cory's news letter

The Allens….2006
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Hello there everyone.  Time for another round of "What Meagan and Cory and the Kids Have Been Up To For The Last Year."  It's been busy, but you'll read that on every other letter in this book this year.  Also, the kids are growing, work is busy, traveling, scholarships, tears of pain, tears of joy, yadda, yadda, so on and so forth.....  You get the point.  Here's a quick rundown of what's happenin in b-town:

I'll start with the littlest of the spawn.  Her name is Hazel, and she is beautiful.  Unfortunately, though, her leg muscles are failing to develop as they should because SHE NEVER TOUCHES THE GROUND.  Not content unless she is being held, Hazel is helping Meags master the art of running a life ONE HANDED.  And to back up those good looks, she is also brilliant.  She is quite adept at using sign language to ask for "more" and to let Meags know it is time to "nurse."  She is also just finishing up the memorization of several passages of Chinese poetry.  I can't really understand the stuff, but I'm not really into it to be honest with you.

The next oldest, Wil, doesn't like Chinese poetry.  He likes to kill things and dress like Batman.  In fact, while Jack and Bennett are at soccer practice, Wil claims that he is going to Batman school.  I wish.  But underneath that tough-guy facade, cape, and deep voice is really the biggest mamma's boy on the face of the earth.  He absolutely LOVES his little brothers and sisters, and is looking forward to the soon-to-be days when Jack and Bennett are at school and he gets to be the man of the house.  However, we are dreading the quickly approaching day of Brooke and Co. leaving to Germany, due to the fact that Wil and Sadie have become BEST FRIENDS.  Sadie was gone a couple of weeks ago, and Wil was a lost puppy.  It was quite sad, but neat to know they're such good friends.

Bennett is the most gorgeous three-foot-tall athlete in the world, and an absolute sweetheart to boot.  Even with the attitude that accompanies this little chick, she still manages to be the most caring and sympathetic in the family.  When someone is hurt or disappointed, leave it to Bennett to be the first to offer help.  This is a big year for Bennett.  She is going from a stay-at-home little girl to a school attending, soccer playing, ballet dancing, 5-mile-hiking-with-a-pack-on, superwoman sort of a thing.  She is also wonderful at spelling things backwards really quickly... this, in my opinion, is her greatest attribute.

Finally, for the kidsies, Jackson walks the fine line of being a little kid/big kid who is depended upon by both parents and baby siblings at the same time.  Jack has done some amazing things this year... he has broken three boards in Tae Kwon Do (as in kicking and punching pieces of wood, man), he begins his 3rd year of school, second year of soccer, and is heading into his second year of art classes (we don't force the art on him, he just REALLY REALLY LIKES TO DRAW).  Jackson has always had, and still does, a strong love of stories; so his discovery of reading is really starting to take off as well.

As for the a-dults, Meagan is seemingly beginning to figure out how to handle life with four children.  What once seemed overwhelmingly impossible is now becoming mere child's play, even as the kid's schedule gets more and more demanding.  Houses are clean, dinners are cooked, and everyone's hair is always done.  She continues to be an amazing woman, running upwards of 40 miles plus a week, wandering around the Cascades with a backpack on with her kids in tow, and memorizing gobs and gobs of Chinese poetry.  She has a couple of good runs to look forward to this summer, namely a 195-mile relay run from the mountains to the beach in Oregon, and a marathon in Eastern WA a little later on (hence the 40+ miles a week).  Her ultimate goal is the run the Western States 100, which is 100 miles through the mountains on a little trail (hence the Chinese poetry.  Read: crazy).  Someday, Meags, will no doubt run that race.

As for myself, I have just put the finishing touches on my magical staff and am in the process of changing my legal name to Cory the Grey.  I tried getting into Chinese poetry, but wizards are more my thing, you know what I mean?  Even though I am working and living in the real world (people tell me), I still spend too much time wondering what I'm going to do when I grow up.  But what the hey, life is great in the meantime, and there is nothing more fulfilling and fun for a guy to do than sit around and watch his brood get through this life.  No doubt, life is good.

Have a great year everybody.