"But we've fallen so far behind on it," we said. "We've missed so much."
"Sure," we said, "but we could catch up, like publish some retro posts or something."
"But who wants to go back and do that?"
Guess who lost that coin toss?
I kid, I kid.
So it falls to me to chronicle the happenings of our family. The mighty deeds, the acts of renown, the holiday glee, and milestones both silly and profound.
So here goes . . .
The Arrival of Pip
So this actually took place back in the summer of 2015. Beth wanted a kitten, and of course Cassie and I said no. Cassie had practical objections, like wondering whether the kids were ready for that level of responsibility, and she already had three kids to clean up after.
I objected because cats are stupid.
(But maybe I'm prejudiced.)
Anyway, we told Beth the only way we'd get a kitten is if it were a stray that showed up on our doorstep and was really mellow and good with kids. Beth said okay and prayed for that to happen. She prayed for two weeks, and then this happened.
This pic was taken in March 2016, so of course the kitten has grown into a cat by this point. But allow me to introduce Pipsqueak Alleman, affectionately called "Pip" - or "Dorkfish" after he's made a mess.
In the summer of 2015, Cassie and I turned the kids loose in the front yard, and our neighbors were out, playing with a kitten they'd found under their bushes.
Beth immediately saw this little white fuzzball and said, "That's my cat!"
The neighbors planned on taking the kitten to the shelter in the morning. Cassie and I offered to do it for them. But we talked that night, and we had to admit the kitten was cute, and he acted like someone had socialized him to kids, because he put up with the kids' poking and prodding. Even I had to admit that he was pretty cool - for a cat.
And thus the kitten won us over and came to be known as Pip. He's mostly white with patches of orange on his ears and back, and blue eyes, which Beth says makes him an official Alleman.
February Pics
Beth and Robert
This is a sweet picture of Beth and Robert. Beth is his mini-mommy, and Robert is her loyal, loving henchman.
Temple Open House
Here we are at the open house for the Provo City Center Temple. It's beautiful on the inside, and the kids got a kick out of seeing the inside of a temple.
Robbie Showing Us How It's Done
Here's Robbie's take on how you should ride a trike. The sucker is mandatory. Otherwise, you're doing it wrong.
The BIG Announcement
So, if the blog is your only source for Alleman updates - sorry - we got so behind on our posts that we missed a really big one. We have another new addition to the family besides Pip, and February 2016 was when we revealed to the kids if that new addition was going to even up the score on the girl side (which was what Beth was rooting for), or forever cement boy-dominance of the Alleman household (Eric and Robert's preference).
If it was a boy, we were going to put blue balloons in a box and tie the strings to a blue Thomas train of Eric's and let the kids open the box. If it was a girl, the balloons would be pink and tied to a pink train named Rosie. Here's how it went.
Beth put on a brave face, considering she's facing life forever outnumbered. But if anyone is up to the task, it's Beth.
