Name Change

New name - baby's name is Dane Neal Davis.

Baby Picture

Pammy sent me this picture of Redford, and I thought that I would post it for those of you who haven't gotten to see a picture of my new nephew yet. Isn't he sweet!

He's Here!

I hope that I'm not stealing thunder by telling you this, (Pammy, forgive me if I am!) but.....

3 minutes before my husbands birthday ended our nephew was born!

Baby Davis was 6 lbs 6 oz and 18 1/2 inches long!

When I talked to Mommy everyone was doing great. I tried to call back, but for some reason they didn't answer. I don't know, it was like they were busy or something...........

What a great day to be born! We love you all! Congratulations!

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to the best husby in the whole world! No one can deny that he loves me very much and spoils me completely, but let it be known that I do the same for him.

For his birthday I sent him to Game 5 of the SA Spurs and the Memphis Grizzlies playoff series.

I have three words for you,

Best
Game
Ever.

Yes, the Good Guys (Spurs) won, in overtime. It was awesome.

I love you, baby!

Happy Easter!

We have done a lot of baking to celebrate the holiday. I have loved spending the time with my kids - and they are so creative! Here's a few pictures of the cupcakes that we made!

White chocolate eggs that we made and Lemon Curd is the 'yolk'


Cherry pie anyone? M&M's and pie crust


Cupcakes with white chocolate eggs (colored with food coloring) and then filled with jelly beans and decorated with airheads candy


Hard at work:

Judgement Day by Wanda L. Dyson

I just started reading "Judgement Day" by Wanda L. Dyson this morning, and I had to read until I had finished it. I love a good mystery, and while this one wasn't suspenseful in a who-dunnit kinda way it still kept me on the edge of my seat. I don't like those book reviews that tell you about the entire book before you've read it, but let me just say that I highly recommend this book. It is well written and captivating, and draws you in quickly creating a relationship between you and the characters. This book held my attention from beginning to end. Definitely a great book to spend the day reading!

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review

Rubber Duckie, you're the one!

Today I made Rubber Duck cupcakes for the kids teachers as Easter gifts! I love to bake (even though I'm not that great at it yet!) and my Mom and Dad gave me this cupcake cookbook for my birthday. I adore it, and the kids and I are having fun this weekend making them!

Cupcake, marshmallow (cut diagonally) and a donut hole (all attached with frosting) make the body:


These a-ones aren't very happy looking! (They actually look MUCH worse in person)


Here's two that have been dipped in the icing (it's just canned icing that was colored with food coloring and then heated up):


The finished product - TaDa!


Oh, and my husby brought me flowers today (and arranged them himself!). Aren't they beautiful?!?

Public Service Announcement

Yesterday my mini-vacation to Target was ruined by literally every parent in the store who had a child under the age of 5 (except for the mom that was about my age who kept both of her children in her cart - thank you, from the bottom of my heart.) As a result of this I feel that it is quite possible that these mothers have never been taught any better, and on the off chance that one of them might read my blog I decided to take a moment and make a list of shopping do's and don'ts. As a childcare expert, I feel that I have all of the qualifications to make this list, and will not put anything on there that I have not proven is possible.

1) Do not allow your children to run like wild banshees around the store, screaming while they go. This is rude and unsafe. I don't know if anyone has told you, but there are bad people out there who actually steal children (it's true - watch the news) and when you allow your small 1, 2 and 3 year olds to run back and forth along the length of the store you would NOT be able to stop the person who scoops up your adorable but obnoxious little girl and runs out the door with her. It is also completely unpleasant for those of us getting run in front of, stepped on, and whacked with foam swords by children we have never met before. Oh, and for those of you who haven't made the connection, this goes for restaurants and movie theaters as well. And while I'm on it, are you seriously taking your toddler to a PG-13 movie? really?

2) Dressing rooms are NOT playgrounds. While trying on clothing is already a true test of self-esteem to most women, it becomes even more stressful when 6 - yes 6 - small children are running in and out of all of the stalls and slamming doors (bam, bam, bam, bam, bam - run - bam, bam, bam, bam, bam - run). If you are changing in the family dressing room KEEP YOUR FAMILY WITH YOU!!!!! Again, being locked behind a door without your children may make it difficult to stop people from taking them. Just thought you should know.

3) The Easter aisle is NOT your child's playground. Nor are the Christmas, Halloween, Valentines or the toy aisle. Allowing your 3 year old (who should NOT have a pacifier - seriously? - talking around them causes a speech impediment, just FYI) to walk up and down the aisles unloading them into the 6 baskets on his arm and then dumping the items in the middle of the floor is NOT okay. Ever. Put him back in the stroller, and if he's screaming (which he probably will because quite obviously you allow him to do whatever he wants) take him home and come back later. And yes, I've done it. I've had to leave a grocery cart FULL of groceries (over an hour worth of shopping) to remove my child when he would throw a fit. Multiple times. The plus side is everyone else could actually enjoy their day and my son didn't turn into a menace to society.

4) Eating food out of the box before you buy it is stealing. Period. Have you purchased it yet? No, you haven't, which means that you are eating the stores food without their permission, also known as stealing. Stores actually frown on this (yes, they do). Oh, and mom checking out on aisle 7 - opening 4 boxes at a time is excessive and you need to learn to tell your child no. Seriously.

5) Allowing your child to unload shelves and break candles while you read a card is a no-no. And the fact that I have to tell you this is equally upsetting. Seriously, I don't care if she is as cute as the Gerber baby, trashing a store while Mommy watches makes all children - and you - look like a Gremlin.


That is all for the moment. Am I saying that all children should behave perfectly at the store or you're a bad mom? No. I've stood in the checkout line and had my child lose his mind as I was about halfway through unloading onto the belt. What do you do? Basically nothing. You keep your cool, finish buying your groceries, and then deal with it at home or in the car (depending on the age).

When going to the store pack a few snacks, a drink (or bottle), and a book or two. PLAN AHEAD! Don't go during nap time or when your child is hungry. If you think about it ahead of time and plan accordingly you can actually do it without a fight. Trust me, I used to have to go to the grocery store with 4 to 6 children under the age of 4. One of which would OFTEN implode in public. It's doable. Really. What really helped me was letting the boys go dressed up as Superman or Batman. My husband was mortified, but the boys were happy and behaved much better. I guess Super heroes have good manners........

Bottom line? Kids aren't born with respect and self-control. As parents, it is our job to teach them when and how to use these valuable skills. If we don't our kids will become selfish and self-absorbed. I've seen it, and continue to see it. Wake up, parents.

That is all. You may now return to your regularly scheduled lives.

You have GOT to check this out

Okay, so many of you may remember my failed attempt at a recipe blog.....Well, I found exactly what I meant mine to be in another blog. It's called Make 5 Dinners in ONE hour, and you have to check it out! She prepares dinners and lunches for the week all in one day, and even if you don't sign up for her menu plan you should still browse her blog for recipes, tips and great inspiration. Seriously, I love it!

Her blog is here


Go through and find her coupon page, too - she has links to some great coupons from Target, Kroger and most basic brands. It's awesome!

Guess what we did yesterday?

We laid sod! For the first time in 15 years, I have a yard! We ALL worked together as a family, and let me tell you - it is not easy! We had 9 pallets, and for those of you who have no idea what that means, it means a lot of work, and eating a lot of dust - literally. I've brushed my teeth twice and I can still taste the sandy loam! We are now watering our be-yoo-ti-ful yard that you can walk barefoot in and not worry about stepping on a sticker. We are so thrilled with it, especially the kids and Emmaline (the cats preferred the dirt! haha!)

Carlye worked just as hard as I did - that girl is tough, and a very hard worker!!!



See the dirt? We went all the way to the end of that with grass. Maybe, eventually, farther down the road we can actually do the whole yard!


Nathanael, taking a break


The family hard at work - Nathanael is behind the camera (can you see Noah's in his sunglasses, inside out shirt and my polka dot boots! He is quite the fashion statement!)

Report Card Day

Today when my kids got in the car after school Carlye immediately got out her report card so we could see if she made straight A's or not. Nathanael was home with Carl because he had been running fever, so she wanted to look at his, too.

Oblivious to the goings on in the car, Noah got out his Thursday folder and said, "Some why my teacher put this in my folder and I don't know what it is 'cause I've never gotten one before." Without looking I knew he was talking about his report card. "Noah, this is the 5th time you've gotten one of those this year," I told him. "Oh, huh. I never knew that."

And in case you were wondering, my older 2 both earned straight A's (yay!) and Noah is above grade level - with an S minus in organizing self, materials and belongings, listening attentively without interrupting and using self control. Hmmm, you don't say?

These things I wish for you

It seems like forever ago when I heard Paul Harvey read this on the radio, and for some reason I've been thinking about it a lot lately. Soooo, I found it online and decided to put it on my blog. So here you go:



These things I wish for you

"…This is all things reconsidered…We tried so hard to make things better for our kids that we made them worse.

For my grandchildren, I'd like better. I'd really like for them to know about hand-me down clothes and homemade ice cream and left over meatloaf sandwiches. I really would.

My cherished grandson, I hope you learn humility by being humiliated, and that you learn honesty by being cheated. I hope you learn to make your bed and mow the lawn and wash the car. And I really hope nobody gives you a brand new car when you are sixteen. I hope you have a job by then. It will be good if at least one time you can see a baby calf born and your old dog put to sleep.



I hope you get a black eye fighting for something you believe in. I hope you have to share a bedroom with your younger brother. And it's all right if you have to draw a line down the middle of the room, but when he wants to crawl under the covers with you because he's scared, I hope you let him. When you want to see a Disney movie and your little brother wants to tag along, I hope you'll let him.



I hope you have to walk uphill to school with your friends and that you live in a town where you can do it safely. On rainy days when you have to catch a ride I hope your driver doesn't have to drop you two blocks away so you won't be seen riding with someone as uncool as your mom.

If you want a slingshot, I hope your dad teaches you how to make one instead of buying one. I hope you learn to dig in the dirt and read books. When you learn to use those newfangled computers, I hope you also learn to add and subtract in your head.

I hope you get razzed by your friends when you have your first crush on a girl, and when you talk back to your mother that you learn what Ivory soap tastes like.

May you skin your knee climbing a mountain, burn your hand on the stove and stick your tongue on a frozen flagpole. I hope you get sick when someone blows cigar smoke in your face. I don't care if you try beer once, but I hope you don't like it. And if a friend offers you dope or a joint, I hope you realize he is not your friend.

I sure hope you make time to sit on a porch with your grandpa and go fishing with your uncle.



May you feel sorrow at a funeral and the joy of holidays. I hope your mother punishes you when you throw a baseball through a neighbor's window and that she hugs you and kisses you at Christmas time when you give her a plaster of Paris mold of your hand.

These things I wish for you -- tough times and disappointment, hard work and happiness."

The Dragon and the Turtle Go On Safari

The Dragon and the Turtle Go on Safari
by Donita K. Paul and Evangeline Denmark.

What a great book! My children adored this story as much as I enjoyed reading it to them! The author does a fantastic job of capturing the true thoughts and feelings of children who are camping outside - all night long - for the first time ever. My favorite line from the book is "The boys snuggled down. Not because they were tired, but because sleeping bags with shiny outsides and fluffy insides are so inviting." It truly reminded me of a child's love for all things outdoorsy and adventurous. The book is funny and fun without being patronizing. I particularly enjoyed the moral and scripture verse that were tied to the end. I would definitely recommend this book to a mother with young children!

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Flowers

Pretty little impatiens



My hydrangea


I know it's blurry, but these are my fuchsia that are hanging on my porch. I love them!


Here we go again - Noah's pumpkins and Nathanael's cantaloupes


My roses - aren't they so pretty! I love them because they are so different, and two of my favorite colors all in one rose!

My garden

I LOVE spring! The kids and I have been having so much fun in the garden. We planted hydrangeas in the shade along with some sleeping beauty hostas (one that lived all winter long!) and some impatiens. Our gladiolus bulbs are coming up beautifully, and I even have a yellow jessamine and a beautiful hanging fuchsia doing well. For those of you who don't know what any of that means, I'll post pictures soon.

Otherwise, life here is the same. Carl is protesting the summer weather in April, but the rest of us are enjoying the sun.

Oh, and, I got an iPad! I love it, and have already downloaded a plethora of free books for the kids and I. And angry birds is pretty fun, too!

Great.....

Yesterday I received an email from my daughter's teacher informing me that she has had her folder signed 5 times this six weeks (6 and you don't qualify for honor roll) and served lunch detention yesterday. Of the four notebooks, folders and other necessary items that are needed for her classes she has lost 3 of them. She is passing notes in class, talking in the bathroom and completely disorganized. Carlye, of course, hadn't mentioned any of this and was conveniently not showing us certain items in her backpack or bring home folder. We discussed all of this with her at length yesterday, as well as what the consequences would be. During our conversation we discovered what we should have already known:

All of this is, quite obviously, everyone else's fault.

In my youngest child's folder were papers full of red marks. You see, the teacher had to write in the answers that he hadn't written down. When I asked him why he hadn't done it he said, "Oh. You know when you are looking straight ahead like this and you can't hear anything (he illustrated by staring blankly into the air in front of him)? Well, that happened twice."

HEB Camp

This past weekend we spent 3 days camping at the HEB foundation with 60 kids.

It was awesome.

We have since returned, tired, sunburned and doubting our sanity - but very thankful for air conditioning and bathtubs.

This is Nathanael and I on our hike. Carlye had just painted my face with 'indian paint'


Noah doing what Noah does best - climbing something!


Carl and Carlye -


These are pictures of Nathanael with one of his best friends, Viviana. Sadly (at least for me), it is quite obvious that sweet little Vivi has quite the crush on him, and he is (thankfully!!!) completely oblivious. At least, I think so. I really, really am not a fan of this. They are so young! I've told my kids that they can't have a boyfriend or girlfriend until they are 20, so hopefully we can head this off for a little longer.

By the way, Carl had one of our friends take these pictures - and as unhappy as they made me, they really are cute pictures!