mrs. linda

happy halloween!

learning to play ice hockey

on sunday we went to the desoto civic center to give ice hockey a try. we really had no idea what to expect. coach shawn's kids (gwen and evan) play on a league. they invited us to check it out.

neither of the kids have ever skated on ice before, but they were both excited to try. we were surprised to see how many pads and layers must be worn to play hockey. it took a full hour to get the kids dressed to play.

because the kids were so focused on the stick and puck, the ice skating part came fairly simple, especially for taegan. she took off. cooper was a little slower, but did an amazing job learning to balance. some of the smaller kids pushed chairs around the ice to balance, but cooper totally skipped it. he just went out there and figured it out. yeah, he fell a lot at first. i felt so helpless watching him. i couldn't run out there and pick him up or ask if he was hurt. he would just get up and keep trying. you can see in the pictures that he did a great job. i was so proud of both my kids.

wish manuel could have been there. he was at home with his parents.

Paint-a-Piece

today after soccer practice, callie came home with us. we had lunch with all the allens at humdingers and then went to paint-a-piece for a "girl's day out". as you can see fromt the pictures below, they had a good time...especially the toothbrush splatter painting.

City Museum in St. Louis

manny had a tournament in st. louis. we took advantage of the opportunity by going to the city museum. if you've never been, you've gotta go. it's amazing...for children and adults.

Manuel's Fall Tournaments

we've been so busy this fall with soccer tournaments for both taegan and manuel. almost every weekend has been filled by tournaments, both in and out of town. chris and i love watching both of them play. below are some pictures of manuel's tournament moments. he too has a fabulous team of families. we are so blessed!

Capital City Cup in Little Rock, AR

taegan's team played in a tournament in little rock. between games we had a picnic. the families had a great time. we didn't "place" in the tournament but the comraderie was out of this world! we ended our evening at an italian restaurant. the girls all get along so well! we love all the families and coach candice.

Go Tigers!

our tigers aren't having a very good season so far, but it doesn't stop the allens from having a good time. this game, in particular, was special because the entire family was able to go the game (mama kay, pops, andy, natalie, quentin, evy, chris, myself, taegan, cooper, and manuel...also natalie, scott, and reuben applewhite).

First day of 6th grade and SrK