summer projects

I've been hanging my necklaces from off the closet doors (classy, I know) until recently. Corban has gotten so he can stand up and reach for things about table height. He was pulling on my necklaces, so I moved them. Joe and I drilled holes in our armoire and screwed in hook-screws and this is what I now have to hand my necklaces from!

My parents have a peach tree on their old property. My mom helped me bottle 14 jars of fresh peaches. It was easier than I thought it was going to be, but that's probably because she was the one scurrying around making sure everything was working properly. I also tried my hand at peach freezer jam. I don't know how they turned out, so no pictures.

cheesy bath time

Corban loves bath time. I do a quick wash and then it's play time! The duck that's in his hand and mouth is one of his favorite bath time toys. I bought Corban some bath time alphabets that is made from some kind of spongey material (he was teething on my flip-flops). I make words and have them on the walls of the tub, but he acts like godzilla and smacks them all off the wall! Very cute.

lagoon commercial

There is a commercial on TV for Lagoon that has a couple teenage girls riding the rides. They are scantily dressed and having loads of fun (or so it seems). Corban LOVES this commercial. Where ever he is and what ever he's doing, he'll come to the TV and watch it in a trance-like state. We finally got it on tape. Here it is:

until we meet again

My uncle Arlo passed away last weekend. I didn't know him very well, but have loved hearing all the stories that my mom has shared with us especially the ones where they were growing up together.

I'm so grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ and that families are sealed together forever. I know that through Jesus' ultimate sacrifice, I will be able to see my uncle Arlo and all my family again.

Here is his obituary that was in The Herald Journal.

Arlo Hatch Allen (1942-2009)

Arlo Hatch Allen, 67, peacefully passed away at home on July 31, 2009. Arlo was born on July 4, 1942, in Logan, Utah, to Ivan and Agatha Allen and was raised in Cove, Utah.

He graduated from Utah State University with a degree in electrical engineering. Upon graduating, he began his professional career working for Pacific Gas and Electric in the Bay area (BART). He then served an honorable LDS mission to Manchester, England. Upon arriving home he worked for the Bureau of Reclamation for over 38 years as a hydroelectric power manager overseeing dams and power plant operations in the Upper Colorado Region. On family trips upon seeing a dam he would always say, "There's another Bureau of Reclamation Dam" and "The bureau helped make the west what it is today."

He was introduced to his lifelong sweetheart, Nancy Alley, and they were married on May 7, 1971, in the Logan, Utah LDS Temple. Arlo and Nancy began their life together in Page, Arizona, where five of their seven children were born. In 1978 they moved to Sandy, Utah, where they have happily remained since.

Arlo was a man of service. He held many callings including bishop of the Page 2nd Ward in Page, Arizona, and the Crescent 10th Ward in Sandy, Utah. He was a wonderful husband, father and grandfather and enjoyed spending time with his family. He had a great appreciation for the outdoors and for all of the wonderful creations of our Heavenly Father. He enjoyed the simple things in life and worked hard for all that he had. He was a wonderful example and had a legacy of love, service and faith. We love you and we miss you, but we are excited for your next mission. God be with you till we meet again.

He is survived by his wife Nancy Allen of Sandy, Utah; children: Debbie (Jarobi) Kemp of Chicago, Illinoise, Christy (Darren) Blaser of Boise, Idaho, Jason (Lorena) Allen of Sandy, Utah, Kimberly (Alan) Anderson of Sandy, Utah, J. Brian Allen of Henderson, Nevada, Jennifer (Destry) Balch of Minersville, Utah, and Brett (Ann Dee) Allen of Lehi, Utah; 13 grandchildren; mother Agatha Allen of Logan, Utah; sisters: Kaylene (Terry) Griffin of North Logan, Utah, and Diane (Veldon) Sorensen of Salt Lake City, Utah; brother Wayne (Holley) of Cove, Utah; and brother-in-law Robert Carlson of Provo, Utah.

He was precede in death by Ivan Allen (father), Andrew Allen (brother), Myrna Carlson (sister), and Kanyon Anderson (grandson).

corban update

Corban is getting so big! He will be 11 months this weekend! He's a crawling machine and is into EVERYTHING! He's been standing and moving along furniture for quite a bit now. He's also standing up by himself and will teeter in place before realizing he's not holding on to anything. Joe and I are expecting him to start walking any day. Yikes. I don't know if I'm ready for that. He babbles all the time, unless he's doing something he's not supposed to. We're not sure if he's actually saying words, but we've heard: hi, daddy, mom, ba ba, and ow. We're not totally thrilled about the last word, but it's cute nonetheless.

Here he is helping Joe load the dish washer.

He took his very first shower! The water tickled him, but he didn't want to get out. We definitely have a water baby!

projects

I've been working on some projects lately that I've been putting off for a bit. After three years, I've finally finished my wedding album. All I had to do was journal. Simple enough right? Oh well. At least it's done now.

I got this idea from a friend of mine (Susan Jackson). The hair is Corban's first hair cut. I took two pieces of glass, put the hair in between them, and sealed it with copper foil.

This last project is something that Joe and I wanted to do for our kids. We both have an outfit and picture of when we were kids. I've decided to alter that a little and put my kids' blessing outfits in a shadow box with a picture from their blessing day.

I'm out of crafty projects, but my mom has gotten me to help her with family history. I'm not doing very good with actually sitting down and doing it. I'd rather read a book than do family history. I guess when I'm having one of my down spells from reading I can do family history instead!