don't worry Little Debbie, I'll be back

It's been awhile! I haven't had anything blogworthy, exciting, relevant or even stimulating enough to get me going with a new post. I can't say that today holds much promise but I'll give it my all.


Tidbits of information:

* All kids are healthy and happy. Thank goodness for that. Something in the antibiotics must have altered Ashlyn's personality a bit - she used to only argue and fuss at Clayson but now, Trey is her victim. Those two go at it over everything. I swear I am going to put the third seat up in my SUV and have one in the "way back", one in the middle and one in the front. Right after school.

* My friend Jennifer and I have been delegated to coach our A girls' soccer team. This ought to be fun. At least they are little enough to think we know what we are doing and what we are talking about. We'll start practicing next week and have our first game on March 7th, hoping we aren't playing against an amateur team of five year olds from Terrell. The exciting part is coming up with the team name - Sassy Sidekicks - and the jersey and sock colors and more importantly the cute ribbon for hairbows.

* I have decided to start working out, not even that - just exercising. I don't know what came over me but I have got to go with it for as long as it lasts. It may be that Jared has bought the P90X program and wants me to do that with him and the fact that he wants to eat healthy and not eat junk. I can't go to all that extreme but I can walk, do bleachers, not drink as many cokes and maybe not have the swiss cake rolls nightly. It's only been two days - which is pretty close to setting the record for my commital. No amount of exercise and eating right will take the place of my bathing suit cover up though. No matter what.

* I have been depriving Facebook, Myspace, my DVR recordings and my iPhone all because of reading Twilight. I started it about a week ago and if it weren't for laundry, cooking, cleaning, helping kids with homework, gymnastics, basketball practice and more cleaning - I probably would have already been through. It's such a good book. I am anxious to get through with this first one and on to the next. Who would have thought that I would enjoy reading about a hot vampire - not typically my type of fiction. It has captivated me and I look forward to my nightly reading - even more so than the swiss cake rolls.

* It seems as if has been such a long time since we have had any time out of school, wait a minute it has been since Christmas. And Spring Break in two weeks still seems so distant. We all need a break so bad.

So, as you can see, things are going at the Davis house. We are anxiously awaiting the birth of a miniature baby donkey, basketball season to end and soccer season to start. Honestly, could we handle any more excitement?!

these bugs bite

The flu bug, the strep throat bug and the bronchitis bug - yep, they invaded our home. But with a little help from some antibiotics and over the counter cough medicine I think they may be on their way out. Good riddance. How many times in one week can I wash all the blankets, pillowcases, sheets and any other materialistic item that may have germs in hot water? A bunch. Three doctor visits, all Sprites labeled so no one drinks after the other and no sharing any thing. It's been a long two weeks but I can finally say that we are on the up and up with everyone going back to school tomorrow. CISD will be glad to have that money back in their pockets.

whatta week

Friday the 13th.

Week from you know where.

Two checks in the amount of $25 to cover the copays.

A weekend with nothing planned, priceless.

When I last blogged, everyone was just puny and I tried to make it all about me but I recovered the same day that I felt sick. Thank goodness. For one, I am running out of days to take off and two, someone has to cook, clean, do the laundry and make sure the kids take showers.

Monday - all is well and gymnastics was fine.

Tuesday - Clayson wakes up with headache and stomachache and stays home from school with Jared. (Thank goodness Jared's on one day, off two days work schedule has worked out most of this week).

Wednesday: I am sick and when mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy - except three kids that get to stay home from school because mama can't get them there.

Wednesday night: Trey is laying on the couch with a fever. Dum-dadum-dum-duuuuum.

Throughout the night Wednesday/ Thursday morning: Trey has a croupy cough, sore throat, fever and he is wandering around between upstairs, downstairs, the couch and my room. Little to no sleep for either of us.

Thursday: I know that Trey needs to go to the doctor so I call on my way to work and leave Jared's number for them to call and schedule the appointment with him. He gets Trey in and he has a confirmed case of the flu. (We have to use the word confirmed for numbers at school.) On the way to Wal-Mart (after school), Ashlyn tells me that her ears hurt when she swallows, burps and yawns. I go ahead and call the doctor and make her an appointment for Friday.

Friday: Trey stays home, the rest of us head to school with cake balls for the teachers and nurses and Valentine cards for the friends. We have Valentine parties - have I mentioned that I despise class parties - I have bus duty and then rush off to the doctor to meet Mamaw and Ashlyn. Her ears were hurting and so I figured that I could be a big girl and handle the appointment. Nobody has ever told me about swabbing the throat. It was so sad and comes in a close second to the needles. I hope I never have to hold her in place for that ever again. I guess I should have tuned in when the nurse said to be sure and hold her still because if she moves, she'll have to do it again and there would be no way Ashlyn would let her get back in her mouth. Great. Thanks. She did it so quickly but Ashlyn cried and it was sad. Those test results came back positive for strep throat and she does have an ear infection. Thank goodness it's Friday and after we get the prescription we are headed home. And, shout out to the crock pot for cooking dinner. *Ashlyn swears the nurse stuck a popsicle stick down her throat. And, she wanted to know if she would be on an IV.

So, here it is Friday evening and we are all resting and look forward to remaining on the couches, watching TV and sipping on chicken noodle soup.

one more day

I stayed home today because of a pounding headache and other things just not feeling quite right. I was certain I could not teach prime factorization or layers of the soil in this state of illness so I called in for a sub. Not only could I not teach, but I could not open my eyes without them burning or walk standing up straight which meant that I could not get the kids up, ready and to school. Since Jared was already at the fire station, my only choice was to go back to bed and to leave them sleeping as well. I truly wished it could have worked out where they could have gone especially when I had to yell at them from downstairs (which increases the pounding of the headache) and at other times that they needed something to eat (and I had to stand up straight to walk). Poor, pitiful me. Laying around all day and two jet bubble baths later, I still don't feel quite right and now Trey is running fever. It's a vicious cycle my friends.

I would try to think of something uplifting to include in this blog but nothing comes to mind. It's been a downer week after reading many blogs with many families suffering and hearing a friend share stories from a college friend who lost her little girl to cancer. I will have to say that people going through such things that have the utmost faith in God and the strength to go on are my heroes. Here I complain about common illnesses with cures while there are those out there only hoping for another day with their precious children. It weighs heavy on my heart, as my friend Allison blogged. We need to cherish each day and love our children because we are not promised tomorrow.

something's infected

Illness is running rampant at CISD. I had five to seven kids out every day last week and it seems that most of them started with the headache and then their immune system went downhill from there with fevers, coughing, sore throats and the generalistic - they just did not feel good. I must have one heck of an immune system because in all my years of teaching, I don't catch what is going around and thankfully, neither do my kids. I always say I am too mean to get sick. I have one heck of a set of white blood cells.

Trey was sick a lot as a baby with RSV and asthma and he would have flare ups until he was five but since then he has been as healthy as a horse (who knew horses were so healthy) with an innocent heart murmur. Clayson is like me, we just don't get sick. Jared has sinus issues and believe me when he is sick, we all know about it and he cannot function (but that could be a whole nother blog men vs. women - not going there on here, just on the phone with friends). Ashlyn tends to get the common cold but nothing that wipes her out or keeps her down for long. This past week she has been running random fevers but does not really act "sick". She's a little less perky but she is still entertaining, playing, crafting and changing outfits often enough to rule out the flu. Nothing hurts but she is coughing. With the fever I know something is going on, I just hope the tylenol cold and motrin help her kick the infection this weekend. We are laying low and staying away from other kids - that's just common sense. Some parents have it, some parents don't.

Today was truly satisfying. We went to basketball and were finished with that by 11:30 and then I had the rest of the day to contemplate what I wanted to get done and when to do it. I loved not having to revolve the day around anything. I have a feeling that tomorrow will be more of the same. With Ashlyn feverish we will stay home from church and since Clayson is at his Mimi's, I won't be yelling at 7:30 for him to stay in his room until at least 8:30. We might get to sleep in and sleep is good medicine. I need a dose of rest, that's for sure.

who needs webster's or weir's furniture

It's been two years - no lie - since we have had a dinner table. There was not room for one in the love shack and Jared insisted that he was going to build a cedar one for the new house. It hasn't happened yet and since his mom and dad were getting rid of the one that they had, I gladly accepted the hand-me-down with the pretty buffet. Jared says it is only a matter of time before he gets one going and the chairs will have deer hide cushions. I can't wait. Not only do these deer stare at me from the shop freezer but soon I can rest my rump on them. Have I told you that he is going to taxidermy school in March - my house is bound to become full of dead things. So much to look forward to.

I was telling you about the dinner table. Last night we had our first family dinner away from the couches and the TV. It was exciting to set the table instead of the normal buffet that I set up on the bar. It also inspired me to consider a chore chart for the children that includes nightly kitchen duty. Can life get any better?

Around the table:
* Ashlyn was talking about Jesus being God's son and Trey quickly corrected her by saying that they are both the same person. Knowing the extent of this concept and the young audience, I thought this conversation would end just as quickly as it started but how it ended could not have surprised me more. Trey told Ashlyn that it was like Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus are the same. Wow! It made such perfect sense. No wonder Jesus wants us to come to Him like little children.
* There was also conversations about working out, eating healthy, drinking less coke and why no one eats the tomatoes in the rotel. But none were as enlightening as Trey's big revelation.

Some say she is smart and cute and I agree. I also know that she is highly entertaining. I am referring to my five year old daughter. Here are some recent things I don't ever want to forget.

Ashlyn-isms:
She throws around extensive vocabulary in her conversations and here are some of the most recent words, definitions and how it can or was used in a sentence.
1.) guilty: you think you have a lot of money but you don't or you think you have a lot of toys but you don't. The other day she told me she was mad at a friend and she was guilty.
2.) instanding: you're horrible. My mama is outstanding but Clayson and Trey are instanding.
3.) hoarse/ horse: when you are sick or your throat hurts you have a horse. Ashlyn told her Mimi that she was sick and she had a horse.
4.) deserve: what you want. I deserve corn and green beans and a piece of pizza. I am not kidding order me some cheese pizza.

Last Friday they celebrated the 100th day of school and Ashlyn was certain that she was going to 1st grade on Monday or it was summer time. After all, you don't just throw a party unless some big change is going to come out of it.

She just now got under a blanket in the recliner and said she is back to hibernating.

This little girl rocks my world!

yes...

Yes, I have three kids. Yes, they make me happy. Yes, they make me crazy. Yes, they make my life worth living. Yes, I love them. Yes, I stay busy. Yes, they all have the same daddy. And sadly, yes, they are growing up.

Here's proof.

* CLAYSON * 11 YEARS OLD* FIRST BORN * YOUNG MAN *

I have found evidence of him growing up in his bathroom and in his pants pockets, in his emails and in his independence. At Wal-Mart he insisted that I buy him a can of hair spray to keep in his bathroom. He carries around a small bottle of cologne in his pocket. He never argues about taking a shower and even takes one on nights we might be "clean enough" not to. His break-up email to a girl was so sweet and worded so well, maybe he writes like his mama but lets hope he has the compassion of his daddy. And, I let him drive my car down to the end of the road to manage the gate. It may in part be due to my laziness but I'd like to think I am encouraging and strengthening his independence. He's almost to the point of being a preteen and I can't believe it. He has grown up so fast. The memories of him as a baby and a biter are so vivid and seem like yesterday.

* TREY* NINE YEARS OLD* MIDDLE CHILD

* MY LITTLE BOY*

Trey is as easy going as they come. There is so much about him that has changed so far this year- from the fact that he can make his own oatmeal, put the milk up after he has poured it (and not spilled any), more often than not puts up his dirty clothes and even his aggression and risk-taking on the basketball court has increased. He loves playing basketball and is quick to get from one end of the court to the next. He will shoot the ball if he's open - and even attempted a three pointer in the last game :0). It takes a bit to get him motivated or involved in things but once he is he becomes pretty dedicated to the task at hand. He's a big, bad, third grader and is gonna rock the TAKS tests this year.

* ASHLYN* FIVE YEARS OLD* YOUNGEST

* OUR BABY GIRL*

I don't even know where to start with this one. All I know that if I had had her before the boys, I would have worried about their progress. She was a quick talker, a fast learner and has the memory of an elephant. Her newest thing is playing games with her daddy - they play Trouble and CandyLand and to hear him try to reason the rules with her is priceless. She is stubborn and he is a rule follower. She does not like to lose. She also loves to read and is becoming very fluent. I have never even considered having another baby but seeing this baby grow up sure makes it hard to know that those infant and toddler years are behind us. I am just thankful that she still likes to be held and is so very loving.

As the kids grow up life becomes easier, it gets busier and memories become precious.
Yes, I am blessed.