Our Own Personal Zoo.

At each and every meal, Hannah and I are entertained by the zoo that is living in our backyard.

We have lots of birds...










And lizards. Big ones... Freakishly big.
















It's a really fun part of life. There is always a show going on at all times.

For now everyone can stay and live in our backyard rent free...

but the day one of those lizards makes it inside the house, their welcome is officially worn out.









Hannah gets excited and points at everything.

Mirror Mirror On The Closet...

Hannah spends a great amount of time in front of the mirror.

She likes to see herself while playing with toys, wearing funny clothes, or just looking at herself.

Someday we may worry about this. But for now it's so funny.

She had been at this activity for sometime before I came in to record it.


Untitled from Cute Allens on Vimeo.

What Would You Do With An Extra 4 Hours* A Day?

We watch a ton of T.V.


















It's ridiculous, really, the amount of time we dedicate to that appliance.

* The average american watches 4 hours and 35 minutes of T.V. every day.

For months Jared and I have been discussing canceling our cable, so we could spend time doing other activites.

We canceled it at the beginning of June. The cable guy said it would stay on until the 16th. Well, the 16th came and went. I secretly hoped the guy would never come to turn it off.

But alas, Jared was home when it happened.

He called and gave me the sad news.

I screamed.

The Experiment:

What will two T.V. addicted adults do when their entertainment fix is taken away?

The Outcome:

Have more in-depth conversations about any and everything.

Read books! Bunches of 'em.

Work on a giant 2000 piece puzzle.


It was hard at first. But now we love our no-cable life. We still rent through Netflix, so it's not like we are devoid of T.V. We just don't watch it every single day.

We've decided that we like our home better this way. But, I can't help but wonder what will happen when football season starts up.


















Hannah watching T.V.

(She loves to sit on the couch like that.)

Kids Are Smarter Than You Think.

I came across this in my feed reader a while ago and thought it was good enough to star.
Usually when I read stuff like this my first thought is, "This looks like something on one of those friend spam e-mails." If you can get past that thought the following is pretty interesting. -via

A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds:

"What does love mean?"

The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined. See what you think...

"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love."
Rebecca - age 8

"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth."
Billy - age 4

"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired."
Terri - age 4

"Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK."
Danny - age 7

"Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss."
Emily - age 8

"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen."
Bobby - age 7 (Wow!)

"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate."
Nikka - age 6
(we need a few million more Nikka's on this planet)

"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday."
Noelle - age 7

"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well."
Tommy - age 6

"During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling.
He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore."
Cindy - age 8

"Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken."
Elaine - age 5

"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford."
Chris - age 7

"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day."
Mary Ann - age 4

"I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones." (Now THIS is love!)
Lauren - age 4

"When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you." (what an image!)
Karen - age 7

"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross."
Mark - age 6 (Hear hear, Mark)

"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget."
Jessica - age 8

And the final one...

Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child.

The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife.

Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there.

When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said,

"Nothing, I just helped him cry."

You Are What You Eat.

Hannah has a short list of 5 things she'll eat.

*















It fluxuates day to day. But this week, we are down to 3.

If you are what you eat, then Hannah is made of toast, cheese, and applesauce.

I've tried to hide other healthy foods inside the few she'll eat. She figures it out on the first or second bite and tosses it onto the floor without a second glance.


















During meal times, she examines every bite before she eats it. Just to make sure that it's what she really wants to eat.

I'm sad to say, we've decided she get's it from me.


















(That isn't gel in her hair, it's syrup.)

*Hannah likes to rub her head when she eats. Can you see the chunks?

Advice Coming From A Cookie.

I like fortune cookies.










They're fun and they taste good.

My most recent cookie fortold this to me:

"WHEN IN DOUBT, LET YOUR INSTINCTS GUIDE YOU."

That's pretty deep for a cookie... but a good code to follow.

I think they should call them Advice Cookie's. It's been a while since they've told me about any fortune.

What's your best advice from a cookie?

Fish Out Of Water?

We started swim lessons last week.

She hates it.

















Even though she looks this cute.















I've already paid, so buckle up Hannah, you have 3 more weeks.