Wow, time sure has flown by . . .

On this day one year ago, we were in Taiwan meeting Chloe for the very first time. It is in many ways hard to believe she has been a part of our family for a year and in other ways it seems she has been with us forever. She is so like all of us in many different ways. Chloe has been a true blessed addition to our family. She has changed so very much this past year.

+She did not want anything to do with Jonathan AT ALL!! She screamed bloody murder whenever he walked into the room. Today, she has a huge tantrum because Jonathan was leaving without her.

+She talks constantly. She was playing with bubbles today and blew one herself. She said, "I did it!!" Jonathan put her int he shower the other night and before he got back she had gotten out and said, "I done daddy" and was running out of the bathroom.

+She eats everything that we put in front of her. In fact, she would prefer to eat all day and all night. She'll even sneak in to the snack drawer and eat whatever she finds.

+Although she is physically a girl, she has no issues hanging with her brothers and doing what they do. She gets right on the floor to wrestle with them. One day they were heading out into the woods and there she goes right behind them. She uses sticks for guns just like them. She would rather play with the Hot Wheels than her baby dolls.

+She is spoiled rotten by everyone. She was on the trampoline and started screaming to get off. ALL 3 boys ran to her like there was a fire. They got her down and went back to playing. Less than 2 minutes later, she screamed even more because she wanted to get back on and again they all came running. She knows daddy will give her whatever she wants so she asks him for everything. I guess being spoined rotten is not so bad especially from her angle.

+She is an independent, head strong little girl. She wants to do things for herself and she wants it done HER way. And she's only 2--boy we are scared of the future with her.

+She is a jumping machine. She will jump all around a room or climb up on chairs, couches, stools, anything and jump off. The other night she even jumped and then flipped.

+She is already missing a tooth. You'll have to go back to read about that story.

+She loves to look at books and listen to music. She will dance to all music even a phone ringing.

+She not only bows her head for the blessing, she will even say it some nights. And she always says "Amen".

Chloe is a wonderful little girl who is very loved. We cannot imagine life without her. She has blessed us and others around her in more ways than we can count. I can't wait to see what the next year will hold:)) We love you Chloe Mei-Ling Davis!!

Happy birthday, Kale!!!

Yesterday, Kale turned 7 years old!! Wow, it is hard to believe our baby boy is seven--we are getting so old:) We picked up his present on Saturday evening--a basketball goal-- and he was quite excited. Now, if it would just stop raining so we can get it up and he can play. Yesterday, we went out to eat and he had ice cream as we sung happy birthday to him. He is so laid back, he didn't care what we did. He asked about what time he was born and that brought back many memories such as almost not making it to the hospital. I wanted to get everything straight at home first even though I knew the contractions were strong and coming really fast. Then our doctor made us go there first; as soon as I walked in they sent me STRAIGHT to the hospital. Thank goodness, the doctor and hospital were only 2 minutes apart. Needless to say many people did not make it to his actual birth, but arrived after the fact. I was terrified about having Kale and since I was so far along was not aloud any drugs:(( It was ALL natural--I liked the drugs better. According to Jonathan, I was very ugly to the doctors and he apologized over and over, but they understood. It is funny for such a laid back boy, he sure came into the world quickly. Happy birthday, Kale and we love you!!

Just for you, Nana Jo!!

Cody's first game

Cody's first game of the season kicked off a few Saturdays ago. Although feeling fine, his energy level was not quite up to par so he tired quickly as he played. The field was HUGE--he had never played on a field this big (and apparently neither had anyone else). Although they lost, they played well and had lots of fun. It was a beautiful day for a soccer game.

Sidenote: I tried to add pictures, but it would not work. The pictures were not great anyway since the field is so big I am very far away. I will add some later when blogger cooperates.

Monster Trucks

So on Friday night, we headed to F'Burg to see the Monster Truck show. Daddy and the boys had a jump on this since while they were out messing around that morning, they actually got to meet the driver and see the truck as it was unloaded. The quick event was lots of fun for the boys (Chloe was NOT a fan) and the rest of us.

Papa's visit

This past weekend Papa came for a visit. It was another workday, so he came up on Thursday and picked the boys up after school. They "piddled" around until I got home with Chloe. She was quite excited to see Papa even bypassing daddy. They hung out on Friday doing their kind of stuff: eating, hiking, eating, riding, eating, napping (Papa), eating, (Do ou see a pattern here??) That night we went to Fredericksburg for a special event (see next blog). We had lots of fun with Papa all weekend. By the way, on Sunday evening after church, the Clifton's joined us at Burger King. After dinner, Papa bought LOTS of Oreo milkshakes for everyone to enjoy. such a Papa kind of thing:))

Nana Jo and Granddaddy Visit

Nana Jo and Cody were cutting the rug

A few weekends ago, Nana Jo and Granddaddy came up for a visit. The kids were out of school that Friday for a workday. The boys came with me and they picked them up at lunch. They went to eat and then to see the movie Nim's Island. Next, we all met at Walmart for the fun shopping trip. Cody had not been feeling to well and it seemed to be getting worse. He was constantly in the bathroom. Thinking he was okay, we met Jonathan at Texas Steakhouse. We soon realized he was not getting better, so Cody, Chloe, Nana Jo, and myself headed home. Let's just say it was a long trip home!! He woke up feeling 100% better Saturday morning. So, after breakfast, we were off to his first soccer game of the season. After that, we ate lunch and then the grandparents headed back to NC. It was lots of fun and we all enjoyed them being here. Here are a few pictures . . .

Through the years with Keegan

I also scrapped Keegan from birth to now. I believe the pictures are in order. He sure has grown and changed. This is fun to do and the boys have enjoyed looking at all the pictures. Enjoy . . .

Look at the changes in Chloe!

Well, I have been home for 2 days with sick kids. So, I made some good use of my time and worked on digital scrapbooking. Below are two I completed; the layout is the same, but the wording is different. Leave a comment and let me know which you like better.

Love note from Kale

Recently as we were all out running errands, Kale was in the backseat writing away. He passes the note up to Jonathan and I. . . and, WOWEE!!

Click on the note to make larger.

Kings Dominion with the Cliftons

On Friday, we headed back to KD with the Clifton's. It was a beautiful day that started out a little warm, but got better during the afternoon. We made our way through the enitre park riding rides. The big kids as well as the little kids were able to ride many rides just for them. They were completely wore out when we left. It will be quite different this year since all the bigger boys can ride most rides.

Kings Dominion 2008

On Tuesday, the kids and I decided to head to KD for the day. This was the first time we have gone with just us and it was fun!! However, it was a little chilly. Chloe and I had fun waiting for the boys to get off the rides. They rode many big rides. Keegan rode the Hurler for the first time and then decided he did not want to ride anything else:)) (See next post) Kale rode these rides for the first time and would have ridden over and over again. We packed our lunch and went out to eat at the picnic tables which the kids really enjoyed. It is fun to go and have them be able to ride almost every ride in the park. It should be a great KD season!

By the way, the boys chose this slide display.

Pillar Easter Egg Hunt

A family at Pillar filled almost 800 Easter eggs for the Pillar kids. Yes, we have many kids, but about 20 - 25, so each child had LOTS of eggs. The kids had lots of fun hunting and then playing.

Spring Soccer

The boys all wanted to play a sport so we let them choose. Kale chose football (fall), Keegan choose baseball (summer), and Cody chose soccer. This worked out well since the sports are all in different seasons. Cody had his first practice last Saturday--it was very cold! He is excited to be playing again. Enjoy the show!

Spring Break

We have been out of school since last Thursday. We all look forward to this very much as we need a break:)) We have not done too much; just hung out mainly which the boys have thoroughly enjoyed. For all those who have seen our living room paint, you will appreciate the fact that the color exists no longer!! During my time off, I have painted the living room and hallway. (Pictures will be posted later.) It looks very nice and makes our house look brighter. While I have been painting, the boys and Chloe have enjoyed playing outside all day. They wake up before me in them morning and watch TV which happens to usually be CHiPS. They LOVE this show and as soon as they head out they play this over and over. Today, I could hear them outside playing CHiPS and Keegan is hollering, "I'm speeding" over and over so that Kale will know he needs to pull Keegan over. It was too cute!! We did head over to Kings Dominion on Tuesday just the kids and I. This is the first time we have ever gone alone and it was fun. The boys are big enough to ride pretty much every ride so they did. Keegan was done after riding the Hurler; he wanted to head over to the kiddy cars. Kale and Cody enjoyed every ride. Chloe just hung out with me waiting for the boys. It was a little chilly, but fun. We are heading that way again tomorrow with some friends. Hopefully, it will be a little warmer.

Also, I stole the Wordless Wednesday off another blog I check. It was such a cute idea so I borrowed it. Hope you all enjoy!!


P.S. The battery for my camera died and I could not find the charger for the battery. It has been located now and I will add pictures later.

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday (a new feature)

Great Wolf Lodge

In February, Jonathan I took the kids to Great Wolf Lodge in Williamsburg. The place is amazing and so made for families. We were there for 2 nights and 3 days and were completely exhausted when we returned home. That place wears you out!! The boys enjoyed being able to not only watch TV, but watch it in bed as well as eat in their beds!! This is a life they could get use to:)) Chloe loved every minute of being in the water and screamed when it was time to get out. She sure is a different girl then last summer when she screamed every time we put her IN the water. She was able to do everything except for one slide and the surfing activity. The boys were able to do everything and took full advantage of that. We had loads of fun adn it was good family time.

A Night of Fun

Last Friday night, Jennifer Clifton and I took the kids to open gym at Paragon gymnastics. We have been wanting to go and it was a perfect night to head that way. The kids (and Jennifer and I) had loads of fun. We will be back with our husbands so we can participate a little more. This place was worth every penny we paid!! By the way, we were the only adults performing!!

(if you place mouse over pictures, you can see captions)

KEEGAN TURNS 8!!

Wow, it is hard to believe Keegan turned 8 today. Time has flown by in those 8 years some faster than others. Keegan has been through so much in his life, but you'd never know it by his spirit--he is almost always happy as can be!! He enjoyed eating out and bowling last Saturday at Red Robin. They sang happy birthday and brought him free ice cream. Then, he had little cakes at school today. And tonight, we went to Fun Land and he played games as well as hit balls in the batting cage. He did really well his the balls coming at him. Next, we ate at Pancho Villa's where they also sang and let him wear a sombreo. Last stop was at Walmart to get the bat he so wanted. He's playing baseball this summer for parks and rec and is very excited!! Happy birthday, Keegan!!

More surprises in store

On the way to NC, I called granddaddy. Since Nana Jo was not there, I quickly thought of a plan. We would surprise Nana Jo as well. So, granddaddy and I worked out all the details to meet on Sunday. The next day, the kids, Aunt Wee Wee, Papa, and myself went to New Bern to eat and shop at Target. Next, we headed to the mall to surprise Nana Jo. We were quietly walking around Belk's, when Cody spied Nana Jo entering the store. All the kids dove under clothes racks. As they got closer, the boys ran out to surprise them. Nana Jo was overwhelmed!! It was a huge surprise and I was quite excited to pull off two great surprises. We hung out chatting at the wall, then went to Walmart, and finally to the waterfront park in New Bern to play. It was a nice day and the kids had fun running around playing. Check out the pictures!

Surprise Daddy, we're all here!!!

In February, Jonathan and some other church planters headed to Georgia for a conference. My sister was heading to NC so the kids and I decided we would go with her. We did not tell my dad (or Jonathan's parents). On the way, my brother called and realized we were all on our way to daddy's. He was already there, but did not tell dad. In fact, he egged my dad on more about never seeing the kids and stuff. Anyway, when we pulled up, my dad was completely shocked!! He was so excited that he could not even speak. It took him a little while to realize all his children and grandchildren were there to visit.

The kids had a grand time playing in the boat, picking up pecans, shopping, and enjoying family time. It was a short trip, but lots of fun. Enjoy the pictures!

Daddy's girl

So in the beginning, Chloe did NOT like Jonathan and that is putting it mildly! Well, the times have changed and she is ALL daddy's girl. She loves to get her computer and sit as close to Jonathan as she can when he is working on the computer. She runs to him (when he is here) as soon as she gets up and as soon as she gets home. It is really too cute to watch her fuss to put his arm around her and light up when she sees him. So, I'm guessing he forgot all about the beginning when she screamed constantly when he was around. . .Glad to know times have changed:))