Fumble.

Whenever Eric and Marcus play football in the house there are going to be fumbles. They decided that whoever fumbles has to do push-ups.

Originally the idea came just so that we could see the kids' funny push-ups.

Now Marcus always does them when he fumbles.

I can't help but laugh at his form.

Our little football player

Marcus loves playing football.

When we are all at home on the weekend, Marcus and Eric (and sometimes Emma) play football for hours on end.

Here is a video of Marcus and Eric playing.

Eric has been trying to get him to catch an over the shoulder pass, and he finally did it.

I think tonight he probably ran between the front door and the fridge about 100 times.

This kid lives for football.

Projects

Working on some projects for with these profile silhouettes.

Love, Tamber

Who laughs this way.."Ho,Ho,Ho"

We finally bit the bullet, stood in the line (outside...really, who has their Santa outside in Utah) and went to see the man from up north.

While in line Emma said..."Santa isn't real".

I was shocked...I didn't think I would hear that until 3-4th grade at least!

I think I BELIEVED until I was in 5th or 6th grade.

Luckily she said, "some of them dress up."

So for now, he is the magic of the season and the kids told him what they wanted this year for Christmas.

Emma: " I want a pretend pony". (ie..a small horse toy)
Santa: "Oh yes...pretend pony's are better than real ones. You should see what the real one's do to my grass."

Marcus: "I want a blue car track."

Love, Tamber

Comfort.

When Mary learned of her divine calling to bear the Son of God, undoubtedly a flood of issues and concerns raced through her mind. But the Angel said to her...

“Fear not. … For with God nothing shall be impossible” (Luke 1:30, 37).

There are times when I worry about the world the my children are growing up in. I worry what they will turn out to be like, if I am doing enough to raise strong and righteous children, if they will be good friends to everyone around them, etc.

I know that I am not doing everything that I could be doing, but hope that what I am doing or teaching them is enough.

There are times when my heart is settled by the sweet actions of my children and I am comforted that everything will be okay. Yesterday was one of them. Last month Eric came up with the great idea of having a family testimony meeting on the FHE after Fast Sunday. Emma enjoyed bearing her testimony to her family. I did not think that she would be brave enough to do it in front of an entire congregation.

She proved me wrong.

All of a sudden I see her leaving our isle and walking up to the front in a reverent manner folding her arms. My eyes immediately filled with tears in happiness, joy, and satisfaction. She didn't have any coercing or even encouragement really. Eric told me later that she had said 'Maybe I should go up there' and all Eric said was 'If you want to, it is your choice.' So she did.

She said 'Hi, my name is Emma, and I came up here to bear my testimony. I know the Church is true and I know the Temple is true. In the name of Jesus Christ Amen.'

I am so thankful for the experiences that comfort my parenting efforts. Sometimes certain experiences like this one help lessen my fears and remind me that with God nothing is impossible.


Love,
Tamber

Temple Square Tradition

Each year we visit Temple Square to see the Christmas lights.

I look forward to it each year. It is truly a magnificent site.

Emma and Marcus each enjoyed it for different reasons.

Emma loved the life sized nativity scene and wanted to watch the entire Christmas Story. Unfortunately the 13 degree weather encouraged us to force Emma to move on and get warm in the tabernacle.

Marcus liked the Luke 2 movie that we watched at the Visitors Center (ie...being warm).

Love, Tamber

Thanksgiving 2010

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I LOVE Thanksgiving. I love cooking, and hanging out with family. We celebrated with my little family at our little condo. I really wish that we had a larger family...one of my favorite things/memories of Thanksgiving is having tons of cousins, aunts, uncles, etc around to celebrate and remember our many blessings. For me it isn't as much about the food, but I love what Thanksgiving is about...I love remembering my blessings because it makes me feel so happy inside.

Here is a picture run down of things that we did on Thanksgiving.

We tried a new Apple Pie (YUUUUMM!)

did I mention it had a pecan brown sugar crumble on top?!?...

Emma and Marcus played lots of dress up while the football game was on.

And Emma and Marcus helped me roll the rolls for dinner. They were great helpers.

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!

Love,
Tamber

Happy Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year!

I have to start my post with an apology.

When I made my Christmas Cards, I ordered 20. Come to find out, I probably should have ordered 30-40. I did not have enough to send to all of the people that I wanted.

Trying to keep on budget I am not going to order anymore, so hopefully those of you who didn't receive one will accept my apology and enjoy what you can of it here on the blog.

This is what it looks like:

(Front)

(inside)

Now, since you probably can't read that small print inside the card, here is the text that was included:

Top 10 Things we are thankful for after 2010:

10.) Being an American. It may not be a perfect country with perfect leaders, but we sure are grateful for the freedom that we have to worship the way that we choose.

9.) Jobs. Not only are Eric and I both blessed to have jobs in this economy, but we both have jobs that we enjoy. Eric put it best when he said…’It is nice to have a job where it doesn’t matter if it is Monday or Friday.’

8.) Amazing Teachers. As our children get older, we are so thankful for all for all of the amazing teachers that our children know and learn from. Especially those who teach our children at church, they are heroes in our home.

7.) Good Health. Knock on Wood. After a scare with Marcus this year and a long visit to Primary Children’s Hospital, we are grateful for healthy bodies and amazing doctors.

6.) The Little Things. The success of a child’s prayer, comforting a child by making their ‘blanky flat’ at bed time, the blowing of kisses from Emma on her first day of school. Each of us have little things to appreciate this year.

5.) Family History. We have learned about so many of our ancestors stories this year and the examples that they have set. Eric and I are excited to take our first family names to the temple.

4.) The hard times. Because they've made us stronger and wiser, and the good times even better.

3.) Memories. From a trip to Sea World with the kids to the first alone trip for Tamber and Eric. There are so many wonderful memories that our family will cherish from 2010.

2.) Being able to laugh. Eric and I find ourselves laughing over the little things that our children do, whether it be Marcus trying out new phrases, scaling the fridge or Emma learning to pronounce new words or talking about her first ‘crush’. Our family loves to laugh and make each other laugh.

1.) All of You! This year would not have been so cherished without your influence in our family member’s lives. We have so many amazing family and friends that we could not have lived without in 2010. Thank You for everything you have done for us.

Love,
Tamber

Fabulous Football in November

We had a great time with the family at the BYU Football game today.

By feeling the temperature outside I would not have guessed that it was November.

It was almost 'hot'.

Here are some pictures...

The kids eating a quick snack.

Emma showing off the sign that she made. It says 'Go BYU' in case you can't tell.

The family before the game.

Emma waiting for the players to run out. She wanted to give them high fives.

Love,
Tamber

Wedding Photos

A week ago I had someone in our Ward ask if I could bring a wedding picture to church for their lesson.

Easy...right?

Wrong.

I don't even have one framed picture of Eric and I on our wedding day.

The biggest reason is that we paid a photographer and all we paid for was a copy of each photo that he took, but in 4 x 6 size. Other than that, we didn't get any other pictures.

I have tried to locate the photographer that we used, and he is no where to be found.

So finally I decided to take our 4x6 pictures and scan them.

problem.....

when I scanned them they came up with smudges all over them, so I knew that when I printed a larger copy that they would not turn out very clear.

Finally I was able to use Picassa to get rid of the smudges. It took a lot of time, but will be worth if to have a picture of Eric and I in front of the Temple for our children to see.

Here is one of the edited photos that I ordered.

I am very happy with the way that they turned out.

Hopefully from now on it won't be such a chore to find a wedding picture!

Love,
Tamber

First BYU Basketball Game of the Year

We enjoyed going to the cougar tip off last week.

BYU Basketball Games are definitely a family favorite. We love going to them.

If you are ever wondering why there are never pictures of me on the blog, it is because most of them turn out like this...with my eyes closed. I must blink a lot.

Emma in her Crazy hair with Eric and the game.

Marcus enjoying some candy during the game.

Love,
Tamber

First Snow

Our 'first snow' came last Tuesday.

When I went to wake Emma up for school that morning I said...'Emma time to wake up, you need to get dressed warm for school today...there is snow all over the ground'.
Marcus popped up, made his bed, got dressed, and ran to the door asking to go out and play.
In the meantime, Emma rolled over and kept sleeping. You would think that girl is already a teenager the way she sleeps and avoids being woken up every single day.

Love,
Tamber

Class Party

I love helping in Emma's Kindergarten Class. The kids are so funny. Here are some pictures from the other day when we did a Halloween Party.

Love,
Tamber

Halloween Festivities

Saturday we went to our ward Trunk or Treat. It was pouring rain, so we all ended up in the Gym while all the children circled around with multiple visits to each person handing out the candy. The kids had a lot of fun seeing all the different costumes.

This is Marcus wearing Grandpa Tim's crazy hair wig on Friday night when we went to hear tubophonic play at a private Halloween party.

On Thursday Night our Friend Christina took us to her friends house where they have a haunted train. When it is light outside it is very mild and not too scary. Thank goodness we got in right before the sun went down cause the kids would have been freaked out by the scariness.

This was taken before we got on the train in front of a bunch of Jack-o-lanterns that they had carved. They were very amazing and very intricate.

Love,
Tamber

Marcus' 3rd celebrations

Just now catching up to posting pics of Marcus' cake.

Love, Tamber

Came and Went

Everything keeps happening and before I know it, It has been a couple of weeks before I even get to posting about it.

Eric and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary this month.

4 cars

1 home

3 moves

and 2 kids later

We are still here and happier than ever.

For our anniversary, Emma drew me a picture of the Temple. I love it!

Look at the very top...she even included the details.

Happy Anniversary Eric!

I love you!

Love,
Tamber

The Kiddos

Here are some recent pics of the kids....
Nothing that is perfect, but captures their personalities.

Love,
Tamber

This....

is what I had to deal with today after my child pulled it for the 2nd time in a week! Seriously. Evacuated the entire Richards Building at BYU for the second time in a week. I almost started crying(okay, I really did) because I was so frustrated.

Not only do I have to work everyday, but I get to be a mom while at work which is very hard to do. Needless to say, my eyes are not ALWAYS on my child and things happen that I don't like.

Tomorrow is a new day...right?

Tamber

Happy 3rd Birthday

If I didn't have a bun in the oven I might have an issue with my baby turning 3.
But he has. And that's all there is to it, so I am accepting it.
We had an unplanned fun morning this morning. We were planning on letting him open presents tonight, but Eric accidentally slept in, so we woke Marcus up and let him open presents to start the day out.

Some of his favorite phrases:
'That was totally wicked'
'Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah' (done in a singing voice)

Some of his favorite things to do:
Spend time with his dad
Play outside
Throw balls or hit balls

Favorite Food to Eat:
Pizza
Hot Dogs
Chicken Nuggets
Watermelon
Bananas
Bagels
Corn on the Cob
Popcorn

Favorite Toys:
Geotrax trains
Any kind of ball
Spiderman Figure

Favorite Cartoons:
Dinosaur Train
Super Why

Yesterday I took the kids out to the local park to get some pictures of Marcus at age 3. He loved the idea of being the center of attention, but was quickly distracted when he saw the other kids. We didn't get as many good pictures as I had hoped, but I guess I captured his personality.

Love,
Tamber

Day 3 of Marcus

These two pictures describe Marcus entirely.

1.) He loves his Dad. They love to spend time together wrestling, playing ball and just laughing at each other. They have this new thing where they yell 'Boyzz night' and then give each other a pound. Marcus is so proud of the fact that he has something special with his dad.

2.) He is willing to try anything. Even if he is too short, too young, too little, etc. He won't let you tell him no when it comes to trying something. He will figure out a way to make it work.

Love,
Tamber

Day 2 of Marcus

Marcus would much rather be in the bath or naked if he had the choice.

Finding him curled up after a bath is a common occurrence at our house.

He also loves pirates as you can tell by the bath robe he has on.

2 more days until my baby is 3 years old.

Love,
Tamber

Week of Marcus

On Thursday it is Marcus' Birthday. I am celebrating all week on the blog since I haven't been doing much on here lately and I have photos of this little guy to show.

Here are some pictures of Marcus creating his own lunch... A PB & N Sandwich (The N stands for Nutella).

I guess he is not so little anymore if he can make his own lunch.

Love,
Tamber

My Kindergartener

Okay, so I took a picture of Emma in her cute little butterfly outfit that she loves. She is such a poser these days. I can't believe I have a little girl in Kindergarten.

Love,
Tamber

goings on

The last couple of weeks have been crazy busy at the McAllister home. Emma started school on Sept 1st. I was unfortunately out of town that day, so I don't even have a picture of her on her first day of school. She is wearing the same outfit today that she wore then, so I thought I would try and take a picture and pretend like it was her first day of school...is that bad?

She loves her teacher and her class and is enjoying learning a lot. She is really excited about learning to read and is starting to sound out words when we read together after school. I can't believe I am old enough to have a kindergartner.

I started work this week, which is always fun to get to know our new swimmers, but causes an adjustment at our home with my busy schedule. We have a great team this year. I am excited to see some great swims. I am going into my 6th season coaching at BYU. I can't believe I have been there that long. I had the chance last week to go to Indianapolis to the World Swim Coaches Clinic. I learned an amazing amount and am excited to implement some of those things.

Love, Tamber

How we did.

I have to admit that I was feeling very ambitions when I made our list of things to do this summer. Now I am feeling unsuccessful. Between working, getting pregnant and being gone more this summer than we had expected, we didn't really get as many things done as we had wanted. I crossed off the ones that we did do. Hopefully next summer we can remember our list and finish it off.

Slip N Slide

Water Bucket Day

Make a Lemonade Stand

Obstacle Course (www.ehow.com/how_3113_set-obstacle-course.html )

Bowling

Water Park (on the day that my work pays = free)

Visit New Parks (Once a week – Tuesdays)

Camping

Hiking

Go see Dollar Movie

Make Edible Play dough

Bike Rides

Go see water falls

Water Fight Day

Paint with Pudding

Write Letters to Friends that live far away

Go Fishing

Scavenger Hunt

Treasure Hunt (www.allthatstuff.net/treasurehunt.htm )

Make a small box garden

Video Tape Singing

Have a Talent Show

Picnic

Play Frisbee

Make Homemade Ice Cream

Practice Hoola Hooping

Make Finger Paint

Animal Farm

Ride the Tram up mountains (might be too expensive)

Learn Moonwalk

Clean up a Trail/Road

Make A Movie

Make A Fire Plan

Find A Pen Pal (www.stonesoup.com/main2/penpal.html )

Tie Dye T-shirts

Track the moon phases in a book

Keep a Journal of what you do this summer

Make a video of re enacted scripture story (Animoto.com – video software)

The Butterfly Experience

Decorate Flip Flops

Go to Summer Fest (June 11-12)

Play Sponge Football (with a soaking wet sponge)

Solar Cook Lunch (Bagel Bites)

Weekly Hiking Trip with Friends (Thursdays)

Paint Rocks

Make a Bird Feeder

Splash Pad (5400 W Civic Center, Highland Utah)

Drowning

In toys that is...

Somehow between the 4 sets of Grandparents that my kids have and Christmas', Birthdays, etc. My kids have accumulated way to many toys.

With another child on the way we are trying to make room around here by getting rid of things that we dont use.

I had the kids bring ALL of the toys out of the bedroom into the living room and this is what the mound looked like.

Finally an empty closet.

And...

Afterward...much better.

Now I feel like I can breathe again when I walk into their room.

Love,
Tamber