The Allens, Then and Now: April Activities

It's been a while since my last post. April's been a busy and fun month.
Conference weekend was a nice way to start off the month. Michael went to Priesthood in Salt Lake with his dad and brothers--an Allen tradition. Sometime that first week as well, Michael went snowboarding with Daniel. Here's a pic of the two up on the slopes:

I think Michael actually went boarding three times this past month--twice with Daniel, once with the Young Men.
Anyway, Michael's enjoyed the springtime slowdown at work so he could take some days off for such activities. He's also been able to get our driveway prepped for the new cement that'll be poured in the next few weeks. (Thanks to a torn up driveway due to broken sewer pipes!)
Michael and I have had some fun nights out together the past month. We went out with his best friends and their wives one night, we went to dinner with Bethany and Jesse another night, we went to a Dave Ramsey broadcast, and we went to dinner just as husband and wife a few times as well. So nice to have that time together before the busy summer season approaches.
I got a baby-sitter (other than a grandma) for the first time this week when we went to the Dave Ramsey broadcast. Which, by the way, was awesome. Go to Dave's site at www.townhallforhope.com if you want to check it out. Michael's really gotten into this guy and what he teaches. While his Republican ideals are a far cry from my upbringing, there's no denying he's a wise man. And I appreciate the fact that Michael, even though has heard him speak many times before, keeps taking the time to surround himself with Dave's teachings. It's just good to be around such positive energy and around someone who encourages hard work. Listening to Dave that night reminded me of the power of who you choose to surround yourself with, along with the the power of committing yourself to honest, hard work in your life.
Anyway--back to the baby-sitter issue--I know this is stupid, but I couldn't sleep the night before we were planning to leave her. Not because I didn't trust Ashley, our sitter, 'cuz Michael and I totally trust her and admire her family. But it was at that moment I realized how unbelievably attached I am to my child, and perhaps that I'm becoming more attached as time goes on. Andi's the one that's supposed to have the separation anxiety, but I think it's me that has it instead. The idea of leaving her this summer for stuff like girls camp is a lot for me to swallow.
Anyhow, the night went well and all was fine.
Back to my April review--
Easter was great. The bunny came for Andi, Michael, AND Harry. (Andi got a new book, Michael got a new movie, and Harry got some chews...his fave.) Andi wore a new, adorable Easter dress. We went to the Luke's for dinner and had a fun Easter hunt with the cousins. The holiday was complete. Here's a look at our Easter:

We had another birthday party this month as well--Luke turned four on the 14th. No words do describe the coolness of the moment when the REAL Darth Vader came to visit the party. Holy crap...I think it even scared me. Scott was Daddy of the Year in getting Darth to come. Check out how rad Darth really was:

Here are some other random pics from the month. There's one really adorable picture of Andi and Harry with Max, Harry's "uncle" slash best bud. Joann came all the way up to Ogden to tend Andi so as to give Michael and I a night out. We loved it.
There's also picture of Grandma Luke and her Andi girl at Rainbow Gardens--my mom and my favorite Saturday lunch getaway.
And there's a picture of Andi and her cousin Chase in their carseats when we went to our cousin Angie's baby shower. Andi and Chase: Parters in crime.
I also can't help but put on a picture of Harry when I found him ambushing the sippy cup. This cup is a hot commodity for him lately because I just started to get it out to teach Andi how to use it. Harry obviously likes it.