The Holiday Season....

Gosh, it's been a while...So many things have been going on since Halloween. Craft fair season came and went with a bang! I had the best year that I have ever had, but it was A LOT of work. When Mike was home, I think he was in the shop just as much as I was. I would have never made it with out him, and for him I am so grateful! I am not sorry to say I am glad it is over for a few months, but I have come to learn that I am very blessed to have these two little hands that can do some pretty amazing things...
Now onto the fun stuff...We did a lot of fun things this Holiday season! The first week of December, Mike and the girls made a GingerBread House. Unfortunately, it only stood for about 15 mins, then toppled and was devoured....

Santa made it to Kings on the 6th of December so Kim, Carley and I took my girls up so they could tell the Jolly Old Man what they wanted for Christmas...Skylar said she wanted a new D.S. game, and Chase was too terrified to speak...Hense, Carley in the picture with her....

Next, you all know how we like a good party around here, so Skylar and Chase had a GingerBread House decorating party...SO FUN. Laurie provided us with the gingerbread houses, so the girls and a few of their friends decorated houses, ate lots of junk, we had a little present exchange, and then ended on cupcakes and a Hot Cocoa...Tiffany and I made the killer chef hats (we were so proud of ourselves!) Such a fun little afternoon.

For Chase's winter field trip, we went down to Ogden to the Christmas Village, where we got a personal tour from Mrs. Claus. It was pretty chili, but we bundled up and had a good time anyway. I remember going there as a child with my mom and grandma, and it was still just as cute as ever....

After all the fun at home, We loaded up on the 22nd of December and headed to Colorado to spend the holidays with Mike, because he had to work...I have to admit I was a bit worried about this. I have never been away from home for Christmas in my whole life, and I was afraid we would be bored out of our minds, but I was pleasantly surprised at what a good time we had, and how nice it was to be together as a little family...On Christmas Eve, we decorated "Grinch Plates"...

We had a Candy cane hunt, had a "Christmas Dip" in the hot tub, a great dinner, then sent the kids to bed on the cute pillow cases that I found at a craft fair that the girls colored themselves...

Santa found us yet again, and we had a wonderful Christmas. The kids got all they wanted and more...

I am so bleesed to have my little family...We had a wonderful Christmas this year and I hope all of you did as well....So from our house to yours....

Happy Halloween!

We had such a fun Halloween this year...Although Mike missed it yet again, we did some really fun things...About a month ago I came across this fun little activity down at Gardner Village called "Breakfast with a Witch" and knew instantly that I had to take my girls....We invited some cute little friends to spend the day with us and I think it is fair to say we all had a blast! But first...Arent these the cutest little Flappers that you have ever seen?!.....


All the girls (Skylar, Chase, Libby and Rainy) wore their cute little costumes for the big event, and they were so excited!

The breakfast was a big buffet where "The Witch Royalty" passed from Table to Table to sign autographs and take pictures...It was seriously the cutest thing ever...Those ladies gave "witch Costume" a whole new meaning! They sang Halloween songs, did a parade around the room to show off for all the parents, it was so cute...a total 10! Now I guess you all want to see these witches, so without furth ado, here they are....

So cute, right....This little deal totally gets two thumbs up! and a reccomendation for all of you that can go next year, you wont be sad you did....

Pre-School Field Trip....

Today was Chase's class field trip over to the American West Heritage Festival in Logan....we started out at the petting zoo, where there were sheep, little goats, horses, big and small, and a cage full of chickens(definately my least favorite)...Apparently Chase gets her love of animals from me, because she wouldn't go near the things...Jorja, her cute little friend, loves animals on the other hand and was bound and determined to catch one of the chickens that had escaped...She chased it right up next to Chase and it totally freaked her out...She bawled like a little baby, I did to, on the inside, as I was standing right next to her.....

Then we moved onto the childrens corn maze, the pirate ships made of straw, the super slide, and the jumping pit...It was such a fun little field trip. I love to get to be there with her for all of them.

The 3 Loves of my Life...

What more can I say...I love these three more than anything in the world and I am so blessed to have them in my life! They make everyday a little better, a little happier, and a LOT more worth it!

Fall Family Picnic...

While Mike was home this week, I really wanted to take the girls and drive up the canyon to see the changing leaves...I love this time off year when the mountains are covered in a rainbow of colors. We grabbed a picnic lunch, some drinks and headed up to Tony Grove Lake, where we went on a two mile hike, Mike and Skylar scaled some rocks, and tried to avoid the numerous "cow pies"....It was so fun to have just the four of us in such a beautiful place. Memories flooded back to me of Mike and I's 3rd date, when he drove me up the same canyon with a picnic lunch, and walked for miles looking at the beauty of fall...It also reminded me of why I fell in love with him, and how much I am still in love with him.....
The weather was perfect...Just a tiny bit cool, but nothing a sweater wouldn't fix. Skylar and Chase were a bit hesitant to go...but I think once we got there and they were free to run and throw leaves in the air, they had a really fun time. It was a really fun little family outing that I will never forget.

Wee Wonders Bike Parade

Today at Pre-school the kids learned about transportation, so they all got to bring their bikes. We decorated them with Balloons, crepe paper, streamers, all kinds of good stuff...and then parade down the road to the Library Park. It was really a fun activity. Some of the kids, mine included, didn't want to decorate their bikes, until they saw all of the other kids so when it was all said and done, every child had a decorated bike to ride....So funny how such small things can bring so much joy....Maybe I should take a lesson from them....

Faces of Chase...

Because we have a little more time in the morning before Chase and I head off to "school", I like to snap pictures of her first thing in the morning...When she hasn't had a chance to spill all over herself, or her hair isn't standing on end...She is such a "girl" and would rather wear a skirt or dress over a pair of jeans ANY DAY...and like her mother, she is a sucker for polka dots.

As you can see, she is quite photogenic...Each shot has a little pose to go with it...Whether it be a popped knee, or leaning on something, she always finds a way to add a little "Chase*ter Flair"....

Chase's First Day of School

Although I am a little behind in getting these on the blog, my little Chase*ter started another year at Wee Wonders Pre-School...She loves to go, and loves Miss Marci, who has taught both her and Skylar, and all my nephews. Once again, I am helping in the classroom, which is really fun for me. I love to see what Chase is learning and how she is growing, and there is no better to way then to spend everyday in the classroom with her...

This year in pre-school is like our grand finale....For after this year, we move onto the elementary years. Kind of a sad realization that my little ones are growing up...

First Day of School...

Today was Skylar's first day of first grade. For the first time ever, last night she told me she needed to go to bed early! That just doesn't happen...She was asleep by 8:50 P.M. which was really nice for me...
She was up at 6:30 to get ready. She knew exactly what outfit she was going to wear, how she wanted her hair, and everything. She is such a funny kid.

Jade came and picked her up so they could head to the bus stop together. I told them I would take them, but they wouldn't hear of it. (Someday the bus wont be nearly that cool, but while it is, I will take full advantage of it...)

At school, Libby's mom got a cute little pic of them. Skylar is so excited to be in the same class as Libby! She talked about it all summer... She has quite a few little friends in her class that she knows from pre-school, dance, and the neighborhood, so I think it will be a really great year for her...(If we don't sell our house before the year is up. A sad thought that we will face when it comes...)
And if you are all wondering, yes I did cry as I watched the bus head down the road, and was so relieved when my phone buzzed with the alert from facebook, and showed me the pic from Annie that let me know Skylar made it safe and sound...

Box Elder County Fair...

The fair rolled into town and my kids were so excited. I think Skylar should totally be Miss Box Elder County. She LOVES the fair! She loves everything about it...The rides, the parade, the food, the animals...She seriously waits for it all year long...She even asked me what time we would have to leave Colorado to get here in time for the fair...I think Mike enjoys it almost as much. Me, on the other hand, would be fine to miss the whole thing. I hate the rides, dont like the animals, the food is ok, but can think of several other ways I could spend my time...But I go, none the less, because being with my family out weighs anything that happens at the fairgrounds....Chase is sort of in between. She tries really hard to be brave and like the rides, and the animals, she tolerates a corn dog, but cant quite make it as long as Skylar. On second thought, none of us can make it as long as Skylar can....

Busy week....

Although it is only Wednesday, it has already turned out to be quite a week....I'll start at Sunday and work my way up, trying not forget anything that has happened.
Sunday night Mike left for yet another week in a Colorado. I was up waiting for him to call and tell me that he made it, about 10:30 p.m., and realized that I did not feel well at all.
By Monday Morning, I thought I may be dying...no, not dying, but knew that Strep Throat was back with a vengance! And like last time, was alone to suffer through it. I went to the dr. first thing, because my sister was getting married the next day and hoped that 24 hrs. on medication would make the wedding day at least tolerable...A couple really great ladies and some great grandparents were so helpful to take my kids, which made it much easier for me to lay in misery...Thanks Guys! I owe you one!

Tuesday was my baby sister's wedding. She was married in the Draper Temple. I caught these shots of my girls while we waited for Carley and her new husband to come out of the temple and LOVED them.

A LONG but nice and happy day...Although I was feeling a bit better, I wasn't 100%, so when that reception ended, I was ever so ready to go home...
On the other hand, Carley was a beautiful bride, and I think it turned out just how she wanted...Skylar and Chase were fascinated by the whole process and followed Carley around like little ducklings follow the mother duck...

Wednesday, the wait was finally over...my new fireplace was complete!...and it looks awesome I might add! ;) Thanks honey, for all the hard work to once again give me what I want..

And Last but not least, with some excitement and some sadness, the FOR SALE signs are finally up on our house. Both Mike and I were very hesitant about this decision, because he has been here for 42 years, and I have been here for 29, so there are lots and lots of roots here...Both families, our childrens schools, all of our friends, and our comfort zone...
But my sister Wendy said it best when I emailed her in a complete meltdown and her advise was "Ask yourself the hard questions...What will you miss if you go, and what is Mike missing if you stay? And can you continue to do what you are doing alone?" The answer...I'm not sure how much longer I can continue to do this...Most days I feel like I cope well, but the last three times I have watched my husband pull out of the driveway and head down the road, it felt like my heart was being wripped from my chest. And when I asked myself what Mike would miss if we stayed, I thought of things he has already missed in the past two years...Chase's 3rd and 4th birthday, Skylar's 5th birthday, Two Halloween's, two Thanksgiving's, two first days of school, every parent teacher conference, two New Years, one wedding, Skylar losing her first tooth, and every little thing that happens everyday...When I realized all of this the decision was easy...Colorado is where we need to be...So now we enter into a world of being ready to show our home to anyone that may stop by, and pray that Heavenly Father will have a hand in letting us all be together under one roof in a short amount of time...

New Pics....

About a week or so ago, I loaded up the kids, and Bella (the pink scooter) and we headed up to Pocatello to get some new pictures taken...They turned out so well that I decided to put some of my faves up...Here they are!
Together...

Chase's...

And Skylar's...

Skylar's Second lost tooth....

A couple of nights ago, Skylar and Jade came bursting through the door to show me that Skylar had her second loose tooth. She wiggled that thing all day... right up til the time she went to bed. On one occasion, I walked downstairs to find Skylar assessing the situation, in the bathroom sink...

It still wasn't quite ready the next day, but getting closer. On her first tooth, she pulled it out herself while she was at school, so I was just waiting for her to randomly come up and hand me the tooth...didn't happen, and she was getting so frusterated! That night when she went to get into her bed, she found a letter from the Tooth Fairy...It said:
Dear Skylar,
I've heard from my friends that a second tooth is loose,
When it falls from your mouth, this is what you need to do...
Place a glass of water on the corner of your night stand...
In the bottom of the glass is where your tooth should land!
When I stop to visit, while you are fast asleep,
Up to that glass of water is where I will creep!
With my magic Fairy dust, I will change the color to...
The color of the dress I wore when I came to see you!
Your tooth will be my treasure & in exchange I'll leave for you...
Something underneath your pillow that I hope you think will do!
Love,
The Tooth Fairy

The excitement nearly did her in, so first thing in the morning, We called Grandpa Roger to come and pull it out. It was a success!

So...that night we found a "special" glass that we could use as the official "Tooth Fairy Glass"...Skylar filled it with water, dropped her tooth in, and set it on the night stand just like the letter said to do...

I think she literally woke up at 5:00 a.m. to see if the Tooth Fairy had been there...to her surprise, this is what she found...

The Tooth Fairy made it...Skylar was so excited to see that she was wearing a blue dress, because it her her absolute favorite color! And she left a little something under the pillow as well, just like she promised!

From my point of veiw...Operation Tooth Fairy was a total success! ;)

Trip to Colorado

The girls and I finally decided to take a trip out to Colorado to spend the week with Mike. Really having no expectations...(come on people, have you ever been to Rifle, Colorado!....) Mikey and Emily made sure we had a really fun time. Skylar and Chase loved spending time with Natalie, and from the way she followed them around, I think she liked spending time with them as well. Emily, being 8 months pregnant, was probably the most gracious host ever.

One night, we grabbed a bucket of KFC and headed up to Rifle falls. It was so fun to see the deer in the camp grounds, Natalie loving her new found freedom (I think she ran the entire time we were there...) and making memories in a place that I thought for sure was capable of no fond memories...

We headed to Glenwood Springs another night for dinner at Chili's and 18 holes of mini golf. I played a pretty good game, but in the end Mikey beat by ONE stroke...what's up with that?! Skylar made it through all 18 holes, I think Chase made it through maybe 7, & Natalie hit the ground running, so emily would get shots in as she could.

We did get in a little time with the other Davis' cousins while we were there too. Skylar and Chase were super excited to see Taryn, Adi and Reese. Most of the time spent at there house was out in the Apricot tree in the backyard.

Thanks Mikey and Emily for a great week! For the beds, the food, the entertainment...And THANK YOU, THANK YOU for all that you do to help my family. Mike and I will never be able to repay you for what you have done for us and we appreciate it more than you will probably ever now....and Mikey, I kept my promise...You made it on the blog!

My Garden...

Early this summer, Mike decided that he wanted to plant a garden, so he bought all the stuff, tilled the ground, planted them,.... and then left to go to Colorado...Now plants are not my thing. I can do an awesome display of fake ones, but real ones are another story. Two of my sisters were born with a killer green thumb...I was just born a killer (of plants)...However, I have nutured this little garden like it was my own flesh and blood. Mike planted six pumpkins seeds in one mound, and the seed pack said if more than two came up, you were supposed to thin them out until you only had two plants....Well, all six came up! Who would have thought pulling out a pumpkin plant would be so hard! I told Mike "That it was like killing my children!"
After a couple months, we are starting to see some results. The peas came in and were delicious...The peppers, cucumbers, squash, watermelons, and tomatoes are growing, and we have had zucchinni the last couple days that were ready for picking...Never did I think that this project that was somewhat thrown on my shoulders would be so rewarding....

Chase's Birthday...

Today my little baby turned four years old! Some days I can't even believe she is that big, other days her little attitude makes me think she is 14 and not four! She is so funny, can be so grumpy, and is my little best friend! we are so blessed to have her in our lives.

We gave her "the big present" on Sunday before Mike headed out of town, and then Skylar and I stayed up late last night to wrap her other smaller gifts...Both of my girls had to have these little stuffed animals called Beanie Baby Boo's, that cost $4.99 at the gas station of all places! Had they not got them, I think their birthdays would have been total devestation!...She got a pink princess dress that had to go on the minute she opened it, and several other great gifts. Lots of family came to celebrate with us, so I think she had a really good day. Kinda sad her dad had to miss the big day, but we are headed to Colorado tomorrow so we can spend the week with him....

Trip to the Zoo....

Aunt Marty and Sarah came in to town for the week, so one of the days they were here we headed to Hogle Zoo...It was so fun! I forgot my camera, and was so disapointed that Ronie let me be in charge of hers (Mostly because she tends to drop hers in the animal exhibits :) Her and Kris kept saying "Amy, it only holds 100 pictures..." I told them to be quiet, that I was capturing moments! (Hopefully, they will look back and be happy I captured so many!) Skylar and Chase were so good, it wasn't too terribly hot, and I have never been to the zoo when so many animals were out on the prowl...I'm generally disappointed because they are all hiding somewhere in their little habitats, but so many were right up next to the fences...It was so cool. The rhino was feeding right next to the little observation window. Those things are huge!

I think the thing I was most amazed by were the ostrich's that were right next to the railing...(Did you know their eyelids are on the bottom, so when they blink their eye closes from the bottom, not from the top like ours...weird!) Chase was dying to see the lions and tigers, and the camels, but at the end of the day the baby elephant was her favorite. Skylar loved the meerkats...they were so cute! They were hugging each other just like humans do....Ronie wanted to bring the red panda home with us, & Cyd got to see the leopard pace up and down the fence...I'm not sure what Sarah's favorite was...She just loved the clever names on all the buildings like the "Zoo-tique" instead of Boutique, and the "Beast"ro...When we made it home, we were all pooped but it was really a super fun day...So glad we went!