Sunday, March 29, 2009

Deacon Turns One

Happy Birthday to me.

"I have a present and you don't."

Deacon would rather play with the battery for his toy than the toy itself.


What do I do with this thing?

Concerned about his dirty hands. There's the Davis in him coming out.

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Stay-cation

An amazing thing happened at Chris's work. His boss told him he had to take a week long vacation. Apparently there is a company policy that employees must take a week vacation every year, and Chris has been working there the past 11 months, having only taken one personal day. So Chris is taking off next Monday through Friday off, the same week Parker has spring break.

Now we considered spending this week going on a fun vacation. But this nagging little fact kept popping up, and that fact is that vacations cost money. So we decided to stay home and have a stay-cation. We are going on a vacation to Meridian, Idaho.

Today was the first day, and we would have loved to do something super fun. However, the sickness gods were conspiring against us. McKay and Deacon woke up coughing and cranky. So Chris got to work on the list of things I wrote up for him to do. My house and garage are clean. My gate to my backyard is fixed. Every single ball and bicycle tire is inflated. And the tree that's been sitting in a pot in my front yard since last Saturday is planted. Hurray for Chris!

Then it was time for Parker's football game. Neither one of us wanted to stay home with sick kids, so we decided one hour away from the couch wouldn't kill them. We loaded them up, and in the 3 1/2 minute drive to the park, Deacon managed to throw up all over himself. Rather than take him home like a concerned parent should, I pulled off his jacket and said, "It's warm enough without one." So I hauled children, team snacks, and lawn chairs across the park to the game, where it remained sunny for approximately ten minutes. At this point the sky darkened, the wind blew, lightning flashed, rain fell, and the game was not cancelled. And here's the amazing part, we still didn't take our cold and crying kids home! Instead I went back to the van and grabbed an umbrella and Deacon's vomit-covered jacket. I put that stinky coat on my kid, and we stuck it out for the whole game, while our children cried, their noses ran, and we sat by ourselves in an ever-widening leper's circle. And here's the best part--Parker scored a touchdown! He ran down the entire field without getting his flag pulled. I'm so glad we didn't leave so we could see that. He was excited. So was Chris.

Then I decided to try a new culinary experience for dinner. If this was a real vacation, we would be trying new food and places to eat. So on our stay-cation, we went for something new. Taco pizza. Yes, Pizza Hut makes a taco pizza. I'm sure the rest of the world knows about this, but I did not. I was positive that the combination of two of my favorite foods would ruin both of them, but no, it was truly amazing. Now I'm thinking of making pizza tacos for dinner tomorrow. Chris says, "Please, please, don't try." But I can see potential....

Friday, March 20, 2009

Afternoon

Sent RoboParker to school. Gave Deacon and McKay Benadryl. Enjoyed quiet afternoon while children took drug-induced naps. Wonderful.

Morning

Deacon was crying. McKay was crying. I had just finished cleaning up the spilled children's tylenol, when Deacon knocked my glass of milk to the ground, spilling milk everywhere. Parker, who had refused to get dressed and was instead pulling on knee pads, elbow pads, and wrist pads in order to turn himself into RoboParker, looked up and said, "Wow, mom, you're having a really bad morning." Ahh, thanks for noticing RoboParker.

Monday, March 16, 2009

Dog

At Parker's football game on Saturday, someone had a pen of puppies they were selling. This prompted McKay to beg for a puppy and then throw an hour long fit when she didn't get one. The begging continued through Sunday, so to get her to drop the subject, I told her she could have a puppy when Chewie died. She seemed happy with that arrangement, and I felt happy I had just bought five to ten years of puppy peace.

This morning McKay woke up happy. She bounded up to me, jumped in my arms, and with a big smile on her face asked, "Did Chewie die?" I have never seen a girl so disappointed to find out her beloved family pet was still alive.

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Jungle Kids

In order to stop getting annoying letters from our HOA reminding us to plant trees, our family took off on a quest to find Sand Hollow Nursery today. The flyer promised the amazing deal of two trees and eight shrubs for $100, so we decided to check it out.

First we had to find it. Here is how to find it: Drive to Caldwell. Drive until Caldwell ends. Follow handwritten signs down a dirt lane. Drive past laundry hanging on fence and trees. Avoid hitting roosters. Reach a dead end, a million trees, and a sign that reads "Please Honk."

Once we honked, out came the most weathered woman I have ever seen. She had obviously spent a lot of time gardening. Not only did she look it, but she knew her stuff. Chris and I couldn't decide what we wanted. We walked around looking at a lot of trees for an hour and a half, while Parker and McKay complained about how bored they were and Deacon ate rocks he found on the ground. $100 later we owned a Weeping Cherry tree, an Autumn Blaze Maple tree, two ornamental grasses, a lilac bush, and five boxwoods. Now how to get it home in a minivan filled with three children, two lawn chairs, a stroller for McKay's doll, a purse and diaper bag. Chris, the master packer, did it. I had to take a picture. While I was taking it, Parker said, "Hey, you could call this picture 'Jungle Kids.'" That child has grown up with a scrapbooking mom.



When we arrived home at 5:30, the smart thing to do would have been to plant our cherry tree, as it was bareroot. This is what we did instead: changed two poopy diapers, feed Deacon, ran errands, went to the store, fed family, talked to neighbors, rode scooters, played in the sand with friends, played baseball, and played soccer. Once dinner was over, and the sun was mostly set, Chris decided it was time to start digging. Unlike our Orem neighbors, our Idaho ones aren't used to us gardening by flashlight yet. But they got their first dose of Davis gardening tonight. It was definitely dark by the time we finished up.

So, yay for a sunshiney spring Saturday! I've been waiting months for this.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Honest Repentance


Parker would not stop teasing his sister, so I said, "That's it. You just lost t.v. for the rest of the day."

Parker exclaimed, "I'm sorry. I promise never to do it again. Ever .......unless I forget. But I WON'T forget! At least not for awhile...."

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Mood Swing

Today I woke up on the wrong side of the bed--both literally and figuratively. My day started at about midnight when McKay woke up screaming that her ear hurt. She couldn't be comforted and didn't want medicine. "What day is it?" she demanded. "Saturday," I told her. "Aaaahhh! I'm still wearing my Friday panties! I need to change right now!" When I wouldn't let her, she became inconsolable, screaming at the top of her lungs. About this time Parker came into our bed having an asthma attack. After medicating our two children, Chris took McKay down to the couch to sleep with him, so that I could put the, now awake and screaming, Deacon back to sleep. Needless to say, I woke up at six sleepy and grumpy.


My mood didn't improve, because my husband had to attend a work function from 8-10 in the morning, leaving me with three whiney, cranky kids to get ready for Parker's football game. Now sick kids need an extra measure of love and patience, which is exactly what they did not get from me. I won't say that I swore at them, but that's because I've found that screaming, "Damnation!" is biblical and more like quoting scripture than swearing. So I just quoted a little scripture at them when McKay picked up her bacon, flung it across the room and yelled, "I said I wanted a waffle. NOT BACON!" Ahhh, you could feel the love in the Davis house this morning.


But then we arrived at the park for Parker's flag football game, my mood changed. Why is it so fun to watch six year olds play football? I have no idea, but it is. After the football game, we swung over to Chris's parents' condo to celebrate his dad's birthday. McKay was very excited to give her Papa a Strawberry Shortcake DVD and princess crown. So excited in fact, she asked to sleep with the wrapped present the night before. We had fun with family, and then headed over to the Idaho Center to watch a high school state championship basketball game. Chris's cousin's husband (got the connection?) is an assistant coach for the Pocatello team. They lost by one point in overtime. Despite the loss, the game was fun. And now all three kids are asleep, and I am going to go to bed so I can get a good hour of sleep before my children's medication wears off. What a wonderful ending to a horrible beginning.

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Wal-Mart Woes

Wal-Mart makes me grumpy. I spend too much time and money in that store. I feel my blood pressure rising just walking through those doors. So in January, I made a decision--I was done with Wal-Mart. I would send Chris if I needed something vital, but otherwise I would do all my shopping at other stores. I have been Wal-Mart-free since January, and it has been wonderful. But today, I gave in and went back to the blue and yellow devil.

I had just gone to get Deacon's hair cut. (See picture.) I needed groceries, and I was so close to Wal-Mart, that I didn't see the sense in driving clear across town to Winco. I rationalized I just needed a few things, so it wouldn't be so bad.


I started off great. I got the vitals like Barbie band-aids and conditioner, and then headed up the loop towards groceries. Of course Wal-Mart doesn't put groceries next to toiletries, so I had to go by several departments including toys (one Littlest Pet Shop later), shoes (hello football cleats), and clothing. At which point I got sidetracked by a large clearance display of Parker sized shirts. Deacon was screaming at this point, so I held him while searching for size seven shirts, which were thrown together with every other size of shirt in no particular order. But for $2 each, I started sorting and tossing shirts into the cart. Finally, I realized--What the hey-diddle am I doing? I have been in boys' clothing for a good thirty minutes. Aaagh. I had to move on. Get out. On to baby food. Hand Deacon a bottle of Puffs and speed-shop it through grocery with McKay singing a made-up song on the top of her lungs. I was almost done when I realized I was in charge of drinks for Parker's football game. Backtracked but not beaten, I got the juice boxes and headed for the deli to get McKay some popcorn chicken for lunch. Deacon was crying, but I just kept shoving Puffs down his throat. The finish line was in sight. On to the check-out line. I began pulling groceries out of the cart, when I heard an "Oops." McKay had dumped her popcorn chicken all over the floor. So not to be outdone, Deacon took his bottle of Puffs and poured them all over the floor. I asked the cashier to send "one of those sweepy-guys" while I continued to empty my cart. That's when I hit the Parker clearance clothes. I realized my sense of cheapness had overpowered my sense of taste, and I began weeding out some of the clothes. It might only be $2, but a bright green Alvin and the Chipmunks shirt? Really, what was I thinking? "These are hideous," I explained to the clerk. She looked at me like, please, please leave line. Which we did. After I picked up my credit cards that Deacon had tossed onto the floor. $118 and an hour and a half later, I reinstated my original vow never to go back to Wal-Mart again.

Counter