mErRy ChRisTmaS!!

We just wanted to wish everyone the HapPieSt of hOliDaYs!! We Hope it is a Joyous Time of year for everyone. We are so grateful for this time of Year in which we have to Celebrate the birth of Christ the Lord. How grateful we are to Him and for His love for each one of us. May we all remember Him at this blessed time of year. Wishing you all the best!! Love- Clay, Linsey, Ryley & Reagan

Blessing Day

After being cooped up in the house since August, well just travel wise, I told Clay we were going home for Thanksgiving. I knew it would be hard taking a new baby that far but it really turned out good. She was an awesome traveler and slept the whole way. It was so nice to be home and see family. I thought since we were home and everyone was around it would be the best to just bless Reagan while we were there. It was an awesome day and it was so special. We blessed Reagan at my parents home and it was beautiful. Clay gave a very beautiful blessing and I am so grateful to him and the priesthood that he holds. I am so proud that he is able to bless our home and our children. We were surrounded by both of our families and friends and that made it even better. Thanks again Clay for all you do. And I wanted to thank our parents for all that they did to help us with our new arrival. It was so wonderful to have them around and for all their help. I dont' know what I would have done without them.

Sweet Baby Reagan

Reagan's Here!!

Yeah so she is finally here!!! We are so excited!! She is beautiful and perfect!!! Reagan Alyse Allen was born Friday November 14th, 2008 at 10:47 AM. Weighing in at a whooping 9 lbs 5 oz and 20 in. long!! Yes I had a huge baby and I don't know how she fit in my belly!! We went in at 11 thursday night and the doctor came in Friday morning at 9 broke my water and we had her an hour and a half later. It went so fast!!! After she was born they took her away pretty fast cause she was having problems breathing and was purple and blue. She got fluid in her lungs and had to be under a oxygen hood till saturday afternoon. We didn't get to hold her or feed her until Saturday around noon. She had to be on antibiotics for 48 hours due to me being positive with group B strep so she wasn't even able to be in our room at all. It was a hard few days but we are now home and doing great. Ryley is doing very well with everything. She is a very good big sister and wants to hold her and love her!! She has been having so much fun with my brother and sister, and I don't know what we are going to do when they leave!! I am so grateful for the chance I have to be a mother and I am so grateful for such a wonderful husband. Clay is great and I am so grateful he holds the priesthood and has the power to bless our family. My testimony has really been strengthened these last few days. Thanks Clay I love you!!

Induction

So just a quick update for all those wondering what is going on and is Linsey hiding something from all of us? Well, no, I sit here still as prego as can be and am counting down the hours. We go in tonight at 11 PM(yes the middle of the night) and I will get induced!! So we shall have us a new baby tomorrow sometime. I just thought for sure that I would go on my own and well I guess I just need a little jump start! I am getting really nervous but am so excited at the same time. I can't wait to meet this little one and see how precious she really is!! So for now that is the scoop and we will keep you updated!! Next time we will have some pics to show!!!

Still Preggers!

So I think I have learned a valuable lesson about how each child is different even from the very start. Ryley just couldn't wait to get here and came 10 days early and this little one is defiantly testing her mom's patience. We are still waiting and waiting and tears have been shed yes more than once but we are waiting!! Patiently waiting!!! My brother Josh says she must be shy!! I have made a little progress but not much. I'm at a 2 and have been there for 2 weeks. Very frustrating! So I will go in on Tuesday morning (if I haven't had her by then, fingers crossed) and he will see how I'm coming along and possibly induce me if things look good. So I'm really hoping to go on my own but I'm ready to be done also so we will see which one comes first. Come sweet baby come!!!

My Sweet Girls (no baby yet!!)

Night at the pumpkin patch!

Friday night we took Ryley out to the pumpkin patch and it was so fun! They had a straw maze, some farm animals, popcorn, hot chocolate, and treats for the kids. Then we got to take a hay ride out to the pumpkin patch and pick out a pumpkin! I was so excited to take Ryley out there since she is at the age where that stuff is fun. She kept saying on the wagon ride "this is fun, huh Mom?" It was pretty cute!!

Boys love to go fast!!

So we went over to some friends house a couple weeks ago for dinner (thanks Parrish's and Rose's) and then we got to take this amazing car out for a ride!! Can I tell you Clay was in heaven!?!?! I don't know what it is but there is just something about going fast that he loves!! It was so fun I even had a good time although I was a little nervous the whole time, praying that we wouldn't crash or hurt the car!! I had to keep reminding Clay that we do have a baby on the way and I want to see her get here!! But he was careful and enjoyed every minute behind the wheel!! And I think he looks pretty darn cute sitting in that car!!

Getting SOOOO Exicted!!

Ok so just a quick thought mostly for myself to help me get through the next few weeks but I AM GETTING SO EXCITED for this baby to get here!! I just watch my baby ticker everyday and today is only 25 days left!!! I'm hoping for maybe 15 or so but we will see if this little girl agrees!! I'm hoping she will help her mom out!! Anyways... I am ready and almost everything is ready to go we just need a baby to go in all of it!! Pictures are coming of her room so just be patient!! Hope everyone has a good day!! Love you all!!

GRAPES GALORE!!!!

What a day!!! I spent all day yesterday picking, washing, and juicing grapes to make fresh grape juice! It was a lot of work but it is so worth the final outcome. I picked 6 boxes(some small) and got about 38 quarts out of it! I am pretty proud of myself!! I have been trying to learn and do new things and now I know how to make grape juice!! Thanks Brooke for telling me about the grapes and letting me come pick with ya!!!

Baby Shower!!

Last night was such a blast. My best friends Tiffany and Brooke threw me the most amazing baby shower!! Girls you are awesome!! And let me just say I got spoiled rotten, literally!! I have the most amazing ward and women in the ward who make me feel like a million bucks. I told Brooke and Tiff awhile ago that the only thing I really wanted was a pack n play since it will come in handy now that we travel to Idaho alot. So they said no big deal just find the one you want and we will see what we can do. So that is all I was really expecting since I kind of knew that is what I was getting!!! Well that isn't all that I got. They also got me a swing (which I wanted also but Clay told me that I didn't need one so I consented and didn't get one) and some gift certificates to Gymboree and Target!! I'm usually don't get choked up about stuff like this but I totally cried when they kept bringing stuff out for me to open. I am so blessed!! Thanks to everyone who came and supported me in our arrival coming soon. Tiff and Brooke, I don't even know where to begin!! You are the best and I am so grateful everyday to each of you. You girls mean the world to me!! I love you tons!! Thanks for making me feel loved and important!! You're the best!!! And yes Brooke is giving me bunny ears in the picture but I loved it!! haha ;)

White with black spots all over!!

So this is what I get for not checking Clay's shirts for pens!!! Oh Yes!! It really doesn't do it justice in the pictures how bad it really is but lets just say I ruined half of our clothing. Every single item in the whole batch of whites ended up with black exploded pen all over them. All of my few pregnancy garments, Clay's garments, Ryley's new shirts, my favorite white shirt and socks. Oh ya!! So I don't know how you get pen out but if anyone has any ideas please let me know. I have washed them twice with bleach and now they are soaking in my bathtub in bleach and oxy clean. Thank heavens for my mother in law who went and got me new garments and sent them right away. I truly wish we had a distribution center here. Thank you so much Cindy!! Any way... That has been the highlight of my day today, not such a fun one!!

Free Handbag Giveaway!!

SO check out www.handbagplanet.com for a chance to win a darn cute handbag on Oct. 15th!!! They are giving away a bag every hour for 24 hours, launching their line!!! They are so cute, go check them out!!

Happy Birthday to my One & Only!!!

Happy Birthday Clay!! I can't believe he is 27!! Wow how time flies!! It just seems like yesterday he was 21 and we were getting married and now 27 and 1 1/2 kids later!! Time sure does fly when you are having fun!! But I just wanted to let him know how grateful I am for him and all he does for me and our family. He is such a hard worker and always does a full out job whenever he does anything. If you need proof just come look at our lawn!! It is a masterpiece!! I love his organization skills and the time he takes to make sure things look nice and are in place. I am grateful for his testimony and that he is a worthy priesthood holder. He is such a good dad and Ryley loves him to pieces. I love to watch them play and wrestle with each other. It is so fun to see them have a good relationship. I am grateful for his patience with me especially at the tail end of my pregnancy. He is such a trooper and listens to me complain and just deals with it. I love you Clay and I am glad that I have you for Eternity!!! I hope you have a good day!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

We are going to have a warm baby!!!!

So here they finally are!!! These are my latest sewing projects thanks to some wonderful seamstresses, my wonderful mother in law Cindy, and my good friend Ashley!! Thanks for all your help. I think I am loving sewing!! Maybe one day I will be really good at it!! :) Maybe!! They are all mostly for the baby but the yellow one is Ryley's. She got to pick out the fabric and she has been packing it around all day. I had to pry it out of her hands to get a picture!!!

Little Miss Organized

One night when Clay's mom and dad were here I told Ryley to go put her babies to bed. I had gone to get ready for bed and she came into my room and told me to come here. So I went with her into her room and this is what she showed me. She put all her babies in a perfect circle around the crib. It was a definite proud mom moment!! She was so proud of herself it was so cute!! Can you tell she inherited her organization skills from her dad?

We love company!!

Clay's Mom and Dad came after we got home from Montana and we were so excited for them to come and spend time. Clay and his Dad went up past Seattle to do some work for Clay and while they were gone Cindy, Ryley and I did some shopping and got fabric for me to make blankets and fabric for the baby's blessing dress. We had a lot of fun. Every time Clay's parents come the boys always end up doing a project or two. Well this time they decided to break down and finish the back fence. We were tired of waiting for the house behind us to sale so we could split the cost. So the boys went to work and got it done. Thanks so much for your help Tony and Dallas!! It looks amazing and it is so nice to have a fully fenced yard!! Also we got the doggy door put in the wall so now Roxy can go out without us having to let her out!! Can I just say AWESOME!! Thanks to Cindy for being so willing to help me with my sewing projects. I am really liking sewing and it is fun to see the final projects when they are done. (those pics are coming soon!) Ryley had so much fun with Grandma and Grandpa!! It was so sad when they left cause Ryley cried her little eyes out. She didn't want them to leave and it took her a good 10 minutes to settle down once they had left. Thanks so much for a fun week!! Can't wait to see you again!! We love you tons!

Trip to Montana

So better late than never, right? We went to Montana the beginning of August for a Lloyd family reunion with my family. It was a lot of fun. I was able to see cousins that I haven't seen in years so it was really good that we went. Ryley had a blast because she had Grandpa and Grandma all to herself. She loved it. They took her for canoe rides and Grandpa took her swimming in the lake. She also got to sleep with Grandma in her bed!! One tradition that my Grandma Lloyd always did for us growing up was money in the straw!! She throws coins in the straw and then we got to find it so Ryley got her first chance at finding her own money(with a little help from Mom!) She made a haul and was proud of her money. She packed it around all night and it was the first thing in the morning she asked for!! She loves to listen to her music and on the way home I turned around and this is how I found her. She really was worn out by the time we went home!!

A quick update!!

I know, I know!! It is official I am a blogging slacker. I don't know where the time has gone and I can't believe it is almost September!! Yeah one more month down and only 2 1/2 to go. Hopefully just 2 but we will see when this little one wants to make her appearance. Hopefully not too soon though. We have had a fun summer and we can't believe it is over. We are already starting to feel the fall weather coming. This week has been cooler and winder than the last few months. We were able to go to Montana for a Lloyd family reunion and I was able to see some cousins that I hadn't seen in a few years. (pictures to come) and also last week Clay's parents were able to come and spend a few days with us. So once I get my computer to read my card I will go into more detail and show some pictures. Hopefully I can get it figured out soon!! So for now hang in there and I will update ASAP!!!

Ryley's 2 Year Pictures

I just had to show you some of Ryley's 2 yr. pictures. There are so many more and it was so hard to choose which ones I wanted to post. Thanks so much to my sweet friend Tiffany!!! She does such an awesome job!! We love them Girlie!! Hope you enjoy my sweet little girl!!

My Sweet Ryley

I just love this kid so much!! She is such a sweet girl and I am so happy to have her in my life. She keeps Clay and I on our toes everyday and we love it!! (well most of the time) She is really growing up so fast and it is crazy to think that we have already spent the last 2 amazing years with her. I am so grateful to be her mom and I hope that she will always know how much I truly love her!!

And also I know I don't talk much about Clay but I just want him to know how much I love him and am so grateful to have him as my eternal companion. He always wants what is best for our family and does whatever he can to make sure we are taken care of. He is so cute about our lawn!! He takes so much pride in keeping it looking nice and green and gets so excited every week to mow it!! It is so cute!!! I love you Clay!! Thanks for everything!!

Fun Craft Party

So My friend Brooke put together this fun craft party at her house and we all made a craft and then came to her house and shared what we made. So here is a picture of what I made. It was kind of fun. I wasn't so sure what I wanted to make and this is what I came up with. I thought they turned out pretty cute.

My Little Fishy

Little miss Ryley loves to swim. So I finally bought her a little swimming pool and she loves it. She kept saying "I'm a little fish, I'm a little fish!" It is so fun to see her having so much fun and enjoying the nice summer weather.

4th of July in Idaho!!!

We just got home from a fun trip back to Idaho!! We were able to go down and spend the 4th of July with family and friends and manage our way back out to the big Raft River party and see everyone out there. It was so fun. We took Ryley to the parade on the square in Rupert and she loved getting candy!! Ryley loved the fireworks and kept saying "Pretty" and clapping!! It is so good to go home and spend time with our families. It really makes you appreciate your parents and all they do for you when you are so far away and then get to come home and see them. We took Ryley swimming a couple of times and she is just a little fish! I can't wait to put her in swimming lessons next summer. She loves, loves, loves the water!! We also got to see our friends Kenny, Carrie, and little Noah!! They live back east so we don't get to see them very often. It was so good to see them and we miss them terribly!! It was a fun fast trip but well worth every minute!! We love you all and can't wait to see you again!! If you get bored though Washington isn't that far away!!!