Thankful Thursday

Things I am thankful for this week:

#1 Our Health. After being so sick for 2 weeks it really reminds you what a blessing it is to be healthy. It makes me want to make the most of each day! When I don't want to go to the gym I just have to remember what a blessing it is to be healthy enough to be able to go and by exercising I am being proactive about staying healthy. I am so grateful that our little family has good health and pray that we will always have good health.

#2 Spring!!! I love this time of year, just after the rainy season when everything is green and beautiful! We were driving to my parents house yesterday and Mike and I started talking about how beautiful this time of year is in California. We don't really get to experience the four season's here, but it is obvious that it's Spring! I love the orange and yellow wild flowers that grow along the roads and the green green grass.

#3 Snuggles in the morning! My favorite time of day is in the morning when all three of the boys jump in our bed and snuggle with us! Mike took this picture because we thought it was funny that they jumped in bed to snuggle with us and Joseph and Paul fell back to sleep.



#4 Girls Nights Out! We decided to get all the mommy cousins together once a month for a girls night out and we always have such a good time together!

January's Girls Night out- Pedicures!!

February's Girls Night out-Movies and dinner at

Islands.....mmmm mmmm mmmm!!!

I love how Dr. Phil compares mothers to bank accounts. He said most women do things for everyone but themselves. They make withdrawal after withdrawal and never make a deposit and then wonder why they are so overdrawn (exhausted, tired, stressed). I am a strong believer in a monthly mommy's night out because if mommy aint happy aint nobody happy!! I always come home so refreshed after a night out with food, fun and "girl talk"!!! Mike likes it too because then he doesn't have to listen to all my "girl talk" and I am happy and rejuvenated for another month! So if you don't have a night out get one or join us!

#5 The stork is on it's way!! I am happy to finally announce that baby #4 is on it's way! I am about 11 weeks along and feeling pretty good! Of course we are hoping for a girl, but we will be so happy for a boy too. Boys are so fun and I would be happy to have four of them, but it would be fun to have the experience of a little girl too! We'll find out in about 6 weeks and when we do we'll let you know! Hopefully our baby will be cuter than the on in this picture! Ha! Ha!

I'm back!

While I was sick I got really behind in my blogging so now that I am feeling really good again I am catching up! Here is about 2 months worth of posts. It's amazing how much you appreciate your health you haven't had it for a while! I finally got my house clean, my laundry done, grocery shopping done and dinner is ready! It feels so good to be back!!!!!

A beautiful day for a picnic!

Last Friday 2/29 was a really pretty day and I was tired of being in the house, so for lunch the boys and I had a picnic in the backyard! They were really excited, Brigham asked me if we could have a picnic every Friday that the sun wasout. Sounds good to me!

Grandma to the rescue!!!!

While I was sick my mom came to the rescue!!! My kids hadn't been out of the house in like a week and I was so sick I couldn't gt out of bed, so she came up and saved me! You should have seen my kids when they saw grandma! My mom brought me some food, cleaned my house and took the boys for 2 days!!! When I went up to Gavalin Hills to pick them up they didn't want to go home! What kid would, it is like Disneyland up there for them! Here are some pictures of the fun they had while mommy was so sick!


Brig and Joseph feeding the horse.


Joseph chasing the chickens!


Planting a garden with grandpa! Something
mommy remembers doing with grandpa at
about that age.


Petting the horsey!


Paul had a good time chasing the chickens too,
after he warmed up to them.


What a great place! My kids will definately
have lots of fun memories with grandpa and grandma!

Valentines Day

Valentines Day was really fun! Since we couldn't find a babysitter we decided to do something fun as a family. I went and bought a dozen roses, some cellophane, strawberries and chocolate. I seperated the roses and wrapped them individually then dipped the strawberries in chocolate and wrapped them. Then we took a rose and a flower to a few of the older ladies in our ward and our sweet neighbor Bettie. When we got home Mike had left a card and a stuffed animal for each of the boys on the table and a box of See's candy and a card for me!! What a great guy! I got him some stuff for Valentines but that stays between Mike and I! Hee! Hee!

Who wouldn't love to get a Valentine from these cuties!!

This is our sweet neighbor Bettie. The

boys just love her. They go and ring

her doorbell and talk to her all the time.

I'll even find Paul next door talking to

Bettie while I'm in the front cleaning my car.

He's learned from the older boys to go over

there and ring her doorbell! I hope she

doesn't get sick of us!!!

What a good daddy!!

Brigham's Birthday 1/28/2008

For Brigham's birthday I baked cupcakes and took them to his class, he loved being the helper and passing out the cupcakes and drinks and the kids loved the sprinkles! We had planned to get Disneyland passes and take the family to Disneyland but it was raining on his birthday, so we decided to call up all the cousins and do Chuck E Cheese again (our back up plan for the last 2 years)! The kids had a good time and we did go to Disneyland later in the week.


The cupcakes for his class. Of course I forgot
my camera in the car for all the cute stuff!!


Grandma Bettie!


Some of the cousins.


Blowing out the birthday cake!


Brig loves his cousin Kate.


His Disneyland Pass!


My cute boys! I just love them!!


Paul was lovin' the little Ferris Wheel!

Mikes Birthday 1/21/08

Ok so I realize I got way behind with blogging while I was so sick but now that I'm feeling better I am going to attempt to backtrack. Here are some pictures of Mike's Birthday! We went to Cheesecake factory with family, hot tubbin with some friends and met Ray (Mike's dad) back at our house for some birthday cake!

Mike and I

Party at the Cheesecake Factory!

I decided to be the entertainment with my

pole dancing skills!

Hot tubbin' with Cade and Heather

Back to the house for some Birthday Cake!!

I love this kid!!

Mike and I decided that we love this kid! He is by far the best singer on American Idol right now! This was one of my favorite performances ever on Idol! The only other performance that was almost as good was when Carrie Underwood sang "Alone " by Heart. I love the arrangment David put together of this song. I would buy this single if he put it out!! Listen to this and then let me know what you think! ***Make sure you pause my music first***

I was tagged by several people on this one!

Just so all of you know I have been sicker than a dog for about 2 weeks!! It started with a bladder infection (I know you all wanted to know that), then the flu/bronchitis, I can't wait to feel better. I have literally only been out of my bed to go to the bathreoom and eat for the last 3 days. My wonderful hubby has been taking care of the boys. I finally feel good enough to update my blog. I have been tagged a few times so you are all about to find out more about me than you really care to know.

RULES:
1. List the link to your tagger and also post these following rules.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog - some random, some weird, etc.
3. Tag 7 people at the the end of your blog also leaving the links to their blogs
4. Let them know they are "TAGGED" by leaving a comment on their blog.

THE FACTS...strange or not ~

1. When I was younger I used to hate it when girls would pretend to be my friends just to get close to my brothers!!! I am the youngest of five kids and I have 3 older brothers. I remember when I was in 2nd grade I had a sleep over for my birthday and half way through the night almost all my friends were in my brothers room hanging out with them and flirting disgustingly!! I went upstairs to cry and found 3 of my best friends talking about how lame it was that all the other girls were flirting with my brothers. Those 3 girls are still great friends of mine to this day! Thank goodness for good friends!

2. When I was in the 6th grade I loved New Kids On The Block! I went to a concert with my mom, my Aunt and a bunch of my cousins. I was so in love with Joey! Sorry Katie...I have to tell the story! One night my cousin Katie spent the night and as we were going to sleep I told her that it looked like my poster of Joey was looking at me. She said she thought he was looking at her. So we started fighting about who he was looking at and who he liked more until finally Katie went home. Whenever we bring this up to each other we laugh so hard we cry!!!

3. I used to want to have 12 kids, until I had 1. Now I think we'll have 4 or 5.

4. Mike and I were engaged 3 weeks after our first kiss. What can I say....when you got it, you got it!

5. I can burp longer and louder than anyone you have ever met! No Lie! You can ask my family, cousins, or my husband...even my kids will tell you! They love it when mommy burps so loud and blames it on them. I got it from my dad, we have horrible stomaches and we blow up like balloons and then belch like a bunch of Irish drunks!!!!

6. I thought I was going to be totally cool in High School because everyone knew my brothers. Then the summer before my freshman year happened!!! I went to my friends house to get my hair cut and her mom gave me a total butch hair cut and a month later my parents decided to get me braces!!! I was soooo ugly!! If that wasn't bad enough 6 months into my freshman year my parents decided to move me away from all of my friends (and my brothers hot friends) to Utah where I knew nobody. For about 2 months Chad and I ate lunch together like total dorks. I met some great friends out there but had a serious "loser" curse! It's probably a good thing I moved away because if Mike had met me in High School he probably would have never married me. Needless to say I was NOT cool in High School!

7. I was on the Country Dance Team at UVSC. Wasn't cool in college either!

I tag...Aunt Kari, Marla, Tammy, Jenny, Jamie (Martin), Jaime (Thompson), Katie, Aunt Dawn

Tagged by Tammy and Marilee

So I have been tagged by Tammy and Marilee....
Read ahead, and it will explain.
A. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning.
B. Each player answers the questions about themselves.
C. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people and posts their names then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

1. What was I doing 10 years ago.
I was working as a Home Health Aide in Provo, Utah and I had just met this super hot guy named Mike Davis that I was totally crushing on!! (my how time flies)
2. 5 things on my to-do list today
Not throw up, sleep, eat, take some Tylenol, go back to bed.
3. What snacks do I enjoy?
Ice cream, all fruit(especially peaches and oranges), popcorn, chocolate !!
4. What would I do if I were suddenly a billionaire?
Pay our tithing, pay of both our houses and all debt, go to Hawaii with our families, set up retirement and investment accounts, totally hook up our families (Pay off their debt and set both our parents up with a nice retirement) , set up college and mission funds for our boys, buy a small condo in Prague and donate money to cancer research. I'm sure there is alot more I would do but I can't think right now!
5. 3 bad habits? procrastination, poor time management, taking on more than I can handle!
6.5 places I have lived? CA, UT, WA that's it...pretty boring huh!
7. 5 jobs I've had.
Mc Donalds, Hogi Yogi, Brick Oven, Well baby Nursery at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center (by far my favorite job!!!) Home Health Aide (loved this one too).
8. 5 thing people don't know about me.
This one is hard because I'm pretty open about everything but I'll try...
1.I had horrible, horrible bloody noses growing up and finally when I was 18 had my nose caterized (I think that's how you spell it???). 2. I grew up on a farm with cows, pigs, horses, goats, chickens, rabbits, turkeys and dogs. 3. My favorite thing to do as a little girl was climb rocks and catch lizards.4. I used to want to have 12 children like my Aunt Karen until I had 1 and realized how amazing she really was. Now I think 4 or 5 is good enough. 5. Mike used to call me Felicity because he said I followed him to California like that girl on Felicity followed Ben to NY. Ha! Ha! It couldn't be that I missed all of my friends in Cali and wanted to get the fetch out of Utah! Although I was VERY happy Mike was moving back too.
I tag....Kimberly, Malinda, Heather, Mom, Candy.

Valentine Hubby Tag!

OK this should tell you how far behind I am on blogging! My friend Heather tagged me on February 8th!! Sorry it has taken me so long Heather! I'm not going to tag anyone else since Valentine's Day is over, but it's kind-of fun so if you end up doing it let me know so I can read yours!

What is his name? Michael Ray Davis
How long have you been married? 8 years 6 months!!
How long did you date? 3 weeks officially =) but we were best friends for about a year! It just took him that long to get up the nerve to kiss me!
How old is he? 32
Who eats more sweets? ME! But I can usually entice him to join me!
Who said I love you first? He did. And it was sooo sweet and sincere! I was the first girl he ever said that to and I could really tell he meant it.
Who is taller? He is, by far!!
Who can sing better? We both suck, but we have fun singing together in the car!.
Who is smarter? He is. He picks up stuff really fast and remembers them forever. I on the other hand retain information for about 15 seconds!
Who does the laundry? Me and I hate it! That is the worst chore in the world! I will come clean your kitchen if you will come and do my laundry!!! Any takers???
Who mows the lawn? He does.
Who pays the bills? Me, but he is better at it.
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? If your looking at the bed...he does.
Who cooks dinner? Me, but I am a horrible cook! Poor guy grew up on his moms cooking and got stuck with me. Ocassionally I'll whip up something pretty good.
Who drives? He does. He get's insecure about having a women drive him around?? I think it's a guy thing!
Who is more stubborn? We're both pretty stubborn, but we've learned to give and take. It depends on how important the subject is.
Who kissed who first? He kissed me first...and it was goooooood!
Who asked who out first? He did.
Who proposed? He did, at the Provo Temple. I was totally shocked because I didn't know he had a ring. I knew it was coming, we already talked to our parents, but I didn't know he had a ring.
Who has more siblings? He does. Grant, Brett, Paul, Lara, Kevin, Emily.
Who wears the pants? It depends on the day and the situation. But usually him.

Get out and vote!!

Today is the big day, "Super Tuesday" and I have already been out to vote. I want to encourage everyone who reads this blog to get out and vote today. I have been following this election very closely and am a strong supporter of Mitt Romney. No, I am not voting for him just because he is Mormon, I am voting for him because he is against abortion, he doesn't believe in amnesty for illegal immigrants, he believes in cutting taxes and spending in Washington, he knows the economy better than any other candidate and has a record of making changes. The list goes on and on and I will admit that knowing he has high morals, strong values and faith in God makes his decision a no-brainer for me.
I was watching Fox News and they said that Orange County voters are crucial for Mitt Romney. So those of you who live in the OC get out and vote (unless your voting for McCain-then you can just stay home =) ha ha. For those of you who think Mitt doesn't have a chance you should know he is polling very well. If Mike Huckabee was out of the race we wouldn't be so desperate, but Mitt is still winning in the California polls by 9% and is doing very well in most other states. Here is a video clip explaining why he would be the best choice for Californians.
*make sure you pause my music so you can hear him speaking*



SO GET OUT AND VOTE!!

Garth Brooks Rocks!

Mike's Birthday was last Monday (21st) and for his Bday I got tickets to the Garth Brooks concert!! It was amazing! We had sooo much fun! He is such an amazing singer. When I bought the tickets I didn't realize that is was going to be Live on National Television, so when we got there I was really surprised that there were so many cameras. It was neat to see the taping. It was a fundraiser for the fire victims of the Southern California fires. During the taping, every time they would go to commercial Garth would totally rock out. He told us than when the camera's turned off he was going to let out his belly and get the party started...and boy did he! (not the belly part, the party part =) Here are some pictures.



Garth and his amazing fiddler. Can you believe
how much weight he's lost???



I was sooo excited when Trisha Yearwood (Brooks)
came out to sing with him! She has an awesome voice!!



Here is Garth rockin' out center stage.



Mike and I having a blast at the concert!




When the concert ended the crowd went crazy! You can't even imagine the energy in that room,
so he came out for an encore! Again, after he left the crowd went crazy so he came out with his band a second time. Then after the third time of him leaving and the crowd going wild, he came out by himself. That was the best part of the whole concert. He said that because of the taping we got kind-of ripped off, so he stood there by himself with his guitar and just sang for about 20 minutes! Everything from James Taylor "Fire and Rain", George Straight "Amarillo by morning", Bob Seager, Billy Joel "Piano Man" and he ended with Don McClean "American Pie". Mike leaned over about halfway into this and said "this guy is amazing, he can sing anything"!!! He really put on a great show! I took some video, but can't figure out how to download it yet. Watch for it in a later post.

Thankful Thursday

My friend Angie has been doing this on her blog for a while now and I think it is such a great way to look at the good things in our lives and count our blessings. One of my New Years Resolutions was to do this...and now that January is over I better get started!

Every Thursday I will write about 5 things I was grateful for that week. Since this is my first week it will be, of course, the big things I am most grateful for. Sorry, I didn't mean for this post to be so long. Thanks for the idea Angie!

#1 My amazing husband who works hard to provide for the physical and spiritual needs of our family. From the first time I met him I could tell he was someone who has a huge heart and loves to serve others. We became best friends soon after we met and he is still my very best friend. He is an awesome father to our boys and husband to me. He is funny, easy to talk to, fun to be with, faithful, loyal, responsible and generous. Oh yeah...and he's pretty hot too! What more could a woman want??? (You can click on the pictures to make them bigger)



#2 My Darling Boys! Although they are loud and rambunctious I love them to pieces!! They are the perfect mixture of Sweet and Sour :) I love their hugs, kisses and snuggles. And I also love it when they are stubborn and ornery because it reminds me that they are just little people trying to make sense of a very big world. I love to watch them explore and discover new things. I love that the things you and I take for granted everyday are amazing and wonderful to them. Martina McBride wrote a song about her daughter that I just love, so I am going to share "my version" of it with you. I am not a poet but I wish I was. I have such a hard time expressing my feelings sometimes and when I heard this song I fell in love with it because this is exactly how I feel about my boys. If I was a poet this is what I would write :)

(I substituted child for daughter.)
In my child's eyes I am a hero. I am strong and wise and I know no fear, but the truth is plain to see they were sent to rescue me, I see who I want to be, in my child's eyes.

And when they wrap their hands around my finger oh it puts a smile in my heart, everything becomes a little clearer I realize what life is all about. It's hangin' when your heart has had enough, it's giving more when you feel like giving up. I've seen the light, it's in my child's eyes.

In my child's eyes everyone is equal, darkness turns to light and the world is at piece. These miracles God gave to me gives me strength when I am weak. I find reason to believe in my childs eyes.

In my child's eyes I can see the future A reflection of who I am and what will be, and though they'll grow and someday leave, maybe raise a family, when I'm gone I hope they'll see how happy they made me, for I'll be there in my child's eyes.

I cry whenever I hear this song. So the second thing I am grateful for is my children!

#3 My Parents. I was blessed with wonderful parents. They are two of the most kind and generous people you will ever meet. I learned at an early age that my parents would take the shirts off their backs if they thought someone else needed it. I can't tell you how many times my parents dropped what they were doing, dragged us into the grocery store to buy groceries and handed them out to homeless people on the street. I remember one time my dad saw a little Mexican lady with four little kids inside a gas station. He bought them some food and told them we would be back. We went home and grabbed our DI bag full of clothes and gave them to this lady. She was so grateful. I remember a Christmas when were taking food, clothes, blankets, a microwave and an old used TV to a needy family(5 or 6 kids I think). On the way there we (the kids) were so embarrassed that we were taking some of our "old stuff" to these people. When we got to there apartment it was bare. They were soooo excited to have blankets, clothes food etc... I think I was about 7 or 8 years old and I remember crying because I was so happy to see the joy in their faces as we unloaded our van. I can go on and on and on telling experiences like these. I can't even count how many cousins and friends we had live with us growing up because they needed a place to stay. My parents never turned down someone in need. I am so grateful that my parents taught me the importance of loving and serving others. I am also grateful they raised me in the gospel and helped me to gain my own testimony.



#4 My Sister and Brothers. I am the youngest of five children and I love that I was raised in a big family. I really am a lucky girl to have such amazing siblings. I have learned so much from each of them. As I have grown older I have often thought of how lonely and boring my life would have been if I was an only child. Although I was teased and tortured at times as a little girl (: I was rarely bored or lonely. I always had someone to play with (or fight with). Our home was always full of laughter, and even though we fought sometimes we always loved each other. I love the connection I will always share with my brothers and sister. They are the only people who really know what my childhood was like and I treasure the memories we share. I think that with maturity comes love and respect and I truly love and respect each one of them. They have been a huge blessing in my life, and as we have each been married and had children I have learned to love their spouses and children as well. I am so grateful that my children have such wonderful Aunts, Uncles and Cousins who are great examples to them and who love them.

( I know I look horrible in this picture, but I jut had a baby...throw me a bone OK)



#5 My husbands family. I know some of you may think I am either crazy or trying to score points with my in laws, but I promise, neither one are true. I was so blessed to marry into a family that loves and accepts me for who I am. I have never felt like an "outlaw" or an outsider. I always wanted a younger brother or sister and now I have 6! I love being the big sister with all the advise (: even though it may not always be the best advise. I have so much fun when we get together and enjoy spending time with them. I am also grateful that my children have Uncles and Aunts on daddy's side who are great examples and love them also. I am grateful for my mother-in-law who is a great example to me of service, sacrifice and faith.
(bummer- there was a smudge on the camera)



#6 Of course I have to add one more because where would I be without the gospel??? I know how blessed I am to have the Gospel in my life and the knowledge I have of Eternal Families. I am grateful for my Heavenly Father and for my Savior Jesus Christ and know that all of these blessings come from them.

Why haven't I posted you ask???

I have had several people ask me why I haven't been blogging lately and the answer is I have had the busiest month!! I feel like I can hardly catch my breath!!! With Christmas and New Years over life is finally starting to get back to normal (I'm sure you can all relate). Here is a look at what December was like for us. I was totally bummed out on Christmas morning because of 365 days in the year...my camera broke on this one! But I feel much better now that my wonderful husband took me to buy a new one (:

This is a funny video of Joseph at his Christmas program. If you really listen at the end you can hear him yelling the song! He's the cute one on the very right with the striped shirt. I know I sound like an idiot! That's what you do when you have kids right???

Here is a cute video of Paul singing with me. The beginning is Mike hiding the camera from Paul so he'll sing, then it shows me and Paul singing.

I tried to put video of Brigham tearin' it up on Guitar Hero but I couldn't get it to work. I'll have to post that later.