Happy 3 Months

Our sweet baby boy is 3 months old!  My eyes get a little watery as I look back over the pictures from the day he was born.  I miss how tiny he was and that precious moment when I held him for the very first time.  It is a moment that will forever be ingrained in my mind.  I can close my eyes and picture the way he looked up at me when the nurses put him on my chest.  His eyes were wide open and he was so calm.  I will always remember how he stared into my eyes and made the connection that I was his mommy. 

I’ve always heard the phrase “they grow up fast,” but never imagined how true it would be.  He has changed so very much.  There are days that I wish I could just freeze time. BUT it is SO much fun to watch him grow and learn.  He is smiling, cooing, sticking his tongue out, making noises with his tongue, plays with his hands, sucks on his hands, is starting to reach for things, can grasp a small light weight toy, and can already sit up with help from mommy and daddy.

In honor of him being 13 weeks old, here are 13 things our little family has experienced …

* Successfully making it through labor and delivery *

* Meeting Nana and Pop *

* Amazing generosity from many friends and family upon our arrival home *

* The first bath *

* Many naps in mommy and daddy’s arms *

* Meeting Uncle John & getting his first pair of Converse *

* First trip to Nana & Pop’s house in Waco *

* Dressing up for Halloween *

* Sweet Smiles *

* Learning he had reflux and getting it under control *

*Sleep training! YIKES! *

* First plane trip to North Carolina … he did AMAZING *

* Meeting Oma and Opa *

We are so thankful and blessed to have Cason in our lives.  

Teachers are like Diamonds

"A diamond is just a piece of charcoal that handled stress exceptionally well." -Unknown

As we teachers wrap up another school year, we tend to get become quite stressed. Our to-do lists seem never ending, we have frequent team and/or staff meetings, we must assess 21+ students reading levels, give cumulative math assessments, enter countless pages of data into the computer, take on the task of setting new classes for the following year, prepare for end year celebrations and so much more. And we do this while managing our class and making a point to keep teaching our students valuable lessons. It's easy to get wrapped up in the stress of it all. However, somehow we manage to take these stresses and push them aside so that we can keep going. As I read this quote today, it made me think of how well teachers handle stress. It just comes with the job and we all learn ways to conquer it. This is to all the teachers who are coming home each day drained of their energy and ready to go to bed at 7:30! :) We are all becoming diamonds and each year we become even better teachers.

10 things I am Thankful for ...

- the 6 wonderful women on my first grade team. They have each made an impression on my heart. I am truly blessed to work with them.

- my dogs ... they're just so stinkin' cute!

- AJ's exterminating skills. He always comes to kill a spider the second I ask him to come get this HUGE spider. :)

- Italy

- lightening storms

- My grandmommie's desk chair. My dad gave this to me to use at the desk in my kitchen ... just like grandmommie did. :)

- My in-laws coming to visit in 2 weeks!

- cold sheets

- mango orange juice

- reading on the beach

Venice, Itatly

2009

Food and Thankfulness

It has been almost 2 weeks since we have started to eat organic meat without hormones and chemicals. We also been eating a lot more locally grown fruits & veggies. We have been impressed with how much better and more energetic we've felt since the change. It's also interesting how we don't feel so well after eating out at restaurants that don't serve organic meats and locally grown veggies. The extra money spent toward groceries is so worth it. In fact, we're probably saving money because now the thought of eating out isn't so appetizing.

Switching gears ...

I've decided that each time I blog, I will include a list of 10 things I'm thankful for. :) A friend of mine once told me that each morning she makes a list of things she's thankful for and her goal was to think of something new each day. What a great way to start the day. Since I lack the ability to wake up any earlier than 6:00am (actually I just don't want to wake up earlier), I will just post my thankful somethings when I blog. That's a good start, right?

I'm Thankful for ...

1 - A husband who I can openly communicate with

2 - The laughter that Bruiser gives me when he sneaks up on Kona to pounce on her

3 - Netflix

4 - Remote controls

5 - A family that I ENJOY spending time with

6 - In-laws and a sister-in-law that I LOVE

7 - The way prayer brings me peace

8 - The innocence of young children

9 - Turbie Twist Hair Towels

10 - A career and work environment that I look forward to each day

NYC - October 2010

You'll Never Look at Dinner the Same

This past weekend, AJ and I watched the movie Food Inc.. It was a very thought provoking film. We constantly had to hit pause throughout the movie to make comments and have little side discussions. The lifestyle of the animals in most "farms" is horrible and brought on a huge feeling of guilt. Chickens trapped inside dark, overcrowded chicken houses. Cattle standing in a foot of their own manure with little room to walk around. If you haven't seen the movie, it's definitely worth 94 minutes of your time! Since watching the movie, we returned our unopened frozen chicken to the store. Thankfully I save all my receipts! After that, we made a trip to Sprouts and bought free range chicken meat and grass fed beef. Yes, it's a little more expensive. However, it feels good knowing that the meat I'm eating came from farmers who respect their animals wellbeing. It's also nice to know that I'm not eating chemicals and hormones that are used daily in most other meats!

The Return

It's been 1 year and 2+ months since I last blogged ... I think that may be a record. We were living in a hotel the last time I blogged. Thankfully, that was only a short time. Since then ...

~ We relived apartment life for a bit ... on the 3rd floor.
~ During the spring, we went to see Holly in Ireland and were there for St. Pattie's Day!
~ My amazing grandpa, Pop, went to be with the Lord. He was truly an inspiring man.
~ In July, we bought a house in Prosper and I am in love with my kitchen!
~ I'm in my 4th year of teaching first grade.
~ About 19 of our friends -- seriously -- had babies during the past year and 2 more are preggo! ... the pressure is on!
~ My best friend got engaged and couldn't have found a better man to spend her life with.
~ I have 23 kids in my class this year and I may have some gray hairs before it's over.
~ After a nasty virus/worm on my PC, I'm converting to a Mac soon.
~ My brother, John, is living in Colorado for his internship.
~ Over the summer, we took AJ's parents with us to Kauai, Hawaii.
~ We started the summer with a trip to Missouri to get another puppy (Bruiser). My parents got one too (Mia).
~ My good friend, Jamey, referred me to an AwEsOmE new stylist whose prices are great!
~ We started going to a new church (Lighthouse Christian Fellowship) in Prosper. We love it!
~ Thanksgiving was spent in North Carolina with AJ's family.

Packing and Football

AJ and I spent the whole day packing everything in our town home. We got a lot done, but there is still half a day's worth of packing left to do. My feet are throbbing after going up and down stairs and packing all day. Tip... don't wear flip flops when you're packing your house! I am very ready for my pedi/mani with Katie on Wednesday!!!

So, I usually don't care for football, but this year I'm a little excited to watch the Cowboys. The new stadium is so awesome and I think that's why I'm eager to watch them play this year. I was very sad that I didn't get to see the Today Show on Friday. Matt and Al were at Cowboy Stadium!! Not having a DVR is no fun!

Shoutin' out from da' Homewood Suites

Thanks to my school’s amazing technology facilitator, Buffy, I now know how to make cute backgrounds on my blog! I had no clue that it was as simple as copying and pasting a link into an HTML gadget. Thanks Buffy!! J

I also made a blog for my class last night! There will be pictures on it eventually, but I’m waiting to get the permission slips back from all the parents. Feel free to check my class blog to see my cute kiddos!

www.heyitsmrsdavis.blogspot.com


We are still living in a hotel. We’ve been here over a month now. Our town home is finally dry and we’re moving everything else out this weekend. Our builder is going to start reconstruction this coming Tuesday or Wednesday. We are so excited that we are able to use our builder for this. He builds beautiful homes and is very reliable.

More updates to come!