Tangled Sleepover Part Deux

After returning from Rupes, we set up sleeping bags in the family room downstairs and prepared to watch my personal favorite animated movie of all time ("Tangled", of course) from start to finish! Grandpa and I laughed so hard at Rupe's because the girls were quoting lines from it with accents and all, especially Chloe, who brought back memories of her Mom doing the same! I'm sure all that knew her in high school and beyond remember that she was a master at popping off movie lines one after another and with the most perfect accents and inflections! Anyway, it was hilarious listening to Chloe do it with the same polish! It was a fun moment with the girls which made it obvious that this movie holds a special place in all of their hearts! Grandpa had meetings so the girls and I enjoyed every minute of the movie with only 1 break in the middle to put together our traditional "fruit kabobs" for snack time! We also finished tying the quilt we started last Thanksgiving to take to the Bingham Crisis Center (Women's Shelter in Blackfoot) See pics below! All five girls were amazing little square knot tie-ers and all stuck with it until it was finished!

After the movie we came upstairs and watched videos from China because the girls were missing their Rose cousins who live in Shenzen, China right now! Their favorite is of Luke, Emma, and Gavin riding these motorized animals around a big plaza area! I am not kidding, we all laughed so hard we about fell on the floor! Grandpa had returned about then and had to come and see what all the commotion was about! And he, too, joined in the raucousness! Want to join in the laughter...see the following link: You'll wonder for awhile what is so funny, but don't give up! Keep watching! Listening to Matt and Sara is half the fun but then watch Gavin as he really gets confident! Yes, yes, you have to watch to the end! http://www.onetruemedia.com/share_view_player?p=ed0d98044a5952a03121e9. The girls wanted to watch it over and over...I am serious! Then they requested to watch all of the Allen Family Christmas Videos of the last three years which we also LOVED and watched twice each! Here is the link to those:  http://allenfamilyupdate.blogspot.com/search/label/Christmas%20Movie.  I predict all of the Allen kids will have many acting opportunities in this life...what do you think?  Anyway, just a fun and laughter-filled time with our little girls staying up waaaayyyyyyy late!  However, once it was time for bed, we read scriptures with Grandpa and had family prayer and hit the hay! All were asleep within about 1/2 hour which I thought was pretty miraculous!

The next morning we awakened and while I fixed breakfast Kate and Morgan played Legos completing their work of art shown below, while Jordyn, Chloe, and Lily danced and played the piano. Chloe turned on the Demo on my electronic piano and proceeded to look like she was playing every note while the other two showed their stuff! Then they all helped to set the table for our traditional manners breakfast at which time we use the chargers, china, cloth napkins, napkin rings, etc. and TRY to use our best table manners. It doesn't always work, (you know, the occasional toots and burps followed by laughter and then, the "okay, that wasn't mannerly...excuse me!") but we have a good time trying! We had crepes this year with fresh strawberries and whipped cream, syrup, jam, powdered sugar, etc. as well as sausage, bacon, juice and chocolate milk. Yum, yum!!!! 

Later that morning after cleaning up and getting ready for the day, they all wanted to play outside! They asked me for rakes and told me not to look outside while they did something! Jordyn wanted her own separate projects to do as there were not enough rakes and she proceeded to clean out our outdoor toybox (no minor feat!), clean up the sandpile and sweep the porch. I was in the house doing a few things when I heard singing from the back yard and just couldn't help myself! I had to videotape out the window of my bedroom and out the backdoor. I'll include a video if I can make One True Media work. It was too cute not to share, so wish me luck! They all "surprised" me with raking and filling two boxes which they decorated themselves with raked-up blossoms that have fallen from our Little Leaf Linden tree...the favorite climbing tree in the back-yard! Such sweet little people...they never cease to amaze me with their goodness!  Thanks girls for doing such sweet and helpful things for Grandma! We then had lunch and took the finished quilt down to the women's shelter where they welcomed us with open arms and thanked the girls for all their hard work! You will make a sad child's day much happier through your unselfishness! Thanks, Julie, for driving all the way to Blackfoot to pick up your girls, and to Cindy and Lori for the driving they did as well to allow this to happen. You are all great parents and can know that you are raising very find young ladies! Thanks again for sharing them with us!

 Forgot to mention a little "makeover" party...just these two!

 Lovin' the movie!

 Use your creativity!

 Yummy fruit kabobs!

 You can't not dance to the music at the end of Tangled!

 boogyin' to the music!

 My princesses at our manners breakfast!

 A lego house with huge add-on garage, etc.! This photo does not do justice!

 It will never look this neat again! Thanks, Jords

 Love you, Grandma! Love you, too, girls!

 Picking vegetables from the garden

 A little swim fun

With the staff at the Women's Shelter who were so thrilled with their sweet donation!

A "Tangled" Sleepover with Grandma Aug 17th - Aug 18th

How I adore these 5 precious little granddaughters!

I planned for months to have a sleepover with my little darlin's sometime this summer. It was planned for the first week of June, but my Mom (Grandma J) became very ill. (Another post is in process on that.) I rescheduled it for the end of July and then found out my nephew, Troy, was being married that same time so we re-re-scheduled it for Aug. 17th and 18th! Finally it happened and was a highlight of Greg's and my summer! We were missing 4 of our 9 wonderful granddaughters, but we had a ball with the 5 that were there. And believe me, we missed those 4 who were not! (See below). 

 When I first mentioned it, the girls said they wanted to watch the movie "Tangled" and thanks to my niece, Amy, who told me of a darling FHE lesson she had seen based around the movie, I was able to pull together an activity that was both fun and enlightening, I hope. (Thanks, Amy! I was able to pull it up on google just with the info you gave me!) It seems there is usually a component of evil against good in most movies these days and, of course, "Tangled" is no exception. We watched the clip where Mother Gothel tells Rapunzel all kinds of lies to keep her from ever finding out that she is a daughter of a king (a princess) and becoming who she is meant to be...exactly what Satan and his minions try to do to us, our children, and grandchildren today...what they have always done! Well we followed Rapunzel's hair (yellow yarn) all around the house and along the path (of life) found truths from Heavenly Father accompanied by lies that Satan tells us today. If they chose the lies they went off to "dead-ends". If they chose truth (which, of course, they always did) they stayed on the path to eternal life and in time found themselves at their ultimate goal...as princesses with "crowns of glory" and the realization that they really are Daughters of the KING! I love the little pictures I found for the girls (look below) that show them looking into the eyes of Heavenly Father (and/or the Savior). That's all Greg and I desire for these wonderful grandchildren is that not one is left behind...not one strays from the path...and that we can all be together FOREVER! We LOVE ALL OUR LITTLE PRINCESSES AND LITTLE PRINCES! 

Kate reading a truth...or a lie...during our "Tangled" (Daughter of a King) activity!

Which will they choose to follow? 

Well, there is no question in my mind!

 More truths and lies! So far, they've made wise choices!

Getting closer to their goal...so far, so good!

 Almost there! The "prize" will be worth it!"

Wow, we made it! We really are daughters of a King...THE KING!

 Princess Kate!

 Princess Jordyn

 Princess Chloe

 Princess Lily

Princess Morgan

Missing Emma, Eva, Regan and Kami who are also precious daughters of "The King" and our little princesses! We LOVE you and missed you so much!

Regan

Kami

 Emma

Eva (with Dad)

When Grandpa came home we went to Rupe's for dinner! All 5 girls were perfectly behaved and ate well which merited ice cream cones for all!

(There will be more pictures, a video, etc of this party on another post. I'm leaving to spend the day with Grandma J! So check back later!

Non-Stop Energy!

At my request, Julie met me in McCammon on Thursday so Grandpa and I could have a little time with Chloe and Lily. Please, girls, can't you share some of that energy?!!!! We had so much fun with them from Thursday until Saturday when I delivered them safely to their Mom at Amy's wedding shower! I'm sure that any who are grandparents out there will identify with that "safely" sentiment. It is such a big responsibility to keep these precious little visitors well and whole while they are with us without also being too overprotective and not letting them be kids! You will see from some of the following pictures, that we held our breath but trusted that they would be okay. (I love morning prayers begging for safety!) We went to Grandpa's office to say "hello" after returning from McCammon after which he met us at Rupe's for lunch! For some reason, there is something about Rupe's Drive-In that all the grandkids think is top-notch fun!

Other happenings over the three days:
1. Trip to the library
2. Fun at a cute little bead store called "Timely Chunks" so the girls could create their very own bracelets!
3. Time at the park with Kathy Murray, Marcus, and Grandma
4. Swimming, climbing trees, and catching bugs in the backyard
5. Snuggles and movie with Grandma and Grandpa
6. Picking peas in the garden

What a joy to have these precious little girls with us for a couple of days! We wish they lived closer but are so thankful for each time we get to see them!

Music Camp 2009

Paddington Bear

Jordy with her arm around Lily in class

Porter being "big stuff"!

Morning of dress rehearsal! All so adorable!

Polly Pocket Heaven

Babies in the shower

The inflatable skidoo was a hit!

Kate and Todd both loved the babies!

Mittens the Kitten (she adopted the Wilson Family) was a kid magnet all week!

Playing games with Aunt Cindy

Rocking out in "Peanut Butter"

The Professor & the Sandwich Signs

"I'm Peanut Butter & You Are Jelly and We're So Happy on Our Little Piece of Bread"

Love this picture of Lily and Jack

Family Home Evening after a long day-Kate conducted and Brad taught. Thanks!

How does she lift and carry them both? That's about 50#!!!

After the first day of class - so cute!

Music Sticks with Mrs. Edvalson

What a privilege to be in a position to help Lori and Cindy this year with the annual Music Camp experience held in Rupert. This is a music camp for children from 4 years of age on up to about 18. This is the 3rd year that Cindy and DJ's kids have been involved as well as Lori and Brad's children. Lori teaches several Master Classes during the day so is gone most of the time. In the past, Cindy has tended Jack and the children not old enough to attend, fixed meals, kept things orderly, etc, a very big job and I was so happy to be retired and able to help this year. Greg and I had been tending Chloe and Lily for two weeks while Stanton and Julie were in Boston with Brig (as I have previously posted) and they were also signed up for Music Camp. So with our little granddaughters in tow, I headed for Lori's Sunday night, July 12th. Can I say what a fantastic, fun-filled, (and work-filled) week we had with 11 children? 7 of the 11 were in classes part or all of the day leaving Jack, Kaleb, Kami and Porter with us all day. The camp is such a fun learning experience for the kids. The teachers come from many areas to teach these classes and do a masterful job. The kids depending upon their ages can participate in a children's choir (two hours a day for 4 days), Master Classes where they prepare solos, Boys Choir and Girls Choir where they learn to sing a variety of music genre, Musical Theater class where they prepare portions of a different musical each year, (Suessical the Musical this year), and Music Theory (Morgan's personal favorite if you can believe that!). They also have a Comedy Concert where the kids can team up and present humorous numbers that they prepare at home as well as a Solo Concert for those who prepared solos at home before coming to the camp. This year Lily wanted to sing "My Eternal Family" (I Am A Builder as she calls it) for the solo. She got up on that stage with not a frightened bone in her body and sang for all present! She had a hammer and a screw driver in her hand and sang so cute! I have not mastered the art of taking usable videos with my camera so I can't post it. Darn! Chloe was not wanting to do the solo performance. But you should have seen her sing and dance in the comedy routine. Lori helped all the kids prepare the darling song "I'm Peanut Butter and You Are Jelly". She loved every minute of it as did all the kids. Todd was the Professor teaching about all kinds of delicious sandwiches, but, of course, PB&J is the best! Thanks Lori for all your hard work getting that one prepared and then teaching it to the kids. You are so gifted musically and so willing to share that gift! Jordy, Lily, and Chloe all loved their Childrens' Choir class taught by Sarah Edvalson from Kuna, ID. She had so many cute ways to teach the kids the three songs they performed in the final concert as well as many others and some music theory they learned over the course of 4 days. Her ability to keep their attention was amazing! They never put up a fuss one day about going back to class but were anxious to be there! Morgan and Kate attended Masters Classes, Theory, and Musical Theater Classes together and had a ball. They love doing anything together. Todd and Regan did Master's Class with Lori, Music Theory, Musical Theater and Boys and Girls Chorus. Todd may have taken another class as well. They also love to be together and are best buds. It was so fun to see the kids get on stage and perform their solos prepared in Master Classes. Morgan particularly thrilled us because she has never really loved the idea of being on stage or singing. But she did a great job of "On the Good Ship Lollipop"! This was a very big step for her. She and Kate were also so cute in "Gertrude McFuzz". I think all the kids really enjoyed learning the songs from "'Suessical"! It is very cute and clever music. Todd was so good as the General Genghis Khan Schmitz! Regan and Kate are naturals on the stage and just shine! I can see so much growth in Lori and Cindy's kids as they attend each year. What a great opportunity to be exposed to singing and performing without intimidation and to be taught by some of the finest teachers around. Thanks to all who contributed in any way. I had a wonderful time being with Lori and Cindy for the week as well as enjoying the kids. The only quiet moments were after the kids were in bed so we stayed up late visiting and laughing. Regan stayed up with us a couple of nights and we enjoyed her so much. She thinks Aunt Lori is awesome and enjoyed going through her jewelry to pick out just the right rings and such for her solo of "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend". It still takes my breath away as I realize that Todd and Regan are almost 11 and will be in their teens if we blink! They are both such great young people. Morgan and Kate are maturing each year and I love to see their love for one another. We missed having Julie with us but were so glad that Chloe and Lily got to be with us and enjoy their cousins all week. Though there were the usual bickering moments, they all did very well together. Porter and Kami are so cute! Porter decided to make walking his main mode of transportation this week and they were both all over the place. Their favorite places were in the water (wherever it might be), robbing out of Lori's craft item organizer, and playing with her fridge magnets. Oh, and let me also add...the staircase! They mastered stair climbing this week as well! They kept us going every minute! Jack and Kaleb didn't get along too well at the beginning of the week (sharing toys is not too fun sometimes!) but by the last couple of days they were best buds. I love watching them interact with each other. The differences in our grandkid's personalities became very apparent as I watched and listened to them this week. I love to see how they can be upset one minute and then instantly forgive and forget and move on. We all hope Julie and the kids are able to join us next year! In addition to the classes and concernts, I am already missing in a strange sort of way the constant "I'm hungry!", heads of hair to do, piles of laundry to be done, and the kids playing in Brad and Lori's pool every night. The outside shower is the best as we never bathed or washed a head of hair in the house except our own. Even the babies loved standing under the warm water of the shower! I hope to be a part of this for years to come. I do not want to miss the opportunity to be in the presence of my amazing daughters, all so immensely talented in their own ways and very focused on the things that are of real importance in shaping their childrens' lives for greatness. This is really a privilege not to be taken foregranted! I only wish Sara and Matt and the kids lived close enough to be a part of the week as well. We missed them as we always do when we get together. Thanks also to our husbands who always keep things going at home and to Brad and Lori for opening their home and hearts to all of us! I still can't believe what Brad endured and always with a smile on his face!