The Monkeys & Me (a.k.a. the Davis family)

Christmas Celebrations 2009

2009-12-27T20:55:00.002-06:00

While a large part of me was seriously depressed at not getting to make the planned trip to Nebraska for Christmas, I must admit that we had a really great Christmas -- just the four of us!

I ended up taking the 23rd off work - to do all my planned running around, grocery shopping, and now that we were no longer traveling, food preparations! :) For as long as I can remember, my immediate family always ate soup on Christmas Eve... and I thought I should bring that tradition to our house this Christmas (especially since I was missing home). So I spent the day busy with many, many little things! It was so nice to take a break from work and spend a little time on my own. Mommy time just doesn't happen anymore! :) I even rented a movie - The Ghost of Girlfriends Past - & watched it before the boys got home! :)

On Christmas eve, we headed to church. It was actually quite nice to celebrate Christmas Eve in our home church and with the folks that have become like family to us in so many ways! God truly has blessed us with an amazing church! I was a little nervous as I had both boys by myself (no childcare) since Brian was playing his tuba. To my surprise they both did really well and I really enjoyed it! :)

After church it was home to eat, open a few presents and decorate cookies for Santa. Brian & I have this little disagreement that we will need to come to terms on SOON! :) Growing up, we both did Christmas Eve very different... at our house we did our family Christmas & opened all our presents from my parents. At Brian's house, they only opened one present. We still haven't figured it out.... we compromised this year and let them open 3-4 presents a piece on Christmas Eve. More than Brian wanted to do and less than I wanted! I am sure one day we will get it all figured out and then someday our boys can go through this with their wives! :)

The best part of Christmas this year was definitely.... the SNOW!! :) Kevin came running into our room on Christmas morning saying "Get up mommy! It snowed!" I actually had to ASK the child if Santa came. He couldn't have cared less... just wanted to go outside and play. I was thankful for the snow as well. The white Christmas actually helped my mood! :) We did go outside and play in it for quite awhile that afternoon. I taught Kevin to make his first snow angel (see below) and we had a snowball fight, although I had to make his snowballs to throw at me. Sam just wanted the same thing that he wants EVERY time we go outside... to swing! And he cried and cried when it was time to come in. Kevin & I did try to take down Brian with the snowballs, but with little luck, we finally figured out the best way to get him in the snow was to tackle him! :) It worked!

Sam trying to walk in the snow

Kevin's first snow angel

Kevin playing on his jungle gym.

You would not believe how FAST he shot down that slide!

Just a swingin'

Our Annual Christmas Letter

2009-12-25T18:12:00.009-06:00

Merry, Merry Christmas to all our friends and family!

Every year I really intend to get started on my Christmas letter early. In fact, this year we got our pictures taken mid-October which is a miracle for me! :) But alas, it was never meant to be as I am writing our Christmas letter on the blog on Christmas Day! The land of Wal-mart contributed to my delinquency this year... after 2 failed attempts at printing pictures for our Christmas cards, they managed to get 1/2 of them printed correctly...a mere week before Christmas. So, if you didn't receive a card from us... that would be why!

2009 has been another year of blessing, hardship, laughter and tears. I am always amazed when I actually sit and look back over the year all that God has done and continues to do in our lives...

Our little Samuel has grown up really quick! He has always been the "easier" of our two boys with his laid back personality and sleeping through the night at 8 weeks! :) But as we approach the ripe age of TWO something tells me that this too is bound to change. Sam loves to talk! Our pediatrician was impressed with the number of words he knew at his 18 month well check... and he definitely has not slowed down at all! His newest additions are Wal-Mart (his "mal-mart") and awesome (his "aw-fum"). I love all the new words, smiles and giggles. I feel blessed beyond measure when I pick him up from daycare and his eyes light up & he runs to me screaming "mommy". Sam did manage to get a large dose of the strong will that seems to run in this family. When we switched daycares in November he refused to talk to them for a week! Even now, he says one of the teachers names and not the other (even though he can if he wants to!). What he didn't inherit was any sort of coordination skills... he is always falling down, tripping, or crashing into something! At one point this year he had two different knots/bruises on his head and a cut on his eye and nose! :) And last but not least, Sam is a TRUE mini-me of Brian in SO many ways! If it weren't for those beautiful brown eyes, he would totally be just like his dad! :)

Kevin, on the other hand, seems to be more of a combination of mom and dad! He has started to look more like me (poor kid) but still has those very adorable and distinctive Davis dimples! :) He continues to amaze us in nearly every way! This year, I was struck with the harsh reality that Kevin is smarter than me... even if it is just when it comes to the planets! :) He spent the summer learning all about outer space & informed me one afternoon that Pluto is not a planet (I hate to tell him it was when I was growing up!). He is a bundle of energy and very, very smart. Earlier this year he wanted me to teach him to read. We are still working on it, but getting closer all the time! He likes to figure out which letter everything starts with and he is looking forward to Kindergarten next fall (mom on the other hand - not so much!). Kevin has done terrific at the new daycare and is learning something new everyday! He remembers EVERYTHING... especially places and the way to get somewhere! If you tell him we are going to church and drive a different way than normal, he is sure to let you know! :) He absolutely loves being a big brother and teaching Sam everything he knows. Sometimes mom & dad wish he would just stick to teaching the "good" things! On top of all this, Kevin has a very active imagination and loves to dress up in costumes, play pretend, etc. His favorite Christmas present was pajamas that look like Buzz Lightyear and Woody outfits! He BEGGED me to let him wear them over to Michael's house for Christmas and of course we gave in! :)

I am not sure much of ANYTHING has changed with Brian or I the past year... we are both still doing the same jobs (and still loving them!). He is still playing tuba in the church orchestra. And he still loves sports... including coaching Upwards football! God did call us to step up to be directors of our Adult Bible Fellowship (Sunday School) class this past year. It has been a challenge in following God and loving people that I didn't expect at first, but we have seen God work in some amazing ways and grow us in the process. We are a small part of a truly amazing class of people & we are excited to see what lies ahead of us in 2010! Our church continues to build and prepare to move to our new location next year... it is a very exciting time for us!

I have started to travel a little more this fall & winter with work. Brian has totally stepped in and picked up the slack without missing a beat. I think the boys enjoy their "daddy" time... even though I am not here to witness it first hand! Kevin does a good job of keeping me informed! :) Brian is a great dad and loves to play with them and teach them. He understands them at a whole different level than I can and it is my pleasure to be able to sit back and watch him work his magic. He invents "contests" or "games" to get Kevin motivated to do the things we want... like get dressed in the morning or pick up the toys at night. I am truly learning alot from him and our boys!

As I write this, I should by my plans and calculations be in Bloomfield, Nebraska, celebrating Christmas with my family. While I am disappointed on multiple levels that the weather kept us from traveling, I am continually reminded that God's plans are always better than our plans. I have thoroughly enjoyed just "being" with my boys at Christmas... attending Christmas Eve service at our church, decorating cookies for Santa, opening presents, playing in the SNOW, watching movies... my list could go on & on! I know that one day all too soon I will look back and wonder where these days went and how I missed so many of these moments.

I pray that each of you had an amazing Christmas that you truly treasure for years to come... regardless of how "smoothly" or according to plan it may have went. God continues to show me that His greatest blessings sometimes come in the disruptions or frustrations of life! My Christmas wish for each of you is that in 2010 God reveals Himself to you in amazing ways... in the big & small, in the gladness & sadness, in the rejoicing & frustration... through it ALL! May He truly bless each of you as only He can!

We love you each beyond measure,
the Davis family

Christmas in Waldron

2009-12-22T19:57:00.005-06:00

We had a terrific time having Christmas in Waldron with Brian's amazing family this past weekend. The boys LOVE getting to spend all that time with their cousins... and of course, we get to go to Michael's house! :)
I just thought I would share a few of the highlights...

Sam's new Elmo hat!

Kevin taking some fun toys out of his stocking

Kevin wearing Michael's Darth Vader mask

Michael's house is heaven for the boys! Look at all the Star Wars toys! :)

Sam getting some stocking help from Naint and Ninny

Sam talking to & loving on Jackson

Sam's new NASCAR

Kevin & Jonathan playing with Buzz Lightyear

Kevin opening presents

Kevin in his new Woody pajamas! He gave everyone a good laugh when he stripped down & tried them on right then & there. It was just as if uncle Kenny was still with us!

Helping Jackson unwrap presents

Sam got a head start on one of his gifts!

A big "thank you" to Brian's aunt Carolyn (Naint) for hostessing us. We had a BLAST and the bread was to die for (seriously!). To Ninny, for the great cake, hugs & of course all the manual labor (she loves to do the dishes!), And of course to Brian's parents, who always manage to spoil us... ALL of us! Sometimes I think I walk away more spoiled than my kids. We love all of you beyond MEASURE and are blessed to call you family!

It's The Most Wonderful Time

2009-11-23T21:04:00.005-06:00

Did I mention that I LOVE Christmas?!?! This year we were a little slow getting our tree up -- last year it was November 2nd! :) But at least it is up now and we are enjoying it. My love for Christmas appears to have rubbed off on Kevin as he was even more ready that I was to get started! We put on our FBC Rogers Christmas CD, turned up the music and got busy. Here are some highlights...

Kevin hanging up some ornaments

Studying an ornament before hanging it up

He got out the tape measure to help!

Not sure what he actually decided from all the measuring, but the tree turned out great, so I guess it helped!

A "normal" picture for mom

Now this is more like it - the real Kevin!

One last shot with both boys... just wish Sam had some pants on! :)

Kevin and I enjoyed our time together and it was bittersweet for me as he brought up the subject of "uncle Kevin" - he gets grandpa Kevin and uncle Troy confused as he never met either of them and knows that they both live in heaven with Jesus. Surprisingly, he did remember on his own which ornaments on our tree belonged to grandpa Kevin and also talked about him being a sheriff. As difficult as it is for me to recognize that he will never know the man that meant SO much to me in this life, I am thankful for Kevin's desire to talk about him and ask questions about him. I pray that someday he truly understands the deep meaning behind his name.

In addition to all this, I am one of those people that love Christmas ornaments & the stories behind them. You will not ever find two ornaments the same on our tree! :) Many of them are homemade or passed down to us & I love to look at them and remember where they came from or when a little proud boy handed them to me! :) It is like walking down memory lane as I go through them all and decided which ones to hang on the tree... and yes, we have too many for the tree! :) A few of this year's favorites are...

My crotchet angel at the top of the tree that was passed to me by my mom
The Herbie Husker ornament that was my dad's
Baby Jesus in the manger - made with construction paper, "hay" and Popsicle sticks - a Kevin original from Christmas 2008
A cross-stitched Santa that was given to Brian when he was younger
A "parents-to-be" ornament from my mother in law given to us Christmas 2004 right before we had Kevin
Many, many ornaments that I have given Brian & the kids over the years -- I must admit, the boys will have a wide variety of ornaments when they have their own trees someday! :)

Halloween - Star Wars Style

2009-11-23T20:45:00.003-06:00

Since I am playing a bit of catch-up here, I thought I would post a few Halloween pictures - very necessary before I move on to Christmas! :) We went with a Star Wars theme this year, with Kevin as Obi Wan and Sam as Yoda. They both were adorable (if I do say so myself) and we had a GREAT time.

We dressed up and headed off to Rogers for some family fun. First we stopped at Legacy House to get our pictures taken with our cousins. Kinda crazy stuff when you try to get 5 boys to all look at the camera, let alone smile! :) Pictures are coming -- Aunt Bo will be getting them this week. Then we stopped by Ms. Bonnie's house. Ms. Bonnie is a lady in our church that we love. She loves my boys too and gets such a kick out of seeing them! Finally, we made it to the Trunk or Treat that our church was sponsoring. It was a great night and we even made it home for the second half of the Arkansas game which made daddy very happy! :)

Brush your teeth, you must

The Jedi are ready to head out

Trick or Treating at Ms. Bonnie's

Yoda riding in style at the Trunk or Treat

Change

2009-11-20T22:47:00.003-06:00

Change is hard for all of us. Sometimes I think it is harder for me than my kids... they are pretty resilient and I am fairly set in my ways! :)

Today we said goodbye to the daycare that we have called home for the past 4 1/2 years. It was time and God made it abundantly clear that we were making the right choice. But as with many goodbyes, it was harder than I had anticipated - well for me anyway.

Kevin has a knowledge that we are moving to a new school and has been there to visit twice. It appears like he may adjust well and he is genuinely excited about all the new things... but in his 4 1/2 year old mind, he doesn't comprehend that the change is permanent and that he will not be going back to Ms. Linda's class. at his old school. He honestly thinks that he will get to go to both. We are hopeful that his new teacher, Ms. Michelle, will be exactly what he needed. Brian really likes what he has seen so far, which is good as I think sometimes he is the more difficult one to please! :) Also, the new curriculum is a step up from where he was at. They are already working on sight words which is AWESOME since Kevin has a huge desire to read! :) On top of all this, he will get the opportunity to participate in a karate class weekly, which has him on Cloud 9! :)

Sam didn't feel well today when I picked him up - he was running a fever & I woke him from his nap, so needless to say he was in a mood! He seemed to sense that something was going on even though it is all really beyond his comprehension. Moving him was hard for me as he had an amazing teacher - Ms. 'Teresa or Ms. Reesa as he called her. She has done amazing things with him and most recently started teaching him all his colors. His new teachers (Ms. Jessie & Ms. Shelby) seem really sweet, although he wanted nothing to do with them today when we visited. It will be interesting to see how Monday goes for all of us! :) One of the best things about his class is their class pet Elmo the guinea pig! Sam was reluctant to show any interest at first - in anything in the class including Elmo. But by the time we were ready to go, he was wanting up to see him. He called Elmo a "kitty" but we are now on track that he is a "pig" -- "guinea" is just too hard for him! :)

Please say an extra prayer for us in the days ahead! I know that God is guiding us and growing us, but transitions are hard and we need all the help we can get!

I wish...

2009-11-18T19:49:00.005-06:00

How on earth is it that I have completely lost 4 months since I have been on this blog? I wish I had more time to record the fun & crazy goings on in our lives...

Unfortunately, I can't seem to get caught up in everything else and forget all about updating it! I have been inspired by my friend (and amazing hairstylist!) Brittney and decided it was time to get back after it.... so here goes...

The most eventful time lately has been trying to get our family pictures taken a few weeks ago. It is always some sort of huge ordeal to get us all coordinated, ready & out the door - let alone to get everyone to smile and look at the camera. It is truly an exhausting ordeal! :)

Last year, we used suckers... this year it was Obi Wan and smarties. Kevin insisted that his Obi Wan figurine had to be in the picture too... so the first 20+ pictures included Obi Wan out in the open. Brian eventually convinced him to put it in his pocket (thank goodness!). Sam on the other hand just wanted to run after the first 10 shots, so I tried desperately to keep him happy with Smarties. You can tell in some of the pictures as he has his hand to his mouth! :) All in all, it was a much more positive experience than last year & I look forward to when it becomes easier! :)

Here are some of the better ones...

Out of this world...

2009-06-23T10:17:00.004-05:00

Each summer, the school the boys attend chooses a subject to teach the kids about. This year, we are learning all about PLANETS. Kevin is loving every minute of it and is like a sponge when it comes to these things.

Yesterday, the teacher was trying to explain that no one can go to Jupiter because it is made up of gas. Kevin proudly told her that "my mom gets her gas at the gas station".

It amazes me at how smart he is... I had to find out from him that Pluto is not a planet (it was when I was in school!).

Check out what I am talking about here...

Kevin's favorite new jingle

2009-06-22T12:46:00.003-05:00

Kevin loves to sing the little jingles he hears in TV commercials.... we have been through several in the last several months, but this is his current favorite (thanks to Atwood's)

Sam's Words

2009-06-22T12:34:00.005-05:00

Sam is really trying to say words now and I love it! If only I could get him to work on "please"!?!?! :) He won't even attempt it! But here are some of his favorites...

Has it really been a month?

2009-06-22T12:26:00.004-05:00

I can't believe that I have yet again let a whole month slip away without updating this thing! What is up with that? :)

Here is a bit of what we have been up to....

Playing with our friends (Dax & Layton Spence)

Touch A Truck with our cousins (Jacob & Jonathan)

Trying the firefighter helmet on at Touch A Truck

Sam taking it all in & enjoying his hard hat at Touch A Truck

Cutie Mommy

2009-05-19T08:18:00.003-05:00

Every once in awhile Kevin will amaze me by doing or saying something sweet. I really should write it all down because unfortunately I forget them when he starts running around like a wild banshee.
We have this ritual in the car where I say "I love you back there" and usually Kevin will respond at some point with "I love you too back there". As you can tell... he hasn't quite got the hang of understanding "back there".
Anyway, Sunday on our way to church, I said my usual "I love you back there" over the seat to Kevin and his replay was...

"I love you back there cutie Mommy"

Just gotta love that kid sometimes! :)

A few new words

2009-05-18T12:57:00.002-05:00

For the most part Sam is a man of few words. He is very attached to his pacifier and does jabber a bit from time to time, but other than "mama" "dada" and "bubba" very little of it is recognizable.
I am sure he is bound to be a child genius with the latest additions of "hi" and "uh-oh"! :) While none of this is earth shattering, he does have the cutest little "uh-oh" that I have ever heard. Unfortunately, he refused to utter it while the video camera was running. Something about that little red record light turns him into a statue and he won't do anything! :)
Oh well... maybe another day.

AWANA 2008/2009

2009-05-07T21:10:00.004-05:00

AWANA is over for the year! I can hardly believe that it is all done for the year and my 3 year old class will be moving on. We had such a great time and learned SO much... both Kevin & I. I am thankful to have the summer off to spend with my boys... but I am already signed up for next year! :)

Kevin waiting to go up on stage

Kevin being silly after getting his award

Kevin's Class

My class of 3 year olds! How I will miss them!

Another Boy joins the Davis Family... Jackson Cole Davis

2009-05-07T21:05:00.002-05:00

We welcomed our new nephew yesterday! He is super sweet & very adorable. Don't believe me? See for yourself...

So much for swearing...

2009-04-15T11:45:00.004-05:00

Okay, so this post may not be what you originally thought based on the title! :)

But I SWORE I was going to be better about writing on this blog and not let a FULL month go by without adding pictures, stories, etc. to it. As you can tell, that worked SO well for me!!

The last month has been crazy.... Three of us (Sam, Brian & I) had birthdays in an 11 day time frame. Not to mention that Brian's brother (duh!) and mom fall into that 11 day time frame too!! Along with turning a year older, I got the precious gift of illness for my birthday and was laid up with pneumonia & bronchitis. Oh the joy of it!! :) We did manage to have Sam's family birthday party (A Curious George Party) at our house.... I felt pretty rotten, so there are only a few pictures, but I will get around to posting those eventually.

Sam managed to take a few steps 2 days before he turned 1 and has gotten rather good at toddling everywhere. He no longer looks around to see if he "thinks" he can make it to the next thing to hold on to! He is walking everywhere! Please don't ask me where the video footage is... I am obviously a bad parent as the video camera was not charged and I don't have any. I promise to get some soon!! :)

Last weekend, Saturday was beautiful so we took advantage and went to a community Easter egg hunt. It was crazy, but Kevin had fun and enjoyed eating the candy! He did notice that another little boy and girl (brother & sister) had only managed to collect one egg between the two of them, so he went over and put two of his eggs in each of their baskets. As a mom, it makes my month when he does things like that! :)

We also took him to Pizza Hut afterwards to use his "Book It" coupon. His school participates in Book It and reads to them each day to meet the qualifications for the program. He loved his Pepperoni Personal Pan Pizza! :)

On Easter Sunday, it poured the rain and was very cold... so the boys couldn't possibly wear the short outfits I bought them! :( We went to church early and came home and stayed cozy and warm there the rest of the day. We tired to hunt Easter eggs inside, but Kevin isn't much for "hunting". He finds a few and then wants to eat the candy... no need to find anymore until the candy is gone! Brian & I eventually gave up and just showed him were the last few were hidden. Sam got to eat some of the M&M's that grandma sent to him and can I just tell you that he LOVES chocolate! The boy shoves those M&M's in his mouth like there is no tomorrow and then gets MAD when they are gone! :)

Okay, so... it was a quick update, but I promise to post some pictures this weekend! Love to all!

He's not zero anymore!

2009-03-19T21:48:00.010-05:00

Yes, Sam has turned one! Which in Kevin's mind means that he is not zero anymore... which is important since he has been zero a long time now! :) I am not sure that Sam really understood that it was his birthday... but he enjoyed every minute of the fun! :)

Birthday morning brought his first present... a remote control car from grandma & Duane.

Trying to figure out how to get the present open...

Having fun driving his new car around the house

Sam's first car trip facing forward! He loved looking out the window on the way to IHOP for his birthday breakfast!

A big plate of pancakes with strawberry syrup... what could be better than this?

Sharing his pancake with Mommy

Since Sam's birthday was on a Wednesday, we took the afternoon off to spend with him before going to church for our evening activities. It was a beautiful day (80+ degrees), which was a huge improvement in comparison to all the rain and flooding a year ago when we were trying to get to the hospital! :) We had a great afternoon at the park!

Fun on the swings

Kevin on the slide

Kevin climbing on the jungle gym...
And as usual, Sam isn't far behind!
After all the fun at the park, we had worked up an appetite, which truly never seems to be a problem with Sam! :) So, we met up with Uncle Brad, Aunt Belinda, & cousins Jacob and Jonathan for dinner and a quick cupcake. In case you were wondering... all the boys LOVED the cupcakes, especially SAM!

I am not sure if it was a great first birthday for him, but as his momma, I loved every minute of it! I am thankful that we were able to have such an amazing day full of fun, love, laughter, and making memories! What a true blessing from above... just like my precious little boys!

What does it take?

2009-03-19T21:40:00.004-05:00

One might think that pictures of my boys are easy to take... and I do get some good pictures from time to time... but here is what we go through first...

Sam crawling away & nearly falling off the couch.

Kevin trying to get Sam to sit in place & smile for the picture

Kevin holding Sam down --nice choke hold, huh?

Finally... a few pictures that are nearly perfect... well, except the peanut butter on Kevin's face and the marshmallow in Sam's mouth (used as a bribe to get him to stay put)

January Road Trip to Nebraska

2009-03-19T21:19:00.003-05:00

Since we didn't get the opportunity to go to Nebraska for Christmas because of Sam's surgery craziness, we decided to make the trip for Kevin's 4th Birthday & do a belated Christmas celebration!

I couldn't wait to get my hands (and lips) on my cute new little niece Alaina... she was born in November and I have been dying to meet her in person. Needless to say, she was even more beautiful in person... see?

And we were in desperate need to get some family time... after being away six months....

Ethyn's smile that can light up a room

Sam giving aunt Tonya some lovin'

And then, of course, ANOTHER birthday party for Kevin!

In a storm trooper outfit (& mask)... what else would you expect from MY son?

The biggest bummer (other than having to say "goodbye" which is always the worst part) is that we ran into bad weather on the way back home. After spending 12+ hours in the car, more than an hour of it at a standstill, we stopped in Carthage, MO and got a hotel room for the night. We finally made it home the next day to find we had no electricity... which thankfully only lasted 3 days! Brian took some pictures of our house & his truck with the ice.

Lazy or Busy

2009-03-13T13:41:00.003-05:00

Okay, so either we have been too lazy or too busy to keep up with the blog for the last 7 weeks or so. Crazy how the time slips away!
So much has happened... Kevin turned 4, we made a trip to NE and met our new niece, had the flu, had ear infections, traveled to Waldron & then back to NE for funerals, made a trip to the dentist, had GIC at church, watched Kevin "sing" at the women's luncheon, and as usual volunteered for more stuff to keep us busy! :)
Among all this I have tried to keep our house clean (yea right), keep my children fed & clothed (not a problem for Sam -- he has LOTS of clothes!) and more importantly... keep my mind!
I promise to update everyone soon! So much to tell and the boys are getting SO big!!

Kevin's 4th Birthday!

2009-03-13T13:27:00.007-05:00

We celebrated Kevin's birthday a week early in Arkansas since we had plans to be in Nebraska on his actual birthday. He wanted a Chuck E Cheese Star Wars Party... which is of course exactly what he got. I personally dislike Chuck E Cheese... it is loud and wild and crazy.... so of course, I am already planning a quieter party for next year.... we shall see who wins there! :)

The Coffmans, Spence boys & of course our cousins joined us for the big fun! We wouldn't know what to do without them! And Hannah found a friend there... I am sure the girl gets tired of all the boys! :) Kevin told me on the way that Hannah was his "girl"... we would love nothing more than to have the Coffmans as in-laws, but he may have some pretty heavy competition! :)

We had a great time & Kevin still talks about it months later!

The YUMMY cake from Rick's

Kevin waiting for all his friends!

Layton & Kevin with Chuck E Cheese

Hayden & Mr. Al in the horse race

Kevin riding on the merry-go-round

Pizza Time!

Kevin's new teepee from the Spence family! He LOVES it and spent several days sleeping in it!

My Boys

2009-01-16T21:00:00.002-06:00

A new picture of the boys...

Hudson's another year older!!

2009-01-16T08:09:00.005-06:00

Hudson turned 4 this past week and we got to celebrate with him at Chuck E Cheese! The boys had a GREAT time, so I wanted to share...

Hudson playing games

Brian & Kevin playing shoot em up

Kevin & Bob the Builder

More game fun

PIZZA!

And Cake too!

Why is it that we have crazy glasses pictures with each of Hudson's parties?

More Samuel Fun...

2009-01-07T11:07:00.006-06:00

A little mohawk for Sam (a little fun since Kevin never had the hair!)

Sam's new ride! :)

Our New Year's Fun

2009-01-05T21:02:00.006-06:00

Well, technically it wasn't New Year's... it was January 2nd, but I sure am hoping the rest of the year goes much more smooth in the Davis household! Friday morning, I went to work and Brian took the morning shift with Sam (since he can't go back to daycare yet). I think I made it through an hour of work before I got a call from the daycare telling me that Kevin had fell, hit the edge of the wall, and had a cut under his left eyebrow. The kid was hysterical (trust me, I could hear him in the background) and wouldn't let them put anything on it to stop the bleeding. So, I left work to go calm him and check it all out. By the time I got there, they had bribed him with a sucker (great idea!) and had the bleeding almost stopped.
I tried to call the pediatrician's office and of course, they were closed for the holiday, so I took him to the doctor's office Brian & I use with hopes that they would work him in. Sure enough, they were gracious enough to see us. I was pleasantly surprised that Kevin handled it all so well (maybe it was the hard hit to the head)... he let the nurse clean it off with some water and look at it. Then the doctor came in and he let the doctor look at it. And finally he laid down and let the nurse put a steri-strip on it. He did so well that he earned a green glove (his request) and a Kung Fu Panda sticker! :) The doctor did give me the choice of putting a couple stitches in it... but I didn't want to totally freak him out... and besides... he is a boy and scars are COOL! :)

Here he is that evening... still with the green glove! :)

Random Stuff

2009-01-05T21:00:00.005-06:00

Okay, so I have alot of random pictures and such that I thought it would be fun to share, but I didn't want to post each of them separate (I may be here all night!). So... I apologize ahead of time for the randomness...

Picture#1 - Samuel's granny gave him this mesh thing for Christmas. They may be old news, but I had never seen one before. You open it up and put food in it and then let the kiddo gnaw on it. Sam absolutely loves it! Makes a huge mess with it, but loves it nonetheless. His favorite by far has been bananas. Drawback - mom does not really like cleaning banana out of the mesh! :)

Picture #2 - I was hoping to get this picture before he turned his head but he didn't go for it. I was getting ready one morning last week and Brian had left Sam's half empty bottle on the table. Sam, being ever so resourceful, just decided to help himself. When I came out of the bedroom he had pulled himself up, tipped the bottle over and was standing there chowing down! :)

Picture#3 - Our first Cheetos experience at granny's -- what more is there to say?? :)

Picture #4 - Kevin, the meat inspector! :) Grandpa retired and Brian was showing Kevin the hard hat that Grandpa used to wear. Kevin would have probably worn it all night if we would have let him. Who knows, maybe someday he really will walk in his grandpa's footsteps! :)

And finally, my favorite, picture #5 - Kevin & Sam in my laundry basket (and you know that Kevin had to throw out all the clean, folded clothes to get in there). They think it is a fun "ride" as daddy spent time pushing them around the house in it! :) Notice that Kevin couldn't take off the green glove all night... here it is again! :)

FINALLY!!!

2008-12-31T21:30:00.005-06:00

I am SO thrilled to report that we got the green light and finally had Sam's surgery today! Thanks to each of you for lifting us and the doctors up in prayer... we definitely felt them! The surgery took less time than we thought it would and his recovery has went well so far. He did have to come home with a catheter that will not be removed until next Friday. This was slightly unexpected on our part as the doctor had mentioned the possibility, but didn't seem to think that it would be something he would need to do with Sam.
Please continue to pray for Sam's speedy recovery. We definitely don't want to deal with an infection on top of everything else. Also pray for Brian & I as we try to figure out how to coordinate Sam's care and our two jobs next week. We will figure it all out, but the added stress is not fun! :)
Again, thanks for all your prayers! We love you!

More Christmas Fun!

2008-12-29T16:09:00.003-06:00

Christmas is never complete without a trip to Waldron to celebrate there! :) We truly had a fantastic time with Brian's family.

As you may expect, Sam really didn't get the concept of presents... but boy, Kevin sure did!! His favorites of the night were the new lightsaber & the cowboy boots. Although since then, we have gotten lots of use out of the Kung Fu Panda DVD and the paints! :)

The boys with their Ninny and NeeNaw (great grandmothers)

Kevin opening his Kung Fu Panda DVD

(Note: the child now thinks he is the Dragon Warrior)

Kevin with his new green lightsaber (fairly certain that he has his boots on too -- you just can't see them!)

Sam -- he got some boots too (you can see the corner in this picture). He was much too busy to care about all the presents! :)

Sam's Surgery: New Date & Time

2008-12-29T16:05:00.003-06:00

Sam is now scheduled for surgery on Wednesday (12/31) at 9:00 AM in Joplin, Missouri. Please pray for Sam, the medical team, and the surgeons. I will post an update as soon as I am able on Wednesday.

Christmas Eve Fun

2008-12-24T20:42:00.000-06:00

Christmas Eve was kinda a roller coaster of emotions for me... church was a serious disaster since there is no childcare and my 3 year old can't sit still. I was ready to take him out and give him a good spanking... but alas I had Sam, Jacob, & Jonathan sitting with me too. Kevin should be eternally grateful to them for saving his life tonight! :)

But when we got home we had an amazing time together... eating dinner, decorating cookies for Santa, reading the Christmas story to Kevin and opening a few select presents. Here are a few of the pictures... video to follow later (maybe tomorrow or Friday!).

Kevin decorating cookies for Santa... there is no such thing as too much icing for this child!

More hard work by Kevin while Sam looks on.

My three boys on Christmas Eve... having a ball!

While Sam didn't get in on the decorating, he did get in on the eating and he LOVED it!

Kevin and his two presents that we let him open tonight...the little Transformer on the floor and the jacket he has on. I really thought he would love the Transformer and wrinkle up his nose at the silly NASCAR jacket that I got on clearance after Halloween. Boy was I WRONG! The child didn't even want to take the jacket off to go to sleep! :)

More Christmas Fun!

2008-12-23T09:38:00.000-06:00

Just wanted to share some pictures from the Christmas Party we went to at my boss' house a couple weeks ago. We had an amazing time... good food, fabulous friends, and even tons of fun for the kids! The picture below of Kevin is sure to be a "classic" that I will someday show his future wife! :)

Postponed...

2008-12-17T21:25:00.002-06:00

Okay, so we are really bummed out that Sam's surgery didn't happen today. We know that God did answer our prayers... just not in the way we anticipated them being answered. Since he had an ear infection and cough, the anesthesiologist would not agree to go forward with the surgery. It was a bit frustrating since it seemed like he made up his mind before he actually saw or listened to Sam. Not to mention that we took the day off and went all the way to Joplin for what turned out to be nothing. There are actually lots of negatives to all that happened today... but as I said, we are confident that God answered the prayers and this is how it is supposed to be for now.

On the positive side, we did get the chance to spend some time together today, which is always good. Brian & I took the boys for breakfast before we dropped Kevin off at school. We also got to eat dinner all together (which seldom happens on Wednesday night) and I got to be at AWANA tonight! I forgot how much I loved being there and hugging all those little Cubbies. So... lots of positives too! You just have to find them! :)

Just wanted to share a few pictures from the day...

Sam on the way to Joplin

Sam all ready to go for surgery (obviously before they decided not to do it!).

Some more firsts for Sam...

2008-12-16T08:45:00.000-06:00

His first apple (although I don't think he really ate any with one little tooth!)

His first candy cane (yes, he cried when I took it away!)

Kevin's first performance

2008-12-16T08:44:00.000-06:00

Kevin started Children's Choir at our church this year & he absolutely LOVES it! He tells me about all the instruments he gets to play & sings me their songs each week.
At 3, these kids don't really "perform" in church, so they have a little performance in their choir room. Due to a little mix up with notification, daddy, Sam & the video camera didn't quite make it to the performance... so the picture below was taken with my cell phone.

Kevin got to play Joseph. The boy next to him is his friend Chandler (who was a shepard). It was pretty amusing... mainly because Kevin kept running from their little stage over to Belinda & I and back. He is a crazy kid! But he was very excited that he got to be Joseph (note: he did kinda leave Mary in the dust on the way to Bethlehem, but what else would you expect from Kevin?)

Santa's Little Helpers

2008-12-10T13:49:00.000-06:00

Family Picture Fiasco!

2008-11-17T11:56:00.001-06:00

To say that our family picture outing this year was a fiasco, may be an understatement. I really wanted to get our picture taken outside this year, so I scheduled it and didn't think twice about the weather (it has been SO super nice here). Well, as luck would have it, Saturday was sunny, but cold. I just knew that my babies would never smile when it felt like 20 degrees outside! So, much to my dismay, we moved indoors.

Things seemed to go downhill from there...

When we got to Jeff's, Kevin completely lost it and start bawling and clutching onto Brian and I. I figured he would settle down a bit... which didn't really happen until about 2 minutes before we were ready to leave. And then it was just because I bribed him with a sucker.

Then, just when Kevin was cooperating, Sam decided he had enough! So, you know that I gave him a sucker too! Why not? Kevin had a stick hanging out of his mouth, so the more the merrier! Despite all that we went through, the picture of all 3 boys with suckers is my absolute favorite...

New Hat for Sam

2008-11-17T11:53:00.000-06:00

Just couldn't resist to share a picture of Sam in his new hat (from the Target $1 bin!). You know that we love hats in this family as we only know bald babies! :)

Halloween Fun

2008-11-08T21:41:00.000-06:00

We had alot of fun on Halloween! The boys had a party at daycare which of course meant that Kevin already had too much candy collected before our night even started! :)
Our church had a Trunk or Treat & it was a blast! Brad & Belinda handed out candy, so Brian & I tried to handle all 4 boys without losing anyone! :) Quite the time!
We stopped in at a local photographer to get their pictures taken... Can you believe that I didn't even remember to bring my camera with us???? Here the rascals are...

Jacob (5), Kevin (3), Jonathan (2), Samuel (7 months)

New toy for Sam

2008-11-03T11:45:00.001-06:00

Okay, so I didn't say the toy was new... just that it was new to Sam! :) This Drop & Roar Dinosaur was Kevin's first Christmas present from Brian and I. While I was in the attic this week getting out the Christmas Stuff (yes, you read that right, I said CHRISTMAS stuff!!) I saw it and got it out for Sam. He absolutely loves it (in case you couldn't tell by the huge smile in the picture). He doesn't quite have the hang of getting the balls in the holes, but that is what big brothers are for! :)

Another Crazy Kevin Story

2008-10-27T14:59:00.000-05:00

Brian & I went to the football game on Saturday and left the boys in the hands of a babysitter. We don't get one very often but Courtney has kept Kevin before. Although it has been awhile, because she hadn't ever met Sam.
In preparation, I started talking to him about Courtney a few days beforehand. I don't know where he gets this stuff, but here is the conversation as we laid in his bed for nap time:

Me: "Kevin, you need to go to sleep because Miss Courtney is going to come play with you in a little bit"
Kevin: "Mom, I like Courtney"
Me: "Good Kevin, I like Courtney too"
Kevin: "And you know what else? I like Courtney's dad"
Me: "Baby, I don't think you know Courtney's dad"
Kevin: "Yes, I do... his name is aww choo aww choo" (which is what the child calls R2D2 from Star Wars)

While I tried to contain myself, I couldn't help but laugh, which of course only encouraged his silliness. Needless to say he never did take a nap! :)

The Chicken Show

2008-10-13T08:57:00.000-05:00

So, in what appears to be more & more "normal" for my child, here is a conversation Kevin & I had on the way home from church...

Kevin: "Look mom, there's chickens on that truck"
Me: "Yep, where do you think they are going?"
Kevin: "They are going to the plant mom"
Me: "What do you think they are going to do at the plant?"
Kevin: "They are going to sing Veggie Tales" (note: here he broke into the Veggie Tales song)
Me: "What do you suppose they will do after they are done singing Veggie Tales?"
Kevin: "Well, they are gonna get a trophy, a BIG purple one"

I have no idea where this child comes up with these things! But good to know that thinks all the chickens go to plants to sing Veggie Tales. If he only knew!:)

A few more pics

2008-10-02T18:38:00.000-05:00

So, I couldn't quit tonight without a few final pics of the boys. These two are some of my favorites and PRICELESS! :)

Sam in the swing outside a couple weeks ago when it was nice (thus no shirt). I love it when I get this look... it is like an old man that doesn't have hair or teeth!

It has now turned a little colder here and mornings are usually in the 40's (to which Kevin tells me that it is too cold -- I am convinced that the child would not survive winter in Nebraska!). Anyway, Kev loves jackets that have hoods and trust me, the hood is ALWAYS meant to be UP! :)

Six Months ALREADY!!

2008-10-02T18:26:00.001-05:00

How hard it is to believe that my BABY is already six months old! I guess time flies right by when you are busy! :) We had our 6 month check up last week and are diong great! Dr. Lovell was terribly shocked by how much the boys look alike. He is fully convinced that if I was able to sit a 6 month old Kevin next to a 6 month old Sam, that Brian wouldn't be able to tell them apart! :) Note: he says it is a little more difficult to fool moms! :)

Samuel is 27 1/4" long (85%) and weighs 17 lbs and 3 oz. (50%). He is doing all the right things for his age and we have started on FOOD. He absolutely loves eating and definitely prefers anything orange to green. Carrots and Sweet Potatoes are his favorite veggies and I have only allowed one fruit (pears) because I know that he won't want to eat anything else if I am not careful!

He doesn't officially crawl, but the child is very resourceful and can get to just about anything that he wants if you put him on the floor. I wasn't near as nervous about all that when Kevin was his age, but then, we didn't have an older one that liked to leave little toys lying around either! :) This morning I set him in the middle of the floor and he was 5 feet away from where I had put him when I came back in the room.

Samuel & his slinky (thanks aunt Tonya!)

We are AWANA Cubbies...

2008-09-19T12:44:00.001-05:00

Kevin started AWANA Cubbies this year and absolutely loves it! I was a little concerned about my ability to teach him his verses each week, especially considering that he seldom sits still. But apparently his memory is really good... even if he can't sit still while he says them! :)

Kevin's Performance

2008-09-13T11:54:00.000-05:00

As promised... some fun video of Kevin rocking out.

Sam's Belly Laugh

2008-09-13T10:21:00.000-05:00

Last night Kevin really had Sam tickled. Not sure what the real reason for all the laughter was, but needless to say it sure was fun! We thought it was the whistle, but so far today the whistle hasn't had the same affect. Must be a brother thing! :)

The video was too large to upload here, so I put it out on You Tube. The quality isn't as good once you put it out there, but you can hear the laughter which is really the funny part anyway!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fC2VuvnGagw

Enjoy!

School Pictures

2008-09-09T08:05:00.000-05:00

The boys got their pictures taken at school a couple weeks ago. They are SO big!

We love the Razorbacks!

2008-09-08T15:41:00.000-05:00

Football season has started and so has our support of the Razorbacks. Here's some pictures of the boys sporting their Razorback gear! Go Hogs!

Great News

2008-09-08T15:32:00.000-05:00

Many of you know, but several of you don't so I thought that I would update everyone. Several weeks ago, I found a lump and went to my doctor (just to be on the safe side). We decided not to tell anyone before we went to the doctor, so that no one would worry. The doctor really thought the lump was nothing, but wanted to be on the safe side given my family history with cancer, so she scheduled a mammogram & ultrasound.
Now several weeks, much prayer, and several tests later, we know that the lump is benign and all is well. PRAISE GOD! :)

"Mom"

2008-08-16T11:18:00.000-05:00

So, this week I officially became "mom". I honestly can't tell you when it happened, but I can tell you that I don't like it at all! :) I am not really sure what I expected -- you don't hear many adults refer to their parents as "mommy & daddy" but I guess I wanted to stay "Mommy" forever.
Just another sign that Kevin is growing up each day and that somehow the things you take for granted will just creep right up on you! I know that "mom" is a very special word too, but somehow it just seems so foreign. Although, I must admit that when he is excited he says "mom, mom, mom" really fast which is kinda cute.
I look forward to the days that I will get to be Samuel's "mommy". Somehow those days just didn't last nearly long enough with Kevin.

What Kids Won't Say

2008-08-11T19:14:00.000-05:00

Okay, so Kevin is a bit on the crazy side and has done & said some funny things lately...

In the car, out of the blue, Kevin announces "I have my running pants on." To which, Brian and I both say "What?" His answer, "You can't get me cuz I have my running pants on.

Tonight I said, "Kevin's a Hog" to which he replied "No mommy, I'm a Boy!"

Last week he came out of his room singing "Who let the dogs out... ruff, ruff, ruff"

The other day Sam was crying on the way to daycare and Kevin said... "mom, he wants his mom." To which I replied that his mom was driving and Sam would just have to wait until we got to daycare. Kevin then changed his approach and responded "mom, he wants his dad"

Our "Family Vacation"

2008-08-10T18:18:00.000-05:00

We took a trip to Tulsa yesterday, which Brian termed this year's "family vacation". Mainly because we haven't really managed to plan anything else this summer and somehow it seems to have gotten away from us! :) Besides, who really wants to go any further than Tulsa with 2 small kids!

We took Kevin to the zoo last year, so this year we thought we would check out the aquarium. The aquarium was nice, but it was quite expensive for no more than it was. Nevertheless, we had a great time. Kevin's favorite thing (and motivation for going) was the SHARKS. He called the big ones "grandpa" and the little ones "babies". He didn't quite understand the concept of them all being behind the glass and kept saying "I don't want to touch them". After we had been there about an hour or so, Kevin decided that he wanted to eat and much like Sam, when hungry the child has a one track mind. Needless to say about every other sentence from that point on was "I'm hungry" or "Let's eat lunch".

After the aquarium we headed to the mall. Our original plan was to eat at the food court there, but on the way we spotted a Cheesecake Factory and so on to plan B... although not really a place for children, we braved the unknown and ate there anyway. Kevin was really good which was an answer to prayer as you never can tell with a 3 year old! :) After we ate WAY too much yummy food and cheesecake, it was on to the mall. We walked around for awhile and finally decided it was time to head home.

It was a GREAT day being together -- just the 4 of us! :)

Once Kevin realized that this alligator wasn't real, he LOVED it! :)

Kevin feeding the turtles

Kevin & Brian at the aquarium

Samuel at the aquarium

New Toy at the Davis'

2008-08-10T18:08:00.000-05:00

Each year, Brian has my permission to buy ONE Playstation game. Usually it is NCAA football which comes out about this time each year. However, this year Brian decided he wanted to get Guitar Hero instead. So Friday night, he and Kevin went out to Sam's in search of a game. When they got home, I was one the computer and Kevin comes running in saying "mommy, mommy, daddy bought me Rock Guitar Band". Although the child cannot play it, he absolutely loves it and wants daddy to be the "pink girl" quite often! :) Sam,on the other hand, will sometimes watch, but has also learned how to sleep through guitar hero rather well!

Brian offered to teach me to play -- although you know my coordination skills aren't really that great (not sure they have ever been good). It seems he will have some takers on that though as folks in Sunday School this morning were already discussing the need for a second guitar! :)

Kevin & Brian playing

Sam watching the boys play

Just a Swimmin'

2008-08-08T19:52:00.000-05:00

Last weekend Brian & I managed to wrestle 4 boys and live to tell about it (can you believe it?). Seriously, though, we got to keep our nephews Jacob and Jonathan while their parents went on some crazy BBQ excursion to Kansas City. I will tell you that I get to have all the fun as the kids are SO much more FUN than meat! :)

We had a great time! The boys play great together... the only problem is the occassional opportunity to teach "sharing". Friday night we ate pizza and watched Disney. They couldn't decide between Little Einsteins or Mickey Mouse, so we alternated.

On Saturday, we set up my bargain blow-up pool ($10 clearance special) and had a BLAST. Even Sam got in on the FUN!

Cereal Time

2008-08-08T19:25:00.000-05:00

You may not be able to tell that he loves to eat from the picture, but Sam is getting accustomed to "real" food. I am not sure that is what most folks would call rice cereal, but at least we eat it with a spoon! At first he hated it and everything got spit (and I do mean SPIT) back out at me. But lately we have tried mixing in a touch of pear juice and it has seemed to do the trick. He would probably lick the bowl clean now (if he was that coordinated!). He is probably wearing as much in the picture below as he actually ate! :)

Samuel's 4 month appointment

2008-08-06T14:25:00.000-05:00

Samuel had his 4 month doctor's appointment today. He is 26 inches long (90%) and weighs 15 lbs. and 9 oz. (75%). He has grown a whole inch and gained 3 lbs. in the last 2 months!

Dr. Lovell says he is doing great and that he will see us again at 6 months. We got 3 shots and another dose of the oral vaccine we got the last time. They are supposedly the exact same vaccines we had at two months, so I am hoping we won't get sick/run fever this time either!

In the last couple months he has probably done more than I can really remember, but a couple noteworthy things are...

1) He learned to hold his bottle on his own. Kevin learned this one early too, so I guess my kids love their food! I find that really hard to believe! :)

2) He discovered his feet/toes while we were at my mom's in July. He doesn't put them in his mouth and "chew" on them like Kevin did, but he loves to hold onto them (see picture below).

Samuel still has an issue with his tear duct/eye. Dr. Lovell had always told us that his tear duct would open on it's own and thatthe "goopy" eye would go away. This time he did tell me that it could still open on its own but the older he gets, the less likely it is to correct itself. The good news is that they won't do anything with it until after he is one, so we have plenty of time for it to fix itself! :)

4th of July in Nebraska

2008-07-14T12:52:00.000-05:00

We had a great time in Nebraska over the 4th of July. We hadn't made the trip home since November, so it was time! :) The trip was a bit trying to start with...

We got a much later start than we wanted to -- it was about 6:00 PM when we left town, which of course means... TRAFFIC. We didn't get far when Kevin said "I have to potty", so we pulled over on the side of the road to allow him to "pee on a rock". It would have worked out just fine, but unfortunately he didn't want to pee on just one rock and managed to cover his shoes and my leg as well! :) Once we got that taken care of and got back on the road, Samuel puked all over himself & his car seat. We pulled into a gas station in Joplin to attempt to clean up Sam and just as I got him undressed and clean, he puked again. But this time ALL over ME! :) Needless to say, I had to go inside and change clothes! Eventually we got back on the road and headed North with very few issues once the boys fell asleep. It was a long trip (I think it was nearly 4AM by the time we arrived!).

The good times were more than enough to make up for the car ride -- which is always the case! We got to go to one of Lexi's softball games which was especially fun since we are never around to attend anything she does (such a bummer to miss out on all the dance recitals, basketball games, school programs, etc.). Not to mention that it was a perfect place for Kevin to run around, play & get dirty -- although he did want to go out on the field with Lexi! :)

Lexi playing 3rd base

Lexi getting a base hit

Kevin & Ethyn cheering Lexi on

We also got to spend time with Troy's kids, Hannah & Austin too! They are both growing up so much! Hard to believe that Austin is a teenager! :) Kevin absolutely loved playing with them! Between Lexi, Austin & Hannah, there was always someone to entertain Kevin!

Austin feeding Sam ( I think Sam managed to puke on everyone but Hannah!)

Hannah & Kevin at the ball park

We did get to see my dad's family for a little bit while I was there. It was great to get together as many of them aren't home when we are back and many hadn't met Brian or my kids. Somehow it gets hard to stay in touch, but it was so good to see & hug people. Even if it was for a short time!

Aunt Nancy (my dad's oldest sister) with Sam

My grandma (Sam's great grandma)

Probably one of the best parts of the trip was when Brian & I helped the kids (Austin, Hannah & Lexi) shoot off fireworks on the 4th. They had such a blast, about caught several things on fire, and occasionally threw them in the wrong direction; but all in all everyone survived with all their parts! :) It reminded me of times when I was younger and getting to shoot off fireworks was such a thrill! Brian was happy we did it with the kids. Definitely a memory-making experience!!

Dedication Bloopers

2008-06-30T19:18:00.000-05:00

We had Samuel dedicated at church on Sunday. Needless to say, it was quite the experience...

My biggest fear is that Sam would puke on our pastor. I spent all week telling Sam that he didn't want to be known as the kid that puked on Brother Wes and that the title would follow him the rest of his life! I wasn't convinced that he would actually decide not to puke on his own, so...

I wouldn't let Sam have his full 9:00 bottle which meant he was slightly grouchy and required a pacifier. Brother Mark, our music minister, started the service and forgot about the baby dedication... so before we even got up there the whole thing was out of order! :) Once we got up on stage, Kevin immediately freaked out and wanted me to hold him, which I did and he buried his face in my shoulder. Brian handed Samuel to our pastor, Brother Wes, and Samuel immediately spit his pacifier out onto the stage. Brian picked it up and without even hesitating shoved it back into Sam's mouth. I was totally horrified!!! However, Brother Wes thought it was funny and made some joke about "you know he's a second baby when it goes right back in the mouth". Of course, that made the congregation laugh! :)

Among all the other craziness, Brother Wes left the certificate and bible in the pew and had to leave the stage to go get it. He tried to get Kevin to carry the bible, which of course got a "NO!" from Kevin. I tried to set Kevin down to walk down the steps of the stage and he tripped on the first step, so I basically ended up dragging him down the stairs! It was quite the time!

All in all, it was a bit crazy, but I consider it a true success that Sam didn't puke on Brother Wes.

Samuel dressed and ready for the dedication

Kevin and Samuel in the church foyer after the dedication

Melts a momma's heart...

2008-06-30T19:17:00.000-05:00

This morning, out of the blue, Kevin said... "Mommy, you're my best friend!"
Now tell me that won't melt a momma's heart!

Our First Arkansas Naturals Game

2008-06-22T18:32:00.000-05:00

We went to our first Arkansas Naturals baseball game last night. For those of you that don't know, a brand new ballpark was recently built in Springdale and is now home to the Arkansas Naturals, our first Minor League team.

We only made it through the 6th inning before calling it quits... it was getting late and we knew that we would not be able to roll Kevin out of bed in the morning for church. But it turned out to be a beautiful night and we had tons of fun...

This is Strike the Sasquatch. He is the mascot of the Arkansas Naturals. Kevin is fascinated and terrified of Strike all at the same time. He totally freaked out if Strike was within 20 yards, but then spent the other 1/2 the night saying "where's Strike mommy?"

Kevin is definitely cut from the same cloth as his daddy... here he is cheering/yelling at the teams...

He really wanted to catch a ball and was very disappointed that they "never throw it to me". He always had his glove ready though, just in case.

Stuff

2008-06-19T11:58:00.001-05:00

Okay, so I know that I have been horrible at this blog thing. I can't seem to find any time to actually type and by the time I sit down to do it, I am so tired that I can't even remembered what I was going to write about anyway! Here is what I can remember today...

A few weeks ago, Brian took Kevin fishing. I was honestly a little nervous that Kevin may try to jump in the lake, but he came home dry! :) Kevin walked in the door before Brian and was all smiles... "Mommy, Mommy, I went fishing!" Then he got very serious, almost sad and said "I no catch a fish. Jacob catch a fish, uncle Brad catch a fish, I no catch a fish." It was so cute (and sad) that I wish I had it on video! He did get over it and talked about all the fun he had, but he was pretty bummed that he didn't catch anything!

The first weekend in June, we all headed to Waldron for the Relay for Life. It was a crazy day and we were all exhausted by the end of it but we raised quite a bit of money to help in the fight against cancer! I am just happy to report that I was one of the few without a sunburn. Although apparently at one point I had a mental breakdown... after successfully taking four boys (all under age 5) into Wal-Mart I actually thought... Hey, this isn't bad, I could have 4 kids... Like I said, mental breakdown... definitely NOT happening!! :)

That same weekend, Samuel had his first swinging experience on the swingset in our backyard. All the swinging just about put him to sleep...

Last weekend was father's day and we didn't do a whole lot other than take Brian out to eat. I did take an updated picture of the two boys on Sunday, so here it is...

Hope everyone is well! I will try to do better at updating this thing in the future!

Donut Hole Shop

2008-06-16T06:55:00.000-05:00

Kevin has developed a fondness for donuts. I am not sure where it comes from, but he would rather have a donut than any other food on the planet. As a matter of fact, he tells people that we see out or that he has just met... "My mommy & daddy take me to the donut hole shop".

I honestly can't recall when the last time was that we actually went and sat in the donut shop, but apparently Kevin still remembers it and wants to share the experience with others!

Kevin eating a donut (from Wal-Mart, not the donut hole shop)

Nickname for Samuel

2008-05-21T16:39:00.001-05:00

Kevin had a nickname from the moment he came home from the hospital. He was always my little sweet pea, or little pea as daddy called him.

I have struggled with what to call Samuel. Kevin gets irritated with "Sam" or "Sammy". He always says "no mommy, that is SAMUEL". I started calling him Sam I Am for awhile and it has somewhat stuck. However, yesterday while Kevin and I were watching Curious George (or Monkey George as Kevin calls him), we stumbled on a new nickname for Samuel...

CHUNKY MONKEY

Now tell me there is not some resemblance...

I love my little monkey! :)

Big Boys

2008-05-20T09:20:00.000-05:00

As if we didn't already know it, yesterday Dr. Lovell confirmed that we have two big boys! :) We went for check-up appointments for both kids and of course they are doing great.

Kevin weighs 38 pounds and is 40 inches tall. This puts him in the 90th percentile for both height and weight. We were glad to know that he is finally getting taller! We have spent so much time wondering if he would forever be the shortest kid in his class! :) He did well with everything Dr. Lovell asked him to do... drawing shapes, counting, etc.

Samuel has gained 4 lbs. and 13 ounces and grown 4 inches longer since birth! I knew he was getting big, I guess I just didn't realize how big. As you can probably tell from the pictures, his little cheeks are getting chubby and he has more than one chin! His height puts him at 95 percent and his weight at 75 percent. Dr. Lovell says he is trying to keep up with his big brother. The doctor didn't have any great words of wisdom on his spitting up issues, but doesn't think it is a real problem since his weight gain is very good.

Of course all the fun came to an end when they both had to get SHOTS! Kevin had to get a Hepatitis vaccine that he should have gotten last fall. Apparently I forgot to bring him back for the 2nd part of the vaccine. I am sure you all find that hard to imagine! And then poor little Samuel had to get 3 shots and an oral vaccine. Needless to say, I was quite the sight trying to comfort Kevin and hold down Samuel.

The best part of it all was that I promised Kevin ice cream if he was brave... which of course meant that mommy got ice cream too! :)

January, February, March...

2008-05-16T11:49:00.001-05:00

Sometimes Kevin chooses to share the things he learns at school and sometimes he doesn't. Lately we have discovered that he knows ALOT more than he lets on! In the matter of a week, I discovered that he could recite the days of the week, months of the year, and the pledge of allegiance. Not to mention, he can show you his right hand and his left hand. Not genius material, I know, but it amazed me how much he actually knows!

I got so excited when I discovered that he knows the months of the year, that I made him recite it for everyone -- daddy, granny & grandpa, aunt Bo and uncle Brad, etc. Needless to say, he now has an obsession with the months of the year. Here he is...

Samuel keeps growing & growing...

2008-05-16T11:45:00.000-05:00

It is SO hard to believe that my baby is already two months old (see photos below)! The past two months have been alot of fun for me, but unfortunately it is back to reality! :) I started working from home on Wednesday and will continue to work from home until Samuel is 10 weeks old (May 27th). Samuel will then start to go to daycare with Kevin.

I have a very bittersweet feeling about this transition. I have savored each moment a little more this time around, not knowing if it will be my last...I have taken less pictures and instead spent hours memorizing every teeny, tiny feature of Samuel. I am hoping to remember this stage of life, but I know that somehow it will all be a big blur by the time he turns 3 (as it was with Kevin). Samuel & I have spent the last 8 weeks kissing, cuddling, talking, tickling, caressing, crying. laughing, cooing, smiling, and so much more! I feel so humbled and blessed that God would entrust me with this amazing little boy!

I have also spent more time with Kevin over the past 8 weeks... loving on him, singing with him (he doesn't know that I can't carry a tune!), reading to him, and making memories with him (lots & lots of "puppy" kisses!). After all, he is (and always will be) my #1 baby. And while his strong will makes me crazy at times, it is one of the things I love about him the most! After all, his determination to defy me and push the limits is also the same determination with which he constantly declares his love for me, his daddy, and his "brudder". He melts my heart like no other person can.

I am extremely thankful for my husband and the great way he has handled the past 8 weeks of emotional breakdowns, lack of sleep, and constant parade of relatives through our house! Not to mention that I have not gotten any better as a housekeeper or cook in the past 8 weeks -- mainly for lack of trying! :) He didn't ever complain that I spent all day at home and did not manage to get a meal on the table. And trust me, there was LOTS of those days! :) I am so blessed to have him to walk through life with!

So, while I am slightly teary-eyed that this chapter in our life is closing, I look forward to the great things God has in store for each of us in the days and weeks ahead!

Samuel at 7 weeks

Samuel at 8 weeks

Picture Time

2008-05-09T06:15:00.000-05:00

I used to believe that the reason my parents didn't have pictures of the four of us together had to do with the financial constraints of having four children....
Now I realize it had more to do with my parents keeping their SANITY! :)

One of the girls in my Sunday School class has a photography business and took the boys' pictures on Monday. It was quite the time trying to get two boys to cooperate and be happy at the same time! Kevin always starts out shy with everyone and spends his time hiding behind me and clutching my leg. Once I could finally pry him off of me to get started with some pictures of Samuel, he was getting into everything. First he wanted us to blow up a balloon, then he wanted to put on some PINK galoshes. When it was finally time for him to be in the pictures, he wanted nothing to do with sitting in any position we wanted him in. And when we got outside, you can forget it! All he wanted to do at that point was to pick up sticks and throw them in the lake. Somehow we managed not to fall in!

All in all, we did get some great pictures, but I won't be volunteering for this job again anytime soon! :)

Here are some pictures... and the website link where you can see them all.

Website & Passwords:

www.mjwphotography.com/clients

Can you tell the difference?

2008-04-30T15:51:00.000-05:00

Do you know which baby is Kevin and which one is Samuel?

The top one is Kevin and the bottom one is Samuel. I seem to go back and forth on whether or not Samuel looks like Kevin... but the pictures seem to speak for themselves! :)

We have been BUSY with family and errands, but it has all been really fun! My sisters and Lexi came and spent four days with us. We LOVED every minute of it and Kevin wore them out! Last weekend, we made Samuel's first trip to Waldron to see Brian's extended family. He got to meet both of Brian's grandma's, Aunt Carolyn, Cousin Michael, and Aunt Sharon.

Brian and I also celebrated our 5 year anniversary last Saturday. Surely doesn't seem like 5 years, but I can hardly remember my life before Brian and my boys! Crazy how being a wife and a mom can change your whole perrspective on life! I am SO extrememly blessed to have a GREAT husband that spoils me every chance he can get! And believe it or not, he is planning to spoil me with a weekend away this coming weekend! He will be playing Mr. Mom while I shop til I drop in Branson! :)

Kevin continues to grow and grow... he surprised both of us last week by reciting the months of the year and correctly identifying his right hand! He also continues to do crazy things that make us want to crawl under a rock! :) The latest would be when he told one of the friends from our Sunday School class (who had come by to bring us dinner) that he was going to "beat her butt". He said it not once, but twice! Thank goodness she has two boys of her own, so she thought it was hilarious! I know exactly what he meant -- he and Brian have this game where he gives Brian the ball and then he runs away. Brian then tries to throw the ball and hit Kevin on his backside. He was trying to give Mrs. Kay the ball, so I guess he wanted her to play his game! Oh, what the child won't say!

Samuel is doing well and growing like a weed. Hard to believe that my maternity leave will be over in a few short weeks! They sure don't stay little for LONG. Here are a few additional pictures of Samuel...

Medical Update on Samuel

2008-04-08T17:06:00.001-05:00

I think we may be "officially" done with doctor visits for a little while -- praise God! :) Well, at least we don't have anymore scheduled until his two month well check!

We received the results of Samuel's echo -- which were all normal. His weight is back up to his birth weight and the jaundice is gone.

We saw a pediatric surgeon, Dr. Rosenshien, about Samuel's hypospadius. He only has a mild case, but it will require surgery down the road. We go back for a follow up appointment in November and will schedule the surgery and get additional details at that time.

Thanks to all for the many prayers over the last several weeks! We love you!

Popcorn for Samuel?

2008-04-02T21:32:00.001-05:00

Everyone wants to know how big brother Kevin is dealing with Samuel's arrival, so I thought the latest Kevin saga was worth sharing...
Tonight, while I was about 4 feet away, but obviously not paying close attention to my oldest son, Kevin decided to "share" his popcorn with Samuel! Who knows how long the kernel of popcorn was stuck to the child's tongue before I saw it and FREAKED! Poor Kevin thought he was doing a good thing -- after all, why wouldn't Samuel like popcorn? :)
Needless to say, we had to have a discussion about how Samuel could only eat milk since he doesn't have teeth yet. Which I then realized that I had to quickly amend by saying he can only drink milk from mommy or his bottle -- the last thing I need is Kevin "sharing" his chocolate milk with Samuel! Oh the things you never thought you would have to worry about! :)

The First Ten Days

2008-03-28T16:13:00.000-05:00

Samuel is now 10 days old and what a crazy 10 days it has been in the Davis household! Here are the highlights (and some pictures):

Samuel lost nearly a pound during his first week of life which has meant many trips to the doctor's office. At this rate, he may actually beat his brother Kevin's record! :) He is back up to 7 lbs. 2 oz. and making the doctors very happy at moment. He also has jaundice, which has concerned us slightly this week since his eyes started to turn slightly yellow. Samuel had a heart murmur at birth, so we went for an echo cardiogram on Monday. Apparently, they send them all to Children's in Little Rock to be interpreted and then a report will be sent back to our pediatrician. We hope to hear something when we go back for his two week check up on Wednesday. Other than all that, he is doing really well.

Kevin has enjoyed having a brother so far. He loves to talk to Samuel and gets this funny high pitched voice when he does. He lovingly calls him "Bubba" and thinks that he can only kiss him on the lips, so that is rather humorous at times. My mom was here for the week and they had a big time playing hide and seek, going to the park, watching the Bee Movie, etc. He actually cried when he realized that she was gone, which makes my heart break. I have tried to keep life as normal as possible for Kevin, but some things are just difficult no matter how you slice them... try explaining breast feeding to a 3 year old. He now says "Samuel eat you", so I can only guess what he says in his classes at church and school! :)

Brian has taken everything in stride this time around. He loves to hold, burp and feed Samuel (although we are still struggling on the diaper duty!). He has taken on nearly all responsibility for Kevin as I physically cannot lift or wrestle him at this point, so that has been a huge blessing. Work is keeping him busy, as always. He did get to spend his birthday at a golf tournament with an ingredient supplier and some other guys from work, so I think the day turned out good for him!
As for me, I have been feeling amazingly good this time around! It is crazy how much better the c-section was not having to go through labor first! :) I did have alot of help though since mom came to stay for 6 days. It was great to have her here and hard to see her leave. I love living in NW Arkansas, but it is SO hard to be far away from my family! Needless to say, I am still a little on the hormonal side and the lack of sleep is never a positive thing for me! :) All in all though, I spend my days gazing at Samuel and wondering how it is that I have been so blessed. I thank God for each of my boys (including Brian) and look forward to the many miracles He has planned for the days to come!

Samuel ready to go home from the hospital

Samuel hanging out in the boppy at home, four days old (Thomas watch courtesy of Kevin)

Kevin and Samuel on 3-25-08. I love the look on Samuel's face!

Kevin, Samuel & Brian having storytime before bed on 3-27-08

Birthday Cake for Daddy

2008-03-28T15:54:00.000-05:00

Brian turned 32 on Tuesday and to celebrate, my mom thought she would help Kevin make cupcakes for him! I missed the actual cake baking process although I received some highlights from mom, including how Kevin poured the cake mix from the box to the bowl and then proceeded to lean over and stick his tongue into the cake mix! :)

I did get to witness the frosting and decorating, which was hilarious. The child couldn't keep the knife out of his mouth long enough to frost a single cupcake, so mom gave him the job of adding the M&M's. His OCD tendancies came out a bit as you will notice... only M&M's that are the same color could go on the cupcake.

All in all it was a great time and we made lots of memories! We are going to have to work hard to top it next year! :)

Taking time to say "cheese" while decorating the cupcakes

Adding the M&M's

The celebration and candles with Daddy!

Our New Addition...

2008-03-22T14:58:00.000-05:00

Samuel Joe Davis is officially here! He was born Tuesday, March 18th at 9:12 am at Willow Creek Women's Hospital in Johnson, AR. He weighed in at 7 lbs. and 12 ounces and measured 21 inches long.

Samuel & Traci are both doing okay following the c-section. Things got a little crazy for a minute or two as the doctors had some problems getting Samuel out. And then it took him what seemed like a lifetime to cry! But all in all things went great and we are SO VERY thankful for our little miracle.

Kevin seems to love his little brother, but he is confused by the hospital and very concerned about his mommy. He is staying with Aunt Bo and Unc, so hopefully that will keep him distracted for now.

We will post more soon!! :)

Odds & Ends

2008-02-17T20:56:00.000-06:00

Where does the time go? This clip of Kevin on his new bike is from several weeks ago, but somehow I haven't managed to post it until now! Hope you enjoy it and the following short update on us...

A couple weekends ago, my grandparents surprised us by stopping by. May not seem like a big deal to many of you, but they live 8 hours away! :) We were thrilled to get to spend some time with them. They were on their way to Atlanta, where grandma was going to stay while grandpa went to Jamacia for a week on a mission trip! Kevin warmed up to having them here fairly quickly and loved the attention. He got so excited that most of the time "G.G." came out "Luigi" (like on his Cars movie).

Then last weekend Brian's parents came to stay with us! It is always good to see them and the boys made sure I didn't "over do" it and made a run for some Thai food (and a salad for me!) I think that was just a good excuse to get some much wanted Thai food, but I was grateful nonetheless! On Saturday, the boys (Brad & Brain) and Pops went on a little excursion while Mom and I enjoyed some time with the little boys (Jacob, Kevin & Jonathan). They are great kids and the only problem was a few opportunities to learn sharing! Note: Belinda was in Thailand on a mission trip for 10 days. I am now unsure what I would EVER do if we lived far apart!

This week was a CRAZY one at our house! Both Brian and Kevin got sick, so I had my hands full! :) On top of all that, I had my tooth worked on again on Valentine's Day. We are hopeful that this is the last time for this crazy tooth! In between everything, we managed to go to the doctor and celebrate Valentine's day! The doctor appointment went well. I am measuring right where I should be and Samuel's heartbeat was good. My blood pressure is still doing great too! I do like Dr. Cole, so that is a huge blessing -- he is extremely nice, just older which still kinda weirds me out. I have still only gained 13 lbs, which is fairly amazing considering I had gained 30 at this time with Kevin! Somehow, we have managed to survive the week and I even got a bouquet of beuatiful roses from my husband. We are just hoping this next week is a little better!

Yesterday, our Sunday School class had a baby shower for Samuel. We didn't really need anything, but it was fun to get together and fellowship. Samuel did get some great gifts, but mommy's favorites were the handmade stuff and of course the shoes from Thailand! We have some very talented women in my class (I am not one of them!) and Samuel benefited greatly. One of them made his bedding, which is just adorbale! I can't wait to get the room settled so that I can post some pictures! :) I spent the rest of the day in what Brian terms as "nesting" which basically means doing things that need to be done but he wants no part in! :) I did get everything halfway "situated" and even started writing in Samuel's baby book.

Well, tomorrow starts another crazy week, so I best get to bed. Much love to all...

Our countdown to Samuel...

2008-02-02T14:06:00.000-06:00

Only 44 days left... can you BELIEVE it?

We went back to the doctor last Monday (January 28th) and everything is well. I measured right where I should be and have only gained 13 pounds which made Dr. Gorman extremely happy! :)

We scheduled my c-section for Tuesday, March 18th at 8:45 AM. So, unless he decides to come early, we are on the countdown to the 18th. The doctor that will do my c-section is Dr. Cole. I haven't seen him at all this pregnancy and only saw him once with Kevin. The clinic we go to has several different doctors and usually you just rotate and see all of them at least once; then whoever is on call delivers your baby. From what I remember about Dr. Cole, he is an older doctor and I just didn't hit it off with him like I did some of the others the first time around.... so I haven't been back to see him. I will see him next time though (Feb. 12th), so please pray that I really like him this time and that I am at peace with him delivering Samuel! We all know it is really in God's hands anyway, but I want to be EXCITED instead of nervous! :)

Originally, the 18th still seemed like a LONG time away... but the more time I spend thinking about it, I realize that it is right around the corner! I have attached a couple pictures. I hate pictures of myself, but everyone (especially my family that I haven't seen since Thanksgiving) keeps asking, so here you go...

Me -- getting BIGGER by the day -- although I still have to pull my pants up every few minutes! What is up with that?

Kevin giving Samuel kisses... not sure he truly understands, but he likes to give him kisses, nose rubs, and ocassionally sing to him!

Kevin's Batman Party

2008-01-28T19:37:00.000-06:00

I guess this is the year of Batman at the Davis household. I was shocked when that is what Kevin picked out as a Halloween costume in October, so you can also imagine how shocked I was when he wanted a Batman birthday party. I have absolutely NO clue how the child even knows who Batman is! :)

The cake turned out to be AMAZING - both in looks and taste (which is probably where my latest 3 lbs. came from)! The kids seemed to have a good time... although things can get a little crazy trying to keep up with them. Brian got a TRUE test of what that was all about since I tasked him with keeping up with Kevin. Which of course meant that he not only had to keep up with the boy, but he also had to deal with me saying "where's Kevin?" every 5 minutes.

All in all, it was a great time and the best part was NO CLEAN-UP for mommy! :) Nearly a week later, Kevin still sleeps with the Batman and Batmobile figurines from the cake. Amazing what kids will consider "treasures".

Thanks to everyone who made it to the party! Our lives wouldn't be the same without you! And to those of you, especially family, that couldn't make it... we look forward to being with you VERY soon! :)

Hudson playing the basketball game

Jonathan & Kevin playing in the ball pit

The Coffman family plays Skee Ball!

Jacob, Unc & Aunt Bo racing

Our friends Aidan and Amanda from next door

Kevin the Police Officer

2008-01-25T18:58:00.000-06:00

Kevin turned 3 on Thursday and among the many presents was this police uniform from Nin, Naint and Mikey. Needless to say it was a HIT with him... he thinks the radio is a phone, and the whistle is driving mom & dad crazy, but he's just SO cute in it...how can you be upset? :) We have plans for a party with his little friends tomorrow, so we will post more pictures and birthday details then!

Hudson's 3rd Birthday Party!

2008-01-13T16:22:00.000-06:00

We had a great day yesterday with Hudson, Sally & Jared! I think it made us miss them even more than we already did, but we are SO thankful for the time we were able to spend together. Many of you know that they moved about an hour away from us to Van Buren, so they really aren't THAT far away! But far enough that we don't see them as much as we would like!
Hudson's 3rd birthday was yesterday and we had the privilege of spending it with him! The boys played really great together and had a blast at Fun City so I thought I would share some pictures! We can't wait until we can do it all over again in a couple weeks for Kevin's birthday! :)

Hudson's Thomas Cake (It was SO yummy!)

Hudson & Kevin having fun in the ball pit

Hudson & Kevin hit the jackpot!

Hudson's present to Kevin! :)

Meet Samuel Joe Davis...

2007-12-28T21:38:00.000-06:00

So, most of you probably already know that we will be welcoming Samuel into our home sometime mid-March. My actual due date is March 25th (Brian & Brad's birthday), but he will be born via c-section about a week early. This pregnancy has been really good so far... he is starting to get bigger, take up more room, and make me generally uncomfortable but that is all to be expected! I love that Brian and Kevin can feel him move now... his kicking and moving is really strong... stronger than I ever remember with Kevin! Samuel will need to be strong though with Kevin as a big brother! :) Kevin has almost gotten that his name is Samuel. We still occasionally get a "Baby Moses" but they are fewer each week! Maybe he will have it down by the time Samuel joins us. We can't wait to meet him in person! It will be here before you know it!

Our First Blog...

2007-12-28T11:51:00.000-06:00

Okay, so apparently blogging is the thing to do and like normal, I am about the last one I know to get started. What can I say, I still prefer to get mail in the mailbox vs. e-mail! :) But sometimes you just have to catch up I guess. And with a new baby coming, I figured my family and friends may like to hear from me (other than my yearly Christmas card)! So, no promises, but we shall see...
I will update with real information about us and pictures this weekend! :)