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.