Sunday, December 20, 2009

2009 Christmas Letter & Pictures

2009 has been a great year for us here in Thatcher, AZ. We had a great trip to Moab, Utah in July for a family reunion. Probably our biggest news of the year is Grady Smith Allen joined our family on June, 19th weighing 7 lbs. 12 oz. and was 20 in. long. He made quite an entrance! Arriving 3 days after his due date, he was delivered in the hospital’s OB Department Nurses Lounge without the epidural that I had planned on! We think he’s absolutely adorable with his big chubby cheeks and his dad’s big beautiful blue eyes. Right now he is learning how to sit-up, eat solid food, and getting his first tooth. He has been the perfect picture of health, and for that we are so grateful. We have really enjoyed having him in our home.

Luke, 2½, is quite the chatterbox. From the moment he wakes up till the moment he falls asleep his mouth is constantly moving, whether or not anyone is listening! He is our constant entertainment! Lately, if he sees writing anywhere he’ll excitedly tell me, “That says A, B, C, D dot com!” His favorite things are cars (racecars to be exact) and trains. Surprisingly, he is quite a polite and cautious kid. He finally got over his fear of slides in October. Luke is really enjoying being a big brother. We get a real kick out of him bossing his little brother around already telling him which toys he is allowed to chew on and which ones he’s not. Overall, he is very sweet with him, and nobody can make Grady smile like Luke can!

Ty has been busy this year working for the family business, Allen Pump Co.. In the spring, with some help, he put a back patio with roof overhang on the back of our house with a glass door opening to it from the kitchen. It has already gotten a lot of use! He loves spending time at home with his little boys, but also enjoys playing basketball, watching football and hanging-out with his brothers. In April he ran in Pat’s Run, and is looking forward to doing more running in the New Year.

I’d say I’ve had a pretty good year. The adjustment of going from 1 kid to 2 has gone surprisingly well. The main difference is that there just seems to be less time during the day! This summer I enjoyed spending some quality time with Luke before the baby was born going to get snow cones together (both mine and Luke’s favorite)! These past few months I’ve really been working hard to improve my photography. I’ve really enjoyed occasionally photographing other’s families and children, but my favorite subjects are still my own handsome little boys. If you haven’t already, please email me at rachelbelle426@hotmail.com so I can invite you to our private family blog. It’s a great way to keep in touch all year around!

Wishing You A Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year!
Ty, Rachel, Luke, and Grady Allen



1 comment:

Jessie said...

I loved your christmas card this year. It's on my fridge now. I really like that first picture of the boys.