Alive and Kickin'

Well hello.  I nearly forgot how to post anything on this here blog, as it seems to have been months and months ago that I actually did such!  So...

This is us, the Albin's...Just in case you forgot who we are, or what we look like!!!  We've been working, playing, and living like crazy!  While I'd love to update you on everything we've been up to these past few months, I just don't have the time.  Instead, I'll leave you with the biggest news and update of them all....................NO, I'm not pregnant...There are 4 of us, and that is how our clan will remain, so don't get any ideas!!!  Instead, we are moving!!!  Yep...We've ventured out, a whopping 4 miles further out of town onto 2 acres.  There is currently a manufactured home on the property, but we have plans to build our forever home, and can't wait for that process to begin!  We are crossing our fingers that we will actually get the keys this Friday, but it's looking like it might not be until the first part of next week.  Are we CRAZY for moving at Christmas, YES, but excited at the same time, YES!  So...be praying for our family this Christmas Season.  For patience and understanding as things are slightly chaotic, unorganized, and a bit up in the air.  Merry Christmas to you all, and I hope to be able to update you all a bit more frequently as we begin this next chapter/adventure in our lives!

Pizza Night

My sister and her "other" family, have a tradition of  family pizza nights on Fridy Nights...I always thought it was a fun idea, but never followed through with with making it a "thing" in our house too.  Anyways...I had a wild hair tonight, to have family pizza night.  While Dani and the other fam actually make their pizza dough...I took the easy way out and went with good ol' fashioned Boboli, but the kids LOVED it! 

This OCD mamma had a hard time letting them get started until everything was perfectly laid out in front of them...they waited patiently though!

 Miss Concentration never lost her focus

 ...While Kal was rather distracted and would rather eat the topping than actuall put them on his pizza

They were both so proud of their final product, and requested "Pizza Night" every night!!!

It was fun indeed...and we may just take after the Easley's and have our own Pizza Night Fridays from her on out!!!

Until Next Year

As we boarded the "Pumpkin Express" this past weekend, and found our seats atop the hay...a nice gentleman sitting across from us offered to take a family picture! How lovely I thought...thinking nothing more than that! Then, the realization hit me...this was the first "family" picture we've had taken since Kevin's brothers wedding last July...a year and a half ago!!! So...until next year...you can enjoy this candid photo of our fabulous family!!!

Like Ol' Times

I've mentioned before that one of my favorite places in the whole world is Triangle Lake! I've got memories galore of that place, many of which include my cousins Lyndzie and Aubree! Lyndzie and I are a few months apart in age, and grew up the best of friends. Best of friends whove always lived states apart, but best buddies non the less!

Anyways...After a several year drought of not having them join us for a special family weekend...they made it this year. We didn't get the whole clan...but we had fun with those who could join us, and can only hope the get everyone there, one of these years!!!

I couldn't stop taking pictures of Avree and Caleb, and apparently forgot about my own daughter because I don't think I have one picture with the little miss from the entire weekend! I'm sure she'll forgive me though!

Blessings,

Permission Granted!

As many of you know, my sister is once again living over seas. They arrived in the beginning of November, and plan to stay through September of '09. Anyways, being oceans away and time zones different, my communications with her are very limited. An email here or there, and phone call now and again, etc, etc.

Anyways...On Thanksgiving I missed her phone call by 5 minutes, informing us all that they are expecting another addition in their family. Yep...baby number 3! So...for those of you who have been calling and emailing me that my "undisclosed" information was indeed the news of our 3rd child, this will now clear the air. I am not pregnant, but my sister is! I'm sad that once again baby E. Will be born oceans away, but so happy and thankful for their growing family!

I was able to chat with my sister this morning (isn't the Internet an amazing thing), and was given the go-ahead to share the news with you all. So...there you have it. Congratulations Joey, Dani, Josiah and Benson for your soon to be newest addition!

Blessings,

The Short List!

Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours...Hope you had a "rockin" time!

I know, I know...not the best family picture, but if you can see past the "turkey coma" looks on our faces, and the knuckle deep fingers, so delicately placed...you see our "rockin" shirts...which actually happen to be the main reason for this picture!

Okay, a little blurb about the shirts...While in Texas for the MOPS convention this October, I was really drawn to this cute little gal and her designer T-Shirts! I had the opportunity to talk with her, and was really impressed with the premise behind her shop. She designs shirts for men and women that display a positive image of marriage, and I just couldn't resist coming home with shirts for all of us. She said that she had such a good response from the Men's and women's T-Shirts, that she decided to make kids shirts as well...My shirt says, "My Husband Rocks", Kynlee's says "Daddy Rocks (Mommy's Right), Kevin's says "My Wife Rocks" (Which he wears proudly by the way!!!), and Kallen's says "Mommy Rocks (Daddy's Right), in reference to his daddy's shirt of course! Anyways...I just love these shirts, and I love the reaction we get when we wear them, so I had to get a picture of all of us in them, even if we're half asleep and have fingers in our noses!!! Go get some for yourself... http://www.frommetees.com/.

So...I just wanted to say again, hope you all had a "rockin" thanksgiving!

Also...since it is thanksgiving, I'd like to share my short list (simply because I'd be here all night if I included everything) of thanks!!!

~ My kids, my kids, my kids...I love them so much, and am so thankful for the joy they bring me each and every day!

~ My hubby of course! I mean, how can I not be thankful for the guy who willingly wears the "My Wife Rocks" shirt!!!

~ MOPS...New friends and new ideas, what's not to be thankful for!

ummm...let's see, what else

~Change...and not in the political sense of the newly catch phrased word, but just change in general! Kevin and I have made a lot of changes in our lives, our priorities, our attitudes, and it really feels great!

~ and since I got this cute picture to represent it...I'm thankful for my kids relationship with my grandma, their "Gigi" (you know, for Great Grandma!!!) Kallen absolutely adores her, and instantly lights up the minute she walks into the room, and since Kynlee does anything Kallen does...the adoration for GiGi is definitely being passed down! I am so blessed to still have both sets of my grandparents in my life, and even more blessed that my children get to know them as well! Nothing gets better than this!

~ Oh, and I'm also thankful for the news I'm not quite at liberty to share yet!!!

So...there you have it...my short list of Thanks!

But Kallen wins the short list contest. When asked what he was thankful for this year, he responded with a bold, and definite "Ellie...I thankful for Ellie"!

Blessings,

Minus 2

My cousin Lyndzie and I are a couple of months apart in age, and we've always been very close. We used to say that we would always get married at the same time, and have kids at the same time, just to keep the closeness. Well...the marriages came a couple of years apart, as did our first children, and we now live 4+ hours apart. Not how we would like it at all...but that's life. Anyways...last sunday the kids and I took a "marathon" trip up to Seattle for her sister, my cousin, Aubree's daughter Avree's (follow all that) first birthday. There she is...Yay Avree!

And I got to see Caleb...Lyndzie's son, for the first time since he was a month or so old! I just love his seriuos face, and though I should share it with you all!

So there you have it...my cousin's kiddos, which makes them what??? my "second cousins", or are they my kids second cousins! Huh...Anyways, I love them and they are just too cute!

Also...my grandparents wanted a picture of all their grandkids (minus 2, since Parker and Griffin) weren't able to make the party! So...getting all 8 kiddos to sit and smile after a couple of hours of presents, people and cake...they just weren't havin' it! This is the best I got! From left to right: Benson, Josiah, Sean whose holding Caleb, Mattison whose holding Avree, Kallen and Kynlee!

Blessings,

Shoot Me Now

Yesterday was my sister Danilelle's 30th birthday, and did I call her...nope! Oops! I already shared this story with her, but since I feel like the worse sister in the whole wide world, I figured I should let you all in on the craziness of my brain as well!

You see...my children were up at 5:00 yesterday morning, and since no one in their right mind should really be up at that time...I wasn't too thrilled. I made the best of it, and sat down to my computer to check emails and look at the blogs I failed to the day before. The clock on the computer said 6:04 as I began singing happy birthday to Danielle in my head. I felt that it was too early to wake her family, so I made a mental note to call her at a more decent time of day!

Later that morning our friend Laura, one of my sister's best friends and my near sister as well, called and mentioned that she was just talking to Danielle, yadda yadda, and on and on our conversation went. The mention of my sister didn't trigger anything, nor did the phone call itself, because it just so happens that yesterday was Laura and Levi's wedding anniversary as well, and did I say anything to her...nope...so anyways!

My mom later called and asked if I had spoken with Dani yet, and since my sister and I have been talking a lot on the phone lately, I didn't think anything of it.

I went throughout the day carrying out various tasks and doing my normal crazy mommy/housewife tasks with not a thought on my mind except for the seafood buffet that I had promised my neighbors I would try out with them later that night(not a big seafood fan here, in fact the thought of seafood used to turn my stomach...though I'm happy to say that I actually quite enjoyed the food...maybe a story for another time!)

Anyways, we got home just in time to roll into bed at 11:00 and begin our nice night of peaceful slumber. Then suddenly without any warning at all...a light bulb flashes and I awoke with a panic that I had indeed forgot to call her! Not an email, not a phone call...Shoot me now!

So here I am begging and pleading that my sister forgive me and accept this as a token of my undying love for her! I love you Danielle, and Happy 30th Birthday!

PS...I had this sappy post all planned out, but since that too slipped my mind, and since her husband is giving her a birth-week instead of a birth day...you'll just have to tune back in tomorrow as I profess my love for my darling big sister!!!

Blessings,

Step Back Jack

Uh...what day is it today??? These past couple of weeks have been a whirlwind for us, and I'm not even sure what we were doing!

It's cloudy, and a bit cold outside today, so it kind of seems fitting to step back a moment and gather ourselves before the sun comes back out, and yet again we find ourselves lost in the clear blue skies and warmth of the summer!

sighhhh!

Since I'm not really sure what we were doing since I last posted...I thought I'd post some pictures of our most recent venture...Kevin's brother Mark and Colleen's wedding this last weekend!

Checking out the pond, and desperatly wanting to go swimming

Kynz kept trying to climb over the rocks and into the water...something about 95 degree weather was making her want to get wet!!!

Since I wouldn't let her get into the pond...I found her hiding behind the truck, like this! She's absolutely drenched by the sprinkler if you can't tell, and in case you are wondering...I wasn't just letting her wander around. I was dealing with a little attitude problem with my oldest on the other side of the truck, and had been continually asking my nephew if he could still see Kynlee and if she was okay! He kept saying "yep...she's sitting right here!" Okay good...no worries! I walked around the truck, found her like this, and turned around to see the entire family staring out a window in anticipation for my reaction. They had been watching lil' miss soak up the water, for quite some time and found it rather humorous...especially since we were headed to dinner after this "short, little stop". What do you do???

Sopping wet, and loving it!

A little pre ceremony love!


The beautiful bride...my new sister-in-law Colleen

The cousins...from oldest to youngest; Austin, Kaitlyn, Kaleb, Logan, Garrett, Kallen & Kynlee

My boys...roasting in the sun

The brothers...screwing off as usual!


First family picture since Kynlee was born...she's so excited, she's cheering!

Beautiful girl, in a beautiful dress...makes for a beautiful picture!

Reading the program, to try and pass the time!

I'm not sure how he never got wet...cause perched on a rock staring at the pond was were Kallen was every time I looked at him!

Kynlee kept trying to figure out what was so fascinating about the pond

Just before the ceremony started, I gave Kallen his instructions once again, which were simply to follow his cousins Garrett and Logan, down the isle to daddy! I then proceeded to tell G and L, that if Kallen decided to do his own thing, that they should continue on down the isle and ignore him. As was to be expected...things didn't go as smoothly as one could have imagined, but it was cute anyways. I was too busy trying to get things back in order to take pictures of the entire sequence...but let me lay it out for you a little:

Kallen walking towards the isle in the middle of his two cousins. He decides he doesn't want to walk anymore, and stops dead in his tracks. Poor cousin's aren't sure what to do, so one continues on as instructed, while the other stays back to try and get Kallen to keep moving. I finally caught Garrett and Logans eyes and told them to keep walking, while Kallen just stood and stared.

The flower girls then proceeded towards the isle, passing Kallen up with his slow, saunter. Kaitlyn (whose been in more weddings then she can probably count and is basically a professional flower girl)...subtly voiced to Kallen to keep coming and follow her.

Her instructions seemed to go unnoticed as the girls proceeded with the task at hand...leaving Kallen in the dust.

Oh wait...there he is, bringing up the rear and making a grand entrance indeed

and since he now was the only one walking down the isle at the time...his attempt to dig out multiple treasures from his nose, did not go unnoticed by anyone!

and once he finally made it to his daddy...the bubble he found along the way, became his entertainment throughout the ceremony, and created lovely ambiance as well!!!

We had a blast, but are definitely glad to be home! Until next time...enjoy this little bit of us, to tide you over!

Blessings,