainly more happiness than the latter.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SON!!!

WE LOVE YOU--MOM & DAD

Quick Update

Hi all! I'm making this quick, but wanted to let you know that lots of things are changing in the Allen household! More details to come at the end of this week. We are finally getting Internet service hooked up on the 15th. That said, look for a new and improved blog experience in the near future! I'll be able to post on a more regular basis and you'll get to see more of our cute son!

love, rebecca

p.s. He's starting to walk...!

Some notes from Seth.

I just wanted to show off a few of our flowers. We just purchased a new point and shoot camera and I had to try it out. Hopefully, I will be posting more photos now that the process has simplified. It was a great year for our lilies and our cone flowers are really taking off. The colors in our gardens have been great this spring due to the ample moisture.



Above are a few shots from our front yard. This is the third year for these beds and we couldn't be happier with them. Again, the rain has made our plants very happy.

Above, are some shots from our back yard. It is still in progress. I built the screen and path this Spring, and most of the plants are just a year or two old. We plan on rearranging several plants this fall and adding to the privacy screen. Along with a million other projects that are in the works.

Last but not least, I had to add some photos of the boy...of course. Rebecca took these shots. Logan is really becoming independent while eating and growing uninterested in "baby food". He prefers what is on Mom and Dad's plate, however in these shots he is trying out a spoon with some food Rebecca has made him. Along with his independence in eating comes more baths! Lastly, Logan is standing on his own now. He likes to pull up on us and hold his hands up to show off his skills. Last night he stood and clapped for the first time. Where has our baby gone?

Pictures! Happy 4th of July!

Here are a few pictures that I've been preparing for a project for my Mom. I thought they were definetely blog-worthy. Happy Fourth of July 2008!!!

...an older picture from Mother's Day...

...Seth and Logan at the annual Allen Gathering on June 21 (Seth has new glasses--compare to the photo of him and Logan in the side column on the right)...

...Shawna and Logan at the gathering...

...Alex and Logan at the gathering. Logan just adores cousin Alex!...

...Logan relaxes on Grandpa Charley's lap. Just a couple of good 'ol boys...
Last weekend, Logan and I traveled to Joplin to visit Jennifer and my Mom. Mom was getting "the works" done at the salon/spa where my sister is employed. We arrived as Mom was getting her hair cut and styled, then we all went out to lunch at Panera afterwards. Jen had to work until 5pm so she returned to the spa while Mom, Logan and I went to a flea market to look for treasures (mom found two kitchen items that were must-have's) and then a trip to the grocery store for dinner items. That evening, Jen took me to Braums for ice cream and we picked up a rental movie to watch. The next morning we took lots of pictures, played with Logan, ate a good breakfast and helped Jen put her apartment back together after Logan made a mess of everything. It was a really nice visit--the first time I had seen Jen and Jacob's apartment. They have a really nice place, very spacious, yet cozy. The drive home was better than the drive to Joplin. It poured on the way to Joplin, Logan was screaming just for the fun of it and I could barely see the car in front of me. It was practically white-out conditions. But like I said, the drive back to Columbia was more enjoyable and Logan slept for half of it, so I can't complain about that! In a couple of weeks we're heading to Wyoming for the annual family gathering on that side of the family. Now that's going to be a long car ride!

love, rebecca