Colorado: Day 1

A few weeks ago, on an outing to Multnomah Falls, Husband and I started throwing around the idea of possibly driving to Denver to see my mom and sisters. We had made the trip by car before 13 months ago and now we were wiser after learning from our mistakes the fist time around. I had five days to plan and got right to it. We left the house at 4am on Saturday with scheduled stops in Pendleton, OR and Boise, ID at McDonald's restaurants with a Playplace. We also had dual screens on the headrests and plenty of DVDs. This worked so well for our kids. They did awesome for the first 10 hours or so. There were a lot of tears in the final miles before we arrived in Lehi, Utah to spend the night with Husband's sister, Cami. But after 15 hours, they were all smiles when they finally got to run around with their cousins.



The next morning, we were out the door by 8am with our first stop in Grand Junction, Colorado, at where else? A McDonald's with a Playplace. The scenery was gorgeous and the drive (10 hours) seemed so short compared to the day before. My stepdad, Ken, had dinner waiting for us.

Our first official day in Denver was pretty low key. Ping and I took Ami the park....


while Husband and Tinyman got some much deserved rest; he did all the driving.


We also played in the pool...



and snuggled with family. Both the kids really enjoyed being with their relatives. "Cynda! Cousin Ping! Where are you?" could be heard constantly coming from Ami's mouth.


She warmed up quickly to her Nana bringing her books in the evening to be read and tormenting the cats while husband and I had some alone time rotting our brains in front of "The Bachlorette".

Multnomah Falls

Wanting to take advantage of the nice weather, Husband and I took the kids on their first hike up Multnomah Falls.


Ami did very well and received a lot of compliments from strangers on her endurance.


She stayed close to momma and bravely explored shallow caves and twisted trees.


Throwing rocks in the water. What fun! I love how such simple things bring them joy.


Husband helped Tinyman stretch his legs on the way down. I thought they looked so cute walking together.


A great time was had by all. We're looking forward to more outdoor adventures this summer.

Remember when ...

the box was more fun than what came in it?


dad was a mountain to be climbed?



you used to play under the bed with your siblings?

That's my boy

Calvin is everything Husband had hoped for in a son. They shower together, share breakfast, run errands, tolerate the playpen just to watch his dad cut the grass. He even taught our tinyman to shut the door behind him when following Husband into the bathroom. And of course, Husband teaches Calvin to tease his momma and sister relentlessly.

A good brother

Late last March, my sil Lauralee told husband she needed some kitchen cupboard doors to make this headboard. He has been keeping his eye out for them ever since.



He traded some materials leftover from a job to a local business for these.



Nice, eh? Happy late birhday, Lauraloo!

I just wanna be with my Dad!

Husband is such a good father. He works all day and then has to study at night. While I would have to be in a room with no distractions, he always lets Calvin sit with him while he reads. The TV is blaring Baby Songs, I'm folding laundry or washing dishes (my machine is currently not operating) and Ami is singing while she acts out scenes from The Little Mermaid. I don't know how he does it. Must be love.

We are such novice parents

The last time husband and I went to the beach was in early Sept. '08 with our darling 10 month old Amidala. Here I am pregnant with my son thinking, "Geesh, going to the coast is not relaxing anymore when you take your baby." We had foolishly brought along two chairs, though one of us was always up to chase Ami. I remember taking turns with husband to eat lunch and deciding we probably weren't going to do this again anytime soon.


So last summer we never went to the coast or camping or any other major outdoor activity. We did go to the Denver zoo last June and all that did was remind me my chidren are still too young and it was a lot more stress than it was worth. Now husband was just itching to go to the beach so when a perfect, sunny, 65 degree Saturday was in the forecast, I said ok and started my obessive planning. We would go to Long Beach (not as crowded as Seaside) where there was a boardwalk and hundreds of yards of dry sand. The kids probably wouldn't even notice the ocean until we walked them down there. And only one chair this time, I had learned from my previous experience. About 5 min. to our destination, husband suggested we go to Ilwaco where there was a beach he remembered at a campground from when he was a kid. Now my first impulse was to deny him and demand we stick to my carefully laid out, exactly right beach trip with two kids plan. But I deeply love and appreciate my husband, and marriage is all about compromise, so I agreed to his request without any fuss. We pulled into the parking lot and Ami was just bursting with excitment (I had been talking up the beach for two days). We walked with all our stuff down a little path to the beach and discovered it was very small, surround by rocks and driftwood and absolutely no dry sand. Lots of tidepools and the ocean was no more than 75 feet from us. For a brief moment we contemplated going back to the car and driving the 10 minutes to sure-thing Long Beach but the kids were so eager to get down and play I thought, "How bad can this be?"


They treated those tide pools like a bath and were soaked in the first 15 minutes. Calvin was much more comfortable naked.


They both constantly ran toward the ocean while we, their panicked parents, constantly ran to be by their side and save them from being swept out to sea. We tried in vain to get them to eat bites of lunch while we chased them, but they were content to eat sand and drink salt water. After about an hour, exhausted, we gave up. I convinced Ami we were going to another beach and dragged Calvin crying to the car. I got them to eat a little lunch in the car while husband went back and brought up the rest of our stuff. No, we never used the chair.


We stopped at the McDonalds in Long Beach with a playplace to reflect on our situation and decide what to do next. Going to play in the sand wasn't too desirable now that I'd just gotten them into dry clothes and knew the game of chase-a-child that would inevitably ensue. So we put them in their respective backpacks, held hands and ate icecream on the boardwalk.


So yeah, we spent more time driving then actually at the coast but the kids still had a total blast. Ami is still asking to go back. And amidst all that intial stress, husband and I didn't growl at each other once. Now we know for next time: it's pointless to pack a chair.

I love you, husband.

Husband's Birthday

Yesterday was husband's 31st birthday. I made the mistake of telling this little girl in the morning, so all day she was singing the birthday song and asking if dad was home yet so she could eat birthday cake (well, it was brownies).




Birthdays are so much more fun to celebrate when you have your own cute kids to help.




Husband had math class tonight so Calvin was asleep by this time.




His gift was a blanket lined Carhartt jacket for work. He also received the good news in class that he scored 105% on his latest math test.




My blogging SIL Lauralee always does gushing birthday posts for her family so here is my top 10 things I love about my huband:

10. He has a wonderful family. I am so blessed to have them as my in-laws.

9. He mows the lawn, washes the cars and cleans the garage without me ever having to ask.

8. He cannot tell a lie. I've seen him try, it's hilarious.

7. He doesn't just love our kids, but all his nieces and nephews as well. He wants more kids. I said yes, in about 3 or 4 years.

6. He helps Ami set the table and always clears the dishes after dinner. Little things like that mean the world to me.

5. He always kisses all of us goodbye every morning and says I love you, even if I'm grumpy or the kids are stinky.

4. He is kind, patient, easy going, funny, adventurous and always willing to lend a hand. His personality compliments mine.

3. He is a great father. He genuinely enjoys playing with his kids and takes good care of them. He has easily gotten up more in the middle of the ngiht with our son, but I'm pretty sure I lead the count in changing poopy diapers.

2. He is a wonderful husband, very supportive of his wife and works hard to provide for our family. He has seen me at my worst and stayed.

1. He chose me as his life partner and gave me our two beautiful, healthy children. He made me a wife and momma and I'm lovin' it.

I love you, whata.

Pass the tissues, please

We have been so sick! When husband came home from work Monday evening saying he didn't feel well, I had no idea the monster virus that had been unleased. I haven't had any really bad colds or flu since the kids have been born but this one made up for all that. We are just barely leaving Snot City now but the hacking cough is lingering in us all. We had to cancel plans, turn down invites and Valentine's Day was very low key.


What's worse then being really sick? Having to also take care of your whiny, cranky kids. Ugh! We had to make a cold medicine run to WalMart on Saturday so we got the kids a new toy each to keep them occupied so we could take turns trying to nap. Calvin loves to make noise so this music roller was perfect for him.




Ami loves to take baths so she got Bath Beauty Ariel doll. She was really thrilled with it, despite her facial expression. She is still learning to hold still and smile for the camera. This was the best picture I could get.

School Daze

Lynn is taking a night class at the local community college twice a week. Sometimes he's gone for 12 hours and the kids and I really miss him. Calvin gets especially cranky when he doesn't get to spend much time with his dad. Thank goodness for Baby Songs! Now he's sick but Ami is doling out plenty of "Get Well Soon" kisses.

Superbowl Party

Superbowl gathering at my house with those other Davis' and their lovely boys. Ahhh, the flat screen.

The one on your left is my husband.

Tanner and Logan doing their best to entertain themselvs with our toddler toys. Christine validated my choice of orange for the walls and then taught me to blog.

I had to promise Ami chocolate to get her to sit and smile. Preston said he didn't need any because he has his own chocolate in his armpit. Birthmark, inside Davis family joke.

The party was very impromptu and a good time was had by all. My kids loved playing with their cousins. Tanner named my blog, Spencer shares my love of all things Star Wars, Logan is just so darned cute and Preston offered me some chocolate. Jason and Lynn hardley had to get up from the couch and I think Christine got a chance to relax as well. Those other Davis' rock! Thanks for inviting yourselves over and giving me my blogging wings. Best. Superbowl. Ever.