MOPS

Today was my first day to attend MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers). Scheduling hasn't allowed me to attend in the past, and let me just say that I have been missing out. A lot of thought has gone into this program, from the coffee talk time where you are divided into groups based on your career before it was motherhood, the delicious brunch, nurturing mentor moms, and wonderful speakers. There are even door prizes and gifts given to the moms who are celebrating birthdays or new babies, ect. As a stay at home mom, I found this time so refreshing... to just sit, not corralling children, and visit with other moms, sharing our experiences, and gaining new insight from our speaker. Today the speaker was Dr. Brad Schwall, he is a child psychologist who is a regular contributor to WFAA the local ABC affiliate. His work specializes in developing healthy social and emotional skills, in an age appropriate manner... I can certainly use some tips in that area!

The emphasis really seems to be on fellowship, education and empowerment. Their motto is "Better Moms Make a Better World" ... what an awesome statement. I have really needed an outlet like this, and I am so excited about this year. I am also looking forward to making some new friends, in fact, two of the girls in my group live in my neighborhood... yeah!

It also an opportunity for Lauren to be around other babies her age, which she doesn't get a chance to do very often. The childcare is great, and she was happy and playing when I picked her up. I am so thankful for this new blessing in my life!

Hook 'Em Horns!!!

No, this isn't a commentary on the Texas vs. Tech game, I am referring to the best little Blastball team in DFW... the Denton County Longhorns. Due to the nearly two weeks of rain that we have experienced here, we just had our first game Saturday morning. The kids did a great job and had a great time!

Impromtu Trip to the Zoo

Saturday while eating out for breakfast, we made the decision to head over to one of our favorite places... the Fort Worth Zoo. The weather was nice, and it was not too busy until just before we left... we were even able to rent a stroller for Lauren (and Walker, the last ten minutes of the trip) since we didn't have ours due to the fact we had not planned on going when we left the house that morning. This was just Lauren's second trip to the zoo, the first time being when she was not quite three months old... so it was great to see her checking everything out.

The highlight of Walker's (and his Daddy's) day was watching the alligator feeding... they had a front row seat as a HUGE alligator lunched on a rabbit... don't worry, no pictures of that!

Baseball

The Davis family is being indoctrinated into the crazy world of recreational youth sports. Walker had expressed to us that he was interested in playing baseball, so we registered him for the four year old division of Flower Mound Youth Sports. We decided on the fall season to start out, because this is his first year to play, and the website stated that the fall season was shorter and more instructional in nature. So...... Trumon takes Walker to his first practice where he finds out that the other team members have all played on a team before, for many this is their THIRD team... keep in mind, we are talking about four year olds. The league is not tee ball at 4, it is coach pitch, they conduct the practice with the assumption that the boys understand the fundamentals of the game, which Walker of course did not, and according to Trumon these boys could play ball like A. Rod. I should also mention that Trumon also overheard conversations between other parents regarding the fact that some of the dads were former pro athletes... at this point I start receiving text messages from Trumon that were are most literally out of our league.

It NEVER occurred to us to start Walker in organized sports before now. Trumon has always been wonderful about playing catch and teaching him to hit a ball, but they certainly aren't running drills in the backyard or going to batting cages. As I started asking around, I found out that this was indeed the norm for Flower Mound baseball. One mom even told me about a local batting coach who has students as young as THREE! How insane is that?! Trumon loves sports, and we want Walker to be confident athletically, but we are not banking his future on him becoming a professional athlete. We want him to play outdoors, have fun, swing and slide... you know, the activities four year old kids are supposed to do.

So as you might have guessed we pulled him off of the team. We do not want his first experience with baseball to be one that will no doubt be frustrating and possibly demoralizing. He is now a proud team member of the Denton Co. Longhorns... a fun loving group of 3 and 4 year old tee ball players. Actually, they are blastball players... tee ball begins at age 5 everywhere else except Flower Mound. In Blastball, the player hits from a tee, and runs to the base which makes a fun horn sound when you jump on it. The kids on the opposing team try to catch the ball and yell BLAST when they do so, throwing it back to the coach. They basically learn the basics... hit, run, catch, throw.... much more appropriate for a 4 year old child! He practices on Wednesday evenings, with games on Saturdays, we are all looking forward to FUN season.

Walker Starts Pre -K

On Monday, August 31st our little man started Pre-K! This is his third year at Reading Friends, but the first year to bring lunch, carry a backpack, and he attends every day now... so there has been a lot of excitement and anticipation.

Daddy surprised Walker by picking him up, and we celebrated the day with ice cream!

This first week has gone very well. We are adjusting to our new schedule, and he is happy and excited to go each day.

Here are a few pics of his first day.

The Summer Has Come and Gone...

So since I have become the blogging slacker of all time, I have decided upon a summer review to catch up and then start the fall with fresh resolve to blog again.




So here are a few highlights of our summer in pictures.



Enjoying summer's best fruit... watermelon... and learning that it doesn't grow in the grocery store.







































Lots of swimming.























A mom and dad only vacation.























Lauren turns one.























Lauren starts walking.























Family fun all season long.

The Greatest Show on Earth!

Saturday, we took a family outing (minus Lauren, thank you Papa and Sugar) to see the Ringling Brothers-Barnum and Bailey Circus.... The Greatest Show on Earth. Walker had not yet been to a circus, and had asked daily since the commercials started bombarding DFW networks about a month ago. So Saturday we set out on this great adventure, with a very excited little boy and we all had a wonderful time. Trumon had attended a Ringling Bros. when he was a child, but the only circuses I've ever been to were at the county fair grounds where I grew up, in an actual tent, not the American Airlines Center, not quite as elaborate.... but I did get to ride a elephant when I was seven as a prize for winning the circus coloring contest. So needless to say, it was very entertaining for us all. Walker seemed to be most impressed with the trick riders, tigers and elephants... I was worried that the acrobats would make more of an impression and that he would be trying some new stunts at home, but so far, so good.

I must say though, that I have no idea how most families, especially with multiple children could afford to go. After buying tickets, parking, popcorn, cotton candy, ect. and limiting Walker to one souvenir, we had spent around $200.... for ONE kid to go to the circus.... ridiculous! However, it was like one of those mastercard commercials ... 3 circus tickets $$$$$$, a souvenir $$$$, cotton candy $$$$, the smile of a little boy watching his first circus....priceless.

A New "Do"

So tonight after bath, I was brushing Lauren's hair when realized it has really been growing. She and I decided to play beauty shop for a while, and this was our creation... too cute! I didn't have two matching bows, but we made it work... I am just loving all of this girlie stuff!!!

The Doctor Will See You Now....

On Tuesday, our dear friends the Goolsby's were in town and stopped by the office so that Casey could have some of his dental work finished up. Trumon's schedule was pretty tight that afternoon, so Walker stepped in help his dad... just kidding. The truth is that the boys were having so much fun wearing all the dentist gear, and I was able to get a few really great pics. Hopefully the patient was pleased with his appointment, and if not he can just call our attorney.... oh wait, he is our attorney.

Lauren Grace Davis - One Year Old!!!

Where has the time gone? As of July 10th, my precious baby Lauren is now ONE... unbelievable! We celebrated on Saturday with a fun little pool party attended by our family and some sweet friends... thank guys for being there. As I think about this past year, I am just so grateful to have been blessed with such an amazing little girl. She has the most precious of personalities, always happy, engaging and excited about everything. What a blessing you are to us all Lauren Grace!

A Busy Couple of Weeks

Ok, so I've been delinquent with posting due to a camera that has gone awry. Now that I have finally been able to download pics, I'll give a run down of our past couple weeks.

May 22nd marked Walker's last day of school, which they celebrated with Splash Day. A great time was had by all, and it was a fun way to say goodbye to friends and teachers until fall. I can't believe that Walker will be in preschool next year, until now I've viewed his couple of days a week at school as an outlet for him to explore, socialize and learn to play and share with others(not sure if we've accomplished this some days!). However, preschool is something most kids do, it is the beginning of the school years - unbelievable, my baby is entering his school years!

Since schools end, we have enjoyed a swimming, playdates with neighbors and our friends the Hill's who have made their big move to the metroplex, and another Rangers game. Summer is off to a great start!!!

Here are a few pictures from the last couple of weeks....

Dinner at Joe T. Garcia's--- family favorite!

Splash Day at Reading Friends... yummy popsicles.

Memorial Day pool party... kicking off the swimming season.

Let's Go RANGERS!!!!

Take Me Out To The Ballgame

On Sunday, we headed to the Ballpark at Arlington to cheer on the Texas Rangers. It was an absolutely perfect day to get out and enjoy a baseball game. This was Walker's first time to see major league baseball game and he had a great time. It was kind of a slow game, scoreless until the 8th, but fun all the same. The Rangers are having a great season, and we hope to enjoy more games this summer. When I asked Walker what his favorite thing about the day was, he said "eating peanuts and watching for a home run." A special thanks to Jennifer Gonzalez, dental assistant and babysitter extraordinaire, who gave us the tickets and to Papa and Sugar who watched Lauren during the game, chauffeured us to the game and cooked dinner afterwards - thank you so very much!

Eating Peanuts---two bags!

Thank goodness for a Daddy with strong shoulders!

Josh Hamilton at bat - what an awesome testimony of God's grace and restoration.