Thanksgiving Break

Thanksgiving break started a day early with our first snow day of the school year. We spent the day cleaning and preparing for some special visitors, Yaya and 'Buelo. Part of the preparations included taking down the crib and rearranging the boys' rooms. Jonas and Elliott will now be together in one room and Malachi has moved to the other, which will double as our guest room when we have visitors. It was bittersweet to see this chapter of our lives closing and I'll probably shed a tear or two when we get rid of the furniture completely.

 Thanksgiving morning started with our favorite 5k of the year, the Chillicothe Turkey Trot. Erik had some great running partners and finished 4th, winning a pie for our dinner that evening. I beat my goal of running in the 28 minute mark with a time of 28:25, a whole minute faster than last year! I didn't take many pictures the rest of the weekend. I guess we were too busy having fun, eating, baking, shopping, etc. My sisters, mom and I did make our annual midnight shopping trip which was lots of fun but I think I'm still trying to catch up on my missed sleep! We loved having Kevin and Becky with us and we sent Elliott back to Tennessee with them for the week.

Police Station Field Trip

 Cub Scouts has been a great experience for Malachi and one reason is the special field trips we've been able to take. This past Thursday the boys got to visit the Greenfield Police Department and take a tour. They were able to see the entire station, including the jail, all the equipment policemen use, three different cars and have their fingerprints taken. Elliott was also excited to join in the fun. The only downfall of the trip was having to hold/carry Jonas for an hour and a half since it all was a little intimidating for the youngest Allsop!

Thankful Tree

Sometimes I have a day that I can look back on and be proud of the fact that I accomplished something meaningful with the boys. It doesn't happen every day unfortunately, but the other day it did and that made me happy. We made a "thankful tree" together and posted it on the sliding glass door by our table. The boys then got to write things they are thankful for on paper leaves and glue them to the door. They had a blast doing this and even Jonas joined in. Malachi did all the writing and Elliott was very opinionated about where each leaf should be placed. It is fun to look at the leaves and see the things our boys thought of, everything from family and friends to glue and pranks. All in all it was a successful project and we still have a bowl of leaves that the boys can fill out and hang as more things come to mind!

First Snow

This kid was so excited when he woke up and saw that everything was white outside. He barely got his socks and shoes on before he was out the door to play a little!

Star Wars Birthday

 We celebrated two special boys last night with a Star Wars party. Even though it was almost dark already when everyone got here we were able to have a Pod Race Relay and some Light Saber Duels to start the fun. We enjoyed hot dogs, chips and cake and the boys opened a few presents before heading to the basement to play. The picture above shows most of our kiddos, but believe it or not some didn't even make the picture (I think there were 20 total)! We are so blessed with an amazing family and group of friends and very thankful to all those who helped us celebrate. Elliott and Jack had a great time!

First Quarter Assembly

 One quarter done! Malachi received perfect attendance and all A's for the first grading period. We are very proud of him and hope he can continue to work hard throughout the rest of the year!

Happy 4th Birthday!

  Our middle man is four! It was so much fun on Monday morning to watch him come out of his room and see the balloons and presents on the kitchen table. "I bet I know what all that is for! Mine birfday!" He was so excited, although he did have some trouble understanding that he is already four even though his party isn't until Saturday and he can't read yet. Elliott is so much fun and everyone who knows him can tell you what a joy he is to be around. He's funny, thoughtful, helpful, energetic, independent and kind. We are so proud of the little boy he is and have big hopes for what's ahead of him! 

Happy 4th birthday, Elliott Bruce. We love you!