He Passed!!!!

Shaunton just found out that he passed the PE test! We are so excited and proud of him!!!!! Yeah!!!!

Easily Entertained

This is what you do when you get a lot less snow then you would like on your trip up north. It was cold...just wasn't the right conditions for sticky snow. Notice the "mini snowmen"?

Big Brother

Some things are just so fun to catch the kids doing. Enjoy!

Here it comes!

 Yum!

Gingerbread houses

The kids usually do this with Grandma every year, but she moved too far away. She did get them some kits early and we still do it in her honor. Here are some pics Grandma!

They definitely don't look the same now that we have had many days of "picking".

Ember, the Sixth Chicken

My daughter is obsessed with her chickens. Their names are: Golden Puff aka Goldie, Mint, Speedy, Ella, and Brownie. She comes home every day after school to check on them and look to see if they have laid any eggs. She has even been present at the "birth" of several eggs and enthusiastically shares with me what it looked like and who laid the egg. This does have it's advantages, with five chickens in the pen, it is good to know which two are the ones laying eggs.

Ember also loves to play with the chickens. She takes them out of the pen and carries them around. They have been around her so much that they let her pick them up and carry them around like feathery little chihuahuas. She gives them rides on the wagon and even take them down the slide. She also likes to share her snacks with them. She has even tried to put her doggy leash (the one you put on kids so they don't get lost) on the chickens, and has been very frustrated that she can't get them to be still enough to get it on. I try to explain that they don't like their wings pent up. Which didn't make sense to her because, as she puts it, their wings are cut so they can't use them anyway.

These chickens don't realize how good they got it.

I know if I can't find Ember she is out with the chickens. She has even been known to skinny herself into their coop which is 3 feet off the ground with a 1 foot wooden door flap to finagle herself into. No wonder we have had to do repairs on the coop more than once in the last couple of months.

Christmas Letter 2010

Dearest Family and Friends,

Has the year flown by for you as fast as it did for us? I still can’t believe that the Christmas season is upon us already! A lot can happen in a year, even if it does race past us at lightening speed.

Jaxen started off the end of last year with a bang. He ended up in the hospital with a ruptured appendix. We celebrated New Year’s in the hospital in the visitors lounge. Jaxen is in third grade this year, and doing fantastic. He is in PACE, which is a gifted program at the school. He does really well in all subjects. He loves to read. He reads in the van, in bed, on the bowl, you name it. . He finished up the Percy Jackson series this year and is on book four of Harry Potter. He likes to pop in smaller chapter books (like Magic Tree House) in between. He is playing soccer this year again, and although his team is not undefeated by any means, he is doing really well and it is really fun to watch him do something he loves and excels at. He plays soccer at school as well during recess, but has recently picked up the game of 4-square and football, which are his new recess passions.

Ember is in first grade and loving the fact that she can finally read! She is really into Junie B. Jones right now and anything relating to dogs, cats, or animals. She is also doing well in school. She is still my artsy one and you can find her any given day after school sitting at the table drawing or writing notes. Ember is also playing soccer this year, and boy has she come out of her shell. She is a very assertive player and not afraid to get hit or get in front of the ball. She has had a few times this season where she was hit pretty hard, shook it off, and kept playing. She is one of the stronger girls on the team, and I am hoping that she will want to play soccer next year. At school, she enjoys the monkey bars and is working on perfecting them going backward.

Owen is three years old this year. He loves to build puzzles, play board games, and be chased around by a monster (his mom). He enjoys dress up (Darth Vader and Spiderman) and likes to dress up to play monster with his mom. He loves Woody and Buzz and his birthday was Toy Story themed. He likes to sleep anywhere that isn’t his bed, and his mom wonders why he even has one sometimes. Not having one would save space. He is really good and playing by himself and has a wonderful (and sometimes silly) imagination. He is my smiley face. He likes to do things for himself and is much more talkative (although sometimes squeally) about what he wants! Potty training was accomplished this year! YES!

Kaysen is still our little monster. He turned one this year in July. We have decided that he is one of our dirtiest and grossest kids. He likes to get into stuff. He loves to play outside and shoots for the door when ever it is left open or doesn’t get shut all the way. He likes to help clean, even toilets, even without being asked, even when his mom has told him no 20 times before. If the bathroom door is left open, he knows it, and he is in there with the toilet brush cleaning like crazy. I know what his chore will be when he is 8. We all know by then he won’t be so interested. He likes to say “uh-uh (no)” and “ow”, and can sign “more” and “please”. He loves to feed himself, and would rather starve than eat off your fork or be fed. He likes to unload the dishwasher and has already broken one plate “helping” and given his mom a scare with a knife. So, unloading the dishwasher now occurs after the kids are asleep, or during nap time.

Shaunton is still working at Salt River. He took the PE this year, and we will hear back sometime before Christmas, keep your fingers crossed. He is the assistant coach for Jaxen and Ember’s teams, which keeps him too busy for his own sports during the Fall season. He still works out/runs daily. He ran a five miler this year up at Second Mesa.

This year I volunteered in the kids’ classes. I made quilts for Jaxen and Ember for their birthdays. I made Owen and Kaysen blankets for them for their birthdays. I am currently working on a quilt for Ember’s class to auction off for a school fundraiser coming up in April. I finished about a years worth of scrapbooking that I had put off while completing said blankets and quilts.

This year we have been working on some upgrades for the house. We figured with the economy the way it was, we weren’t moving any time soon, so we might as well fix up our home because we like where we live now. We put in some triple pain windows a few months back, and now we are getting our backyard landscaping done. It will be done by the end of next week; we are excited about having grass and being able to enjoy a beautiful backyard.

Well, there you have it, the Davis’s year in 2000 words or less (just don’t count). We have been doing well. We have been blessed this year. We are thankful for our family and friends and for all of the love and support. We truly are thankful for this time of year when we can think about our Savior and his birth and what it means for us. We hope that each of you take time to think of the meaning of Christmas and what it means to you and your family.

Take care and may God bless you.

Love,

Shaunton, Monique, Jaxen, Ember, Owen, and Kaysen

Playing Monster

Dress up is practically required to play monster with mom. Usually, I am fighting Darth Vader and his light saber, but today I was lucky and got to dual Spiderman. Kaysen likes to get in on the action too!

I usually chase them around. They run into a room and shut the door. I hide. They come out and find me. I roar. We repeat until boredom sets in.

Mood

Isn't it amazing how hanging out with a good happy friend for a few hours put you in a better mood? I need to do that more often!

Boutique in the Barn

Go to the BARN!! There is lots of cute stuff. Think Christmas! (It is just right around the corner!)
 I went to the last one and it was awesome!

My Children Love to Read

What?! I haven't found the book I really want. You could help me!

Nevermind, I can do it all by myself!

Which do you like?

 BEFORE

AFTER

Cute vs. Cringe

CUTE: Your baby taking the scrambled egg caked spatula out of the dishwasher while your loading and bolt down the hall giggling like he just pulled the biggest prank. Silly baby.

CRINGE: Your baby taking a pancake cutting steak knife out of the dishwasher while your loading and bolting down the hall giggling like he just pulled the biggest prank...and then falling.Yeap, got that gut feeling?....I still have it when I think about it. *shudder* (He was fine, but started crying after I gave him a few words to think about!)

CUTE: Your baby observing and wanting to help you clean.

CRINGE: Your baby observing (earlier) and "helping" you clean the toilet...with the toilet bowl brush...while you are in the other room (that's why it is quiet)... when someone forgot to flush. How would you like to clean up THAT puddle. Good news....he seemed to have the idea down...

So... I guess this disqualifies me from winning Parent of the Year?

He kissed me!!!!!

For once I didn't have to ask in that sugary coated voice. I didn't have to tilt his face to mine and "take" one from him, either. He just came up and planted one on me...then another...then another. With the smack sound to go with it. Making it even more cute, I was laying with my eyes closed...and he leaned into my face and said, "Mom...mom..." KISS!

Doesn't it get any sweeter than that?! I am feeling the love. I will forgive you tonight when you wake up at three to nurse and hog up my side of the bed. But after tonight, you better come up with something new.

Almost as sweet...

as I  remember it....and that was a L.O.N.G. time ago.

I can't wait to see her face when she comes home!

Sorry Owen, you had your weeks' worth of TV in one sitting while your mom tried to figure out how to build this thing off memory alone...guess the instructions didn't make it.

Eternal Family

During scripture study.

Shaunton: So, who in here is part of an eternal family?

(Unison) Ember: Me
              Jaxen: All of us.

Shaunton: How do you know?

Jaxen: Because mom and dad.

Shaunton: What about mom and dad?

(Interlocking his fingers) Jaxen: Because you guys were...squished...in the temple.

Shaunton: You mean sealed in the temple.

Jaxen: Yeah, sealed.

My budding artist

To become an artist, one must know his medium.

To do this, you must become one with the medium.

That is what makes one artist stand out over the others.

In action

Just another post so you can get a better idea of the sizes.

Note the lovely orange flowers...those are the ones I got from GW. (I painted them orange.)

Ember's room part III

Here is the artwork display/notes/cool looking board I made for Ember's wall. I saw this on a picture a friend posted on her blog back in May, she liked the bed, I really liked the frame. I was waiting to make one until Ember's room was painted.Tones of scratches later, the masterpiece is complete.

I got the frame (33'x29') at Goodwill for $8. I already had the chicken wire. I picked up 50 wooden clothes pins (about $1) and plan to modge podge them up real nice. Will post pics of that when they get done. Ember wants to help on that project! :)

I also go two flower wall accents and a flower coat holder for under $4 at Goodwill. I love me a bargain.

Ember's room part II

Here are three of the wall hangings I did for Ember's room.

I got the frames from Goodwill and painted them. The wire cost about $1. Each was about $3 to make.

Ember wanted flowers on her walls. I didn't want to paint them, or pay the over priced cost for decals.I thought this was a good in between. She gets flowers on her wall. I get something cute that she can grow into and use in other ways as she gets older. To top it all off, they are super cute!

My biggest wall art is yet to be completed. Will post when I do.

Ember's room

Before (with some patch work)

After (being enjoyed)

I have two different ideas in mind for wall hangings for her room. I just have to find the time to get the materials and create them. I also have a possible dresser switch if I can bring myself to re-stain....only if, and when, I can get it to my house. H, this is where a truck would come in handy. Jaylee, give me encouragement on the furniture staining....you're a pro!

Dear Mom,

I am not sure, but I get the feeling your are dreading my new found freedom. It seems that ever since I started walking, you have this wild (or is it scared?) look in your eyes. I heard Jaxen and Ember say you had eyes in back of your head, but I didn't believe them, at first.

I wanted to give you a heads up that I am really starting to like climbing. I am still working at it, so when I get stuck on the stool in the bathroom for the fifth time today, just bare with me, figuring out how to get down comes later. I have mastered getting off the bed and climbing on and off the couches. Give me time.

I don't know why you have such a hard time with me exploring. You need some chaos in your way too orderly life. I mean, who organizes everything?! I, for one, think you should restructure the Tupperware cabinet. I keep trying to help you, but you always shoo me out. Even more confusing is when you try to sit me in front of that same cabinet "to play" when you really need to make dinner. Either you want my help of you don't. I also would like to alphabetize the CD's in the rack, but it seems that once I get them all out, I forget what comes first. Can we work on that?

I may not be able to talk, but I try my best to communicate with you. I mean, how many times do I have to open the cabinet and take out every cup, just to grab one, and take it over to the fridge. I'm not tall enough. Nope, I didn't grow any since yesterday. Still. Can't. Reach. A little help would be nice. I don't want the sippy cups you bought just for me. I want a cup like my big brothers and sisters. They like drinking out of my sippy, especially when you aren't looking, so you can give them the sippy cups. I don't mind.

I notice you have let loose a little bit and let me walk around with the the shields, grease guards, whatever you want to call them. They are pretty cool. You also let me dig around in the recycle bin, never when there is anything real fun in there, but paper and broken hangers make great toys. I do what I can to get into the regular trash to see what I can find, but you always seemed to be grossed out. Hands and mouths are meant to be used while exploring your environment. If I don't like it...I promise I will spit it out...where ever I am standing.  Plus, I figure if you didn't want me to get into something, it wouldn't be in my reach. Hmm...I guess that is why that trash can always sits on top of the deep freezer...

Remember how you are always saying that you still don't get the phone and how to do certain things, like check messages from another phone? I keep trying to look into it, but you don't like it when you find me sitting on the table playing examining the phone. I can't figure out all the features either, and if you would just let me go at it, I might.

Also, sign me up for piano lessons. I like the piano.

Just so you know...opening stuff is fun. I like it a lot. I like to open things and take everything I can reach out. I am not so good at putting it back, and figure you would rather I leave that to you. I also like to help with laundry, but only if you have just folded them. And only because I don't think you folded them the right way.

I love you mom. I don't know why you always look so tired. I think you should take naps more often. It works for me. Although, visiting with you at night is still fun.

Love,

Kaysen Trouble Davis
(Being cute goes a long way!)

Now I have seen it all

You know, the world is so old and people have been around for a long time, that most everything has either been done, thought, or said before. I think I had a rare glimpse today at something primal. Something that I have never seen, but was probably more common back in the cave days.

We had chicken parmigiana last night. Not too exciting, but very delicious. I had different stages of the dish on the table for the kids. One with no sauce or chicken, just noodles and cheese. Another with everything, some cut up, some not. I had decided after observing both of the younger boys eat that I would just go straight into the shower with both of them. Once you get past two kids, you do things assembly line style, to cut down on the time it takes. Anyway. After trailing noodles across my hall and bedroom, we make it to the shower. Owen isn't too bad. Kaysen, I undress in the shower.

Owen points very observantly that Kaysen has a noodle in his hair. He then proclaimed that he wanted to get it out. I absentmindly tell him that Kaysen has noodles everywhere and proceed to get the shower ready. I then see Owen with the wayward noodle. And then...he gently lowers the dangling morsel it into his mouth and starts chewing with this look of triumph on his face. Like a monkey who just found the juiciest bug while grooming the monkey next to him. I can't get him to eat the noodles off his plate, but he will eat the noodles out of his brother's hair. Go figure!

Owen Edison

Tiny Guy

Three years ago today we brought into the world the smallest of the tribe. Weighing in at 2 pounds .3 oz he was a small fry. I remember being so scared when I went in for the emergency c-section. They had someone come in and talk to me about "the baby" and what to expect. I had already spent 5 weeks in the hospital and had my fair share of blood transfusions, daily blood draws (ironic, right?), steroid shots to develop baby's lungs, and lots more shots of all sorts of things to stop the contractions and keep him in. Now, he wasn't willing to stay in any more. He was 27 weeks when he was born. Too early, but long enough to have a fighting chance on the outside.We did what we could to keep him in as long as we could. Hoping it would be enough.

Holding my small fry

Shaunton barely made it in time to witness the birth of our third child. The sensation of a c-section is really weird. I remember them saying he was out. Shaunton said they pulled him out by his feet. Which I guess means by his legs, since his feet weren't even big enough to hold onto. I remember that he didn't cry. I remember that he has a head full of hair. I remember that he opened his eyes and looked right at me. Calm. They were surprised that he opened his eyes. They were surprised that he was breathing on his own. (Which didn't last very long, he soon needed help.) He was covered with a blanket, so I didn't really see how tiny he really was. But he still looked tiny wrapped. They took me to recovery. The took me to a room. They didn't take me to my baby. I didn't see him again until the next day. When I did, I cried.

  

I took pictures but didn't look at them. I knew I would want them later. They were too scary for me to look at. To think about . I just focused on pumping for him and watching the other two. I visited every night and held him when he was big enough. I couldn't stay at the hospital all the time. I felt guilty. Up and down the emotions and weight went until the day of his release. I was overjoyed when he came home 12 weeks later.

 

Fast forward three years. I have a rough and tough three year old boy. A boy who has already broken bones, lost nails, skinned knees, and rolled with the punches. He is fairly indestructible. He loves to argue with his older sister, imitate his older brother and smother his younger one with kisses. He is a daddy's boy. He loves Cars, Toy Story, and playing outside in the dirt. He likes to turn sticks into light sabers or guns, depending on his mood. He likes to do it himself.  He is my kid with the big eyes and the all too recent first hair cut. You won't know that he started out his life is such dramatic fashion. He resembles any other just turned three year old boy...except he is my little boy.

I know that Heavenly Father has purpose for him. I know that this experience happened to me (and our family) for a reason. We have gained something from it. We don't fully understand it, but will be privy to that information when the time is right. Until then, we can know that Heavenly Father loves us, hears our prayers, answers our late night and fervent prayers, and blesses us more than we can ever truly comprehend or appreciate.I am eternally grateful for a Heavenly Father who was willing to give me a trial and let me draw closer to him. I am thankful for a happy, healthy, independent, free spirited, book reading, dinosaur growling, block stacking, train loving, brother kissing, sister annoying, brother imitating, little boy that will be with me for infinity and beyond!

Happy Birthday Owen! We love you! Surely you are my favorite-est little boy in the whole wide world!

(Holding up three fingers is going to take some practice!)

Synergy

Last night we were learning about synergy and how it related to the scriptures. Shaunton talked to the kids about how toothpicks can demonstrate this. He asked Jaxen if he thought he could brake one toothpick in half. Jaxen agreed that he could. How about 5 toothpicks together? Jaxen thought he probably wouldn't be able to do that as easily.

We talked about how individually we are weak, but together we are made stronger. This is true as a family and a church.

Ember, who is absent-mindedly coloring (or so I thought), looks up thoughtfully and shares her version of synergy.

E: So, we are like the toothpicks and Satan is trying to break us. (See, they do listen and take it in...even if it doesn't seem like it at the time!)


That is so true. If we stick together as family and church we have more power against him then we do standing against him alone.

Blankets and Quilts

This year, I made all the kids a blanket/quilt for their birthday. Not that any of them can use them right now...but when the winter comes they will be excited to use them.

Jaxen's quilt has a soccer theme. I also asked him what his favorite colors were and that is where the other colors come in. It is twin size and the backing is an orange fleece. If I could do it over again, I might add another fabric with print instead of all solid colors.

Ember's was the easiest to plan. She loves dogs and cats, so I knew that would be her theme. The fabric was easy to find, but one decided to shrink more than others in the wash, so I had to downsize the quilt a bit because I wasn't willing to buy more. It is a little smaller than a twin size. The backing is a cream fleece.

I hate to waste anything, so I wanted to find a way to use the left over fleece from the other quilts. Kaysen's blanket used the remnants from Jaxen's quilt. It ended up being about 48"x50-something. A pretty good size. We went with the monster print because that is his nickname to some members of our family. It is just a fleece on fleece blanket. The backing is the remnants sewn together with the top panel. No fringe, just sewn right sides together, flipped out, and another border edging.

Owen's blanket is made with Ember's remnant fleece. It is bigger than Kaysen's because Ember's blanket was smaller than Jaxen's. Real life word problem, right? Anyway, he LOVES Toy Story, so I sent Shaun to pick out some fleece to make this blanket. It ended up being 48"x60", give or take an inch. Same deal as Kaysen's on the put together.

I am so glad to be done with them though. I belted out one a month for the past four months. Some easier than others, but all the same, I am a little burnt out. I plan to take a break and work on my scrap-booking...which has not stopped piling up.

Kaysen James

 Kaysen James came into this world on July 13, 2009 at 11:21 a.m. He was my biggest baby at 9 lbs 14 oz. I think he would have weighed more if he was weighed before he "let it all out". I knew he didn't have much space in there, but I wouldn't have guessed he weighed close to 10 lbs!

He was my calmest baby. It isn't until recently that he found his set of lungs. For those of you "lucky" enough to experience the ear-splitting shrieks of delight...and the ear-splitting shrieks of anger...thank you for smiling and not saying anything.

He had the most hair at birth than any of my other children, and also the darkest and thickest. It is still thick and luxurious to this day. This kid never had a bald spot. He does wake up with a wicked teased look in the back every morning. I held out hope that I would get by blue eyed baby, but brown eyes are beautiful too.

Kaysen started crawling on March 10th and it didn't take long before he had the urge to walk (May 26th). He waves, he claps, he has a shy head tilt, he blows raspberries, he covers and uncovers his mouth while making noise. He can climb off the bed. He learns something new everyday, and his brothers and sister are there to help him learn. He is in the bruised up stage of his life. Not tall enough to do much of anything, but tall enough to run into every corner and trip of every toy and sibling. He has a beautiful smile.

I love you Kaysen James. I may not know what to get you for your birthday... (What do you get the boy who has everything?!) ...but I love you more than any present can convey. Surely you are my favorite-st baby in the whole wide world! 

Happy Birthday Kaysen James!!!!

Nothing hits the spot like cake and ice cream!