THE DAVIS LOT

Yay!!! 11:00 Church...

2011-01-03T12:08:00.000-07:00

Well, I was wondering how it'd go on the new schedule. I really do enjoy the 9:00 church time, but was hoping having a little more morning relax time would help the kids be happy at church. We actually made it there on time. That rarely happens, so that was a plus!

I was mostly worried about Sadie since she would usually have her meltdown about 20 minutes into Sacrament meeting. That was around 11:15. I was prepared for a fight going to nursery. Nope, she waltzed right in all ready to play. Phew. I expected the normal freak-out during sacrament. Nope, made it almost to the very end.......just 5 minutes to go.........

Then, she sneakily escaped and found herself up on the stand as a man was bearing his testimony. The congregation laughed as she made faces next to him. Then I realized she was up there and could feel my face burning. I looked at Gary and mouthed to "get up there and get her!!!" As soon as Sadie saw Daddy heading towards her she bolted past the bishopric and ran into the choir seats. Gary decided it wasn't worth the goose chase that would definitely follow, so he walked back to our seat leaving Sadie to explore the cool choir chairs that flip up and down. She was hidden by the piano, so all I could see was her legs. I figured this was better than Gary running around trying to tackle her, and she didn't seem to be distracting anyone so I just kept my eye on her hoping we would make it through this last testimony without any huge embarrassments. As soon as the 1st counselor announced the closing hymn, Sadie took this as her cue to play the piano. Gary was almost up to her when she found her seat and began playing, no pounding, on the piano keys. Luckily she only got 2 good hits in before he snatched her, screaming like a banshee, and took her outside. I can only imagine how red my face was as I laugh/cried with my head hidden.

I'm glad I have an awesome ward, because pretty much everyone let me know how funny that was and had stories to share of their own kids' past misbehaviors. I even got a text from our neighbor who is in the singles ward letting me know his ward would appreciate Sadie's piano solo and asked when she was available.

Way to ring in the new year! Glad I have a testimony that the church is true, or I'd likely be too embarrassed to go back!

anyone still reading this???

2010-12-19T20:17:00.000-07:00

I doubt it, but I'm just curious. You know it's bad when you check your blog and your background is no longer in service....

Wanted to wish all my friends and family a very merry Christmas! Hope you are all happy and well.

Here's a question for you all....how do you balance having your kids do chores with actually having a clean house? We're struggling in that area right now. I think it's important for the kids to learn how to work. And, let's face it, I can take all the help I can get. But, how picky should I be with them? I don't want to criticize them too much. I don't want to go back and redo their work. So, I've been letting it go. And things are piling up! Any suggestions????

Love you all! Deana :)

Walking to school

2009-09-16T09:28:00.004-06:00

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!!!

2009-08-16T21:49:00.013-06:00

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....

2009-07-30T19:07:00.003-06:00

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!

2009-07-20T18:35:00.014-06:00

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!

2009-07-14T18:49:00.016-06:00

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!

2009-07-12T20:02:00.021-06:00

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

2009-06-10T22:02:00.004-06:00

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!!!

2009-05-28T15:49:00.001-06:00

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. :)

2009-05-27T14:37:00.022-06:00

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!!!

Dial-Up Internet + BUSY BUSY BUSY = No blog updates for a loooong time!

2009-05-19T11:17:00.011-06:00

I know it's all just excuses, but the title really does explain it all. I can't bring myself to spend one and a half hours at the computer updating my blog right now because I just don't have the patience. Really. You don't want to hear the things I call my computer when I am waiting for a picture to upload....and waiting....and waiting...all the while trying to sooth a teething baby, fold my never-shrinking, ever-growing MOUNTAIN of laundry, going to work where the kids (and I) have Spring Fever BIG TIME, and on, and on, and on. Yes, I know that was a major run-on sentence, but cut me some slack here, alright!?

Anyway....as the end of the school year approaches, so does our long- awaited Summer break. We have so many fun things to do. Hopefully I won't miss something major because my engagement calendar is busting at the seams right now. All 3 school kids have at least 2 field trips in the next week and a half. Softball, achievement days activities, and piano for Addie, T-Ball for Gavin, Baseball for Calder, girls' camp for Deana, and soon swim lessons for all 4 of the Davis chillins, plus all 4 kids' birthdays in the next 2 & 1/2 months. Oh,! and a baptism, too. We've also got a couple camping trips coming up for the family as well.

Throw some not-so-fun things in which are coming up this summer including 2 surgeries (Deana and Gavin) and one other painful medical procedure (Deana again...) and you can see I'm thrilled/stressed/excited to the max. Hopefully I will sneak onto the computer here and there and keep you all posted!

So, as to not disappoint, I'll throw in some fun pictures. This is from a family hike we went on above North Ogden last month.

"It's just a cold..."

2009-03-30T15:09:00.004-06:00

In my opinion, these 4 words are among the most annoyingly dissappointing words a frazzled mother can hear. Now don't get me wrong. I'll take this diagnosis over some of my less happy diagnoses such as croupe (sp?), RSV, whooping cough, etc, etc, etc, any day. But somehow when a normally sweeter-than-pure-cane-sugar 10 month-old turns into a whining, ornery, scorchingly hot-to-the-touch, lethargic glob of misery, you hope that your $20 co-pay will give you a bit more bang for your buck! Ear infection? Antibiotic! Strep throat? Antibiotic! "Just a cold?" Nothing more than a helpful, "Continue to do what you've been doing for the last 4 or more days and come back if it gets worse." In my seasoned years of being a mommy, I have learned that this particular set of instructions is followed up in one of two ways. A) You suffer for another week or so with no sleep, high temps, crying, suffering, helplessness and then eventually all is well. Or, B) You suffer for another week or so with no sleep, high temps, crying, suffering, helplessness and then you end up paying another $20 (or $35 since you usually end up in the after-hours clinic) to see that your child now has strep throat, an ear infection, or still (drumroll.....) "just a cold."

I need to remember to be thankful!

2009-03-15T10:34:00.004-06:00

Sadly I catch myself getting caught up too often in thinking about the things I have to do. I love my job, but many days I have a hard time wanting to go to work. What I am trying to do is focus on the things I get to do, the things I love and enjoy, the things I am happy for in my life...

I am thankful that I get to spend half of my mornings with just Gavin and Sadie. I love this special time to interact with them more one-on-one. Gavin has afternoon kindergarten and so I enjoy spending these mornings with him doing homework, reading books, goofing off, and just being together. He is such a fun kid and he makes me laugh every day...

I am thankful that I have happy, healthy kids. Sadie is such a joy in our home. I can't imagine life without her. She has such a sweet disposition and her brothers and sister just love her to pieces. I can't get enough of the kisses, snuggles, and giggles. She is at such a fun stage where she interacts by playing peek-a-boo, doing pat-a-cakes and soooo-bigs. She mimics us with raspberries, cocking her head to one side with a smile, and "talking" to us. She is mobile enough to get where she wants to be but not too mobile as to get into a lot of trouble. I know that'll be coming any day now...I am thankful that my kids love each other. Sure, we have our fair share of sibling squabbles but for the most part, they love being around one another. And, they all LOVE baby Sadie. You never know how kids will react to an addition to the family. I must confess I was a bit nervous Gavin would throw some fits since he had been the baby for 5 years. But, he loves his sister and watches out for her. I am thankful that Sadie isn't ashamed of her perpetual "Bed-head" look. She also is such a trooper when it's time to get the snarls out. She sits still and doesn't let out a squawk. She'll let me put rubber bands in her hair, clips, or barretts. She's fine with it all. I know I'm lucky to have that!

I am especially grateful at this troublesome time that Gary and I both have steady incomes in a stable profession. It also doesn't hurt that we have our nights, weekends, and summers together! We are lucky to have the things that we have. We are blessed with so much and I just need to remember not to take any of it for granted.

Now I feel like I should say Amen, or something.

So, Amen. :)

Gary hits the big 3-5!

2009-02-24T19:27:00.007-07:00

And the smoke detectors go CRAZY!!!

I'm a bit behind on this post seeing as how Gary's birthday was February 10th. Perhaps I'm a bit perplexed by the fact that I'm married to an old man. Maybe I'm freaking out because that'll be me in about 7 months. Or, it could just be that I'm so busy and my internet is sooo slow. Yeah, we'll go with that one.

The Friday before Gary's birthday I took him out to dinner at Olive Garden. Yum! I asked him if he wanted to go to a movie, but he chose to window shop at Canyon Sports and a Toyota dealership instead. Um, okay, whatever. It's your birthday. We had a nice night out, free of kids and all. On his actual birthday, the kids all pitched in decorating and candle-ing the cake so we could sing to him when he got home from school. Fun fun fun! Gary's big present from the family??? Rock Band 2!!! Yes, we're addicted. And we know it.

Hmmm, who's excited for his birthday???

Deana and Sadie watch on...

My First Tag

2009-02-16T12:40:00.003-07:00

I've never responded to a tag before. Not that I don't want to, but I just feel like the most boring person in the world, so I don't want to bore any of you. Anyway, this one looked like fun, so I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna play along. Here I go. You ready???

Okay, so Becky (my friend from college) tagged me and these are the rules:

#1- go to your pictures, #2 - pick the 4th folder and #3 - pick the 4th picture and tell about it.

Here it is:

Here is Addie with her new MLP castle on Christmas morning 2005. She luh-hu-hu-hu-ved it! For about 2 months. Then she decided a 7-year old is too old for that stuff. (She was probably right, but I just have a hard time letting her grow up.) And, it's been in her closet ever since. Good think Sadie will love it someday.

Okay, so now it's my turn to tag 4 people. I really don't even know if anyone reads my blog any more because I never update it. So, I'll tag Krista, Erin, Candace, and Shelly. We'll see what happens. Leave me a comment if you choose to play along. :)

RockBand

2009-01-30T20:00:00.007-07:00

My new favorite day of the week??? Lazy RockBand Saturday! Forget laundry, forget scrubbing toilets, heck forget even getting out of jammies! It's time to rock!!!

I find it funny that so many of us 30-somethings are indulging in video games with our kids more than ever before. But, it is so dang fun! Nothing wrong with jamming out to songs from high school with our little ones, right? And nothing warms the soul more than hearing your 7-year old humming The Pixies while he unloads the dishwasher, or having your 5-year old break out his Faith No More while walking down the frozen foods aisle at Smith's. :)

When we play as a family, our band name is "The Lot." When it's just Gary and me, we're "The Wee Todds." What's your band name???

Sadie's 'Do

2009-01-26T17:06:00.008-07:00

So, unlike the rest of my children, Sadie did not lose her hair at around 6 months old. All of my kids have been born with plenty of hair, but Sadie definitely takes the cake. Now at 8 months old, her hair is past her shoulders in the back, it's unreal. I decided to just "try" and put curlers in her hair. Just for fun. Addie hasn't let me touch her hair in about 6 years now, so I'm just itchin' to do some fun things again. Well, true to her angelic nature, Sadie sat still as could be while I played mommy hairdresser. She didn't even try to yank any curlers out while they dried. Here are a couple of pics for your enjoyment. I am just sooooo excited to have a little baby girl again to let me dress up and use as my own personal dolly.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-28T17:18:00.003-07:00

We hope you had a very merry Christmas. We sure did. Throughout the week, we received around 10 inches of snow, making for a white and beautiful Christmas.

Gary and I went against our steadfast rule of never ever ever owning a gaming system. We let Santa get the family a Wii for Christmas. Each of the kids got a game, and we got Rock Band. It is soooo fun! Neither of us is great at drumming, but Gary does well on lead guitar and I do alright on bass. When Addie is around, she is normally the singer, although I'll pitch in here and there. Get it? Pitch in! :) Ha, ha, ha!!! Okay, nevermind. Anyway, it's fun because the Wii lets us play together, and that is what we liked about it. Sad, but true, we have all experienced a bit of Wii-itis after big games of bowling or tennis, but for the most part it's been nothing but fun.

We're all enjoying a break from school and work. Happy holidays from all of us to all of you!

So, this is what Sadie thinks of us.

2008-12-20T08:43:00.002-07:00

November 2008

Here are a couple of pictures Gary took from our backyard last week.

2008-12-14T16:14:00.004-07:00

This one is looking West. It was such a beautiful sunset, that even this picture can't do it justice.

Ben Lomond Peak in the reflected sunset. Looking North from our bedroom window.

Her First "Real" Meal

2008-11-10T20:29:00.005-07:00

We've reached yet another milestone. Sadie enjoyed her first taste of rice cereal last week. I only give it to her once a day at this point to let her kind of get a feel for it. She does better some days than others. Believe it or not, her first try was the most successful of them all! She emptied her bowl entirely!

This is Halloween!

2008-11-02T20:21:00.010-07:00

This is the best time of the year! The trees are vibrant with color, the weather is getting milder (if not chilly), and the holidays are just around the corner. What could be better?

Here are a few pictures of our Halloween for you to enjoy:

Every year we get all the Davis cousins together in their costumes just before Halloween so they can all admire one another. Looks like Gabe isn't too keen on Davis's costume! Run, little bee, run! Sadie is the pumpkin on Addie's lap.

Scarecrow Adeline

Ironman Calder

Spiderman Gavin

Pumpkin Sadie with her Spooky Daddy. Oh wait, he's not in a costume. Ha ha ha!

(By the way, if you like Sadie's cute little hair bow, go to my teaching partner, Candace's blog where she sells them. She calls this one the Halloween Korker. She makes some cute stuff, so check it out! keiselkreations.blogspot.com)

Happy Halloween 2008!!!

Family fun!

2008-10-22T21:01:00.006-06:00

Sunday, October 12th, my little, er I mean younger brother, Cory, blessed his new little Aidan. We all made it there for the blessing and yummy food afterwards. Lyn's mom makes some delicious chile verde. Add my mom's classic cookies to the mix and you have a hard time kicking me out of the joint!

Here's the cute family: Lyn is holding Aidan David and Cory is holding Ethan.

Sad, but true, this is our first official family photo. and didn't it turn out great!? Pay no attention to the evil expression on my sweet Calder's face. He's going through the 7-year-old-boy-has-to-goof-off-in-every-picture phase. As Yoda would say, "Love him, we do!"

Here are the two precious baby cousins. Love Sadie's drool spot! Mmmmmm! The combo of Aidan and Sadie are lovingly referred to as "Saidan" by Granddad Robison. :)

Our little Sadie is already 4 months old!

2008-10-04T16:21:00.003-06:00

Where in the world does the time go? Our sweet baby, Sadie, turned four months old last Sunday. Although I struggle to remember life without her, it seems crazy to think that she's been with us for so long.

Right now, Sadie is 12 lbs, 10 oz. That's a chunky kid for us!!! She has rolley-polley legs which are just the cutest. I've never had a kid with rolls. Never!

She is at such a fun age. I always enjoy this stage when they are more alert and responsive, but not into everything yet. It gets even better once they can sit up on their own and entertain themselves for a bit.

Sadie is smiling a ton now. I got a cute photo of her doing just that. I put her in the saucer (thanks, Aunt Karen) which I only brought in the house because I was babysitting my neighbor's 1-year old the other day. I didn't think Sadie would even care, but she started looking at all of the toys and just got really happy. She is also cooing and babbling a lot more. We still haven't gotten her to let out a laugh. It's seriously like she's trying to hold them in. She'll cough/grunt when we tickle her, like she just won't let that giggle come out!

She is gaining more and more control over her movements right now. She reaches out to things, especially the little toy we have on her carseat. She loves making it jingle. She grabs onto everything that comes into reach, including her clothes, my clothes, burp rags, long hair (watch out!), and toys. She stares and stares at her hands with wonder and amazement. She also loves to give us a good splash while she's in the tub! It's amazing to watch the growth she is experiencing, both physically and mentally. Remember there's a 5-year gap between Gavin and Sadie, so I am really remembering so much that I had forgotten about specific milestones. So fun!

Sadie is our little angel and we are so blessed to have her in our family. I thank my Heavenly Father every day for sending her to me. She is so sweet and always has a happy little twinkle in her eye. We just love love love her so much!

Spider Gary

2008-09-28T09:59:00.002-06:00

My crazy hubby and I, along with a couple of other cool "grown-ups" ;) took the young women to City of Rocks, Idaho a couple of weekends ago. We had a fantabulous time. I have got the greatest group of girls! Needless to say, the girls were wowed by Gary's awesome skills. They dubbed him "Spider Gary." Here's a picture of him goofing off.

Slacker!

2008-09-25T15:44:00.002-06:00

Apparently I need to update more often or I'm going to lose all (3) of my devoted readers. Complaints have been pouring (trickling) in. I have been soooo busy! Holy cow. I promise to post some good stuff coming up. We have lots of fun pictures on our camera I need to upload and then I'll get rollin'.

Blast that watermelon!...

2008-09-06T21:50:00.005-06:00

So, apparently I really AM allergic to watermelon. Who knew???

About 15 years ago, I noticed my throat would tickle and feel a bit sore after I ate watermelon. So, I tried what any rational person would try and I ate a whole bunch of the stuff just to see if it was my imagination. Nope, I really was allergic to watermelon. So I stayed away from the stuff as much as it pained me to do so. I love the taste, the texture, the watery juice, the coolness of a chilled piece of watermelon sliding down my throat on a hot summer day. But, I didn't want to run the risk of going into some allergy-induced throat swelling or something.

Well, fast forward about 12 years or so, and wouldn't you know it, curiosity got the better of me. I tried some watermelon. Just to see. And guess what? NOTHING! No tickling throat, no soreness, no itching, no nothin'. So, I 've happily been eating the nummy gourd for about 3 or so years now symptom free.

Okay, fast forward again to about 10 days ago. There I was, doing my best to set up my classroom and get ready for the new school year at a new place. I was eating pretty well, mostly because my teaching partner is eating well and I didn't want to down the usual chips and cookies in front of her. How embarassing! So, I bought me a nice, juicy watermelon, cut half of it up into bite-sized cubes, and threw it in the fridge for a quick serving of fruit here and there. I was eating the stuff a couple of times a day. And, dang, it was good!

Anyway, first day of school rolls around, and I start to itch a bit. Second day of school comes, and I itch some more. The middle of the night before the third day of school arrives (which happens to be my FIRST day of teaching due to my part-time schedule), and I wake up with a mild case of hives. Could it be stress? Could it be the portable I'm teaching in? I dunno. Fourth day of school rolls around, and I am scratching like there's no tomorrow! At this point I'm more hive than normal skin. I have a fever and my whole body feels like I'm being attacked by bees. Killer bees. I go into the doctor the minute the kids leave the portable. The doctor seriously does a double-take when he walks in the room. Poor Deana. Swollen eye lids, patchy bumpy skin, tingly lips and tongue and throat. Needless to say, I was immediately given a steroid shot, and prescribed 3 medications to take for a week to stop the allergic reaction.

I'm still not 100% sure what's caused this reaction, but I've narrowed it down to a few culprits. Could be my portable (very musty smelling, and a new environment), could be the watermelon (still remembering my previous reactions to it...although they really weren't a big deal), could be the cinnamon gum I had been chewing (I occassionally get wheezy with it and the cinnamon toothpaste I use, but DANG I love me some cinnamon!) So, what's a girl to do?

Well, never NEVER wanting to meet Hivey Deana again, I needed to figure out exactly what did this to me. So, I did what any rational (are you seeing a pattern here???) person would do and waited for the hives to subside and the steroid prescription to run out and tried me some watermelon! I've taught another hive-free week in the portable, so it seemed like the best thing to do. And I very responsibly only tried a little bit tonight. But, guess what......I'M ALLERGIC TO WATERMELON!!! As I write this, my lips, tongue and throat are tingling. My skin is itching, and I'm MAD! I love watermelon. But, apparently it is not to be between us. I'm going to have to give it up for good.

Sniffle, sniffle.

I just count my blessings I'm not allergic to chocolate milk. :)

Rise and Shout!!!

2008-09-02T20:43:00.008-06:00

Gary and I were able to go to the BYU game on Saturday. (THANKS DAD AND CORY!!!) We invited Gary's brother, Jeff, and his wife, Lisa. Despite a few glitches, we got there and enjoyed seeing the cougs beat Northern Iowa 41-17. Woo hoo!!!

I used to get to go to games all the time, but haven't been to one in a couple of years. Maybe I'm getting old. Maybe I'm getting lazy. Okay, actually those aren't maybes...But, I'm almost to the point where I'd rather sit on my leather recliner surrounded by inexpensive (and caffeinated) treats and watch the game at home. How pathetic am I becoming!? At least I have cable.

You may not know this, but Gary allows me to upgrade our cable for football season each year as my birthday present. So, fall is my favorite season for many, many a reason! Cougar football, my birthday, cooler weather, and COMCAST! Yay!!!

Go Cougars!!!

Sorensen kicking off after a score (or laying an egg...can't tell which.)

Max Hall throwing one of his many completions.

My dorky husband taking a photo of us.

PS...Gary took all of these fabulous photos with our "new" camera. (Thanks for the deal on your old one, Dad.) :)

Addie's special day

2008-08-25T09:34:00.005-06:00

Our stake conference was held yesterday at the Ogden tabernacle on the temple grounds. Addie was invited to be in the primary choir. She was so excited! She went to practice every Saturday morning, and then got to perform yesterday. The choir sounded so beautiful. The director is from our ward and is so talented. The first song was a medley of I Am a Child of God, Army of Helaman, and We Thank Thee, O God, For a Prophet. The second song was Families Can Be Together Forever. Then they sang Love is Spoken Here (one of my all-time favorites, which gives me goose bumps every time I hear it...) The last song was one I hadn't heard before called I Know that My Savior Loves Me. They incorporated bells in one song and sign language in another. It was such a special experience for Addie. I could see her beaming up on the stand.The highlight for Addie, though, was that she got to shake an apostle's hand. Elder Robert D. Hales, of the Quorom of the Twelve Apostles from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints spoke to us. Addie was fortunate enough to get a handshake and a "hello" from him. Even at such a young age, she knew she was meeting an important man of God. Gary and I realized neither of us has shaken an apostle's hand. What a lucky girl!

Hello again...

2008-08-23T17:13:00.003-06:00

You may have noticed I've been missing for a while. Alas, I had to go back to work on the 13th. Summer just doesn't seem long enough, but, then again, I'm ready to get back into the structure and schedule.

My new teaching partner (Candace) and I have been busy readying our room (it's a portable which means we get A/C...yay!!!) and trying to figure out the newly adopted reading program, plus planning out the first couple of weeks. I'm teaching 5th grade this year. I'll be working every Thurs. and Fri. as well as every-other Wed. It should be a sweet deal. I taught 6th grade part time last year, but worked every single morning (with alternating full-day Wednesdays). It'll be nice to have 2 to 3 full days off per week this year.

Candace and I met our new class on back to school night a couple of days ago. Looks like a cute bunch of kids. We've got a lot more girls in our class than boys. We'll have to see how that goes. I happen to have my own 5th grade girl at home, and let me tell you, it can be a dramatic experience some days! :)

I haven't taught 5th grade since my student teaching days years and years ago! It has a fun curriculum. American history, electricity, physical matter, magnetism, US geography, and novels, etc. I really enjoyed teaching 6th. I hope to like 5th just as much. My mom has taught 5th for years and really likes it (well...most days.)

I switched schools because this new one happens to be 2.2 miles from my house. (It's not the closest school, or even the 2nd closest school to my house...can you believe that?) My old school was a 20-25 min. commute each way. So, I'm definitely excited for that part. The faculty at this new school has been very welcoming and the 5th grade team is very helpful! I will miss my last school for sure. But, this new one seems to be a great place to work. I'll keep you posted.

Sadie's Blessing Day

2008-08-14T19:36:00.002-06:00

Gary blessed Sadie on Sunday, August 3rd. It was a beautiful blessing. It was so special to have all 4 of Gary's brothers and both of my brothers, along with both of our fathers take part in the blessing as well. I am truly grateful for the gospel in my life. I am grateful to have a wonderful husband who has the power to bless my family. On a lighter note, I'm happy Gary didn't sneak in Sadie Sue as her given name. That's a nickname he calls her and for some reason it really bugs me!I took this second photo the night before Sadie's blessing. I put her dress on her just to be sure it fit and everything. She looks like a mad little bird trying to get away from me! She wore the cute headband for the blessing and then we took it off because she has a teeny head and it was drooping into her eyes.

How can something so small...

2008-08-11T15:20:00.005-06:00

.....cause a man so much grief???

What you see in my hand here is a kidney stone. This little bugger sent Gary to the ER last week in such agonizing pain. He held out, thinking he could just be tough (and not have to pay the $75 ER copay.) But, the pain was unbearable. We finally went in so they could hook him up with the "good stuff" that he got with his appendicitis a few months back. (Incidentally, Gary commented that he would take another round of appendix pain over this any day.) Once the IV drugs kicked in, he told me that it was the best $75 we could have ever spent. Poor kid!

We've heard plenty of people telling us passing a kidney stone is worse than labor. Well, he's never been in labor, and I've never had a kidney stone, so we'll just take their word for it. I really don't want to experience one myself in order to tell you whether they're right or not. But, sadly, Gary will likely be passing more stones. The CT scan revealed several more hanging out in his right kidney. Oh boy...can't wait!

By the way, here's a big thank you to Brenda and to Dani who were willing to come watch my kids late at night in a pinch! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

888

2008-08-08T11:16:00.002-06:00

Today is 8-8-08!!! Isn't that the coolest date ever!!! Anyone who knows me knows I'm a numbers freak, especially when it comes to dates. Today should be a holiday in my opinion! :)

The birthday boy!

2008-08-08T10:50:00.004-06:00

Well, we just celebrated the last of our kids' birthdays until next year. I, unfortunately, don't have all too many pics of Calder's special day. If you read in an earlier post, both Addie's and my digital cameras are no more. So, we're currently relying on cell phone photos. (Please note Calder's handsome post-bath wet head!) Gary has some more pics on his phone, but he's out of town for a couple of days. So, here's what you get for now. Poor middle child always gets the shaft!

Addie decorated the top of Calder's cake this year. It's an omnitrix. If you don't know what an omnitrix is, you must not have a 7-year old boy in your house. It's a Ben 10 thing. Calder's sooooo into Ben 10. He owns nearly every one of the aliens, and got his 2nd omnitrix for his birthday (the first one got worn out), plus a Ben 10 DVD game, a Ben 10 sticker book, etc, etc.

He's also into Star Wars right now. Funny thing is that he's never seen any of the movies. Yet, he's familiar with most of the characters. That's his new light saber in his hand in the photos. Crazy thing, when Calder talks about Star Wars, he's referring to Episodes 1-3 and The Clone Wars cartoon coming out this summer. I still think of Star Wars as the 70's movie with awesome special effects that I actually saw in the theater three times as a youngster. Generation gap, anyone?

MONSTER BABY!!!

2008-08-04T22:30:00.004-06:00

Here's a picture of Sadie with her new little cousin, Aidan. We met him for the first time today, and ohhhh he's a cutie! I just can't believe how monsterously huge Sadie looks next to Aidan being only 9 weeks apart in age. (Aidan even started out a pound and a half heavier than Sadie was.) My baby is already growing so big. Sigh. It happens sooo fast, and right before my very eyes. Savor the moments, eh?

P.S...Sorry about the poor quality of the picture. A)Babies wiggle a lot, and B)The picture was taken with my cell phone because both of the family digital cameras had "accidents" involving 2 separate water incidents last week. They bit the dust! When it rains.......

Introducing...

2008-08-01T12:39:00.002-06:00

My newest nephew! So sweet!!!

Aidan David Robison

Born July 31, 2008 at 9:55 PM

7 lbs, 10 oz.

20 inches

Memory Game...

2008-08-01T12:27:00.001-06:00

Okay, so my cousin Amie has this on her blog, and it looked like fun. Hopefully more people than just her (she?...grammar anyone?) will play. C'mon, you know you wanna leave me a comment!

Heres what you do:

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you.It's actually pretty cool (and funny) to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.

Gavin's regression... :)

2008-07-27T13:23:00.005-06:00

So, I was rushing around trying to get all of us ready for church this morning and realized I hadn't seen Gavin in a while. I called for him and when he answered from the living room, I started asking if he had his shoes and socks on before I rounded the corner and saw him. His reply was that he couldn't get his shoes and socks on because he "askidentally" trapped himself. But, he informed me that he was okay, because he was having fun being trapped. Good thing my kids are small...no baby swing was injured in this incident.

The birthday girl...and boy!

2008-07-21T23:12:00.028-06:00

We just celebrated two birthdays. Adeline is now 10! Yikes, when did that happen!? And, Gavin is now 5. Adeline wanted to make her cake this year, so with minimal supervision, she did just that. It turned out great!

We do friend birthday parties every other year for the kids, so this was Addie's chance to invite a couple of friends out for fun. We went to the mall to window shop, play at the arcade, and have some lunch and ice cream. It was a lot of fun!

As a family, we went to the local swimming pool for Addie's birthday so the kids could cool off and have fun. What we have here is brave Addie jumping off the high dive, Calder proposing peace, and Gavin imitating a water skeeter (yes, that's my cute white hubby with him).

It is fun to have so many Summer birthdays (Christmas in July, anyone?), but we have decided to get a little creative when it comes to the cakes. Only four days separate Addie's and Gavin's birthdays, and then Calder's comes 19 days after that. One can only eat so much birthday cake. So, in years past, I've done things like frost some rice krispy treats for one of the kids' candles or do the cupcake thing. But, by far their favorite, is the "doughnut cake". It is just what it sounds like. I stack a couple dozen doughnuts and put the candles at the top. This year, Gavin called dibs on the special doughnut cake. So, since we were in St. George, it ended up being perfect, though not as spectacular as those last year.

We also went swimming for Gavin's birthday at the hotel pool. I forgot to grab my camera, though. Dang it! The kids also went hiking around the red rocks with their dad.

And here are a couple of cute pictures of Gavin opening his presents.

Wanda Pemberton Moore

2008-07-20T20:27:00.003-06:00

This weekend we braved the 105 degrees and headed to St. George. My grandma passed away on July 16th, so we went down to her graveside service. It was wonderful to see some family I haven't seen in years. Some I haven't seen in over a decade!

Grandma Moore is my mom's mom. My mom has 2 brothers and each of them has 3 kids. If you do the math (I know, it's summer, so let me help you out), I have exactly 6 cousins. Total. There are no cousins on my dad's side. So, this is it. Just the six. The service was very intimate. Family only. That is what my grandma had requested. My mom gave a beautiful eulogy and each of her brothers spoke as well. Two of my cousins sang "Oh My Father", my grandma's favorite hymn.

I'm so grateful to know that my grandma is with my grandpa again and that she is surrounded by her loved ones who welcomed her into heaven with open arms. I will miss my little grandma, but I know I will see her again some day.

This picture was taken 2 years ago. It's the most recent four-generation picture I have with my grandma. She was small (4' 6" here), but she was a tough lady!

Gary's Masterpiece

2008-07-11T11:11:00.025-06:00

Last summer, Gary undertook a huge project. We decided that we needed (or, wanted) a shed. So, Gary pulled out his trig knowledge, drew up some plans, and built the thing... from scratch! Who knew he had such hidden talents!? Obviously, it turned out to be more than just a shed. The top level is a play area for the kids. Here are some pics of the process. I was made fun of for chronicaling (yeah, it's a word now) so relentlessly but, hey, I'm proud of my guy! The only thing missing are some side rails so the kids won't take a header from the top level. Do we really need them? Okay, so I guess we do. Gary actually finished those a couple of weeks ago, but I need to get out and take some more pictures. I'll add those later on...

Our Fun-Filled Weekend

2008-07-08T12:05:00.006-06:00

So, I totally looooove fireworks. Normally our family will go to some big show somewhere. Lots of times we'll go to Murray Park or to Weber High School. But, not this year. Having a new baby made Mama too nervous to go hang out for hours and then experience the explosions. So, we stuck close to home this year. Kind of a bummer, but that's okay. Gary and the three older kids sat on top of our deck cover and watched what they could see from WHS above our trees. Not the best view, but fun all the same.

We did make it down to have fun with lots of relatives on the 3rd and 4th. On Friday night, we hung out with my brother, Cory, and his wife, Lyn, and son, Ethan. They live in Herriman so we don't make it out to their house as often as I'd like. Cory got Rock Band for his birthday last March and has been wanting us to come play ever since. We finally made it. Holy cow, that's a fun game!!! I'm so mad that I didn't think to take pictures of us jammin! Who knew Gary was such a proficient drummer! Rock on!!! Funny thing is that we ended up playing Guitar Hero at Gary's parents' house the next day, too. Good thing we don't own an x-box or we might just become junkies. :)

The kids had so much fun on the 4th at Grandma and Grandpa Davis' house. It is so great that they have so many cousins (7), aunts (6), and uncles (5) on the Davis side. There's never a dull moment!

Here's crazy Addie with cousins Kennadi, Cami, and Davis playing in Grandma's pool.

Someone (hem, hem, Mom) forgot to pack towels, so Gavin is drying off the old-fashioned way...

Calder having fun in Grandma's sand box.

Sweet Sadie Smiling

2008-07-02T11:29:00.002-06:00

Okay, I'm totally aware of the fact that my family is more than just this little one. I'm obviously a bit smitten at the moment with my sweet Sadie. I hope to update you all on the rest of the family soon. Addie and Gavin have birthdays in a couple of weeks, and then Calder's is a couple of weeks after that, so I'm sure I'll have some fun stuff to share. But, come on, is this not the cutest baby ever!? Sadie pulls all sorts of faces, including smiles. They're not intentional yet, but they sure are cute! I love her little dimples. She has one on each cheek. Of her face, I mean. :) I'm sure I'll just melt when I finally get that first "real" smile from her. But, for now, I'll take the pretend ones.

Whistling in the dark...

2008-06-26T12:04:00.002-06:00

There's only one thing that I know how to do well. And, I've often been told that you only can do what you know how to do well. And, that's be you. Be what you're like. Be like yourself. And, so I'm having a wonderful time but I'd rather be whistling in the dark. Whistling in the dark. Whistling in the dark. Whistling in the dark.........(They Might Be Giants!)

Happy Due Date to Sadie

2008-06-22T14:46:00.002-06:00

So, Sadie was due today! June 22nd is what we were told, but she had other ideas. Being 3 and a half weeks early, Sadie is now 25 days old. For some reason, I tend to bake my kids quickly. I've never made it to my due date with any of them. Not that I'm complaining, mind you! Who wouldn't choose to skip the last weeks of pregnancy if they knew the baby would be just fine? Only a crazy person, I suspect.
Here's a fun picture of me going into the hospital. Don't I look happy??? Dani took this photo and I believe I was in the middle of telling her not to. But, I guess I'm glad she did so we have a chronical of the night. I actually was wheeled in. That's a first for me. My water hadn't broken yet, but I seriously couldn't walk. Fun stuff.

First post

2008-06-18T16:01:00.003-06:00

Seems like we're the only people not blogging. So, in order to keep up with the rest of you, we're giving it a try!

So far our summer has been flying by! It's hard to believe we've already been out of school for over three weeks!!! Some highlights of the last month include: the Cure concert on May 23rd, the birth of baby #4 (Sadie Morann) on May 28th, swimming lessons, baseball-softball-kickball games, the purchase of a "new" motorcycle for Gary, and lots of playing, sleeping in, and relaxing! Ahhh, it's nice to be a teacher during June and July! :)