The Davis Family Adventures

Davis family in Russia!

2011-09-28T14:37:00.001-05:00

On August 4th Embry and I loaded on a plane and headed back to Texas for one last time before going overseas. I was able spend some time with my dear, dear friend Allison Knobel Sitton. It was wonderful to see her and watch her boys love-on and play with Embry. We had a very quick visit with my nephews, brother, sis-in-law Nancy and my mom.... special time.

My sweet Allison Knobel Sitton


The cutest nephews in the world

Special time with Drew & Gran

Em and I returned home to Springfield on the 7th just in time for a great visit from my parents and to get ready for the movers.

The movers arrived on August 23rd and packed up our air freight, then our surface freight. At one point during the day we had an earth quake. YUP, an earth quake.

The movers returned on the 24th, packed up or items for storage and then that weekend we sat in our hotel while Irene came along. Thankfully the hurricane didn't cause too much damage in our area and our flight was right on time Monday morning.

Come on Irene

100% to capacity! Heading to the airport

We arrived to Moscow, Russia and after a little work we got to our new house. It's wonderful! We have a great four bed room apartment home complete with a playground 20 feet from our front door and Maya's & Sagan's school is literally about 60 yards away. Life is good!

view from our front windows

first day of school

ballet classes taught by Russian ballerinas!

swim lessons at Maya's preschool

We are settling in quite well and have been able to get out and about Moscow a little. We've gone to the popular areas near our house and I'm slowly learning how things work here. Embry just turned 7 months old and she is just about to start crawling.


Embry's 7 month portrait

On September 8th, I got the news that my dear friend, Allison, was not doing well. Allison is one of my oldest friends from the church I grew up in. We had lunch together every day in high school and she's always been a special friend. We've kept in touch through the years, and have always fallen back into our friendship like a well loved glove. We would often call each other to compare notes about our children. My Maya and Sagan are almost the exact age of her boys, Grant Mathew and Connor. We would share stories and always laugh at our own silliness. She was diagnosed with breast cancer 7 years ago, and after a full year of battling it she was (what they thought) cancer free. Unfortunately about a year and a half ago she found out it was just remission and the cancer came back. She fought a long hard battle, enduring multiple surgeries, countless rounds of chemo and radiation, but my sweet Pink Princess lost her battle with cancer the early evening of the 8th. She was only 37 years old.

God bless you, Allison. I miss you already.

Allison and I the last time I saw her

I was able to listen to a GLORIOUS concert held in Allison's honor back in Texas via my mom's cell phone titled The Gospel According to Allison. The concert was originally planned to be a way to lift up Allison, show her our love and support, but it turned out to be a beautiful memorial concert. As my friend Raymond Boney, the concert's planner and dear friend of Allison, said "I think Allison and God planned it that way, to spare Allison the embarrassment". My mother attended the concert and I was able to hear the love in the room from our phone call.

The Gospel According to Allison

We had a rough few days after Allison's passing and the commemoration of the 9-11 tragedy. Thankfully our children keep us on our toes and distracted from life's woes. Enjoy some photos of what we've been up to the past few weeks.

My beautiful Maya


Sagan fell on one of his toys... Got a great shiner and another trip to the doc. Note the scar from the ER visit this summer is still gleaming! Excuse the PB&J face!

Preschool Family Weekend at the Embassy Dacha

Mr. Lightning Mc Queen

Embry wearing a dress given to Maya by Allison Sitton - makes me smile to see her in it.

I joined the IWC - International Women's Club. This is the US Ambassador to Russia's Wife. Ms. Jocelyn Green

Embry is almost crawling!

New Moscow Circus - it's been a permanent structure in Moscow since 1971!

The kid's new favorite toy - an air freight box

Sweet Em in the box house.

Maya Skyping with Gran in the box house

We've still not recived our surface freight or our car. Hopefully that will come sometime in October. I look forward to having all of my arts and crafts stuff back so I can start working on some fall projects. I think the kids don't miss their toys much, but life will be soooo good when they arrive.

That's all for now in the crazy Davis family's life.

Early Summer 2011

2011-06-13T20:58:00.000-05:00

Ever on the move we've been going and going all Spring! The kids and I made a great 2 week trip to Texas and now that Summer is upon us and we are taking advantage of every weekend to get out and about. We've been to the Air and Space annex here in D.C., we went to Luray Caverns, birthday parties and carnivals. Then, this weekend we went to Dutch Wonderland in Pennsylvania. It was so much fun. Hope you will enjoy our fun photos.

Sagan was all about the tractors at Gran & Pop's

Maya's first pair of cowboy boots

Jessie and Woody

Easter Eggs with Gran

The Donkey Whisperer

Easter Day

Pop and Sagan on the tractor

Maya's best friend at their end of the year pageant.

Air and Space

Luray Caverns

The maze at Luray

Pretty Luray

Mr. Blue Eyes

practicing ballet

fishing for "whoppers" on the front porch

Maya in ballet class

Sweet baby Embry

Springfield days

Birthday Party for great friends!

special time with daddy

playground time while we wait for Maya at camp

Maya's first day at Outdoor Adventures Camp

fun with bubbles

John and Sagan on the roller coaster at Dutch Wonderland

Sagan after his first roller coaster ride

paddle boat ride

MONSTER TRUCK!!!

Thomas the Train Show

Dutch Wonderland Sprayground

Welcome baby Embry Aaryn!

2011-02-10T15:29:00.000-06:00

Monday we welcomed Miss Embry Aaryn to our family at 8:45 am. She weighed 8 lbs 3 oz, and was 20.5 inches long. She is absolutely precious and everyone is very glad she is finally here.

Proud Papa

I'm in love!

"I'm Here!"

Maya and Gran can't get enough snuggles

I love this photo!

Gran & Embry

Daddy got the first poopie!

Nap time with dad

Pop loves her too!

"I love my cars and my new baby sister!"

Sweet touches

Maya just glows when she holds her.

Thomas Thomas Thomas

2011-01-03T16:02:00.002-06:00

I had to share this. My brother and sister-in-law sent the kids some great Christmas presents. Sagan absolutely fell in love with the "Gold Thomas" he received. He didn't stop babbling about it for hours. Here is a little of what he had to say:

Happy New Year!

2011-01-03T16:00:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year to all!

The Davis family had a wonderful Christmas and we started off the New Year by finally by starting with a clean slate. We cleaned out all the clutter from our living/dining room and basement/playroom. It feels fantastic.

We look forward to the arrival of Baby #3 - only a few weeks away!

Here are a few photos of our holiday season. Enjoy!

First snow of the season!

Visiting the National Christmas Tree

We went to see Elmo's Healthy Heroes - We all loved it!

Christmas morning.

WHAT A MESS!

Christmas dinner at McCormick & Schmick’s in downtown D.C.

"Don't even think about looking at my ice cream!"

Fall 2010

2010-11-24T17:59:00.001-06:00

Fall 2010 has been full of doctor's appointments, beautiful fall colors and getting out and about at every chance we are given. We LOVE fall. We love the Fall Festivals, the changing of the colors and the cooler weather.

I had the opportunity to tag along on John's business trip to Paris, France early this fall and then from there things are just getting more and more fun. We celebrated Maya's 3rd birthday and then Halloween. Veteran's day was celebrated with John, Sagan and I taking advantage of the beautiful weather and going for a nice long walk to see more fall colors. We headed to Tennessee for Thanksgiving and enjoyed the Amish country while touring on a horse pulled buggy.

We are anxiously awaiting baby "3D". He or she should be here the first week of February. I am very happy to know it's almost time!

Here are a few photos from some of our fantastic fun this season... enjoy!

Eiffel Tower

River tour of the Seine

Notre Dame

Sainte-Chapelle

Cox Farm Fall Festival

Maya's birthday at the playground

Maya's birthday cake!

Our Jack-O-Lanterns

Princess Maya and Charlie Brown

Another fun day at the playground

Playing in the fall leaves

Veterans Day Outing with John

holding hands with sweet brother!

Touring Amish Country

The Parthenon in Nashville, TN

Sibling Love

2010-11-02T17:35:00.001-05:00

Here you can hear Sagan when I ask Maya to give him a hug say "HUUUUUG" then he says "SUGARS"! In the end you hear him say "I love it".

Pretty darn cute!!!

Baby Davis #3 looks great!

2010-09-13T17:09:00.000-05:00


	Happy Baby!

Kicking Mom!

Baby Davis #3 is looking great. He or she is an active little toot - you can see it kick me right here!

Will the heat ever end?

2010-08-31T12:29:00.000-05:00

With all the heat we've been having in Northern Virginia the kids and I have been keeping our outside time to a minimum. It's just too hot for a 4 month pregnant woman and two under 3 to be outside! But we've been having fun in our new home!

Slowly but surely we've been getting the house unpacked. The kids rooms are coming together and the basement is turning into a great playroom and guest room. Our room is shaping up well, but the dining room is a DISASTER! That's where all the boxes that aren't unpacked are living right now. The dining table is up, the china hutch is up, but you can't really get into the dining room because of all the boxes. I keep thinking one day they will just start unpacking themselves.... right? Guess I need to get to work. Hopefully soon the house will be in order and I'll have some photos to post!

Sweet babies watching movies with mom and dad. Our new tradition of family movie night!

Maya is taking ballet and tap - she's a natural. Ok, she does spend a lot of time getting distracted by the mirrors in the room, but she is so much fun to watch. Sagan loves watching it too. He's such a great guy, sits watches and enjoys the entertainment.

Dancing Queen - one of my favorite photos of her dancing!

My sweet Sagan watching big sister

I'm doing well with the pregnancy. We've decided to keep the sex of the baby a surprise! Since we have one of each that are perfect in every way, we are going to wait to find out if it's a boy or a girl. We're working on names. Like we did with Maya and Sagan we will probably keep the name choices a secret until the baby gets here.

That's about all for now. Looking forward to cooler weather!!!

Here's a few photos of the kids from the past few weeks.

Enjoy!

Sassy Maya

Maya's teacher Miss Liz

getting ready for ballet

she loves her "clap shoes"

rainy day in the new house

Maya's Third Ballet & Tap Class

2010-07-17T17:26:00.000-05:00

Watch this adorable video - My little girl is turning out to be a cute little dancer!

Fruit Basket Turnover

2010-07-12T17:51:00.004-05:00

It's been absolutely crazy in the Davis household the past few weeks. Let me illustrate:

On the 29th of June we found out the owners of our rent house have decided not to renew our lease. We have to be out by the 31st of July. Fun stuff. John is currently out of the country until later in the month, so I kinda freaked. I realized I would have to find a new house and pack most of what we have to be ready when he got home. The rental market in the DC Metro area is brutal. It's a bidding process and you have to look good - Spotless.

....and did I mention that I'm two months pregnant? We found out a few weeks ago that I'm pregnant with baby #3. YEA!!! We are very excited, but it does make moving a bit more difficult. I'm having waves of nausea, but thankfully my OB put me on Zolfran and it helps quite a bit. Now if only there were something to get my energy back! I need it now. Thankfully I'm just packing a little here and there so it's easy to work around, but more energy would make life easier.

New update! I just got an email from the Realtor we are working with and a contract I put in on a house is more than likely getting approved! Such a relief! We'll be in a cute town home in West Springfield. It's three levels, which will be interesting with 2 dogs and 2.5 babies, but maybe it will give me that little extra thigh work I need! It's in a lovely neighborhood that is quiet, and seems family friendly. Whew.... hopefully that is off the list and I can move onto the actual moving.

Maya and Sagan love the new house. The climbed up and down the stairs while we were looking at it. Needless to say baby gates will be placed at the top and bottom of both sets of stairs. They will have a great playroom in the walk-out basement and the puppies will have a small yard that backs up to a great wooded area perfect for little walks.

We spent the 4th of July with my sweet Uncle Bob and Aunt Cathy. He is living in Old Town Alexandria, Va in a great high rise right on the Potomac. We got to see the Capitol 4th, the Gaylord's display and fireworks from all around Northern Virginia, and Maryland. It was fantastic!

Lastly I had to share this. Sagan has become quiet the entertainer. He's started singing. Yes, singing. 17 months old and he will repeat just about anything you say and now he's singing along side sister. Yesterday I was able to get a little video of him singing "Twinkle Twinkle" and "I love being a princess" - it's a song from the Backyardigans. Yes, this will haunt him for the rest of his life. Now if you are wondering what he keeps saying - he is telling me "PUPPIES!" - it's what I get the kids to say so they will smile sweetly for photos. Now when he sees the camera he automatically says "PUPPIES!". Obviously a photographer's kids.

Precious.

Enjoy.

That's all for now. Stay cool & hydrated in this crazy heat!

-shannon

Mother's Day Weekend

2010-05-12T16:27:00.000-05:00

I'm in love with my family. Period. I have the best husband in the world, and my kids are adorable. We had a lovely weekend together. Here are some photos.

More lovelies in our yard

2010-05-05T21:07:00.001-05:00

I am in awe every day of what blooms in our yard. Since this is a little rent house, we have no idea what was here before us. So, each day I wait to see what is going to bloom. Even though the house has it's issues, we are so lucky our little yard has so many beautiful flowers all over the place..... not to mention adorable kids and husbands and puppies!

Maya and her best buddy, Ginger.

Sagan and Dad

Maya and Dad

The FLOWERS!

Virginia Beach Adventure!

2010-04-24T08:39:00.002-05:00

The Davis family went to Virginia Beach this past week. We had a LOVELY time. Here's a little video of our trip!

Caught!

2010-04-14T22:20:00.000-05:00

Last night I heard Maya talking and I had to check it out. I caught her teaching her baby how to use the potty. Brother was helping out.

This morning we went on another great bike ride with our new trailer - W&OD rail trail is so much fun!

I caught him! Maya wasn't in her room and Sagan crawled in there by himself. He was quiet for a while so I had to go and check on him. He had crawled into Maya's bed, pulled the Thomas & Friends book in with him and was "reading". Granted the book was up-side-down, but he was babbling talking sweetly to himself. It was precious!

I love this tree. No idea what it is, but it's absolutely beautiful!!!!

New Bike Trailer, Cherry Blossom Festival, & Happy Easter!

2010-04-05T11:50:00.001-05:00

Early Spring photos!

2010-03-27T17:24:00.001-05:00

Maya and Sagan Early Spring!

March showers bring May flowers?

2010-03-02T11:54:00.000-06:00

So it's March. I've neglected this blog quite a bit because I've been writing more in my other blog - Less of Me. I'm quite proud of how well I've done and I think it's going to make our whole family healthier and more active in the future.

So, check Less of me out as well and I'll try to publish a few photos of the kids here when I can.

Cheers!
shan

Happy New Year!!!!!

2010-01-13T21:23:00.004-06:00

Happy New Year all. Here are a few photos from the Christmas Holidays

John playing with Maya in the BIG SNOW

Waiting for the snowball!

Riding the horse at Ya-ya and Opa's house

Sagan playing at Ya-ya and Opa's

Watching movies - our little zombies

Christmas Morning!

Unwrapping presents.

November & December

2009-12-12T17:32:00.004-06:00

I've been horrible at posting lately. Could it have anything to do with a 10 month old and a two year old? Naaaa.....

Here are photos from our Thanksgiving holiday trip to Virginia beach and snow photos. My babies are so darn cute!!!

I highly reccomend everyone take a vacation for Thanksgiving next year. It was amazing. No scrubbing the house for the in-laws, no baking, broiling, and cooking. That means no cleaning up. We went to a fantastic dinner on Thanksgiving day and loved it all. My beds were made every day by housecleaning and we stayed at the Residence Inn (our new favorite hotels) and they make a bang-up awesome breakfast! It was fantastic. We got the run on Virginia Beach & Portsmouth because everyone else was gone. We went to a great Children's Museum and had a blast there, then got to see two different light displays with hardly any waiting at all because everyone was GONE! We got to see our friends Bob, Laura and Adele in Colonial Williamsburg and then came home rested and happy. It was a perfect Thanksgiving.

Beach Day

Lights on the Beach - we got to drive down the "boardwalk" to see the lights on Virginia Beach

Maya still hates Santa

Colonial Williamsburg

Snow day on Saturday December 5th.

Snow Princess by John and Maya

Maya and Sagan helping with the Christmas lights.

2009-11-06T13:00:00.003-06:00

MAYA TURNED TWO!!!!!

I can't believe my little girl turned two on the 22nd of October. She's soooo big now. We had a little party for her and a few friends at Build A Bear Workshop and she had a blast.

Instead of giving HER presents this year we asked all her friends to bring a stuffed animal (if they felt it was absolutely necessary to bring something) so that we could donate them to the Ronald McDonald House. I was so proud when we dropped out this big pile of animals. Maya was pretty proud too.

My mom got to come up for the party and spend some much needed time with her sweet grandbabies.

Our babies at the Cox Family Fall Festival.

I love this photo. The sweater is one my Grandmother made for me when I was around 2 years old.

Sagan and Maya at Halloween!

Wiggles and Giggles Sept 26, 2009

2009-09-26T13:12:00.003-05:00

Maya had a blast today at Wiggles and Giggles. This is a program with the Fairfax, Va County Parks and Rec. We go every Saturday and she LOVES it.

Enjoy!

Sagan so serious!!! His shirt says "MOMMY THINKS I'M COOL". Yeah, I do.

Playing at W & G

Beautiful Fall Leaves

Fall is almost here

2009-09-16T09:28:00.007-05:00

I can't believe I haven't posted since July, but it's kinda understandable...really ...I have an excuse!

We moved out of our temporary home in Manassas - the little hotel suite - on the 1st of August and moved into our little house in Springfield.

We didn't have any furniture for a week so we sat around in the cute pink deck chairs we bought for the 4th of July and the kids and dogs had the entire house to play in. The worst part was sleeping on a blow up mattress. Ugh. I'm just not a fan. I'll do it if I have to, but given a choice, give me my Thermarest, a pillow, blanket and I'll be happy. Thankfully the kids had their cribs so they were set and I had one pan, a good knife and some paper plates. I "made do" until our house hold effects (furniture & stuff) got here on the 5th. I called and begged the guy that arranges the delivery to bring it early and he somehow worked it out. Thank goodness. We weren't scheduled to get it until the 11th!

We've been unpacking for a little over a month now. The delivery of all the goods was a bit of a shock. They had to bring 4 separate trucks to deliver it. Granted they weren't all the big huge moving trucks, but they had crated up all of our stuff and it was an event. I had to direct traffic while my wonderful husband dealt with the kids. He was so great with them. I was so proud. It was an organizational disaster, but it all somehow fit.

We were totally shocked with how much stuff we had. I really should have taken photos of all the boxes stacked to the ceiling, but honestly I think I was a little embarrassed. SO MUCH STUFF. Needless to say we expanded to fill all 2833 square feet of our beautiful home in Denton, TX. It all had to fit in this 1400 square foot house. It wasn't pretty.

So it's been a month and we've tucked away just about everything except for several boxes in the dinning room. I've been avoiding them because I just don't know what to do with a lot of it. We are going to have one heck of a yard sale once I muddle through all of it.

Anyway, the kids are growing like weeds. Maya's little personality keeps blooming more and more. She's a stubborn, strong willed, sweet little girl who's almost two. She's officially sleeping in a big girl toddler bed because she kept crawling out of her crib. I was terrified she was going to break an arm or leg. She's doing so well and (knock on wood) I'm so proud of her. She also got her first haircut the other day. I think she looks cute!!!

Sagan is getting so big. Last time we were at the doctor he was already 21 lbs! He's only 7 months going on 8. He is an adorable ticklish little guy. He sleeps like a champ as well (knock on wood) and he loves to laugh with sister. They are really creating a strong bond. I'm sure soon they will be those siblings that have their own language (and possibly a secret hand shake! LOL)

I was able to find Maya a little playhouse the other day on Craigslist.org and I've never seen her so happy! I love that she enjoys being outside!!!

Hopefully I can have the boxes knocked out soon and we can enjoy our little home. It's definitely a challenge with the kids during the day and the evening we both need the relaxation!

We really love the area and the weather can't be beat. I've had the windows open on and off for a couple of weeks. BUT, we sure do miss our friends and family back in Texas!!!!

Busy July

2009-07-22T15:07:00.006-05:00

July started off with a BANG!

My in-laws came to visit and we all went to the Great Meadow 4th Celebration for some much needed family time. Maya's favorite part was the Thomas train ride. She wanted to go again and again then threw a fit when it was time to move on. The entertainment included a model rocket competition plus a full size helicopter parade - I had never seen such a thing and thought it was very cool. Everyone had a great day and the fireworks at the end of the night were a bit hit. Maya was a bit timid about the noise of the fireworks at first, but she warmed up to it after a while. She made me hold her the entire time (she's not normally a lovey kid) and when I moved my hand from her back, she grabbed it and put it back. So very sweet!

We continued our house search the next weekend and thought we had found the perfect little house. Unfortunately we had no idea just how competitive the housing market is around here. Even though we are only renting the whole application process it insane! We lost out on the first one and had to start the process all over again. Finally after several days of looking with and without the Realtor I found the next perfect house for us. I put in the application and signed the deposit checks all without having John see the place, which was a good thing since someone else put in an application on the house the very next morning. The ONLY drawback to this little house is no covered parking, but the perks outweigh the one negative. It's an older house that has been renovated to a chic modern home with great additions including an amazing master bath and a great family/TV room.

Maya in the living room

Front of the house

Last weekend we went to Great Falls, Virginia. It's an amazing part of the Potomac that has some beautiful rapids and some great areas for the kids to run around and boy did Maya do some running!

We are excited to start our move-in on the 1st of August. It's been a long time coming and we are very ready to get out of our little hotel/apartment. I'm ready for Maya to have a nice room to play in and our poor puppies need a nice yard to do some exploring in. They are going to love it!

Hope you and yours are doing well!

Big Babies

2009-06-23T13:43:00.006-05:00

My babies are getting big. It's a happy sad kinda feeling.

Maya is now 20 months and my little baby Sagan is 5 months. I can’t believe it. Sagan is starting to really show his little personality. He’s so ticklish and loves to giggle.

He’s totally enamored with his sister and vice-versa. They have started giggling at each other and Maya has learned how to entertain him on occasion. I love it.

Maya is learning more words each and every day. Her new vocabulary and her sign language skills make it so much easier to understand her needs. She can easily tell us when she is hungry or thirsty, when she wants more and when she is finished.

Maya can now very clearly say Mommy and Daddy. She really just skipped over Mama & Dada. She used to call John DAAAAAA! And I was Dooa. Now she sweetly says Mommy about a thousand times. It’s cute.

This Father’s day we decided to drive around the area and look for rental houses. We were cruising around in an older neighborhood in Alexandria when we found a little red tricycle on the side of a street with a sign that said FREE. John slammed on the brakes, I jumped out to grab it. We were both so tickled when the lady who was in the yard there said that she asked around and no one wanted it. It’s probably 20+ years old, but in absolute perfect condition. I swear it looks like the one I had when I was her age (guess that would make it closer to thirty something years old!). We had put Maya’s little trike in our household shipment (items in storage) thinking that she’s still to small for it. Well she’s growing like a WEED and I’ve regretted it. We only brought her little radio flyer wooden scooter. She loves playing with it but her knees are almost dragging the ground when she rides it. She’s so excited about her new bike and loves to climb on and off it.

We’ve taken up “tennis” again. I say that with quotes because we’ve played just a few times and our cute little multi-sport court in the hotel courtyard isn’t quite regulation size. It’s probably about 2/3 standard size, but we have lots of fun playing and Maya loves to be our little ball girl. She is great about chasing after them and giving them to Daddy!

Anyway that’s all for us so far this week. I’m in the middle of a marathon laundry session. 6 loads at once! I hate laundry mats. Thankfully there is one in the building, but it only has three washers. Hopefully I’ll get it all done before the kids wake up for their afternoon nap!

★Cheers!

Liberation

2009-06-18T14:10:00.006-05:00

Sagan playing on his mat & Maya after eating a very sweet plum.

I recently joined a MOM's Club International chapter and I was talking with one of the other mommies about our situation: we’re living in an extended stay hotel/apartment for a few months until we are able to settle into a house. She said "oh that must be so hard, not having your stuff". I thought about it for a while and responded that it's actually quite liberating not having to worry about my "stuff". It's all in storage. Even though we miss certain items, we don't need that much to live with.

We only have three rooms to deal with. There are two bedrooms flanking a living/kitchen area. We have one bathroom in each bedroom and a small easy eat-in kitchen with just enough storage for a few days worth of food. It’s actually really nice. I do miss Maya having a nice open area to play, but it gives us more incentive to get out of the house and meet people. We go swimming, play on the multi-use court that is just outside our windows, and we have a few meals each week in the lobby with the other residents. It’s a total bonus we didn’t plan on. Two to three times a week they cook dinner for us plus they cook breakfast every morning. I’m getting so spoiled. We have a wonderful hotel staff that cleans our room each day – changing the sheets and towels, dusting, moping, cleaning the bathroom and kitchen. Did I mention that they also load and unload the dishwasher if I let them?

Yeah, I’m in heaven.

I love cooking in my little kitchen too. Everything is right at hand (when you only have two and a half cabinets it’s hard not to have it at hand) and I usually only have to take two or three steps to get to the stove, fridge, sink and table. My prep, cooking, and serving time has been cut dramatically. I will tell you the pots and pans they provide are terrible, so I've had to suplement it a bit, but at least its a full size stove, microwave, and oven.

The only thing that is a real bother is the laundry and bringing things in from the car. I HATE having to do laundry at the upstairs laundry mat. Ugh…I miss my washer & dryer. And I don’t have my convenient garage to bring in the groceries. Right now I have to go back and forth down the hall to the parking lot leaving the kids in limbo until I’m finished.

Now don’t get me wrong…I wish we were in a house. I can’t wait to have our own place with space and people a little further than 3 feet away. Plus the pups really need some outside time other than potty breaks. I know they are suffering the most.

Gidget looking out the window & Ginger napping on my bed.

So we are in the countdown. Only two more months to go. I will miss the staff here. They have adopted Sagan and Maya and everyone grabs them from us when we go to the lobby for meals. It’s so nice that they are so well loved.

Maya getting a hug fom our favorite house keeper Zulema.

Otherwise the mommies group is great. We had our first play date and Maya had a blast. I’m looking forward to more play dates and outings including Mommy’s night out next Monday! Whoo Hoo!

My babies

2009-05-21T09:26:00.004-05:00

How cute is this?

Popcorn Girls

2009-05-18T13:44:00.004-05:00

We are settling in finally and enjoying ourselves here in Virginia. We had a quiet week and an even quieter weekend.

Bob Wheatley and Laura Galli came to see us and thier daughter Adele played with Maya. She taught Maya how to jump on a bed! They had a great time and we loved seeing our kids play together. We've missed our friends from the ship!

Christmas came early

2009-05-13T10:32:00.004-05:00

It looks like Christmas exploded in our apartment/hotel room!!

We got our UAB today!! UAB in government terms means Unaccompanied Air Baggage. In mommy terms it means stuff we can live without for a few weeks, but would really like to have. Since we are in an extended stay hotel we don't have any of our "good stuff". I only brought what I couldn't live without & what could fit in my mommy van. Today, a wonderful day at the Davis house, our UAB arrived. At 8:10 this morning two wonderful men showed up with four HUGE boxes that contained all that is dear to us - not includeing little people and pets. 515 lbs worth. We got toys, and cribs, and books, and games, and colors, and clothes, and sandals, and CD players, and music, and our Wii (yea!)! Life is good.

Im busy organizing, but I just had to take time to celebrate.

So happy.

The Davis Whirl-wind

2009-05-07T16:30:00.002-05:00

John flew in Friday for Sagan’s baptism on the 26th. . We spent Saturday going through the house and tying up all the potential loose ends. Sunday was Sagan’s big day and he was absolutely perfect. I couldn’t have been more proud. He was baptized at our home church during a very emotional ceremony. As soon as worship was over we had a quick lunch with a few friends then whisked John off to the airport so he could return for training on Monday.

My Monday was a bit different. The movers were scheduled to be there between 8 – 9, but parts of Dallas flooded so they didn’t get there until after noon. As soon as they finally arrived they hit the floor running and made up as much time as possible. They had me going in 10 directions at once, while I was still trying to pack up the van as well. Thankfully my in-laws had arrived in the early morning hours and were there to entertain the babies while I was busy with the movers. They finished up around 7 Monday and promised Tuesday would be an earlier day.

Tuesday started around 6 am for me. The kids and I were in a hotel since my room was one of the first things to be packed & Sagan woke up every two hours from 2AM on. I finally gave up 6. I made it back to the house and the movers had already started. Yea! It was a VERY long hard day - emotionally, physically and mentally. Thankfully throughout the day I had visitors come and say their final “see you later” and give Maya a big hug. It was hard, but it made me feel very loved. I was still going through my head figuring out what I would need immediately and what we could live without while we are staying in temporary housing. We got the air freight off (items that will arrive in a week or so) and my van was finally totally packed up. The poor moving guys finally finished loading the last boxes around 11:15 Tuesday night.

Mom arrived bright and early on Wednesday. I picked her up from the airport and we immediately started on our way to Virginia. Thank God my in-laws were there to finish cleaning the house so it could be put on the market!!! (Thanks BJ & Skeets!) So, we start driving and other than a few stops to feed Sagan and let Maya run around for a bit we did some hard driving.

We made it all the way to East Memphis the first day. Granted when we got there the kids were fit to be tied and we were starving. It was so crazy and the kids were so tired this was the conversation I had with the front desk when someone had called to complain about the noise:

(Sagan screaming in the background)
Front Desk Guy: "Hello Miss, this is Sonny from the front desk."
Me: "yes?"
Front Desk Guy: "Oh, is the baby crying?"
Me: "YES!"
Front Desk Guy: "oh, well we've had some complaints from your neighbors, but I guess you can't control a baby can you?"
Me: "If I could I would"
Front Desk Guy: "Uh, ok...well....I'll move your neighbors"
Me: "thanks...BYE"

I hated to be so terse, but there was nothing I could do at that point other than try my best to calm them down and get them to go to bed. After a few rounds of me singing to each of them they both were down for the count. Whew! Mom crawled into her bed and was out like a light. I tried my best to do the same after thinking of everything I forgot to do at the house. Oh well. It was way too late now.

Thursday we had to WAKE the kids up. (guess they were very tired after all of their crying and screaming then night before) We got on the road and made good time all the way to the other side of Knoxville before we decided to stop for the night. Mom and I chatted the whole time and loved the scenery along the way. The trees were all in bloom and the mountains were lush and green! It was beautiful! We had a much more pleasant evening that night, and our little Motel 6 felt like the Hilton.

(Shenandoah Valley)

Friday we got away a little later than expected, but we made it all the way to Manassas by 7:30 with little or no hiccups! Thank goodness. John was there waiting for us when we arrived at our little extended stay hotel. He was such a great sight to see!

Mom unfortunately left early the next morning. Since then I’ve been checking out the area little by little. Seeing what I can find and attempting to make our little extended stay hotel room a little more like home.

So far so good.

Easter week

2009-04-16T14:35:00.007-05:00

Easter was so much fun this year. The kids and I went down to my mom and dad's for a week and everyone had a great time. Especially Maya. She played and played. She played with Gran, she played with Pop, she played with Gran & Pop's pup Jr. She danced and sang the entire week.

The only time she got bent out of shape was when we wouldn't let her play any longer.

We went to Easter service with my mom and dad at their little Episcopal church in Alice. It was a sweet service where all the children in the congregation "flowered the cross" before the processional. All of us cracked up because my child didn't demurely walk down the isle with her flower in hand, no she danced & pranced down the isle doing an occasional Charlie Chaplin walk while checking each pew to see if she needed to stop and chat with anyone. She's a riot. After church we all went to the fellowship hall and the children went into the court yard to hunt Easter Eggs. Maya found one egg then proceeded to put it in and out of her basket along with the pretty Easter grass.

This went on for about 10 min until she finally took out all the grass & the basket ended up on her head. Yup, that's my kid.

Sagan was an angel the entire time, no one even knew he was there until just after communion he got hungry and let everyone know!

Gidget didn't fare as well as the kids. She got a little beat up when she tangled with my parent's Rhodesian Ridgeback. She's been in and out of the vets office for a week, but seems to be on the mend and is in great spirits. She shocked me this afternoon and jumped onto her favorite purch - the back of the living room couch. I'm so glad! She's got a 2 X 3 inch open wound on her right shoulder that will take some time to heal but she is doing so much better than I expected. For a 13 year old mini dachshund she is such a fighter.

We also went to the Texas State Aquarium in Corpus. I think Maya really enjoyed it except when a big fish swam by and scared her!

So we made the 9 hour trip back from South TX and getting ready to get packed. I can't believe the movers will be here on the 27th!!! Ugh!!! Thankfully I don't have to pack, but I have to organize. It's a little stressful with the two kids and a wounded pup, but I think I can do it.

Sagan will be Baptized on the 26th of April at our little church. I'm very proud that he will wear my Great, Great, Great Grandfather's Christening gown just like Maya did. I can't wait to photograph him in it. Maybe I'll try to do that this weekend.

Anyway, I'm off to organize & clean some more....wish me luck!

Dance Club at the Davis'

2009-04-04T15:01:00.004-05:00

Some days we have dance club at the Davis house. I turn iTunes to some French dance music and we all go wild. Even Sagan was dancing in his crib!

Good times....

Happy Birthday John!

2009-03-30T22:34:00.003-05:00

Have a great day, John. We'll be thinking of you!

Daddy's in D.C.

2009-03-30T11:18:00.007-05:00

John left on Thursday morning to head to D.C. He got there Saturday night after having a bit of a set-back Saturday afternoon.

His words:
made it to Washington, DC, late last night - behind schedule, of course - after hitting a doe near Abingdon, VA, in broad daylight. Truck still drivable w/casualties: bumper, right signal & windshield washer reservoir. Auto parts store got me on the road again w/bulb, translucent amber tape & set of wiper refills; then convinced the fellow behind the counter to pull/bend the bumper off the tire w/his F-250. Whew.

Poor thing! The good news is he got there and he's fine. Just a few cosmetic issues with the truck. He checked into his temporary apartment and moved in most of his stuff late into the night. It looks nice from what I could see from his computer camera. We've tried out the iChat but he only has wireless connection so it's a little slow. I can see him better than he can see me....I almost think thats a good thing! LOL! The main point is the kids can see daddy while he is so far away.

The kids and I are fine. We all miss him desperately. It's hard being here without him. I got spoiled having him here full time the past 8 weeks. I'm so very thankful we had the option of him taking "paternity leave". He had the chance to really bond with Maya and Sagan and I got to ease back into maintaining the house and children while I healed from the c-section.

Before he left we had a dinner at the some friends home and celebrated John's birthday a little early. His is tomorrow and he'll be all alone. If you have his email make sure to send him a message and call him if you have his number! Anyway, It was so much fun to watch the kids play and have a great last visit before we move. Thanks Joe and Rose for inviting us!

Otherwise we are fine. It's a little lonely being here by myself and when both of the kids start crying it's hard on my heart...and head. Honestly though, I'm doing ok. I'm glad it's only one month though!!!!

Cheers,
shan

Hello Hillary!

2009-03-09T22:40:00.005-05:00

The Davis family adventures continue.

As most of you know, John and I met while sailing around the world on a research ship - the JOIDES Resolution. I was the photographer and he was the resident computer guy. We worked for Texas A&M's Ocean Drilling Program. We would get on the ship in various countries and go to sea for 2 months straight. He and I saw Japan, Panama, Chile, Brazil,The Azores, Taiwan, and Canada together and we visited other countries while apart. Altogether I went to 10 countries in the 5 1/2 years while with ODP.

For the past three years we've been laying low while thinking constantly about our former travels. We love our home here in Denton, but our wonderlust has gotten the best of us. We joke about our gypsy blood keeping us from being content in one place for too long.

Because we have the constant nagging to travel, John applied for a position as a Foreign Service Specialist. John has been offered and has accepted this position with the U.S. Department of State. We will be moving to the DC area within the next month or so. We'll probably be in DC for about two years then we will start our new lives overseas. We will be moving every 2 - 4 years seeing many different areas of our wonderful world.

So with this we begin our departure from Denton and Texas. It's a bitter sweet time in our life. We can't wait to start our new adventure, but we are so very sad to be leaving our Denton family.

Wish us luck!

2009-02-13T13:37:00.002-06:00

Maya and Sagan at 3 weeks - Mommy's photos

Maya's hand 3 weeks - 11-15-2007

Sagan's foot 3 weeks - 02-13-2007

Maya's sweet face 3 weeks - 11-15-2007

Sagan's sweet face 3 weeks - 02-13-2007

Maya 3 weeks - 11-15-2007

Sagan 3 weeks - 02-13-2009

My Babies

2009-02-12T22:47:00.004-06:00

It's so hard to believe I'm the mother of two. Two beautiful perfect babies. Maya 15 months to the day older than her sweet brother Sagan. She loves him so much.

Maya's been wonderful welcoming her new brother into our home. She loves on him and hugs him and even gave him her very first kiss on the lips. I was so shocked and I think I teared up a bit. She always comes to us and gives us "air kisses" while making a "mmmwwah" sound. It's precious, but she actually bent down, and kissed Sagan's little forehead the other day. I think she is as much in love with him as I am.

We've had a few rough nights. After that huge storm that came through the other day we've all been suffering with sinus issues...worst of all Sagan. He had me up from 3 - 7 am last night snorting and sniffing. Poor fella. There isn't much I can do for him other than attempt to elevate his head, and try a few non-medical remedies. He's too young for any medications just yet. It just breaks my heart to hear him struggle. I was a blathering lunatic this morning on the phone with our pediatrician's nurse begging her to give me some advice..... something, anything to make it go away. She couldn't tell me anything I wasn't already doing. (sigh) Hopefully tonight with enough saline and a really elevated head we can get through the night with at least a little sleep.

With that being said...it's time for my departure. Wish us luck tonight.

So long, fair well, auf Wiedersehen, Good Night.......

Announcing Sagan Nathaniel Davis!

2009-01-26T11:02:00.005-06:00

We are so proud to announce the birth of our son Sagan Nathaniel Davis.

He is perfect in every way. He weighed in at 7 lbs 7 oz, 19.5 inches long and arrived promptly at 8:20 AM on Thursday morning the 22nd of January.

We had no complications other than just a little left over fluid in his lungs after birth. It's not too uncommon amongst c-section babies and they just had to keep him in the nursery for about an hour before we got to see him. I made it through the c-section easily and was able to have a nice conversation with the anesthesiologist and my obstetrician while they were putting me back together. I was fully aware this time and it was actually a very interesting surgery instead of a big scary event.

Sagan is a great little guy. He is doing very well and has taken to nursing like a pro. He is sleeping for about 3 hours at a time during the night and wakes up just long enough to have a quick snack then back to sleep again. I'm sure it will change, but I'm tickled he is doing so well as I recover from the surgery.

Maya loves her little brother so much already. She comes over to him and give him lots of love pats. She's very gentel and doesn't show any bit of jealousy at all. I'm so happy!

Thank you for all of your well wishes and congratulations for our new arrival. We came home on Saturday afternoon and settled in easily. We are all so happy and enjoying our time together!!!

Tomorrow is the big day!

2009-01-21T13:42:00.003-06:00

I'm so very happy that delivery day has finally come.

Tomorrow we will head to the hospital for my c-section. I can't wait to finally meet him and kiss his little face. I can't wait to see who he looks like and if he will be as wild as Maya was as a newborn. I'm also gearing up for nursing again. The first three months were a struggle with Maya, but hopefully I've worked out all the kinks and he and I will do this like old pros. I've got all his clothes washed and put away, diapers are ready to go, and his crib is set up in his room. We've got the pack-n-play bassinet set up on our room for the first couple of weeks while I recover and I've got my Boppy handy! John's last day before his paternity leave is today. He will get to stay home with me for an extended period to take care of Maya, Me and bond with baby boy. I think we are ready.

I have spent most of the day running last min errands and I just finished sweeping, mopping and changing the sheets in our spare room. Whew! Good thing I'm feeling pretty well. Still a few things to tidy up before tomorrow, but all in all I think it's pretty much all done.

Thank Goodness for Grandmas! My mom, "Gran", is coming today to take care of Little Miss Maya while we are in the hospital. I'm sure they are going to have a ball. Lots of one on one time with the little monster while dad and I are tied up for a few days. John's mom, "Ya-ya", will come after we get settled back in after being released from the hospital. It's going to be so nice to have someone here to help out with the daily chores: cooking and cleaning - running errands. I'm so thankful they are able to come and stay with us for a little while. Plus I want to make sure Maya has plenty to do while John and I figure out how the new baby works!

Ok, back to cleaning, then I swear I'm done. No more for me for at least a few weeks.

Check back to see how it goes....

Such a great birthday

2009-01-17T15:49:00.004-06:00

After a rough start, my day kept getting better and better.

John came home for lunch and we were able to visit before I headed out to my favorite store - Target. I found some goodies for the babies and some nice new socks for myself. Oh the little things in life...

Anyway, that evening 5 of our dear friends came over and we all went to Red Hot & Blue in Flower Mound, TX for dinner. It was SO very yummy, and the company was so nice. We all chatted and laughed and told stories and just had a great time. I really couldn't have asked for a better evening.

John even made my birthday cake. German chocolate! It was perfect. (Sorry about that whole giving up caffeine Sandra - you really missed out!)

After dinner we all headed back out our house and visited some more. Everyone ended up leaving late and we all slept like rocks! It was great!!!

Thanks to everyone who called or sent me such sweet birthday greetings. I really appreciate all the warm thoughts on a very special day.

We're starting the final stretch. Only 5 more days until baby brother arrives. I'm so anxious to see his little squishy face and give him lots of baby kisses.

Waking up

2009-01-16T09:46:00.002-06:00

It's my birthday and I'll cry if I want to....cry if I want to....cry if I want to.

I was just bragging to my mom last night about how well Maya was sleeping. Big Mistake! At 4 am she wakes up screaming bloody murder. We run across the house to her and check all the vitals. Diaper - OK. Legs & arms - still attached. No boogie men in the room, so we can only assume she just woke up for no reason. Both of us were so groggy from sleep that he hauled her in our room and threw her in bed with me.

I struggled with her for about 2 hours until 6:45 - she just about falls asleep then starts flailing around. Ugh! Nothing like getting smacked in the face by a toddler at 5 in the morning.

I thought she was out so I gently carried her back to her bed laid her down and quietly shut the door. By the time I got back to my bed she was in full wail again. Nice. We both ran to her again racking our brains trying to figure out what to do. John thought it might be teething so we gave her some Tylenol. I thought maybe some milk would do the trick.

I was at my wits end....tearing up due to being overly tired & slightly hormonal. I hadn't slept well in a week because of my big baby belly. I just wanted to go back to bed!!!

Would you believe after being up half the night as soon as I put her down with me the second time that kid passed out like a little angel. Why couldn't she have done this 3 hours before? (sigh)

Guess that's why they say parenthood is the worlds toughest job. You never know what's going to be expected of you and how you will handle the challenge.

Anyway, I got to sleep in and when it was finally time to get up I had a precious little girl waking me up with sweet birthday greetings. Or at least I think that's what she said.....in Chinese or Korean or Russian - her English isn't so good just yet. But, I'm sure that is what she was saying!!!

She can be the most frustrating person I know, but I've never loved anything like I love her!

False Labor

2009-01-13T11:20:00.002-06:00

False Labor stinks!

Last night around 8 pm I started feeling no-so-great. I was having some mild contractions that weren't hurting so much just really uncomfortable. Tight - tight - tight. My abs also felt like the day after you do the President's Physical Fitness Challenge in middle school. Remember the first week of gym and you do like 500 sit ups to beat the guy next to you? The following day you have to roll yourself out of bed to avoid using your abdominal muscles. Yeah, that's how I felt. No idea why, but it hurt. Now add that with some uterine contractions and it's not so fun!

We were piddling around and I decided to lay down and see if it would subside. Finally around midnight I started getting the full blown painful ugly labor-like contractions. They were getting more and more regular. John and I debated back and fourth on whether it was the real thing and all I knew is I wanted to go to sleep! We went through this with Maya's birth. I contracted every min & a half for three days straight without any progress. Thus the c-section.

John suggested a nice hot bath to see if it would ease the contractions. It would be a good litmus test to see if they were real or Braxton-Hicks contractions (aka - false labor). Thank God he convinced me to do that....after just a few min in the bathtub the contractions let up and I was able to relax.

At 1:30 or so I was finally able to lay back down and attempt to get some fitful sleep. Needless to say - when Maya goes down for her mid-afternoon nap....I'll be right next to her!

Hopefully tonight will be a bit better!

A Great Weekend

2009-01-12T14:12:00.006-06:00

I had such a nice weekend. Saturday afternoon I spent some time with my mommy friends and had a little pottery painting date to celebrate my birthday a little early. We figured we don't know how I'll feel next weekend for my birthday so might as well have some fun while I'm still up for it. We really had such a great time. We talked about mommy stuff and laughed at each other as we attempted to make something to be proud of. It's going to be interesting to see how everything turns out.

Thanks Sandra for taking photos!

Saturday evening we went to visit some friends in Richardson, Tx. Their youngest child turned one this weekend and we celebrated with amazing homemade Italian food and cake! Maya had a blast playing with all the other children.

Sunday afternoon our church gave us a baby shower. It was so sweet. There were so many people there - I was shocked. I figured this is our second child in 15 months, surely they are sick of us by now! Nope, they amazed us with their generosity. Baby boy is set! We have tons of diapers, clothes and goodies. Thank you so much Trinity Presbyterian of Denton!

Only 10 more days until "D day". I'm getting more and more anxious. I've just about gotten everything washed and ready to go. I need to pull out a few things from when Maya was a newborn and get it set up for baby brother.

We found out today that my mom will definitely be able to come and stay with Maya while we are in the hospital. Thank God! We got worried for a little while - she had been sent a Federal Jury Selection notice...but thankfully she was released. Whew!

TWO WEEKS!

2009-01-08T09:28:00.007-06:00

OH-MY-GOSH.

I'm going to have a baby in two weeks. Shouldn't I be nervous, or panicky? Shouldn't I be running around like a chicken with her head cut off?

I think I'm too tired for that.

Seriously I do think I need to be doing some cooking. I should be preparing a few meals for the first few days back from the hospital but I just don't have the energy. I did that with Maya. Made a few single portion lasagnas and something else, but I just haven't gotten around to worrying about that this time. I figure the food fairy will provide.....right?

I also need to be cleaning. Oy, the dust! I know by the time I'm up and around after the baby comes it's going to be double the dust! LOL. I keep thinking I'll pick one task per day and get that accomplished but it seems like each day has a new twist and turn. Something throws me off...and then all I want to do is rest. PLUS, I can't bend over very well, so the places where dust accumulates the most - lower shelves and baseboards just aren't going to happen.

Chasing a 14 month old and expecting a baby is hard work.

Our church is having a little shower for us on Sunday. I'm excited. We really don't expect much since Maya is so young and there isn't much that we need. We're passing down so much of what she already has and they will both use several things together. Reguardless, we are tickled that our church wanted to do this for us and we love them for it!

Baby brother is coming soon.

2009-01-03T23:48:00.006-06:00

I can't believe I'm going to "give birth" (via c-section) in 19 days. Not only do I have to have surgery, but then I have to recover quickly and mother this child immediately. It's such a scary prospect, but I know it's completely worth it.

We were looking at the video of our last ultrasound today and I'm just in awe of the little face, hands and heart we got to see on the monitor. I can't believe that John and I have created another little being. Maya is such an amazing kid and we love to watch her explore her world. I just can't get over the fact that we are going to have another child to watch and be in love with. It's so wonderful to know that the love I have for John has created two children.

Speaking of our first born....she is such a riot. I have laughed more because of her in the past week than I have in forever. She has really learned how to manipulate us. She comes up to us and gives us hugs and "kisses" (which consist of her putting her cheek to ours and saying "mmmmmmwwwwaaahhhh"). It's awfully cute. The only issue is she will give you a hug and a kiss right after she's done something that she knows she shouldn't have done.....like pulling on your ear or dropping food on the floor. It's hard to discipline a 14 month old as it is and then when she is pulling this act it's hard to stop laughing long enough to say "Maya Corinne - no mam!"

I'm hopeless.

Here's to another hopeful night of rest. I'm getting fewer and fewer of them since the baby is getting bigger and bigger.....wish me luck!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-02T09:59:00.005-06:00

Happy New Year to all!

The Davis' celebrated just as a couple that are expecting their 2nd child in three weeks should...on the couch. Maya slept right through the celebrations. I watched a bit of the Dick Clark/Ryan Secrest thing and was not so impressed. Where do they find this "talent"????

Otherwise we've been enjoying John's holiday vacation. It's been so nice having him home for so long. He has been such an angel by taking care of Maya while I waddle around. We have less than three weeks left now before baby brother arrives on January 22nd. I am so ready for him to get here, but so nervous about having TWO under 15 months! John will stay home with me for several weeks after the baby is born. Thank Goodness! We will have to have another c-section, so I'll need him here wrangling Maya.

Have a wonderful New Year and lets hope 2009 is a prosperous one!

Hope you all have had a great New Year

Wonderful Holiday Season!

2008-12-28T18:15:00.004-06:00

What a wonderful holiday season!

We have had so much fun. We decided to focus more on the activities associated with the season rather than big expensive gifts for each other. We've taken advantage of every opportunity to spend time as a family. It's been wonderful. We've been lucky enough to have both sets of grandparents come and visit for a few days each. We were able to go to Grapevine and saw the ICE exhibit at the Gaylord Texan with John's parents which was wonderful. It was 9 degrees inside! The ice sculptures were amazing and we all had a great time.

John, Maya and I in our Gaylord Parkas - SO COLD!

That blur is John sliding down an ice sleigh - note the reindeer - all ICE!

We were sad to see BJ & Skeets go on the 23rd. Christmas eve my parents came up from South Texas. We had a great Christmas day - Maya had a blast with all of her new toys and the four of us adults had such a great time just watching her all day.

Gran and Maya playing with her new blocks on Christmas day.

Saturday 12/28/08 John, Maya and I went to Ft. Worth and rode the train in the park. It was so much fun!!!

John, Maya and I at the Ft. Worth Miniature Train

We are anxiously awaiting for baby brother to arrive. He's been letting us know he will be here soon. I've been contracting more and more and I think he's "dropped". Yea! We are scheduled for a c-section on the 22nd of January, but who knows. He could come at any time!!! Wish us luck!

Have a save and wonderful New Years!

Cheers!

Davis Family Christmas Card 2008

2008-12-18T17:02:00.003-06:00

Happy Holidays everyone!

Santa still not my friend

2008-12-17T17:32:00.006-06:00

Maya is convinced that Santa is still not her friend.

We went to our little public library today and had story time with Santa! She was great the whole time and then when they let us go and see him - have photos with him...she wasn't convinced she liked this guy.

We finally got her to not scream in total distress for a few seconds. Two librarians and myself stood in front of her singing "Open Shut Them" very loudly......I guess it worked.

Baby Brother Sonogram Day!

2008-12-16T16:19:00.003-06:00

Today we went for a sonogram to see our baby boy. He looks great and even has hair already! I couldn't believe you could actually see it on the screen. He is 5 lbs 14 oz right now and we have 5 weeks and 2 days before we are scheduled for a c-section (January 22 @ 7:30 am). The average weight gain for babies at this stage is about a half pound a week, so by the time we deliver he should weigh around 8 lbs. Now, having said that, when we had a sonogram with Maya right before she was born, they over estimated her weight by about a pound and a half.
So, we'll see what happens!

New to this

2008-12-15T17:57:00.004-06:00

So, I'm new to this whole blogging thing. I had a little website set up when Maya was on the way, but I just haven't found the time to write much now that "baby brother" is coming.

Hopefully this will inspire me to write a little and post some photos.

We had a busy weekend with several events going on at once. We went to our dear friend's graduation from TWU, a Christmas party at church, a model train show and then home for a nice evening with the family on Sunday. Whew! The photos are from the train show. Maya loved the larger trains that were laid out on the floor. She giggled each time they went by.

Not much else to report right now. We head back to the doc tomorrow to do another ultrasound. My OB thinks I'm measuring a little too big for 33 weeks, so we will see just how big little brother really is. Should be interesting.

I'll post something as soon as I can.