All About the Allisons

Fall 2015

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Sat, 21 Nov 2015 15:09:00 +0000

They say time flies when your having fun, and I just noticed it's been 8 months since the last post. I like to think it's because we've had so much fun!

Rachel's got a new business venture with Usborne books that allows her to stay home and only work a few nights a week. So far we all love it. The kids love that they have even more books to play with! She gets to spend extra time with Jacob at home during the days when both girls are in school. One of my favorite new times is lunch on Tuesday or Thursday when Rachel, Jacob and I get to eat lunch together just the three of us.

Megan is rocking 1st grade this year. We just got her 2nd six weeks report card and she made us proud! It's hard to believe that she can read and do addition/subtraction so well. She also learned to play sweeper on her soccer team this fall. I enjoyed seeing a determined look on her face as she chased down opposing players. One team had a player who regularly scored about 10 goals a game, and Megan was able to keep her to just a few goals. The special dates with Megan have an added dimension of good conversation now too! She's also been doing a great job of learning her memory verses at church.

Jenna has really blossomed into a girl instead of a toddler this fall. She's pre-reading, and even reading some words. Jenna is the most loving, and emotional of the three kids. She has really learned how to be a big sister, in fact we have to keep her from mothering Jacob sometimes. Jenna enjoys having and making friends. She loves playing with Megan, and being Megan's best friend - even if Megan won't admit it. Jenna embraced the social, or team aspect of soccer this year. She didn't score as many goals as last time, but she still played well. She just used the opportunity to cheer on teammates this fall. Jenna has really excelled at learning Bible stories, memorizing verses, and acting out Bible stories.

I've been hustling to get all my work done this fall. I've been at the church office 2.5 to 3 days a week, and then working at SWBTS and home the rest of the time. The goal is to finish this dissertation and free up 10-15hrs a week. I've had a great time teaching 2 classes, with a total of 50-60 students. I've enjoyed connecting with them, and mentoring some of them. But, it has required a great deal more time than I thought it would. One class per semester might be more my pace as long as I'm coaching soccer. The best part of working at Greenwood has been seeing small groups gain some momentum this fall. The media team has maintained pretty well, too. I really enjoyed coaching the two girls' soccer teams, and making connections with those families. The WPL has also been busy with an attempt to get started on the process of a new building.

Wonderful Winter part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Thu, 05 Feb 2015 05:06:00 +0000

It's only mid-winter, so I suppose this season will be broken into two parts. Just as it was getting cold, Megan got to have her picture taken with Elsa at Chick-Fil-A. Jenna wanted no part of it...

Jacob started playing chase, and learning to scoot around the house. He's into everything now, which is good and bad.

Christmas went wonderfully in Amarillo.

Created with flickr slideshow.

I turned in my dissertation a few weeks ago, and as you would guess a huge burden was lifted. Sleep comes much easier now. I also started a new job as Pastor of Small Groups and Media at Greenwood Baptist Church in Weatherford. I am really enjoying it so far. I think it will be wonderful, and I'm excited about the fact that I may still be able to teach as an adjunct professor at SWBTS.

Rachel is plugging along with a strenuous school year schedule. She is doing an amazing job of being a mother who also holds down a job. I cannot thank her enough for that!! When at home she enjoys her time with the kids, and especially enjoys the snuggles from the little guy.

Jacob is getting more teeth. I think 4 are coming in right now. He chews on everything - even me. He chases the dog, chases Jenna, gets into anything he can open, and does the normal little boy stuff!! He is starting to try and say "bye-bye" when he waves bye-bye to people or places as we leave. He still has that infectious baby giggle that we love too. Of course he's growing - we had to buy him a new car seat because the doctor said he was too tall for the infant seats. The girls didn't get this big until they were over a year old.

Megan has teeth coming out of her as fast as Jacob has them coming in. She is getting really good at reading, and we have found a series of books at the library that we read together. They are called "we both read" and she likes to read them with me while Jenna listens (sometimes participating). She is asking a lot of questions about church and God. She also loves to be right about everything - kind of like me. She is also getting ready for soccer season to start soon.

Jenna goes to school twice a week and always tells me about things that she learns. She also tells me about her friends every day. Jenna loves friendships and people in general. If I had to pick one word to describe Jenna, it would be "fun." This girl is going to have fun wherever she is, and no matter what is going on around her. I love to get her special affection from her sensitive heart. I also enjoy seeing her display her strong will (in certain situations), like while digging.

I'll end this post with a picture from our New Years' Eve party. Two of my three senior year roommates were in town and came over to the house. We took a picture of our kids all together on the couch before everyone went home at 8pm...

We ask for your prayers in a few areas:

1. Justin to pass his dissertation defense and graduate in May

2. Justin to have the opportunity to teach more classes at SWBTS.

3. Rachel's continued success in teaching.

4. The kids to continue to grow and develop, and make friends.

Fabulously Fast Fall

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Wed, 24 Dec 2014 04:44:00 +0000

As I write, it is almost Christmas Eve. Where did the Fall go? Megan quickly pointed out that her birthday was in the fall. That birthday celebration was quite an event. It was her first time to invite a group of people from school over to the house. It also marked a fun time for church friends to meet school friends.

The girls also finished the Fall soccer season, and I finished my first season coaching two teams. I enjoyed it tremendously, and had a great group of parents and kids. Hopefully we were able to encourage some of those we met through soccer. One thing all of us enjoyed about Soccer was getting to know people from all different walks of life.

Megan continued to flourish at school, as did Jacob and Jenna. School has become another place that our family can encourage other people. Most notably, Rachel works in a local elementary school. So, we try to be a part of all the school events that we can so that our children and family are known by the other teachers and the administrators - hopefully known for the right reasons. We also attend those events to build relationships with other families, as well as to get to know the families of our kids' friends.

Finally, a new place for our family to influence others arose this fall. Justin accepted a new church staff position as Pastor of Discipleship and Small Groups. This will give our family a great platform for encouraging others to grow in their faith. The position will allow our family to stay in the same location, and allow Justin to teach as an adjunct professor in the future. Justin also presented a paper at a national academic meeting this Fall. He will be submitting that paper as a chapter of his dissertation. The whole dissertation will be submitted in January.

We are blessed to have all of these opportunities to encourage others in the gospel, as well as other smaller ones. We ask that you will pray for us in the coming year, in all of these places that God allows us to serve him.

Summertime! 2014 style

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Mon, 25 Aug 2014 01:45:00 +0000

I write this post as the summer draws to a close. My Megan will start Kindergarten in the morning... It is hard for me to believe that she is already there!

Thankfully we were able to pack in a good bit of fun this summer. The fun began with VBS at church, which is the source of many of our summer songs such as Agency D3... Then Megan went to Museum School for a week, while Jacob, Jenna and Rachel played at the Museum. Next Rachel presented at a professional meeting in Grapevine so we took a little weekend vacation over there. Nana and Papa accompanied us on the trip and we went to LegoLand for the first time!!

Also at LegoLand:

One of the highlights was watching 4d movies there too:

After LegoLand we went to the Aquarium the next day!!

After all of that, I taught a quick OT 2 course at SWBTS during July while Rachel did some of her continuing education for her teaching certification. Oh, and I preached at church one week too. Schedules were busy, in part because the girls took Gymnastics all summer, and learned a ton!!

Summer was fast and fun!! The kids had several friends come over, and went to play at their houses too. The little man moved from 3 to 4 months and started giggling, smiling, standing, sitting, putting everything in his mouth, and even pulling on sister's hair.

Edit: Megan will want me to mention that Roxy got another bird, and chased lots of squirrels and a possum.

Spring Part Deux

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Fri, 13 Jun 2014 01:56:00 +0000

The first part of this Spring was covered in the post "a factor of 3". So here we will talk about events after that post. Let us begin with the smallest member - Jacob (for now the smallest - give it a few months). Jacob is smiling now and responds to all of us. He's doing all the things we expect a 2 month old to do...

Roxy is a tad bigger than Jacob still, so her update is next. She reached a new milestone this week with her first confirmed kill. I'll refrain from giving details lest PETA come knocking.

Jenna finished her 2yr old class at Pre-School. She's signed up for Soccer in the fall, and started Gymnastics this week!

Megan finished Pre-K at Happy Day this year! She too began Gymnastics and will play a second year of Soccer in the fall.

Rachel worked her 3 days between maternity leave and summer break. So at least someone went to work!! :) She has also been enjoying the extra time with the kids!

Then there's me - the biggest. Not a lot has changed for me. I've got the dissertation thing going in overdrive... and that about covers it... Plus I get time with family - but I take the pictures so there are none of me! So, the last picture is a good one from the spring-time visit of our friends the Gibsons. Here are 2 of the 5 kids:

a factor of 3

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Wed, 30 Apr 2014 14:10:00 +0000

We added a 3rd kid to the mix on April 10th. He was a week and a half late... He's a big boy and appears to take after his dad, though admittedly the sample size is small. Here he is on day 3:

We have had a blast adjusting to life with him!!

Jenna had a birthday and turned 3 this month too! She is getting big enough to have real conversations, and ask good questions.

Megan's soccer team has been doing great too. They have a really good coach this year who is passionate about the game. Megan said he's her favorite coach... me. She registered for kindergarten, became the biggest sister, is learning to read. She is growing up too fast!

In between all of that fun was Easter. It was a little different this year because R and Jacob had to stay home from church. The girls and I went to the worship service and the egg hunt. Then we brought some lunch home for the family, and took some family pics. Here is my favorite:

Mid-February 2013 update

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Tue, 18 Feb 2014 12:12:00 +0000

At this point, I forgot to post about Christmas and family trips for Thanksgiving. But, I won't do that now because it would take too much space for one post. As of today, Rachel is teaching with about 6 weeks left until Jacob arrives. At that point she'll take time off work. As for me, I'm teaching a class at SWBTS, and grading for another. I'm also working on my dissertation and doing a few other part-time jobs. Between the two of us we are worn out.

Megan and Jenna are great. Their sing-along sessions, smiles, and hugs really brighten my day! Megan still loves her Lego friends. Jenna bounces between Doc McStuffins and other things. Jenna has really grown up as of late, and will be 3 soon - I can't believe it. Jenna is a little more strong-willed than Megan - but certainly not a problem. Megan is more focused of the two (right now, but she's older!). Both of them are amazing kids. We share our "glad things" around the dinner table at night and the girls "glad things" are usually doing something with Rachel and I. We are blessed.

God has been very good to us this first month and a half of the year.

Megan singing along to the theme song from Disney's Frozen:

Megan and Jenna ready to go to the Fort Worth Stock Show with Nana:

Baylor Homecoming 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Tue, 22 Oct 2013 01:01:00 +0000

Pics from the fun-times. We missed out on 2 special friends this time... but we'll see 'em next time!

Sept-Oct Random Fun

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Tue, 22 Oct 2013 01:00:00 +0000

We did too many fun things to mention from Sept-Oct 2013, but here are some pics and videos to highlight a few memories.

Soccer!!

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Tue, 22 Oct 2013 00:43:00 +0000

We have another soccer player in the house!! She plays for the Purple Dragonflies!

Rangers Game

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Tue, 22 Oct 2013 00:06:00 +0000

We went to a Rangers Game over Labor Day with the Hutchison clan.

First Day of (pre) School

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Thu, 05 Sep 2013 03:40:00 +0000

The kids had their first day this week. They are growing up too fast!! Here is their first day pic this year, and some random pics I made last week with the girls.

Created with flickr slideshow.

Created with flickr slideshow.

Toronto Visit - end of July

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Thu, 05 Sep 2013 03:36:00 +0000

We visited Tornto, Ontario (Canada) in July. Unfortunately they chose not to stamp the adult passports, and only stamped the kids - so I have no more stamps :(

Now for the good news. We had a blast visiting Marianna and Brandon! We also had a great side-trip to visit the Vazquez family! The kids loved the plane, subway, train, streetcar, and ferry. One day we were able to go and see Casa Loma (a castle in North America). Another day we visited a beautiful farm/park near downtown Toronto. We also visited the island destination of Centreville Island (amusment park). Enjoy the pictures!! Oh, and since it was Canada, the girls wore jackets in July - and it only got as hot as 71 degrees.

Created with flickr slideshow.

Gibson Visit

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Mon, 08 Jul 2013 04:56:00 +0000

We enjoyed a visit from the Gibson's this past week, over the 4th. The kids played well together, enjoying lots of LEGO time. We went swimming, and of course played outside in the backyard. Thankfully the porch fans kept all of us cool enough to let the kids play in the heat. Here is a quick slideshow!!

Created with flickr slideshow.

2013 Summer Trip #2

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Wed, 03 Jul 2013 14:46:00 +0000

Summer vacation #2 was a special one! We saw just about every living member on my side of the family. It was great to stay at GranGran's house again with the whole family! We even brought Roxy and Tito.

The kids enjoyed going to the park and children's museum at Granny's house. They explored a cave, a waterfall and mountain view at GranGran's house. We also got to swim at Karen's house! Tennessee summer weather is different from Texas weather. The day we swam, the high was 84, and she said she had run the pool heater to make sure it wasn't cold - IN THE SUMMER!! I think that same day the high at our house was 101...

I got to see my cousin Blake pitch a complete game, and get the win, in a baseball tournament. Tito taught Roxy how to navigate stairs, and some manners. The only bad news was that Jenna had to go to the emergency room to get her head glued back together. She had a small cut that needed to be closed, after taking a tumble.

Below are pics and video of the trip!

Created with flickr slideshow.

Summer Trip #1 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 20:20:00 +0000

We truly had a blast this past week in San Antonio. We were able to spend time with Granny and Grandaddy enjoying a special city! You can see from the pictures below that we had TONS of fun!! Among the many things we did were: the Alamo, the Riverwalk (eating), Sea World, San Antonio Children's Museum, and Market Square.

Then on the way back we stopped to see Gigi and cousin Reese in Temple. Of course the rest of his family was there too. Our last stop was at a wedding shower for a wonderful couple, Grant and Ashley (soon to be) Turner. Grant is a good friend from back in the Friendship Baptist Church days, and seems to be truly happy with his special lady.

Enjoy the pictures below, and our video

Roxy's adventure

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Wed, 29 May 2013 03:02:00 +0000

I took Roxy to some local trails for a walk the other day. She enjoyed the roaming around and exploring. The park was really nice, and even had a doggy water fountain. She played down in the creek for a bit, and walked through a meadow. We also followed the path over some train tracks and a bridge. Good times with a good dog! Yes she was on-leash, that's what that line is. Our county requires a leash at all times (I like that).

Jenna-isms

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Sat, 25 May 2013 14:08:00 +0000

Here are some of the unique things Jenna says right now:
...alltime- means she really likes something, as in "me write all time"
Pod- her iPod
Gnna- the g is a combination of j and e then the rest of the letters in her name. She also says this when she sees letters.
Upees- up please
Chichen- means chicken or chick-fil-a

Also if she gets a boo boo and you ask her how it happened she will say Roxy did it, no matter what.

Pa-Pul... this what she calls Rapunzel, the disney princess

chinished... finished

me do...

toming... coming (to wherever you called her)

At the Park in May

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Thu, 09 May 2013 19:03:00 +0000

We had a great time on an impromptu trip to the park Wednesday evening. We took some Chick-Fil-A and at a picnic table, then enjoyed the park as a family. Even Roxy had a good time. The kids played on the playground with others, and introduced them to their dog. Then we walked around the "lake" and went home. The most amazing part is that everyone behaved. That's a tall order for a 4.5yr old, 2yr old and 5mo old puppy. Because everyone behaved Mom and Dad had fun too! We even took some pictures with our new camera!!

Great Last week of April

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 01:39:00 +0000

I wanted to get this one in before Jenna's Birthday. To start the week off, Rachel had a very good interview as part of her Teacher of the Year honors. It was low-pressure, and she feels that she did well. Then Tuesday I passed my NT Comprehensive Exam. This was a milestone for which I have been studying and preparing for nearly a year and a half. The whole family took the opportunity to celebrate with a dinner at Chilis, and a box of Junior mints for dessert. We even bought some Oreo's to enjoy this week!

Week of April 14th 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 03:10:00 +0000

This week we began preparing for Jenna's birthday. She picked out cupcake mix, and toppings for her special day. Her birthday presents started arriving, and will be wrapped soon. I can't believe she will be 2 in 2 short weeks. In fact, if you ask her how old she is, she holds up 2 fingers and says "two!".

Megan continued her emotional growth this week, which contained a few trying moments. The good news is that she is slowly learning to deal with her emotions, which is a tough thing for anyone to learn. She had a blast at school this week, doing work on the letter "p" and talking about circles. The girls also had pictures at school this week, so when we get copies we will share.

Rachel and I are plugging along at our work. She's getting her TOTY application ready, and I'm prepping for an exam on April 23rd.

This week it finally felt like spring, so we started playing outside more!! I love this time of year because its not hot enough to make me sweaty, but warm enough for the kids to have fun. They even tried flying a kite this week:

Fridays at our house are days when the kids don't have school, and we've exhausted all of our "at home" activities, so I like to go somewhere. This week, we played at a park we haven't been to in a while. We even took the dog. Enjoy the video below! And yes she does wear that headband "Rambo" style.

Week Before Easter

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 01:20:00 +0000

I decided to include pictures below from our Easter Weekend. We had a wonderful week this past week. I found out that I will get to take my NT comprehensive exam in a few weeks. The girls did awesome at School, and at play! Rachel won an award for teaching!!!! (highly deserved in my opinion!!) Roxy was a good dog :) We celebrated Passover/The Last Supper as a family this year for the first time. I think we'll do it again. We all learned a lot from the experience - and the kids really enjoyed the special experience.

Nana and Papa came over for the Easter Weekend celebration. We played plenty on Friday - Megan even talked Papa into getting donuts for breakfast. Saturday we went swimming in the morning, then Chick-fil-a and more play time. For dinner we took Papa into Fort Worth to eat Chipotle since he doesn't get to do it in Amarillo. Church on Easter Morning was wonderful, and the egg hunt was a ton of fun! We went to the OG afterward (Olive Garden). What a great weekend of celebrating our risen Savior! God really has blessed our family!

Incredible March

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 03:26:00 +0000

We have been having a great time lately!! Over Spring Break, Megan took swimming lessons - and learned how to do the basics. We were incredibly proud that she was putting her whole head under the water by the end of the week! She'll be taking more lessons soon.

Roxy has also been learning some new tricks... And playing a bunch with Jenna!

So, we have had quite a bit of fun, and here are some pictures to document it as well!!

Justin also got to teach a class at SWBTS last week. Rachel had a challenging week with her class, but still enjoyed it. Megan went to a birthday party which Rachel described as deliciously girly. I also included some of the girls' artwork. We are ready for a 3day weekend and for Easter!!

Weekly update

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 02:21:00 +0000

Jenna got ear tubes this week, but she's doing fine now. Megan has been plugging along at school and learning lots of new dance moves in her class. Roxy has been integrating into our house. She is learning tricks, and getting better at walks. Jenna is talking much better now, frequently combining 3 words into sentences. She is even developing a bit of a 2yr old attitude complete with a tantrum even now and then. We even took a new family photo with the dog.

Roxy the Miniature Schnauzer Puppy

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 03:54:00 +0000

We got a dog last week!! Roxy is a miniature Schnauzer, or Zwergschnauzer (for my German friends). She is of the black and silver variety. She is 9 weeks old now, and is starting to learn to keep pace with the family. Megan and Jenna are starting to adjust to her. Once Roxy (the dog) gets tired enough to sit and chew to relax, Jenna enjoys petting her. In fact, Jenna will even hold her occasionally and give her hugs. Of course, in the yard this afternoon Jenna cried when Roxy ran toward her. Megan hasn't quite adjusted to life with a dog either. She is a little more "scared" of Roxy. She thinks Roxy will try to "get her" and cries whenever I forget to stand between her and a leash-free dog. Still, Megan has enjoyed petting Roxy when Roxy is in cuddle mode. Megan's favorite part of having a pet has been taking care of the dog. She loves to pour Roxy's food, open and close her crate, and make sure Roxy has enough water.
Roxy is doing OK on her crate-training. I wouldn't call it house-training because she has occasional accidents in the house when I don't put a stop to it. But, using the crate method, we haven't had more than 1 accident in a day for over a week.
Oh, and in case you're wondering Rachel likes Roxy a lot too. Rachel's lap is Roxy's chosen place to snuggle before bedtime. Below is a video of the two of them playing the first night we had Roxy.