The Davis Family

Our B-Ball Star!

2012-01-24T08:35:00.000-07:00

Joshua started Jr. Jazz basketball a couple weeks ago. He is LOVING it! We bought him some new basketball shoes for his first practice and he told me, "Mom, I really think I can jump higher in these shoes!" He's been working on his dribbling, passing and shooting. The games are . . . hilarious. We're lucky if they shoot at the right basket. That's what makes it fun though. With three boys, I'm guessing I'll spend a lot of time in the bleachers. I'm putting the old cheer skills to good use now. GO JOSHUA!

It's a Boy!

2012-01-18T14:51:00.000-07:00

Just after Christmas I had my 20-week ultrasound and we learned our little one is a boy! Joshua is VERY excited to have another brother, and he is certain the baby waved at him during the ultrasound. Joshua also has a name picked out . . . Luke Skywalker Davis . . . There's about a 0% chance of that happening. Olivia was disappointed for about 5 seconds, then happy to realize she doesn't have to share her princess crown with anyone. Jason said it's probably for the best . . . Livi is a lot of girl for a little sister to live up to. Ethan pretty much has no idea what's going on, but we're certain he and the baby will be good buddies. As for me . . . It just feels right, like our family is complete. I'm so grateful to know he's healthy and growing. I'm also excited to shop for more of these in the future . . .

I mean, COME ON! How can I resist?

Dalby Family Pictures

2012-01-06T11:15:00.000-07:00

We had Dalby family photos taken while we were in Colorado for Christmas. And of course I'm pregnant . . . it's a family joke that we only do pictures when I'm big and pregnant. I'm happy to pass that torch to someone else in the future. =)

All 16 of us:

The girls:

Our attempt at a grandkids picture. It was seriously laughable:

The original sibs:

The adults at our best:

A Colorado Christmas

2012-01-03T11:50:00.000-07:00

We spent Christmas in Colorado with my entire family- all 17 of us. We had such a wonderful time. There really is nothing better than a cozy, white Christmas in Colorado . . . it is so beautiful there. About a million pictures of our fun . . .

Cheering for Uncle Brad at his basketball tournament. Go Titans!

Decorating sugar cookies with our well-loved sugar cookie recipe (We had to take a picture of it this year before it disintegrates into thin air):

Fun hanging out at home:

Joshua with his purchase from Lego Land. He was more excited about Lego Land than Santa Claus- the highlight of his trip:

Matching jammies from Grandma Dalby:

Decorating gingerbread houses:

A visit to the North Pole on Christmas Eve. It's a Christmas-themed amusement park in Colorado Springs. We had so much fun!

A visit from Santa:

Fun on Christmas morning:

It was so good to spend Christmas with all our Dalby family. Happy Holidays everyone! We love you!!

The Lemmy Awards

2011-12-12T08:57:00.000-07:00

Last week, Jason and I attended Blue Lemon's annual Lemmy awards and Christmas party in Salt Lake. As usual, Blue Lemon went all out and we had a great time. Some pictures from our fabulous night . . .

Walking the red carpet . . .They had all kinds of props for us to use in our photos, including feather boas and fake mustaches. (Frankly, Jason's mustache freaked me out a bit):

Some of the gorgeous Christmas decorations:

Jason received one of only seven Lemmys awarded that night. He won the "Clean King" award, and anyone who has seen Jason's restaurant knows he deserves it.

Congratulations Babe! You're pretty much a celebrity now. =) Love ya!

The Artist

2011-12-06T18:50:00.004-07:00

Olivia made a countdown to Christmas at preschool. She was EXCEEDINGLY proud of it, and she even found me later to tell me she'd hung it on the refrigerator all by herself. We had to take a picture of the artist with her masterpiece. Unfortunately, later that night I discovered Livi's idea of hanging artwork on the refrigerator is actually pasting it to the fridge with Elmer's

glue . . . seriously?

Thanksgiving!

2011-11-28T22:21:00.001-07:00

We celebrated Thanksgiving with our family in Utah this year. Jason's brother and his wife were kind enough to host dinner and we had fun talking, stuffing our faces, playing Xbox Kinect, and then stuffing our faces some more. A few photos of the fun:

Livi ready for dinner to start . . .

The kids showing off their dance moves . . .

Jason with his TRUE love . . .

Jason with his second love. Just kidding (sort of). . .

Livi all dressed up as a princess . . .

Ethan loving some dessert . . .

Our family truly has so much to be grateful for. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

So Observant . . .

2011-11-21T20:53:00.000-07:00

Tonight we were playing UNO with the kids, and we had a most enlightening conversation . . .

Shanna: How come you guys are growing up so fast?

Olivia: I'm growing up fast because I want to be a mom!

Jason: If you're a mom then you have to clean up lots of poop all the time.

*silence*

Joshua: I'm glad I won't have to clean up poop. I'll be a Dad, and I'll be at work all day.

SO. TRUE.

#4!

2011-11-07T12:34:00.000-07:00

We are so happy to announce that Davis baby #4 will be joining our family in May . . .

We couldn't be more excited, and we're certain this little one is excited too. I mean, who wouldn't be excited to join THIS family? . . .

It will be an adventure, that's for certain!

Our Half-Birthday Princess

2011-11-04T09:03:00.000-06:00

Our little fashionista turned 4 and 1/2 yesterday. Oh Livi . . . I never met a little girl who so firmly believes that she is a princess. We love her more than she'll ever know. Happy Half-Birthday sweet girl!

Trick or Treat!

2011-10-31T21:39:00.000-06:00

We had an AWESOME Halloween this year. A few photos of our fun . . .

The kids painted pumpkins:

All dressed up for the Lehi city Halloween Party:

Ethan as our little sheriff . . .

Olivia as Little Red Riding Hood . . .

And Joshua as Anakin Skywalker . . .

(As a side note, I mentioned to Joshua that maybe he could be something different next year. Like NOT a Star Wars character. He gave me the most confused look and said, "Why would I ever do that?")

Trick-or-treating:

The kids checking out their candy stash:

Happy Halloween everybody! We hope you had a good one!!

One Dollar

2011-10-27T15:50:00.010-06:00

Five weeks ago, the kids and I struck a deal. It was the best deal I've ever made. Joshua and Livi agreed to keep their rooms clean (Which entails making their beds before school, keeping their clothes and toys cleaned up all day, and then vacuuming and dusting before bed each night). In exchange for their hard work? One dollar a week . . . I kid you not. I have not cleaned my kids rooms in FIVE WEEKS! If only I had thought to start this sooner. All those wasted hours picking up legos and itty bitty polly pocket shoes . . . Ah the freedom!

Family Pictures- 2011

2011-09-30T12:27:00.000-06:00

Six and a Half!

2011-09-29T19:44:00.000-06:00

Joshua turned 6 and 1/2 today. We celebrated his half-birthday with his traditional waffle dinner, and then cake for dessert (sugar overload anyone?). He was so proud to be 6 and 1/2. He told EVERYONE, including the home teachers, all our neighbors, and his class at school. He was a little disappointed to learn they don't celebrate half-birthdays in first grade . . . bummer.

Some people ask me what we do with the other half of our half-birthday cakes. I give the other half to the kids to decorate (or destroy) as they wish:

Joshua and his "cool" pose. He wanted to make sure this one would be on the blog:

Happy half-birthday Joshua! We love you!!

The Competition Called "Life"

2011-09-27T10:08:00.000-06:00

Joshua and Livi have taken sibling rivalry to a whole new level lately . . . it is driving me CRAZY! Everything they do is a competition, from the moment they wake up, to the moment they fall asleep at night:

Who can wake up first?
Who can drink their juice the fastest?
Who can pick their seat first?
Who gets to say the prayer?
Who has more crackers in their baggie?
Who can race to the car the fastest?
Who can touch mom first?
Who can make Ethan laugh the hardest?
Who can touch the door first?
Who can build the best lego ship?
Who can brush their teeth first?
Who can put on their pajamas the fastest?

You get the point.

I'm hoping this is a normal phase that they eventually grow out of. If not, I just might end up in a loony bin or something. *sigh*

18 Months

2011-09-25T18:03:00.004-06:00

We celebrated Ethan's half-Birthday this week. I can't believe he is already 18 months old. Oh my gosh, he is a bundle of energy. I cannot keep up with him. But he is also the happiest little boy. He brings so much joy and laughter into our family. He started nursery today (We made it!) and from the moment he saw that room full of toys, he never looked back. I guess nursery beats Sunday School any day.

Happy half-Birthday Ethanator! We love you!!

Why I Run . . .

2011-09-15T19:03:00.006-06:00

Some people run because it relieves stress. Other people run because it makes them feel invigorated, or because they're "goal-oriented."

I run for none of these reasons. I run because my husband manages a restaurant that just happens to make AMAZING desserts, and he is cruel enough to stuff our refrigerator full of these desserts.

Every morning I open the fridge, and there they are . . . staring me in the face. At this very moment, our fridge contains: chocolate cake, cake pops, gourmet sugar cookies, carrot cake, Chocolate chunk cookies and cupcakes galore. Once I asked Jason how he could be so heartless? His response was, "You don't have to eat them."

*Silence*

Bwahahahaha! Yah right.

Toothless

2011-08-31T20:55:00.000-06:00

Joshua lost his first tooth last week (He's had one pulled by the dentist, but that doesn't really count). The tooth was hanging by a thread (literally) for 3 days before I could convince him to let me pull it out. Finally , the thought of striking it rich with a visit from the tooth fairy won him over. He found a $2 bill under his pillow the next morning, and is currently making a list of all the Star Wars toys he's going to buy with his two dollars . . . remember when two dollars seemed like a fortune? Ignorance is bliss. =)

Preschool!

2011-08-30T10:12:00.001-06:00

Olivia is now officially a preschooler! She is BEYOND excited, and has been counting down the days all summer. On her first day, she said, "Mom, I don't want you to stay with me. I want you to go home, and then come back later to get me, ok?" I felt so loved . . . Seriously though, I've never met a little girl so comfortable with her social skills. She is a natural leader, and we know she's going to be a FABULOUS preschooler!

Motherhood

2011-08-28T13:13:00.000-06:00

A six-year-old's perspective on motherhood . . .

Joshua: "Mom, it's kind of like you're our servant."

Tell me about it.

First Grade!

2011-08-23T13:05:00.006-06:00

Joshua started first grade today. He was excited to be back in school, but a little nervous too. In the car on the way to school, he said, "I think I'm really going to miss Ethan and Livi and you." All this was forgotten when he arrived at his new classroom and saw his best friend from kindergarten was sitting right next to him. When he heard first graders get THREE recesses, he decided he wasn't so nervous after all. I gave him a hug, told him I love him, and then left the classroom to cry in my car . . . and so another school year begins.

Farewell to Summer!

2011-08-21T18:32:00.005-06:00

The kids and I had an end-of-summer party yesterday. Both Joshua and Livi start school in the next few days, and we wanted to do some of our favorite summer things to celebrate.

First we went to the movie theatre and saw Kung Fu Panda 2 . . .

Then we had a picnic at the splash park . . .

We had fun spending the day together, and we're a little sad to say goodbye to the freedom of our summer days. Ethan and I are going to miss the kids so much . . . but I can't really talk about that or I'll start crying. Goodbye Summer! We'll miss you!

33!

2011-08-13T17:40:00.008-06:00

Jason and I had this little obsession with the TV series, "24." It entailed putting the kids to bed early so we could get as many episodes in as possible, then dreaming of saving the world from terrorists at night, and discussing our predictions over the phone the next morning. Fortunately for our children, we've finished all 8 seasons now. But since then, Jason has had this desire to become some sort of secret government agent.
Last week Jason turned 33, and I surprised him by taking him to an indoor shooting range where he could live out his Jack Bauer fantasy (in a safe, non-terrorist environment). He got to shoot 8 or 9 different guns- He could tell you all their names, but I don't have a clue what they were. And I even shot a few myself. I know . . . me. with a gun. scary. We had a great time together. It seriously did feel like we were in a movie or something.

Jason had great aim. He even got Osama bin Laden right between the eyes. I was just trying to keep my eyes open when I shot.

After the shooting range, we went to dinner and had a little party with the kids. We also ate a lot of cake over the next few days as we celebrated with family.

Happy Birthday Babe! I'll love ya forever!!

The Translator

2011-07-31T12:29:00.000-06:00

Ethan knows precisely 2 words . . . "hi," and "mama." This doesn't stop him from trying to communicate. He spends %99.9 of his day pointing and grunting at everything around him. He has become quite famous to those who know him for his "eh, eh, eh!" Luckily we have Olivia, who is Ethan's self-designated translator. A few examples . . .

Ethan: "eh, eh, eh!"
Olivia: "Mom, Ethan is telling you his favorite color is yellow."

Ethan: "eh, eh, eh!"

Olivia: "Mom, Ethan says he wants us all to have ice cream cones."

Ethan: "eh, eh, eh!"
Olivia: "Mom, Ethan says he wants to be an angry bird for Halloween."

It's a good thing I have my little translator around. What would I do without her?

Hague Family Reunion

2011-07-28T09:53:00.000-06:00

We recently returned from a Hague Family Reunion (my Mom's side of the family) at Bear Lake. We spent a week visiting with family, playing games, visiting milkshake shops, boating, and taking lots and lots of pictures. We thought this would be our last Hague Reunion because the family is getting so large, but everyone had so much fun we decided we can't give them up! Here's a look at our week in pictures . . .

We stayed at Papa Bear Lodge right next to the lake. It had everything the kids could want . . . a playground, a movie theatre, toy rooms, and grass to run in:

Grandma surprised the kids with some art projects:

Each night we had a Family Night activity planned. We had the Hague Family Hunger Games, a Hague Family birthday party, and we played games like Pictionary and "Minute to Win It". It was a blast!

My sisters surprised me with a hydration belt (to run with) for my birthday. Thanks Sistas!

More Sisterly Love:

We spent one entire day at the lake. We played in the sand, went tubing, rode jet skis, and soaked up the sun:

We took a few walks that just happened to end at the milkshake shops. (Funny how that happens!) We also found a sandbox that Livi and her favorite cousin, McKenna, loved:

Family Pictures:

It was a great week. We feel so blessed we were able to go. And we can't wait to see everyone again in 2013!