I Am A Snot. Are You?

I'm a yogurt snot.

I prefer Yoplait Light Yogurt. Everything else is subpar.












I'm a butter snot too...












I like to eat Smart Balance Butter. I feel like I'm eating yummy pig lard when I use any other kind.

C'mon we all have a little snottiness in us.

What kind are you?

I will admit, I often eat store brand yogurt and butter when I can't get a good deal on my favorites. But I have to choke them down.

Cabin Fever

Since 1973 Chicago has not had this much snow in a row. The day we moved here started the record streak of cold and snow.

The result is 3 bad colds, 4 ear infections, and a bad case of cabin fever.

Welcome to Chicago Allen Family!!

Trying to keep a toddler happy in a snowed-in apartment is near impossible. We've had a few moments when we thought we might snap mentally. But then then the cloud lifts and you remember what it's like to love your kid again.
























Hannah loves headbands. She puts them over her eyes and calls them "glasses."
























We call her Hannah La Forge when she does this. (Star Trek Reference.)
























Stickers are everywhere. But it kept her entertained for a bit, so I'm fine with it.


































I ordered a super-cool stroller that will allow me to take Hannah places in this cold climate. It comes hopefully this week. I'm so excited. I feel like a kid getting a puppy. I've already named it.

The Move (Lisa's Part)

Jared and his Dad did all the hard work of getting our stuff to Chicago.

Me, being 8 months prego, and Hannah being 18 months old, couldn't really do much but hang back and have fun with family and friends in AZ.

The Flight:

We sat next to a young guy who will never have kids because of his experience sitting next to us.

Hannah hit him with a bag of apples.
She threw water on him and his DVD player.
And during the 3 1/2 hour flight she had 3 major break downs.
The lady in front reclined her seat limiting our already tight space, which caused Hannah to push and kick on her seat until she moved it back into the upright position.
I had to apologize to many people... repeatedly.

I've never been so glad to get off a plane.

But, we're here and we love it. It has been snowing since we got here.
Wahoo for being cold!


















The view from our window this morning.

(Special thanks to Greg, Teresa, Grayson, Mom, Chris, Ely, & Brandon for helping us load the truck, or staying at your house, feeding us, and with all the things that go along with moving! And thanks Scott and Josh for helping us move in.)

The Move (Jared's Part)

How do you measure a trip from Phoenix to Chicago?
Here are some ways:

• 16' of moving van
  
• 2000 miles
• 3 days
• 3 motels (1 which didn't wash the sheets)
  
• 3 football games on the radio (go Cardinals!)
  
• 12 gas stations
• 3 burgers and 134 fries
• Constipation
• A brick from Nauvoo

All in all the journey was safe and uneventful. We didn't see any snow until the day after we got moved in. It has snowed 8 inches since.



Thanks to everyone who helped with this move (especially Dad). We couldn't have done it with out you.

Picture Of The Month

Santa & Hannah 2008

Merry Christmas Everyone!

A Thousand Times Thank You!

Jared's dad and brother came over and cleaned our carpet.


















It looks so pretty! I didn't know it could look so good!

I'm scared to walk on it because it looks so nice.

We appreciate all your hard work and all the trouble you went through to do it for us. Thank you Greg and Grayson! We love you!
























Hannah is very excited about the clean carpet too.
























She loved having you over as you can see.