Life's Interuptions

Fun in the Sun

2009-07-04T13:42:00.000-07:00

In celebration of Asher's first birthday we bought a little pool for our backyard so the boys could enjoy the hot weather in style. A few days ago the water was warm enough and the sun hot enough to justify an afternoon of water play. Our friend Regan and her baby, Colby, came over to enjoy the pool with Bryant and Asher. Asher absolutely LOVED the pool and sat in the water for probably 40 minutes before he was a little chilly and ready to get out. He crawled around and dumped cupfuls of water out of the pool on to my lap, it was adorable. Colby had a couple of scares all involving her head going under water and justifiably wasn't interested in being in the pool, but rather observed from the side. Bryant, as to be expected, had fun with his tractors, sending them down the slide into the water and using the watering can to make sure his brother didn't get too dry! :-) (That's what big brothers are for!) All in all it was a really fun relaxing day in the pool! Hope you are all having a safe and happy 4th! The pictures of the kiddos in the grass are particularily funny to me, notice Asher has his left leg in the air in both pictures? He sat like that for quite a while...I think he was trying to subconscienously pretend he wasn't really sitting naked in the grass!

Asher's First Haircut

2009-06-28T22:20:00.002-07:00

His big brother is a pro, but last week, Asher had his first very encounter with the Barber. We go to a great barber here in Sisters and he is great with kids and hardly charges a thing. Asher did really good until about 3 minutes into the ordeal and then he fell apart. Just wanted to share a few pics of the memory!

2009-06-28T22:20:00.001-07:00

Asher Turns 1!!!!!

2009-06-28T21:57:00.001-07:00

Can you believe it? Baby Asher is already 1...it seems unreal to me. I can remember like it was yesterday the full events of the day he was born. He has been such a joy to our lives and Bryant is truly loving having a playmate, he is a great big brother. Asher makes his way around the house like a pro these days and although he isn't showing many signs of walking, he is strong and getting good at climbing the stairs.
We kept Asher's birthday pretty low key. I bought a plastic pool at the hardware store today and we were going to have a little family pool party, but the water was a little too cold, so maybe tomorrow! :-) I don't think Asher has his mommy's sweet tooth, he really wasn't that into his cake. He loves it when we sing happy birthday to him and lights up with a huge smile each time we break into song, which I did a bunch today, just for the smile factor!! Bryant loves that his brother got some new toys for his birthday, in fact, I think Bryant has played with them more than Asher. Ahhh, the perks of being the big brother! We just returned from a family reunion gathering for Jeremy's side of the family in Salem and we had a great time. Asher didn't sleep (literally, not at all), so we ended up leaving late Saturday night in an effort to get one good night of sleep in before the week begins, but it was so much fun hanging out with cousins and playing basketball, full access to a great playground any time of day (by far the highlight for Bryant) and even swimming. Jeremy's cousin Rich had his Harley there and Bryant got to sit on it and rev it up, (Asher even got a turn) it was a blast!!

Sweet Laughs - Cousins having fun!

2009-06-15T15:26:00.000-07:00

We spent some time about a week ago at my Mom's house so I could travel a bit for work. This video is Bryant, Asher and their cousin Cortlyn, having a blast together. I was about to put a stop to the bombardment of stuffed animals on the baby, but Asher was so thrilled with the attention, I decided to pull out my camera and record it instead. The laughing truly is contagious!!

Little Fawn

2009-06-11T13:45:00.000-07:00

We are blessed to live in a beautiful area of Oregon, tucked in the Mountains with amazing snowy winters and beautiful, hot summers. Today we had a little fawn wander into our yard with her Mama and Jeremy was able to capture some cool pictures of this tiny little wonder. We are guessing the fawn is 2 days old, barely walking, but moving around some. Enjoy!!

Asher Crawls

2009-05-28T21:37:00.001-07:00

That's right, Asher is officially mobile and loving every minute of it! Bryant loves that Asher can move around and although he isn't a very fast crawler, he is definitely getting the hang of it. Very cute!!!

Fun in the Sun

2009-05-28T21:22:00.001-07:00

We have had some beautiful weather here the last week or so and time outside is a must with two little boys. Daddy made a great gravel play area for Bryant and he spends his afternoons with tractors and shovels digging and being a boy...he really is in his element outside in the dirt. My fair haired little Asher loves to be outside, so I bring out a blanket (he does NOT, like the feeling of grass and it will downright ruin his day if he is forced to touch it!) and a few toys and he is happy. Just thought I'd share a few pics of outside playtime.

Asher Swinging at the Playground

2009-05-19T20:21:00.000-07:00

Life in the Davis House

2009-05-19T16:06:00.000-07:00

Well, what can I say, but if you are still checking our blog for updates...bless you! Between work, taking care of two sweet little boys and keeping up with the house, there is no time for anything extra. Much has happened in the months since our last posting, as I am sure you can well imagine. Bryant just finished up swimming lessons with my friend and running buddy Ashley, and he loved every minute of it and he has actually picked up quite a few skills along the way. We will need to spend some time in the pool this summer to make sure he retains what he has learned, so I will have to sacrifice and spend some hot summer days in the pool, darn!!! :-)

Asher is doing fantastic! He has another eye appointment in Portland at OHSU in July and we will get him new glasses and a new perscription. I am amazed the glasses he is in now have lasted this long, but he is doing great with them. Asher has grown 4 teeth in the last 3 weeks, and hated every minute of it, but he is doing great with solid foods and really prefers to feed himself to having mommy spoon feeding him. He is trying really hard to crawl, but so far he does a lot of rolling around and scooting backwards. We call him rolley polley because that is how he gets everywhere right now, but hey it works!! He is such a mellow happy baby and I think he is just content to let his brother take care of him and relax, no need to crawl or walk when someone will take care of things for you!

Jeremy is very busy with work and we are extremely thankful for the busy time. He has two guys working for him this year and that seems to be adequate for now.

Work is busy for me and juggling the mommyhood/work thing hasn't been easy, but I am really getting the hang of scheduling out my day to make sure I can take care of the necessities. The boys keep me very busy, but they also play really well independently, so that makes it a lot easier for me to get things done.

Warm, wonderful Spring weather has descended upon us the last couple of weeks and we have been outside enjoying every minute of it. My treadmill is in need of repair, so I am running outside with the boys in the double jogger most days, great workout, but really exhausting! My Mom came over for Mother's Day and we all had fun hanging out shopping and going for walks. Last weekend we hit the high 80's, so Bryant got his first taste of playing in his little outdoor pool and he had a blast. Asher spent his time playing on a towel in the grass and we all enjoyed the sunshine. I will try my best to update this blog a little more often, once you get this far out of date it is easy to just let things go!

Road Trip

2009-02-25T16:15:00.000-08:00

As some of you know, we were blessed with the opportunity to take a vacation with Jeremy's parents, his sister and her family and his brother and wife. We just returned a few days ago from a whirlwind vacation that took us down to Indio California (Palm Springs area), Oceanside California, and home through Reno Nevada. We opted to drive the 1000 miles down to our vacation destination in lieu of flying with 2 small kids (we decided it was the less stressful of the two options.) The kids were amazing in the car. We took 2 days to get down there and 3 days to come home and all-in-all, they did really well with all the sitting. Our hotel in Indio was beautiful and included a private hot tub on the balcony overlooking a golf course. The weather was fairly cooperative, with only 1 day of rain during the entire week. We visited the Living Desert in Palm Desert which is an animal sanctuary with some really cool exhibits including Camels and Big Horned Sheep and they had a petting zoo where the kids were able to brush goats (this may have been their favorite part of the whole park!) After 4 days in Indio, we drove to Oceanside CA, which is on the coast directly between Anaheim and San Diego. This was Bryant's first trip to the beach and despite the cooler conditions (high 60's) he really had a fun time playing in the sand with his cousins. A trip to the LA area isn't complete without a visit with Mickey, so we all took one day and drove to Anaheim to the happiest place on earth (or the worst, depending upon how patient a person is with waiting in line.) We had assumed with it being a random Thursday in February that the park would be on the quiet side, but I think everyone else had the same idea. Disneyland was packed, and when we asked some employees about why it was so busy, they were baffled. Disneyland even decided to remain open past the planned close time of 9pm to accomodate all the extra visitors. It was a beautiful day, nearly 80, so maybe that brought out some of the locals. Although I know Bryant won't remember the trip, he really did have a great time and went on all the ride's his height would allow, including the Matterhorn, a roller coaster in toon town and Pirate's of the Carribean (twice). He loved the thrill rides and didn't tire of the lines or the rides. Asher even got to go on a ride, I took him with us on It's a Small World which was just rennovated and reopened this month and he was squealing and smiling, it was adorable.

On our way home from California, we stopped in Reno to spend a night with my Uncle Bill and Aunt Shirley and visit my cousin and her family. Bryant managed to pick up a bug towards the end of our trip, so he wasn't feeling too well, but he was a trooper as was Asher with missing naps, sleeping in new beds and adjusting their schedules to meet the needs of the greater good. All in all it was a fun and restful trip and we are so thankful for the chance to get away as a family and even though Jeremy, Asher and I have all managed to get sick we are all very happy to be home!

Brother's Having Fun

2009-01-08T12:15:00.002-08:00

We got our first taste the other night have how much fun Bryant and Asher will have growing up together. This video was taken at dinner time and although the quality isn't great (I had a smudge on the lens) :-), you get the idea of how much fun these two were having together!!

Christmas and the End of 2008

2009-01-01T19:53:00.001-08:00

Christmas 2008 has come and gone and I have to say I am always a little saddened when the Christmas season comes to a close. I love having the tree and Nativity up and sitting by a warm fire while it snows outside, there is nothing more calming. Christmas in the Davis household was truly a lot of fun this year. We talked to Bryant about Jesus' birthday and explained the Nativity scene to him practically daily...Murray(known to many as Mary) and Baby Jesus were easily identified by Bryant and by the time Christmas rolled around, he was even able to tell us that they were in the stable because there was "no room", "all full" (referring of course to the Inn that turned away Mary and Joseph.

I have to say that I have never had more fun than watching my boys, okay mostly just Bryant :-), open presents and spend the day playing with everything. My Mom came over for the week and despite some nasty winter weather, was able to make it over thanks to a ride from Jeremy's brother Jeff and his wife Necia. (Thanks again!!) We had a wonderful week of shopping, cooking and sitting around visiting. On Christmas Eve we got a pretty decent amount of snow, and as I was turning off the lights and heading up to bed around midnight on Christmas Eve, there was these amazing, huge snowflakes coming down outside and just the Christmas Tree was lit and there was a fire in the fireplace, there was just something so amazing and quiet about the whole scene, and a wonderful sense of peace. I had a chance to truly reflect and be thankful for God's gift of Jesus and the sacrifice he made for each of us.

We were blessed to spend time with both Jeremy's family as well as my Mom. There were many wonderful photo opportunities and I wanted to share some of the fun memories with all of you. We hope your Christmas was wonderful and wish you a Happy New Year!

The deer picture was taken from our back door on Christmas Eve, we received about 2 feet of snow when all the storms of the week rolled through, and I just thought this was a really beautiful shot.

Winter Fun!!!

2008-12-23T09:12:00.000-08:00

-2 here right now, but the sun if finally coming out. Perfect Icecycle weather.

Asher

2008-12-03T09:12:00.000-08:00

Last week Asher had his appointment with OHSU - Casey Eye Inst., and he also got his glasses. Trying to keep glasses on a 5 month has to one of the most ridiculous tasks I've ever heard of, but it does seem to help him see better. Within the last week we have noticed him grasping more things in his hands and playing more intently with his toys. It's hard to say if this is a direct result of the glasses since kids can change and develop so quickly, but if I had to guess I'd say the glasses are helping a great deal. They are however, not the most stylish of eye apparel. I think they look like something Elton John would wear, but there really isn't anything else that would fit him. In fact, these are really a little to big.

Ashers appointment actually went really well...I think. The Dr.'s said we won't truly know how his eyesight is until he is about 6 years old. Basically he needs to be able to help in his prescriptions and be able to communicate by saying this is better or worse. Also, his eyes are still developing.

We will take him back for a follow up in 4 months, but the Dr.'s felt like it was probably not a case of ocular albinism, which is good news, but he definitely if very far sighted and has some nystagmus (involuntary rapid eye movements). But he nystagmus is something that will not get worse, and may even get better. Many people also are not overly bothered by their nystagmus as their brain gets used to interpreting the data that the eyes are bringing it.

Anyway, the Dr.'s were almost non-chalant in attitude which I assume is good and although they couldn't make any certain predictions on how Asher would be able to see in the future, the overall appointment was very encouraging for us and we really felt like we were privileged to go to one of the very best eye care facilities in the nation.

The rest of the trip was good. Thanksgiving was filled with turkey, stuffing, pie, and wii boxing tournaments. The kids finished the day by licking the whip cream beaters.

Thank you to everyone that was praying for Asher. We are really thankful that the appointment went well, but are anxious to see how he progresses.

We area also very aware that we are lucky to have to strong healthy kids. Eye problems are serious...but there are so many worse things that we are really thankful for all the things that are just perfect with our kids.

A Prayer Request

2008-11-13T02:44:00.001-08:00

Once again, it is another sleepless night for me. I am up and feel the need to ask those of you who love and care about our family to send up some extra prayers for Asher. A few weeks ago we took the boys in for their well-baby check ups and our Pediatrician (who I love) pointed out some irregular eye movements with Asher. I had noticed these eye movements, but was hoping it was just me being a paranoid mommy and tried not to worry about it. Our pediatrician referred us to a Opthamologist that specializes in Pediatric care for a more in depth exam. I took Asher to the eye doctor on Monday, and by then I had resigned myself to the fact that he may have to have glasses. This is not totally unexpected, considering both of my parents wear glasses, I had eye surgery at 18 months and have worn glasses and contacts since and there is some general vision problems on Jeremy's side of the family. I was not, however, prepared for the diagnosis I received for my sweet little boy. The doctor recommeneded I get him in glasses ASAP to prevent any sensory or motor skill development issues, because apparently he is extremely far sighted and not seeing much of anything. In addition, he has a condition called Congenital Nystagmus (google it and you'll find all you need to know) which causes a seemingly continuous pendulum like movement with his eyes. The Nystagmus has a variety of forms and the doctor said there is more than even the far sightedness and nystagmus going on and they have now referrd us to Oregon Health Sciences University to the Casey Eye Institute for additional services. There is a whole laundry list of issues they are going to be screening him for and there is some concern that his vision problems may not be correctable with glasses, meaning he may need to learn to function in his daily life with low vision. I have an appointment at the Casey Eye Institute on Tuesday 11/25 and I am praying we will get some answers then.
As a Mommy, I have a million concerns, and I am torn in a hundred ways...I am so very thankful that the technology exists to catch these vision problems before he starts to really suffer, and so very sad that my sweet baby boy has to face hardships that frankly just don't seem fair. Asher's glasses come in next week and hopefully he will find some relief from the blurred vision he is experiencing.
Please pray for our baby, that the diagnosis will be better than we are prepared for and peace for all of us.

Trick or Treat

2008-11-02T21:21:00.001-08:00

Halloween at our house took on a whole new meaning this year. Bryant really got into the pumpkin carving with Daddy and wanted to participate in every detail of the process. He carried around the pumpkin scoop (or shovel as he calls it) all weekend, and is still very excited when we go in our out the front door and see the pumpkins. I was pleasantly surprised that he actually tolerated and was extremely patient with his little Halloween costume too. Jeremy's sister, Jill, had a little puppy costume that she bought for her youngest son Baylor to wear, but Baylor wanted nothing to do with the puppy costume and so Bryant got to use it this year and he looked adorable. We dressed Asher up in this sweet little green dragon/monster sleeper and they were both darling (of course!) :-)

I think I mentioned in last year's post that Sister's does this little trick or treat parade for kids under 7 and it is a late afternoon outing, so little ones aren't out in the dark trick or treating. The weather was threatening all day, but beautiful while we participated in the parade. Bryant rode in the new wagon he got for his birthday, and he really seemed to enjoy the whole process of saying trick or treat and thank you, and best of all, he got a lot of sucker balls (or for those of you who don't speak "toddler", he got a lot of suckers in his candy bag!)

Asher spent the whole parade sleeping in the baby pack, but I am pretty sure he thoroughly enjoyed his first Halloween. We have LOTS of candy at our house, so if you are in the neighborhood and need a little chocolate boost, stop by, we would really love to share.

Below is a shot I took of Asher Halloween night playing on his changing table and short little video of the excited baby. We have this cute little mirror that he loves to look in and we always get big smiles when he is looking up at the darling baby in the mirror~

Bryant's Big Bash

2008-10-26T22:17:00.000-07:00

Today our sweet little boy turned 2. It was sort of nostalgic for me to look back on where we were 2 years ago today and remember all the time spent in the hospital awaiting his arrival and the wonderful memories that come with the birth of a new baby. He is such and amazing, sweet, kind, helpful, loving, busy, smart little guy, the last 2 years have truly been a blast. Jeremy and I decided to go ahead and have a party for him, realizing he wouldn't care either way, because we finally have a space suitable for entertaining. The party was Saturday evening and we had about 25 people over for pizza, cake and ice cream. The weather really could not have been more beautiful, 70+ degrees at the end of October! The kids were able to spend most of their time playing together outside and Bryant loved the commotion and activity of all those playmates.

Asher had his own buddies to play with at the party...my friend Regan and her husband Dave came over with their daughter Colby, who is exactly one month younger than Asher, and Jeremy's cousin Paul and his wife Shauna brought their kiddos, the youngest one is Crosby and he is 4 days older than Asher. We had to take the opportunity to capture a shot of all the babies together when everyone was awake, happy and not hungry, and believe me, those moments are few and far between with 3 new babies. (Carrington, my friend with triplets is probably the only one reading this that can TRULY understand!) :-) (In the picture with the three babies, from left to right: Asher, Colby, Crosby)

Bryant had a fantastic day and loved every minute of the party from the pizza (maybe his favorite dinner), to the "yummy orange pop" and chocolate cake, oh and don't forget about the presents. He had more help than he could possibly ask for when it comes to opening presents, I think Jeremy was a bit overwhelmed, but Bryant was a true host, sharing all his new presents with his cousins and loving every minute of it.
Bryant woke up this morning, on his actual birthday, and asked me "where'd everyone go?", I guess he figured the party would continue after he got out of bed, very cute! Anyway, for those of you who were not able to make it to the bash, we wanted to share some pictures of the event for you.

Asher Smiles

2008-10-23T23:20:00.000-07:00

It is late, and as the Mommy of any small child knows, sleep is precious, and sleeping is what I should be doing, but instead my mind is racing with a million and one things I need to do tonight, tomorrow, next week...so, in an effort to calms these thoughts, I am writing on the blog, so hopefully I won't bore you all too much!

The picture above is Asher on his Grammy's (Jeremy's Mom) lap at the Women of Faith Conference in Portland a few weeks ago. Asher was one of few males in a room filled with literally thousands of women and I had to caputre the moment. I attended the conference on Friday night and all day Saturday and being Asher's primary food source, he came too. He was amazing! The conference was Friday evening for 3 hours and all day Saturday 9am-5pm and despite close quarters and LOUD music, talking and clapping, he was an angel baby, really, I debated whether I should even bother, but he did amazing and it helped to have so many welcoming arms to rock and cuddle him.

Asher is changing so much, it is hard to believe he is almost 4 months old and our big boy Bryant is turning 2 on Sunday, time seriously does fly. We have been making an effort to capture the moments of our lives with these two sweet boys, but too often we are just busy enjoying th moment and forget to pull out the camera, we will have to get better about that.

I wanted to post a quick video that is sure to lift anyone's spirits of Asher's conversation with me the other day while he was laying in my lap and I was trying to work, this was one moment where the camera was close at hand and I was so thankful!

The picture to the left is my good buddy Regan and she is holding her little girl Colby on the right and Asher on the left. There is exactly one month between them, Asher is older, but can you see why, when we go places together we are constantly asked if they are twins, it is hysterical, we should start keeping a tally of how often we are asked that!

Here are a few more pics of the boys over the last couple of weeks...we visited the pumpkin patch and I will have to get Jeremy to upload those pictures in the next couple of days, they are darling!!

Few More Pics...

2008-09-28T19:54:00.000-07:00

I echo Jeremy's statements that life has been busy around here. My company is really taking off on the West Coast and as a result, my workload has increased some as well. I am thankful for the work and even more thankful that it doesn't take me away from my kids and all in all it is a wonderful situation but boy does is make for some busy days!! :-)

The boys and I went over to Portland a few weeks ago for a picnic get-together with my Dad's side of the family and I spent a few days working while we were over. This was the first time most of my family had seen Asher and Bryant was quite the show off with all his words. As Jeremy mentioned in the last posting, Bryant loves to say "Mine" and "No", but he is a copier and he will repeat anything and everything we say. When he needs something, juice, milk, whatever, he says, "May I want some please." It is so cute and I will have to get it on video and post it so you can all hear the sweet attempt at being polite.

Asher with my Dad and his puppy Bella

Asher is really starting to smile and interact with us, which is super fun for Bryant. Asher has been fighting Thrush, a yeast infection in his mouth, for the last month and I finally gave up on the first batch of medicine they gave me and went for the expensive quick fix and I am happy to report it seems to be working!

Jeremy just returned from an elk hunting trip and I will let him report, when he feels ready, as to how that whole trip went.

Here are a few pics to enjoy:

Asher with his Uncle Adam (my brother)

Bryant and his cousin Cortlyn (my brother's little girl)

2008-09-21T17:49:00.000-07:00

Well with work and huntin there has been little time left to update this thing and the following is a weak attempt. I keep a camera handy to catch the kids doing something cool, or to catalog the evil deer who have vowed to destroy all my landscape endeavors, but I don't really have the time or energy to organize any of it so here is a few pics to cover what has been going on. Bryant has been a big help in settling into the new place, and his little brother is growing like a noxious weed. Bryants favorite words are mine and no, and Ashers favorite thing to do is cry. Amy has been really busy with work, and of course the kids. Also there are a few pics of the house so you can see how it turned out. I'll let you guess which office is mine, and which is amy's.
Will try to get some more pics of Asher up soon.

Our Boys...

2008-08-21T20:45:00.000-07:00

Many fans of Life's Interruptions will notice that our blog has not been updated for a good, hmmm, almost 8 weeks! Interestingly enough, that is the exact age of our little punkin Asher. Coincidence, I think not!

Life in the Davis household is nothing short of busy, that is really the only descriptive word I can come up with. I returned back to work (at home, but working nevertheless) when Asher was 5 weeks old, so between caring for two little ones, still working on organizing the house, working, and daily household activities, updating the blog sadly falls very low in the list of priorities each day. I felt the need to let you all know that we are doing great, and loving every minute of watching our two beautiful boys grow and change.

Bryant seems to be adjusting to his new Baby Asher very well and truthfully I think he can't remember a time when Baby Asher wasn't a part of our lives. He loves to "hold the baby" and he always gives Asher a kiss on the head when he is holding him. Every morning when he gets up, before we do anything else, we have to go find Baby Asher and say Hi. We are working on teaching Bryant that Asher isn't capable of holding toys, playing catch or sharing his snacks, but overall the adjustment has gone really well, much better than I expected.

I was able to start running again last week and thanks to a brand new double jogging stroller I received for my baby shower just before Asher was born, the boys get to come with me for early morning jogs. Asher sleeps and Bryant loves having a buddy next to him. I am feeling great and have been pleasantly surprised at how rapidly I am getting back to my pre-baby pace and distance...it really feels good to be active again.

Jeremy has been very busy between jobs trying to get our house landscaped while maintaining the "paying" jobs. Our yard looks amazing, we have a beautiful pond/water feature in the front, or as Bryant calls it "Daddy's Water" with fish and lots of plants and trees and a nice sized paver patio with a built in planter and a nice grassy area for the boys to play and romp around. We are so thankful for the space our new house provides to spread out, what a difference!! I will get some pictures of the yard posted here shortly, but I thought in the meantime you would all enjoy some pictures of the kiddos!

We are still working on getting our townhouse sold and are praying it will sell very soon. I am going to make a real effort to update this more often, so please hang in there and keep checking back. Love to you all!!!!

Even the best laid plans...

2008-06-29T10:48:00.000-07:00

I have been meaning to get some new pictures of the house to post, but I always talk myself into waiting for the next step, such as waiting til the cabinets are in, then the counters, then the driveway, and on and on.

Well, apparently we need to switch gears and focus on what was supposed to happen next, but instead happened before.

Yesterday, on June 28th, we welcomed Asher Seth Davis to our family. He weighed in at a wopping 5 pounds and 7 ounces, and measured 19 inches in length. Definately in a featherweight division at this point in his life, but actually right on track for his age. He was born 4 weeks and 1 day early (35 weeks and 6 days gestation).

Friday we spent most of the day at the hospital because Amy was having some very frequent contractions, but the sent us home after about 6 hours saying it wasn't time yet. They did say it could be soon...and they were right.

Saturday morning Amy and my mom (Grammy) took Bryant swimming at Black Butte but had to call it a day when Amy started having some hard contractions. I got the call at about 2:00 pm that Amy figured she needed to go to the hospital. She was right. Her water broke shortly after that phone call, and I may have slightly broken the speed limit as we raced on to the hospital. We arrived at the hospital at about 2:45 and at 4:15 Asher arrived.

Amy decided she wanted an epidural even though she toughed it out for quite a while but things progressed so quickly that it didn't kick in until about 5 minutes AFTER Asher was born. So she got through the whole thing on her own. She really did an awesome job. Her attitude through the whole procedure was amazing, although she did break a couple of my fingers before all was said and done.

Amy and the baby are both doing great, but my fingers are pretty sore. Seriously. I can't believe this little guy was almost a pound smaller than Bryant, but despite his petite notions, he is doing tremendously. They will keep us an extra day just to observe him a little more, but we are extremely thankful that he didn't need any special care in the neonatal unit.

Big brother Bryant seems to be very doing great with the new arrival, but we'll see how that works when we get home.

He looks a lot like his brother, but has blonde hair.

Fun Sunday Afternoon

2008-06-09T09:16:00.000-07:00

There's nothing Bryant would rather do than spend his days outside. This must have been the perfect day for him. First I walked down to the creek by our house with him and we threw nearly every rock we could see into the creek. Then, Amy and I took him to black butte and let him feed the ducks at aspen lake. Then, to top the day off we went to the park at black butte. You would think this would fill a guys daily quota for playing outside, but when we got home he spent the rest of the evening playing on the back patio.

The house is coming along really nicely. We should be moved in by the beginning of next month. Stay tuned for more of a house update.

Almost time to start packin!

2008-05-07T11:36:00.000-07:00

House update

2008-04-06T21:40:00.000-07:00

Well the house is still moving along at record speed. The siding is being installed on the outside while the drywall is being finished on the inside. Here are a few pics of the process.

The picture above is looking into the dining room and down the hall towards the front door and stairs.

The picture above is looking into the kitchen and breakfast nook. (Same room as in the first picture, just from a different angle)

Below: back side of the house, you'll notice the cutout for the breakfast nook in the picture above.

Won't be long...

Spring Already??

2008-03-26T19:01:00.000-07:00

This is our third Spring in Sisters and still it amazes me that we receive snow this late into the season. This is a view out our front door tonight, and this is the second coating of snow today. We woke up to about 2 inches this morning. As much as Jeremy is ready to get work going again for the year, so far our weather has been less than cooperative. It is either freezing at night or snowing, neither are very conducive to new plants or grass.

Bryant and I recently returned from Portland because I had several work meetings to attend. While we were in Portland, we had the opportunity to go to the Portland Zoo with my sister-in-law Krista, niece Cortlyn and my Mom. This is a picture of Bryant with the Orangutan, he was hilarious and just crawled right up to the glass and looked Bryant right in the eye. Bryant was a little scared at first, but he warmed up pretty quickly. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Bryant is at a pretty fun age to take to the Zoo, although he missed a lot, mostly because of a very short attention span, there were a lot of things that were really fun and exciting for him too. We were in Portland last Tuesday through Saturday and thankfully, because of all the snow on the mountain passes lately, my company was willing to fly us to Portland and home again, so it was a fairly uneventful trip and we made it home just in time for Easter.
My family spent Easter in the Portland area and Jeremy's parents are in Indonesia, so Jeremy's sister and her family, Jeremy's brother Jeff and his wife Necia and some cousins from Portland that happened to be in town for Spring Break, all got together and had a nice, relaxing brunch at Black Butte Ranch. Black Butte also hosts a little Easter Egg hunt and the kiddos are divided up into age categories, so we decided to give it a shot with Bryant. The 0-3 category was hysterical, there was basically an egg every 2 inches on this big patch of grass, but it was really fun for Bryant and he actually got the hang of it pretty quickly. Notice the ultra cool camouflage Easter Basket Daddy is holding for him!! :-)
All in all it was a great Easter for us, and our pastor preached a fantastic sermon that really to the forefront for everyone the importance of the Resurrection of Jesus and the purpose of the day. We hope you all had a great Easter Holiday too!

It's a boy!

2008-03-10T10:22:00.000-07:00

Well, for all of you who haven't heard, we found out last week we are having another boy. We are very excited for this since it just seems right for Bryant to have a little brother close in age much like I had. Bryant, however, has been demonstrating some strange behavior ever since we told him.

And here are some pics of the house progress for those who requested an update. Pretty exciting as we can now see the true shape of the house.

New House

2008-02-22T12:48:00.000-08:00

Mike and his crew have been working really hard and making great progress on our house.

Here is a few pics of them setting the beems. Next week is the second floor and then trusses the next week. It's really fun now that you can envision what the final product will be.

Words

2008-02-11T19:05:00.000-08:00

Well, it's not always real clear what Bryant is asking for, but his vocabulary is increasing every day. In the first video, he is actually trying to say vitamin three times in a row. We give him gummy vitamens so it is quite the treat. It must sound right in his head, but to us it's hilarious every time we hear him. Bletherlether-vitamin. Hmm.

Still Snowin

2008-01-31T18:02:00.000-08:00

Every day it snows a little more, and then melts a little more. Good thing Bryant is handy with a snow shovel and a spatula!

First snowman. Just the right size.

It was pure tears when we had to come inside and warm up. He could have gone on forever.

The Helpful Little Shoveler

2008-01-28T12:02:00.000-08:00

Broken Ground

2008-01-24T09:40:00.000-08:00

Well, we finally broke ground on our new house. Last week I did the excavating for the foundation, and this week we finished up clearing the trees that were in the way of the driveway.

Today the weather has warmed a bit. It's the first day this week that it has been above zero when we got up. Today it was 1 degree above zero. Not as miserable as it sounds though. The sun has been out, and as long as you stay moving, it was quite comfortable to work in.

I promise not to take pictures of every nail and 2x6 that goes into the new house, but will update occasionally as things progress. So far, the local herd of deer doesn't seem to bothered by the construction. They often hang out on our property, especially in the fall, because there is an apple tree in the back.

By the way, the deer like cheese crackers too.

New Beginings...

2008-01-04T19:10:00.000-08:00

What a difference a year makes! It has been about one month since our last posting and for those of you still hanging in there and occassionaly reading our humble little blog, I sincerely apologize. Although I have a lot to share about the holidays, I must first share a bit of exciting news...Jeremy and I found out today that we are going to be having a baby!!!!!! We were a little surprised to find out that we are almost 11 weeks along in the pregnancy, and to be honest, I didn't even know I was pregnant. I think it must be keeping up with a 14 month old and life in general. I have been able to contine to run and really didn't have a clue! Because of past complications and some confusion over my situation, my doctor had me go in for an ultrasound to confirm what we were dealing with and sure enough there is one little sweet punkin growing very healthy! We couldn't be happier and although we are still adjusting to the idea of another little one, Jeremy and I both agree that God's timing is perfect and we have to trust that this is absolutely the right thing. Another exciting aspect of the July due date is my good friend Regan and her husband Dave are expecting their first baby in July, actually 2 days before Jeremy and I, and Jeremy's cousin Paul and his wife Shauna are expecting their 4th baby in July, so the three of us are going to get to go through the awesome experience of having babies together!!!

Now, on to the holidays...I absolutely love the Christmas season and how families come together to enjoy each other's company. Christmas this year was especially fun with a 14 month old. Bryant was just starting to get the hang of present opening, but it really didn't hold its fascination for him until he could actually play with what was inside and once the package was opened, Mommy and Daddy had to quite expedient about unpacking the toy from a ridiculous amount of twist ties and tape. Next year, I will only wrap pre-unpackaged presents! Bryant's biggest accomplishment this holiday season was learning to blow out candles, which he is now doing quite well at. In fact, every time he sees a candle, whether it is lit or not, he is blowing on it and smiling...I can hardly wait for his second birthday.
We traveled over to my Mom's house in Portland for Christmas and the drive over was a cinch, rained the whole way. On the 24th, we took Bryant to visit Great-Grandma Viola (Jeremy's Grandma) because it was her birthday and we just happened to actually be close by! We spent most of Christmas Eve at my brother Adam's house playing his new Nintendo Wii and letting Bryant play with Cortlyn, my brother's little girl who is 2 1/2. Christmas Eve night we visited the church Jeremy and I attended when we lived in Portland, Crossroads, and had the chance to reunite with some old friends.

(Left: My Mom with Bryant and Cortlyn in matching Christmas Jammies)

Christmas day was very relaxing, except for Bryant's early wake-up at 3:45! Thankfully Jeremy was a super-dad and was able to get Bryant back to sleep in our bed for a couple of hours, needless to say we were all a little extra tired that day and thankful for the slow pace of staying home. We even had some snow on Christmas day, and even though it was a bit too warm to stick, it was sure fun to look at!

(Left: Christmas with the Davis Family, Jeremy's Dad Jim, Bryant and I, Jeremy's sister Jill, Jeremy's Mom Judi and our niece Bevyn)

Jeremy and I packed up and headed home the day after Christmas and after a brief stop off to visit my Dad, we headed over the Santiam pass for Sisters. The drive home was not as easy as the trip over to Portland. We had snow for about 1/2 the drive home and even with studded tires on we had to chain up coming over the pass, it was pretty nasty. Once we arrived home, at about 10pm that night, Bryant was lit and overly excited to be home. We ended up having quite a bit of snow on the ground, and we have had a couple of snowfalls since, it has been really fun. New Year's was fun and we spent a bunch of time with Jeremy's family, celebrating birthdays, Christmas and New Years. We all got free babysitting courtesy of Jeremy's parents and got the chance to go out snowshoeing and to a movie, it was quite a treat!

I think about brings us up to date...there will be many more exciting postings this coming year and we look forward to all that 2008 has to bring! Love to you all.

Christmas Tree Temptations

2007-12-07T10:13:00.000-08:00

We told you in our last post that we ventured out in the elements to find the perfect Davis Christmas tree and now our beautiful tree is up in our living room and looking very festive. Bryant is drawn to the tree for even reasons he isn't sure of and for some reason cannot help but unplug the tree at any given moment. He is actually really good about the ornaments and ribbon and has only tried to pull a few things off. Even as I type this he's leisurely hanging out against the wall, next to the outlet and plug for the tree's lights, oh the temptations of a one year old! :-) The actual tree decorating was lots of fun, albeit messy, Bryant really enjoyed the whole process. As you can see, he even cleans up after himself. He pushed the heavy Rubbermaid bin with all the decorations in it all over the downstairs and enjoyed emptying the box and see all the cool stuff we have. We are heading out this afternoon to start, yes I said start, our Christmas shopping, nothing like waiting until the Christmas rush, huh??

We have this little tradition we started last year with my friend Regan where we go out and make a day of shopping and hanging out, it really gets me in the holiday mood and the three of us had a blast together last year, so we are really looking forward to our outing today. Our weather forecast says snow today, so that would definitely put me in the holiday mood! Love you all!

What's This?

2007-12-02T20:26:00.000-08:00

Bryant is really starting to develop in his communication just in the last couple of weeks. I taught him to use sign language to say "please," mostly because I wanted him to ask nicely for things instead of whining or crying, it has worked like a charm. He is also getting very good at saying "No" and walks around playing with his toys singing it over and over again, as of now I think it is really cute, ask me again when he is almost two! He says, Mama and Dada, Duck, Dog, NightNight, and my favorite What's this? No joke, he was in Les Schwab with me the other day and there was a stack of studded tires and he walked over to them and said "what's this?" and the lady at the counter said that was the cutest thing she'd ever heard. I was validated, he really does say it!

We have been very busy traveler's since our last posting, traveling over to the Vancouver/Portland area twice in the last week. We spent Thanksgiving at Jeremy's parents house in Vancouver and had a really nice time. Bryant got to meet some new cousins and see his Great-Grandma Viola, it really was a wonderful day. Jeremy's cousins Bart and Cheri came to dinner with their three kids Riley (8), Brooklyn (6) and Lexi (4). I didn't have high expectations for the kids playing with Bryant, after all he is 1 and has a 10 second attention span, but they really had fun together. Bryant would chase the two younger girls Lexi and Brooklyn around the house and at one point he had Lexi up on a chair and was pounding on the chair and screeching at her, it was very entertaining to watch and the kids really seemed to have a lot of fun together.

We traveled back over to Portland last Thursday morning for a holiday dinner for my work. We had a very nice dinner at the restaurant at the Heathman Hotel and Bryant spent the evening playing with his cousin Cortlyn (2) and hanging out with Grandma (my Mom this time!) Bryant had a little bit of a rough night on Thursday, waking up three times and finally getting up on Friday at 4am, which of course meant Mommy and Daddy were up at 4am as well, nothing like 4 hours of tossing and turning to energize your day! :-) We decided to go ahead and head home on Friday because there was supposed to be a snow storm making travel over the mountain passes a bit treacherous on Saturday. I helped my Mom get some Christmas decorations up around her house and then we headed for home.

Today we took our annual trek out to locate the Davis family Christmas tree in our nearby forests. We can get a Christmas Tree cutting permit for $5 and go out and have our pick of the best Deschutes National Forest has to offer. Jeremy's sister Jill and her family went out with us and we did end up finding nice trees, but the weather wasn't very nice at all. As you can see from the pictures, we were definitely in snow, but the weather was slightly warm today and so we were getting rained on, not fun with little kids! Bryant had a really good attitude despite his coat and gloves being way to BIG and the snow too deep to walk in. His face was soaked both from several face plants and the rain, but he hardly cried, what a trooper. This was his first experience in the snow and although i don't think he was all that impressed, I do think he had a fun adventure. I was able to find little infant snow boots and snow bibs at Target so he stayed nice and toasty warm despite the rain.

Well that brings us up to date for now, hope you are all enjoying the holidays!

Hiking and Other Outdoor Fun

2007-11-11T20:08:00.000-08:00

There isn't a whole lot going on in our household right now, but for the sake of posting some darling pictures of Bryant, I thought I better update our blog. We have had some absolutely beautiful weather in Central Oregon, especially these last few weeks and, knowing the cold snowy days of winter are likely just around the corner, we have been taking every opportunity to get out and enjoy the sunshine.
Jeremy has a big elk hunt this week, and in preparation for that hunt, the three of us went out on a hiking/scouting trip last Saturday. It was so warm and wonderful, it almost felt like early summer and Bryant did awesome in the backpack. We were probably out for about 3 hours and Jeremy and I split the time carrying Bryant on our backs. I have to say that there is a HUGE difference between early in the summer when I was trekking up Black Butte with Bryant on my back and this Fall. He is so heavy in that backpack, but it was way worth it to get us all outside and having fun together. The area we hiked in is the former site of the B&B fire, I think it was about 4 years ago, so there was a lot of soot and burned wood, we were all covered in it by the time the hike was over. When we got to a spot where we decided to head back, we took Bryant out to play around a little before the trek back to the car, he loved being free to roam around, but the unsteady ground of the great outdoors wreaked havoc with the unstable balance one year olds are prone to. He found lots of rocks and sticks and all in all it was a really fun afternoon.
This afternoon Bryant and I ventured out for a walk with our friends Angel, Madison and Zoey. At the end of the walk we played for a while at a new playground just down the street from our house. The playground is awesome for little tykes because it has two little, and I do mean little slides and the whole thing is surrounded by mounds of bark chips, perfect for little bodies constantly falling down. Bryant crawled up the stairs to the little slides, turned around, got on his tummy and backed his way down the slide, it was adorable and he was so proud of himself. He would only do it once of course before he was interested in other endeavors, so of course I wasn't able to take a picture or record it!

Well, I think that about catches you all up to speed. The weather is supposed to take a turn tomorrow, no snow, but the rain and wind will likely keep us home bound for a few days. Hope you are all enjoying lots of sunshine!!

Our Little Lion Cub

2007-11-01T20:07:00.000-07:00

Our little lion put on quite a show for Halloween. Sisters has this darling little trick or treat parade for all the little ones in town. It is at 3 o'clock in the afternoon and most of the merchants in town participate by dressing up and handing out candy to the kiddos in their costumes. It takes about an hour to walk through and trick or treat and it was all I could do to keep Bryant awake. It was a beautiful day, almost 60 degrees, perfect to be out and about. Bryant was accompanied by his two friends, Madison and Zoe, who are twin girls born 2 days before he was. You'll see the three of them all dressed as animals, Madison is the Monkey and Zoe is the Giraffe. We joked that we had Noah's Ark in stroller, it was adorable.

I think by far Bryant's favorite thing about Halloween was the pumpkins, he was fascinated by them. The pumpkins were expertly carved by Jeremy and I, Jeremy carved the Jeep (on the chair) and Noah's Ark (bottom right) and I carved the smiley face.

Bryant and I worked for three days to perfect the Lion Roar that would need to accompany his costume and he got it down pretty good, but as with all cute things that kids do, they never want to do it on command. I think I did a pretty good job of capturing his roar on the video. The roar slightly resembles a cough, but nevertheless, he is very proud of himself!! We also worked on Boo, but it sounds a lot more like Ba. :-)

Not only did Bryant have his first experience with trick or treating and pumpkins, but I am pretty sure he is still coming down off a sugar high. That's right, Bryant had candy, and actually quite a lot of it. It is safe to say that he enjoys candy (I think he must take after his mommy!!)

At the end of the day, Bryant's cousins Hudson and Bevyn came by so we could see their costumes. Bryant was totally fine with their costumes, as long as Hudson didn't have his mask on. Hudson was a Ninja warrior and Bevyn was Cinderella. You'll see in the picture Bryant running towards the camera crying and Hudson off to the right with his mask on. As soon as Hudson took off the mask, Bryant was a happy camper.
Most of the pictures and video don't show it very well, but Bryant's face is pretty scraped up. He fell into a closet door the night before Halloween and then he fell on the sidewalk getting ready to go trick or treating and scraped up his nose. Not to mention this morning he fell off a step stool and went nose first to the floor. Poor little fella, I guess that's all in the day of a one year old!

The Big Bash, Bryant Turns 1!!!!

2007-10-29T20:22:00.000-07:00

That's right, it is official, Bryant is now 1 year old. I guess he really isn't Baby Bryant anymore. I swore I wouldn't have a big party for his first birthday because I didn't want to overdo something he wasn't going to remember, but the more I thought about it, the more fun it seemed. Plus I could never let the opportunity slide to have chocolate cake and ice cream!!

On Saturday, October 27th, we transformed our little house in Sister into Birthday Central. We tried to restrain ourselves and only invited family, but we still ended up with more than 20 people in our little townhouse. Thank goodness it was nice outside and we could overflow on to the patio. Despite the fact that there were lots of people and what could be an overwhelming event for a one year old, Bryant did awesome. His Grammy (Jeremy's Mom) brought over balloons and I have to say that was probably his favorite part of the whole day. Bryant's favorite word/expression is "oh" and he said it with conviction throughout the day, but never with as much enthusiasm as when the balloons arrived. Bryant's Grandpa (my Dad) and his wife Robin, drove over from Canby (2 1/2 hour drive) for the party and then drove home after the party, but anyone who knows my Dad knows he doesn't miss an opportunity for cake either!!! Jeremy's brother Jeff and his wife Necia also drove over on Saturday morning for Bryant's celebration from Portland.

During the party, Bryant was happy and social and made his rounds like a true host. He wandered in and out the back door, always getting on his tummy to back down the stairs, he even got little scrapes on both of his shins from sliding up and down the paver step and he never once cried. He ate a little lunch before our guests arrived and then enjoyed 2nd lunch of pizza during the party. Daddy helped him open presents and so did 5 of his cousins, it was quite a scene and I am still not completely sure who the presents came from!

After presents we had cake and he smiled while we all sang Happy Birthday to him. He LOVED the cake. We gave him his own piece on a plate and he picked up the whole thing and ate on it for a while then put it down and picked up the top half and when he was finished he threw the whole piece of cake, frosting side down on the floor. It was hysterical and perfect and exactly what I expected. After all, I rarely get through a meal with him without something ending up on the floor. He was such a trooper and after all the family filtered out, he took a short nap and when he came downstairs he said "Oh" at the balloons and new toys, he was renewed and ready to play again. It was an awesome day and really incredible to celebrate the birth of our priceless, amazing, inspiring little gift from God.

Punkin goes to the Patch

2007-10-21T14:26:00.000-07:00

Today was a beautiful day in Central Oregon, and after 4 days of wind, rain and cold, we were anxious to get out and enjoy it. We headed out to the nursery where Jeremy buys a lot of his plants for various jobs, to visit their pumpkin patch and play area. They had a really cute hay maze, slides and climbing areas and a jump house, not to mention all the pumpkins!! Bryant's cousins, Hudson (6), Bevyn (4) and Baylor (almost 2) met us there and the kids really had fun. Bryant loved riding around in the wagon and he even managed to pick out a pumpkin or two to take home. It is so fun to be able to take him out and start these fun holiday traditions, not that he will remember this at 1 year old, but it is fun for his daddy and I to show him off!!

We tried playing in the jump house, but he had more fun watching all the kids jump from outside.

On another note, we have Bryant's Halloween costume, he is going to be a little lion cub. The costume is so cute and he will actually let me put the little hat on him and he doesn't try to take it off. I know you are probably thinking what will a barely 1 year old do on Halloween, but our little town does a really cute Halloween Trick-or-Treat parade and all the kiddos in town (elementary school age and younger) meet in the park in the center of town and form a line of trick-or-treaters and they go around to all the businesses in town and get candy. It is the cutest thing I have ever seen and it gives the little ones a chance to participate without having to be out in the cold or up past their bedtimes. We will definitely be participating (mostly because I think Bryant will love seeing the other kids) and I will put up some pictures of that adventure too!!

Here are some pictures of our day in the sun at the pumpkin patch!

Reflecting on the Last Year

2007-10-20T16:31:00.000-07:00

As I look at my sweet little boy growing and changing by the minute, it is hard to believe that at this time last year we were anxiously awaiting his arrival and safety. So much has changed in the last year and it truly feels as though our lives were totally incomplete before Bryant. Next Friday Bryant turns 1 year old and he has managed to perfect many skills in the last year. As you read in our last blog posting, he is walking like a pro and even attempting to run (especially when the kitty is in his path). He says "Oh" with such enthusiasm at almost everything that he turns heads in the grocery store. He has also become extremely social and although he can't quite say "Hi" his high pitched squeal at passersby always elicits a smile. I am amazed at how much he picks up on just by watching his daddy and I. He knows to lift up his feet when I am holding a sock or shoe, he opens his mouth when I hold up a toothbrush, he will help me pick up toys and put them in the bucket or toy box and he is amazing at knocking down a stack of blocks. When you say "bye-bye" he begins to wave and he can shake his head "no" quite profusely. Bryant speaks a language all his own and seems to be constantly babbling about something or the other, it is the most precious sound I have ever heard.

As Jeremy mentioned in our last posting, I am now working from home and caring for Bryant. There are days where doing both are difficult, but for the most part, my job is extremely flexible and I can work on assorted tasks when time permits throughout the day. I really could not have hoped for a better home-based job. I love the people I work for, the actual work challenges me to a degree (but not too much!), and the interaction with other adults during the day has been a really nice change.

Jeremy's business is winding down for the winter (we actually had our first snow overnight last night) and he is anxiously awaiting his next hunt on November 10th. Besides hunting, Jeremy is going to be helping his brother-in-law Mike, who is going to be building us a new house. We are so excited at the prospect of a larger home. We will be building right here in Sisters, just about a 1/4 mile from where we currently live. Our new house will be a little over 2300 square feet and have 3 bedrooms and a bonus room which is significantly bigger than the 2 bedroom townhouse we are in now. We don't have a date for completion, but hopefully we will be moving in sometime in late Spring 2008.

Well, that is a brief rundown in the lives of the Davis' of Sisters. I will post some more pictures and videos next week after we visit the pumpkin patch and Bryant's First Birthday next Saturday. We hope you are all well and enjoying the Fall.

We're walkin baby!

2007-10-05T19:30:00.000-07:00

Need I say more?

No, but I will anyway. Bryant has been working hard to perfect his "Frankenstien walk." Out go both arms and he bobbles around half controlled to his next destination. It can be quite fun. He has also mastered backing down the stairs. However, we find it less stressful to leave the baby gate up so that we don't have any long tumbles down the stairs to the front door.

Now you might be wondering why our last post was over a month ago, and I know that most of you have put your live's temporarily on hold until you can catch up on the powerfully interesting details of our little family. For this I'm sorry, but let me explain. Amy recently started a full time job working from home. This new job, coupled with taking care of Bryant and myself takes so much of her time, that she has had to set some tasks aside. So please, go on with your lives. We might not update often, but we will get around to it eventually. Plus, if you feel behind, just come stop by the house and see first hand what's goin on. Just know that you might be given a task such as starting dinner or a load of laundry.

Our Little Traveler

2007-08-19T15:14:00.000-07:00

It has been a few weeks since my last post, and for good reason. Bryant and I just returned from a trip down to Reno to visit some family and returned to Portland for a few days and finally arrived back home a couple of days ago. It was a great trip with a lot of time spent in the car and Bryant did amazing in the car and sleeping in unfamiliar places.

We left for Reno on Friday August 3rd and it took us about 8 1/2 hours to get to my Uncle Bill and Aunt Shirley's house from Sisters. We spent a week in Reno visiting with family and seeing the sights. We went up to Squaw Valley, which some of you may know was the sight of the 1964 Winter Olympics. We took a tram ride up to the top where there was an amazing view of the the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range as well as Lake Tahoe off in the distance. There was about a 3500 foot elevation change from Reno to where the tram dropped us off and needless to say the weather was much different as well. We went from the low 90's in Reno to probably right around 60 with some serious wind gusts, it was beautiful, but chilly. I brought a jacket and light blanket for Bryant,
but the rest of us were a little unprepared.
After a few photos, we went inside to check out the Olympic museum and get out of the wind.

Me, My Mom and Bryant (notice the wind???) :-)

The rest of our time in Reno was mostly spent visiting. Bryant got to meet my cousin Kim and her kids Alex (7) and Becca (2).
We left Reno on Friday August 10th early in the morning (5am) and set out for my Mom's house in Troutdale. The trip, on a good day, should take just short of 10 hours. I should have known when we were stopped for 45 min. for construction 2 hours into the journey that this was NOT going to be a 10 hour trip. We didn't arrive at my Mom's house until about 6:30 that evening, 13 1/2 hours later.

Bryant, Becca & My Mom

There were a variety of issues, none of them involving Bryant, but the biggest cause for the delay was commuter traffic on I-5. It took us literally 2 1/2 hours to get from Woodburn to my Mom's house, which is only about 40 miles, it was completely ridiculous and I think I mentioned more than once that this traffic was exactly why I moved to Sisters where we don't even have a stop light. :-) You may notice as you look at these pictures that Bryant has an ouchie on his little nose, let me explain, it is quite sad...as I mentioned above, our car ride home from Reno took 13 hours, so Bryant was thrilled to be out of the car at the end of that ride. When we got to my Mom's, I let him crawl around in the living room, while I unpacked the cooler and supervised him. He went over to the back screen door and pulled himself up to a standing position only to have the screen tear away from the frame of the door and he fell through it, face first and landed on her paver patio. He stopped crying as soon as I picked him up, but I lost it when I saw his face all torn up and his nose bleeding, so he started crying again when he noticed me panicking. He is just fine and his nose (thanks to my putting Neosporin on it 6 times a day) has healed remarkably well. Poor little guy, it is the first of many bumps and scrapes, but that doesn't make is any less sad.

While at my Mom's house, we got to visit with my buddy Erin who lives in Las Vegas, and was in town for our 10 year class reunion. Erin has a little girl, Lauryn (1) and a boy Jacob (7). Bryant and I went to the picnic part of the class reunion, but I didn't bother with the dinner/dancing portion of the weekend because it was expensive and we were driving home from Nevada, so there was just too much going on.

Class Reunion Shot, I am in the back center

my friend Erin, her son Jacob and daughter Lauryn

are to the left of me. (Right) Erin and Lauryn at the picnic

I also had the opportunity to go and visit my friends Garrett and Carrington who had triplets on July 1st. I spent about 2 hours holding babies, changing a couple of diapers and I even got to feed Gabriel. I was so tickled when I got there, Gabriel was wearing the preemie outfit that Bryant came home from the hospital in, it actually made me want to have another baby, if you can believe that!!!!

Garrett with all three babies,

pretty talented Daddy!!

We stayed very busy while at my Mom's house visiting with friends and family, it was a whirlwind, but very, very FUN!! It was hard to say goodbye to my Mom and head home, but we were very anxious to see Daddy, and he was anxious to see us too!

(Right) Bryant and my Dad with my Dad's prized Mustang

Get Ready World, Here I Come!!!

2007-07-30T09:41:00.000-07:00

Only a few weeks ago, I was reporting to all of you that Bryant started crawling. He has now mastered this skill and is well on his way to walking. In addition he has FOUR teeth coming in on top and is eating a wide variety of grown up food now. He is by far the happiest when he is upright and moving like the big people in his world, but so far he hasn't figured out how to stay balanced on those two chubby little legs of his. He has figured out that if he doesn't have Mommy or Daddy's hands to hold on to, he can use our dining room chairs to move himself around the downstairs area and still be able to walk. He isn't sure what to do when he runs into a wall or piece of furniture, but he pushes it until he hits a dead end and then abandons the chair and heads for the next adventure. I have to say, now that he is moving around more, he is sleeping much, much better, both at night and during nap time, praise God. Napping is one area where Bryant and I have really struggled and we have finally managed to establish some semblance of a routine, which allows me to get in a workout and a shower in the morning and laundry/reading/cleaning in the afternoon.

Now that he is mobile, Bryant has also become extremely helpful around the house. He is fascinated with the vacuum cleaner and loves every appliance in our kitchen. I have learned to be quite speedy when I am pulling something out of the oven, loading the dishwasher, or opening the refrigerator for any reason. I have designated one cupboard for Bryant to load and unload of his own will and he absolutely loves all the new and interesting things there are to see when that door is opened. As you can see in some of the pictures below, the damage is massive and widespread when Bryant is let loose. Some mornings I feel like he is just on a rampage to see how much he can decorate the floor with in the least amount of time. I guess I should just get used to this habit, because experience has taught me that this habit doesn't change when they are a teenager and even as an adult it can occasionally happen! :-)

Bryant helping mommy unload the dishwasher. (Note the two shiny teeth in this gorgeous smile!!)

Friday of this week, August 3rd, Bryant, Grandma (my Mom) and I are heading down to Reno to visit Uncle Bill, Aunt Shirley and my cousin Kim, her husband Chuck and their little girls Alex and Becca. The trip down to Reno should take just short of 7 hours because we are going to take off from Sisters, but coming home we are going to my Mom's house in Portland and the Reno to Portland route is about 10 hours!!! I have been praying for a quick, seamless trip for Bryant's sake more than anything else. I can't remember how many road trips to Reno and even Eastern Nevada I made growing up, but it was definitely a part of our summer routine. Please pray for our safe travels and Bryant to be content and enjoy his time in the car. Best wishes to you all!!

Jackhammers and Other Exciting Happenings

2007-07-20T14:45:00.000-07:00

I am not usually this on top of things in terms of blog postings, but we have been very busy the last 2 days. Jeremy and his crew have been at our house, beginning on Wednesday, tearing out our back patio and laying down pavers. The patio was badly damaged from the harsh Central Oregon winters (cement just doesn't hold up to ice melt and freezing cold temperatures), and we really wanted something we could enjoy for the next year while we are building our next house. I anticipated Bryant being a little scared by all the workers and noise, but boy was I wrong!! The first step in the process involved a jackhammer to break up the patio. For those of you who haven't experienced a jackhammer, directly out your back door, it is very loud. Bryant was so excited, I literally couldn't pull him away from the back door. He spent the entire day glued to the backdoor in complete fascination. When I tried to put him down for a nap at 3:30, he was so worked up that he cried for, no joke, 45 minutes, before we gave up and let him get out of his crib, Bryant-1 Mommy-0. :-) I know Jeremy also appreciated the constant distraction that a smiling, excited little baby standing at the back door provided for his workers. They kept knocking on he window and watching him, it was quite cute.

Bryant observing the jackhammer and workers out the back door.

The patio is still a work in progress, but it is nearly complete today. The crew is working on the walkway around our garage and out to the driveway now and then they will have some planting to do, but it is looking really nice and is a much needed change.

The other big event in our week happened yesterday. Bryant had his first Barber Shop haircut! Jeremy and I attempted to cut his hair ourselves and we failed miserably. We tried using a razor and I think the noise really freaked Bryant out. The Barber Shop wasn't a whole lot better, but he did get to sit in my lap, so I could help soothe him and hold him still and the Barber was a definite professional. He worked fast and efficiently and when it was all said and done, Bryant has a pretty decent haircut. The Barber didn't even charge us, he said first cuts are free, only in a small town!!

Bryant with his big boy haircut. He is really glad it
is all over with!!!

I'm Gonna Get You...

2007-07-17T20:23:00.000-07:00

Bryant has finally figured out that crawling means he can go after anything and everything he wants. (Whether we allow him to have it is a whole other story!) :-) He has been fascinated with our kitty since his eyes were able to follow her as she moved and this week he is finally able to chase her down. Several days ago he cornered her in the kitchen and she backed herself all the way up between the wall and the refrigerator and actually got up on her hind legs and tried to figure out how to crawl up the wall, it was hysterical. Meanwhile Bryant is squealing with delight over the fact that he is actually close enough to touch the kitty and she isn't running away. You had to be there, it was seriously comical.

Monday of last week my friend Becca, from Kennewick Washington, came for a short visit. Becca and I have been friends since first grade. Our friendship has survived many moves over the years and I can thankfully say that there was no shortage of conversation while she was here, we had so much to catch up on. Plus, Becca is the mommy to four boys, so I had a lot of wisdom to glean from her! It was really fun to catch up again and hopefully it won't be six years before we see each other again.

Last Friday my Dad took his boat to Detroit Lake, which is only a 1 hour drive from our house in Sisters and invited us over for the day. So, while Daddy slaved away in the 90+ degree heat, Bryant, our friend Regan and I enjoyed a wonderful day on the water with Robin and Grandpa. Bryant did really well on the boat, but he absolutely hated the life jacket, so all in all I would consider the day a great success.

Some of you may notice from the pictures that our little punkin is getting a little bit tan...he NEVER leaves the house without SPF 50 on and I reapply it every hour, like a good Mom should. We were out walking around Sisters on Saturday morning during the quilt show and we had several people tell us to put sunblock on our baby, that he was getting burned. Jeremy got so tired of telling them we had just put the second coating of block on the baby that he took out the bottle of sunscreen and sat it next to Bryant in the stroller in order to address any concerns before they were voiced. There were way too many concerned Grandma types in town this weekend!!

Here are a few more pictures of Bryant hanging with Daddy. They really do have fun together.

So Much to See...

2007-07-03T09:40:00.000-07:00

My life is officially much busier...that's right, Bryant is crawling. I had my first realization this morning as to how different life will be now that he is mobile. I put him down in front of his toy basket we keep downstairs near the kitchen and I was unloading the dishwasher and I turned around to find him unloading the magazines and books from the coffee table and of course peeling apart the magazines as they were being unloaded!! He is curious and yet still a little hesitant to move around too much. Today he made his first successful attmept to pull himself into a standing position, only to come crashing down with minimal crying involved. Here are a couple of pictures of him crawling. He has also started this funny little "bear" crawl where he is up on all fours with his little bottom in the air, very cute.

On another note, my friend Carrington, who I mentioned in my last posting, delivered her triplets on Sunday July 1. All are doing well. She was having some complications with her liver due to the pregnancy and some preterm labor symptoms, so her doctors felt it was best to go ahead and deliver the babies. Here are the stats on their babies: Amelia Faith came first at 4lbs 5oz and 16 and 3/4 inches, and Abigail Kimberly at 4lbs 7oz and 18 and 1/8 inches, followed by their little brother Gabriel Michael who is heaviest at 4lbs 10oz and 17 3/4 inches. The babies are really good sized for a triplet delivery and are currently in the NICU, but breathing on their own, praise God. Carrington was in a lot of pain after the delivery and I imagine is going to spend a few weeks getting back her stamina and healing from the surgery. Here is a link to their blog if you would like to see pictures of the little miracles you were all praying for: http://mostlylife.blogspot.com/

We are planning to spend the fourth of July laying low and staying out of the sun. We hope you all have a safe and happy 4th!!

Busy Boy

2007-06-23T16:16:00.001-07:00

Okay, so I thought by my next post Bryant would be crawling, and he is close, but still not quite ready to move. He is an incredible scooter and sliding backwards on his tummy is definitely his specialty. I am amazed at how well he is already playing by himself. I can sit him in front of his basket of toys in the living room and the next thing I know every toy in that basket has been dumped out and is scattered in every direction and he can't reach any of them, enter Mommy to push everything back within reach. I decided to take some pictures of Bryant amidst the chaos of toys yesterday morning, he really does have a lot of fun just laying on the floor and pushing things around.

With Summer officially here, we have been spending more and more time swimming at the new pool in Black Butte Ranch. We have lots of fun there and usually run into a few other families we know from church or our neighborhood, so it has really turned into a fun gathering spot on hot days. Bryant's Grammie and GaGa (Jeremy's parents Judi and Jim) have been spending a lot of time on this side of the mountains visiting and enjoying their grandkids (and kids too I am sure!) Here is a picture of Bryant hanging out at the pool with GaGa. It was a little chilly that afternoon, so we didn't swim, but we had fun hanging out with the family. Bryant really loves to watch the big kids splash around, they really keep him giggling!! I have managed to keep a hat on his little head most of the time mostly to shield the sun from his sweet little head, but when he realizes its there he usually tries to take it off. I have found baseball caps work best because they are the most difficult for him to get off. I think he looks adorable in any hat, but they are only useful if he keeps them on!! :-)

In 3 more days Bryant will be 8 months old. I can hardly believe we are so near to his 1st birthday, where has the time gone? I LOVE being a mommy and Bryant's love and smiles makes me feel like a million bucks. Isn't a babies love amazing? They don't care if you've taken a shower or are having a bad day, they love you all the same.

Introductions

2007-06-14T19:55:00.000-07:00

Bryant had a big week last week. We traveled over to my Mom's house (if it seems like I have said that a lot in the last month, that is because we have been over 3 times in 6 weeks). My Great Aunt Barbara and Uncle Jim came down from Marysville Washington in hopes of meeting Bryant. This last weekend happened to be Rodeo time here in Sisters and there wasn't a motel to be found, so we decided to make the trek over so Bryant could meet them. Here is a picture of Bryant with Aunt Barbara, all smiles, of course!

We spent all weekend doing family stuff, including the 2nd birthday of our little niece Cortyln (my brother's daughter) and a dinner out with my Dad to celebrate my birthday and Father's Day. Bryant did beautifully in the car, sleeping most of the way over to Portland and the entire way home. I am always amazed at how much he can sleep in the car yet when we are home and I put him down for a nap, he only manages a 30 minute nap. I guess he is just afraid to miss something. The picture on the left is Bryant with his Uncle Adam (my twin brother).

While we were in Portland, we went over to Vancouver Washington to visit my friend Carrington who is preparing to deliver triplets in about 5 weeks. Her pregnancy has gone beautifully thus far and I would ask for all of you out there to keep her and her husband Garrett in your prayers as they wind down to the big day and prepare to be Mommy and Daddy to 2 girls and a boy. I will update you all when the babies arrive, but until then I know they would appreciate all the prayers they can get.

To the right is a picture of Bryant with his Grandma Bergin (my Mom) in his new Gap sweatshirt. I have a feeling by my next post I will be telling you all that Bryant is crawling, he is so close he can taste it. He manages to get on his knees and rock, but he just hasn't quite figured out the forward momentum yet.

Well I think that is all for now. Hope you are all enjoying the beginning of Summer, we sure are!

Bigger by the Day

2007-06-05T13:56:00.000-07:00

I don't have a whole lot of happenings to update you all on, but I have a really cute story to share about Bryant, so I thought I would post a few recent pictures while I was at it. Yesterday I took Bryant with me to the grocery store, no big deal, he has been with me many times in his short life, but this was the first time he got to ride in the shopping cart like a big boy, without being in his car seat. He was so funny, he was squealing with pure delight throughout the entire shopping trip, rocking back and forth and sticking his little hands out in hopes I would get him close enough to one or the other sides of the aisle and he could actually grab something. A couple of times I did and I was careful to center the cart in the aisle after a few grabs at pretty colorful packages. :-) I must have had 15 people stop me to talk to him or comment on how happy he was. I was standing in the checkout line and he was looking in the opposite direction and belly laughing and I turned around to find the store manager playing peek-a-boo behind a display with him. I love what babies do to grown-ups, so cute!

Poor little guy has fallen over twice today and bumped his head which managed to really upset him, temporarily. I am sure this is just the beginning of the bumps and bruises. Thankfully so far it is nothing a little snuggle from mama can't fix.

Last week we had beautiful weather in the high 80's and spent a lot of time outside and at the pool. Both Bryant and I are getting a little bit of a tan, even with SPF 50 on Bryant is still managing to get some sun. This week is much cooler and we are even getting a little much needed rain, so we are working on some indoor projects this week.

The picture to the righ is my brother Adam, his little girl (my niece) Cortlyn and Bryant in the backyard of his new house.

Until next time...

Yeah Aunti Necia!!!!

2007-05-25T10:42:00.000-07:00

I mentioned on our last post that Bryant and I were headed to Portland to watch Aunti Necia graduate, so I thought I would post some pictures from our visit to Portland. We had a very busy weekend visiting lots of friends and family. On our way into town, we stopped at my Dad's house in Canby so Bryant could visit with his Grandpa. He was a little apprehensive when we first arrived (it didn't help that he spent the last hour of the car ride crying!), but as you can see he quickly warmed up to Grandpa and they had lots of fun together.

Saturday we of course had all the graduation festivities including a graduation reception for Necia at Jim and Judi's house (Jeremy's parents). Bryant got to visit with his Great Grandma Viola (Jim's Mom and Jeremy's Grandma) and his Aunti Barbara (Judi's Sister, Jeremy's Aunt). It was so much fun to see everyone and Bryant did amazing the whole weekend. He was an angel at the graduation, even though it lasted 2 1/2 hours. He flirted with the people around us and at one point I turned around to catch a grown man playing peek-a-boo with him, isn't it funny what babies can do to grown-ups? I find myself doing silly things like that all the time, just to get rewarded with a beautiful smile.
We hope you all have a safe Memorial Day weekend!!

2007-05-17T11:04:00.000-07:00

Once again it has been way too long since our last post. Bryant is amazing and growing by leaps and bounds. He can now pivot in any direction on his tummy and when we put him on the wood floor he pushes himself backwards into some very precarious positions. So far there is nothing this boy won't eat, evidenced by the fact that at his 6 month check-up he weighed in at a very healthy 18 lbs. (50% percentile for those of you who were wondering!!)

In the last few weeks we have been very busy...we visited our friend Lauren and her new baby Trevor (pictured below) and we helped my brother Adam move into his new house, well I did all the heavy lifting while Bryant napped in the backpack as I carried him. (Talk about a workout!)

This last week Bryant, Aunti Necia (Jeremy's little brother Jeff's wife) and I hiked up Black Butte. We had some beautiful weather, in the 80's, and wanted to get out and enjoy it. Black Butte is a pretty steady uphill climb for about 2 miles, but you are rewarded with and absolutely stunning view of about 7 Central Oregon Mountains, awesome!! Bryant did wonderfully in the backpack and I think he really enjoyed being outside and seeing new things. We have also been swimming several times and he is getting to love the water more each time.

My very first Mother's Day with Bryant was perfect. My brother and his wife Krista and daughter Cortlyn (almost 2!) came over on Saturday night and my Mom was here for the weekend. Bryant was dedicated at Church on Mother's Day and he slept through the whole process. After church we all had a wonderful brunch at Black Butte Lodge. It was a perfect day and I am so thankful to celebrate being a mommy!!

Today we are headed over to Portland to go to Aunti Necia's graduation. She is getting her Doctorate in Physical Therapy and deserves truly deserves an extra special celebration.

We hope you are all well!!

Long Time

2007-04-21T08:48:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a little while since our last post. I don't really have a good excuse, except for the fact the we've been busy, and I moved my computer into a little office that I am renting from a friend. So now most of my computer time comes at the office, and work has been so busy I haven't had time to goof around. Now, some may argue I could have updated this last week, instead of going turkey hunting, but this of course is ridiculous.

Everyone is doing well around our house. Bryant has learned to roll over, and pretty much wiggle and squirm his way in and out of everything and anything. It's amazing how much he changes from day to day. He seems to increase the dexterity in his hands, and general coordination every day. He also has taken a vested interest in trying to grab the kitty and yank on it's fur. Some may say I influenced this, but that too is ridiculous. No doubt he will soon be crawling, scooting, or squirming after the cat all over the house.

Here is a pic of Bryant on a quilt made by our friend Sue Carlton.

This pic is about a month old, so imagine him a little fatter. I'll try to get some more recent pics soon.

Poor Baby...

2007-03-25T19:14:00.000-07:00

Hi all. We don't have any cute pics to post this time around, but thought we should update you all on the latest in the Davis household. Bryant has officially had his first bad cold, if I can even call it that. He has been coughing and had a runny nose for about 6 weeks now and at his last visit to the doctor they said not to worry about it sometimes these little guys take a while to kick a cold. A few days ago, however, the cold escalated to a rattling in his chest, a really bad cough, fever and inability to keep any food down because of the coughing. I took him into the doctor on Friday night and they said he has Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) which is apparently very common in babies. There isn't really anything they can do for him, with the exception of baby Tylenol for the fever. I was told RSV can last up to 15 days, but it is the worse at day 5 which I think we have surpassed, so hopefully we are through the hard part. They told me to watch for a continued fever or difficulty breathing because this virus can easily turn into pneumonia or bronchitis, but thankfully I think we are past that.
It is so sad to see my sweet little guy so sick. He doesn't want to eat and is very restless and most of the time just wants to be held. For the past several nights, he wakes up often and it seems to be mostly due to the coughing. We have had to forgo our cereal ritual and weekly swimming trips while Bryant works on getting better. Hopefully for our next posting we will have some pictures of a happy, healthy baby!!
Spring is definitely upon us in Sisters. Jeremy's business is off and running and we can already tell that Summer is going to be quite busy. He currently has two employees, and will likely be adding an additional employee before the Summer kicks off. He has moved his office into a place in town with his brother-in-law Mike (a local contractor) and Garrett (a friend from church). It is really nice for him to have a place where he can go and work without the frequent interruptions of home-life (ie me doing laundry, taking showers, Bryant smiling or crying both are of equal distraction for different reasons!!) :-)
I am participating in a new Mom's brunch every other Tuesday with ladies from our church and I am really enjoying getting to know other stay-at-home Mom's in town. All of our babies are very close together and hopefully will be playmates some day.
Well, that about covers it for now. We hope you are all well. Until next time - Amy

Bryant Swims!

2007-03-11T20:30:00.000-07:00

That's right folks, it is never to early to learn to swim. Okay, so he didn't actually swim, but he really does love the water. The picture to the right is our friend Rebekah and her daughter Katlyn, who is 2 days older than Bryant. (If you look closely at the picture you will see Katlyn is holding Bryant's hand. I think this might be his first girlfriend!!)

Rebekah used to be a swim instructor so she is going to work with us to teach our babies to swim. Bryant had a lot of fun splashing in the water, but he didn't like it when I got his head wet.

The two pictures at the bottom of this post are of Bryant with his cousins Sydney and Sophie. They love to hold him, Bryant actually fell asleep in Sydney's lap for about 40 minutes and she just sat there and held him, too cute! They live in Black Butte so we headed over to their house after swimming to rest and visit. -Amy

2007-03-06T07:18:00.000-08:00

Lot's of big things happening around our house this week. For instance, Bryant has added cereal to his menu. At first it wasn't well received, but after a little practice, he wolfs it down. However, Dad is not impressed with how messy he gets. We'll have to work on being a cleaner eater.

Here we are watching the tube. I think I'm raising a fellow couch potatoe.

Here we are getting ready for a walk. Walk's are pretty fun now that the sunshine is back. Notice the slobber marks on Bryant's sleeves. That kid is a drool machine.

All things considered, we are taking it pretty easy around here. Amy snapped this pic...didn't even pose him this way. He did it on his own.

Desert Trip

2007-02-18T15:06:00.000-08:00

We just returned from a quick trip to the desert. We decided getting away for a few days sounded relaxing, and with my work starting to pick up, we knew that this might be our last chance for a while. We stayed a couple of nights at the Summer Lake Inn (http://www.summerlakeinn.com/). This is just south of Silver Lake, and North of Paisely. The day we arrived it was VERY windy. This kept us inside with warm soup, books, and movies. However, the next day was calmer, and we ventured out. We drove down through the Hart Mt. Antelope Refuge, and did a little bit of hiking. We saw 12 coyotes, 80 Antelope, 50-60 deer, and too many hawks and eagles to count.

The next day we went on to Klamath Falls. It was a very sunny, beautiful day. I lived in K. Falls for a year about 9 years ago, so it was fun to tour around and see how the place has changed. I showed Amy and Bryant my old apartment, my old school (OIT), and the Laundromat that I used to frequent. All were impressed and amazed.

Today we had a leisurely morning making our way back from K. Falls. After stopping for overpriced coffee, and under priced egg McMuffins we made the 3 hour drive back home with only one stop to feed Bryant. He did great the entire trip. He even seemed to enjoy his view out the rear window of the truck, watching the world go by. Here he is after one of our numerous stops for a feeding.

This last picture is our view outside the Summer Lake Inn. This was a fun, rustic place to stay. No cell service, or TV reception. A good place to enjoy the outdoors and catch up on some reading. Probably could have been a little cleaner, but we are hoping we caught them on a bad day, and neither one of us had the nerve to complain about it.

2007-02-07T10:12:00.000-08:00

Last week Amy's mom Karen came over to our neck of the woods to spend a few days with Bryant. She came to witness the coos, smiles, and sneezes that only a grandparent could appreciate.

While she was here, Amy and I went out on our first childless date in several months. We had burgers at Deschutes Brewery followed by some glow in the dark cosmic bowling where I graciously let her win. I find that if you let your spouse win at the meaningless sports such as bowling, (is it even a sport?) it does great things for their self esteem and well being. For instance, Amy couldn't quit talking about her narrow victory for days. Anyways, I hope she doesn't take up golf.

Save meaningless games of bowling, life is pretty good here in Sisters. The first picture is the view out our living room window. OK, not really, but I did have to slam on the brakes to let this herd of elk cross the road a couple of mornings ago.

New Kitty

2007-01-22T09:12:00.000-08:00

Well, I realize most of you glance at this site to see glimpses of Bryant, but I couldn't help post a couple of hunting pics. However, as you can see, Bryant was quite helpful in the field, and fond of the new kitty "bob."

This is the first bobcat I've ever harvested.

Grandpa

2007-01-14T13:33:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we lost Grandpa Davis. This was a mixed blessing as his health has been deteriorating for several years now. We are happy he has moved on, and is no longer in pain. But he will be missed! It is always hard to say goodbye to a close member of your family, even if the time seemed right. Over the years I have had countless people tell me about how Grandpa had a very meaningful impact on their lives. Often these people were associated with Camp Yamhill, or Hazel Dell Church. Both were places Grandpa volunteered much time and sweat.
I am glad Grandpa got to briefly meet Bryant last December. I will look forward to telling Bryant about his Great-Grandpa someday.
Here are a few of the latest pics for his "fans." Hope they make you smile.

Happy Baby

2006-12-26T10:10:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone reading this had a very merry Christmas. We certainly did. Very relaxed with lots of time to focus on Bryant.

You can see by these pics that Bryant is becoming better and better at finding his smile. Most of the credit however belongs to Mom. Last week Amy gave up dairy products in an attempt to help relieve some of Bryant's "tummy troubles." Dr. Bailey suggested this to help reduce the amount of gas he has. So far, it has made for a much happier baby. But you have to realize that giving up dairy means no chocolate, cheese, or pretty much anything else that actually tastes good over the holidays. This is no small sacrifice considering we usually launch an all out assault on our arteries by cramming whatever we want down our throats in the name of holiday gluttony. So being the supportive dad and husband that I am, I have been eating twice the chocolate, cheese, tums, etc. to help Amy cope. Everyone has to make sacrifices.

So in closing, please give Amy a virtual pat on the back and then eat an extra piece of fudge in her honor.

Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!!!

Something New

2006-12-20T19:20:00.000-08:00

Well, we are taking an avenue inspired by the great Reverend Jeffrey James, and Doctor Necia Davis in starting this blog to help keep people up to date with our new little "Punkin." OK, so Jeff doesn't go by Reverend (and hopefully never will) and Necia isn't really a Doctor...yet, but we are inspired by their blogifacating desires. Yes, if you plan to read this on a regular basis, your mind will have to become familiar with many new words which may or may not be words at all, not to mention the run-on/run-off/run-around sentences.

Now, getting down to business and to the point, let us talk about this so-called Punkin. Bryant Chase Davis was born on October 26th at 6 pounds, 4 ounces, 20 inches, and life hasn't been the same since. People warn you about all kinds of things when you are expecting a new member to the family. Late nights, 12 feedings a day, crying, nasty diapers, cluttering toys, crying, spitting up, are just a few of the things we have been diagnosed with as new parents. On top of that, the baby also needs to be fed often, cries sometimes, and poops a lot!

However, through all of life's little interuptions that plague us on a daily basis now that we are a family of three, I can't imagine life without Bryant. He is the best thing that has ever happened to us. I can't possibly find, or even make up, the words to describe how much we love him. We thank God every day that He has blessed us with our beautiful baby boy.