The Davies Family

Fun/Funny Pictures

2010-08-22T21:57:00.010-06:00

I have been wanting to do a post like this for a long time (and will probably do another one in the future). I gathered some random pictures from the last year. All of the pictures I have included are either fun or funny (the kind of pictures that make me smile and laugh). Hope you enjoy.

Adeline smashing her face up against a window while watching the kids play outside.

Malachi would much rather pull a face for the camera than smile.

Adeline enjoying a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie (and leaving some on her face to enjoy later).

The kids had a blast jumping for these pictures.

We put in a portion of fence this year and the kids had fun playing in the post holes that we dug.

Adeline (at 8 months) crawling into a book shelf.

Arianne is extremely creative. Here, she cut out some matching headbands and bows and taped them together for her and Ellie. She is always making little creations with scissors (which has also gotten her into trouble, quite a bit).

Our first tomato that we grew in our garden last year.

A picture of me last September; a few hours after having my bottom wisdom teeth removed.

Update on my mom...

2010-07-29T10:43:00.020-06:00

It has been a while since I have blogged (oops).

Some of you have asked how my mom is doing... She is done with her chemo treatments and is actually getting her PET scan today to see if there is any cancer still in her body. If that looks good, then they are going to test her bone marrow to see if the cancer is gone there (she had 20% in her bone marrow prior to chemo).

As for how my mom has been doing throughout her treatments, she has been so blessed. The doctors have been amazed with how well she has felt and at her blood work throughout her treatments. She has been on some of the strongest chemo drugs out there and she has been able to, for the most part, function on a normal level. My mom is amazing, her unwavering faith, positive attitude, and optimism is unbelievable. She was determined to feel good and be strong and I never heard her complain about anything during her treatments.

Thank you, to all of you for your prayers and thoughts on my mom's behalf, we have definitely witnessed the power of prayer.

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On a different note...Here are a lot (33 to be exact) of random pictures from the last several months (and there will probably be a lot more to come).

My friend Cecilee stayed with us one night (with her 3 little girls) and they all had a blast dressing up, so I couldn't resist taking pictures:)

One of Roger's favorite students (back when he taught sports med at a high school) got married at the beginning of this month. Andrea was also one of our babysitters, so my kids love her.

My niece Lily
Adeline will not keep head bands on for more than two seconds (she is reaching right now, in this picture, to grab it off). I am lucky to get one picture each time I put it on.

(My mom made this cute outfit for Arianne when she was one)

Ellie and Arianne at a (free) splash park near by.

Adeline decided to play (and get soaking wet in her clothes) in the pool the other day, as we were letting the water out.

My 8 year-old brother Elijah (I love taking jumping pictures, and I have a lot more to come on my next post).

My handsome 13 year-old brother Levi

Addie loves water:)

Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Allred we have Lagoon passes this year and so every time we are down there we make sure to get a lot of use out of our passes.

We had a swimming party in our backyard a few weeks ago. I'm sure the only reason I was able to get this group shot is because I gave all of the kids popsicles first;)

Malachi waiving at the 4th of July parade (in hopes that they will throw candy).

I got to have a little reunion with some of my best friends last month. Cecilee on the left is a mother to three beautiful little girls and a baby on the way, Kristina, in the middle, just finished her residency as a pediatrician (congrats!), and me on the right. We were roommates in college and we ran hurdles together for Weber State. We all live in different states and so we don't get together to often.

Malachi is so cute with Adeline. He is such a big helper and loves to do things with her. Addie loved these cars at Lagoon. I just felt bad for the Lagoon worker, because every time she took her out, Addie clung to the steering wheel and screamed.

My sister Chelsie and me. We took this on Chelsie's 20th birthday. All four of my sister and I were in our 20's for almost 2 whole months (and then I had to turn 30).

One of my kids' favorite things to do is make and decorate sugar cookies (but it takes a lot of convincing on my part, I hate the mess, but it is worth it).

Easter this year

Arianne looking pretty.

My cousin Summer had a rock star birthday party for her one-year old boy Xander. It is probably the funnest party my kids have ever been to.

Malachi and uncle Elijah (Malachi refused to dress up for the party, but he still had a fun time).

I love the faces Ellie makes:)

It was impossible to get a good group shot...

Arianne and Ellie really partied hard and were completely out by the time we got home from the party...

The Key to Flexibility

2010-03-29T22:27:00.009-06:00

For those of you out there thinking, "Boy, I wish I could do that!" All you have to do is bite your toenails, on a regular basis. At least that is how Malachi keeps up his flexibility. I have tried to get him to stop, but like any bad habit, it is hard to break. A year ago, when I was talking to him and telling him what a bad habit it is to bite your toenails (even worst than biting your fingernails, which he also does), he told me that pushing people off of tall buildings is even a "worse habit". I had to agree; I would much rather him bite his toenails than push people off of tall buildings (if you can even consider that a habit).

Looking on the positive side...I can honestly say that I have never had to clip is fingernails or toenails...

Notice his "Cheeto thumbs"?

As you can see, the tooth fairy has been very busy lately...Malachi lost all three of these teeth in about a five day span. I love the way that he pushes his tongue through the gaps. It brings back some fond memories (back to when I was in the first grade).

I have a hard time getting Malachi to give me a real smile while taking his picture (as seen in the previous two pictures), but I was able to get him to give me a real smile in this one because I showed him the pictures that I took of him with his feet behind his head (he thought that was pretty funny).

Little Miss Adeline

2010-03-23T14:18:00.011-06:00

Here are some pictures, that I took today of Adeline. She is nine months old now (time goes by faster with each kid). She has been such a wonderful baby (I would say she has been pretty close to perfect, but she is still waking up about ten times during the night and she usually only takes about twenty minute catnaps, but other than that she is wonderful). She is crawling everywhere and walking around furniture. She already has a motherly instinct and she loves baby dolls; she also loves her brother and sisters. They can get her to laugh a lot more than I can, so I had them stand by me while taking some of these pictures, so that I could get some of her smiling.

I also wanted to thank everyone for your prayers and words of comfort (regarding my last post).

(I couldn't choose just a couple of pictures, so I narrowed it down to ten:)

As you will see in a few of these pictures, she really likes her tongue (she can do tricks with her tongue that I have never been able to do).

Adeline giving kisses to her baby...

In need of some prayers...

2010-03-21T21:45:00.004-06:00

This has been a rough month for our family...Besides the fact that we have been trying to sell our house for the past nine months, my parent's have both been diagnosed with some serious illnesses in the last few weeks. My dad has been diagnosed with insulin dependent diabetes and this past Wednesday my mom was diagnosed with stage 4 Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma Cancer. I think we are all in shock. My mom is only 50 and she feels great, so it is hard to believe that her body is so full of cancer. She starts her chemo this Friday and we are unsure of what the future holds, but we are trying our best to be optimistic...It is at times like these that I am the most grateful for my testimony. I am so grateful for my Savior, Jesus Christ, and for his atonement. I'm grateful that I can turn to my loving Heavenly Father and find peace under any circumstance. And I am so thankful that families can be forever...

Will I ever get my blog caught up to do date...?

2010-03-21T21:14:00.007-06:00

There has been so much that has happened in the last several months that I have wanted to blog about (but I haven't)... Halloween, Christmas, Malachi's birthday, Arianne's birthday, and pictures of me after getting my wisdom teeth out (they make for a good laugh). Anyway, maybe I will catch up, maybe I won't. But for now, here are some pictures that I took of Arianne and Ellie today, right before church. Last night Arianne let me put her hair in braids and Ellie let me put her hair in curlers and they were so good, they didn't even scream while I was doing it (most of the time you would think that I was trying to torture them while doing their hair). I am hoping to take some pictures of Malachi and Adeline some time this week (so stay tuned for those).

Ellie wanted to show off her freshly painted fingernails (then, of course, she wanted to see the picture right after I had taken it).

We Love Green!

2010-03-18T23:20:00.002-06:00

Merry Christmas!!!

2009-12-25T01:05:00.006-07:00

I love CHRISTmas!

Here is a quote (which explains my feelings of Christmas, better than I could have put in words myself) from President Dieter F. Uchtdorf's talk in the First Presidency Christmas Devotional of this year:

"This is a season of rejoicing! A season of celebration! A wonderful time when we acknowledge that our Almighty God sent His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to redeem the world! To redeem us!

It is a season of charitable acts of kindness and brotherly love. It is a season of being more reflective about our own lives and about the many blessings that are ours. It is a season of forgiving and being forgiven.

But perhaps most of all, let it be a season of seeking the Lamb of God, the King of Glory, the Everlasting Light of the World, the Great Hope of Mankind, the Savior and Redeemer of our souls."

I am so grateful for my Savior, Jesus Christ. May we all remember him on this wonderful day...

Down below are some Christmas Eve pictures of my kids (there are no Christmas pictures yet, since it is only one in the morning):

Adeline's Blessing

2009-11-15T23:02:00.009-07:00

Adeline was blessed by Roger, back in September. It was such a beautiful and wonderful day and we were grateful to share it with loved ones.

Adeline is 5 months old now. I can't believe how fast the time has gone by. She has been such a blessing to our family. Roger and I were talking last night about how it is hard to remember and imagine our life without her. She has been such a good and cheerful baby and all of the kids love their little sister and are constantly trying to entertain her and make her laugh.

Adeline with Roger (on her blessing day).

Our family on Adeline's blessing day.

Me with my sisters and mom (on Adeline's blessing day). We always take a sister picture when we get together (it has become tradition).

All of the pictures below (including the first picture in the post)I took about a month after Adeline's blessing. I wanted to get some more with the full view of her dress, but after I took some of her on her tummy she was done. (my mom has made all of my kids blessing outfits...Thanks Mom:)

Photo Shoot with Arianne

2009-11-10T20:06:00.005-07:00

A few weeks ago I took advantage of the rarity of Arianne willingly posing for pictures. Usually, she puts her hands over her face when she sees the camera. I think it helped that I promised her a lollipop (as seen in some of the pictures). I had a lot of fun taking these pictures and Arianne loved her lollipop:)

Gone Fishing...

2009-11-08T22:58:00.005-07:00

Here are some fun pictures of a little fishing outing that we had this fall, back when the weather wasn't so freezing and there were still leaves on the trees. (Sorry I'm not writing too much, I'm trying to blog with a very wiggly baby on my lap...)

Random Pictures

2009-11-08T22:47:00.004-07:00

Here are a few random pictures that I have taken in the last few months:
These first three are of Adeline at about 2 1/2 months.

Arianne loves her new little sister and his such a great helper.

My three girls.

I love all of Ellie's animated expressions.

Malachi and his latest favorite toys (Bionicles).

Jessica's Wedding (3 months late)

2009-11-05T10:08:00.018-07:00

My sister Jessica and her husband Aaron got married 3 months ago (I can't believe how fast time goes). Their wedding/reception had to be one of the most beautiful, fun, original, colorful, weddings I have ever been to. I took a ton of pictures, but they really don't do the wedding justice.

Adeline was only 6 weeks old at Jessica's wedding, but she was a perfect angel the whole time, which was good, because Malachi, Arianne, Ellie, and I all had to walk down the aisle, which is another thing I was kind of stressed about, but they all did a great job.

There are a ton of pictures below, so hopefully you all like to look at pictures. The first four are some of Jessica's bridals taken by her extremely talented photographer.

My beautiful mom and niece Lily.

My brother Elijah as the ring bearer.

My two little flower girls and me.

My parents dancing (how sweet).

I took the pictures below a few days after my sisters wedding:
This picture (above) has all of my parents' 10 grandchildren in it and my youngest brother Elijah (I feel like it was a miracle that we got all of them in it and that most of them were looking toward the camera). My mom made all of the beautiful flower girl dresses.

The Best of Friends

2009-08-13T23:22:00.002-06:00

When I found out that I was pregnant with Ellie, I was a little scared. I didn't really feel ready to have another baby (to be born just 16 months after Arianne), but now I am so thankful that it happened that way. More and more Ellie and Arianne are becoming better and better friends and I'm sure that as time goes by, their friendship will just grow stronger (as it has with my sisters and me, which I feel so blessed to have).

A little side note: This is Ellie's first French braids:) Could her hair finally be growing? Hurray!
Another side note: The skirt and bow that Ellie is wearing was made by my very talented and creative mother, who never even uses patterns. When I share my sister's wedding photos, you will get to witness some more of my mom's talent (she made all of the flower girls dresses).

Happy Birthday Ellie!!!

2009-08-11T15:51:00.012-06:00

Our little "Ellie belly" turned three last month. I love this picture (above) of her, because it defines Ellie so well. I love her big beautiful blue eyes and her sweet smile. Ellie brings so much joy to our family.

Ellie was lucky this year, because we went to Utah for her birthday (so Roger could see her on her birthday) and so she was able to have two big birthday parties and of course she was spoiled. She got everything a little girl could want. If it was "girly" she got it. It was funny because back on Arianne's birthday, Ellie said she wanted everything that Arianne got, for her birthday. Now, Arianne wants everything that Ellie got, for her birthday.

Fourth of July Pictures ( a little late)

2009-08-11T15:36:00.006-06:00

The Fourth of July is one of my kids favorite holidays, so even though Adeline was only three weeks old, at the time, I didn't feel like I could deny them of all of the Fourth of July fun. We went to the parade in the morning. Of course, my kids favorite part is to get candy thrown to them (it is like Halloween except for the candy comes to you). During the day we took a much needed nap, and then in the evening we went to the fireworks.

Ellie was the only one willing to get her picture taken.

Here we are waiting for the fireworks to start. Don't the kids look so happy to be getting their picture taken?

a CrAzY life...

2009-08-09T16:33:00.022-06:00

I know it has been a while...Life has been crazy since Adeline was born and so I haven't felt like I have had the time to post, so I have a lot of catching up to do. I have tons of pictures to post and things to write, but I'm not going to overwhelm everyone (or myself) by doing it all at once, so I will catch up over the next week or so.

As most of you already know, Roger has a new job back home by family. He started his job just seven days after Adeline was born. He has been staying with his parents and commuting to work while I stay here with our four kids trying to sell our house, so to say the least it has been a bit crazy, but we have definitely been blessed with good friends, family, and a wonderful ward (that I am so sad to leave). Roger comes home for the weekends, so we definitely look forward to that. Our house has been for sale for about 7 weeks and we have had no buyers, so we could definitely use some prayers on our behalf. The idea of moving came by surprise, but we shouldn't have been surprised, because with our past three babies we have moved shortly after they were born (I think I will wait a while to have another one). Arianne was four months and Ellie was less than three weeks. The nice thing is that I don't feel like I really have to adjust to having a new baby, because I have so many other things going on. So, When people ask how four is, I just tell them I don't really notice a difference. It feels like Adeline has always been with us.

I have included some pictures of Adeline, below. In most of them she is sleeping, because that is what she does best (except for in the night). I have tons of other pictures coming soon, which include: The fourth of July, Ellie's birthday, my sister's wedding, and more...

Adeline at two weeks old.

(two and a half weeks) This adorable dress was made by my extremely talented friend Sharon (thanks again Sharon).

4 weeks

All of the kids are so excited to have a new sister (five and a half weeks).

7 weeks

She's finally here...

2009-06-17T23:36:00.011-06:00

We are so excited that Adeline is safely here. Adeline is such a sweet little baby, we love her so much and feel so blessed to have her as part of our family. She fits right in and it feels like she has always been with us.

Adeline surprised me...She is bigger than I thought she would be, making her my second biggest baby (Malachi weighed 9 lbs. 4 oz.), so we are glad that she was a few days early. I am also grateful that I was able to have a complication free labor, avoiding some of the complications that I had with my first two (two cervical lacerations and a placenta that didn't deliver spontaneously). And I was blessed with a great labor experience. I really hate epidurals, they make me feel pretty horrible, and so I was able to stick it out and go natural, which I highly recommend. Even though my labor was 9 hours long the intense pain was for only about 30 or 40 minutes (with rests in between the contractions)and I felt great after. I was able to walk around right away and go see Adeline in the nursery.

Above: Getting ready to have a baby.
Below: The labor has just begun...don't I look like I am having fun?

Our family of six, together for the first time.

Getting ready to go home.

It's getting closer...

2009-06-13T00:34:00.002-06:00

If I don't go into labor before, then I will be induced on Monday. At my doctor appointment on Wednesday I was dilated to a 3 and 75% effaced, but that doesn't really mean anything for me. I have been started with all three of my kids and with Arianne and Ellie I was dilated to a four before being started, so I have no reason to believe that I will go into labor before Monday, although I have been trying really hard. The other day I mowed our lawn, washed the tub, and went on a two mile walk while chasing after my girls on their bike and scooter, but the only outcome was my inability to move later that night, because my hips were in so much pain.

Did the rain stop?

2009-06-13T00:26:00.004-06:00

We enjoyed a little break from the rain today, by going to the park (you would think that we lived in Washington or Oregon lately). Here are some pictures that I took while we were there...

Roses

2009-06-13T00:15:00.005-06:00

My mom has the prettiest roses in the front of her house. Here are some of the pictures that I took the last time that we were there.

Before and After

2009-06-13T00:01:00.006-06:00

It has been two years since we moved into our house and I would have to say that my favorite part of our house is our yard. I love the beautiful mature trees, I love how big it is, and I love the swing set that came with it. It is the perfect yard for little kids to grow-up in. The funny thing is that when we moved into this house, the backyard was definitely not the selling point. The prior owners had two huge dogs and I don't know if they ever watered the lawn, not to mention all of the dog waste left behind. Today, I was looking at some pictures of our yard before we moved in and then I took some of what it looks like now. It is amazing what some water and fertilizer, no huge dogs (and waste clean up) can do to a yard. Down below I have a few pictures of the now and the before.

Any Suggestions???

2009-06-07T19:09:00.001-06:00

Okay, so our little girl is due anytime now and we still haven't decided on a name. There are several that I like and one or two that Roger likes, but we can't seem to agree. I'm sure we probably won't name her until we see her, but maybe some of you have some cute names that we haven't considered, so I would love some suggestions.

Enjoying the Heat

2009-06-02T19:39:00.001-06:00

Don't forget goggles while driving...

This is Malachi attempting to use his goggles without having to go into the cold water (while Arianne is attempting to get him to go in further).

37 weeks and counting...

2009-06-02T19:28:00.002-06:00

Last Friday was my 37 week mark. Less than 3 weeks to go, hurray!!! I am so ready to be done. I am hoping to go into labor within the next week or two, but being that I have been started with my other three, the chances aren't too likely.

My friend Shayla took these pictures of me last Friday (when I was exactly 37 weeks). Thanks Shayla.

I can't stand the heat, when I am pregnant, because I get really swollen, so I couldn't resist the chance to cool off and being that I am pregnant I figure that I can get away with going in a pool with regular clothes on. Pregnant women can get away with almost anything, right? And I am not big on getting in a swimsuit when I am pregnant.

Getting Ready...

2009-06-02T19:16:00.002-06:00

When I was at the store yesterday, I saw a pack of four little receiving blankets and I really liked how they looked together, so I bought them and cut them up to make one rag quilt out of them(for the new baby). I am really happy with how it turned out, but even more happy that I finished it (I tend to buy stuff for projects and never finish them, especially when I am pregnant).

Ellie and her many faces

2009-06-02T19:09:00.001-06:00

Ellie loves to make faces just so she can see what she looks like on the camera. I just love her animated face.

This is Ellie's classic smile. Most of the time when I ask her to smile for me this is what she gives me.

Fun with Family...

2009-06-02T18:52:00.001-06:00

We were in Utah a couple of weeks ago. My brother Levi had just turned 12 and so we were able to see him receive the priesthood.

My sister Candace's two girls (Maddie and Lily)along with Ellie and Arianne.

My sister Candace with two sleeping angels.

My dad and brothers, along with Roger, Malachi, and Ellie. They had just finished playing some football.

Malachi preparing to get tackled by my brother Levi.

Happy Birthday Roger!!!

2009-06-02T18:44:00.002-06:00

Roger had a birthday last month. As you can see, it was kind of late by the time that we got to the cake eating (actually it is a raspberry cream cheese dessert).

Lots of Easter Fun...

2009-04-13T23:20:00.015-06:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter...We sure did. I just love Easter. One of my favorite parts of Easter, while growing up, was to get a pretty new dress and some new (usually white) shoes. Now one of my favorite parts of Easter is to search for the perfect dresses for my girls (and shirt and tie for Malachi). I usually start my search a month or two ahead of time, because I always search for the best bargain as well.

My kids were really looking forward to Easter as well. They love the egg hunt part. And this year they loved it so much that they wanted Roger and I to be able to join in the fun as well, so after their egg hunt was over they hid the eggs for Roger and I, which I have to admit was pretty fun except for when I would try to make any kind of quick move to beat Roger to an egg and then it would put me in a Braxton Hick's contraction. Our kids had so much fun hiding the eggs, so they set up a hunt for Roger and I three different times.

I took a ton of pictures and I really had a hard time narrowing them down, so I hope your in the mood to look at a lot of pictures.

This picture and the one below are of some of our night before Easter preparations. Who doesn't love dying the eggs, even if it only lasts 15 minutes? I also had to get a picture of my girls in their curlers, getting ready to go to bed (much too late I might add). I thought they looked so cute and it was also the first time that I've put curlers in their hair, so I had to get a picture, right?

"What was dad thinking when he put the eggs way up there in the squirrel feeder?"

And last of all, a picture of me slaving away on our Easter dinner...Don't I look exhausted? Roger had to point out that I have a little flour on my face (on my left cheek). He says that I can't work with flour without getting it somewhere on my face (I think he is right).

3/4 of the way there...

2009-04-11T19:00:00.003-06:00

This is for you Kris...My friend Kristina was wondering what I was looking like now days. This was taken last Sunday when I had eactly 2 1/2 months to go. I have felt pretty good the last couple of months, but all of the awkwardness and discomforts of the last trimester have just hit me in this last week.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

2009-03-17T19:32:00.002-06:00

For some reason I really love St. Patrick's Day. I have fond memories of my mom always making us some food that was green. Usually it was green pancakes and green eggs, or something like that. I always thought it was sooo much fun, so I have decided that I want to carry on that tradition with my kids. The kids and I had fun making these green cupcakes (green cake, green frosting, and green sprinkles...isn't food coloring wonderful). Above is a few pictures of the kids enjoying the cupcakes, well not Arianne, she said it was too cold outside (I think she was just tired)...

Happy Birthday Arianne!!!

2009-03-03T17:54:00.002-07:00

Our little Arianne turned four last week. I really can't believe how fast the time has gone. Arianne has been such a blessing to our family. Her beautiful smile brightens up my life. She is so much fun to have around. I love all of the cute fun things she says. I was impressed with how patient she was with all of the picture taking that happened the last few days for all of her birthday celebrations, but she did finally have enough. While we were at my parents house, she pranced up the stairs, turned around and said, "That's enough pictures, PEOPLE!"

Arianne wants to thank everyone for all of the wonderful presents that she received...she was given all the things that she loves (anything really "girly") dress-up clothes, nail polish, dress-up high heels, a purse, a new doll, dress-up jewelry, a high chair for her doll, a princess watch, books, and some new outfits. Now, Ellie wants all of the same things for her birthday (she actually thinks most of the things that Arianne got are hers).

THE RESULTS ARE IN...

2009-01-30T12:57:00.007-07:00

As most of you know I had my big 20 week ultrasound yesterday and I was excited to find out that the baby looks perfectly healthy. So, that was a big relief (I always get really nervous for the ultrasound).

I had 19 people comment on what they thought we are going to have. 13 of you guessed a boy and 6 of you guessed a girl, so if you want to find out if you were right with your prediction, then scroll down...

Yes, that's right...Malachi is going to be a big brother to three sisters. Even though Malachi was hoping for a baby brother, he is still happy to have another sister. Malachi really wants to pick out the baby's name (I hope he isn't disappointed). If it were a boy, he wanted to name him Bud Tom Davies, and now that it is a girl he wants to name her Blasta (which I told him sounds like a superhero name). I'm pretty sure we won't be naming her Blasta, so if you have any suggestions let me know.

I guess I am following in my mom's footsteps. She had one boy and then five girls in a row, and then my two younger brothers (I don't plan on having eight kids though).

As for me I am so excited to be having another girl. Girls are so much fun and I look forward to meeting her and seeing what kind of personality she has. I love all of my kids and I feel so blessed to have them.

What's Your Guess...?

2009-01-28T09:03:00.002-07:00

I apologize...I know it has been forever since I have posted. I am planning on fully updating my blog within the next week.

For all of you that don't know...we are expecting our fourth baby, which is the main reason that I haven't done any updating. The thought of blogging literally made me feel sick (the joys of pregnancy). Luckily, I am feeling much better now and I can bear the thought of blogging. Anyway, tomorrow I go in for my 20 week ultrasound and we are going to find out whether we are having a boy or a girl and so I thought that I would give you all the opportunity to take a guess. I will give everyone until Friday and then I will post the results.

Halloween Pictures...

2008-11-03T16:22:00.004-07:00

I know I am a little behind on posting...Here are some pictures of my kiddos on Halloween. Malachi and Arianne had the "Wizard of Oz" theme going on. Malachi was the Scarecrow and Arianne was Dorothy. Ellie was Raggedy Ann, which didn't really fit in, but she looked adorable. Malachi and Arianne were Raggedy Andy and Raggedy Ann two years ago, so I reused the the costume for Ellie. Hopefully she won't hold it against me someday. Thank You to a family friend, Mary, for making all of these wonderful costumes.

Last Halloween...

2008-11-03T16:14:00.004-07:00

I probably should have posted these a couple of weeks ago, but I'm lazy. Here are some pictures of Halloween last year. Malachi was Spiderman, Arianne was Cinderella, and Ellie was a ladybug. I didn't get any single shots of Malachi because he was not in the picture taking mood (go figure:)

Crazy Weather...

2008-10-19T23:08:00.011-06:00

I LOVE the weather we have had the last few days. Mid to high sixties...perfect.
This collage does not reflect the wonderful weather of the last few days. These pictures were taken 8 days ago at the beginning of our snow storm. I was not happy to see this along with my dead garden a few days earlier. To say the least I am not a big fan of winter (I wouldn't mind if it lasted from Thanksgiving to New Years, but after that I am done. But the kids had a lot of fun in the snow. I couldn't get them to all smile, but they did all stick out their tongues to get a taste of the snow, for me.

Halloween craft day #2. My friend Shayla and I got smart this time and stuck to one craft for the kids (rather than four). We also had some, easy to make, Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies (three ingredients: spice cake mix, chocolate chips, pumpkin puree).

Doesn't Ellie look fancy? Both my girls love to accessorise, they didn't get that from me (maybe they got it from my sisters, who are all very good at it). Notice her lip gloss, too. When I am doing my make-up, both Ellie and Arianne insist on putting on some lip gloss (they usually prefer a mix of about three different kinds).

I love this scrunchy nose smile of Ellie's.

Arianne is also sporting the lip gloss here.

I love the picture on the right, where Ellie is trying to love Arianne, but it is turning into torture.

The picture on the left is Arianne's classic reaction to the sight of a camera pointing her way (I have more of these pictures than you could imagine). Last night we went to a park and let Arianne ride her scooter and Malachi ride his bike and Ellie enjoyed the stroller. Notice Arianne's little Disney Princess discman. She had to listen to her music while she was riding her Disney Princess scooter. Who doesn't like music while exercising?

I feel bad...right when I tried to get a picture of Malachi riding his bike, my camera's battery died.

A beautiful getaway...

2008-10-12T23:01:00.014-06:00

So, this post is a little out of order. We went to our nearest mountains(not near enough)a week ago Friday. Grandma and Grandpa Davies brought their four-wheeler up and they also rented this green trail cruiser. It was the perfect time of year to go to the mountains. I love the colors of fall. The pictures that I took didn't do it justice.

The kids had so much fun. Malachi went exploring and found the caterpillar (shown in the top right). He is definitely a bug lover. He will touch any bug that he finds (but if he plays too long with the bug, it usually ends up dead; luckily this caterpillar fell into a crack and got away alive).

The weather was perfect when we got here. No wind, 70 degrees, just perfect. Two hours later, all of the sudden, the wind picked up and there was a down pour of rain and it was freezing. So, our little haven in the mountains was short lived, but none the less, we had a great time.

By the time we got to the bottom of the mountain, the weather had calmed down and I could not resist stopping here and getting a few pictures. I love this old truck, with the barn in the background (how much more perfect can it get?). And if you look really closely you can see a rainbow up by the roof of the barn. The sun was setting, so there wasn't too much time to get pictures and no one was really in the picture taking mood, but I just had to get a few.

It even looks cool in sepia...

A family picture without Malachi. He absolutely refused to be in this picture (or any pictures by the truck). I felt so bad, because we hardly ever get a picture with all of us together (Don't mind my smeared make-up, remember we were just in a rain storm).

Isn't that a sweet picture of Roger giving his dad a hug? Notice the top right picture...what do you think? Perhaps our family as a future in modeling, huh? Ellie is usually the one that is most willing to be in a picture (I hope she stays that way).

We ended our trip by stopping for a burger. No, Roger did not eat this whole hamburger. We actually split it into four. Can you believe, they actually make four pound burgers here, and there is a picture of a guy who ate one all by himself along with some fries(I don't know if a picture on a wall is worth it).

noth'n but fun...

2008-10-10T19:50:00.003-06:00

The other day was the perfect kite flying day. It was windy enough that there was no running or even walking involved. The kids just held onto the handle and Roger and I threw the kite in the sky and up it went. The kids had a blast. We gave Ellie a try, but she didn't like the tension and so she just let go and it went flying off and onto the top of a building. Luckily, all Roger had to do was pull the string a little and it started flying again.

Isn't Arianne's outfit lovely? She picked it out herself. Notice the pink cape, and the polka dot capris with a levi skirt.

Yesterday we went to our friend's (the Mabey's) and did some fun Halloween crafts to get our kids in the Halloween spirit. We did four different little projects and decided after, that one would have been plenty. It was a lot of fun. Thank You Shayla and boys.

The other night I sent my kids to get into their pajamas and they came back looking like this. How could I resist taking a picture?

Arianne has been tagged...

2008-10-05T22:59:00.012-06:00

Little Ashley "McSplashly" Pitcher tagged Arianne.
Five unique things that we love about our Arianne.

1-Sometimes her life is a musical. Arianne loves singing (and dancing). Most of the time when she is singing, she is narrating everything that she does or is thinking. Only about 10% of the time does she sing a song that really exists (and even then she throws in a little twist). The other day in the van she started singing "I like to move it move it..." (from the show Madagascar). She sang that line over and over again and then Ellie joined it (it was hilarious).

2- Arianne loves gum and she is good and chewing it. She never even swallows it. When she is done with it, most of the time she will try to save it and put it a little Ziploc baggy. One time I even found her little Ziploc baggy in the refrigerator (who knows maybe she thought it would preserve better).

3- If you tell Arianne something that happened to someone, and she finds it fascinating, then she will pretend that something similar happened in her own life. For example, I am always telling my kids about stories of things that have happened to other kids when they were doing something dangerous and then all of the sudden Arianne will be telling me about her friend who fell out of a window or something like that. And she says it like she believes it.

4- Arianne loves books. She loves to be read to but, she also loves to look at the books and make up what she thinks is happening. She is quite good at it, too. Sometimes I am amazed by her vocabulary and at how descriptive she is.

5- Anyone who knows Arianne could tell you that she has ATTITUDE. When she really means something she will definitely let you know. (but she can also be so nice and sweet too and I can't help but smile when I see her beautiful smile)

Five little friends that Arianne would like to tag:

1-Lexie Day
2-Hunter Mabey
3-Reddek Allred
4-Isabella Weinand
5-Cole Schulmire
(and anyone else who wants to do it)

"Say Cheese"

2008-09-30T22:26:00.001-06:00

Last week my mom and sister Candace visited. It was so much fun to have visitors (so if any of you ever one to come and stay with us you are more than welcome). Most of the pictures below were taken while they were here.

Ellie, Lily (Candace's youngest), Arianne, Madeline (Candace's oldest), my youngest brother Elijah, and Malachi

Arianne, Maddie, Elijah, and Malachi

My brother Elijah. Yes, it is true I have a brother that is six years old. My mom was just about nine months pregnant with him when Roger and I got married. It is pretty funny, because Roger's family is the same way, but he is the youngest. So, I have a sister-in-law that is about 54 (or somewhere around there) and a brother that is six. Making our siblings span about fifty years in age.

Malachi is all boy. He loves all the action that he can get. He loves jumping off things (luckily he is jumping on to a tramp, which you can't see below him). Later he decided to jump off of the railing (which I didn't approve of) and I didn't get a picture of that.

Elijah taking his turn. I just love being able to get pictures of kids in action. It almost makes me want to be a kid again (almost).

My sister Candace and her two beautiful little girls.

Maddie and Lily

Lily

Lily

Isn't she sweet?

Malachi "cheesing"

Arianne enjoying the best soda out there (root beer).

And what's better than root beer? Root beer and pizza (mmmm:)

Ellie being a great poser...

Arianne is going to be Dorthy for Halloween, so I had to get the ruby red slippers, but I knew that there would be a war if Ellie didn't get a pair, too. Don't Ellie's little chubby feet look so cute in these?

Ellie feels that a cute pair of shoes (no matter the color) goes with anything and I think, in this case, she is right.

Do you know the #1 song the day that you were born?

2008-09-26T10:02:00.000-06:00

If you don't, click here. I got this on an email and thought it was fun to find out. The #1 song on the day that I was born was "Funkytown" by Lipps, Inc. I love this song. It is such a great dancing song. Dancing was one of my favorite things to do in college and I was always excited when this song came on. I still remember the day that Roger asked me if I liked to dance (while we were dating) and I said I loved it and he was so disappointed because he hates to dance. After six and a half years of marriage, I don't think he hates dancing quite as much. Maybe in another six and a half he will love it like I do. Anyway, let me know what the #1 song was the day that you were born.

I have been having so much fun with my new camera, so down below are some pictures that I have recently taken. I have a lot more pictures than these that I want to put on my blog, but I didn't want to overload you all with pictures, so I will probably post some more in a couple of days.

My friend Shayla's two little boys (Shayla is kind of a long lost third cousin twice removed or something like that)

My friend Megan's newest baby, Porter (she is also a long lost third cousin twice removed or something like that)

Six things you probably didn't know about me...

2008-09-17T22:07:00.000-06:00

My friend Mindy did this tag and it looked like fun.

Six random things about ME (I tried to think of what are some of the most unusual things about me, so let me know if you are similar in any of these things or maybe I am just really weird in some ways).

1. I chose my wedding date in high school. When I was in high school my soccer number was 2, and it didn't take long before it became my favorite number, so I decided (I think it was in 1996) that I wanted to get married on 02-02-02. And it just happened that I met Mr. Right (Roger) nine months before and we were married in the Salt Lake Temple on 02-02-02 (its seems like it was around two in the afternoon, too). I also chose my first boy's name (Malachi) and my first girl's name (Arianne) around the same time.

2. I cannot step on a drain with my bare feet. For some reason drains just really gross me out, so when I am in the shower, I will NEVER stand on the drain.

3. I have to shake my shoes out before I put them on (I know, something else to do with my feet). I think I am kind of scared that some poisonous spider will be in there and bite my foot. Out of the thousands of times of shaking my shoes, I have never had a spider or any other bug fall out, but I think I did see a spider web once.

4. I have broken two people's arms (not something I am proud of). Both times were to do with soccer. In sixth grade I was playing soccer at recess and I had the ball and this boy jumped on my back and was pretty much choking me. So, I threw him off my back and kicked him a few times. I stopped when I noticed that he was hurt. I felt really bad after and brought him a candy bar and tried to help him with some of his writing (it was his right arm). The second time was my sister Jessica (she is five years younger than me). Jessica was probably nine or ten. We were kicking the ball back and forth to each other and one of the times she stopped the ball with her hand and I guess it hit just right and broke her arm.

5. I sometimes crave the taste of dirt and chalk. I know it is weird. I have had people tell me that it means that I am deficient in some sort of nutrient (I don't know if I buy that). It's not like I want to make a meal out of it just a very small sample. It can't be any old dirt, either. It has to be very fine and dry. Even though I like the tastes of dirt and chalk, I do refrain (most of the time, anyway).

6. I fear public speaking more than death. I hate when all of the attention is on me. I don't mind small group things, but the idea of a lot of people listening to, only me, terrifies me. I have never given a talk in sacrament meeting (well, not since primary). I am working on this problem though, and feel like I am progressing, so hopefully one day I can let you all know that I am over it.

The next five pictures are of all my kids. I was trying to accomplish the impossible (all of my kids looking and smiling at me). Here are the results...

I had to get a picture of Malachi holding his Tinker Toy creations. He can spend hours playing with these. Even though he has Transformers, he creates his own out of Tinker Toys (His creations above are of Optimus Prime and Megatron).

Crazy?

2008-09-06T16:15:00.000-06:00

I have noticed a lot of the blogs that I "stock" have pictures of their five-year-old starting school and maybe some of you, or maybe not, have been wondering, "Why doesn't Annie have any pictures of Malachi starting school; he is supposed to be a kindergartner, right?" Anyway, the reason I haven't posted any pictures of him going to school is because he is in a program called the Virtual Academy. It is basically online school or homeschooling. I love the program because I'm given all of the curriculum for him (K12 curriculum) and all of the school supplies and books. They also have activities at least once a month with all of the other kids that are in the program. I don't plan on homeschooling him forever, just through second grade. Some of the reasons I have chosen to do this is...One, because I would prefer to be my child's number one source of influence until the age of accountability (8 years old). Another, is because it has been wonderful to have three hours of quality time with Malachi everyday(and Arianne and Ellie, who like to participate in everything that Malachi is doing). There are many other reasons, but those are the two main ones. I have nothing against public schooling and I intend to eventually send my kids to school, but since I have the choice, I have chosen to do homeschooling for now. Hopefully, none of you think I am too crazy.

If you don't want to see a bunch of pictures, then don't go any further. I have attached a lot of pictures that I have taken recently. Most of the pictures are of Ellie, because Arianne and Malachi absolutely hate getting their pictures taken. Ellie is not a big fan of picture taking either, but she can be bribed a little easier (as seen below, with a sucker). I also have a few pictures of two of my friend Emily's boys (she has three, but her four-year-old wasn't too eager to have his picture taken, sounds familiar). Sorry if you get bored of the view of my backyard; it is the easiest way to contain children while trying to take their picture.

Picture Overload!!!

2008-09-02T17:53:00.000-06:00

I know it has been FOREVER since I have posted... As mentioned in my last post, my camera broke and I am one of those bloggers...if I don't have a picture to blog, then I don't want to blog. Thanks, to my parent-in-laws, I now have a new camera (yay!). I am really excited about it, because it is a digital SLR (Nikon D60), so I am hoping to be able to do some fancy stuff with it, "hoping" being the key. There is a lot to learn. I have a ton of pictures below, because I have been trying out my new camera, the last couple of days.

A few days with our friends...

2008-08-04T09:22:00.000-06:00

This last week my good friend Cecilee visited us for a few days with her three little girls. It got a bit crazy at times (with six kids five and under)but we had a lot of fun.

To the Zoo Again

Hopefully, you aren't all bored of zoo pictures because here are some more. We had such a good time at the zoo the first time that we went, so we decided to go with our friends as well. It was a little harder and hotter this time. The first time we went we had three kids and two adults and this time it was six kids and two adults. In the top left you see that Malachi built up the courage, unlike our last visit, to touch the snake (he looks a little nervous, though). Top right: Arianne, Lexie, and Jorden.

After the zoo we went to a little amusement park that is right next to the zoo. We let the kids ride this airplane ride. Lexie and Malachi rode together and Arianne and Ellie rode together. As you can see, Ellie was a little unsure as the ride started, but after she realized it wasn't getting any higher then she was fine with it.

Water Fun

We went to our ward primary activity on Saturday. Going form left to right. Picture 1: My friend Cecilee and her little three month old baby, Kamree. Picture 2: Ellie checking out her sack lunch. Picture 3: Malachi having fun, doing what he does best, throwing things at people (and he didn't even get in trouble). Picture 4: Arianne had to dry off every time she ran through the slip'n slide. Picture 5: Malachi running on the slip'n slide (he didn't want to slide even though he does it on our wood floors all of the time). Picture 6: Roger couldn't resist taking his turn on the slip'n slide, shoes and all. Picture 7: Malachi at the balloon toss. Picture 8: Ellie wandering around (she wasn't about to get wet). Picture 9: Lexie looking pretty.

I'm sad to announce that I might not have any pictures to post for a while, because my camera seems to be broken (the lens won't retract and so my camera won't take any pictures). And you know how fixing cameras go, it cost less to buy a new one. Anyway, we are now collecting sympathy funds so that we can buy a new camera (just kidding).

Ellie's Update

2008-08-04T08:55:00.000-06:00

In reference to my July 21st posting, all of Ellie's tests went pretty well. When she got her VCUG done they found that she had a degree 1 reflux, which may or may not have caused her urinary tract infection. Since it is only a degree 1 reflux the doctors aren't going to do any kind of treatment, in the past they would have done a year of antibiotics, but newer studies show that it is not necessary on a degree 1. The doctor said that over time her reflux should fix itself. If Ellie gets any more urinary tract infections in the next year, then they will go ahead and do the year of antibiotics.

It has been hard to tell if Ellie is doing better, because she has had a stomach flu, a cold, and been getting her two year molars in, the last week,and so she has been pretty ornery and she doesn't communicate very well on what is bothering her. But, she does seem to be doing a little better now that her sicknesses are coming to an end. This has been a horrible summer for sicknesses (I thought the winter is when people are supposed to get sick, this is not the case in our house).

Weekend in Island Park

2008-07-28T22:50:00.000-06:00

This last weekend we went to Uncle Brent and Aunt Val's (Roger's sister) cabin in Island Park. It was so much fun. It was beautiful. We filled our days with four-wheeling, sliding, swinging, fishing, star gazing, and of course eating delicious food. I hope I don't overload you with too many pictures. We just had so much fun and there were so many cute pictures and so I had a hard time narrowing them down.
Top left: Arianne riding on the little 4-wheeler with Aunt Val. Top right:Roger helping Malachi ride a 4-wheeler, by himself, for the first time. Malachi was very timid and at the beginning he was going, seriously, about one mile per hour. Once he got a little more comfortable he was probably up to three miles per hour (no exaggeration). Bottom left: Arianne and Roger going 4-wheeling. Bottom right: Ellie and Malachi relaxing on the stairs (gotta love the goggles).

Aunt Val has the funnest swing ever behind her cabin. It is attached to two pine trees. From this picture of Malachi, you can get an idea of how high you can swing. I think I had as much fun as the kids did.

doesn't it look fun?

The kids also loved this slide that is attached to the back porch of the cabin.

Top left: Me reading bedtime stories to all of the kiddies. Top Right: Ellie and Arianne comparing their "owies". Bottom left: Cousin Lizzie and Arianne just playing around. Bottom right" Grandpa Davies (Rog's dad) and Roger taking an afternoon nap.

I didn't have a picture of Malachi looking at stars, so I used this one of him fishing instead. While we were looking at the stars Friday night, Malachi saw four shooting stars and so he made wishes. I thought it was so cute to hear what kind of things he wished for so I wanted to share them. First wish: "I wish Spiderman and Hulk were real." Second wish: "I wish we lived in Utah." Third wish: "I wish I could go to the beach." Fourth and final wish: "I wish I had more Transformers than anyone in the universe."

Our Trip to the Zoo

2008-07-28T18:07:00.000-06:00

Last week we went to our local zoo. We have lived here for two years now and the zoo is only five minutes away and this it the first time that we have gone. I was really impressed with our little zoo and it made me wonder why we hadn't been before. I guess we're like that, though. We used to live about two and half hours away from Mt. Rushmore and we never went. We had always planned to, but it never happened. Anyway, the kids loved it (and so did Roger and I), so I'm sure we will be back soon.

I love the picture of Malachi on the top right. He said that he could see little fish through the cracks of the bridge (not my top pick of favorite positions).

Surprisingly, Arianne was my little adventurist. Malachi is my kid that loves bugs and likes to pull them apart, but he wouldn't touch the corn snake or go in with the goats, but Arianne jumped at the opportunity.

Ellie loves animals. She just squeals with delight when she sees one, but she likes her distance too. When an animal comes close to her she does this laugh/cry thing, She doesn't know whether or not she is happy or scared.

Rough week...

2008-07-22T00:09:00.001-06:00

It has been a rough week (which Is why I haven't posted lately), but things seem to be getting back to normal. A week ago Sunday, I took Ellie into the emergency room, because she had had fevers of 104 degrees and had been vomiting, for a couple of days. After a several few different tests, she was diagnosed with a pretty severe urinary tract infection, to the point that they thought it might be in her kidneys. They gave her about a liter of I.V. fluids, because she was beginning to dehydrate from having a high fever and vomiting. They gave her a prescription for antibiotics and sent us on our way. I thought that it would be smooth sailing from there, but I was wrong. Ellie continued to fever, and throw-up, when she got really hot. On Tuesday, she had a rectal temperature of nearly 105 (talk about scary, but thank goodness for ibuprofen and tylenol). On Wednesday, when I took her into the doctor, the doctor couldn't figure out why she wasn't healing quicker, so they put a catheter in her so that they could take another urinalysis (to see if she still had infection) and they also gave her two antibiotic shots to try to boost her recovery. Luckily, the shots seemed to help because she hasn't fevered since and by Saturday she seemed to be back to her normal self. Since, urinary tract infections are kind of rare in someone as young as Ellie, they have to do a couple of tests to make sure that there is nothing physically abnormal causing the UTI. She had a renal ultrasound last Thursday and everything looked normal and at the end of the month she is going to have a VCUG done, which is when they insert a catheter into her and they shoot dye into her and then take a few x-rays to check for reflux of the urine (making sure that the bladder empties properly). I'm hoping that Ellie's UTI was just some fluke occurrence that will never happen again. It was so hard to see Ellie in so much pain and it was so stressful to try to get her to eat and drink, when if it were up to her she wouldn't have eaten anything the whole week and would have only drank one cup of liquid a day. Anyway, this was one of those weeks that I questioned my desire to have anymore kids, not because I don't love my kids, but because I love them so much and it kills me to see them so sick and feel like I don't have any control over the situation. It was so hard to see Ellie in so much pain and to not know why she wasn't getting better. Anyway, things are feeling more normal now and I feel like I can function again.

Happy Birthday Ellie!!!

2008-07-21T23:28:00.000-06:00

Ellie turned two years old last week. It is hard for me to believe that my baby is two. I love my little Ellie so much. She is such a blessing to our home. Ellie is my little mimicker, she will try to copy anything that she sees anyone do. The other day I was walking backwards for some reason and the next thing I know Ellie is walking backwards, too. The only thing she doesn't try to mimic is speech. By the age of two Malachi and Arianne were speaking in sentences, but Ellie isn't quite there yet. But, I decided that she is probably the smartest, because I really think that she knows how to talk but she chooses not to, because she knows that we will expect more from her if she talked more. Right now she really never gets in trouble for anything, because I still think of her as being a baby.

Ellie wasn't in the best of moods and so Malachi decided that he would try out Ellie's new birthday blocks.

Poor Ellie. This is pretty much how she felt for the majority of her birthday. While we were singing "Happy Birthday" to her, I wanted to cry because I felt bad that she couldn't have had a happier birthday.

ELLIE'S FIRST YEAR
This a collage of pictures from Ellie's first year of life.

ELLIE'S SECOND YEAR
A collage of Ellie's second year of life (I don't know if her hair has grown at all this year).

Memories...

2008-07-10T10:32:00.000-06:00

Memory Lane...I got this from a friend's blog. I thought it would be fun! I hope you will play along. Here are the directions:

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments.

The Fourth of July!!!

2008-07-06T23:41:00.000-06:00

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Fourth of July, we sure did (for the most part). The kids, especially Malachi, have been so excited to go to the parade and watch the fireworks, so they didn't mind waking up earlier than usual so that we could get a good spot to watch the parade. We were sitting at the beginning of the parade and so the kids got a ton of candy. I think that I am pretty competitive by nature, so I was encouraging them to get as much candy as they could and when it was all over I wondered why I encouraged them to get so much candy, because I don't really want them to eat it and I'm not a fan of hard candy (now if it were chocolate it would be a different story).

In the bottom right corner is a picture of Malachi holding some of the candy he collected at the parade. I tried my hardest to get him to look at me, but this is as close as he got. He couldn't take his eyes off of the parade in fear that he might miss the opportunity to get more candy.

Down below are some pictures as we were waiting for the fireworks to start, we played some croquet. You can't go wrong with a game of croquet...

I wish that I could say that our day had a good ending... A few minutes into the fireworks a fight broke out, a little ways in front of us. It started as a verbal, yelling, fight (I don't think that I have ever heard so much swearing in my life) and then it turned into a physical fight with a little shoving and then next thing we know these two guys are rolling around on the ground beating on each other. At one point there was even talk of killing. I don't think that anyone wanted to try to stop the fight out of fear that they might become the target, and so Roger called the cops. Four cops showed up and they were there for less than five minutes and what did they do to the guys that were fighting? NOTHING! They didn't even get their i.d. from them. As the cops were leaving, Roger went up to them asking why they weren't doing anything, and the cops said that the guys that were fighting were family and that they said that it was just a verbal argument (which any of the hundred witnesses around would have said differently) and then Roger asked why they weren't even given a "disturbing the peace" ticket and the cops said that he could do that, but it wouldn't do any good. So these guys got away with ruining every one's fireworks show, not to mention all the kids around that were crying, because they were so scared. Not anything against cops in general, but I have yet to be impressed with any around here.

Vacation in Utah

2008-07-02T10:43:00.000-06:00

We were in Utah for ten days (which is why I haven't posted anything lately). We had a wedding, a baby blessing, a family reunion, and more to go to while we down there. I would have to say that the highlight of the trip was when we all got the stomach flu. It started a week ago Monday when we were at a party at my parent's house and Ellie just wasn't happy and she wouldn't eat anything and then the next thing we knew she was throwing up all over my parent's stairs (sorry mom and dad). And then on the way home she threw-up all over her car seat (which was a lot of fun to clean up). Two days later, we were at our friend's, Lindsey and Jay's house, and Arianne hadn't been eating all day and I could tell that she wasn't feeling good and so I took her outside and she ended up throwing-up on their lawn (sorry Lindsey and Jay). On the way home, Arianne threw-up three more times and by this time I was feeling pretty sick and I threw-up once (I am happy to say that none of it got in our van, this time). It took us two hours to get from Salt Lake to Ogden, because of all of our stops. Roger and Malachi got sick during the night, poor Roger got it the worst, throwing up at least ten times. It was only about a twenty-four hour flu so luckily it didn't interfere with anything we were supposed to go to.
One of my best friends got married on the 21st of June up at the Solitude Ski Resort in Salt Lake City. It was a beautiful wedding. Kristina and I were roommates in college and we also ran hurdles together for Weber State. Congratulations Tim and Kristina!

Doesn't Kristina look Beautiful? In the top right is a picture of friends that I hurdled with in college. It was a fun reunion to be able to see a lot of old friends.

While I was at Kristina's wedding, I had my friend Cecilee take a picture of Roger and I. It is sad, I don't think that I have a picture of just Roger and I since before we had kids. Thanks Cec.

While we were in Utah, my friend Cecilee's husband, Jeff, blessed their new baby Kamree. They now have three beautiful girls.

I thought this was the cutest picture. Ellie is holding her little cousin Lily (my sister Candace's second girl).

While we were in Utah, we went swimming in my parent's pool. The kids had a blast. They probably won't think that our little swimming pool is much fun any more. The bottom left picture is a picture of Maddie (my sister Candace's oldest), my brother Elijah, Arianne, my brother Levi, and Malachi.

While we were in Utah we had the Davies' family reunion. It was close to 100 degrees, but we were still able to have fun. In the top left is a picture of Malachi and Arianne in the cake walk. On the top right is when Arianne and had just won and she was going with Roger to redeem her prize. Doesn't she look excited?

Here is a picture of Rich (Roger's older brother) and his two girls Kate and Isabelle, Malachi, Ellie, Arianne, and Roger.

Roger showing that he still has some trampoline skills, doing a back flip. I was pretty impressed, I guess I shouldn't be, I mean he was a cheerleader in college.

Arianne and Ellie trying on Grandma Lulla's (my mom) reading glasses.

Summer fun (finally)!

2008-06-19T23:25:00.000-06:00

We are so happy that the weather is finally good. We have tried to take advantage of the good weather this week, by going swimming twice. It got a little too hot for the kids, so they decided to hang out in the shade and enjoy an ice cream cone.

Here is a picture of Ellie just kick'n back, literally, and relaxing. I never knew that a lawn chair could be so comfortable, I am going to have to try this position out.

It was kind of hot and so Arianne decided she needed a drink and so she used a squirt gun to relieve her thirst. Aren't my children brilliant?

Arianne and Malachi invented a new way of swinging. Malachi is on his belly and Arianne is sitting on top of him. Looks like fun (for Arianne, at least). It might also be a good way to perform the Heimlich maneuver. Don't mind Arianne's nice hair-do. I really do do her hair, but within a couple of hours, she usually has taken anything that I have put in her hair, out.

Cookie Fun

2008-06-15T23:20:00.000-06:00

The kids, especially Malachi, have been begging me to make "Christmas cookies" otherwise known as sugar cookies. Making sugar cookies is a rarity in our house, which is why they are called "Christmas cookies". But, I finally gave in. After making them, I realized why we don't make them very often, because of the huge MESS! Not only does it dirty the counters and a ton of dishes, but the floor was covered in flour and little pieces of dough. And of course the kids somehow managed to get covered in flour and frosting. But, we all had a lot of fun and it is a was a great opportunity for a lot of cute pictures.

Here is a picture of Ellie, covered in flour. She figured that she wasn't quite as dirty as she would like to be, so she decided to climb on the counter so that she could become, fully, covered in flour.

As you can see from these pictures, the kids are in different clothing, that is because I decided to split our cookie fun into two days,the cutting and baking on one day and the frosting on the next. I did it this way, mainly, so that the mess could be two, not so huge, messes.

Don't they make it look like so much fun...

I know I am a horrible mom, I didn't notice that Ellie was sucking on the butter knife until after I had taken the picture, but I still thought it was a cute picture.

These cookie are so delicious, if you like soft sugar cookies, so I thought I would share the recipe just in case anyone was interested.

SOUR CREAM CUT OUT COOKIES

2 cubes margarine (don't use butter)
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 Tbsp. baking powder
5 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt

directions: Cream margarine (softened), sugar, and eggs. Add the vanilla and the sour cream. Add all of the rest of the ingredients. Dough will be sticky, so roll out in little pieces. Flour your board well. Roll dough out 1/3 to 1/2 inch thick and then cut into desired shapes. Bake at 350 degrees for approx. 10 minutes on an non-greased cookie sheet. (when I take them out they are cooked through but they aren't browned at all yet, but bake as you prefer). Cool, frost, and enjoy.

They prefer to dress themselves

2008-06-09T23:30:00.000-06:00

Arianne prefers to wear at least four outfits through out the day. Her favorite things to wear are dresses, skirts, and swimsuits (how much more girly can you get?). And as you can see from this picture, she doesn't even care if what she wears is a Christmas outfit in June, not to mention that she always has her shoes on the wrong feet and insists that they are on the right feet. Ellie, doesn't usually take off what I have given her to wear, but she does like to put layers on top of the clothes she already has on (someone must have told her that layers are in style). In the picture above she has added a onsie type shirt around her waste and has a jacket on that is meant for a nine month old. Malachi isn't too into dressing himself. Most of the time I have to set out his clothes and beg him to get dressed, but this morning he did dress himself. He found what is probably his favorite shirt (his Batman shirt) but is really too small for him and if you look closely there is a hole in the middle of the shirt, plus he put on his most worn out pair of shorts which are frayed all around the bottoms.

"How sweet"

2008-06-09T23:15:00.000-06:00

Roger took this picture earlier today. I don't know that this has ever happened, where all three of the kids have fallen asleep in the same place (well, maybe in the car). Malachi and Arianne hardly ever take naps, so that made this moment even more rare. They were all looking at books together and they ended up falling asleep. The funny part is that Malachi ended up being the one that took the longest nap, which ended up being about three hours long (wouldn't that be nice).

Future American Idol?

2008-06-06T19:41:00.000-06:00

Arianne is our little singer and dancer. She puts on performances like this all of the time. She makes up all of the songs that she sings or does her own rendition of songs that already exist. Arianne has quite the fun personality. I could sit and watch her little performances, for hours, because every one is so different.

Happy 1/2 Birthday Malachi!

2008-06-06T19:13:00.000-06:00

I decided to have a 1/2 birthday party for Malachi on June 5th (which is exactly 6 months before his birthday). I always feel bad for Malachi, because his birthday is so close to Christmas, and then he has to wait twelve whole months until he gets presents again. He loves Christmas and his birthday so much (like every kid) and so all year long he asks how long it is before his birthday or Christmas comes again. I also gave him a party because the only birthday party that he has had is when he turned one year old (I know I'm a bad mom). And I thought birthday parties are more fun and easier when they are outside. Malachi had a blast. I think from now on when I give him a birthday party I will do it in June.

All of the games that the kids played at the party had to do with water. We played Malachi's favorite fishing game (when we go to church carnivals) where the kids throw their fishing line over a fishing wall and then the person behind the wall attaches a prize. We played a game where you see how many balls you can get into the bowls that are floating in the swimming pool. And there was a game where the kids threw water balloons at a target, which some of the balloons "accidentally" hit people.

Fun at the Dunes

2008-06-06T17:55:00.000-06:00

Grandma and Grandpa Davies brought their four-wheeler up this week. On Wednesday we went to the St. Anthony sand dunes. Above are some pictures of Roger showing off his four-wheeling skills. I was impressed, but at the same time I was a little scared (maybe a lot)to ride with him, but he was nice and stayed on all four wheels when we went together.

top left: Malachi having fun sliding down the sand dunes, head first.
top right: Malachi and Roger getting ready to go for a ride (Malachi's first ride on dunes).
bott. left: Roger and Malachi just got back from their ride (Arianne wanted to be in the picture too). Malachi said that it was a little scary.
bott. right: The best of buds, Grandpa Davies and Malachi. After a couple of hours we got smart and had Malachi wear goggles all of the time, because the wind was blowing at about 30 miles per hour, so he was constantly rubbing his eyes because of all of the sand that was blowing in them.

When we got home from the sand dunes, I realized that I didn't get any pictures of Ellie while we were there (mainly because it was so cold from the wind that she was in our van most of the time with, Grandma Davies)so the next day I took this picture of all of the kids, so that I could have one of Ellie on the 4-wheeler.

Saturday Evening Getaway

2008-06-01T23:44:00.000-06:00

Saturday morning Roger worked in the yard for several hours and I worked in the house. After all of our hard work, Roger came up with the fabulous idea of going to our nearest mountain (Kelly Canyon about 50 minutes away) and barbecuing. So, we packed up and headed out. It was so beautiful and refreshing to be in the mountains. After our wonderful barbecue that Roger put on, steak for mom and dad and hot dogs for the kids, we hiked around and let Malachi lead the way.

The kids, also, enjoyed our getaway. They had a lot of fun just running around and doing all the things that kids like doing, like getting dirty. Malachi's favorite thing was to climb on rocks and throw rocks (I think that throwing things is a natural instinct for boys).

We told Malachi not to go up this steep trail, so what does he do? He went up the trail. Roger and I both told him to come down, but he just pretended like he couldn't hear us. Finally, Roger yelled up to Malachi, "Don't let the bears eat you." The next thing we know, Malachi is running back down the trail.

Extreme "Bed Head"

2008-05-29T15:26:00.000-06:00

This is Ellie, every morning. I can't help but laugh when I get her out of her crib. I am hoping that when her hair gets longer it won't be quite as bad (Ellie isn't a big fan of getting it combed out).

-Yummy, Almond Poppy Seed Bread-

2008-05-29T13:27:00.000-06:00

I found this recipe on the internet a few years ago, it is by far my favorite Poppy Seed Bread recipe and it is so easy. I just made some yesterday (as seen in the picture above) and it was so moist and delicious. Note: if you don't want it to be so sweet, then don't add the glaze.

--batter--
3 cups flour
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 tbs. poppy seeds
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/8 cups oil
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 tsp. almond extract

--glaze--
1/4 cup orange juice
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. almond extract

Directions: Mix all batter ingredients in a large bowl (I like to mix the dry ingredients and then mix the wet into the dry). Pour the batter into two well greased and floured loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Let cool for 5 minutes. Blend glaze ingredient. Pour over the loaves after they have cooled for the five minutes. Cool loaves for five more minutes, then remove loaves from pan

"Rain, rain, go away..."

2008-05-27T11:34:00.000-06:00

Roger took this picture on the corner of our lot, last Saturday. It rained all day long and the drain, on our corner, got clogged with debris, so the water pooled up.

Roger said that this guy kept driving back and forth through the water. It must have been a lot of fun. I definitely wouldn't want to stand on the sidewalk while a car goes by.

Super Heroes in Action

2008-05-27T11:10:00.000-06:00

On the left is my youngest brother, Elijah, who is only ten months older than Malachi. Malachi and Elijah love dressing up as super heoroes together. While I was taking this picture, I asked them what they were doing, and they told me that they were digging for treasures.

Here is Arianne dressed in a "Batgirl" cape (I got into trouble when I called it a "Batman" cape). Arianne loves to read books to herself. She makes up the funniest stories. I love it.

Way to go Chelsie!

2008-05-27T10:57:00.000-06:00

My youngest sister, Chelsie, graduated from high school, last week.

These are some of Chelsie's senior pictures, that I took (taking pictures is one of my favorite hobbies). Isn't she beautiful? Congratulations Chelsie!

Happy Birthday Roger!

2008-05-26T08:10:00.000-06:00

We celebrated Roger's 34th birthday a couple of weeks ago. The kids and I surprised Roger at work with some balloons and cookies. I think that the kids enjoyed the balloons more than Roger. Malachi is already talking about which balloons he wants for his birthday

The Dandelion King

2008-05-26T08:03:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago the kids and I took a walk to the post office to drop off a few Mother's Day cards. The whole way, Malachi was picking dandelions out of every one's yard (I figured that no one would mind if they were missing some dandelions in their yard, I know I wouldn't). The walk ended up taking ten times longer than it usually would have, but it was worth it to get these cute pictures. I couldn't believe how many dandelions he was able to hold

Aren't they cute?

2008-05-26T07:49:00.000-06:00

This is a picture that I took, of my kids, on Easter. They all looked so cute in their Easter clothes.

My Greatest Joy

2008-05-25T22:13:00.000-06:00

I love my kids. I am so thankful to Roger, for his hard work, to enable me to stay at home with my three little kids. I love being able to stay home with them and to watch them learn and grow. I can honestly say that I never have a boring day or an easy day, but I absolutely love it

Everyone else is doing it...

2008-05-14T23:03:00.000-06:00

In the last few months I have received a lot of emails saying that everyone is starting a blog, and I enjoy looking at everyone's blogs, so much, that I decided to start one myself. So, hopefully all of you will enjoy my blog as much as I enjoy yours.