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

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..."

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!

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!

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

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

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

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.