Happy 5th Birthday!

Wow, Caroline is five years old already. This was the year we decided to have an actual party. We went all out and had a skating party! There were balloons and decorations, food and drinks, and a Toy Story themed cake with Jessie. The kids had a wonderful time skating. For most, it was their first time on skates. I have to thank God for my husband. He became the host of the party since I was not feeling well enough to attend-you can imagine how bummed I was. Regardless, everything went perfect. Once Caroline and Steve got home she opened up all her presents and she got so much stuff. Thank you all for your generous gifts. The night before her actual birthday, Caroline wouldn't go to sleep. She kept asking me when will it be midnight. I didn't understand why she was asking me this at first. Then it dawned on me that she realized her birthday will actually start at midnight! Smart girl she is. She also was very excited about celebrating her birthday with her daycare friends. Caroline picked out a new dress I purchased at a consignment sale and had me curl her hair for school. We brought in cupcakes to share with her classmates. Then ended the night with a birthday dinner at her favorite restaurant, LoneStar. It's a blessing the Lord gives us these special times to spend with family and friends. As parents we have been abundantly blessed with a child who has a joyful, energetic, and bold personality. She is funny and considerate and enjoys helping others. She does things passionately which can get her frustrated if it doesn't go as planned-humm guess she gets that honestly from mama. If it sparkles, twinkles, twirls, and has a hint of pink in it, Caroline is all for it. We thank God for your life Caroline.

Remember, He IS risen!

God bless.

It's been a while...

since I have written on our blog. I guess with working full time now, my time is spent differently. Work has been going great. I've said this before to others...God has given me every job I have had and they all have been great in their own respect. The transitions have been seamless. My only complaint is that my house is a little more cluttered at times but oh well-whataya going to do.

Caroline enjoys 'school' very much and is so happy when Monday, her favorite day of the week (besides gymnastics day) comes around. She engages with her teachers and the other children very well and is not afraid to speak up and share her feelings. So far, her and her class have gone on two field trips, the pumpkin farm and our local "zoo" aka Petco! With our flexible jobs, we were able to attend the field trips too. We also attended a Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas classroom party. Caroline commented to me that 'we sure do have a lot of parties'-ain't that the truth. I'm thankful God has allowed us to be so involved.

Caroline will be five in April and we have been praying for God to direct us on which school to send Caroline for Kindergarten. Tomorrow night we are going to check out a newer school in our county that is a charter school. It is a public school but you have to apply and based on openings will you get in. They do a lottery system if they have more applicants then open spots. Anyway, we are going to attend their information/tour night tomorrow.

Steve has been playing more hockey and has even become a Washington Capitals fan! To the point that he got us all caps jerseys..mine is a shirt. When the caps are playing we are watching. Some of the games aren't broadcast on cable, but he has a friend who gets it on direct TV-thanks Craig!

In addition to hockey, Steve continues to play music. He no longer is in the band but still jams with some of the members. Writing music and lyrics is a lot of fun for him. He definitely has a God given talent with music. He has never been formally taught to play an instrument. He can just pick it up and go with it.

Until next time, God bless and remember God's mercies are new everyday!

Let's go ride a bike.

I did it...

I completed my first week of work, well almost a full week. Today is my CWS. For those who don't know what a compressed work schedule (CWS) is, it's working 9 hr days Mon-Thurs and you get every other Friday off and work 8 hrs on your working Friday. Make sense? lol. Yeah I know.

Anyway, I have filled out a ton of papers, taken online courses and tests-errr I failed my timesheet training course the first time. I've never been good at filling out my timesheet correctly. lol. I think I got it now. I still don't have a phone and using a temporary computer-gotta love NMCI. I still have a ton of papers to fill out and benefits to sign up for. I've been to at least three meetings this week and have no clue what they were talking about. I know it will all come in time and thank God there wasn't a test at the end of the week! Everyone I work with are super nice. I know a few folks out there already so that makes the transition a little easier.

I've become pretty efficient in my morning routine. I can get up at 6am and be at work by 7:10. In that time I'm able to give Caroline breakfast and do her hair and get a little snuggle time in before saying goodbye. Steve has been doing the morning daycare drop off. I do the PM pick up. Caroline loves daycare and her friends so when she see me she doesn't want to leave. Since at daycare, Caroline has mastered riding a bike. When we come home that is her new thing to do after dinner.

I'm so thankful that our new adventures are taking off so well. I really believe that God had all this laid out for us and we are where we are suppose to be for now.

Appreciating our small town.

ST MARY'S COUNTY FAIR 2008
Saturday morning came and Caroline was ready to go to the fair. After Steve finally woke up and got ready we made it in time for the parade. What fun! We saw all three county bands and lots of floats. Ran into a few folks we know. It's sometime nice to see familiar faces. Caroline took her first pony ride and you can see she really enjoyed it. Another favorite was going down the slide with her daddy. I hope the video does it justice. We got some lunch and snacks-a woo hoo for cotton candy, roasted peanuts, and boardwalk fries. We finished up with a visit to the animals. Caroline seemed to really enjoy the horses this year. By the time we got home everyone was ready for a nap.

Not a baby anymore...first day at daycare.

YES I cried as I left the parking lot of the daycare. I really thought I was prepared for this but guess not. Caroline was so excited to see the kids outside playing. She handed me her book bag and was off. I didn't get a goodbye mom or anything! I did manage to go over to her and give her a kiss and told her I would see her later.

I'm now home and doing fine. But it's so strange to be here by myself. I enjoy my alone time, but now that I have it (just for this week) I'm not too sure what to do first! lol

I think I'm going to pray and worship some and go from there.

God bless you.

Carla

There is a season...

Things are about to change in the Davis household. We decided it was time for me to go back to work. That also means Caroline would attend daycare. After a lot of praying, I submitted my resume to my previous employer and was told there were going to be some openings soon. Then Steve suggested I send my resume to him and he would send it out to some folks he works with/knows. I wasn't too comfortable doing that so I put that off for a while. I prayed and asked the Lord what I was suppose to do. I told the Lord I didn't want to send Steve my resume. I now know I was just afraid. It kept coming up in my heart to just give Steve my resume. So I did. Within a few days I was on an interview! I was excited and nervous. The interview went great. In a nutshell the job was mine. Steve and I gave it the Labor Day weekend to pray over it. Soon after the interview I knew I wanted the job, but Steve said he wanted to think it over and would give me his answer the next day. I humbled myself and said ok. During this time I wasn't stressed and felt very calm regardless of Steve's decision. Steve gave it a thumbs up and I think we actually shook hands-we're silly.

The next step after accepting the offer was to get the daycare paperwork filled out. Our first option was the local daycare near our work. I've heard how long these waiting lists are and other stories about this daycare, but I feel God was leading us and we faxed in the paperwork. I called to make sure it was received and I was told right away we got a spot! NO WAITING! That my friends is God. He is laying the way for all these changes and they are going so smoothly. I can't be more grateful and thankful to my Lord.

We took Caroline over to tour the daycare and she didn't want to leave. She starts her 'school' a week before I start work so that will be a nice transition for us all. I admit it's going to be strange not having her around me. When I start to feel anxious I am reminded that Jesus is with us ALL no matter where we are. She will be protected regardless if I am with her or not. Praise the Lord.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-22

1": To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

"2": A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

"3": A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

"4": A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

"5": A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

"6": A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

"7": A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

"8": A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

"9": What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth?

"10": I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.

"11": He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.

"12": I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life.

"13": And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God.

"14": I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.

"15": That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.

"16": And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that wickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there.

"17": I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.

"18": I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts.

"19": For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.

"20": All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.

"21": Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?

"22": Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?

Caroline's Ballet Debut

This past week Caroline took ballet from Bunny Bailey Dance Studio. Here is a short video of her and her classmates. Caroline is the one doing the splits at the barre...God bless her :-)

No, she's not pretending!

I guess the morning at the beach/park tired her out. She is actually asleep with her sunglasses on. When I saw that I had to take a picture. One day I'll tell her how she fell asleep with her sunglasses and now I have proof.

Caroline's 4th Birthday....a day early

Caroline's birthday will be on the 7th, but we decided to invite gramma and Auntie Jean over for a little cake and ice cream. I attempted to make the Barbie doll cake and it turned it out ok. The four year old really enjoyed it and the cake was very good. Caroline was very concerned about getting the doll OUT of the cake and kept asking how I was going to do that. Watch the video in the photo album to see us singing and removal of said barbie. Caroline opened a few presents from gramma and Jean and we gave her one today...but for tomorrow we will have four balloons tied to her chair along with a few more presents. I can't wait to see her facial expression then!

UPDATED ON APRIL 7TH...Last night Caroline was either hyped up from all the sugar she consumed or excited that her actual birthday was approaching and didn't fall asleep till 10pm! After she was out, Steve set up the four balloons in the kitchen and I got all the presents set out on the table. I have to say Steve and I were excited to. It's fun to be able to do things for those you love. The next morning, Caroline woke up, but didn't come to wake us up. I just happened to hear her playing in her room. I got Steve up and we got her and went downstairs. Caroline said, BALLOONS and more presents for me! She was ready for more cake too...but mama said no to that-after lunch was the deal. Caroline opened her presents and loved everything. We have played with her balloons all morning. Then she started to ask, 'How do I know I'm 4 years old?' She would look down at herself as if something was suppose to change today. She seemed a little disappointed, but I told her I can tell she is older because she is taller. Caroline is a bold, curious, non-assuming, strong, fun, humorous, and compassionate. See our photo album for more pictures. God bless you all.

Local Activities

This was a busy week for us. On Thursday we spent time with some friends. We met up at the library for the preschool story time then got lunch at Chik-Fil-A (mommy's fav). After the kids ate and played, we headed over to Solomon's Calvert Marine Museum for a tour of the lighthouse and to learn about 'toys our grandparents played with'. It was great fun by all. Caroline and Ysa enjoyed each others company. By the time we left the kids were tuckered out.

Steve and I decided to check out the Easter egg hunt in Leonardtown. Besides it being a bit chilly/windy, we all had fun. Caroline got to fill up her basket with eggs filled with TOYS (thank you-a nice alternative to candy)! Then we stood in line to get a picture with the Easter bunny. Then we were all getting hungry so we used our coupons for Chik Fil A! After filling our bellies we ran over to Wal-Mart to pick up a few items. We then headed over to mom's house to color eggs and have some dessert. Before we left we played two rounds of 'go fish'. Needless to say I was thankful for the fun we had this week. Thank God.

Crafting with Crayola

What fun! We all got up early and headed over to Michael's to check out all their new Crayola craft stuff. They had three projects the kids could complete. The parents got involved too. Caroline had two of her friends there too. Caroline made a card for Oma. The other two projects were done by Steve and myself!

Slow and Steady Wins the Race...

Vrrooooommm! Steve and I went on a date to One Stop Family Adventure. They have go-karts for adults and older kids and bounces for the little kids and some arcade games. We had a great time. Steve is definitely more competitive then me. If I didn't hear 'slow and steady wins the race' once I heard it a million times since. lol.

We went back a week later to take Caroline and that was really cool because we were the only ones in the place. Caroline enjoyed it too and told me to go faster-I had the gas pedal to the floor! We then jumped around on the bounces. It was such a beautiful day we stopped by Bruster's to get some ice cream, but I have to say Steve's pineapple sorbet was awesome! Next time I will get the sorbet. Caroline enjoyed chocolate ice cream with rainbow sprinkles. Caroline was tuckered out and took a much needed nap.

Make Room for Flowers and Butterflies

Over this past week, Steve and I (mainly Steve) have painted and applied wallpaper cut outs of flowers and butterflies to Caroline's new room. It used to be the guest room. It has a little more room and bigger closet for a little girl with lots of stuff. We wanted Caroline to be surprised, so while Steve worked behind closed doors, I kept Caroline busy. When she saw the room for the first time she was so surprised. You can see the video in our photo album. Steve also painted the closet and added a wire closet organizer. It looks awesome. I told Caroline I always wanted one of those as a kid-Steve replied 'I'm not surprised' lol. The room is so cheery and inviting. We have fun playing in there. Caroline enjoys hiding in her closet and pretending it's her 'home'

Learning to Ice Skate

Our first ice skating experience and even though the little one got frustrated, we all had fun. Caroline enjoyed just watching her daddy and the other kids. I think this helped her confidence and she would give it a try. Steve was a natural on the ice and now has the urge to play ice hockey again. It's nice we have a rink somewhat closer. A 30 minute drive for us is nothing. lol.
I'm sure we'll go back.

Happy New Year 2008

Wishing all our family and friends a blessed 2008! We thank God for the people in our life. Peace and God bless.

Merry Christmas 2007

Just another day in the Davis house. I say that not to put down Christmas and what it might signify in your family, but for me the 'meaning' has really changed. This change is very liberating.

I was taught that we celebrate the birth of Christ at Christmas and the tree and lights all had some significance. I decided to do some reading..well after God got me to open the bible and just start reading I found out that there is no mention of December 25th, Christmas, and instruction to celebrate Christ's birth. I'm still reading in Matthew so if I am corrected I will post it. So now what...I have two other members who enjoy putting up the tree, lights, etc. I do too, but it doesn't seem that important to me. I can go either way...so we have a tree up, decorations, and even hosted a Christmas party. We say 'Merry Christmas'. We have done the local tree lighting; toured the decorated farms and parks; and even done Santa's shopping. But I still feel like I'm in a state of limbo as far as what I want our daughter to get out of all this.

I've already told our 3 1/2 yr old that 'baby Jesus' is not a baby anymore, but he is our living savior. He was a baby born of a woman named Mary. She immediately wanted to be Mary and act it out. lol. I've also told her we might not do things like other families because we need to obey God in all that we do. Next year we may or may not put up a tree. We may or may not exchange gifts. If I'm obeying God then none of this will be an issue. I will work out my salvation today, tomorrow, and on Christmas day. I'm thankful Jesus obeyed his father so myself and the world can have everlasting life. This is my celebration.

Merry Christmas and God's blessings to you all!

A lot of turkey and a hometown tree lighting....

What more can you ask for in Southern Maryland! We had a nice Thanksgiving. Of course I cooked a lot of food for three adults and a 3 yr old. lol. We are thankful for the time we get to spend with family. After we filled our bellies, we all played a bowling game on the Wii. Mom loved it and we laughed a lot.

The day after Thanksgiving there is a tree lighting/festival in Leonardtown, which includes Santa nonetheless. So after our turkey pot pie dinner, we bundled ourselves up for the cold to check out the festivities. We got there just in time to find a spot on the sidewalk to watch the parade of firetrucks along with Mr. McGruff and Sparky the fire dog (Caroline's favorite). Then Santa came by and helped light the tree in the center of the Leonardtown square. I'm glad I had my hot chocolate because it was SOOO cold. Needless to say, we walked around the square and headed home. We finished our evening with a slice of homemade cherry pie with whipped topping. YUMMY.

This weekend also starts the holiday season shopping frenzy. I only went to one store, got what I needed and headed home. It wasn't crowded either-I was thankful. Steve went to Best Buys-not the best idea. They were out of what he went after and the lines snaked around the store. He saw a friend of ours and she had been standing in line for 45 minutes (you go Jen!). Steve even said IF they had what he wanted he probably wouldn't of got it b/c the wait wasn't worth his time. Amen!

We also put up the christmas tree and got all the holiday decorations out. Caroline is so excited about the tree. She enjoys the lights and the train!

My favorite is 'candy popcorn'

Caroline tasted candy corn for the first time and that became her favorite and informed me she loves candy 'popcorn'...see the connection? lol.

At O-dark thirty Caroline wakes me up and says, 'mommy it's Halloween' and I replied yes, it is. She talked all day about dressing up as a princess (insert any princess name and she was happy, but Cinderella I think is the favorite). After dinner we got her all dressed up and went to a few houses of people we know. Caroline got to meet another 'Cinderella' and was in heaven. Then we ventured down to the local library for their 'not-so-scary' children's halloween party. I have to say it was pretty good. It started off with a few stories, songs, and games. Then the kids got to go around the library and get candy at different stations. They even got a book, pencils, and coupon for Chick-Fil-A (that's for mommy!). We met up with some friends and the girls had a ball at the library. Afterwards, we walked over to the fire station and the kids got more candy and got to check out the firetrucks. We were home by 8pm and Caroline was asleep by 8:30.

I'm not sure what my take is on this Halloween 'holiday'...basically it means nothing to me. In our house Caroline has the opportunity to dress up everyday and we seem to always have some kind of sugary treat stashed in the house. So to dedicate a day/night to say trick or treat seems useless. I will say that maybe this is due to my Halloweens as a kid...it wasn't a big deal really and I remember getting tired, my costume falling off, and ended up crying for some reason. So will Halloween become a yearly tradition in our family, don't know, but I bet we will continue to dress up as a princess and enjoy sugary treats for the next few weeks!

Happy Fall Y'all.

Granola anyone?

Me and my 3.5 yr old attended a local 'Nature Time' activity at a state park. We had a lovely time. The fall crisp air was invigorating. We had 2.5 hours of outdoor fun. We made a nature journal and then filled it with our findings from the field and corn crop. We saw beautiful flowers and leaves; various birds flying above; and animal tracks left in the mud. After we completed our nature journal it was time for a game. The instructor played mice and eagle..the kids were the mice and instructor the eagle. When the eagle tapped the mice on the head they turned into an eagle...well guess who didn't like being chased by the eagle, yep you guessed it our Caroline. She said she was scared, so be it. On to another game, Simon Says. A few rounds of that stirred up an appetite! The kids had a nice 'healthy' (see funny below) snack of soy nuts, puffed wheat, apples, carrots, and potato sticks. It was food so Caroline was in heaven.

Here's the funny part...

Funny #1: Caroline and the two other kids around her age (girl and boy) were looking at a daddy- longleg and my Caroline stomps on it. The other little girl started to ball. She comes running to her mommy all upset b/c that GIRL killed the daddy-longleg. I explained to Caroline that we don't kill the bugs/animals at the park (so not a nature girl here-lol).

Funny #2: Then we had a scavenger hunt..Caroline finds an ant hill and proceeds to DESTROY IT by stomping on it. Once again, I explained we don't destroy the animals home. I'm thinking to myself how the very nice instructor (nature lady) is ready for us to leave, but all was well and we didn't get kicked out of the park.

Funny #3: The final funny happened when Caroline asked the instructor if they are getting gummy snacks! The instructor explained that since they don't give out stuff with sugar in it (only healthy snacks) they won't be eating gummy snacks. Oh, ok, by now I'm cracking up inside.

By the way, the soy nuts were very tasty. We plan on going to the next Nature Time.