Tristan's first church service

This Sunday was Tristan's first church experience. He was almost five weeks old, the age at which Maura went to church for the first time. We decided to brave the germs and get him out of the house for a church service. I wasn't sure how well we'd be able to get ourselves ready and out of the house in order to get there on time, but things went well. We actually left the house five minutes early, which NEVER happens! Tristan and I made it through the first five minutes or so of service before he started fussing and we retreated to the nursery to nurse. I did bring him back afterwards, though, and he slept like an angel through the rest of service and Sunday School. It was so much fun introducing him to everyone. So many people have been looking forward to his arrival, and it's always fun to meet a new baby. I wore his little train bubble on him, the same one he wore home from the hospital. Amazingly, I didn't get any up close pictures of him. By the time we got home, he was screaming to eat and I just forgot! Oh, well, it's not like there aren't any pictures of the child on other days!


The Allen family all enjoying church together. Southside Church of Christ, June 2008.

We're so proud of our little boy and loved introducing him to our church family.

Next Sunday is promotion Sunday and Maura and all her friends will be moving up to the two-year-old class. It'll be a big change for them because it'll be more class and less play. I snuck into the classroom during Sunday School to get one last picture of them all in Toddler Class. From left to right; Maura, Luke, Reagan, Addia and Milbrey Ann. There are generally about ten in the class, but a lot of people must be gone on vacations and such.

I'm going to love having these pictures of them all when they graduate from High School!


Marilyn and Maura. Marilyn is a young girl who LOVES little kids. She's only eleven, but she's been helping to care for younger children for most of her life because she really likes it. She's taken a special interest in Maura because they live in Georgetown too, and I've had her come over a few times to be a mother's helper for me. She's practically begging her mother to let her come over and play with Maura this summer while she's off school. I'm really going to take advantage of the offer and have her come over as much as she likes. I could really use the help. Tristan has been much more awake over the past few days and it's much more difficult to juggle both kids. I'd better learn quickly, though. I'm going to be on my own before too long. From what we know of what Brent's job will be like in Georgia, it sounds like he's going to be spending a lot of time in the field. Looks like I'm going to get to experience single parenthood firsthand. I know that God is going to bless our time down there, though, and we'll be a stronger family in the end. Still...