Ryan sometimes calls Alli by her nickname (the title) and this update is mostly about her since she is all we seem to take pictures of anymore! Just a warning, this is a long post with LOTS of pictures. I realized there were quite a few things that we have done since the computer crashed so I am playing catch up. This is just a random picture (notice only one shoe on, she loves her shoes and will try to put them on her self or will bring us shoes to put on her and she is very happy once she has them on) but I love the outfit (thanks Bryan and Annie) so I had to share it.
So a few weeks ago we planted some fruit trees in the yard and Alli was so helpful! She contributed by testing the year old fertilizer at the nursery (they said it may make her thirsty, but I am pretty sure we got it all out by quickly digging in her mouth since she has been fine), eating the dirt at the nursery, and testing the holes daddy dug to make sure they were big enough.
We also bought Alli a little swimming pool and then it got cloudy again so she hasn't used it outside yet, but the first day (after her lovely mother spent all day blowing the darn thing up in little spurts because dad forgot to inform mom that we have a pump that would fit the hole) she took her bath in part of it in the kitchen. At first she didn't know what to think, but she loves it now.
She found that the pool turned over also doubles as a fabulous slide when leaned against the couch.
One day (the day that inspired the pool purchase) it was pretty warm so as we watered the trees I put her in her swimming suit and we played outside. She wasn't too fond of being sprayed, but liked playing in the water if she could just put her hands in the spray.
We also have made a few trips to the park with some friends. On one such trip we fed the ducks some bread and Alli happened to be leaning halfway out the bar in an effort to share her popsicle with the duck.
Soon after she found our friend's purse and decided that was a necessary accessory for the park. She only put it down to examine a pine cone and when she realized she couldn't climb the stairs holding onto it.
We have loved this warm weather and are excited for many more trips to the park! Trampolines are a new found friend. At first she didn't know exactly how they "worked" but now she makes small little bounces on grandma's tramp.
Alli has discovered that bubbles are great fun and gets so excited whenever I blow them for her.
One of the few things that come before bubbles is "helping" as we work in the yard. Whether it is daddy mowing the lawn or mom weeding, she loves being involved. She followed Ryan around pretty much the entire yard as he moved. We all love being out in the sun!
And just some more random pictures. Alli found the bag of jellybeans I had used to keep her happy during piano lessons and she spilled them all over the floor. She made the best "Oh" a few times and then quickly starting eating as many as she could as fast as she could before we could get them cleaned up.
Somewhere Ryan had this pair of glasses and she thinks glasses, whether they are my mom's reading glasses or sunglasses, are the coolest thing ever.
I bought some beanies that I need to fold and sew so they are the right size for Alli, but obviously I haven't yet. She thinks it is pretty funny to have this one on her whole head since it has holes and she can see you out of it.
And since we live in the hood, here's our gangsta chick. She has recently decided hats are pretty cool too!
Ryan and Phil decided to "perfect" the trick (they started on Sunday) of jumping from the trampoline to the roof of my mom's house. It quickly went from simply jumping up to doing it on like 2 bounces to repeated jumps quickly after each other to turning while jumping up to handstands to break dance moves. It was pretty entertaining! I didn't to possibly delete the videos by moving them so they are at the end of the post. This was followed by some 4-wheeling. Alli had her first ride and at first she wasn't sure what to think, but quickly wanted to drive! 
After all that fun we planted pretty much all of our garden and if it all does well we are going to have a lot of stuff-especially tomatoes! A lady in our ward was there when I was buying so we split packages-of 4 different kinds- so I gave some to my mom, but I think I still have at least 10 tomato plants! O/well hopefully I can bottle some salsa! 
Alli was super helpful in the whole planting process as she ate globs of dirt (no joke I turned once and she had a glob of dirt she was taking a bite of) I quickly took it away and washed her off, but she was still super messy! Does that qualify me for the bad mom club? Hopefully not, she was enjoying herself! I am so thankful to live in America where we have so many freedoms and are so blessed with so many opportunities! Listening to the radio yesterday there were programs about all those who have served and currently serve our country and I am grateful for their sacrifices. One story was about a medic in Iraq and she helped a group of little boys whose arms were covered with chemical burns and she said how grateful the little boys were and how they kept saying they love America and thank you etc. I think Heavenly Father inspired men to found our country on certain principles so it would be a place where freedom could prosper as well as share that freedom with others who are not fortunate. I also think that we have a responsibility to do what we can to ensure that freedoms continue here and elsewhere even as people try to take them away. So there you have it, my two cents (or 5) about Memorial Day and Freedom! Congratulations if you made it all the way to the end!
