the envelope, please

No, it's not the swine flu keeping me up tonight. The headache isn't even related to the symptoms of this powerful epidemic. (Can I say just one time that this swine flu is overrated?! The media has gone crazy, schools are going on swine break, sports are cancelled and I bet Germ-X is far from bankruptcy. Anyone got stock in this company? ) I do not plan to cancel my trip to Cozumel.

Tonight, I am sweating the small stuff. But, it's not really small. And, it's not stuff. Actually, I am not literally sweating. Let's just say that my future is in a white envelope to be delivered tomorrow afternoon. From there I have two choices - get bitter or get better.

Next year our 3A school will split into three Elementary campuses and tomorrow we find out which campus we will teach at. My 5th grade team will be split up. I don't like change.

I am giving this to God. His hand has been in all the decision making and He has never let me down. I pray that things go well when that white envelope is opened. It not only affects me, it also affects Ashlyn and Trey. Help me to remember that there is a reason for everything.

I'm busy, don't get me wrong.

There are many things that I love to do. Not talking about with the kids or even with the friends or family. I'm talking about things that take my mind off all of the laundry and cleaning that needs to be done - blogging, facebook, twittering. I am also talking about things that remove me from being seen - taking a bath with a good book (and a fresh swiss cake roll with a cold coke). And there are things that take my mind off of everything - the many shows that I enjoy watching. I enjoy my time. Some of you might think that I find this time frequently. And, I do. So many times I might say to someone that they need to join Facebook, they need to read my blog and/or they need to start a blog and that they ought to try reading in the bath with a good snack and a cold drink. The typical response - how do you have time to do that and/or I don't have time for that. Folks, I have three kids - two that are involved in extra-curricular activities, a two story house, an inside puppy, a full-time job and a husband and I find the time. And, believe it or not, nothing gets neglected.

My schedule goes a little something like this:

Sunday: church, rest, finish up laundry

Monday: the kids stay at the inlaws until around 8:00, I will play softball on Mondays that it is not rained out

Tuesday: there is usually a baseball game or baseball practice

Wednesday: kids go to church with Mimi, I do and put away all laundry

Thursday: gymnastics, soccer practice (when convenient) and baseball

Friday: sometimes baseball

Saturday: soccer game, clean the house, start the laundry to be continued on Sunday



* the house gets picked up on a daily basis, towels are washed as needed and the kids must take showers every night



So, it's not that I sit at the computer or spend hours in the tub - I just work it in inbetween cleaning, laundry, soccer, baseball, cooking dinner/cleaning dinner, getting school clothes ready, packing a lunch and raising three amazing children. My laptop and I are tight - we hang out in the kitchen while cooking dinner, in the bed while watching shows and sometimes in the living room but it is not allowed to go into the bathroom with me. I'm pretty sure Toshiba is allergic to water.



So, there you have it. I can be a mom, wife, teacher and friend all while finding time to do the random things that I enjoy.

ice, ice baby

Trey's birthday party was at the Dr. Pepper StarCenter, where the kids all got to ice skate - most for the first time. They spent most of the time down on the ice but had a good time getting cold and wet. Trey never really got a grip on it, Clayson is long and lanky and had a hard time getting up but Ashlyn caught on and when she did fall, she bounced right back up and went for more.

Yes, Jared and I even got out there and skated our groove thangs.

It has been an action packed weekend: circus, soccer and a birthday party. Here's to a Sunday slow down.

p.s. check out the other two current blogs from the weekend, just below this one.

give the girl a stage * she will perform

Ashlyn was a part of the 36th annual Crandall Kindergarten Circus. She chose to be an acrobat and has looked forward to the big night since the sign-ups three weeks ago. This is Ashlyn on stage singing her heart out and sneaking in a wave to her fans.

These are some of Ashlyn's friends. Kindergarten friends, preschool friends and soccer friends.

Ashlyn with her principal, her amazing teacher and the nurse that she loves. (Yes, she was crying in the last picture because she was afraid that some people had left after the show and she wasn't going to get to see them. She soon put her happy face back on.)

After practicing many running cartwheels in the house, in the shop, at grandparent's houses and in any grassy area - she decided to do front rolls. What?!


Introducing herself. You go girl!

*

We had a great time at the circus with many laughs and many proud moments. It was an event that will go down in history along with the memories of Clayson being a basketball player and Trey being a clown.

blue eyes and bluebonnets

Here's a "photo shoot" before heading to be an acrobat at the Kindergarten Circus. That post is coming soon.

overheard and all over the place

Warning: this post is to be filled with random, passing thoughts along with a digital visit of the Davis pets. Please be advised that my thought processes come and go and if you, too, have trouble staying focused - you may not notice my flightiness.

Let's just say that I took some notes on my way home from running errands today. Notes about the conversations in the back seat. Evidently, my children are as random as me. Naturally.

I'll start with my notes. (I just had Trey and Ashlyn. Ashlyn had gymnastics, Trey was going to get to spend his birthday money and Clayson stayed home to go to baseball practice.)

Conversation between Trey and I.

T: Mama, what do you have to do to make history and get your own landmark?

M: You have to do something historical.

... boy am I smart.

(* The first thought that popped into my head was a quote by Marilyn Monroe that I find amusing: "Well behaved women rarely make history". But, I didn't think this was something to share with my ten year old based mostly on my explanation of his original question *)


Conversation between Trey and Ashlyn.
Trey convinced Ashlyn that mean teachers are the best. Maybe I have taught him something.

I have a new hobby. I am twittering. Even my View friends and my Kidd Kraddick in the Morning friends twitter. Gah. It is a way to be heard and to say the random, silly thoughts that are always passing through my mind. Maybe I missed my calling to be a comedian. Not. Twittering just fills the void of always wanting to write. I am sure no one cares what I am doing. But, it is there for my blog viewers to see. Feel free to become a follower - despite the fact that your mom always told you not to be a follower.

Animal Farm - we are just as entertaining as the movie
Apparently, we are in the pet business around here. And for those of you that know me, can I get a what, what?! Donkeys on the front porch (literally), a pup all over the house sprinkling and pooing, the continuing growth of fish in a fish aquarium, a couple of dogs sneaking in the back door when someone leaves it open, and we mustn't forget the deer. Trey loves the animals, it's just the feeding and cleaning up after them that he does not enjoy. Go figure. Here's a nice collage of these dog-gone animals. Guess which one is always "hanging" around the living room.

10*ten*TEN*tEn*10

TREY WILLIAM DAVIS

April 20, 1999

6lbs. 12 oz.

19 inches long

One year old


Two years old


Three years old

Four years old

Five years old


Six years old

Seven years old

Eight years old

Nine years old

And, as of today

ten years old

Happy Birthday Trey-boy! You have brought so much joy into our lives. You bless us with your sweet and loving personality, your quirky grin and all that you are. You'll always be our baby boy.

weekend wrap-up

It has been a good weekend.

* Saturday I had plans to do a whole lot of nothing but ended up washing clothes and bed sheets. That took all day but I did manage to rest inbetween loads. We experienced the death of two fish. Ashlyn says the reason that they were floating was because they got tired of swimming. She has the answer for everything.

* Saturday night I hired a sitter - which the kids loved and even asked if she could come back - while I met some teaching friends and old friends for a nice dinner at Texas Roadhouse. I even squeezed in the dreaded trip to Wal-Mart while the kids were at home. There is nothing like the freedom of only having to keep up with the buggy and the buggy does not ask for anything. Rock on.

* Today I took a little nap and for the life of me cannot figure out why naps make me feel terrible. I always feel nauseous and have no appetite when I get up and it lasts at least two hours. This would be the perfect diet. A nap a day might rid my desire to snack and could maybe even replace a meal. I am not sure my family could tolerate this grumpiness on a daily basis.

* Tonight the family went to El Fenix downtown to have dinner with my dad and Trey for their birthday celebration. My dad and Trey share an April 20th birthday. Mom, dad, Mamaw, Papaw, Jason, Megan and my crew met there and had a delicious dinner and interesting activites - led by Uncle Jason. (In case you are wondering, by the time the food came, my appetite was back.) Trey hates, and I do mean hates, when he is the center of attention and had already told us NOT to tell them it was his birthday. Like that was going to happen. Here is Trey when the crew snuck up behind him and started singing.

I love it!

Tomorrow, I will honor Trey with a special birthday post. Come back and visit :)

time to unwind

TGIF. And, thank goodness there is nothing on the weekend agenda. Soccer is on the schedule but with today's downpour I am anticipating it to be rained out. Speaking of the downpour, I sure wanted to be home napping through the thunder and darkness today. And speaking of darkness, our electricity was out at school for about an hour and ten minutes. We were blessed with sunshine and that kept my room from being a total black out. I would hate to have had to maintain crowd control with just a flashlight. Because who knows if the batteries in it work. We took a few notes about the sun-earth-moon system, completed a worksheet about space exploration and then I had them help me with my homework - three sets of papers to grade. This lasted until the last 20 minutes and because I did not want to harm their eyes from the strain, we drew and sat "quietly" the rest of the time. Didn't that transformer that blew know we have a Science TAKS test in just nine school days?!

I left all that stress at the school and came home for a night to unwind. I started off with dinner. I knew that if I didn't get it started, it would be cereal and there isn't enough milk for that. I found some hamburger meat and thought we would do sloppy joes. But, as it was frying up in the pan I saw that there were only six pieces of bread. I had already boiled some noodles and added diced tomatoes flavored with garlic, oregano and another random herb. I realized that sloppy joes (with it's own tomato sauce) and this italian tomato sauce noodle dish would clash so I threw it all into the same pan and called it mama's surprise. (P.S. I had not added the sloppy joe seasoning to the ground beef yet.) So, it was kind of like spaghetti minus the spaghetti noodles and spaghetti sauce. That makes a whole lot of sense, huh? It was italian enough to eat with garlic toast. It was an italian goulash, yeah - that's it. I guarantee it is one recipe you won't find on cooks.com.

As I was eating, Ashlyn was setting up her photo session with the 13 baby dolls. She said they were getting family pictures made. It was funny to watch. Here are some of the hilights. I'm thinking digital camera for her 6th birthday.

She is such a little mama, just like I always was. And here is Buddy, not really wanting to be a part of all this action.

After dinner and the photo shoot I enjoyed a long conversation with my former teaching partner and long time friend. I made wild berry muffins. I took a bath and read Eclipse. I have changed out the laundry. The kitchen is clean. The babies are still on the fireplace. The kids are watching TV on the couch and finally, I am going to call it a night.

*Shelby*

A couple of weeks ago I was sitting in the computer lab while my tutoring students were taking a Math TAKS online. One of my former students came in. She was walking toward me with something in her hand and I assumed she was selling something. Fundraisers are top priority around here - anything to make a buck. Which we need - our school does need money to ensure the success of our students. I am not dissin' fundraisers. Lord knows I enjoy the free box of cookies as an incentive to get my students to sell. Please don't get the wrong impression. (And, how did this blog get so off track...)

*

Shelby was not coming to me with any kind of an order form, she had an invitation. She was given this invitation by her sponsor to give to an influential teacher that she had had. The invitation was inviting me to her National Honor Society induction. It meant the world to me. Five years later, this special girl thought of me. It's reasons like this that I love my job and that I love the students . Not only did I impact Shelby's life in some small way but she has truly impacted mine in a huge way.


Thank you Shelby for allowing me to be a part of this special occasion. You'll never know how much it meant to me.

give God the glory

It has been such a fun weekend. With that fun comes exhaustion. And then there is the dread of going back to work after having a three day weekend.
*
It started with a barnyard birthday bash on Good Friday; some last minute Easter shopping on Saturday, dyeing eggs at bedtime, along with a very late night/ early morning cleaning spree; and ended today with 20 family members over to celebrate Easter with us after church (hence the cleaning spree).

I have felt so passionate this weekend about Jesus dying for us. Two things: wow and thank you. There are a few christian songs that I have found myself singing in my head (and sometimes out loud) and would rather listen to them and turn my eyes upon Jesus rather than the country tunes I normally listen to that always dredge up memories. (See the bottom of this post for one of my favorites.)
*

Here's a photo journey of our Easter weekend.

THE BARNYARD BIRTHDAY BASH: featuring the birthday cowboy and the A girls.
DYED EASTER EGG TRADITION CONTINUES: featuring the Davis kids & their own coloring cups
EASTER MORNING: featuring the Easter Bunny's surprises
"THE KIDS ALL DRESSED UP FOR EASTER" photos: featuring three kids that rarely ever all look at the camera at the same time with a smile - and the girl that loves the camera

THE HUNT: featuring Ashlyn, Clayson, Trey, Normandy and Nathan

We have made some great memories of Easter 'o9. We give God the glory for our friends, our family and for our everlasting forgiveness.

*

AN AMAZING SONG: featuring my amazing Savior
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dooif2-yAoI (I could not figure out how to post the video on here, please follow the link to hear this song.)

sports & stuff

This has been one eventful week and it has been loads of fun. From the baseball diamonds to the gym, there has been excitement at every stop. And, not to mention that the Math TAKS test is over. But then, there is still Science. We are getting there though. The end is in sight - summertime is coming and I can't wait. Our trip to Mexico is booked and paid for and a vacation with the kids is in the works. Sweet!

Here are some pictures of Clayson playing baseball. He plays center field and pitches. It makes me so nervous when he pitches, I can hardly handle the pressure. (Sidenote: His mama was a pitcher back in the day and I have fond memories of my daddy teaching me how to do it.) He does a good job and we like hearing the umpire, in his gruffest voice, say "STTRRIKe".


(It was too cold for me to get out of my seat and stick the lens through the fence to remove the metal distraction. Maybe next time.)

Ashlyn started a new class at Moe's gymnastics. We found out there is a difference in the gymnastics class that she was taking and a tumbling class, so we are now tumbling. What's the difference you might ask? In tumbling they are learning more cheer-type things and not doing the balance beam or bars. It is pretty intense and Ashlyn really enjoyed the change and the faster pace. It won't be long before she is doing a roundoff flipflop or at least a better cartwheel.



Wondering what Trey's been up to? Well, he fishes every chance that he gets and cleans up messes after his birthday present, Buddy, makes them. Here is Buddy moving his food bowl back to the living room.

We are just getting home from a fabulous birthday party but that deserves a blog of its own so stay tuned tomorrow for that post. I got some great pictures and can't wait to share!

One last thing, it is Good Friday so I hope that you'll take time to reflect and thank Jesus for paying it all.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4NGuyYjlic&feature=PlayList&p=AC01887016DE70DA&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=7

It's worth your time.