A Depressing Post......

I can't believe it has been a week since my last post! Where does the time go? I guess I haven't blogged in days because I have had nothing to say. Can you believe that? Me.....nothing to say?
We have just been doing our normal daily grind with school and such.

I will say (see I always have "something" to say!) that yesterday was a really tough day. I watched the movie "Premonition" with Sandra Bulluck on Wednesday night and it really freaked me out. So much so, that I had a horrible nightmare that night. The movie was pretty weird and I will not ruin it for you if you had not seen it yet. Sandra Bulluck had premonitions (saw the future) of her husband dying. This part made me really sad, of course, because I related to her in the movie. Her husband was traveling and all was well until she got a knock at the door from a police man giving the news that her husband died in a terrible accident. I started sobbing when I saw this because that is one of my all time fears. As you know Les travels and I worry about him so much. I figured that I would have nightmares about Les but instead I woke to uncontrollable crying over my daddy at about 3:30 am. I will not go into much detail because I will get super upset again, but I am sure you can guess what happened. I could not go back to sleep for anything! Apparently I did at some point in the morning because I awoke to terribly swollen eyes. I couldn't wait to call my dad to see if he was alright and of course he was just fine, but worried about me. I immediately started crying again once I heard his voice on the phone that morning. Needless to say, my parents came for dinner last night and to play with the kids. I feel much better today.

I made a pact with myself over this, though. I prayed to God that night I watched that freaked out movie and apologized for not living each day like it was my last. I know that is hard to do when you go into your routine daily grind, but I am trying. I want to make sure that I tell everyone that I love, how much I love them and how much they mean to me. I am not sitting at this stinkin' computer as long, I have to limit myself. I am playing with Leslie more during the day instead of random cleaning. I know only one day has pasted and here I am on the computer typing this, but hey, it is a start, right? I am trying to let things roll off my back more. For example, I tell myself that it is okay that there are dishes in the sink and crumbs on the floor. It is okay that we are running a few minutes late to school. After doing this yesterday, I was actually a happier person (imagine that!). God has blessed me with a perfect life, you know. We are all healthy with no serious problems to have to deal with, my husband is the best man ever for me, our children are growing leaps and bounds, and the list goes on and on. Seriously, our lives could be so much worse and I hate how I take advantage of it on a daily basis. I also kept repeating "Don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today will have enough trouble of its own." This verse is in the book of Matthew in the Bible, in which I am also trying to read every night.

Whew. I feel better getting all of this off my chest. I am so sorry if this is the most boring post you have ever read, but at least I feel better just "journaling" about it.

HELP!!! They are a Mess!!!!

I am sure many of you that have reared puppies were just waiting for this post! The cute, cuddly, sweet doxies are MOBILE and MESSY! I just finished cleaning the bathroom they have lived in and boy did it STINK! Puppies were EVERYWHERE! They are actually crawling out of their box bed and peeing and pooping all over the floor. EEEEEkkkkk. Chili keeps herself quite busy cleaning up after them. I know it is gross to say, but she does help keep them clean and fresh. Even though they pee and poop ALL THE TIME, they are still so darn cute and full of personality. I did break down and let the kids name them. I really don't have to worry anymore about being too attached because I know see what a pain they are to keep clean and potty train.

So, without any further ado, let me introduce to you Ginger (Leslie's idea and I loved it!)

She is my absolute favorite. Ginger is laid back and incredibly lovable. She will be the hardest to get rid of. She looks just like her momma.

Next we have Pepper. Our most unusual looking one of them all, but so very cute.

He does have blue eyes and is technically called a triple dapple due to his three colors and spots.

Finally we have Tucker or as Nolan calls him Underdog.

Doesn't he look like a Tucker? I think so. He is such a good natured dog, but let's hope he does not turn out like his father, a royal pain! He looks just like him though.

Okay, there you have it. Our family of mini doxies. They are getting their teeth in and starting to chew on each other's ears and legs. That is fun to watch them play and wrestle. I am wondering how long they keep nursing. I can't imagine Chili going much longer with their teeth. Yikes. Oh, I forgot to mention the barking. Yep, not only are they yelping, but they have started their small dog syndrome of barking at every little thing. It is cute for now, but in the middle of the night we can do without.

I am so very sorry if I seem to be griping about these precious animals, I do really love them. I just had a rude awakening with the dirty stuff.

My Wordless Wednesday

I love Wordless Wednesdays and technically I am supposed to be "wordless." However, I want to say how my kids leave me speechless and how there are times I just have to run and get the camera! Check this out!

Yes, that is Buster, our cat ON A LEASH!

"Mommy, Buster ran away! Booooohoooo Boooohoooo!"

"Here Buster kitty, kitty, kitty!"

"Caught ya, Buster! Here you go now..."

"Buster get up and walk!"

"Mommy, why won't he get up and walk?"

Don't you love it when....

Don't you love when you can just let your hair down and be yourself? You don't have to worry about what other people are "really" thinking about you. When you can yell at your kids and you know you are not being judged. When you are not wearing a lick of make-up, but you don't care because impression doesn't matter.

Don't you love it when you laugh until your stomach actually hurts and the eyes water like you're crying?

Don't you love it when someone else experiences the same feeling as you. Like when you have had enough and you want to pull every hair out of your head and bang your baldness against a brick wall. Yep, I have.

These are the j0ys of having a best friend. I am so very sorry if you don't have that special someone that you call a "best friend". I am blessed to be able to call Cheri mine. In case you don't know, we have been friends since we were eight years old. Let me tell you my friends, that is a long time. We have been through thick and thin. We have survived a long distance friendship once while in high school and are surviving one again. I hate with everything that we moved away, but I feel so confident saying that it has not changed out relationship one bit.

Cheri and her family came down for the weekend since we have not been able to get together for Christmas. This is the first time in history it has taken so long to get together to exchange gifts, but that is okay. We both understand that things come up and the holidays are always extremely crazy. We had a blast though. The kids played outside most of the time while Cheri and I got to catch up and just hang out with each other. I love love love her company. She makes me laugh until I cry. We even got to play Rock Band together! The two of us used to play "We Got the Beat" by the Go-Go's years ago with her sister. We had our own "air rock band" as eight year olds. I used to play the drums while Cheri sung. This time we got to experience the real deal! Rock on! The kids get along beautifully as well. Thank you, God. Also I want to thank God for the gorgeous weather we have had here in Texas. It seriously feels like spring. Sorry Northerners! Cheri also got to take our family pictures so be sure and check out my next posting on that. We had a wonderful and fun weekend.

Oh, sorry I don't have pictures yet. For some reason the blogger won't connect me to the right place. So check back soon.

It's My Turn!

It was my turn with the great upcoming photographer, Cheri Thompson! I was so excited to have her take out family picture while they visited. If you jump to her blog you will see what a great photographer she really is. She has taken pictures of friends' families in the past, but it was my turn today! We had not taken a family picture since Leslie was 6 months old, so we were long over do. I tell ya, it is not an easy task picking out coordinating clothes when you are in a hurry and did not plan ahead. Also, keeping the kids' hair and clothes fixed is no walk in the park. We figured out why we never get to a studio to take portraits. I want everything perfect while Les could care less about even having his picture taken. Not a good combo! Anyhoo, Cheri did a wonderful job given the circumstances and the family had great smiles as well. Here are a few of our favorites. Cheri will be touching up some of the pictures with her PhotoShop software and will be posting soon, too. So, be sure and check out her blog to see more. Her blog is the Beautiful Chaos. I need to learn how to link other blogs to these words. Oh, she is also making a special collage, which I cannot wait to see! Woohoo, we have a new family picture to display in our house! The next challenge is if I can only get a frame and a special place to put it............

This was the VERY first picture we had taken and I love it the best. Isn't it funny how the best ones are usually the first and the last? Weird. Cheri said she could fix the sun on Nolan's face since that is all that is wrong with the portrait. I can't wait to see them!

How can you resist?

Here are some recent pictures of our adorable little pups. They are growing incredibly fast and are already three weeks old. Just look at those wrinkles.

Their beady eyes have finally opened and you can tell that they just opened in some of these pictures. It is amazing how eyes give personality. Doesn't she look like a good little doggie? She is my favorite. In case you are wandering if we have named our sweet little pups, NO we have not. I feel like you become too attached when you give a name to something and I don't want to keep three more weenie dogs!

They are getting a little more mobile already. The girl attempts to get up on all fours and try to crawl. Yikes! They are the sweetest things and Chili is still the best mommy.

This little guy is huge actually. He is so neat looking, but loves to eat and has quite a belly. He also is a talker. By this I mean, he YELPS a lOT! Yikes!

Leslie's favorite is the girl also. She asks to hold it.......let's see........how many times a day........A Million! Leslie is such an animal lover.

Prayer Blog

One of the best things about blogging is that you hear a bunch of prayer requests and people that are in need from all over the United States. I have actually seen a miracle (we like to think that is from all of the prayers that were lifted up) on MckMama's blog that is in my blog watch list. I came across a button (like the one that I just added) on another person's blog and saw how her baby was not supposed to live, but did! It is truly a miracle. The prayer chain was huge for that family and the baby. The family that I just added to my sidebar just had a baby and she immediately had trouble breathing. They ended up care flying her to a bigger children's hospital in Tulsa where she will have a heart/lung transplant because she has pneumonia in her lungs and doing really bad. So please pray for this baby girl and ask God to comfort the family. Just click on the picture button to visit her blog and hear the story and updates.

Do you like it?

I am really getting the hang of changing my blog background and sprucing it up. Last night I stayed up late making my new header. I found a website that makes the headers out of your own photos for FREE. I have been wanting a new custom header for a while now and could not bring myself to pay for one. So when the website asked for the photo, only one came to mind. My favorite photo of all time, and it happens to be the reason I titled my blog The Davis Rodeo.

One of these days I would love to have this photo put on a canvas to display at my house. It tells a story and that is what I love. It was our second year in our town and we chose to enter the kids in a rodeo clown costume contest. The kids loved it and were so excited to go to their first rodeo. Our town hosts one every year with a fair. You might remember me blogging about it this past summer. I probably even blogged about this particular photo. I forgot how long I have been blogging! Anyway, the kids are up on the fence watching the rodeo in the clown garb. I wanted to use this in my header, but since the header is so elongated I had to choose only part of the picture. So, I chose the best part, the kids numbers for the contest and them overlooking the rodeo. There you have it, the story behind the header. I hope you like it, I sure do!

Theme Song

Yee Haw! I am perfectly proud of myself tonight for finally figuring out how to put music on my blog. Whew! There is a really funny story behind the song I chose for the theme. Les brought this song home one day and the kids and I were totally fascinated by the words (besides the "beer on Friday night") and the great beat. It is one of those knee slapping songs. We started dancing around and stomping our feet like we were total hillbillies or something. Well, I could not get this song out of my head that night. I seriously could not sleep without singing the words. It is that catchy! I woke up the next morning and told Les about my problem and how I was frustratingly stumped on a few of the verses. However I pleaded with him to not play it again in the house because I would like to get sleep at night. That afternoon he had downloaded it and played the song on his IPod through the stereo speakers that echoed the house. I died laughing and immediately started stomping my feet. I did figure out my missing words too! Now anytime I am driving the car with kids along and this song comes on, they tell me, "DON'T TURN IT MOMMY!" I LIKE THIS SONG!" I laugh and ask, "Why do you like this song?" They reply, "It reminds me of Daddy." Awwww. So there you have it. This is Les' theme song and I will even be honest to say that he does have beer on a Friday night!



Okay, to listen to this catchy, knee slapping tune:

1. Click the actual title "Chicken Fried" Zac Brown Band

2. Click the play symbol, IF the song does not start playing automatically!

WARNING
This song my cause sleepless nights due to not getting the tune out of your head!

How?

How in the world does time fly by so darn quickly? I got on my computer yesterday to start my morning routine of reading blogs, as you all know now, and my computer was soooo slow and sticky. I ran all of the maintenance checks and started thinking about ALL of the pictures in my files now; all the way back to 2003! That is a ton! I checked the file size of that folder and it really was not as big as I thought. So I decided to check "My Videos" file.....YIKES! It was huge, taking up a ton of memory. I had to clean up that folder, so I watched and deleted any videos I could. I came across several movies I had made of Nolan and Leslie as babies. When Nolan was a year old I made a 10 minute movie of his birth and first year of life. It was so cool, so I made one of Leslie as well. I put them on CDs, but was too afraid to delete them from my computer. Needless to say, I had to delete them. Of course, I had to make sure they played on all computers first. I also came across two more videos I had made of Nolan's second and third years of life. I was ecstatic and motivated to make more. So, I pulled out all of our old video tapes and started watching them. Gosh, it seems like yesterday the kids were drinking out of sippy cups and wearing diapers. Leslie has especially grown amazingly fast. So quickly, if fact, I look at her sometimes and think, "When did you get so much hair and so darn tall?" It is truly amazing. I actually found the year she grew incredibly fast last night as I watched her videos. It was her second year, after her first birthday, she started shooting up and growing more and more curly hair by the day. If you remember, Leslie started walking at 9 months, therefore she was only a baby that short amount of time. She has always seemed older than she really is, even now. But I want this time to SLOW DOWN. Looking back, I realize how time is so precious and how it blows in the wind. I do feel fortunate, though, to get to stay home with them and witness things many mothers miss from working. I have to watch out and remind myself not to take advantage of any minute, savor each day and moment. I try.....

Here are some pictures to show how time flies:

This was the earliest picture I could find of Nolan (he was before digital cameras!)



Now look at him!




Here is Leslie (to match Nolan's photo)
and now...


Here is Chili Dog when we got her..


And now....

WHERE DOES THE TIME GO?

I"ll Meet You There....

A little tid bit about myself, I am a very routine person. Especially when Les works out of town and it gone for a week, I go into survival mode. The kids fall into the routine just like I do. I guess because I have always been that way and that is how I raised our kids. It is good for them; they always know what to expect next. For example, we have the same bedtime routine no matter what. Actually, when Les is home we aren't as predictable, but we tend to be. The children get their pajamas on, crawl into bed, and say a prayer. We used to read books every night, but that has stopped for the time being, because the kids are always too exhausted. The nights fly by! Anyway, I always put Nolan to bed first and tuck him in the covers nice and tight. I give him a kiss and ask, "Where do you want to meet tonight?" We started this new thing where I tell him and Leslie that I will see them again in their dreams and we will meet anywhere you would like. We first started meeting at the moon and I would go through an entire story of getting dressed like an astronaut and loading the spaceship. Nolan would fall asleep most of time while I was talking. But now we just decide where to meet and he falls asleep thinking about it. Leslie replied, "I wanna go too!" So now she joins us in our dreams. Let's see, we have been to the moon, like I said, the beach, the world's largest Christmas tree, the tallest tower, and the diamond castle (this one is from Leslie which she got the idea from a Barbie movie). So tonight we are meeting at the diamond castle again. "I'll meet you there!"

Hand Me Downs

We had so much fun today visiting my mom and dad. It has been since Christmas when we went to see them last because we had been sick for such a long time. The kids and I were excited to see what they were up to. When we arrived we were greeted with the best hugs and kisses. There is just no place like home! Nolan and Grandma played baseball for a long while while Leslie and I played dress up with a huge box of clothes my sister gave us. Leslie put on different outfits and then ask, "Don't I look cool?!" She actually wanted me to take her picture and she posed like a model. Most of the time it is incredibly hard to take pictures of the kids because they get extremely goofy with their fake smiles. Therefore, I had a blast taking pictures this time, only I did not have my own camera. I had to use my mom's camera which happens to be a Canon, so I was not too disappointed. The clothes that were given to Leslie are so cute and in such great shape. Oh, she also received a pair of boots and two other cute summertime canvas shoes. We love love love hand me down clothes! As a matter of fact that is mostly all Leslie has ever worn since she was born. I used to shop at resale stores and then once we moved, my sister-in-law and sister gave us tons and tons of clothes. I really have no reason to have to go out and purchase new clothing for Leslie, I do only when I "want" to. Anyway, here is Leslie modeling her "cool" clothes. (I denoted what was given to her.)

~the boots and pancho~

Leslie did this model position and said, "This is passe" (which is ballet isn't it?)

~the dress and shoes~

~the skirt, boots, and vest~

~the entire outfit and shoes~

Thank you Aunt Mandy and Camryn for the great clothes! As you can see, we love them! By the way, I would have taken more pics (especially with her favorite, the purple dress), but Momma's camera battery went dead.

This is my soap opera....

Last night we had my good friend and her family over for dinner. The kids played and played while we got to have some great adult conversation. My blog came up in talking and I wanted to show them what it looks like. So I brought them over to my computer and explained exactly what a blog is and how easy it is to set up. They were impressed and kept asking questions so that they may set one up one day. I explained how I started this blog to keep family and friends that live far away updated with our family stories and events. I also told them how addicting reading other blogs can be. I actually admitted that I get up each morning, pour a cup of coffee, and sit down to check my friends' blogs. He asked if I knew all of the "blogs I watch" and I laughed and replied No. I just love to read good stories, especially the ones that are about mothering. I like to feel that I am not alone in making mistakes. So the husband said, "So this is your soap opera." I laughed and thought about it for a minute and answered, "Yeah, I guess so. I do not watch regular soap operas or any daytime television, so yes in a way, this is my soap opera."

Hi Ho Hi Ho It's off to school YOU go!

Nolan has been feeling much better since taking antibiotics. So good in fact, he has been getting into trouble with his little attitude. He drove me absolutely bonkers yesterday! He had to go with me to pick up Leslie at school and I had to leave him in the car. Once I came back out with Leslie he had the windows rolled down and the radio jamming loud. All of the parents looked at us like we were growing antennae or something. I was so embarrassed and Nolan was smiling from ear to ear. I should have taken him right to his school door and given him the boot! We came home and had lunch. Leslie and Nolan played well for about 10 minutes before they started their lovely arguing and fighting. I set up a game for them and it lasted only about 2 minutes. Needless to say, I WAS READY FOR NOLAN TO GO BACK TO SCHOOL!

I am sorry if I seem to be complaining, but Nolan has developed quite an attitude and argues with everything. For example, I read the directions on how to play the game I mentioned and he argued that the instructions were wrong. If I say it is black, he says white. He even carries this arguing into directions I give him. So in order to stop this attitude I have come up with a great solution. I told the kids that next Friday we will be going to Chuck E Cheese (YUCK, but the kids love it). Of course they smiled really big and said, "Really?!" (We don't ever go unless it is for a birthday party.) I explained that they will earn coins to use at Chucks when they say "Yes, ma'am" when I tell them to do something or when I ask a question. So, this morning Nolan had to get ready for school and each time I said, "Okay, it is time to eat breakfast, brush your teeth, etc" he replied, "Yes ma'am. My mouth dropped open and it was so very nice to hear that instead of "why?" He already earned 6 coins! I told him that if he continues, we will be spending the night at Chuck E Cheese just to spend all of the coins he earns. Hopefully he will get in the habit of replying like that and we will not have attitude problems again.

Animal Trouble

Each night before I go to bed, I bring Coco into the garage and into his kennel. The last couple of nights he has resisted so I had to push him in. Several days ago I cleaned the blanket out we had in there for him and washed down the plastic pan he lays on thinking that the horrible smell was the reason he did not want to go into the cage. Well it did not help. Les finally placed a big packing blanket in the cage for warmth and Coco finally did not resist. Until last night. I brought him in as usual and stuffed him in the cage without turning on the light and I went to bed. Les got up this morning to let him out and found Buster, the cat, and Coco in the cage together!! Les came and got me to look. I was mortified! Coco always chases and barks at our sweet Buster and now to be caged up with him! I guess Buster liked the warm blanket also and crawled in the kennel for a good night sleep. I never heard them fight, so I am wandering if Buster just laid quietly all night hoping our dumb dog never noticed.

This makes the second night in a row that Buster has been caged up. The night before he got into our neighbor's huge quail cage (he raises the quail) and killed 6 birds. He could not get out and was caged all night. Needless to say, he was not a happy kitty the next morning. What are we going to do with our cat?!

Like I said, Coco is driving us NUTS. I guess he is lonely since Chili has been inside with her pups the past week. He has been whining at our back door all day every day. In a way it is sad, but in another way it is VERY ANNOYING! He also scratches at the door over and over again. We just do not know what to do anymore. Urgh! Life with animals................

Strep It Is

Nolan was just diagnosed with Strep throat as well. Man, I hope we can shake this soon. Our Christmas break has been extended, but with sickness! What a bummer. On a lighter note, I have been cleaning out. I never cleaned out my Homemade Gourmet stuff since I stopped selling it, so today was the day. I ended up clearing out three big cabinets. Woo hoo. I am on a roll. What's next...........

I Feel Good...

"I feel good! I knew that I would now. So good....so good....I got you!" Bomp bomp bomp.
Yep that is the song I am singing. I have been in the dumps for so long now, I feel like pretty much like a new person. I got so sick and tired of laying around the house and getting behind on the normal household chores. Les did a great job of being Mr. Mom, but there are a few things I just had to do myself. I got up this morning after actually sleeping last night and started in with the cleaning. Oh, I forgot to mention the reason I have been in the dumps the past week. I was diagnosed with Strep throat yesterday and they gave me a shot of penicillin and an antibiotic. Leslie was diagnosed with an ear infection and now Nolan is at the doctor. Last night Les sat in the living room chair and looked at the kids and I laying on the couch glass eyed and drowsy. He fed us dinner and waited on us hand and foot. I am sure he is worn out and I pray he does not come down with anything now. If he does though, I am well enough to take care of him now. Woo hoo! I am off to take Leslie to dance now. I will update on Nolan as soon as I hear.

My New Favorite Pastime

This past week has just flown by! The kids already start back to school in three days! We have not left the house all week and boy we have cabin fever. Leslie ran a fever for three days and then I started feeling bad with a head cold. I can't seem to shake it either. Urgh! Normally I do not ever get sick, but this cold has gotten a hold of me good this time. The kids have been enjoying "Daddy" time outside the past two days since I do not feel like entertaining. They have had a ball out in the beautiful weather riding their new Green Machines and four wheelers. Therefore, when I get the energy up to move, I go and take a peek at this..............

Chili is such a wonderful mommy. She loves on her pups like I have never seen a dog do. She keeps them so clean and shiny.

She is doing really well in the kids' bathroom. She barks at the door when she needs to go out to the bathroom and then barks at the backdoor to come back in. Chili is just an amazing smart dog. I am just wandering what we are going to do once these cute little things start moving around and pooping! Yikes! Oh well, we are enjoying watching them grown everyday. I love waking up and seeing this each day.

I just took this picture about 15 minutes ago when I went to check on them. How sweet is this? Oh, Chili, such a good mommy.