Explanation

So I have had a lot of people ask me why our photography business is called Eli Mac Photography.  Here is the run down. 

Mike's full name is Elisha Michael McAllister.  He has always gone by Mike but when he started his photography program at ASU, he had a lot of professors that liked Elisha and wanted to call him that.  Then a little farther into the program he had a professor that started shortening it to Eli. 

TADA!!! 

Eli Mac, Mac short for McAllister because Eli McAllister Photography just doesn't have the same ring  :)  We are really loving doing this and would love to take pictures for all of you.  We are currently running a special for the holidays and you get a $25 discount for sittings in December. 

Hope you are all doing well!

ANNOUNCING!!...

Well, I know it has been kinda a long time coming, but we finally got our photography site up and running!  We are so excited about this and we would love to do some photos for you.  We are running a Holiday Special right now so you can get a discount on your session through the month of December.  Check out our site and let us know what you think.

elimacphotography.blogspot.com   

Call us today to set an appointment  :)

What Are You Thankful For?

My cousin shared this on our family website and I thought it was great and wanted to pass it on.



What are you thankful for?

Happy Thanksgiving! Love you All!

Katie

A Little Update

Sorry, no pictures in this post but I promise some are coming :) It has been forever since I posted so I wanted to give a little update on how things are going.

Mike finished his first MBA class this last week. We don't know what he got on his final but before he took that he had a 100% in the class. Not a bad way to start out I think. He is still working like crazy at Content Connections. About 3 weeks ago he went on a business trip back east and was gone for a week. He had meetings in Baltimore, MD; Philadelphia, PA; Yardley, PA; New York, NY; and Hoboken, NJ. It was a long, hard week for him and we were so glad to have him home safe. We are also working hard on getting his photography site set up. We are doing more sittings and we love it! Let us know if you need some pictures taken and we can totally hook you up :)

Alena is busy, busy, BUSY!! She is walking everywhere. It is crazy how fast she is growing up. Some of the things she likes to do these days is to try and help me with the dishes and the laundry. She mostly just undoes what I'm doing but it is really cute that she tries to help. She unfolds the laundry as I get it folded and she pulls the dishes out of the dishwasher as I get them loaded. She is talking all the time and is learning more and more words every day. She can say mom, dad, hi, dog, and what's this. She tries to talk even more and knows a whole lot of gibberish. She likes to play peek-a-boo and she loves singing songs like Popcorn Popping, The Itsy-Bitsy Spider, and Patty Cake, Patty Cake. I love my little girl and I love watching her grow!

As for the family, we paid off our Blazer this week which was SO GREAT!!! We feel so good about it. We have painted some of the rooms in our house and can't wait to finish the rest. I will post pictures at some point. Alena is having surgery on Tuesday to open up a blocked tear duct. It has been plugged since she was born and since it didn't open up on its own they have to probe it open. It shouldn't be too bad, but it is really scary because she has to be put under for it. Really hoping that everything goes well. We are really excited for Thanksgiving. We love to eat!! Mike's brother and his wife had a baby boy a week ago so we will be going to Colorado Springs the day after Christmas so we can be there for the baby blessing. It will be great to spend some time with Mike's family. We wish we could see them more often!

As for me, I'm working and trying to keep our house in order. I'm still doing Pampered Chef and I love it! Hoping that it picks up through the holidays so I can do a few more parties because I really like to do them.

Hope all of you are doing well. I promise I will get some picture posts up soon.

A Poem for Thought

My friend Amanda Farnsworth posted this poem on her blog and I thought it was really sweet and I wanted to share it with all of you.

She came tonight as I sat alone, the girl I used to be…
And she gazed at me with her earnest eye and questioned reproachfully;

Have you forgotten the many plans and hopes that I had for you?
The career, the splendid fame, and all the wonderful things to do?
Where is the mansion of stately height with all of its gardens rare?
The silken robes that I dreamed for you and the jewels in your hair?

And as she spoke, I was very sad for I wanted her pleased with me…
This slender girl from the shadowy past the girl that I used to be
So gently rising, I took her hand, and guided her up the stair
Where peacefully sleeping, my babies lay innocent, sweet, and fair.

And I told her that these are my only gems, and precious they are to me;
That silken robe is my motherhood of costly simplicity.
And my mansion of stately height is love, and the only career I know
Is serving each day in these sheltered walls for the dear ones who come and go.

And as I spoke to my shadowy guest, she smiled through her tears at me.
And I saw that the woman that I am now, pleased the girl I used to be.

- Author Unknown

Let's not forget what a wonderful BLESSING it is to be a mother.

Love you all you great moms out there!! :)

Personal Website!

Hey Everybody! I wanted to let you all know that I now have a Personal Website for Pampered Chef. You can go online to place orders, browse the catalog, schedule a show or send me a question.

I am really loving being a Pampered Chef Consultant, but it is a lot more fun when I have shows to do :) I am open this month for shows so if any of you are interested please let me know.

Also, for the month of October only, Pampered Chef holds their "Help Whip Cancer" campaign in support of Breast Cancer Research. They have special Pink products that are only available this month, and a portion of all orders is donated to help fund much needed Research to find a Cure.

If you want to check out my website the link is:

www.pamperedchef.biz/cookinlikecrazy

Let me know what you think and let me know if you are interested in hosting a show. You earn FREE PRODUCT when you do!

Love you all!

Katie

New Cell Phones!!

Well Mike and I were eligible for an upgrade on our cell phones this month so we went today and picked out new phones. It is really nice to have something new after nearly 2 years :) Especially since for the last 3 months I have been using Mike's old old phone cuz mine busted :( Well here is a picture of out new phone


Even more exciting is the fact that mine is PINK!!!


Isn't it cute! I really like it. It is fun to figure it all out and get it set up just for me :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALENA!!!

I can't believe that it has been a year since my sweet little girl was born! I had to take a little look back at what that day was like, and I wanted to let you remember with me! Here is the run down of my baby girls "Birth Day" :)

August 26th, 2008:
3:00 AM - I had just gotten back in bed after one of the many trips to the bathroom that happened throughout the night. I was just settling back in to sleep when I felt Alena kick, I heard a *POP* and instantly I was soaking wet. At first I was in such shock I didn't know what to do. I laid my hand on Mike and all I said was "My water just broke" and he was out of bed like a shot. For those of you who know Mike, you know that this is a miracle in and of itself. Mike sleeps like a rock, so I'm glad I didn't have to sit and shake him awake. Well, we called the doctor and I called my mom, and we got ready to leave for the hospital. Since she was 6 weeks early I still hadn't packed a bag or anything to take to the hospital with me. I showered quickly, put on dry clothes and we were out the door.

3:25 AM - We were pulling away from our house and my contractions started. One of my biggest fears had been that I wouldn't know I was having contractions, but there was no mistaking it. Right off the bat they were 4 to 5 minutes apart and lasting about 45 seconds to a minute each. Luckily one of the two birthing classes we had had was the breathing class, so I was able to get through them okay. While in the car I called all of my sisters to let them know what was going on and to ask them to say a prayer that everything would be alright. This is when it kinda started sinking in that I was having a baby, she was really early, and I had no idea what to do. Let's just say I was a little FREAKED OUT!!! Thank heaven for Mike. He was so great through the entire thing.

4:00 AM - We got the the hospital. Before going inside Mike gave me a Priesthood Blessing that I would be okay and that our little girl would be okay. Then we headed into the hospital. At this point I was having contractions about 3 to 4 minutes apart and they were lasting at least a minute each. They took me in to one of the triage rooms and started getting me hooked up to monitors. They brought in papers for me to sign and they worked on getting everything set. I was still just trying to breathe and stay calm. Mike was great and rubbed my feet through each of my contractions to help me stay relaxed.

4:30 AM - They finally had everything set and the nurse checked to see how far I had progressed. I was already 100% efaced and dilated 4 centimeters. When the nurse checked me she was able to feel Alena's little toes coming through the cervix. When she said that I knew instantly that that meant c-section. I was already in such shock that this didn't faze me too bad. I definitely wasn't prepared for it, but there was so much other stuff on my mind that I didn't have time to worry about another unexpected development.

5:00 AM - The doctor finally came in and said that he wanted to try and do a test to check Alena's lung development. With her being so early, there was a lot of fear that her lungs would not be fully developed yet and that would pose yet another problem. They were unable to get the fluid needed for the test so the doctor had them give me a tributalene shot to try and slow things down. His hope was that if things slowed they would have the time to do the test. Needless to say, the shot didn't work!!! My contractions kept coming harder and faster and I was having a hard time because I didn't know what exactly they were going to do. They kept saying different things and I just needed to know what was going on.

5:45 AM - Mike went out to call and update my mom. They had just come in and said that they would be doing the c-section later in the day. While Mike was out on the phone, the nurse came in and checked me again. In just over an hour, I was now dilated to almost 8 centimeters and I was going into transition. Once the nurse found that I had progressed so far, They decided the c-section had to happen NOW! 4 more nurses came in and started getting me prepped. Mike walked back in and was given scrubs and told "You need to change now!" He changed super fast and when he came back in they were wheeling me out. They told him grab your camera, leave everything else and follow them. I was on my way to the OR.

6:05 - I was in the OR and they were getting me set for my epidural. I was having constant contractions and I was still in shock. They moved me onto a flat, cold metal slab, and had me lean over and gave me the shot. Luckily it was a spinal and not a regular epidural. It takes effect a lot faster than a normal one. They laid me down, and spread my arms out to the side. They strapped my arms down and put hot blankets over me and wrapped my head in the a warm blanket. I had oxygen up my nose and a big blue tarp in front of my face so I couldn't see anything. The doctor started poking me and asking if I could feel it. As soon as I said I couldn't, they opened me up.



6:15 AM - Alena is here!!! She was out and they were working on getting her breathing. As soon as she started to cry, they wrapped her up, I got to kiss her cheek and her and Mike were off to the NICU. It was really hard for me to have to stay there by myself but I knew that Mike needed to be with our baby. They got me closed up, and then they wheeled me to recovery.

6:45 AM - The nurse finally tracked down all of our stuff so I was able to get my phone and call and tell my mom that I had had a baby. Can we say SUPER FAST MORNING!!!! I couldn't believe it. It was done and now all I wanted was to hold my baby. I had to stay in recovery for 2 and a half hours, and then they wheeled me by the NICU on my way to my room. I got to hold her for less than 2 minutes and then I was taken downstairs. That is when the day started feeling really long!!! I wanted my baby but wasn't allowed to go up and see her. I was going crazy. My baby shower was that night, so Mike left and opened all the presents. He got back and finally at 9:30 PM I was able to go up and really be with my baby. Let's just say that was the happiest I have ever been.



So, there is the run down of our very busy, very exciting day. That was the start of an 11 day NICU stay that started out little girls life. It really seems like it was just yesterday. We were blessed with so many wonderful doctors and nurses that did so much to help our baby girl. We are so grateful for the many prayers offered on our behalf, and for the visits and phone calls we received. We are so lucky to have such wonderful family and friends and we are so grateful for each and everyone of you!

Here We Go Again!!

Well after a lot of talking and praying, Mike and I decided it was time to do it again. There was some heming and hawing, but we took the plunge. Many crazy adventures awaiting us in the next few months but we are ready and waiting and so excited for what the future will bring.




No you crazy people, we aren't having another baby :) Mike is going back to school! We received his acceptance to the MBA program at University of Phoenix and he starts September 29th! He will be taking ground campus classes that will meet one night a week for 6 weeks. The program takes about 18 months, but he is planning on adding a Marketing Concentration to it which will tack on a few more classes.

We are so excited for this new chapter in our lives and we know that this is going to be a great benefit to our family.

NEW PRODUCTS FOR FALL WITH PAMPERED CHEF!!

Hey everybody!

I wanted all of you to know that Pampered Chef is releasing new products starting September 1st! There really are some awesome new things coming out, but then again, what from Pampered Chef isn't totally awesome?? They have released additions to the Dots Dishes line, there are new Spices and Sauces in the Pampered Pantry, as well as some new cookbooks! They have some great Holiday Pieces that they have released along with some updates to classic favorites like the Kitchen Shears! A personal favorite of mine is their new Ice Bucket. Let me just tell you, it is amazing!

Like I said before all of their new products are available September 1st. The best thing to do is host a show and get these great products for free!!! September has a great Hosting Special which is 60% STONEWARE PIECES! Nothing better than saving money and Hosting a Show is a great way to do that.

September is great for hosting shows since the kids are back in school and the everyone is settling in to a normal schedule. It is also before everyone gets crazy with the Holidays. Hosting is so simple to do since all you need to do is come up with addresses and then I mail out the invites and take care of everything else.

Jump on this great opportunity soon as dates are filling up fast and I want everyone to be able to take advantage of these great deals and see all the new products first hand!

Contact me through the blog, through Facebook, email at cookin.like.crazy@gmail.com or kmcallister310@gmail.com, or by phone at 480-421-8087.

I can't wait to hear from you!!

Katie

THE PIE!!!

During our trip to Utah we made our traditional stop at The Pie Pizzeria near the University of Utah campus. This place is AWESOME! Its a funky, dimly lit basement restaurant where people write all over the old brick walls and rock and roll is played from a "wicked cool" juke box.

We always get the giant 23" pizza. I swear there is probably 4 pounds of cheese with what seems like layers and layers of pepperoni hidden beneath the melted stringy cheese goodness!

Oh. . .and did I tell you that one slice is bigger than my face!?!

Prayers Still Needed

I wanted to give an update about Kelly. They had to deliver the baby this morning via c-section and they got to spend about 4 hours with her before she passed away. They need prayers of comfort now as that is the only thing anyone can do. As you would imagine the family is having a very hard time and they need Heavenly Fathers comfort more than anything. Please keep them in your prayers.

Prayers Needed

So I just found out about a lady in our ward that is pregnant. Her name is Kelly and their little girl is in our primary class. She had a still born baby boy at 40 weeks almost a year ago and is now 29 weeks pregnant with a little girl. She went into her doctor this morning cuz she just wasn't feeling right and they found that the baby has a condition known as Hydrops. Here are 2 links that explain about what this is:

http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/uvahealth/peds_hrnewborn/hydrops.cfm

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/007308.htm

They are going to attempt an intrauterine fetal blood transfusion as that is the only thing that they can do while the baby is still in utero. If that does not work they will have to take the baby by emergency c-section. The doctors are not hopeful as less than half of the baby's that have this survive. It causes the organs to shut down because of the swelling that is caused and it also over works the baby's heart and causes prenatal heart failure. Kelly will be in hospital for the rest of her pregnancy and odds are that won't be very long. Please pray for the family, their baby girl, and for the doctors that they will follow the best course of action for the situation. This is all we can do, and all the family is asking for, so I figured I could contact everyone I know and enlist their thoughts and prayers as well.

Thank you so much. Love you all!

Calling EVERYONE!!! :)

Well, some of you know but some of you don't ... I have recently signed up to be a Pampered Chef Consultant. To make a long story very very short, Mike and I both feel that this is an answer to many prayers, and I am so so excited about the opportunity to do this! I love the Pampered Chef products, and how easy is it so talk about something you already love!

I would love to do a party for each and everyone of you! It is super fun and couldn't be easier. All you have to do is give me your list of people and then you can sit back and relax till the day of your show. I send the invites, do all the planning, and take care of everything.

The specials for the next 2 months are absolutely great! As a host you are always able to earn free product at your show, as well as getting huge discounts (up to 60%) on other products, and money saving opportunities for the entire next year! If you hold a party in July, you can earn up to $100 in additional FREE PRODUCTS of your choice!! That is on top of the products you would normally earn. Those who host in August can earn huge discounts on the Pampered Chef Cookware. How many of us are in need of good quality pots and pans, but don't have the money to spend on them? Well, here is your answer! You can get 60% off of all the cookware products!

If you would be interested in hosting a party leave a comment and I will be in touch with you to set everything up. Like I said it is super simple and tonz of fun! Nothing better than a night together with friends and family while you get free stuff!

Hope to hear from all of you soon!

Easter

Another long overdue post is our first family Easter. I was really excited to have Easter with our little family this year. Easter was always very fun for me growing up so I was excited to start some traditions with my little girl. Mike and I dyed Easter eggs even though Alena isn't big enough for it yet.

Here are our individual eggs with our names on them. Mine was supposed to be purple but it didn't turn out so I put it in the blue and that made it look like poop. :( Oh well, they still tasted the same right.

Here are all of our eggs. I think they all look good. Can you see the yellow egg that Mike dropped and broke?

I had fun shopping for our baskets. Mike and I just got plastic eggs filled with candy but Alena got some fun stuff from the Easter Bunny. He brought her some fun touch and feel books and a little stuffed bunny with a book on the bottom.

The best present was her wonderful Jumper-roo. Alena is getting more and more active and we were trying to figure out somethings that we could get her to help expend some of her energy. We were looking at the door hanging Jennie-Jump-Ups, but we don't have any door jams in the main part of our house and I didn't feel good sticking her back in the hallway to jump during the day. I was so excited when we found this fun toy. It is an exer-saucer that is on bungees so she can jump and play all at the same time. Can you tell that she totally loves it?


The last fun tradition is a pretty Easter dress. I had been looking at the dresses at WalMart for weeks trying to decide what to get her. We finally decided on this one and I was so glad. Sorry this isn't the best of pictures, we took it with Mike's cell phone before we ran out the door to church. I will try to get a better picture of it to post so you can see how pretty the colors are.

All in all it was a wonderful Easter. I can't wait for next year when Alena will be able to participate more and can start making memories with Mommy and Daddy.

Disneyland!! Long Overdue

Well, it has taken forever but we are finally getting around to posting pictures from our Disneyland trip back in March. Mike and I celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary on March 10th of this year and we decided to celebrate by going to Disneyland. It is my absolute favorite place in the world so it was perfect :) We went the last weekend of March because Mike's cousin Brian was also celebrating his birthday and we all decided it would be fun to go together. It was a blast!

We started the trip Thursday afternoon when we dropped baby Lena off at Aunt Emily's for the weekend. I cried for about a half hour, but it was ok. We met up with Brian, Carrie and Addie and started the drive over to Anaheim, CA to meet up with Aunt Gloria and to our surprise cousin Kevo was there too! We got settled in at the hotel and tried hard to fall asleep due to our excitement for what was going to happen the next day!!

We all got up early on Friday morning and started our long first day at Disneyland!

Here we are with our tickets ready to enter the park.

Mike and I inside the park for the very first time together.

One of our first rides was Peter Pan. Fantasy Land is definitely a wonderful place to start your Disneyland adventure :)

Our next stop was Toon Town where we had a lot of fun. Here are a few pictures of us goofing off.

What a strong husband I have!

I had a harder time of it :)

For some reason we got stuck in the dog house. I don't know what we did :(

Ships Ahoy Captain!

Our next stop was Space Mountain. Oh My Heck we love that ride!! Honestly, by far one of the greatest, if not THE greatest ride ever!

I love Aunt Gloria's face in this picture :)

A little glimpse of the Bull and the Bear that kept showing up all over the park that day :)

The traditional picture in front of the Walt Disney Statue.

The day continued with the same amount of go go go! I swear we didn't stop. We ended after 15 hours. We all walked back to the hotel like 80 year olds that needed hip replacements. It was great, but our bodies from our heads to our toes were aching. We were ready for round two the next morning though!

Another traditional picture in front of the Mickey Mouse Flowers.

On day 2 we spent some time at California Adventure. One of my favorite rides there is the Tower of Terror, can you tell by my face?

This is the perfect picture to sum up our time at the park

After day 2 we drove down to San Diego to spend some time before we had to make the drive home. We were able to spend Sunday relaxing and giving our bodies a chance to heal. We went the one of Mike's favorite restaurants that night called Filippi's. We met up with Mike's Uncle Bruce, his girlfriend Adele and her daughter Jodi. It was a really fun night.

We got up Monday morning and got ready to make the drive home. I was so ready to see and hold my baby again. Mike got pulled over while driving us back but luckily we got off without a ticket :) We finally made it to Emily's house at about 8:00 and I got to hold my baby again. It was the most perfect ending to a very fun weekend!

Party This Saturday!!

So my Pampered Chef party is this Saturday and I would love to have all of you there! It is at 4:00 PM at my house. Let me know if you can make it and if you need directions out to my house. It is going to be loads of fun so come and enjoy the good times!

Queen Creek Preschool

So one of my good friends is starting up an In-Home Preschool this next school year and I wanted to help her get the word out. She is a certified teacher that has taught in the Queen Creek School District for years but has quit to be at home with her 8 month old baby girl. She and I are Visiting Teaching Companions and we were due one day apart. It is fun to both have baby girls. She is one of the sweetest most caring people I know and if you have kids between the ages of 3 and 5, they would be lucky to be part of her pre-school.

Visit her website for more information

www.leapsnboundspreschool.com

Whirlwind Lives!

So our little family has had a very busy last couple of months, and it isn't over yet. We have had quite a few trips that we have taken, along with some super crazy times with work. I will have more posts for all of you in the next few days I hope, but just know that I haven't meant to go MIA, it just happens some time. I have tonz of pictures that I'm wanting to post, it is just a matter of taking the time to put the posts together. I promise, I'll do them, and I'll do them soon!

Luvz, Katie (The absent blogger)

Pampered Chef??

So I am going to be having a Pampered Chef party on Saturday, June 6th, and I want anyone who would want to come to be there :) You don't even have to buy anything, just come and hang out and eat some yummy yummy food! If you would want to come leave a comment with your mailing address or email it to me at kmcallister310@gmail.com

I really would love to have any and all of you there!!

OH MY GOSH!!

One word in response to my previous post. . . "EXPLOSIVE!!!!!" Luckily Mike got home just in time to help :)

What have I gotten myself into??

So Alena had Prunes for the first time today, and while I was feeding her, I just kept thinking, "What have I gotten myself into?" Honestly, the prunes looked bad enough before she ate them. We all know what affect prunes are supposed to have on people. I just keep thinking, "What am I going to be taking care of later this afternoon?" Alena really liked them, she ate them really well. I guess the "end" result will really decide whether or not I feed them to her again. My fingers are crossed that it isn't anything too terrible. Mike isn't even here for me to make him take care of it. Looks like I'm on my own :) Wish me luck!

How Blessed Are We??

So 2 of my favorite times of year are the first weekend of April and the first weekend of October. To have to opportunity to watch and listen to the General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is such a blessing. The inspiration of the topics is amazing. We are so blessed to have such wonderful men receiving guidance from a loving Heavenly Father. It sure gives comfort in such trying times. I love listening to Conference!!!

WOOHOO!!!

DISNEYLAND HERE WE COME!!! So we leave this afternoon for Disneyland. Can I just say I am way more than ecstatic that we are going. I have been wanting to go with Mike since we got married, so we decided we would make it our trip for our 2nd anniversary which we celebrated earlier this month. The only downfall is that I am leaving my baby :( I'm afraid I'm gunna end up having a total breakdown. How do all you mommies out there do it? I almost cry just thinking about the fact that I'm not going to see her until Monday night. I know my sister Emily and her family are going to take great care of her, but still, a baby needs her mommy. At least I hope that my baby needs me :( She probably won't even notice I'm gone and that makes me sadder than the fact that I'm leaving her. We are going to have a great trip though. We will go to Disneyland Friday and Saturday then drive down to San Diego and spend Sunday and Monday morning, then drive home Monday afternoon. We are going with Mike's cousins Brian and Carrie with their daughter Addie and Brian's mom Gloria. Saturday is Brian's birthday so he gets in free. LUCKY!! It is going to be wonderful. Just cross your fingers that I don't have an emotional breakdown this weekend :) I heart Disneyland!!!

Why Mormons Build Temples

We are so grateful for the opportunity we have to share this video to all those who may wonder about our belief in temples. Going to the temple has been, and continues to be a wonderful blessing to our little family. It is a place that we can go and feel close to our Heavenly Father and to learn and be guided by Him. It is a place where we can feel Heavenly Father's goodness and peace in a world that is chaotic and scary.

We invite all to view this video and we pray that you might better understand "why Mormons build temples".

Crazy Huh??

So my sister put this together and I thought it was both crazy and totally cute! This is a picture of my older sister Melissa when she was 3 months old and then one of the pictures of Alena at 6 months old. Now if that isn't a family resemblance, I don't know what is.

Alena Marie - 6 Months Already

My Oh My!!! Where has the time gone!?! Little Alena is 6 months old already. Can you believe it? This week Alena cut her first tooth. Sweet girl. . .she has been so uncomfortable and all she wants is to be held. That is one of the greatest feelings. . .to know that my holding her seems to make everything better! We are so grateful for our sweet baby girl. We love you Teeny!

~ Mommy and Daddy

A Story at 2:00AM

Let me tell you a little story. . .

Once upon a time not so long ago (1:00AM this morning to be precise), I was finally drifted into a much desired sleep. When out of no where I am awoken by the loud sound of an airplane flying over my bedroom.

"What the heck!" (I thought, did I just dream that). A several seconds later, another pass. . .then another, then another, then lights shining in our bedroom window as if this plane is going to land in my "Too-small-for-an-airplane" backyard.

I woke Katie up and asked, "Katie, do you hear that airplane? Do you see it?" (I was honestly thinking and maybe hoping a little, that I was hallucinating).

But no. . .IT WAS REAL. What do you do? I mean seriously? This plane was just circling the neighborhood over and over again.

It was really low, almost as if it was coming in to land and then circling back. So weird.

So we finally decided to call the Sheriff's office (yes, Sheriff's office. We live out in the boonies). . . they told us that they already got a complaint and that they have dispatched a deputy and called the FAA, but they haven't heard anything.

Then. . .now this is the most priceless line of the year. . .the woman told me "Well, Sir, we really can't pull over an airplane."

Did I really sound that stupid to her? I paused for a second and all I could say was " I realize that. . ."

So. . .what the heck do you do?

I am happy to report that the McAllister house is still standing and after an hour of circling, the airplane seems to have . . . gone away. (but I think I still hear it off in the dstance). Anywho, so the end result of this whole experience is me and Katie. . .sitting in bed at 2:15AM, awake from the adrenaline, sharing this stupid story. . .hope you enjoy. . . .

Wait. . .did you hear that?!?!

Alena's Firsts

Well, in the last month and a half Alena has had quite a few "Firsts". It really is so fun to see how fast she is growing. It makes me sad sometimes, but I love it. She has started holding her own bottle but only sometimes. It is so cute because she will just grab on and not want me to hold it but then other times she wants nothing to do with it.


Another thing she is doing now is rolling over. We try and try to show people but she will never do it when other people are watching so we have the video as proof. Mike didn't realize that the camera doesn't self adjust so the beginning of the movie is sideways but it flips the right way before she rolls over :)


The last thing we have video of is her sweet little laugh. In this video it is more of a giggle, but there are times when she really gets going. It is the cutest thing ever! I love my sweet baby girl so much.

We will be starting solid foods next week and I am actually excited for that adventure. Hopefully she does well and I don't have any issues with allergies or anything like that. We will also be moving her out of our room and into her crib in the nursery. I know that most of you are probably thinking "My heck, they haven't put her in her own room yet" but every time I get ready to do it I just can't. I think a large part of it is the hard time I had being in the hospital and not having her with me. It was very hard for me those first few days to not have her right there to be able to check on but I think we are to the point now where I will be okay to move her. Before I know it she will be crawling and talking and walking. Why do they have to grow up so fast? I don't understand it. If only they could be small forever. It is fun to see her personality develop more and more each day. I love that she recognizes me and reacts to my voice. Each day brings something new and I love it. Being a mom is the greatest thing ever!!!

Happy Birthday to US

So, in the last month both Mike and I celebrated our birthdays. Mike's birthday is on the 19th and mine is on the 28th. We really had a great month. It was crazy but a whole lot of fun.

For starters with Mike's birthday we had a bunch of people over to our house for pizza and games on the 17th. We had a great time. We are so lucky to have such great friends and family. The loser I am I totally didn't take any pictures :(

Well, then on Mike's actual birthday the 19th we went out to dinner with his mom at Carrabba's. It really is a fabulous restaurant for any of you that have never been. Talk about good quality Italian. I definitely recommend.

Then on the 25th we had family dinner at my parents house where we celebrated all of the January birthday's. Everyone gets to blow out their own candles but Mike and I decided to do ours together. It is always a fun time. The grandkids all love singing Happy Birthday over and over and over again.

Then it was my birthday on the 28th. All I wanted was a night out with Mike. We haven't had a date night since Alena was born 5 months ago and we really needed some time on our own. It was so wonderful and loser me again no pictures! We went to Texas Roadhouse for dinner which was fabulous as always and my wonderful husband didn't tell them it was my birthday so I didn't have to sit on that stupid saddle. I was very grateful for that. Then we went around and did a little shopping and then got ice cream at Coldstone. It really was so great to be out just the two of us. I was worrying about Alena the whole time, but it was still a wonderful night. Thanks Holly for babysitting for us.

Then last of all we on the 31st we got together with some people for a night out bowling for my birthday. I have been wanting to go for months and we finally got to go. Let me just say that I really am the WORST bowler ever, but I still have a really good time. We bowled a couple games and then went and got something to eat at Denny's with Carrie and Brian. It was another fun night. Thanks to everyone that was able to share in all of our birthday fun. We love all of you!! Can't wait for next year :)

New Years Eve and New Years Day

Well, New Years is always a fun time for Mike and I because we got engaged on New Years Eve. That is a fun day that will always be remembered. The last two years we have spent New Years Eve at my brother Scott's house. They have a bunch of friends over and we eat and play all sorts of fun games. This year we played Mad Gab, the Sign Game, and Dippity Dippity Dip. We always have such a great time.

Here is a shot of everyone just hanging out

This is what Alena thought of all the games and craziness :)


At midnight we did the count down thing, the kissing thing :) and the sparkling cider thing. Can you tell we are tired and ready for bed?


We then went home and went to bed rather quickly. On New Years Day we decide to meet up with Mike's cousins Brian and Carrie and their daughter Addie. We always have so much fun with them. We went to the new San Tan Mall for a little shopping and looking around. We had a great time. It was so beautiful outside we loved it.

Carrie and I were happy because we hit up some awesome sales at Bath and Body Works.

Alena didn't mind the shopping either.
She was such a good girl the whole time. Isn't that a sweet face :)

All in all it was a really fun day. Happy New Year from the McAllisters. We love you all!

Yay for Christmas!!!

So I will start by warning you that this is going to be a very long post :) The Christmas festivities started on Christmas Eve. We went in to my parents house for our traditional Christmas Eve dinner. Dad reads Luke 2, we have a little bit of a program from the grand kids that have stuff to share, Emily sang Breath of Heaven and that was beautiful and then we have a song that we sing every year as a family. Loser me, I forgot our camera :( After dinner we came home and got into our Christmas PJ's. It is a fun tradition from Mike's family that we have decided to continue.


We then went to bed, anxious for Christmas morning. I love Christmas, I don't think I will ever sleep through the night on Christmas Eve. 7:00 finally came so I started waking Mike up. He came around at about 7:30 and we headed in to open up our Christmas presents. Mike and I opened our presents before we got Alena up. She sleeps till about 8 so we wanted to let her sleep for a while longer.

I think we made out pretty good, what about you?

My wonderful husband got me a sewing machine :) I was so excited!!!


Then it was time to get Alena out of bed. She was not very happy with us for waking her up, but I couldn't wait any longer. We took a quick picture and then I feed her while Mike opened up her presents. I'm sure she loved every second of it :) At least it was fun for Mom and Dad.


After the fun of opening presents we headed back in to my parents for Christmas Breakfast. All while I was growing up, we always had Christmas Breakfast, which was always Waffles, at Grandma and Grandpa Hall's house. The family has gotten to large to continue doing that so it has down sized to just our family at my parents house. The waffle tradition has continued though. It is still a task to make waffles, bacon, sausage, and eggs for nearly 40 people. We split up all the food assignments and went to work.

Here we are busily preparing the food.

Isn't Brad a great Waffle maker?

See here is the proof!!

The kids sure do love Christmas Waffles


Now it was just time to hang out. Alena loves being with the family. There is always someone willing to hold her :)


Alena had to have a fun Christmas Outfit. I'm a dork and she has had an outfit for every holiday so far. I'm sure she will end up with one for every holiday till she turns 1 :)

Isn't that a funny smooshy face? She sure can pull a face.


The rest of the day was spent playing games, hanging out, eating lots more food and just creating great memories.

Here is the fam just sitting around. Do the parents look tired to you?


I told you we like food :)

So Preston is the king of goofy presents and this is what he got my dad for Christmas. The kids were having so much fun playing with it.



It was a wonderful Christmas, and I was sad when it was over. I am even more excited for next year when Alena will be a little older and we will be able to make even more memories as a family.