Walking to school

As some of you know, I've been trying to work with our city and district officials to find a safe way of getting our kids to school. With boundary changes, our kids are going to a new school this year. We live very close to the school (0.6 miles) but the route is a hazardous one. Our kids must walk along a highly traveled road with no sidewalk, along an unfenced open canal. They finally have a crossing guard (which we had to fight for) at the light at the busiest intersection in the city. But to get there, they must cross a very busy entrance to a shopping center which includes a grocery store, video store, pizza place, and a McDonalds (along with several other businesses.) Then the intersection they cross at with the crossing guard is 50 MPH going North/South and 55 MPH going East/West. After crossing the street, they must cross the entrance to a 7-Eleven gas station. We have had SEVERAL near misses at these crossings and I really am holding my breath until they move the crosswalk up the street to avoid these issues. We're now just waiting for flashing school zone signs and then they'll move the crosswalk to the top of our street. (We had to fight for all of this, mind you.)

About 4 weeks ago our local newspaper started covering the story. It ran in yesterday's paper...front page. Here's a link to the story. Click on the picture and you'll see Addie in a turquoise outfit. Both my boys are hidden behind other people but you can see Calder's shorts and legs behind the girl in the blue shirt and you can see part of Gavin behind the crossing guard.

http://www.standard.net/topics/news/2009/09/14/crossing-boulevard

This has been a battle. And we're not finished. It almost seems silly when you see how close we are to the school. But, try walking it with up to 9 kids by yourself. It's seriously an accident waiting to happen!

Happy Birthday, Calder!!!

My Buggo is 8! Can you believe it!? (Actually, he's been 8 now for 10 days. I'm such a slacker getting to this post.) As you can see, we have a fun-filled party hearty summer every year. There are 23 days between Addie's birthday and Calder's. Gavin's is nestled in there, too. It's so fun for the kids to have summer birthdays. We get to spend their special days together and make them fun.

When Calder was born I realized how much I could fall in love with a baby boy. Before him I actually felt sorry for people who had sons because baby girls were so sweet and so cute. Well. Calder was THE CUTEST baby ever! I mean it. The cutest! He had the sweetest disposition. You couldn't help but smile whenever he was in the same room. I mean, just look at how cute this kid is!!!

(1 year old)

(Always doing something silly...2 years old.)

(Oh, just look at those curls!!! 3 years old.)
(4 Years old.) (5 Years Old.)

I started calling Calder Buggaboo when he was born, and it got shortened to Buggo or Bug. I had no idea that Buggaboo is an actual word meaning something that causes worry. Turns out he lived up to that name. . .


#1) While pregnant with Calder, I developed gestational diabetes for the first time. When in for a routine non-stress test we discovered I had run out of amniotic fluid so they rushed me over to labor and delivery, let me call Gary and then started my labor 2 & 1/2 weeks before my due date.

#2) Calder failed his hearing test in the hospital when he was born, but only in his right ear. They assured me that it was likely debris from birth that would clear out in time. After lots and lots of testing we found that Calder is, in fact, hearing impaired in his right ear. He is so impaired we can technically call him deaf in that ear. It's very uncommon to be born deaf in only one ear. And, to this day we don't know what caused the impairment. You'd really never know he has this disability, though. He manages very well in spite of it!

#3) Calder also had a lot of lung problems as a baby/toddler (although he still always seemed to have a smile on his face!). He had RSV at 6 months, tubes put in his ears (to hopefully help his hearing) when he was 7 months old, and countless bronchial/lung infections. At 1 & 1/2 he was finally diagnosed with asthma, which he has thankfully grown out of mostly. I don't miss the frequent nebulizer treatments one bit!

#4) I can't count the amount of times Calder has been stitched, stapled, or surgically glued shut on his head and face. When he was a toddler, I used to joke that if there was a piece of thread on the carpet, Calder would trip over it.

#5) Now we are getting into some really fun stuff! When Calder first started teething, we realized his top front teeth were coming in crowded even when there was plenty of room. Turns out he has 2 extra teeth up there. In one socket, they're fused together which makes them look crooked. Although it makes for an adorably unique smile we think from Xrays that he has FOUR extra teeth in his permanent set, 2 on top and 2 on the bottom. Now that he's losing teeth it's time to consult with an oral surgeon. Goody goody!

(Oh no! The plastic painted buffalo is gonna get me!!! West Yellowstone... 6 Years old)

(Buffalo River in Island Park... 6 Years Old.)(Yellowstone National Park...7 Years Old.)
Calder has always been a sensitive, caring, loving kid. He has been such a great big brother to Sadie. He does all he can to keep her happy and laughing. When Gavin was born he was a perfect audience for Calder's clowning around. Calder would goof off and Gavin would squeal in delight. I used to call Calder my snuggle bug because he's the only one of my kids who would just sit and be cuddled for as long as I wanted. He still will crawl up onto my lap and give me big, long hugs. I just can't get enough!


(Happy 8th Birthday!)

I asked Calder this year if he'd rather go to Hogle Zoo or the Dinosaur Park for his birthday. I fully expected him to choose the zoo because we only get there every year or so. The Dino Park is so close that we go there a lot more often. But, he surprised me and chose the Dino Park. Gary took the 3 older kids while I, unfortunately, took Sadie to the dr. where we found out she had a double ear infection.

(Dinosaur Park 8/6/2009.)

(Um...this picture speaks for itself.)

On September 5th, Calder will be baptized. He is super excited! He got a new suit for his birthday and looks so handsome. Happy birthday, Buggo!!! We love you so much!

You're invited....

I've invited a couple of friends over for a little party and would love for you to come too.

My friend, Candace, makes watch bands and sells them at boutiques and watch parties. I love the bands she makes. And she sells them for much less than I've seen anywhere else!!! You can check out some of the styles and prices she has by going to the Keisel Kreations link on my blog. Keep in mind this is a small sample of the bands she makes. She'll do special orders, too. She also makes very cute hair bows from ribbon and other cute crafts.

She'll be at my party along with her friend who makes earrings. The two of them buy beads together so you can buy matching watch bands and earrings.

My friend, Amanda, is involved with Homemade Gourmet and will be doing the refreshments. Yum yum! If you've ever tasted Homemade Gourmet, you know it's delicious! She'll have catalogs and product info that night as well.

If you're interested, comment here or send me an email and I'll give you all the details. I'd love for you to pop in and say hi. Who can resist yummy food and fun stuff to browse!!!

August 13th
Open house from 5:30-7:30
Deana's house

Happy Birthday, Gavin Jack!

Gavin's birthday is 4 days after Addie's (on July 18th.) I'm late getting to this post because we threw a birthday party for him and that pretty much took up my day!

My kids get a friends birthday party on their even birthdays (except when they turn 8, then we do a big family party after their baptism.) So, since Gavin was turning 6, he knew it was his year. He had been asking me how long until his party since March. And, he told every single kid he came into contact with that they were invited. So....it was a big deal to say the least. He had so much fun, and we did, too.

Looking back over the 6 years Gavin has been a part of our family brings a lot of smiles to my face. Now, mind you, much of the smiling I do now in remembrance comes from events that were NOT funny at the time! Gavin is, how do I say it, a challenge at times. He has been so full of energy from day one. In fact, he was so anxious to start his journey here on the earth he showed up a year early. Yep, he was a surprise. We planned on spacing 3 years between baby #2 and baby #3, but he totally snuck in when Calder was a month shy of 2 years old. Not only that, he was born 4 weeks early to boot! He even tried to pop on out before there was a doctor in the room to deliver him. The nurses literally crossed my legs for 10 minutes while they frantically tried to locate a doctor. Any doctor!

We lovingly began calling Gavin "Jack Jack" when he was an infant. His middle name is Jack (after my Grandpa) and most of our family calls him Jack. In fact, I may be one of the only family members he has who regularly calls him Gavin. Anyway, when Jack Jack was about 2 years old we saw The Incredibles for the first time. Have you seen it? Have you watched the extra feature called "Jack Jack Attack?" HILARIOUS!!! We laughed so hard because the Jack Jack in the movie was so like our own little Jack Jack, it was scary. Okay, so Gavin can't make things spontaneously combust into flames, but he comes pretty dang close!!! He is such a happy person (most of the time) and his energy can't be matched! He has such a joy of life and his excitement is often contagious.

Here are a few pictures to help illustrate the fun-filled, crazy life of our "awesome and cool" Gavin Jack...

Okay, so this first one isn't so fun-filled. When Gavin was just 5 weeks old, I caught pertussis (whooping cough) and passed it onto him. This was at the beginning of a small outbreak that occurred in the US which led to the discovery that our pertussis immunizations wore off putting us at risk to catch it. Since then, Utah (along with most other states) now require kids to get a booster of the immunization when they enter junior high. This is a nasty disease! I injured my ribs from coughing so violently. Gavin spent 10 days in the hospital and a couple of months on monitors at home recovering. It was a scary experience and I credit his doctor who knew exactly what was wrong (many infants die due to misdiagnosis) and, of course, our Heavenly Father's desire that he be healed and go on to do his work here on this earth.

Bring on the cake! As per tradition, we gave Gavin his very own 1st birthday cake and let him go. And he went!
Such a happy kid! (1 year old.)

At Bear Lake with Gary. These are Gary's friend Dave's dogs Kolob and Lambert. (2 years old.)
Just hangin' out! (A month shy of 3 years old.)

Preschool portrait. (4 years old.)
Looking like a water skeeter in the lazy river. (5 years old.)

Getting ready to blow out the candles on this year's doughnut cake. (6 years old.)

Gavin, we love you so much. Thanks for being you!!! Happy birthday, kid.

PS...stay tuned for some "outtakes" of Gavin in a future post. :)

Happy birthday, Adeline!

Eleven years ago today, I became a mother. Words cannot express the joy I have found in having my sweet Adeline here on the earth as my child. She is growing up so fast, eager to help me out or just spend time with me. I'm hoping that doesn't change in the next couple of years.

There have been times when we've butted heads, especially from ages 2-5, but it mostly just goes to show ya how alike the two of us can be. (Eh hum, did someone say bossy???)

Poor girl, being born first she has been my guinea pig too often. But, it just makes her stronger. :) I tell her how I can relate to her because I was the firstborn, too. In fact, another thing Addie and I share in common is that we are the first grandchild on both sides of our families.

Addie's birth gave a lot of people new titles...Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, Granddad, Aunt, Uncle, Great-Grandma, Great-Grandpa. She's always been so special to so many people.

Here's a stroll down memory lane. So many photos to choose from, here are a few of my favorites...

Birth announcement photo. 3 Days old in the outfit she (and I) wore home from the hospital.

At the Murray Park fireworks just before she turned 2. In fact, when Addie was almost one, she uttered her first word..."WOW!!!" while we were watching a fireworks show.

Can you imagine this sweet little 3-year old pounding her fists on the hospital nursery window exclaiming she didn't want a brother? "I want a sister!!! Boys are stuuuupiiiiiid!!!" Where was the video camera??? That was worth $100,000 on AMV for sure! She literally scared the nurses, and for the next couple of days at the hospital we got several looks of pity and were referred to as the "parents of that one little girl." I think secretly she still holds Calder responsible for some disappointment that day.

Addie at 4 years old. It's no coincidence that many of her photos were taken in red or blue. We were so thrilled to have a July baby that she was patriotic all the time.

Addie at 5, just before starting Kindergarten where she proved to the world how smart and strong-willed she is. She also became a big sister again to yet another brother, Gavin. At this point she figured maybe there were benefits to being the only girl...

Addie at 6 years old, always Mama's buddy!

At 7 years old, Addie finally lost her first tooth. She also got glasses a couple of weeks after this photo was taken.

Addie at age 8. She was baptised a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We also moved out of the townhouse we had lived in for 7 years ON her 8th birthday, so she likes to tell people she got a new house for her birthday.

Our beautiful 9-year old.

Finally, after nearly a decade of waiting, Adeline got a baby sister just before she turned 10.

Adeline, we love you so much and wish you a very happy birthday. You're awesome. And A-some. (It's an inside joke.) ;)

Memorial Day...One to Remember!

Yup. I'm behind as always. We've got a ton of fun pictures to post, so I'll just try and catch up.

For Memorial Day this year we went down near Hanksville to some slot canyons with our friends. Their kids are 21, 18, and 16. We left Sadie home with Auntie Dani and Grandma and Granddad, so the kids we brought along were 10, 7, and 5.

The first day I stayed back at our camp with the little kids so that Gary and the other "grown-ups" and older kids could go do a canyon that was a bit too technical for us. They ended up getting soaking wet, but enjoyed it. We played around in the red rocks, breaking rocks into sand, looking for lizards, and just having fun.

The second day we went down a really long canyon that had 3 major rappels, the biggest being about 70 ft. Gary and I sweated whether or not the kids would be okay, or if they'd throw fits at the top of each rappel. We've rappelled with them before, but in a canyon like this you don't have the choice to back out. I'm happy to report that our kids are AMAZING! Besides Gavin needing to start out facing out from the wall on a couple of rappels, they all did so well. And we all had a super fun time! We also played around in a few less technical slots. Southern Utah is the best! So diverse and so one-of-a-kind!

The last day of our trip we stopped at Goblin Valley. So unique and so fun! Have you ever seen Galaxy Quest? Yeah, part of it was filmed here. (I said miners, not minors!) Keep in mind when browsing the pictures that we were definitely roughing it and in the rain nearly the whole time. So, as you can see, we look LOVELY!!!


What a fun weekend. We seriously can't wait to go again. Our friends were so awesome with our kids. They each had a buddy so a big kid was paired up with a little kid and it helped ease our minds significantly. Lonny helped at the bottom of the rappels while Gary helped at the top. Gayla and I (the moms) just tried to keep kids happy and away from ledges. All in all it worked out great and was a trip we'll remember forever!

Finding lizards.

The whole crew (minus Gayla...thanks for snapping the picture!) Yes, that is Gary at the top.

A bunch of us hanging out at the top of the big rappel.

Gary easing Deana over the biggest rappel of the day.

Addie at the top of the big rappel. That's Deana waiting down below.

Calder shows how excited he is that he just did it!

Lonny helping Addie at the bottom of a rappel.

Lonny helping Calder at the bottom of a rappel.

Lonny helping Gavin at the bottom of a rappel.

Addie, Calder, and Gavin with Raddison in a hole he used to anchor us while we rappelled.

Addie "holding" a goblin.

The Davis Family (minus poor Sadie) at Goblin Valley.

Some cute goblins in Goblin Valley.

Sadie on her aero plane

I'm still in the process of getting b.day pics off of Gary's phone and my dad's camera. So, all I have for now is a very blurry photo of Sadie on one of her presents. She got this little airplane from Grandma and Granddad. She absolutely LOVES it. And she seems so big as she's able to board it all on her own. She got this cute sundress from her aunt and uncle. Notice her ladylike side-saddle stance here. What a sweetie!!!



We went in for Sadie's 1-year check-up today. She's below the 5th percentile for her weight. If you know our kids, that is NOT a surprise. She's 17 lbs., 7 oz. But, get this, she's in the 50th percentile for her height. Hmmmm. That's a new one for us. And even more surprising is that she's in the 60th percentile for her head circumference. Now, Gary lovingly calls her "fat head." Ummmmm, yeah.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SADIE!!!

It's my baby's first birthday today. How time flies!!! We got a new niece, Jaydelynn, today. What a nice gift to give Sadie. :) I will post pictures of Sadie's birthday celebration later.

Some random photos for your enjoyment...since I'm so far behind. :)

Rub a dub dub, three boys in the tub...Calder, Ethan (my brother's little guy), and Gavin.

Finnegan loves Sadie, and Sadie LOOOOOVES Finny! :) She was seriously squealing with delight here. Sadie. Not the cat. The cat doesn't squeal with delight normally.

My beautiful, freshly bathed, baby.

The next several pictures were taken on the St. George LDS Temple grounds in April. Gavin

Adeline

Calder (oh, pleeeeease ignore the sandals with socks...)

Sadie

All 4.

Sadie with Dad and Mom.

Addie loves this temple. She has expressed her desire to be married here someday.

So sweet. :)

Grandma blowing out her candles...

...on her delicious lemon mirengue (however you spell it) pie.

Celebrating my grandma's 87th birthday in St. George.

No, she is NOT young Obi Wan...

( Sorry it's blurry)...Addie had a small skit she got to perform at the Treehouse Museum for a school assignment. Here she is as "Will, the lowly plowboy."

Calder, Ethan, and Gavin at the Treehouse Museum.




Calder

Sadie helped me pull weeds. You gotta train them early!!!