4boys2luv

Happy New Year!

2012-01-10T21:32:00.014-05:00

I am so glad it is 2012 and 2011 is over! It was one very rough year for our family. The year ended with me losing my job where I had worked for just under 22 years. I know though that when God closes one door he opens another. So for now, I am quietly waiting to see what the next chapter in life brings. I am enjoying the time with the boys as I have never had this much time with them. Full time motherhood is one tough job! There are never enough hours in the day to do all that needs to be done.

Since it has been a while since I posted, I figured the best way was to update with pictures of the past few months:

When one gun just isn't enough...

When we visited the aquarium at the beach, we bought membership because it was just a few dollars more and it allows us to visit the zoo for free! We took a trip to the zoo in September and had a great time.

Armadillo's are a great way to get around:

As well as baby elephants...

Sometimes I feel like I live with these :)

The boys would throw acorns for the lemurs to chase, I don't know who had more fun, the boys or the lemurs...

That lion is in awe of their muscles don't ya know

Let's hope I never see this in real life..

A cutie riding a cutie..

Which is fiercer the big cat or boy? Depends on the day...

Couldn't forget about this handsome boy either!

The birds at the zoo are one of my favorite exhibits. I had my camera in the air looking upward for birds when I heard a sound and looked down and saw this. Yes, I did run from this very frightening bird because I am a wimp...

Isn't he beautiful?

We were a little freaked out when this wolf looked at Dalton like he was lunch...

Brotherly Love..

Can you spot 3 of the Davis boys (and the big Davis boy) in this photo (click to enlarge)?

We visited the most amazing Christmas lights in Virginia. This is at a couple's home and they have over 1 million lights! The pictures do not do the place justice, it was incredible! They also had little outbuildings with huge Christmas villages:

Santa was there to visit with as well...

Summer 2011

2011-08-23T21:14:00.015-04:00

I cannot believe summer is over. As a child summer seemed to last forever but as an adult it feels like the blink of an eye.

Last month we celebrated the twin's 5th birthday. Dalton picked a monster truck cake and Nathan wanted Mickey Mouse. We had their party at the gymnastics center and they had a blast. They were some tired children afterward!

On their actual birthday we took them to Chick Fil A where they were having their special children's day as they do on Tuesdays. They loved the slide and so did the Chick Fil A cow :) They were so excited when the cow came out to slide down! They call Chick Fil A the "Cow Place" and they are always so happy to see the cow!

We were able to take a whole week off and enjoy the beach and it was incredible. There is nothing like the beach!

Collin hates to have his picture taken so he was not cooperating :)

Brotherly Love

Jim had this great idea for a picture:

Beach time!

We visited the aquarium and my shark lovers were in heaven!

They loved the other fish critters as well:

Tristan being a ham bone:

A trip to the aquarium is not complete without our "crabby" pictures. See here for the 2008 pictures, my how they have grown:
They loved watching the otters play and the scuba show:

I'm glad we were able to take a family vacation and enjoy summer. Now it is time for back to school!

The past three months.....

2011-06-28T21:10:00.016-04:00

The last three months have been a flurry of activity with baseball, the end of school and preschool, and some fun times with cousins. Here's a quick recap in photos:

In April we surprised the boys and took them to a monster truck show. They LOVED it!

LOTS of time spent at the ballpark

Boys just being boys (and cute ones at that :))

Preschool graduation:

Cubscouts and the pinecar derby:

Cousins had a dance recital. They were so pretty and cute!

My niece went to her first prom and she was so beautiful. I was so glad we were there to see the girls and their big events this Spring!

And finally the cool waterslide at VBS:

After which they were covered in soap bubbles and looked like this:

It's been a great Spring and we are looking forward to making more memories this summer!

A New Year, more changes...

2011-03-14T22:06:00.005-04:00

Is it really 2011? I am still in denial and continue to think 2010. So much has happened in 3 months I sometimes feel like I am in a time space warp. Still trying to catch up with myself :) There have been many changes in the Davis household. First, my grandmother went into the hospital on 12/31 because of back pain and difficulty breathing. I spent the next 18 days talking to her and planning a trip home to see her. Travel to the stormy northeast and leaving children behind is a difficult thing. All my plans were shattered as she died on the Tuesday of the week my sister and I planned to arrive. She had Stage 4 lung cancer which had spread to her bones and most of her body. I prayed for her comfort above all else and our wise and merciful God gave her just that, the best comfort there is by removing her from this life and allowing her to be with Him. Pain free, no more sadness, and the ability to be with her son, her daughter, her husband. My 6 year old summed it up best "Now she doesn't have to use her walker or wheelchair any more, does she mom?" I agreed and told him she might even be dancing as she had no more pain. So now it is just myself and my sister (and of course our families). God uses things for good and during the trip we met some incredible people. My sister and I got to know my grandmother's sister and we fell in love. She looks like my grandmother, has many of her maneurisms, and was so good to us in helping us sort through all of grandma's things. We formed an immediate bond which helped us through this difficult time. We also met some incredible folks who live in the retirement community. Senior citizens, disabled individuals, people with such a sweet spirit you cannot even imagine. I think of them often and know my grandmother was very blessed to be surrounded by such a great group of folks. I am so thankful we made it home this summer (see the 10/17 post about generations). I still have a hard time when I cannot pick up the phone to call her. Anyone who still has a mom, dad, or grandparent alive should be so thankful. There are people like me who would give anything for one more day, one more smile, one more memory. Too often familes fight and disagree over what amounts to nothing in the big picture. Cherish the amazing gift of family, it is one you can never replace once it is gone.

Our other major changes include Jim taking a new job where he will work in an office each day instead of in the field. It is a promotion for him and I am so so happy for him as I know it was his heart's desire. We also made a change in daycare and now have someone coming to the house each day to take care of the boys. They are so happy being in their own home. It has made my life so much easier by not having to load everyone up twice a day. Now my litte ones can sleep in if they want as well. We have loved the new change.

I find myself yearning not only for Spring but Summer. My grandmother told me days before she died that she wanted to see another summer. I understood this so well as it is truly one of my favorite times of year. No school, no homework for the boys, just the time to be children and play and explore. Family vacations, late nights, lots of time outside and some incredible family memories. Somehow there is a part of me that feels like I need to live this summer for Grandma as well, to truly experience life and appreciate what I have. To relax some more and enjoy my children. I hope that we are able to do that (and even more!).

We haven't taken many pictures lately so I'll just post a couple I didn't post earlier. Hope you and your family are having a good New Year.

Snow Days!

2010-12-27T19:13:00.007-05:00

Yesterday we awoke to a beautiful site, snow!

A good time was had by all, big and little alike :)

No sound seems to come through but I assure you no children were harmed during the filming :) Daddy was making them laugh and he was smiling at the end as well :)

There were snow angels to be made:

Ready for the drop:

Today the snow stuck around so the boys enjoyed their new toy. Daddy bought this from a co-worker and didn't even tell Mom about it. I think he knew mom would not be as thrilled as he was. It screams danger and broken limbs but I hold my breath and pray on each outing :)
Christmas is the absolute best time of the year. Not only did we receive the best gift ever (Jesus) but each year I get the joy of having an entire week with my children with no agenda, no deadlines, just pure family bliss.

Fun on the farm: The best family vacation

2010-10-21T22:30:00.001-04:00

This summer we stayed at a working farm in Pennsylvania. It was absolutely amazing! They stay booked and it is difficult to get time there in the summer as many families have been coming there for years. We were very blessed when they had a late cancellation. They have had families tell them that the children enjoy the farm more than Disney. In many ways I can see why. It is hard to put into words the magic of the farm. The atmosphere is relaxed and it is a lot of fun meeting other families and making memories with them. The kids have already asked when we can go back. The farm is run by a very sweet couple who love children. They serve a huge breakfast every morning that is made from scratch and is honestly one of the best breakfast meals I have ever had! Here is our farm adventure in pictures:

This is the cow barn. They have so many cattle that there usually is a pregnant cow and guests can see a cow giving birth:

Each morning after breakfast, the farmer would bring out the miniature horse named Cookie for the kids to ride. Cookie's best friend is a goat named Oreo who follows him everywhere!

Also after breakfast the kids could ride this cute train:

The farmer also took them for rides on his 4 wheeler and in a small wagon/cart he had made. Boys and things to ride go very well together :)

All the families sit together for breakfast. It is a great time of fellowship and the food is AMAZING!

If you get up early (which usually happens with our boys) the kids can get a chance to feed a baby calf who is just weeks old, they are so cute

The boys loved milking a cow, they did that at least a couple times each

This was their milking parlor, much more high tech than what I grew up with. The kids loved watching the big glass "jars" fill with milk:

Another favorite was getting eggs from the henhouse. There was one chicken who would try to protect her eggs and she would peck you. I called her "vicious chicken" which Jim thought was funny. I admit, I was scared of a chicken. On the last day I conquered my fears and took her eggs. She didn't peck hard so it didn't really hurt. The boys were so amazed that I did it but it also gave them the courage to try once I assured them the pecking did not hurt!

They had a very cute playhouse just outside the house where everyone stayed. This is a huge hit with kids:

Right next to the kids playhouse, was a little house for all the kitties :)

There were scooters and bicycles to ride and they rode around the farm:

There was also a hayride down the country roads which also went in 2 covered bridges(which I absolutely love). The scenery was georgeous. We even stopped at a yard sale along the way where I bought a beautiful painting of a Pennsylvania country farmhouse.

This was a huge Amish farm:

Inside one of the covered bridges:

There were corn fields as far as the eye could see:

There was also a smaller barn that housed the baby cows who were a little older than the ones the boys fed with a bottle:

An incredible time was had by all. I hope we get the opportunity to stay there again. I'd love to have cousins go with us, I know all the kids would have a blast!

Generations

2010-10-17T23:07:00.009-04:00

This past summer the kids got to meet their great grandma. Tristan had met her when he was younger, but doesn't remember. The trip to NY was long, but well worth it. I snapped these pictures with my cell phone when the boys and I were spending some time with Grandma. She is in her 80s but so spry. I admire her greatly. She is a very independent woman. When I looked at her I could see my mother's face. That was hard in many ways but most of all to realize what could have been had mom stayed here to experience life. I am thankful to at least have Grandma left, she is the only tie to my childhood besides my sister. She reminds me so much of my mother and in some ways pieces and parts of me. That is the beauty of the generations, they allow you to see not only where you've been but in some ways where you may be going. I only hope that I am as healthy and able as she is when I reach her age. For a grandma that only had 2 granddaughters, she is sure getting her share of boys with our gang!

When I think of my grandma I think of brightly colored shirts--always with pockets to hold lots of things for us when we were little---bright lipstick, cookies in the cookie drawer, and a laugh that could always make you smile. She worked outside the home when it was not common for a woman to do so. Yet I never saw my grandma drive a car. Someone always drove grandma whether it was grandpa or my own folks. I hope that the trip this Summer gave my boys some memories of her that they can cherish. I also hope that we can make the trip again. There are many stories to still be told and many photos to still take.

Mud, Tractors, and Baseball: Does that say Boys or what?

2010-10-10T22:52:00.007-04:00

The past month was so full of life-changing events for the Davis Family. First, Collin started Kindergarten. I cannot believe he is going to school. Yes, I did cry that first day, I could have 20 children and would cry for each of them at this milestone! Here he is getting on the bus that first morning:

We were excited that he has a teacher who has a lot of experience. The more experience the better when it comes to Collin :) He has done surprisingly well his first month, though. I have been so glad that he has been on good behavior a majority of the time.

Shortly after school started my new kindergartener celebrated his 6th birthday. We celebrated at the bowling alley with his friends and family. Collin really enjoyed himself. After our trip to the farm this summer (that I will post about soon) it was no suprise that he wanted a tractor theme. Here are some photos of his special day:

The twins also started part-time preschool. I attempted to take a picture of their first day, but as you can see by this succession of photos, it seems impossible to get a photo with both of them looking. Hats off to any photographer that can capture them both smiling and looking at the camera AT THE SAME TIME :)

This fall Tristan and Collin have played Fall baseball. I love Fall baseball as the weather is usually a little cooler, the atmosphere a little more relaxed, and of course because I get to see my little guys in action. I believe Tristan has found his "niche", he has started to be in the catcher position and he really seems to fit the part. I love to watch how serious he is. I plan to get a video this next week and try to post for you to see him in action. This still photo doesn't give you the full effect, but isn't he so cute in this stance?

The boys also went "mudding" with their dad after taking Grandma to the airport. Here is what they looked like when they were through. Needless to say, some of that mud DID NOT come out of their clothing. Perhaps next time I can wrap them in plastic wrap??

Finally, I'll end this post with a picture of my cuties. Jenn at church bought these for them and I think they look rather cute, don't you?

Our trip to New York

2010-08-27T05:39:00.011-04:00

We travelled to NY to visit my grandma. She had only ever met Tristan as it has been several years since I travelled home. It was so good to see her again and for the kids to get a chance to meet their great grandma. We stopped half way on the trip and visited a farm in Pennsylvania. The kids really enjoyed their fun at the farm.

A baby donkey had just been born a day or two before we arrived. It was so cute!

The goats roamed freely around the farm. The boys tried to round them up of course

They had lots of kitties too who were not lacking from attention from the boys :)

This huge sheep greeted us when we walked out the cabin door. He was very vocal and loved being fed grass by the boys

The boys each had a turn at riding a horse around a ring. They thought they were big stuff!

We also visited the chocolate factory at Hershey. My fellow chocolate lovers really enjoyed taking the tour and buying lots of chocolate. We didn't buy this huge candy bar, but they loved holding it!

Throughout the factory tour you would see these talking cows. Nathan and Dalton thought they were cool of course

We stayed with my best friend from high school. It was so good to get together again. Our kids had fun playing together. Nathan decided her daughter Riley was his "girlfriend". They would walk across the yard holding hands and spent a lot of time together. They were so cute!

We had lots of fun visiting with Grandma too. I will post more pictures of the boys with Grandma later. For now, here we all are enjoying ice cream. I do miss NY's ice cream. Dairy farms were everywhere when I was growing up and there are ice cream shops all around.

More Summer Memories and the Birthday Boys

2010-08-25T21:03:00.012-04:00

Since the twins never had an "official" birthday party, we decided to do a special one this year for their 4th birthday. They chose Chuck E Cheese. Everyone had a blast as you can see:

This was one of their favorite things, the ticket blaster

Following in his grandpa's footsteps with his racing? Hope not!

Dalton in his cowboy outfit. He didn't want to take it off once he put it on!

All tuckered out

Daddy's present to the boys. Keeping the batteries charged is our biggest challenge!

Time with Cousins
We had a great trip to Cousin's house for the fourth of July. We went to a parade. Just look at these patriotic cuties :) Auntie had them create their cool flag shirts:

The kids (and adults) enjoyed the parade. Here are some photo highlights:

While we were visiting, Carolyn and I and the older boys took a hike at one of the parks on the Blue Ridge parkway. The views were breathtaking:

At the end of the hike we climbed a tower which was high above the tree tops. The boys loved it. Auntie who is afraid of heights.... not so much so. She braved it and climbed up, however. After such a long hike, you had to enjoy the reward at the end!

Gotta Love Summer

2010-08-01T20:27:00.007-04:00

Do you remember how much you loved summer as a kid? I still love summer and wanted to give the kids a summer to remember. Collin starts school this fall and the school year doesn't leave a lot of room for family vacations or trips. We surprised the kids by taking them to a different part of the NC mountains. We stayed in a cute cabin in Bryson city. We spent time playing in the river, enjoying the hot tub at the cabin, and even surprised the boys with a ride on Thomas the Train. We also visited a great small "zoo" in Cherokee before we headed home. We had a great time. No one wanted to go back home. Dalton even said on the way home, "Let's pick up kitty and go back to the cabin" :). Here are some photos of our adventures:

The small zoo:

4 cute boys in a hot tub

Catching various creatures in the river

The day with Thomas

At the end of June we traveled with a group of friends to the Lazy 5 Ranch. We had not been in a while. The temperature was blazing, but the kids enjoyed it just the same:

Baby Ostrich

We were a little worried when this big fellow stuck his head in our van, those horns could do some damage!

The boys rode with some of our friends from church and absolutely loved being in the back of their truck with their kids:

There have been so many adventures and many more pictures. Will try not to wait another month to post, but no promises, time just flies way too quickly!

June adventures

2010-06-22T23:56:00.005-04:00

Our Awana program at church ends in June and restarts in September. The twins finished their last year in Puggles. They loved their Puggles class. I cannot believe they will be Cubbies next year. Here is the Puggles cake I made for their end of year party:

Mid month we traveled to Richmond, VA and surprised the boys by taking them to Kings Dominion. I stayed with the twins and Collin in Kiddie land and they had a ball while Daddy and Tristan went on the big coasters and also had a blast. Here are the boys on one of their favorite rides, the bumper cars:

We stayed in a Hamptom Inn on Saturday night and they loved it. We love their hotels as they usually have a pool and a good breakfast. The kids especially love the waffles for breakfast and they enjoyed swimmming in the pool the next morning. We then left to see a historic house and farm. It offered a house tour and you could go around the grounds to see the animals and they didn't charge admission (even better :). Here are some pictures of the house and grounds:

This was one big pig. You may have to click on the picture in order to see him hiding in the corner:

The boys really listened to our tour guide. Here we were in the basement where they had it set up for a camp group that was arriving the next week:

They had a baby sheep there that the boys really loved.

We then went to a lake and aquarium that was in a city park which also offered free admission. The boys absolutely loved the aquarium. I'll include a few pictures here and again on my next post:

There was a small glass enclosed room which had many animals that were preserved (taxidermy). It was an amazing collection, but hard to capture on film with the reflection of the glass. This owl really got the boys attention:

Where did the month go?

2010-06-01T20:14:00.012-04:00

I cannot believe May is over. Where does time go? :) Hold on for one very long post ;)

The Month in Review...

My sweet boy Tristan turned 9! I am so proud of him. I love his caring heart and his desire to do his best. I hope he never loses his desire to help others or to look out for the "underdog". My proudest moments as a mom are when he reveals his loving character.

For his birthday, he chose to celebrate at the lake. Everyone had a good time swimming, taking rides in the canoe, and just playing:

He chose "How to train your dragon" as his party "theme". I wasn't sure how to make a cake in the theme as I never had a chance to see the movie with them. I checked online and found a few pictures and came up with a volcanic mountain, water, and a lot of rocks in the picture. In the movie the boy and dragon take turns drawing with a stick so I "drew" Tristan's name on the cake:

We spent the next day at the zoo. We could not have asked for better weather. The kids really enjoyed seeing the animals:

The twins' favorite (and Mom's :)) was the polar bear:

The boys even managed to wake up the lioness and annoy her so badly that she sought refuge next to the lion. I believe she was telling him to go gnaw on the obnoxious children :)

The month ended with Annette's son's graduation party. Here are photos of the cake and cupcakes:

While hers was graduating from high school, mine was graduating from preschool and I think he thought that ranked right up there with Samuel's graduation :) Isn't Collin a little cutie in his graduation cap?

They sang a song about the days of the week, he loves this song and sings it a lot at home:

Jim decided to surprise the boys and take them to a Durham Bulls game over Memorial Day. They loved it. Can you tell?

Do you like my wig?

Nope, I was not trying to eat the entire bag of cotton candy, not me

The boys really enjoyed the fireworks after the game too:

And finally, I made this cake and cupcakes for a wedding shower for a couple at our church:

We've been blessed with some new family memories this month. I'm looking forward to making many more over the next couple of summer months...

Spring means strawberries

2010-04-28T22:52:00.008-04:00

On Saturday I took the twins strawberry picking. They were very cute. It took a while to explain how we only pick the red berries and not the white ones. I actually had to tell them to taste one as they were busy picking. Here are my little cuties in action:

Yesterday I went to Tristan's school for field day. On field days the kids get to play different games outside and they have a blast. I spent the morning watching them play. It was nice to have time with Tristan. It made me realize how much he has grown in the past year. For third grade, they look so big! Here is Tristan doing a crab crawl in one of the activities:

I thought I'd end this quick post with some more photos of our cruise. This is a photo of Atlantis as we were approaching the property. It is a large resort on Nassau Bahamas. I'll write more about our adventures there later, but for now, I'll include a couple photos that show a little of the place:

This is one of the lagoon areas outside that holds a bunch of rays. You can see a number of them swimming in this picture:

They also had a number of aquariums and this particular one had some beautiful fish. The cool thing is that Jim and I saw fish like this when we snorkeled the next day in Coco Cay:

This is inside one of the buildings. The property is gorgeous:

And finally I'll end with a photo of a watermelon which was ornately carved for the midnight buffet on our ship. Don't you wish you could carve a watermelon like this?

Life after the Caribbean

2010-04-18T20:12:00.007-04:00

Jim and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary by taking a 4 day cruise to the Bahamas. It was our first trip we have had without children since our honeymoon! I have never been apart from the kids for more than 1 night so it was a big adjustment for me. We did have a fantastic time. Who could not with water this color:

And swimming with beautiful fish:

And being on a private island...

And eating incredibly beautiful and tasty food:

And being on this georgeous ship

I will try to post more pictures over the coming weeks. It will help me hold onto those great memories when life gets stressful!

We have returned to our "normal" life. Back to baseball and fun with the kids:

We had family fun day at the ballpark and the kids had a blast:

The twins spent some time with Daddy at another local event and had their faces painted, aren't they cute:

On Saturday I ran a couple of errands and took Nathan with me. We stopped at the lake for an unplanned adventure. We found some geese and fed them the only thing we had, some chips!

I appreciate our "normal" life. The simple everyday adventures with the family are priceless. I am so thankful for all the memories we have made over the past couple of weeks. I owe a big Thank you to my sister. She graciously watched all of the children (her 4 and my 4) all by herself while we were away. We owe ya big time for that one Sis!

This post is for you, Sue G.

2010-03-30T23:55:00.005-04:00

This post is for my friend Sue G in NY. She needs some reasons to smile right now and I need to stop wallowing in my own self pity when I have nothing to really be pitiful about. I'm just exhausted and in dire need of an upcoming vacation. So, I will stop whining to myself about being overwhelmed and instead focus on what is worth smiling about in life. Sue, I hope this makes you smile at least a little. These little faces can exasperate me like no one else can, but they can also make me smile equally as much...

I have to take just a moment to brag on my son because that is what mothers do. This is the 2nd year that his artwork was chosen to be on display at school. Where this child gets his artistic talent is beyond me, everyone knows Jim nor I can draw a stick figure. I am proud of any skill he possesses because like all moms, I'd love for the world to hold endless possibilities for my children...

And I know it is still winter in the frozen tundra, so I thought you'd like a reminder of what NC spring looks like again :)

And our beautiful sunsets

Sorry, you know I can be stubborn as this sometimes ;)

Our Ordinary Life

2010-02-25T21:09:00.008-05:00

I think I've been having the winter blahs. I wasn't even inspired enough to post. Life felt pretty ordinary and quiet. Nothing wrong with that, we need a little quiet once in a while :)

Our past few weeks have been filled with:

Tristan's school play. He played the part of telegram man. Wasn't he handsome? Of course he washed off his painted on mustache and sideburns before I could get a picture, but here's our handsome big man:

Snowman making:

Playdough making:

Bird Watching:

Cat Loving:

Calf Feeding

Park Playing

Pickle Eating:

That's our ordinary life in summary :) It's funny how some of life's best memories are made in the most ordinary times like these. I hope you and your family have enjoyed the quiet peace the winter season brings. Bring on the Spring, we are ready!

Snow!

2010-01-30T13:23:00.004-05:00

We have snow! We are loving it. I had restocked all our groceries in prep for the storm so we have everything we need to be "snowed in" :) This morning we drove in Jim's truck (it's 4 wheel drive) to a hilly area down the road. The roads were not plowed and there were only one set of tracks on the road which we followed:

The boys loved sliding down hill. Of course my fair weather boys were cold after a few runs downhill though. Even I got in on the fun. When I came out dressed in my winter gear they told me I looked like a boy. Just what every mom wants to hear!

Here are some photos of our winter fun:

At the end of our sledding, the sleet was coming down pretty hard and stinging our faces. We decided to head home for some hot chocolate. We'll try to go out for a little this afternoon. I also have some fun craft activities planned for the afternon. I loved being snowed in. It gives us some great time together as a family.

The many misadventures of Dalton and Nathan

2010-01-18T21:23:00.002-05:00

Today Doug and Brianna came over and it was good to see them again. We haven't had a chance to see them in a while. While they were over, the twins showed them their usual mischievious selves :) They turned a lamp on in my roon and managed to put a pull-up on top of the hot light bulb long enough to melt the pull-up onto the light bulb. I took the light bulb out to clean the melted goo off of it and while the light bulb was out of the lamp, they somehow managed to do something that caused the electrical breaker to switch off electricity to the electrical outlets in both bedrooms! Doug and Brianna then asked about some of our other adventures with them and I recounted a few of their stories. Some I'm not even sure I blogged about before because there are so many :) Like recently when we could not figure out why their toilet would not flush properly. Jim had to take the toilet totally out of the house to find a toothbrush lodged that one had tried to flush. Or the couple of times I have found toilet paper clogging the bathroom sink and the bathroom flooding.

Or the simple things like when we celebrated Thanksgiving at church and different folks stood up to say what they were thankful for. What did the twins keep saying? GOD MADE CHEESE! Pretty loudly so a few folks around us could hear and get a good chuckle. Then shortly thereafter when they both started wrestling in the aisle of the church and I struggled to break them up and get them out the door which was like wresting an octopus. That cracked an entire section of the church up as well. Life is never dull with the double trouble duo. They make me laugh, they make me smile, and sometimes, yes, they even make me pull my hair out! I wouldn't trade them for the world though. When they were born, I wasn't sure how in the world we would manage. Somehow we have though, some days better than others. They have taught me a lot about patience, about love, but mostly how to just laugh. See what having four kids does to you? Makes you lose a little of your mind ;)

The week in review

2010-01-10T15:50:00.003-05:00

We had our first sickness of the new year, thankfully it wasn't long lasting or too serious. On Tuesday night Collin complained that his neck hurt. I thought it might be from playing too rough, etc. so I assured him it should feel better after he woke up in the morning. Well, when he woke up, he was crying from the pain. I rushed to get everyone ready and dropped the twins off at Annette's and away we went to the pediatrician.

Now a bit of history to tell you why I was so worried about the possibilities...When Collin was just under 2 months old, he developed a fever. Tristan had just gotten over foot and mouth disease and I was sure that was what Collin now had. However, the doctors wanted him taken to the Emergency room because a fever in a small baby can be meningitis. We took him to Durham Regional where they tried several times to get an IV in him while he screamed. Because they didn't have a pediatric care center, he had to be taken to Duke by ambulance. The whole weekend was very scary for Jim and I. The doctors wanted to do a spinal tap on Collin to make certain he did not have meningitis. The thought of Drs. touching our young son's spinal cord was very scary to us. I worried about paralyzation. They basically told us that if he had meningitis and was not treated properly, he could die within 24 hours so we needed to decide quickly to do this. My instincts were saying it was just the foot and mouth and not to put him through this, but I was scared that I might be wrong and could not risk losing our son. We finally agreed to the procedure and he did fine. We spent the weekend at Duke and after testing, they decided it was indeed foot and mouth. We were very relieved.

So, when Collin's neck began aching this time out of the blue, I immediately went to look up the symptoms of meningitis on Google. Of course they talked about your neck ache coming on quickly (which his did) and nausea, headache, a rash, and a multidude of other symptoms. That morning he also started to say that his stomach hurt and he was literally holding his head to one side and crying. In addition, he developed some bumps on his hand. I became scared that maybe our earlier scare was now a reality. I prayed all the way to Durham. Jim was out of town (something always seems to happen when he is) and he was worried as well. Luckily, Collin does not have meningitis now either. His lymph node is infected in his neck which caused it to swell and press on his muscle and cause neck pain. The Dr. said that it is pretty painful but should subside once the antibiotics kick in. Collin and I spent the day together Wednesday and I was so thankful to know that he was going to be ok. It is so hard to watch your child suffer and not be able to do much to help them. The poor little guy has poison ivy on top of the lymph node infection. They put him on antibiotics and prescription Zyrtec for the poison ivy. He took Motrin regularly and I gave him a hot washcloth to put on his neck. By Friday he was acting more like himself so I know the antibiotics are working. I did take one cute picture of him on Tuesday night. He fell asleep on the couch and the kitty curled up with him:

By Friday night we were all back to normal. We then received another surprise. When Annette and Caylee came to drop off Tristan after Caylee's basketball game, they found a puppy in our doghouse. He obviously came from Momma dog. The kids immediately fell in love and he has been getting a good dose of spoiling this weekend (including from the big boy of the house) who is holding him for this picture:

He has attached himself to Collin and follows him everywhere. So, I guess we have yet another animal to take care of. Oh well, it keeps life interesting I guess!

Saturday we went to Annette's for Sarah's birthday party. She asked for a particular spongebob cake for her birthday. I couldn't order the topper from the company I usually do and get it in time, so I opted to try to make a replica by making the pinneapple house out of cake. I did that Friday night. On Saturday morning I took Nathan with me to town for some one on one time. We went to the coffee shop (for mommy of course :) where he got his favorite, a pack of gum all to himself! We then went to the library to pick up Nicholas Sparks' newest book that they were holding for me and I had him pick out a couple of books for himself which he loved. We then went to Walmart. I had called their bakery earlier and they had some spongebob figurines I could buy for my cake. Lo and behold, they had the exact kit that was on the cake Sarah wanted. I bought it and used the characters, but not the pinneapple since that was already on the cake. Here are a couple of photos:

She really liked it and that's all that matters. Sarah is such a sweet girl. She has spent the past few months caring for the boys in the afternoons when Annette has gone to College. She is very good with the boys and has taken good care of them. On the rare occasion Jim and I go out on a date, we usually ask her and her sister Charlotte to take care of the boys. The boys see them every day and know them well and they take good care of the boys. We're lucky to have them. I'm glad she had a great birthday.

Not much else is new. We're still having some cold temperatures and the kids have been stuck inside. It is suppose to warm up toward the middle of the week and I'm looking forward to it.

Brrrrrrrrrr

2010-01-04T23:23:00.004-05:00

I did not move far enough South! It is very cold here lately. If it is going to be this cold, it just needs to go ahead and snow so at least we can play in it! :)

Today while looking for photos, I came across these and they made me smile. I have so many photos that I never get to post on the blog because I take so many pictures. Here are some photos to make you reflect on warmer days or at least make you feel warm with a smile.

Merry Christmas!

2010-01-01T12:55:00.020-05:00

The Holidays began with a program at Collin's preschool. Here are a couple of clips of my little cutie in action:

His line in the play was "Jesus is God's gift to us." A very true line indeed as I want them to know that Jesus is the best Christmas present any of us has received:

We then had a beautiful snowfall before Christmas. We had a few inches at the house and the boys loved it! Here are some photos of the snow at Annette's house and our house:

Mmmm Mmmm good!

On 12/20 Collin and Tristan were in the Christmas program at church. They were so cute! All the kids did so well. Tristan was one of the wise guys and then he and Collin were shepherds at the end of the play. Here is a video of Tristan singing and a couple of photos:

We also had a party at Daycare. Santa made an appearance and the boys were all very funny:

Christmas morning at our house was great. It was so much fun watching them open their presents. They were still half dressed so I'm not able to share many pictures :) Here is Dalton with his favorite present:

And Collin and Nathan in their new PJs and Collin has his favorite present, his talking Panda bear:

And finally, we'll end with a cute picture...

You can't see me!

We wish you and your family a Very Merry Christmas and wonderful New Year. We feel blessed with our good health and memories that we have made as a family and look forward to many more memories to be made in 2010.

Chuck E Cheese, Santa, and Build a Bear--All in one day!

2009-12-12T12:28:00.006-05:00

Last Saturday Collin was invited to a birthday party at Chuck E Cheese. The kids love it there so we usually pack up the whole family and take the other kids to play while Collin is at the party. They all had a blast. Here are the twins hard at play:

We headed over to the mall to see Santa. As we neared Santa, one of his elves told us that he was going to feed the reindeer and would be back in one hour. So, to fill the time, we went to build a bear. Last year we used money my grandma sent us to take the kids to build a bear for the first time. We got a deal last year in that we also received gift cards for a fraction of their price. We used those gift cards to buy each a new bear this year. They could only get a bear, no clothes, etc. and they had a blast. They love picking them out and putting the heart in and stuffing him. Here is a picture of the little ones "washing" their new animal:

We had to stand in a long line to see Santa, but it was worth it. This year the twins weren't afraid like last year http://4boys2luv.blogspot.com/2008/12/its-most-wonderful-time-of-year.html. Here are a couple of photos with the boys with Santa. I loved it because Santa told them they needed to get along and not fight and I told them that he was definitely watching them :)

Of course after all this activity, they were very tired on the way home. Is this not the sweetest picture?

Turkeys and trees

2009-12-02T23:18:00.007-05:00

We had a great Thanksgiving at cousin's house and hope that you all had a great one as well. I love Thanksgiving because it is the countdown to my favorite holiday, Christmas. We started a new tradition last year by cutting a tree off a mountainside on Thankgiving weekend. This year, I had to capture the event on film to share with you. The kids just love climbing the mountain and searching for the perfect tree.

Here are the troops arriving at the tree farm:

The climb up the mountain

The adventures along the way

Ah, there it is, the perfect tree

TIIIIMMMMBBEEER!

Tristan is now old enough to help carry the tree down the mountain. Of course, Collin thought he could as well. He ended up stuck under a tree at one point and I just missed that picture:

Loading it up

Before we left for Cousin's, Collin had a play at preschool. He was such a cute little indian. Here are some clips:

I thought this little clip of him was hysterical, he was really into the hand motions:

Some photos of family fun:

Pancakes and Steamed Broccoli

2009-11-23T19:27:00.003-05:00

I had to do a quick post...Anyone who has toddlers can tell you that getting them to eat can be a challenge sometimes. Tonight I decided to choose my "battles" wisely. The boys noticed some pancakes in the refrigerator that were left from yesterday. So, it was pancakes for dinner. Not feeling like that was enough, I fixed one of their other favorite dishes, steamed broccoli. I know, the sound of the two together is nauseating! I did wait some time between entrees I assure you. I let them eat the broccoli later as they were watching Dora. They enjoyed both immensely and ate a pretty healthy meal in the process so weird as it may be, try some pancakes and broccoli one night, it comes highly recommended by the Davis boys ;)

October adventures

2009-11-10T21:14:00.017-05:00

Since I've waited over a month to post, I think I'll try for a marathon post tonight to try to make up for the past month :) There have been many events the past month. Some good, some bad. I'm still trying to take it all in and wrap it around my ever confused brain.

I was at a Women of Faith conference this past weekend and was really moved and inspired by the women there. Hearing the difficulties these women have been through in life and how they relied on their faith to get them through was amazing. These women were beautiful, successful women. You might look at them at think their life is wonderful, a dream. They all talked about how difficult life can be. I was moved from laughter to tears many times. I thought about my own life and the lives of women around me who have experienced some difficult times recently. It made me realize even more how important my faith is and how I hope that each person can find their way to God. I cannot imagine my life without Him in it. These incredible people have Him in their life, and they have been blessed with an incredible voice and a gift of sharing their faith through music, who you might ask? Why none other than Mandisa and Steven Curtis Chapman. Wow, they were amazing:

Other events of the past month include the big boys first trip to a Nascar race, two school field trips, and a trip to Auntie's house. Here is a photographic retelling of these journeys:

The "Boys" at the Race. Notice their "clean" pants:

But I am thankful they didn't come home looking like this at least :)

Tristan's class went to Maple View Farms Agricultural Center. It was a lot of fun and the kids really enjoyed it.

The kids loved petting this sweet calf

They also enjoyed when the pigs were given pumpkins. The pigs love pumpkins and run to eat the pumpkins as fast as the farmers throw them to them.

I wish I had taken a video at one point when the pig was standing at the fence "talking back" to the kids who were talking to him. It was very cute. I managed to get a picture of him peering through the fence though:

The calves are kept in these little "barns/houses".

Tristan petting the Llama

Another "attraction" was "Charlotte" who was found above one of the animal pens :)

The kids also loved watching the goats play fight. I think the goats enjoyed having an audience as well ;)

Collin's preschool went to Brown's Pumpkin Farm and we had a blast there as well. You start by picking your own corn and soybeans from the field. Here is my little farmer in the field gathering crops:

Of course he loved feeding the crops to the animals too:

He was also fascinated by all the bees on the sunflowers and some that had been caught by spiders on the flowers:

He had a good chuckle too when I fed this huge slobbering cow and she left a pile of slobber on my hand, sorry no photos of the slobber, just the cow ;)

One of the exciting moments for the kids was when our tractor pulling our hay ride became stuck in this mud:

This is a picture of the tractors being traded out between hay wagons. Our original tractor was the smaller one on the left, we then had the big tractor on the right come to pull us out of the muck. The kids were loving the extra adventure!

Here are some more photos of the trip:

No words for this one ;)

Feed ME!

And if you haven't had enough of the animal shots, here is my cupcake impression of a zebra and a pink zebra :) I did these for Annette's daughter's 16th Birthday:

When we went to Auntie's house, we traveled into Tennessee. We were originally going to go to a pumpkin farm, but we were rained out. Instead we visited a train and a covered bridge. Just having fun together as a family comes naturally to this group:

<

What were they looking at you might ask?

Why the river flowing below:

I personally was wanting to live in this awesome purple house next to the bridge:

But then again, either of these two neighboring houses would have suited me fine as well :)

Isn't this bridge and surrounding area beautiful?

Collin kept trying to throw rocks to get the ducks to move. Thankfully he didn't hit them with any. I finally convinced him that was not the way to get them to move!

We ended our day by trick or treating in downtown Boone. Here is our motley crue :)

Whew, I think that is enough for one night, don't you? Hope it makes up for my hiatus...

Soccer and the Circus!

2009-10-05T22:39:00.008-04:00

Tonight Collin had his first soccer game. I cannot believe I forgot my camera! I was so focused on getting warm clothes for the boys I forgot the camera. Jim had his camera in the truck. We weren't able to get many pictures with his camera, but did get a few before it became too dark. Here is our little soccer star (he is #5):

Another exciting event was this weekend. On Saturday morning for some reason Collin remembered that Tristan once got to ride an elephant and was talking to me about it. Later that day I was in a store in town and noticed some ads for a small circus in town that evening. It was the same circus that Tristan was able to ride the elephant in! I decided to surprise Collin and take him to ride the elephant. He was not sick like Tristan was so I decided to take him out. I ended up with a surprise of my own. Years ago when we took Tristan, you were able to pay just to ride the elephants outside the circus tent. This year, you had to pay admission to the circus just to ride the elephants because they had the circus inside a building. After he was so excited about this, how could I turn away and tell him no? So, we ended up staying for the circus. Poor Charlotte (Annette's daughter) had come with us to help Collin on the elephant so I could take pictures. She ended up being with us for over 3 hours for the circus. She loves animals so I think she enjoyed seeing them at least! Here are some photos of the event. Collin was wide eyed and really enjoyed his special night out:

Ironically when I went to take pictures of Collin on the elephant, the photos all came out blurry! They only went around the ring one time so I didn't have time to figure out how to correct the photos. Here are a couple of blurry images of his magical moment:

After Charlotte and Collin were off the elephants I was able to get a clear picture of others riding the elephants so at least we'd have a clear image of elephant riding :)

More photos of the evening. Not the best photo quality, but you get the general idea :)

At the end of the circus, you could pay extra to have your picture taken with the elephant. Something about this seemed more dangerous to me than riding them. Why, I'm not sure. Maybe the idea of my small little boy standing by a large animal's feet that could crush him if he got spooked had a little something to do with it. He was very upset that I would not let him do this, but my compromise was to let him stand on the opposite side of the fence and have his picture made. Here he is with Charlotte:

September is over?

2009-09-28T23:31:00.004-04:00

How did that happen? I thought I lost August, but I think September might have set a new record in time speed :)

Nanna arrived 9/1 and the boys were so happy to have her here with them. She left on 9/19 and for days they asked if Nanna was home (at our house).

On 9/8 Collin started Preschool. He is going to the same preschool Tristan did when he was three (I cannot believe that has been 5 years already). He absolutely loves preschool and is so excited to tell us about his days there. He goes for half a day on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It is so nice to see him so excited about learning and being at school. He doesn't understand why he doesn't get to ride the school bus yet though :)

The rest of our month has been filled with baseball games. For the first time, Tristan is playing fall ball. His summer coach was coaching again and we really enjoyed his coach and thought it would be a good experience for Tristan. He is having a good time. We are running ragged though as he is also still in Karate. I always said I would never have my children in 2 events at one time. Never say never! He loves karate and it is only 1 night a week. It is rough though balancing two activities. He only has 8 or 10 games total, so it isn't a long-term time struggle.

Collin has also started soccer. He really enjoys practices. He runs constantly and his little face gets red and his hair all sweaty, but he is all smiles. He has his first game next week and I cannot wait to see him in an actual game. Ought to make for some good photos to post for sure!

I have been busy with baking. We had our local Relay for Life fundraiser in town and I baked some cupcakes and other goodies for our local mommies group to sell. I found a great idea online where you put the cupcakes in a cup and wrap in cellophane. It makes it easy to take and eat individually, and they look pretty cute. Here is a photo of the cupcakes I made and a few packaged and ready for sale:

I've done two baby shower cakes (and cupcakes for one shower):

And last weekend I attempted to make a baseball breaking a window cake. Jim pointed out the window is a little small for the ball, but I couldn't make them a huge cake and they have to eat it for days :)

And in case you are nauseated from all this sugar, I leave you with this cute picture of a squirrel building a nest in a tree in our driveway. We watched him do this for a while and the boys really enjoyed watching him carry branch after branch to make this huge nest:

Fun, Fun, Fun

2009-09-09T22:24:00.006-04:00

Our family has been ending the summer with a "bang". We've been having a great time as you will be able to see with the upcoming pictures. First, our church had a family fun day. The kids got to eat snow cones, cotton candy, slide down the slide, and ride in a limo!

Our funny story from this event was Jim was with the twins on the slide. Caylee and Tristan were ahead of the twins. When one of the twins got to the bottom of the slide he ran off after Caylee and Tristan. By the time Jim got the other twin down, he went looking for the other one. He went up to the smokehouse which is a portable travel trailer the fire department uses to teach children about fire. He asked the fireman if he had seen a little guy that looked like the one he had and the fireman said yes! Lo and behold out came Nathan from the smoke filled smokehouse! Caylee and Tristan said he stayed next to the fireman inside but got really scared and started yelling for daddy once it was pitch black inside. Teach him to follow big brother I guess! I still cannot believe he went in there without us!

This past weekend we celebrated Collin's birthday. On Friday night, we stayed in a cabin at the lake. We made hobo sandwiches for dinner and smores for dessert. It was pretty comical having 12 people sleep in one cabin. The beds were very small and very uncomfortable! It was worth it though to have the kids enjoy themselves so much. Jim rented a canoe and took the boys out for a ride. We kept the canoe into Saturday. We had Collin's birthday party at the lake and Jim gave people canoe rides during the party as well.

Collin really enjoyed his party (and his pirate ship cake as you can tell by this picture):

The kids played with water balloons and water guns, played on the playground, swam in the lake, tried to catch fish with their nets, and just generally had a good time.
Collin loved all his presents. The clothes just as much as the toys (my kind of boy :)):

Arghh, I'm one mighty cute pirate

We could not have asked for better weather. We are so appreciative of the family and friends that were there to spend the day with us. I hope they are able to forgive me for "sugaring up" their children :)

Firsts

2009-08-25T22:23:00.004-04:00

Today was Tristan's first day of third grade. I didn't remember to take a picture until after he was on the bus so no pictures of the momentus occasion :( He was only in school until 12:00. He had a great day though and is excited about the new year.

Our other "first" is Collin will be playing soccer for the first time this year. I think it will be a good sport for him to release that enormous amount of energy he has :) Here he is at the skills assessment. I told him Auntie will have to teach him some pointers as she was the soccer player in the family:

I'll end the post with some other "firsts." Here is my first ever fruit topped cake. A coworker saw a picture of a cake like this in a catalog and asked for one like it for her birthday. Here is the cake I made for her:

Another cake of the week was for a first birthday for a sweet baby named Zoey. I copied the ladybug design from her birthday party decorations. Her mom said she loved it as they had to try to take it away from her as she kept eating it!

Cousins

2009-08-21T19:23:00.008-04:00

We have been fortunate to spend the past few weekends with cousins. We have really enjoyed our time together and enjoyed some great family time at the park, floating down the river, shopping, and various other adventures. Carolyn has an awesome park by her house, The Valley Crucis Park. Here are some photos of our time there:

I give my sister a hard time about the mountains, but we really do love it up there. It is such a beautiful place. Just a little too cold for me in the winter :) Who could not love scenery like this?

Carolyn and Tina made me a birthday cake. We laughed as the only candles she had were number candles. I chose to be 17 again :)

Our funny of the week is Jim went to the outer banks to work. He was excited to find a large shell to bring home to the boys. When he got home, the boys put the shell in the aquarium and we had a big surprise, out came a HUGE hermit crab. I find him a little creepy and will not pick him up the way I do the little ones. Here is "grandpa":

Cakes and a snake!

2009-07-29T21:32:00.004-04:00

During the past week I've made a couple of cakes. First, I made a lizard cake for a friend of mine at work. It was a "joke" cake as she does not like lizards. Instead of doing my usual cakes, I thought it would be a nice change to do something funny. She did indeed laugh. Here's a photo:

Of course I had to put as many lizards on as possible, including a few on the sides:

Over the weekend Tristan had his end of season baseball party. I made the cake for the party and Tristan thought it was pretty cool:

And now for the snake....What present could you possibly get a soon to be 5 year old that would give his mother the heebie jeebies? Why a life like replica of a striking snake:

Of course the boys think it is funny to chase me around with it since I am so fond of it :) I think it looks just a little too realistic:

Prayer Request

2009-07-27T21:08:00.006-04:00

Instead of posting tonight about our family, I want to bring your attention to another family. Please go to the "praying for Stellan" link to the right to learn more. Praying for him is what I have been doing today. My thoughts are with his family as they deal with another hospitalization. My heart goes out especially to his mom. A mother's love for her children is so incredibly strong. Sometimes I cannot find the words to describe how much my children mean to me. I feel her pain as a fellow mom and cannot comprehend how difficult this must be. I know her faith carries her through. Please pray for Stellan and his entire family. Pray for the doctors to have the wisdom to know how to treat this precious little boy. Pray for strength for his family. Our God is all powerful. Watch this brief video clip of my boys and a number of other children singing about God's power at Vacation Bible school last week, it will surely make you smile :)

The Birthday Celebration

2009-07-20T23:43:00.005-04:00

Happy Birthday Dalton and Nathan! I cannot believe they are three. How can three years pass so quickly! We celebrated their birthday in "stages". First, there was the gathering with cousins at the beach. Last year and this year we celebrated by eating an ice cream cake which you can see they really enjoyed:

The next part of our celebration was this past weekend. Their newest fascination is with cows. So, I found a beef cattle farm about thirty minutes away and we rode there Saturday. The farmer was very nice and took us to see a baby calf which had been born about three days earlier. Her momma was very protective and stood between us and the baby.

We then went picking blueberries (as all of the boys love these). Jim joked that the farmer should have weighed the boys before and after our pick :)

After picking 12 pounds of blueberries, we were all very hot, tired, and hungry! Since we were only 15 minutes from Danville, we decided to go to the Red Lobster there in celebration of the boys' birthday. Jim and I had been there once before and enjoyed it. No long wait and the best part for children---a gentleman who makes balloon animals for you! The twins really enjoyed this as you can see by the smiles on their faces. It was so much fun watching them be so excited:

Nathan made me laugh at the restaurant. He opened a pack of sugar, poured it on his bread plate and proceeded to eat it directly from the plate. Luckily he was so tired it didn't keep him awake too long on the ride home:

To end their birthday celebration, we had cake and ice cream Sunday night (at 9:00 at night because the boys had been to Vacation bible school and that was the only time we could fit it in our busy day! :) When Jim went to get them from VBS, I set up the dining room for their "surprise party". They loved it!

Here is what the cake looked like before they got a hold of it:

Three year old's trying to "dissect" a cake

This is the end result...MMMMM, Don't you want a piece now?

And finally, this is how you eat cake after a long, tiring day when you just don't have the energy to pick up your fork:

Playtime with Daddy

2009-07-17T20:12:00.003-04:00

Jim and the twins developed a new game the other night. This one had to captured on video:

All the boys had fun playing operation with Daddy. They were so into it I had to take this picture:

Yesterday Nathan put on two different slippers and the Dorothy the Dinosaur hat (and he usually does not wear hats) he looked so funny:

The Beach!

2009-07-13T21:48:00.009-04:00

We had such a great time at the beach. One week of fun, relaxation, and family time. At the end of the week I always find myself longing for more. Wishing we had just a little more time. One week never seems long enough! I am thankful that we were able to go again this year. Time together as a family is priceless.

Cowboy Carl and the Watermelon Gang :)

Too cool for words

Here are some more miscellaneous pictures of our fun!

Carolyn and the kids made a person out of sand

Dalton became known as "Destructo Dalton" as he would knock down anything built out of sand as you can see by the destructed sand person :)

Carolyn and the "three little ducklings":)

I love the birds at the beach. I know they annoy some people, but I enjoy them and always try to take a couple of photos:

Of course the twins tried to "sneak up on them" a few times:

Everyone loved the water slide this year as you can see:

Life with boys

2009-06-29T21:19:00.010-04:00

Jim has started something new with the boys, bicycle racing. Here are some photos of tonight's racing event:

Here are some photos we took last week of our "wildlife adventures". We had a squirrel who was really enjoying the suet I put out for the birds. I believe the boys enjoyed watching him as much as he was enjoying eating his treat!

I was also called outside to see this "huge" frog. Who knew frogs would be such a part of my life. I can say I like them much better OUTSIDE than inside as they are brought in so that I can see them "up close and personal" ;)

Here are some other photo odds and ends:

This is what a manicure by a 4 year old looks like

Today's fashion tip: Always wear cowboy boots with your swim gear
Too cute!

We bought the boys some more swim shorts for our beach trip. Don't they look beach bound?

Double trouble

The boys love the moon, so I had to get a picture for them

Happy Father's Day!

2009-06-21T22:21:00.004-04:00

Our family is very blessed. Jim is such an incredible dad. He loves spending time with the kids. Our children will surely look back when they are adults and understand how fortunate they were to have such a good dad. My own memories of my father came back to me today. I thought of how proud he would have been to see how our family had grown. To see how happy we are, I know would have made him happy.

Today was Jim's first Father's day without his dad. I know how hard that first one is. Through the years the great memories replace your sorrow and you hold onto those memories and try to make certain your children learn as much as they can about their grandpa. If you are fortunate enough to have your Daddy in your life, give him a big hug and tell him every day how much you love him. There are some like Jim and I who are missing their dads and would give anything to have the opportunity you have today to love him and make more memories with him.

Our family made some great memories of our own this weekend. We had a great weekend just playing and spending time together as a family. It was very hot so we spent some time in the pool. Here are some photos of my "little fish":

Notice the squirt guns, they are "armed and dangerous" :)

We ended our evening by fishing and feeding the horses. Everyone should sleep good tonight!

Lightning Bugs/Fireflies

2009-06-18T21:18:00.006-04:00

This post is for you Aunt Ty. The west coast doesn't have lightning bugs/fireflies and Aunt Ty has always wanted to visit when they are out so that she could see them. Well, because you couldn't be here tonight, we tried to take some pictures for you. The first is of a lightning bug that Collin caught:

(No lightning bugs were harmed during filming :))

The next two are of the bug lighting up:

I took some other pictures of the sunset and some of our flowers (complete with lots of weeds).

Nothing could be finer than to be in Carolina :)

Coming back into the house, I had to take a picture of our lights shining through the windows. Seeing this reminded me of one of my favorite childhood books "Hush, Hush, It's Sleepytime" A great children's book!

Here's a couple of photos I forgot to post earlier in the week. The first is of our butterfly hatch. We had raised 5 caterpillars to be butterflies and this is one of the first ones leaving:

Isn't he a cute"little explorer":

How do you work these things?

I see people

Good Advice

2009-06-15T20:44:00.004-04:00

I just read one of my favorite blogs that I had not read in a while. She did a great post on focusing on what is most important in life. I want to link to it here to share with others. I struggle in life with focusing on what is good. It is easy when things are not going well to focus on what is wrong, not on all the good things that may be happening, or on any of the blessings that you have. I love this post and hope you do as well. I hope I can take her advice and change my focus daily.

http://www.mycharmingkids.net/2009/06/focus.html

Sickness

2009-06-15T19:53:00.003-04:00

Call us the house of sickness...again. I am thankful though that these are just minor illnesses in the scheme of things. The babies have ear infections, Collin has a cold, and I have an ear infection and a sinus infection. Cousins came for a visit on Friday. Carolyn was sick too so we stuck at the house for the weekend since no one felt well. They left this morning and of course we are missing them. We head to the beach in three weeks and we cannot wait. I'm praying that we all stay well for our family vacation and have as much fun as we did last year. It will be nice to get away again and have a solid week of family time. All the children are tired and grumpy today so we are trying to have an early bed time. Hoping for a better week and a return to "normal."

We are happy that school is out for summer. It will be nice to have some more time together in the evenings and to plan some special small trips/events to do this summer.

Take me out to the ball game....

2009-06-04T22:06:00.005-04:00

This is the first year with two boys playing a sport at the same time and whew, do we feel like the sports bus :) I do love watching them play though. It is hard to describe the feeling you get watching your child play a sport. It is rewarding in so many ways. I love to watch them give their all and to catch them checking to see our reaction when they make it to base. Each game feels like the world series. I don't care if they win or lose. In fact, Tristan's team is last in the league. But to watch them put so much of themself in something and to see the pure joy it gives them is beyond measure. Here are some photos of my "little sluggers"

Can't include a post without showing the 2 little munchins. The first picture is them snuggling up together on the couch. I love it when they are like this!

The next picture is what I found when I walked out into the kitchen one morning. Nathan had found a Pepsi I bought for Jim and managed to open it himself (and he sure was enjoying it until he got busted!):

The Birthday party's most embarrassing moments...

2009-05-11T23:10:00.002-04:00

I did not make an extensive one page list of everything to take to the park and forget eating utensils. Note for reference: While cake can be eaten with your hands, it is not recommended that you eat your ice cream in this manner :)

I did not forget to change the twins diapers in all the busy action of the day as this photo indicates:

And this same saggy diaper did not discharge two brown stinky lumps in the middle of our party which I then did not scoop up with a party napkin with the bright red parrots that matched my bright red face :)

And I most certainly did not start the sack race by saying, "On your mark, get set, go" while falling into a hole, twisting my ankle and falling to the ground laughing and nearly crying at the same time (while I might add my loving sister was grabbing her camera to take a picture :)

Nope, not me. I would never recount these moments for all those in cyberspace to read and laugh wholeheartedly at, no, not me!

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

Tristan's Birthday Celebration

2009-05-11T22:38:00.005-04:00

On Thursday, Tristan requested that I have lunch with him and bring cupcakes for his class in honor of his birthday. He wanted beach theme cupcakes to go along with our Luau theme of his birthday. He loved his cupcakes and so did his class:

We celebrated that evening by having him choose which restaurant he wanted to go to. We don't go out to eat very much any more, so he was pretty excited about this. He chose the mexican restaurant as this has become a tradition. He loves it when they put whip cream in his face and make him wear the hat as you can see by these pictures:

Of course Dalton had to get in on the action too:

Daddy brought him home a present wrapped in pretty legal paper, see the special wrapping paper? :):

For his party on Saturday it was extremely hot. We had a good turnout and everyone seemed to have fun. I didn't take as many pictures as I would have liked to but Jim's mom took some for me. Here are some photos of his cake:

He was very excited about the Guitar Hero we bought him. I found it at half price from Big Lots (gotta love a bargain!)

Here is Tristan taking a swing at the Pinata:

And little brother Collin:

Happy Birthday Tristan!

2009-05-07T23:12:00.003-04:00

My first baby turned 8 today. These 8 years have flown by. I cannot believe in less than 8 more, he will be driving. My oldest boy is so incredibly sweet and loving. Here are some things that my first child has taught me:

- How I could love someone so completely and strongly as I've never loved another human before he came into this world

- How much pride could well up in my heart each time he accomplishes something. Big or small no matter. Just to look at him and see his individual strengths and personality is such a reward in life.

- How worry about one person's well being could be so consuming. Wanting the best for him. Wanting him to be the best he can be. Worry that I somehow don't measure up as a mom. That I have not taught him all that I should or shown him the best way to handle a difficult situation.

- He's taught me that life is full of many many options. So much more than when I was young. Activities and events that will help shape him. Help him learn what he loves, where his strengths are, how to fit in the world.

Tristan is such a special child. His genuine concern for others makes me so very proud. His heart is filled with compassion, laughter, and friendship. My hope for him is that he will remain as compassionate. That he will be an incredible father one day just like his daddy is to him. That he will continue in his walk with the Lord and grow in his faith. These and so many more hopes and dreams all tied into one little boy. Happy Birthday Son. We love you more than words can say.

Our First Stitches

2009-05-06T07:26:00.003-04:00

First, this is how the little munchins started out the day. Looking all cute in their new Alvin and the chipmunks shirts:

Then our Dancing Dalton was was dancing and spinning at Ms. Annette's and fell and hit his head on the coffee table. I rushed from work to get him to the urgent care. He was such an incredibly brave boy. He did not cry or scream or fuss in any way when they put him in a little straight jacket/papoose type thing to hold him still. Amazingly, he didn't cry when they gave him his four stitches or the numbing shots before hand. Daddy got a little pale faced and they asked if he would be ok. :) I can definitely understand though, as it took all my willpower just to be there and not cry or react in any way that would upset Dalton. Here are some photos of him napping after the whole experience:

They gave him blue medical gloves which made his day. He absolutely loves gloves and goes around the house quite often wearing winter gloves even though winter is over! Here he is proudly displaying his new found treasures:

Of course brothers had to get in on the act too:

Easter Update

2009-04-23T22:09:00.006-04:00

My sister and her children came for Easter. We were very happy to see them as we had not seen each other since January. We started Saturday out at the church for an Easter egg hunt. She surprised us by showing up directly at the church and the kids were very excited. I took my "easter grass" cupcakes for the snack after the hunt:

Saturday evening we colored easter eggs. Aren't they colorful?

Of course, I think their hands were as dyed as the eggs, as you can see in this photo:

Sunday morning they went on an Easter egg hunt in the yard. Here they are making the dash out of the house and some pictures of the hunt:

And here is a great photo of my beautiful niece Kristina. She was not happy about having her Easter picture taken. She just doesn't realize how beautiful she is. I cannot believe she is a teenager. It seems like only yesterday that she was born. I remember I cried when I held her the first time. She was very special to our family from the moment she was born. My mom and I did a very good job spoiling her I must say :)

Speaking of cute, is this not one of the cutest faces you have ever seen? Any suggestions on names? We can't seem to decide around here. She is often called Jesse, but I'm not sure that fits...

And here's another couple of cute faces for ya:

Here are a couple photos of the "wrestlemania" from the other night. He's a little loaded down don't ya think?

In Memory of Bear

2009-04-17T21:45:00.003-04:00

Last night Jim came home and found Bear underneath some azalea bushes behind the house. He had passed away. Tristan and Collin cried so. I felt so bad for them. They have lost so much lately. A song called "There will be a day" by Jeremy Camp came to my mind as I cried missing our long time doggy friend and our dear friends and family that have passed away recently. Here are some of the words that bring comfort:

Troubled soul don’t lose your heart
Cause joy and peace he brings
And the beauty that’s in store
Outweighs the hurt of life’s sting

But I hold on to this hope and the promise that He brings
That there will be a place with no more suffering

There will be a day with no more tears, no more pain, and no more
fears
There will be a day when the burdens of this place, will be no more,
we'll see Jesus face to face
But until that day, we'll hold on to you always....

I played it for the boys last night and they really like the song too.

Revelation 21:4: "And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."
____________________________________

Tonight we went to the pond across the street. It reminds us of our best memories with Bear. He loved going to the pond and fetching sticks. He would also chase Jim's fishing lures, and one time even swam out to Jim when he was on his float tube out on the pond. Then proceeded to jump on board with Jim. I have photos that I will have to dig up as they are hilarious. He will be missed greatly by our family. He was my protector when Jim was gone. I always felt safe knowing he would never let harm come our way. I told the boys that maybe Papa needed Bear up in heaven with him to keep him company.

The night was beautiful and reminded me that through all of the troubles we have faced, God's beauty always remains if we just stand still long enough to look. Here are some photos of our evening:

She's got some mighty big paws to fill :(
She is the newest addition to the Davis family.

I thought the sunlight shining on the dandelions looked beautiful. If you look close you can see sparkles of light above the dandelions and Jim says they are Mayflies. Who knew bugs could be so beautiful in sunlight?

I showed the boys how to blow on the dandelions. I use to love doing this as a child and they seemed to enjoy it as well:

Dalton spent the morning at the pediatrician's with Daddy. He has another bad ear infection and fell asleep shortly after we got back from our walk:

It has been a really rough week. Just before Easter the twins came down with a stomach bug. At the time, we thought it was just a 24 hour thing so when they seemed better on Saturday, we went to the Easter Egg hunt at church where Cousins surprised us by coming directly to the church. Everyone had a great time and had lots of Candy. We had a great Easter Sunday as well. It wasn't until the late hours of Sunday that the sickness decided to run rampant through the house. I was so sick Monday morning that I called Jim to come home from work as I didn't think I could handle the kids when Carolyn went visiting for the day.

The boys got it pretty bad too. Here is what you look like when you don't want to admit that the bug is kicking your tail and you are too exhausted to admit it :)

Five days later and I am still battling it. It seems to get better and then out of the blue your stomach begins hurting and you don't get too far from your bathroom for a while. Everyone in our family and Carolyn's family (except for Jim, Tina, and Abby) has gotten this nasty bug. We've been home bound for days, but have at least gotten to go outside to enjoy the nice weather for a little while. The boys found a butterfly the other day and we managed to get him on film:

I'll try to do another post in the next few days and post some pictures of our Easter activities.

Hippity Hoppity Easter's on It's Way!

2009-04-07T22:14:00.007-04:00

Tonight we went to a local Easter egg hunt. It was cold compared to the past couple of days, but the kids were so excited, they didn't seem to mind much. Even the Easter Bunny was there:

And they are off...

When candy is involved, he has a nose like a bloodhound :)

They divided the kids up by ages which was very nice. Here's Tristan in search of Candy and Eggs:

Nathan went straight for the wrapped candy they had laying around, while Dalton preferred the eggs!

Enjoying his found treasure

Checking for the "special eggs"

If they found a note in their egg telling they had won, they won an Easter basket. One of Tristan's last eggs had a note and you would have thought that he won the lottery. He was so proud and excited. Here he and Caylee are checking out the prize:

Some of the found sugar to make them hyper loot :)

Another big attraction....The Water fountain!

Strep....Again!

2009-04-05T23:17:00.004-04:00

I think there is an unwritten rule somewhere that says when Jim is out of town, someone must get sick or something must break. That's my theory anyhow :) About 4:30 Sat. a.m. Tristan woke up crying and pretty much did not stop until we left the house around 7:30 to get to the pediatrician's. I felt so bad for him. I had given him everything I could possibly give him to relieve his ear pain, but nothing seemed to help. I also had them do a throat culture on Collin because he had been complaining on and off about his throat and stomach hurting. Sure enough, he was positive too. I also asked them about Nathan because I was concerned he would get it again too (I was surprised they didn't suggest this) and they did an overnight throat culture on him. Just this past Monday they had looked at all the children and declared them well. $200 in co-pays later, I'm praying that this new round of antibiotics does the trick. When we got home from the Dr. Saturday (after making three different stops at pharmacies trying to find the medicine they prescribed for Collin), poor Tristan's ear looked horrible. I took a picture to share with his Daddy and I will post here, but will warn you if you have a weak stomach, be warned! His eardrum ruptured on the way home. He woke up briefly to cry now and then, but pretty much passed out on the way home. This is what his ear looked like when we got out of the van:

Tristan slept most of the day on Saturday and when he woke up, he slowly started to feel better. His other ear drum ruptured but I honestly think it brought him relief. The others were full of energy (even though they each have their own ailments) so we played and tried to enjoy the nice weather. Sunday morning the pediatrician's office called to say Nathan's culture was positive for strep (surprise surprise). They planned to call in the same medicine as they did for Collin until I told them that 3 pharmacies did not carry it yesterday and the one that did was not open on Sunday. So, they called in something different for Nate. Luckily, it was a a store that offers a drive thru which is a blessing when you have 4 small sick children with you! We had to stay home from church because Nathan was still contagious. Luckily Dalton was already on his 2nd round of antibiotics for his ear infection so they assure me he is safe.

I do feel like a nurse lately. I was a little freaked out this evening when I realized that I am only suppose to give Tristan his meds once a day, and I cannot remember but think I gave it to him twice yesterday. Jim assured me he is still alive so we shouldn't worry, but it bothered me as I try to be so careful with their meds. Three get theirs once a day now, and one twice a day. Plus Tristan is to get eardrops for his eardrums. The Davis pharmacy is open again! :)

Daddy is suppose to be home tomorrow and I know we will all be glad to see him. At least we should be healthy for Easter!

Little League times two!

2009-04-01T22:56:00.007-04:00

This year I signed Collin (and Tristan) up to play baseball. Collin's first sport. I was a little worried that he would not want to stay with his team and would instead run out to be with Mom and Dad. I talked to him about it a few times and he assured me he wanted to play. The first time his coach called about practice, I hung up the phone and was all teary-eyed. Jim laughed at me of course. What momma doesn't get teary eyed when her wee little chicks take one little step out of the nest? When they do the first thing that means just a little independence. Something that you cannot be right by their side for. Growing up. I hate it. I cry and will do so for each of my little guys at each new milestone.

Some of my fears were put to rest last night when he had his first practice and he was amazing. He hit nearly every ball that was thrown at him (quite far I must brag say). I even found myself saying "That's my boy" since Jim wasn't there to puff up and say so :) Here are some photos of this "first":

Waiting for the cue to run to the next base

Helping the coach by handing him balls to pitch

Look at those fielding skills :)

And what were little brothers doing during this time, why getting into mischief of course. I turned around once to see Nathan at the top of the bleacher sitting area:

The funniest part of practice was when the coach was trying to teach them how to run around the bases. It looked like father Duck with his little ducklings all in tow, here are some photos to make you smile:

Day Off?

2009-03-30T22:11:00.006-04:00

Today I had a "day off". Let me clarify, from my day/office job, not my other full time job of mother, housekeeper, taxi driver....That job comes with no vacation, but plenty of priceless benefits. Like when we were in the Pediatrian's office and I was fruitlessly trying to fill out paperwork that I had just filled out just 8 short days ago (because it must be filled out each visit in case the child's birthdate or something like that has changed :) I was using the office pen because I can never keep one in my purse (little hands seem to make them disappear). This office pen was not one you would ever mistakenly put in your own purse at it had a flower with a very long stem taped to the top of it. As I was trying to write while chasing/watching/entertaining 4 small children, Nathan walked up and sniffed the top of that large flower which brought a little laughter in the waiting room. Ah to be young and not realize that some flowers are not really flowers :)

Or when we were at the playground playing while waiting for Tristan to complete his Yellow belt test (Which he did my little Karate man!!). A third grade girl was explaining to her 4-5 year old sister that another boy on the play ground "had anger issues." As I was silently snickering about this, Collin walked up to me with a big grin on his face and said "Did you hear what she said about me?" I had to ask to which he replied "She says I have 10 babies." Whew, don't know where that interpretation came from but that made me laugh even more. It was even funnier later as I listened to a conversation between this same 4-5 year old and Collin. Collin had definitely met his match and I only wish I had recorded it on video for later. Who knows, maybe they will date one day as she definitely could hold her own with him ;) She was explaining to him how she did not like boys, let me clarify, how she HATED boys. They are so rude, etc. etc. He said "Well, I like Girls." "My friend Katie, she is really nice to me." (Cousin Katie :))
Collin then started to climb like a monkey on places on the play area that he shouldn't as I kept asking him to stop. She then proceeded to tell him how he needed to listen to his Mother and not disobey. I said "Wow, girls must listen better than boys.". She of course agreed with this statement and repeated this "fact" to him. It was kind of fun to have a "little mother" there, if nothing else but to watch them banter :)

We did survive our doctor's visit quite well though. Dalton still has an ear infection and has started another 10 days of antibiotics, but the other three are fine. The doctor did tell me I could throw away the amoxicillin once I shared with her that they had not been sleeping very much since they had been on it. I told her I wasn't aware that an antibiotic could cause insomnia, but if you google it, sure enough a few sites list this as well as hyperactivity as a possible side effect. It definitely affected them. Tonight they were all asleep by 9:30 which was amazing. I don't know if it was from pure exhaustion or coming off the meds, but I'm hoping their sleep schedules return to normal.

One last story for the day...Today I made a futile effort, to try to bleach the not-so-white socks of all the men in my house. Yes, if you were to look at all the socks of the male species in this house, you would not find a pristine pair among them. You might even wonder whether someone bothered to wash them. Unless someone owns stock in a sock factory and can supply me with a new supply each week, I'm afraid I'm doomed to life filled with not-so-nice socks. You see this is a Davis genetic trait. It starts with the oldest Davis male in the house who can never seem to put on one of the MANY pairs of slippers his wife has bought for this purpose when he walks outside. I feel like the sock tyrant yelling out the door for one of them to put on some shoes as they wander into our red clay yard in their socks. Sigh. I just wanted you to feel my pain. Life with this many men can be exasperating, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. Dirty socks and all :)

2009-03-29T20:24:00.008-04:00

First, my apologies to anyone who thought I'd disappeared from the "blogosphere". Life just seems to fly by sometimes. My life lesson: When you think your life has settled into a boring type of routine and you think you need some kind of change, think again! The grass always looks greener :) After traveling across country, it has taken us some time to get "back in the groove". I found myself longing for our everyday routine again!

It does seem like things have settled down some. All the kids seem to have recovered from their sickness and our followup visit with the Dr. tomorrow will confirm or deny. Three had strep throat (in addition Tristan had a double ear infection with one ear so bad they thought the eardrum would rupture) and Dalton had a bad ear infection, but no strep. Here is a photo of the "Davis Pharmacy":

And here's the "sick room"

Here are a couple of cute shots of the day. First is Nathan demonstrating the newest way to ride a scooter in case you are too tired to stand:

And here is our little rock star, Dalton:

Joy's parents had their 50th wedding anniversary and she asked me to make their cake. I still have a lot to learn about tiered cakes (special thanks to Jennifer for all her tips!), so I am never pleased with my end result. Joy was happy with it and that is all that really matters:

Jen/Jimmy: This is what Nate will look like after coming in out of the rain, notice the lovely shade of no-longer white socks? :)

Unless, you actually donned your rain boots (but forgot your pants of course):

No one freak out and put me in the parent "hall of shame" they only followed Daddy outside long enough to feed the dogs, I didn't actually let them stay outside in the rain for long! :)

I'll end today's post with some photos. I'll try to post sooner than three weeks next time :)

Stop in the name of love!

These boots were made for walking

Dalton's fashion tip of the day: Start by wearing your oldest brothers shoes, and top it off with a Dorothy the Dinosaur hat, that'll sure turn their heads!

Some Daddy snuggle time after bath:

Our Whirlwind Day

2009-03-07T02:45:00.006-05:00

We started off the morning with the boys taking a ride on Papason's motorcycle and 4 wheeler. They all loved it and had a blast! Here are some photos of their adventure:

We then took a trip to the coast. Oregon is much different than NC. In NC, the coast and mountains are at opposite ends of the state. In OR, you have to travel through the mountains to get to the beach. Jim use to travel to the coast when he was younger and we wanted the boys to see the West Coast as well. Here are some photos of our day:

The large rocks are called Seal Rock. It was known for large numbers of seals being on the rocks hence the name. Jim's mom said that people are always getting stranded out on the rocks because they don't pay attention to the tide:

In Newport, the Sea Lions come up on the docks. The boys really enjoyed them:

We saw two herds of Elk on our trip home. Jim's mom got one on film:

I'll end today's post by showing you what I love most about Oregon. COFFEE ON EVERY CORNER VIA DRIVE THRU. How great is that?

Our Trip to Portland

2009-03-06T00:08:00.005-05:00

We traveled to Portland today and I tried to take a few pictures to share. Caylee, here are some photos for you to see a little of Oregon :) These are photos of the Willamette River and Willamette Falls:

There were a couple of really big and beautiful houses along the river that I tried to capture as we were going down the highway. The photos aren't that clear, but they will give you a general idea of these two houses:

Near Albany, OR there are a lot of flat fields and you see tons of birds. Here is one flock:

I don't know why, but the name of one town just cracks me up. Clackamas. Jim thinks I'm crazy, does anyone else think this name is cute and funny? :)

Tomorrow we are going on another adventure and to another scenic part of the state. Can you guess where? Stay tuned tomorrow for updates....

We are in Oregon!

2009-03-04T14:49:00.005-05:00

We are now in Oregon. Jim's dad passed away on Saturday and we flew out on Sunday. He had been sick for a while. I know his absence in Jim's life will be difficult as losing a parent is never easy. But I know that his Dad is no longer suffering and that brings comfort in some small way.

It was a challenging trip to say the least. Our flight was suppose to leave at 5:30 a.m. We arrived at the airport at 4:00 a.m. and then found out that our flight had been cancelled. We were flying through Atlanta, GA and they had snow! You would think flying through Atlanta, GA in early March would be a safe bet, but not so! We ended up not getting out until 11:00 a.m. By the time we arrived in Portland at 7:00 p.m. the boys were beyond exhausted. Dalton screamed for the last 1 1/2 hours of the trip. All he could say was "bye bye" over and over again. He wanted off that plane! Jim and I both agreed that after this trip, there will be no more airline trips for another 5 years or so at least!

The big ones did amazingly well. They enjoyed the airports, the planes, and the trip overall. Of course they are very happy to see their Nana as well as the rest of the family. I took some photos the other day when Jim and his friend Jim were out playing with the kids. It was a really warm day and the kids were squirting each other with a water bottle. Jim decided to be the big kid and pull out the watering can! :) Here are some photos of their water fights:

Tristan was amazed at all the large special rocks Nanna and Pappa had collected in their back yard. Right now his suitcase is full of them and he believes he is carrying them all home to NC. Of course no one can lift the suitcase right now, so I think we will have to be removing a few of them :)

The kids also had fun exploring the back yard with their Great Grandma, GiGi:

The Longest Three Weeks

2009-02-23T21:27:00.006-05:00

Jim left for Bermuda today. He will be gone for three weeks and I get the feeling this will be the longest three weeks ever. I cannot remember a time when he has been gone for this long. I think we have only spent two weeks apart as a family and already we miss him. I miss my best friend. It is not uncommon for Jim and I to speak briefly a couple of times each day. Whether he calls me on my way to work to see how the morning went or just some time during the day to chat, I have grown use to speaking with him whenever I need to. That is not an option while he is in Bermuda. His cell phone doesn't work there. At night he gets to call us on a computer line. Tonight the connection was awful and he couldn't hear us most of the time and I think it was hard for the boys to try to have a conversation with him. I feel bad for him as well because when I talked to him, he said he is sleeping in a twin bed with his feet hanging off the end. A loaf of bread there costs $5! He can only buy as many groceries as will fit on the back of his moped (they have to drive those there as they do not rent cars). Therefore, he will have to go to the grocery store every few days to get what he needs. In addition, if he needs a bag of concrete for his work, he has to carry that on his moped as well. By the time my tall hubby gets done, I'm sure he will feel like a pretzel after riding mopeds and sleeping in a child bed! Please keep him in your prayers for his safety and health during his time there.

Here are a few pictures from the past week or so. These little faces can make me feel crazy sometimes, but they also keep me grounded and focused on what is most important in life. I love you boys more than words can say. I am truly blessed for having 5 cute men in my life :)

I want to love her, and kiss her and squeeze her! (no cats were harmed in the making of this film)

Introducing Spiderman, and Spiderman!

And Karate man...

What a smile!

Sharing a snack of blueberries, one of their favorites

Sometimes I will pick on Tristan and tell him that when he gets older and gets married that he better come visit his Momma. I guess he took it to "heart". Take a look at my valentine:

In case you can't read it it says:

Dear Mom,

I Love you with all of my heart and I always will. I will visit when I'm married. Love, Tristan

Collin's quote of the week: Jim and I had a "date" Saturday night. I had finally bought some new jeans as my old ones had holes in them and a new shirt. I dressed up and took the time to put on makeup, etc. When I came out of the bedroom, Collin said "Why you looking like that?" Doesn't say much for my daily frumpy mom appearance does it?

Daddy Home!

2009-02-18T21:30:00.012-05:00

Jim just arrived around 9:00 and the house is in pure pandemonium. Here is a video of the little ones dancing when they realized daddy had pulled into the driveway:

And here is the happy reunion:

Before Jim got home, I made some homemade molasses cookies. I used http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Soft-Molasses-Cookies-II/Detail.aspx

I changed it to 1/2 c white sugar and 1/2 c of brown sugar, 2 tsp. cinnamon, and 1/2 c of molasses (like one of the reviewers suggested). I then topped with confectioners sugar. The house smelled wonderful. If I could add a "scratch and sniff" here for you I would :) Here is a picture of them:

Yes, I am a little obsessed with them and I'll tell you why. One of my biggest regrets is that I don't have my mother's recipes. Some of my fondest memories are of her baking for our family when I was young. Many an afternoon I would come home from school to smell these delicious cookies baking and this recipe took me back to that sweet childhood memory. Now I will be able to share this same memory with my children (and I'll add it to my personal recipe book so they will have it one day). What about you? Do you have a favorite memory of a food you use to eat as a child?

Here are some photos and quick stories of life lately:

I made valentines day cookies for all three Awana classes that the boys are in Sunday nights (over 60 cookies in all!). Tristan helped me decorate them and we had fun making them. It was good to hear that the kids liked them too, I truly enjoy making things for the kids at church:

Last week I picked up the donuts from school that I had sold for the school fundraiser (more on that shortly). The boys loved them of course and I had to snap this picture of Dalton talking to Daddy on the phone while trying to shove one in his mouth:

As my coworkers will tell you, I am always selling something :) I feel very strongly about parents taking part in school fundraisers. I am originally from upstate NY and they fund their education programs by assessing a school tax on top of your property tax (and it is not cheap). We are very fortunate here in NC that we do not have that tax. In order to do our part to help the schools, we each need to take a part in fundraising whenever possible. One of the programs I feel strongly about is the box tops for education program (http://www.boxtops4education.com/Default.aspx). I clip these from each product I can and get a little obsessive about checking each box and packaging that is thrown away in our house. Each one brings the school 10 cents each. This may not sound like much, but my recent pile was worth over $17 to the school and it didn't cost me an extra dime:

Here is a picture of what these look like in case you are not familiar:

Thank you Dee for sending me all of yours as well. Everyone check your packages and clip and save these for your local schools. Schools can and do earn thousands from the efforts of folks just like you!

Missing You

2009-02-11T22:48:00.002-05:00

It has been a sad week for the Davis family. We lost our sweet and dear neighbor, Mr. Welch. We celebrated his 103rd birthday with him in November (see earlier post) and I am so glad we were there with him. He was such an important part of our life and we will miss him dearly. I know beyond a shadow of doubt that he is with the Lord. I explained to the boys that this means he will never feel pain or sadness again and how glad Mr. Welch must be to see Jesus face to face. Collin tries to understand, but it is hard for a 4 year old. He asks if he will come back and tonight at bed he asked me where Mr. Welch was again. I spoke with Tristan's teacher today and she said that Tristan teared up in class yesterday when he told the class it was the day of Mr. Welch's funeral. The boys want to go to visit his gravesite this weekend so I will try to take them. Tristan was so young when my parents died, I don't think he really remembers much. I hope that as they grow that their faith will help them through times like these. I know that my faith certainly sustains me during the loss of loved ones.

I also lost my former mother-in-law in the past few weeks. She was like a second mom to me as she has been in my life since I was 15 years old. We were always very close and I greatly admired and cared for her. My life sure seems a lot different today without her and Mr. Welch around. They were both my mentors and my friends. Their wisdom, kindness, and support will surely be missed.

It has been a rough week for the boys as well as they miss their daddy dearly. We found out last night that Jim will not be able to come home this week as planned. He will not get to come home until late next week and then he will be leaving again the following week to go to Bermuda for three weeks. I know we are blessed for him having a job in these tough economic times and I try to maintain that focus. Pray for our family and others who must spend time apart. Time is something you can never get back. I hope that each of you treasures your time with family and friends. The bible says we are but a vapor, here for a little while but then gone. May each of you live your life in such a way that your legacy is as great as these two individuals that we have lost.

Davis Household Antics

2009-02-05T23:07:00.012-05:00

Last week I meant to post these photos of the boys attempting to wrestle without their main wrestlemania partner, Daddy:

Over the weekend Tristan had his first school friend over. The only other kids he's ever had overnight were his cousins or Caylee, so this was a new "first". His friend Cody spent the night and they had a lot of fun. Of course little brothers wanted to be part of all the action. We let Tristan and Cody spend the night in a tent in the livingroom. The next morning (after the twins woke them up of course) the twins were quick to jump in the tent:

Cody brought his Rockband PS2 game which of course the twins found fascinating. Here they are pretending to "Jam out" on the guitars:

Do you think I should be worried that there will be a band of Davis boys playing in my house in the future? :)
Of course the cold weather makes me want to bake. I made Rice Krispy treats for the boys, but Cody did not like them (I never met a kid who didn't like Rice Krispy treats!). But that was ok because Jim was happy to have more for himself as they are one of his favorites as well :) I then decided to try a recipe I have had for some time. I have been searching for a recipe for a cake like my mom use to make when I was younger. It contained milk. I found a recipe for Mohawk Milk cake. Since the area I am originally from is known for the Mohawk Indians (and this recipe was credited to a Mohawk Indian), I thought it might be like Mom's. Well, I was a little skeptical when the recipe called for 2 tablespoons of baking powder, that is usually measured in teaspoons. But being a new recipe, I decided I would follow it exactly the first time. Well, needless to say everyone in the house got the biggest laugh out of my cake which ended up being a volcano cake. First, it "erupted" and began dripping all over my oven. I used a cookie sheet pan to catch all the drippings, but the cake and pan were pretty scary looking as Jim had to capture on film:

Then as the cake cooled, it began to become a sinking pit also captured on film by my loving husband:

Finally, he could not resist taking one last photo of the finished sloping product:

At least it still tasted pretty good! :) Collin sure does love it, so I guess it had some success!

What is a post without a picture of Dashing Dalton and his fashion statement? :)

Jim left yesterday for Philadelphia again. We will not get to see him over the weekend which will be a change for the boys. They are already asking for him so I told them we can try to make videos and pictures for Daddy to see while he is away. Here are tonight's videos for you Daddy. We love you and miss you lots!

Mommy Home

2009-01-28T13:19:00.004-05:00

I am home today with the boys. Nathan and Dalton say "Mommy home" and I think it is so cute. We've had fun being together today. This morning we read stories and played with play doh. They love play doh. I have some that I made a while back. It stays fresh for a while and it gives them a big glob to work with :)

This morning I put small pieces of apple in their pancakes and they loved it. Collin said he could "feel the apples on his teeth." Collin is on a major growth spurt right now. I've never seen the child eat so much. He is constantly saying he is hungry. For a change of pace, I ordered some pizza from Papa John's and we went and picked it up for our lunch. Pizza is always a big hit with the boys. I had to call Jim (who is in Philadephia again this week) to tell him that Collin ate 4 pieces of pizza! I told him we are in trouble when they become teenagers, we will have to do a "catering order" with the pizza companies and we won't be able to afford eating pizza out very much because we will have to buy so many!

If the sun would come out, it would be a georgeous day. It is 60 degrees outside and I've opened up the front door for some fresh air. It has been raining all day. When we went to town Collin asked where the sun was. He asked if it was hiding today and I told him I thought it was.

They are down now for nap. While they are napping I have to squeeze in my shower and make our tortellini soup for dinner tonight (as well as the usual chores of laundry, dishes, cleaning, etc.). With Jim gone there is little time for rest in order to keep up with this crew! :) Tonight I am teaching in Mission Friends at church and it will be the first night the twins will be in class so it should be interesting!

I'll leave you with this picture of Sassy bonding with Collin's white kitty. Can you tell which kitty is real? :)

Togetherness

2009-01-14T19:27:00.006-05:00

Recently Collin had the twins sit on his lap on this little wooden chair they have. I thought it was cute that they were trying to pile up so I grabbed the camera:

Another evening they were wild as could be and we couldn't seem to keep them off the couch. Finally, Jim just grabbed the camera to catch the mischief in action:

Last night the twins insisted on sleeping with the big boys. I stayed with them a while until they fell asleep (and of course I did as well). When Jim came to get me, he took this picture after I got up because we couldn't believe how everyone fell asleep! The small space in the middle is where I was sleeping. Nathan fell asleep with his head on my leg and I had to "ease" out of bed!

Boy Mouths

2009-01-09T20:35:00.004-05:00

Boy Mouths are used for many things. Here is an example of them being used as a vacuum:

What do you do when you spill some candy on the floor? Don't let it go to waste, just get your brother (and possibly the cat) to help you clean it up :) You can clearly see an example here of the difference between a new mom and a mom of four....A new mom would have gone running, cleaned up the mess, and possibly washed their mouths out from any possible contamination from dirt. A mom of four runs to get her camera and watches laughing knowing everyone has to eat a pound of dirt before they die (or so my parents said :)

Boy mouths are also used for hurting your sibling, especially when you are two. The biggest battle we have with the twins is stopping them from biting each other. I couldn't help but grab my camera at this precious moment of the big brothers examining the injury and offering comfort:

This week the boy mouths have been used to do a lot of whining, crying, and being irritable. Everyone had a hard time adjusting to Mommy being back at work and starting school and usual activities. We have some tired children and we are hoping a weekend of rest will make next week go smoother.

Christmas

2008-12-29T19:47:00.009-05:00

We heard about these lights and the boys and I went out to see them one night. The lights light up to music on a radio station! Here is a brief video clip:

Here are some "still" pictures, but they didn't turn out as well:

We also went to see another house downtown. This is a beautiful old house and it was very pretty for Christmas:

What's a post without the newest fashion photo? Here is the Christmas version

Christmas morning was a lot of fun with the boys opening their gifts. Nathan just didn't get into though. He would open one present and want to stop and play with that present. He didn't understand that there were more to come!

Opening their stockings

Collin opening his White Kitty (what he wanted most)

I always get a little sad at the end of the day when Christmas is over. So much leads up to the one day and it is over so quickly. My hope is that the spirit of Christmas stays with our family (and yours) throughout the year!