Update on Candi

This is the little info that I know . . .
Candi is doing well. She is in a little pain, but says it way better than how she is used to feeling. She will be released on Tues.

Baby Bejamin weighed in at 7lbs and i think 3 oz (?) (amazing for 4 weeks early)
He is 19 inches long
Candi got to give him a kiss and then he was wisked away to the NICU.
He is having trouble breathing and needs a respirator which is normal for early babies. Other than that he is just fine.

Sorry, I don't have any pictures.

Candi's in Labor!!

My cousin Candi's water broke just a few hours ago . . . she is 36 weeks and 2 days. Any minute she will have a c-section. She told me I was in charge of spreading the word . . . so spread word! Spread! Good Luck Candi and Jonathan! We can't wait to meet little Benjamin!!!

I said STAY!

My baby girl is trying to come out before her time! I lost my M_ _ _ _ P _ _ g (I didn't want to spell it all out for those who want to remain blissfully ignorant) on Tuesday morning and I have 10 weeks to go (9 if my good ol' doc will induce a week early:)) I have been having contractions like crazy for the last two weeks. I am supposed to report to the hospital if I have more than 6 in an hour. So far that hasn't happened. So that is good.

So now I am told to drink lots of water and take it easy. I really feel like everything will be okay though so I'm not to worried.

Second Annual Popsicle Parade

It all started last year when Cambria wanted so badly to be in a parade. Any parade. To her the pull to march in parade formation was as strong as the deserts desire for rain. So what is a parent to do . . . we put our own little parade together. We invited a few of our friends over, asked them to bring their bikes and decorations and their favorite Popsicles. We as parents worked laboriously on our kids bikes trying to accommodate the decorations to match the idea in their minds eye. We sweat profusely because it was a blisteringly hot evening. It took longer to decorate bikes than it did to ride around the block, but the memories were sweet.

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This year was so different. The sky was overcast and the wind raced through the air ruffling the leaves and our hair . . . it was very refreshing and very strange for this time of year, but we were so thankful!

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I think we had 15 kids this year. I was surprised that even the "big kids" wanted to participate, but then again, this is Mesquite, nothing really ever happens so you have to advantage of what comes your way! We had streamers and pinwheels and balloons and a "banner" ( a decorated poster board) and flowers a drum and a whistle! The kids had a great time and we had loads of Popsicles for everyone after they rode around the block a few times.

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I took lots of pictures so if your child was in the parade and you want to see more of the pictures, send me a message to my email at amykaidavis12@yahoo.com and I will email you back a link to where the pictures can be viewed.

Kai taped a basketball to Malachi's bike because he really wanted manly decorations for his son. Malachi was just excited to be allowed to ride in the street.

I think she is closing her eyes, but this is the only one I got of her!

Just a few other moments to remember:
This so reminds me of Cambria, who loved to help me cook.

I love this picture of my niece, Kiana. She had just got up from a nap and looked so cute and cuddley!

I also love this picture of Cambria's giraffe!

Small Moments, Full Heart

Do you ever wish you had a crystal ball or some other magical device that you could peer inside and see what life would be like without you? Or better explained, what life on planet earth is like because of you. Do you make a difference? Do I make a difference? Is the world a better place because I was in it?

Today for me was a pay day. Normally I don't have time to think about what kind of impact I might have on the greater good of humanity. In the trenches of motherhood is where I spend my time teaching and shaping and nurturing.

Before I took upon myself the sacred, yet unappreciated profession of motherhood, I was a teacher, another underrated but extremely important profession. I had a small class of students with sever disabilities on the island of Oahu in a city called Kaneohe at a small school called Kapunahala. It was a very difficult and very intrinsically rewarding job. I had a student named Jonathan. He was a 4TH grader in my 3RD-4TH grade combination class. Jonathan is a success story. Jonathan sparkled. His heart was kind and his talent unbridled. The only think lacking was a few learning skills that I felt certain were within his grasped. I helped exit him from a fully self contained special education class into a resource room for only language and math. In Hawaii, this was like trying to dig up a coconut tree with a child's sand shovel. It was hard and I had very little support from other teachers and administration. But it was done.

In the mail today, I got a graduation announcement. It was from sweet Jonathan who remembers me still. There was a note attached and this is what it says:

Dear Mrs. Davis,

I don't know if you remember me but I will always remember you. I was in your 4TH grade class at Kapunahala Elementary School in Hawaii. i just need you to know that I believe that my graduation from high school would never have been possible if it were not for you. You believed in me and never gave up on me when the entire public school system did. You made my transition from special education happen and I can never express the amount of gratitude that I feel because of that. You gave me the confidence I needed that I needed to believe in myself and that confidence has lasted through the years and has helped me achieve numerous accomplishments in my life. I am graduating on time because of your dedication. It takes a special person to be a teacher but it takes an exceptional person to do what you did for me. As I continue onto adulthood i will remember always that you took the time to see in me what no one else could and I will hold a good thought for you and I hope you will hold one for me.

Thank you,

Jonathan

For me today, that was a really big payday. Little does Jonathan know that I will never forget him. I'll make sure to tell him.

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In other news, Lindsay was kind enough to allow me to do a photo shoot with her. She was a little nervous because cars kept passing by full of people she knew waving and screaming. Next time I will have to find a more remote location! To see more click here.

Has Anyone Seen My Sucker?

I know I was just sucking on it a minute ago!

As promised . . .Heidi's adorable onesies . . . you can find them at honeybearlane.blogspot.com.

Life moves at an incredible pace

One of the benefits of living in a small town: Free eggs. I hate chickens and would never keep them as pets, but I love neighbors who have chickens and so many eggs that they don't know what to do. Thank you neighbor!




It is time to start getting ready for "Hershey" to arrive! I still have 11 weeks left, but my how time flies and truly, nothing is ready. I haven't sorted clothes or unpacked blankets and burp rags. I need to do a major inventory check. For now all I can think of that we need are a few new crib sheets. I'd be lying if I said I didn't want a new double stroller. Our stroller was a double hand me down (meaning two owners before us) and while it still functions it doesn't have trays and one of the canopy's is missing and it would be nice if my two youngest didn't have to fight over shade.
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This is the first time I have ever had a 3D ultra sound. I guess Hershey wasn't being very cooperative- she was hiding all the parts they needed to see (lips and spine) until the very end. I couldn't believe how hard the technician would push on my belly to get her to move. It didn't hurt but feeling Hershey move away from the pressure was really weird. At one time the technician gasped and said "Look at her diaphragm, she's breathing! We call those practice breaths!" He chest was rising and falling like she had just run a race. I be panting too if a technician was intruding on my safe spot in such a manner!
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Can you make out her little face. I got all teary when I saw this picture. It is so cool to see her not looking like an alien!


This is the only thing I have been stock piling for Hershey. I have been trying to build her very own collection of hair accessories. At least her hair will be ready to come home from the hospital!

We had my sister in law Candy over to visit with her new baby, Kona. Bubba loved holding him and kept asking for more turns with Kona. It was so nice to visit with Candy. We hardly ever see each other and this inspires me to invite her more often.

Kona is so little and precious. I just love new babies!

While Candy was at our home, Bubba decided that he needed to pass her the sacrament. She is agnostic and was such a good sport. She said Bubba found the tray (which Kai uses after church on Sundays to take sacrament to those who are sick and unable to attend church meetings) then he got the bagels out and realized that was the wrong bread. He took those back until he found our Sara Lee soft and smooth whole wheat bread. He then broke the bread sans a prayer and began to distribute the pieces of bread. It was really quite funny. Can you tell how close we sit to the deacons on Sunday?

This is my Cambria wearing the apron skirt we got form honeybear lane! We love it! I'll have to get one of Kiera in hers too for Heidi. Thank you so much Heidi! Now that I am writing this I realize that I didn't post a picture of her cute onesies . . . tomorrow for sure!

My Parents made a really quick trip to Vegas last weekend for Lexi's baptism. Lexi is our new niece- we got her in the marriage of Sean and Shannon (which is good because I kept telling him that my kids need cousins. I just didn't think he would provide one their age! He really delivers!)

Lexi really was happy, but I can never get her to smile. The only time I saw her smile is when she announced around the dinner table that her mom and new dad are expecting a baby! Can we say "honeymoon baby" everyone . . . I told you, Sean really delivers on the cousin request. And just to clarify . . . they insist conception happened a few weeks after the honeymoon.

I made my mom pose in the girl's bathroom so I could take a picture of her cute new haircut! I love it. I think she looks so good!

It is so good to have skateboarding uncles! After the baptism we decided to tail gate in the church parking lot. Doesn't everyone do that? Oh, I guess it's just us. The weather was nice and the park we were at across the street was too scary (we'd witnesses a fight earlier that some teenage boys with UFC dreams were recording- it was not a great sight to behold. Oh- and the park bathrooms had no doors- just three open stalls- which is really not good for a pregnant woman. I had to "go"- there was just no avoiding mother nature's call. As I sat in the doorless stall I prayed that no one else would come to use the restroom. I also tried to pretend I was on a trip in a third world country and just experiencing some other way of life. It almost helped because I have a pretty convincing imagination. And thankfully no one came in.

Ew, gross! Can you believe how dirty those feet are?! I kept telling Kiera that she need her shoes on and you can see how well she listened. Oh, well, what does a mother know anyway?

Much to the dismay and unconcealed anger of my folks and Ryan- we convinced Chris to stay with us for the week. He doesn't have anything going on right now so we thought it would be the pefect time. I think Ryan cried the whole car ride home- he has been having so much fun with his big brother back in town. We had a great day with him too. While he was here, we had a BBQ, went shopping in St. George since he only had one outfit with him, went 4 wheeling twice, played a game of sand pit volley ball and had a great time hanging out. He also did a ton of work on my house, but I'll get to that later:)

In this picture Kai and I remind me of that nursery rhyme. You know the ones that goes: "Jack Sprat could eat no fat, his wife could eat no lean and so betwixt them both, you see, they licked the platter clean." I'll have to post a picture of that next time- Mary Engelbreit has a great graphic of the rhyme.

We watched my brother's give the kids rides on the skateboard for an hour! The kids were having so much fun and I think we were all stalling because we didn't want to say good-bye. Bubba kept yelling "Yahooooooo!" Today was the first time I realized that Bubba got the whole "yahoo" thing from watching Toy Story. It is his new favorite movie.

I love when my mom and dad come to visit. Though his tool collection now consists of a hammer and three different types of screw drivers, Kai was not raised to be a "fixer" aka the do-it-yourself-er. He'd like to do it himself he just lacks the training. So when my dad comes to town we have a list of to-do's a mile long. This time it was my front door and porch (if you can call it that). It needed to be sanded, puttied and painted. My dad spent hours sanding and puttying. We got one coat of paint on the pillars before we had to call it quits. Then the door sat for a week until my brother Chris came to visit. He finished the job. He painted the porch and the trim around the roof and my door! He is a do-it-yourselfer and what is even better is that 5 times a day he'd ask me, "Amy, what can I do to help?" Awe, so refreshing to hear those words. He did dishes, hard labor and he entertained my kids for hours upon hours. We had so much fun with Uncle Caca and wish he could come back right now! We have decided to send Malachi to California in the summers for a handyman summer camp with Papa.

Before:

After: Whoops! I didn't get the trim!

Now I just need a few flowers and pots to decorate!

So much FUN!

I love having a creative outlet. It is something that refreshes my soul. When I was a kid, I was all about sports- I don't think I ever made anything until I got into scrapbooking while I was in college. But one thing I know for sure is that we all gotta have a hobby that renews us.

There are a few of us moms around town who get together and have 3 or 4 boutiques a year. We rotate houses and we have no booth fee. Mesquite hardly has any shopping so boutiques are the place to find cute and different items and accessories. Otherwise you can go to Walmart or maybe Bealls. I do have to say, that as I passed through Walmart the other day, I saw that they had mass produced several of the items that my boutique mom's make. For example, Capri Sun purses and bags. I think ours are cuter though:)

(*** Now that I finished my post I realize that I didn't get a picture of Heidi's cute designer onesies . . . I will make sure that they are seen in my next post! Sorry Heidi!!)


Even my kids catch the boutique bug. This time Kiera decided that she wanted to sell chocolate chip cookies. They were 25 cents each. She was a little miffed however, when Bubba tried to take over her sellers chair.

I made the headbands in the picture above and below. Now I just have to find models that smile:)

Below you will see an array of what was offered by the 9 vendors we had this month. It is really fun and if you are crafty, you should try doing this in your own area.

Hair clip holder:

Digital scrapbooking- Heritage makers

Ribbon and flower hair clips and headbands

sparkles

jewelry, toys scrapbooking, hair accessories

The best homemade jam you will ever taste

Homemade dresses and Capri Sun purses.

Watch bands and bracelets

Hats and accessories

gourmet cup cake and more hair flowers.

Home decor and super cheap flower arrangements

purses galore, wallets and sunglasses

Jam made from the pomegranate tree in my back yard . . . i didn't make it but I sure loved to eat it. Plus I think it is so cool that it was made from my tree!

My Aunt Lisa made this flower! I was going to sell it but I decided that I liked it too much!

My headbands

Kids aprons

We had a blast even though the incredible winds made life difficult. By the afternoon we had to move all the vendors into my not so beautiful garage. This weekend I will be participating in my first "city organized" boutique at the Virgin River Casino. I hope I at least make enough money to cover the vendor's fee. You are always welcome to join our boutique experience either as a customer or a vendor!