Phoenix, May 24th

On Sunday, we took the kids around Berk's neighborhood. Braxton drove the wagon train full of precious cargo-- and he was yelled at the entire way!
"Not so fast", "Watch where you're going", "Be careful tonto!" He did a good job though.


Unfortunately, his basketball team didn't do such a good job. They lost all four of their games in the Phoenix tournament.

2009 Ballet Recital, May 23rd

Celeste and Nikelle with their ballet teacher from Russia, Miss Olga. The girls performed in "Sleeping Beauty". Nikelle was in a duet and a group dance with the older classes, and Celeste was a fairy in one of the dances with the little girls. They did a great job, and the recital was beautiful!


Brooke is wearing part of Nikelle's costume. Sadly, Brooke and I were the only ones at the recital. Because the performance was on Memorial Day weekend, everyone was out of town, including Braxton and Travis. They were at a basketball tournament in Phoenix, so right after the recital the girls and I headed to Phoenix.

My Trip to Utah for Grandpa's 84th B-day 5/1 - 5/2

We had a nice dinner at my mom's house for my Grandpa Allen's 84th birthday.

While I was in Utah, I was able to see the Tulip Festival at Thanksgiving Point. Gorgeous!

Jamie with her girls, Brinnly and Capri. Too cute!

Brinn twirling in the tulips.

I'm with my mom in the Secret Garden--this my girl's favorite place at Thanksgiving Point.

Braxton's 12th Birthday

Brax wanted a "trick bike" for his b-day.
He spent the rest of the day ramping around the backyard.


He would go over the ramp in our yard and then ride down the stairs into Trent & Anne's yard. Yes, our grass is yellow. Grass in El Paso isn't green until July.

He was excited and ready to receive the Priesthood.

We basically celebrated Braxton's birthday from April 15th - April 19th. This picture is from the Sunday dinner we had with lots of family and friends after his priesthood ordination on Sunday.

Happy Easter! 03/12/09

Headed to church on Easter morning.

3 Amigas, 3/09

Celeste eating dessert with Taya and Kirsten during Sunday "platica".

Sisters 03/09

Celeste, Nikelle, and Brooke getting ready for bed.

Science Fair Projects

For her science project, Brooke did an experiment with cake recipes using different fat substitutions. Nikelle tested the acidic levels of soda pop. We learned that soda will kill ya! They both did a great job and earned 1st place (a.k.a second place, because Sweepstakes winners are the ones who move on to district competition). This is the trophy generation!

Celeste Birthday in January

Happy Birthday Celeste! Our baby is six years old now. We had everyone (Hatches, Allens, Taylors, Hendersons, Dossetts) over for a barbecue and cake. It was a full house!

Desert Kids in the Snow

We had a blast sledding during a snow storm in Bear Lake. Our kids don't have any "snow smarts". We had to teach them how to sit on a sled, stay on a sled, and get out of the way of oncoming sleds. I'm sure Jerrad (Jenn's husband and expert snow mobile driver) thought we were all crazy.

New Years in Bear Lake, UT

It was impossible to get a great family picture--but here it is. We finally have an updated Allen Family Photo.

Jenny's family cabin in Bear Lake, UT. Absolutely gorgeous!

Nutcracker Performance

On December 26, Nikelle was able to perform in the Moscow Ballet's Great Russian Nutcracker. It was a great experience to dance with amazing ballerinas from Russia. She danced in the "French" piece. Brooke's current teacher and Nikelle's former 2nd grade teacher, Ms. Willis came to the performance.

Christmas Eve

New PJs



"The Nativity" starring:
Celeste as Mary
Jayden as Joseph
Braxton as Donkey
Brooke as Shepherd
Malia and Nikelle as Wise Men
Alexa as Angel

Tribe Banquet

We attended the annual Texas Tribe Awards Banquet in December. This year it was a family thing, with Braxton playing football, Travis coaching, and all three girls cheerleading. Brax is holding his MVP award, the girls have their cheer trophies. Our team was favored to win the city championship, but had a disappointing semi-final loss. A little taste of life for those hard-working 11-year old boys!

Braxton was learning to drive in Mexico. He is only 11,
but it is a lot easier to break the law down in MX!

Riding Horses in Mexico during Thanksgiving

Brooke riding horses with Uncle Quin.

Nikelle with her dad.

Braxton being led by Uncle Garrett on a new colt. Brax and Kaleb were "breaking" two new colts. They were bucked off many times, but their dads, uncles and grandpa were close by to prevent any major tragedies.

Celeste ridin' with her pa.