Staff Development Day?

All the Kids are out of school today. Its rare we get pictures of the brothers together.



With the kids getting out in two weeks for Spring break( which is about two + weeks long) and already having minimum day this week, I am beginning to think they don't spend much time at school lol.


The kids love a day off from school. No rushing in the morning and we usually go somewhere fun. Today we are going to have two of Celia's tutoring sessions and maybe a run to a store to see what there is to see.

Sweet Spencer hands us the ingredients for the food he wants like quesadillas with corn tortillas and pancakes! He knows what it takes. I suppose he know who cooks it too because he only hands it to me! The reason could be that he doesn't want Emmy or Joseph to eat it though hehe.


Kids say and do the funniest things. These two are my characters. Celia's new funny sayings are "Bummer" and "Sup". Joseph runs around playing chase with Celia saying "Bring It". They are a hoot. Serious entertainment all the time.~


Celia loves her Daddy. This is she and him before he left for work. She didn't know why he was going to work since all of us were staying home today. Good thing we enjoy our home. Today marks our 6 year mark here in this house.:)

Yay!

We have exciting news.:) After almost two years in process of applying, getting approved, and waiting to hear. We will be getting a Canine Companion for Independence dog for Spencer. The benefits of this dog for Spencer will be therapeutic and I'm very excited to see a bond form between him and the dog. For other children with Autism it has made going out in public a possibility without scenes or breakdowns. It may help Spencer to want to stay in the home more and not try to leave to go to the neighbors house. He will help take care of the dog. It will be wonderful for him to have something to be in charge of and to do. We will get exercise! Dogs need to be walked and Spencer loves to walk, but we rarely take him out because of how hard he can be in public. As a team; Spencer, the dog, and I will venture out and keep him safe. These dogs are extremely well trained and calm and reliable. I'm excited to learn all the commands and to help benefit Spencer through this dog. I can see it improving his way of life. He will have attention and companionship, duties, and from what we've seen with him and these dogs, it will make him very happy.

Here's one outcome of a Boy named Braden and his CCI dog named Camille they had on the website for Canine Companions for Independence.

In May 2007 Robin and Braden graduated from Team Training with Skilled Companion Camille, free of charge and free of fundraising. Since then, Camille has changed Braden's life.

"Braden is much more social, calmer in public, and is developing empathy," Robin continues. "Camille gives Braden acceptance and love, without expecting him to be like everyone else."

May 14th will be our take home date for the Dog and Graduation from Training.:)

What we've been up to this month so far.

Our kids love Holidays and Celia was my buddy putting out some decorations for St. Patricks day.~ Anything to decorate and make cakes and cookies for Celia is all for! We had the Missionaries over for dinner. It was really nice and they shared a message about being nice to your brother and sister which Emmy and Joseph needed to hear.:) I've been getting out running a little. I love seeing all the blossoms on the trees around town. I'm grateful for the beautiful park area near us. Its hilly and very fun to run on despite a little mud. Its hard work and I wonder if the soreness is worth it but getting out and see the nature and moving feels great and is such a perfect way to relive stress.:)


Celia is such a character, and loves to have pictures taken of her.



Spring is in the air. I have the desire to open all the windows turn on all the fans and let the fresh air in. I want to wash all the windows and clean the walls or touch up paint. I need to do those projects when I feel that desire because it only comes in the Spring every couple years hehe. March is great, I still feel like I can start new and have new resolutions. Like today I helped the kids get all their church clothes in order and I was prepped with a box full of things for Celia and Spencer to help them get through Church. It was still a pretty wild day, but we did make some progress. They were more quiet and lasted longer then they have in a while. I also threw in the crock pot some Chili Verde for Break the Fast. It may feel like Spring, but part of me still wants the warmth and comfort food of a winter day. It smells wonderful. It reminds me of visiting my parents. They know we like Chili Verde so my Dad makes it for us each time we visit. I'm missing them and hope they are safe traveling all over South America. The Kids and I are going to visit them at the end of our Spring break and we can't wait.

A New Addition

Yes, I realize its funny I took a picture of the delivery truck, but you gotta understand my excitement!


A new addition to the Davis family laundry room is a washing machine yay. After getting the last one in 1996, it finally gave up. A few weeks ago, I had to go to the laundry mat because our dryer went out. We did a lot of loads!(~14) Four kids' laundry is a lot and we go through SO many sheets blankets and towels its ridiculous.:)We got the dryer fixed, then the washer stopped using cold water and wouldn't rinse! I was so happy when Brian went and got a new one yay. There is no way a front loader would work for our family, with the way the kids hang on doors and cupboards.This one is great for our needs. I even like the cute little gold stripe on top by the knobs.:)It will be nice to have a dependable washer and its a big deal for someone in my line of work to have the right tools hehe.

Treasuring Time Together

Girl Time Together playing Band Hero~



Sorry about the vampire red eyes. Hehe the picture doesn't seem to keep the red out out when I fix it.~
I loved seeing Celia enjoy listening to Joseph read her a book. I had to take a picture.~



I can't believe how fast my kids are growing up! A friend of mine linked a YouTube video of a lady describing the ordinary things we do each day interacting with our children. It was nice to reflect and remember all the little things I love. Celia and Joseph crack me up every day with the things they say and how they view the world. Celia had to clean up her sidewalk chalk today that she scribbled with all over the sliding glass door walls and bucket that holds all her tutoring supplies. I think she had just as much fun cleaning it up and she did making the mess! Emmy is growing so tall, she is Five foot Five now, its crazy to think back to her as that 10lb 19 inch little bundle! Spence has been growing up too, he made it through 40 minutes of Sunday school in his primary class of 11year olds. The teachers are so nice to include Spence. He is entertained erasing all the markings the teachers and students make on the chalkboard! He is getting taller too, so handsome, and really calm right now, Phew...I love that! It is hard to believe that soon I might forget all the things we were up to in the year 2010. Time passes by so quickly and if I don't write it down, I forget. Just like President Monson noted, there will be times when the fingerprints on the windows won't be there. I am trying to enjoy my children's development, because time passes by so quickly.~

Before, During, & After

I had a nice Friday painting my bathroom. The wallpaper was harder to get off then I had anticipated, but with a little water and a lot of pulling and scrapping, I got the whole place looking bright white! I wish I would have stripped all the wallpaper off when it started to peel. The hardest parts to take off were the places I had re glued the paper down. I caulked a bit and prepped for a while. I love Eggplant color and I had these pictures in Emelie and Celia's Room, but she they got bunk beds these frames were without a home! I'm tired, but happy with the End result.:)

Pre Painting Prep~

With all the moisture we've been putting in our bathroom to make a humid type atmosphere for those with coughs and pneumonia at our house, my wallpaper did not survive. The people who lived here before us used sandstone looking wallpaper ripped and placed just right onto the wall to look like tile. I really have liked it, but after the kids have tried ripping it off and its now starting to pop up from the moisture, I decided its time for a change. I have a few places to caulk, and some more wallpaper to rip off, but I'm very excited to start. Today is a busy day full of meetings and yesterday I was busy teaching art in Joseph's class. It also started to rain and I want the paint to dry well, so I may have to wait a day or so! Oh did I mention the color I chose is Eggplant.:) I will post Before and After pictures.:)

Digital Scrapbook Page for February~

I had to document a picture of Brian and I. A friend took a picture of us at the Ward Dance this month. It was a great time. I was especially glad Brian didn't pull a silly expression in the photo.:)

Hooray for Spence.

I love my kiddos. Its so great to see their smiles and hugs and hear what they have to say( even if only through facial expressions). It especially gives me joy when they do what they are supposed to. Lately, Spencer has been requiring a lot of help with things he is capable of doing. This morning however, he showed me he was capable of getting ready for school independently. I just watched and tried not to stare as he picked out his clothes, changed, and put on his socks and shoes to finish the dressing routine. I was very excited, you have to know it is a big deal to get two shoes on Spencer let alone clothes and socks and shoes at all! He chose a red shirt, that's his favorite lately, with his little red canvas shoes to match. Spencer and Joseph are growing up into handsome young boys. I love that one has blonder hair and the other brown! Its really great to have such snuggle loving sons. I can't imagine either of them growing out of all the hugging time we have each day. It was nice to go to the neurologist and talk about Spence. He seem to understand the challenges we have with him and let me know I was not alone in my quest to help our dear little Spencer. We have some exciting new things to try for him. There is nothing better then seeing progress in my children especially when we've been working so hard. Its a great feeling of success and it brings joy. Although I'm sure they all just decided to comply hehe. Being a parent is definitely a challenge, but I love its rewards. Now I just have to remember this when we are struggling over the next challenge!:)

Discounts!

I often say it tastes better if its on sale! I love the feeling of trying to save money. I was excited to see that while Celia was begging for pizza, Emmy noticed a huge customer appreciation sign on the Little Caesar's near the pharmacy we were heading to. 3.99 for a Large Pepperoni Pizza. It was too tempting seeing as I didn't make dinner yet and I could tell Spencer and Celia were going to fall asleep very soon. I love that those two are great sleepers by the way. It was also nice when I went into the Pharmacy to see that they really did have the medicine I ordered. I had a message that said they'd contact me and that the refill wasn't valid. So on the way out I found another Item I needed with a two Dollar off coupon. It literally made me in a great mood. I noticed the beautiful tulips and various flowers on display outside the store they were daffodils and Tulips. They smelled so nice. Its beautiful out. It was a great Spring like afternoon. The kids were happy and I enjoyed some music that the girl's got me for Valentine's day. After getting visit taught today and having a message about being frugal, I felt great to get deals and use a coupon hehe. I know it seems small and silly, but every dollar saved is a dollar earned.:) We try and use coupons each time we get them. Brian has gotten me a few organizers. Maybe I'll use them now. I hope I can spend and save wisely to get this kind of great feeling all the time.~

Happy Valentines Day

Celia loved the little door hanger craft:)






The kids love to celebrate every holiday. I'm sure they got that from me hehe. When they were younger and there were less of them, I used to homemake all sorts of goodies for their friends and classmates for Valentine's day. This year I didn't realize they would be exhanging until the night before. I grabbed what I could at a store, there were no traditional valentine cards available for purchase! The kids didn't seem to mind. They put together little baggies of goodies and even punched red hearts and wrote to/from for their friends. Joseph has a list in his class, so he worked on writing all his friends names. Spencer scored all sorts of neat toys and goodies from his friends at school. They always have well thought out things for these special kids! He likes watching what the other kids are doing and making his little noises about all the excitment. Emmy asked me If I was going to blog these photos as I was taking them. I said no and she laughed. So she gets to have that be the first picture of the blog.