Our Latest Arrival

He's here.  He's beautiful.  And other than a very stubborn bilirubin count, he's perfect.  Rex Davis FINALLY joined our family on November 27, 2010 at 12:56 a.m.  True, he was scheduled for the 29th...but by the 27th we really felt like we had waited long enough...at least I had!

Rex joined the world at 8 lbs. and 20.5 in. long.  He has a head of jet black hair just like his brother did, but he's a spitting image of his father.  I guess since I already have two kids that look like me, it was time for Rodney to have one that looked like him.  :-)

Rex is quite jaundice and sleeps a lot in his bili blanket...so we don't really feel like we've gotten to know him very well just yet.  We are looking forward to the day he feels better and can spend a little more time awake!  He has beautiful eyes and we all seem to just hover over him waiting for those precious things to open.

My recovery has gone smoothly, but I still wouldn't have made it through this first week without my mother.  She graciously spent a week at our house jumping at my every request.  With all the doctor visits we've had to take Rex to, this has been a saving grace!

The kids were SOOOO excited when we arrived home with Rex.  Heidi Sage still runs up to him, touches him with her pointer finger, runs in place, and squeals, "A bay-bee!  A bay-bee!"  You can often find her at his side showering him with kisses and delivering him a paci.  She asks to hold him often, but not for long...she's a busy girl.

Clinton loves to walks by and rub his little head.  He's the first to let me know if Rex is crying and gives him words of encouragement until I can get to him.  "It's okay Baby Rex.  It's okay."

Both of the kids are looking forward to teaching Rex everything they know (such as Heidi Sage below teaching Rex about body parts) and share their toys with him (Clinton has been wanting to share his cars).

We have been overwhelmed with the big kids' affections for Baby Rex.   It's so heartwarming to witness such pure adoration for another person.  Don't get me wrong, our kids are normal and have had the occasional "adjustment" meltdown or tantrum...but overall they are just excited to have a new member in the family.

Three kids under the age of four is sure to have it's challenges...but I wouldn't change a thing.

Mother to THREE,

Cutest Birthday Party Ever?

Looking for a very cute idea for a toddler/kid's birthday party? Our friends Charlotte and Schaefer turned 3 this week and we were invited to their birthday party...A Ride-On Birthday.

All the kids had to bring their own ride on toy, which believe it or not is very exciting to young children. Clinton couldn't wait for people to see his bike!

Then the majority of the party took place in a big circle drive at one of the local country clubs. There were also some stations set up where the kids could either decorate their ride or "fix" it....so cute. I'm sure you can guess where Clinton was...using the tools!

The decoration station had a bin with streamers and other things you could attach to your ride. The fix it station had a bin full of toy tools.

Heidi Sage had a fun time, too....though she spent most of her time eyeing ALL the balloons, and guarding her ride. While she didn't do much riding, she didn't want anyone to touch it....and it proved to be quite the popular toy. :-| There was a lot of squawking. Lots.

But all was good once the cupcakes were served in the air conditioning at the club house. Have I mention how much HS loves cupcakes?? And how much I love air conditioning?

By the time we got home HS was completely worn out, but she had learned to keep a tight death grip on her balloon if she wants it to stay around. Clinton is still struggling with that concept...

Looking forward to chasing three on wheels????

First Day of Preschool

This past week school FINALLY started! ...preschool, that is. I know it doesn't sound very nice of me to wish for it, but it really is my only break during the week. With Rodney's work schedule, I'm on duty 24/7. So having two 5-hour breaks during the week is really nice...even if it does cost me a car payment!

We LOVE our preschool and I am happy to say my kids LOVE going. Heidi Sage has really impressed me with her excitement about going. She doesn't cry. She waves and tells me "bye-bye". And the teacher says she's super sweet all day. Although, the first day she was so overwhelmed with everything she didn't eat a bite...she kept trying to get up to play.

Heidi Sage has the same teacher Clinton had in the one's class. Ms. Kay was very excited to get HS in her class, and we were even more excited to be in her class!

Clinton also loves his class. He seems to be even more excited about school this year than he was last year. He loves Ms. Kate. He seems to like his classmates. And he loves a blue delivery truck in the cars/trucks area....he talks about it a lot.

I was a bit taken aback by how much more grown up the three year old class is. They won't let the mommies come in the classroom. They make the kids put all their bags away themselves in their cubbies. And they don't allow sippy cups.

But Clinton doesn't care...he's always looking to see if anyone is playing with the blue delivery truck yet...because he wants it!

Clinton and I found the perfect "big boy" cup in the freezer for his lunch box. Something Bebe found at The Container Store a while back. It has a flip up straw and the cup is lined with some type of gel that freezes and keeps his milk cold. I also talked him into taking a "big boy blanket" to school instead of his raggedy old baby blanket. He's perfectly content to do so. Anything to be a "big boy". So we got out a big red fleece blanket Bebe had made him that has trucks and tractors appliqued on the corners.

Even after two whole years of preschool, I have never gotten a call about Clinton. Heidi Sage's second day and I receive a call that she fell on the playground and hit her head. They asked me to come by and check on her and decide whether or not she needed to come home.

After parenting Clinton for 3 1/2 years, I'm pretty relaxed about these types of things. I popped in and found HS to be perfectly happy eating her lunch with a bit of a bruiser on her forehead. I asked her if she wanted to stay and eat and she said..."Uh-huh!" So, I kissed her and told her I would see her later. She smiled and said, "Bye-bye". Since all they had left was nap time, I figured she would be fine....so I went and looked at houses with my realtor. :-)

So far...we're having a great year (minus the head bump)!

Anyone want to meet for lunch? :-)

Oh, and a little of my handy work for the kids' classrooms. Their "About Me" posters.

Ice Cream Sundae Scavenger Hunt

Looking for a way to entertain the kids and beat the heat? The kids and I hosted a scavenger hunt at our house. Since being pregnant, entertaining two toddlers, and keeping a house in tip top condition isn't enough, I went ahead and planned another project...but it was worth it.

The kids had a great time and it was fun watching all the kids get excited about drawing a clue, finding the clue on their treasure maps, and running to retrieve their treasure. We kept the ice cream a secret until after all of the kids had eaten lunch. Once they figured out the last treasure was ice cream and all their other treasures were toppings for the ice cream, they were pretty excited! (If you're interested in hosting one of these and want all the details, shoot me an email or leave a comment and I'll send you exactly what we did.)

Driving myself to crazy one project at a time,

The Beautiful Mrs. Bell

She was glowing. She was graceful. She was flawless. She was the "Bell" of the ball.

Well, actually, she was one of many "Bells" at the ball....but she was the newest Bell.

Last weekend my baby sister entered into Holy Matrimony with a one Mr. Brian Bell. We really like him, so it was a rather celebratory occasion.

Chelsea (and possibly Brian) did an amazing job with their wedding. It was, of course, pink and green. It was, of course, completely unique. And it was, of course, perfectly executed.

The kids and I were honored to serve in the wedding party. I as the Matron of Honor. Clinton as the Ring Bearer. And Heidi Sage as the Flower Girl.

We (and I probably mean mostly me) had been very excited about this trip for a very long time. So a week prior to the wedding, the kids and I jetted off to Texas. Can't you just see the excitement dripping off their faces??

We spent 5 days at Bebe and Hop's house working on wedding preparations. My main job....cake balls. 600 of them. You can read about the creation of those here...

The kids main job...to play...to play...to play...

On Wednesday we packed up two large trucks with tons and tons of wedding stuff, two kids, a double stroller, two car seats, and one teeny tiny bag per person, and set off towards Austin...the greatest city to ever grace the presence of this great country. Sigh.

While in Austin, we were able to partake in a number of fun activities. There was a day of visiting all my pals back at Tarrytown UMC. Even after five years of being absent, I walked in the door and felt as if I had never left. Such a special group of ladies. (And I'm a total loser and didn't take one picture while I was there. Ugh.)

We also had several wedding functions to attend. There was the rehearsal dinner at The Salt Lick. Heidi Sage stayed back at the hotel and kicked it with Amy, to which we are VERY grateful! There was the Bridal Tea for the girls...HS and I put on our best sundresses and hightailed it to the Driskal for cucumber sandwiches and the best scones on the planet... Thanks to the Matriarch of the Creech family (Peggy Rose) and her helpers Joy and Polly for hosting such a wonderful event for my sweet sister.

The beautiful bride with her two grandmothers. Grammy on the left and Peggy on the right...that's right, we call her by her first name. Rumor is I started this when I was a wee one, but I don't remember so it's hard for me to take credit for that...

The Bride with her darling flower girl...

The MOH (me) and the Flower Girl (my Heidi Sage)

At the Bridal Tea, we received one of the best surprises of all time. Seriously. You see, we have these VERY dear friends....The Voigts'. They live in Kentucky. They are like family...that you rarely get to see....because they live in Kentucky. And they had sent Chelsea a very sad note explaining why they couldn't be at the wedding. We were all a bit heartbroken, but understood. Natalie is another VERY dear friend. Who is like family. Who we were very excited about seeing at the wedding. She told us she was bringing her mother as her guest to the tea and wedding. She lied....and she works in the ministry....and yet, she still lied. However, we all forgave her as we each walked in to find Sheryl Voigts waiting on us at the tea. This was Natalie's surprise guest. Many tears were cried, BIG hugs were shared, and smiles were spread across our faces for the rest of the day. We were still sad to not see Julianne and the boys, but loved on Sheryl enough for all of them. Below is Mom, Sheryl, and Natalie...with those matching haircuts you can tell they do all belong together! :-)

After the tea we jetted off the to the wedding site to put everything together. Then I ran to get the kids and before we knew it, the wedding was ready to begin. You can find most of the wedding pictures on Chelsea's web site....but here's a few from the bridal room...

Chelsea and Brian--We had such a wonderful time and were so honored to be included on your special day. We are looking forward to many, MANY family functions together!!

The newest little sister to Mr. Bell,