Our Whirlwind Day

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

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!

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

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!

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

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

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!