Pictures and tidbits!

The boys enjoying apple cider after decorating their trees.

They also had ccokies they helped make during tree decorating.

This is not a great picture, but. . . Cody received 2 perfect scores on his SOL's last year. They have a small program for all those who score at least one perfect score. It is a very hard feat and we are extremely proud of him!! Way to go, Cody.

Keegan is making a project at school for Christmas. As you can see he is quite intent on working. It turned out to be a cute little wreath. Great job, Keegan.

We have in the past bought 3 trees--one for each boy. This year, we bought 2 and they paired up. Since living here in Spotsy, we visit Belmont Tree Farm to cut our trees down. It is a nice experience and the kids look forward to it each year. They each spent time decorating their trees (Cody did his alone as Chloe had other ideas of what to do.) Chloe entertained herself with the countdown to Christmas house. Jonathan and the kids pose in front of the lake at the tree farm.

Our church, Pillar, attended the sleigh ride event in Dumfries. It was not at all what we expected, but the kids had fun. It was EXTREMELY cold!! All the kids had a pony ride except for Chloe who screamed when we tried to put her on the pony. They were able to feed the animals and play on the different things.

Christmas video starring the kids

This is really cute of the kiddos!! Click below and check it out!! Let us know what you think:)
Be patient, it does take a minute to load, but it is well worth it!

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1318218565

Thanksgiving 2007

We celebrated Thansgiving several times this year. We ate turkey at the beginning of November with my sister and Matt. Then, we spent the actual day of Thanksgiving with friends. The Friday afterwards, we began our Thanksgiving tour of food!! We ate the ever famous shrimp at my dad's Friday night. My brother, Marvin, was actually there. This is the first time we have seem him in over a year. He met Chloe for the first time and she fell for him quickly. We had loads of fun hanging out with him and daddy.

The next morning we traveled to Kinston to Nana Jo and Granddaddy's house. All the family (minus Cindy and crew who we missed very much) gathered around. It is lots of fun to see everyone and it always gets a bit loud. All the kids and men had a wonderful game of football. I don't know about the others, but Jonathan was very sore. Is there an age limit for this tradition??? We ate and ate and ate and talked and ate and . . . do you see a pattern here? That evening we headed home and besides Jonathan, all of us were out by 7:00. We were very tired.

I took lots of pictures and I hope you enjoy the slide show.

Photo shoot

Our wonderful friend, Jennifer Clifton, has recently begun photo shoots. She has a great eye for seeing things in her camera and enjoys taking pictures. Last week, Chloe had her first photo shoot. We were not really sure how well she would do since we had a busy day and she had a late nap, but as you can see, she's a natural. Next project: ALL 4 kiddos:))) Wish us good luck!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving today. Our family and several church families gathered today at the Clifton's house to celebrate together. There was tons of food, football, and fun!! The kids played a very rough football game that they enjoyed while we all watched in fear of who was going to get hurt. Thank goodness nobody did. Then, everyone headed inside to watch football on TV (and eat some more). The kids also enjoed making Indian necklaces that they wore with pride. Before the day ended, we again stuffed ourselves and all seemed ready for bed. We had a great time hanging out with everyone.

When we returned home, the boys made turkey cookies. They iced the cookies and used different candies to create with. Jonathan even joined in on the fun and made a different looking turkey. Chloe fell asleep on the way home and never even woke when we put her to bed so she missed out on the fun.

Tomorrow, we head to NC to papa's house for some shrimp. We look forward to this meal all year. Saturday morning, we will head to Nana Jo and Granddaddy's house for more food. It seems to be a trend that we celebrate all events for several days. This seems to be a good thing for all of us and you won't hear us complaining.

Catching up

Life has been busy as usual:) We are all working hard both at our jobs and at school. Cody made the Honor Roll for this 9 weeks and has enjoyed learning all about Albert Einstein. Keegan is having a wonderful year. He is doing much better in school and earned a white ribbon for AR this week. Kale has taken off in reading and reads without being told. We are very proud of all 3 boys and their excitement about school. Chloe continues to do well with Mrs. Bonnie. She repeats pretty much everything anyone says and completely understands everything we say. Chloe seems to have been with us forever and has so many characteristics of us all that without looking at her, you'd think I actually gave birth to her:)

Chloe really likes her new hat!

Family picture at the telescope place. Can you see the snow at our feet?

Posing in the caves with our hard hats.

Group shot after leaving the caves.

Last weekend, we headed to West Virginia with the Pelts. This was the second time around and just as much fun. We had both added an extra child to our families so again we had to rent a ride and we also stayed in 2 cabins this time. The Pelts has warned us several times that Jillian is a bad rider. Well, let's just say--NOT!!! She did great and hardly made a peep so I am not sure what they were talking about. We visited a telescope station and then went to some caverns. The boys really enjoyed exploring the caves and looking at bats. We had a wonderful time in West Virginia and hanging out with friends. Ready for next year????

Apple Orchard PIctures

Here are the pictures from our trip to pick apples. I blogged it back for September, but never added pictures and I realized there were some really cute ones, so here they are:))

Mountain trip with grandparents

The last weekend in October, Jonathan's parents came for a visit. We decided to head to the mountains to see all the beauty and have some fun. We were not sure how it would go since it had rain so much for the few days before, but it turned out to be a beautiful day! We went to to Sky Meadows first since they had some events going on. When we first arrived, the events were not happening so we went hiking. Of course, we picked the shortest hike which all so happened to be pretty much straight up. We all made it to different points up each seeing a breath taking view. When we made it back down, we went to the old kitchen to see some different items being made with apples. The boys really enjoyed this and Chloe just enjoyed eating some apples. There was also an old sort of barn and they were able to climb up and see into the loft. Next, we headed to Skyline Drive to see all the leaves and views. As you can see from the pictures, it was gorgeous. It was fun to stop and see the different views. We had a wonderful time and were all very tired by the time we arrived home.

Just a side note. . .For some reason I had blogged awhile back about a trip to Maryland and not published it. I realized it tonight and published.

Chloe's party

We had her party on October 26 with Nana Jo, Granddaddy, and a few friends at the local Burger King. (Yes, this is the same BK where she knocked her tooth out:) Chloe enjoyed playing in the playland with her friends. We had supper, then cake, and last presents. She enjoyed her first cake which was a pumpkin. Opening presents is all new to her, but lucky for her she has 3 big brothers willing to help show her the ropes. She will enjoy playing with her My Little Ponies as well as wearing the cool new outfit. Ater the fun, we returned home for more presents. Nana Jo and Granddaddy had more for her to open. This time, she really for into the spirit of it. She was VERY excited to get a shopping cart with food and a stroller with a baby doll. She pushes the shopping cart around constantly and talks all about the food.

Today, we headed to my sisters in Maryland and once again celebrated her birthday (as well as Thanksgiving and my dad's birthday). She has totally gotten the opening gifts routine down now. The horse and pink Dora truck were quite fun to play with. Of course, chocolate cake made the deal even sweeter. Aunt Wee Wee had even fixed Chloe her own small birthday cake to enjoy. So, I'm guessing she's going to think her birthday is just a several week affair!!

Happy birthday, Chloe!!

Today was Chloe's big day--she turned 2!! We began this morning with many happy birthdays from the boys (who have been waiting ALL week to celebrate) and chocolate milk. She celebrated her birthday at Mrs. Bonnie's with all her friends and cookies mom had brought for her to share. Afterschool, we came home to change to go eat. There was a birthday card from Nana Jo and Granddaddy and a box from Nama. Chloe was quite excited over the talking Dora doll. We then left to meet Jonathan in Fredericksburg. We went to Target to hang out until he arrived. While at Target, we picked out some more tights and a new toy. She liked this little interactive talking book that has nursery rhymes. She played with it the entire time we walked around. Then, we headed out to eat Chinese. This will be our yearly tradition. She was in such a good mood and enjoyed eating all the food (it was a buffet). She seemed enamoured with the ladies working there. Next,we were off to Toys R' Us for some fun. Chloe walked around, more like ran, and looked at everything. She had tons of fun. We are celebrating with a small party next weekend with family and a few friends. We will also celebrate, again, in the beginning of November with more family:)) Wow, a girl cannot have too many cakes or parties! We love you and we know somewhere across the ocean, your birthmother is also thinking of you right now. We hope she knows how happy and loved you are and that we are thinking of her. So, happy birthday little one!!

Pictures

Daddy, Chloe and all smiles

Nana Jo, Granddaddy, Chloe

Granddaddy, Nana Jo, and most of the grandkids

Uncle Danny, Aunt Carol, Cara, and Chloe

Just Chloe being awfully cute

Chloe showing off the missing tooth

Even though it's missing, she still is as cute as ever

enjoying ice cream

Keegan looking really goofy as usual

Can you say Village People?

Aunt Wendy and kids on the pier

Why are they so tired?? We are the ones dealing with the kids!

September news!!

Ok, so now on to September! We started off the month with Jonathan heading to Virginia Tech to watch a football game. So, the kids and I got together with some friends and went to the Bug Box and then to the mall. It was tons of fun and a good time was had by all. The funny part is one of these friends has lots of Asian in her so she gets a kick out of how everybody probably thinks Chloe is hers:)

We spent Labor Day hanging out with many friends as well as cooking out. It was a nice day. Before we went there, we went on what we thought would be a short hike near our house. It turned out to be a VERY long hike. Chloe fell asleep on Jonathan's shoulders. She slept almost the entire time. We were able to see several deer right in front of us on the path. A turtle almost lost his life and we walked and the kids almost stepped on him. He was busy eating a mushroom. So, it was a great family day!!

The annual Davis' reunion was also held during September. We headed to NC and stayed at my dads on Friday night. We got there late, but hung out for a little while. Then Papa made a wonderful breakfast to enjoy. He also of course showed off his garden and such to the kids. We then headed to Kinston to the reunion. There were many extras included this year that we had never met. It was neat and the kids had fun. Chloe enjoyed running around and ate many cobs of corn. Next, we were off to Greenville to Danny and Carol's to watch an ECU football game. Nana Jo and Granddaddy also joined in the fun and we all hung out. The next morning, we were again treated to a superb breakfast. I also gained a new fascination for a waffle iron. So, I am now the proud owner of a brand new waffle maker!! The kids and I have enjoyed homemade waffles quite often. It was a weekend that went way too fast, but was loads of family and fun.

We celebrated Wendy's birthday this month as well as Isaiah's. Wendy and Matt came over to the house and we cooked for them. I also made waffle brownies for dessert which were tasty. Isaiah's birthday was at the Lake of the Woods fire department. The boys were thrilled to visit and enjoyed themsleves.

This month, we visited Hartland Orchard. Church friends had recommended this place highly. So, we decided to go see what it offered. It was a beautiful fall day to head towards the mountains and pick apples. We did lots of walking, but we ate enough apples to keep ourselves fueled. The boys enjoyed being able to climb the trees to pick apples and Chloe just enjoyed eating many apples.

At the end of the month, Pillar Church had its own outreach. We showed the movie Cars outside for the Dumfries area. We set up blankets and chairs and had popcorn and drinks. It was exciting and fun although it did get a tad bit chilly as the night worn on. Even with that, it was a nice night.

Well, wow, I have completed all of August and September in one day. Aren't you guys proud????? Now, I can maybe add some pictures for yal:)

Making up for lost time in August

August was a very busy month. We began the month with a visit to my sisters new house in Maryland. It is very cute and right on the Chesapeake Bay. It was an extremely HOT day, but we walked over to the water anyway. It was beautiful!! Keegan freaks at being on piers in general, but this was was even harder since there were no sides!! We had to drag him out to get some pictures and keep him from going crazy over Chloe being free. A great day was had by all and Chloe especially enjoyed the corn on the cob.

Then, Sunday August 5, Chloe officially joined our crew and not in the way you might think. Our family as well as the Clifton family were at Burger King for supper. The kids were all in the play area having a grand time playing. They had eaten supper and moved onto desserts. Suddenly, Noah ran in to tell us Chloe was bleeding. OK, we don't necessarily jump when we hear that (too many times our kids have been bleeding, I guess). I went in and realized it was a little more serious than I thought. She had blood all over everywhere. I quickly scooped her up and went to clean her up so we could see what was wrong. After finally getting blood removed, we realized she has knocked a tooth out. Not only a tooth, but a upper front tooth and it was the ENTIRE tooth. WE were trying to assess the situation and all she wanted to do was get back down and play. The Clifton's were getting the kids ready to go because we thought for sure Chloe was heading to the ER (previous experience in Iceland sound familiar???) However, Cody and Kale had dentist appointments the next day and she seemed fine, so we all just headed home. Somehow, the Cliftons and Davis' together equal losing teeth:)

The dentist visit went well. The dentist said if she had to knock a tooth out, she had done it the right way. There were no more injuries to her mouth as seen by the x-ray. She will be missing the tooth until the permanent tooth grows in. The two boys did great at the dentist and only need a few very small cavities filled (so small they didn't even need numbing).

At the end of that week, we were involved in a Pillar Church family mission project. This involved passing out block party invitation in Quantico in the rain, helping a church plant in Midlothian with a block party, and putting on the block party in Quantico. Although, it was extremely hot, we had a great time and enjoyed helping the two churches out.

Then real life began on the 20th , as I had to go back to work. It is always such a sad day. I began a new position this year, so everything is new to me. Keegan also had surgery during this week to have much needed dental work done. He had 7 teeth taken out and 5 silver caps put in. We hope this will help with his permanent teeth in the future. He was typical Keegan and woke up ready to eat:)

On the 27th, school began for the boys. Cody is in 4th grade this year and has a wonderful teacher. He also has many friends, including Spencer, who he enjoys spending time with. Kale is in 1st grade and enjoying school somewhat. He is not necessarily the most motivated child, but we are working on that. We made the decision to retain Keegan this year, so he is also in 1st grade in Mrs. Carey's room. This has been an excellent decision!! We have already seen such a difference from last year. He has matured lots and has lots of effort and support. WE are very proud of all of them and can't wait to see all that this year holds. Chloe began going to Mrs. Bonnie's and after crying and screaming the first two days, loves hanging out with her friends each day.

So this is the official wrap up for August 2007. I will add pictures later and blog on September. hopefully before October ends I can get caught up. Thank you for all the wonderful people who keep reminding me I need to blog:))

We are still here!!!

Hi all,
You never realize how many folks read your blog until you don't blog for awhile and everyone asks about the blog. So, yes we are still here; life has just been really crazy. I'll do some updating, including pictures, tomorrow. Thanks for all those who have asked:))