The Allen Crew

They are in my backyard!

So last night I am watching TV in the living room, and I hear some crunching and munching noises. Low and behold I finally get up and look outside my back door and there are 4, count 'em, 4 raccoons.

Now this gives me such great pleasure, that I have to call my husband at work and tell him. I am as giddy as a preschooler during recess! My husband, being the practical one, does remind me, that raccoons here in Ohio carry rabies. So after that reminder, I don't try to peek out the door anymore :)

After I had my fill, I hear them again. I let it go for a while, and then I had to check again. It's not the babies anymore, it's the mama.

Now I have to admit, she wasn't a cutsie baby raccoon, but the way she kept scooping up the corn feed and shoveling it into her mouth was pretty darn cute!

They were in my stroller out the back door where Lance had put his corn feed for attracting deer. It may not have attracted any deer (probably because it needs to be taken out of the bag and put in the deer feeder:), but the raccoons seemed to love it!
If you have a hard time seeing the raccoons, it is because I was taking the pics through my back window in the door. Notice the fluffy tail in the back of the stroller. That's all that you can see of that raccoon. He was hiding in the back of the stroller, munching away!

PS Linda, This is the kind of life I would live if I chose it!!!

See the pics of the cute lil' hands and feet? There is a cute (with a hint of stinker) story behind it. When I was trying to make a dash at painting all the walls of our home in Ohio, (when we moved in last year) Rider decided that he needed to help, as 2 year olds do.

When we were downstairs eating lunch I thought~Where is Rider, it is awfully quiet (clue #1) So I go upstairs and see the paint out (clue #2). Then Rider has the biggest, sweetest smile on his face (biggest clue, clue #3) and dark green paint ALL over his body, and the surrounding walls, and the hardwood floor.

At first I really wanted to be mad. It's my right, you know! But I couldn't get myself to. It would have been a great opportunity to teach my son about the cons of making messes, but what do I know?
Instead, I dipped his adorable, soft, pudgy feet and hands in the dark green paint and pressed them on the wall.
This ended up bringing me much more satisfaction than getting upset about it.

Today is the day I must paint over my adorable work of art. A year later I am painting the upstairs hallway. Do you like the color? I digress.

I have enjoyed every time I walk by my boy's feet and hand mural. As I paint over it, I reflect on my 2 year old, who is already 3! How time flies...

Now when I walk by the wall where the print of his dark green hands and feet rest, I will look back with fondness, the sweet and crazy moment(s) I had with my playful son, Rider.

Here are some more pics of this summer.
The sign cracked me up, so I had to take a pic of it!
I am in Ohio for a few weeks and then we go back and drive everyone back to Ohio until further notice :) The fun we have had there will live on for a while! It was wonderful to be around our family. They are hilariously fun! Thanks to Cally and Lane for the "hanging off the cliff" performance :)
Utah is beautiful.

That is Lance holding Rider through the tunnel in the rock.

Family time is amazing...

I have more pics that will be coming, and to family, I will send you your pics of the reunion.

I'm not full of summer yet. I will try and get there, so I will appreciate the winter more:)

All 6 kids and myself, went to the dentist yesterday. I had a cavity filled, and the kids had cleanings and some had cavities filled, too.

This was Rider's first trip to the dentist, except when he had to go into surgery after breaking off his 2 front teeth, but that doesn't count for a dentist visit, I don't think he even met the dentist that time:)

This time he had 3 small cavities. The Dentist(Dr. Bob Wilson, in Antimony) and his wife, Freddie, said they were going to put 3 Small stars in his mouth :) He used "Mr. Bumpy." When they told Rider to open his mouth wide like a crocodile, he would start swimming like a crocodile too! It was so cute! The dentist had to tell him to stop swimming for a minute.

Rider did so good, even better than expected! He was adorable!! All the kids did great.

Trapper had to have a root canal, (baby tooth) and he was stoic! We had a gooood talk about sugar on the way home :)

Lance Albern had 2 teeth pulled, that needed to get out of there and let his adult teeth come in. He also had a cavity filled WITHOUT any anesthetic! The dentist was stunned. He said he had to go in deeper than he thought and Lance did great!

Shylee is a brat and didn't have 1 cavity. Why, You ask do I say that? Yes, I am thrilled that she doesn't have any cavities, but it's more to do with heredity (my side) than anything. She always tells the kids that if they don't want anymore cavities, they need to take care of their teeth, like she does. Which is great advice, except, she was saying that back when she didn't even recognize her own toothbrush:) She is great now!



Trapper just now, got put into time-out. To be the big meanie, he is trying to be, stated:
"I am never going to brush my teeth, and only eat sugary stuff!"
then he said "never-mind."
Maybe I am getting through to them...

PS Isn't that the sweetest dentist you have ever seen, holding Rider's hand? and that's his wife and wonderful assistant, Freddie.