Rockin' out at the Bon Jovi Concert

Janis and I went with our "rockin" friend Jeannie to the Daughtry/Bon Jovi Concert on April 5th. This was our second date since having Lauren. We took a chance and went to the concert without even having tickets. We were able to purchase awesome seats at the box office just an hour before the show. Chris Daughtry's band "Daughtry" opened for Bon Jovi. I still remember when Chris (yes, I am on a first name basis with these guys) performed "Wanted Dead or Alive" by Bon Jovi on American Idol. He is my favorite contestant that has been on American Idol so far. I am so glad that he has made a name for himself and is doing so well. I love that he was the opening act for Bon Jovi. He was AMAZING!!! He is so natural on stage and is an excellent performer. He definitely got us pumped up for the main act-- Bon Jovi. I have to say that I love Bon Jovi. I think that part of it is that their songs remind me of fun times back in high school. They were my first concert--Slippery When Wet. And you can't beat the 80's hair bands... I think that they have just continued to get better with age and have evolved over the years. I will continue to buy their albums and go to their concerts as long as they keep them coming.

Here's a slideshow of our fun night out on the town...

4th of July

We had a nice 4th of July celebration. We went to the church for the awesome 4th of July shin-dig and grub-a-dub-dub. It was really fun. The music and the food were fabulous. Then, we headed over to the local high school for fireworks. There was music there as well. The fireworks show at the high school is incredible. The fireworks are set to music, and they are right there. It is amazing! We had a great time and hope everyone else had a Happy 4th as well!

Lauren's 1st Ponytail--It took me 5 minutes to do it!!!

Brotherly/Sisterly Love

Janis and Jonathan at the High School Fireworks Show

Angels Games--From Terrace Level to Nosebleed Section

We went to a couple of Angels games recently. The first game that we attended was against the Detroit Tigers. The Angels ended up coming from behind in the end and beating the Tigers. We had nice seats by Right Field. Jonathan was so excited to go see the Angels play the Tigers. He kept asking, "When are we going to the baseball game?"

This lasted for a whole MONTH!!!

Daddy and Son--I love this picture!

The kids and I; this was Lauren's 1st Baseball Game!

The Two Schnooks

Our Little Family


The next game we went to was Mormon Night. The Angels played the Atlanta Braves. Unfortunately, the Angels lost this time. Our seats for this game were way up high in the "nosebleed" section. And man, I am not kidding you...
Jonathan got a major bloody nose!
They don't call it the "nosebleed" section for nothing.
I have to say that I was torn between helping Jonathan with his nose and getting the camera out to capture this ironic moment. I know, I'm bad.

Jonathan (after the nose stopped bleeding) and Dad

Jonathan cracking open and eating peanuts for the 1st time. He did not want anything to do with the peanuts at first, but after seeing everyone around him eating them, he succumbed to peer pressure. He got pretty good at breaking open the shell and getting the peanut out.

Yum-yum!

Our Sweet Little Amish Schnook!

I realized once we got to the car that I had put on her hat backwards. DUH!

Captain Moroni aka Jonathan

For Family Home Evening tonight, we talked about Captain Moroni and the armor that protected the Nephites in battle. We talked about the various pieces of armor--the helmet, the breastplate, the loins, the shield, the sword, and the shoes. Since we don't have armor just laying around the house, we made due with what we do have...

Jonathan putting on the Armor.

I have to say this took some coaxing;

he was not excited about doing this at first.

Ready for Battle!


I was being the "Bad Guy" and shooting the fiery darts at him. Yes, I was using Buzz Lightyear's laser blaster.

He's ready to shield off my attack, or is he?
I think his helmet is covering his face now!

Jonathan got a kick out of this! He thought it was so funny that I was shooting darts at him. Hopefully, he learned something from the lesson...

Jonathan's Birthday Party!

Jonathan had his first birthday party where he invited friends. He said he wanted to go to Chuck E. Cheese for his birthday party--well, what kid wouldn't? Jonathan invited friends from church and from school. Although it was slightly stressful, I know Jonathan had a BLAST, and I think all the other kids had fun as well. Making Introductions

Pizza Time!

Treyden, Jonathan, and Joey

Kennedy, Cameron, and Bailey

Noah, Andrew, Joe, and Sarah


The Cilderman Party


Lauren and Dad--can you tell she is teething?

Jonathan and Treyden on the Roller Coaster

This was Jonathan's favorite ride; I think he rode it five or six times.

Andrew pedaling way up high!


Claire and Chuck E. sittin' in a ....


Cameron, Kennedy, and Bailey playing my game of choice.


Jonathan and Caleb playing air hockey (with a little help from Steph).


Oh look, Jonathan is on the roller coaster again! This time he's with Noah.


There's the main mouse--Chuck E. Cheese!
(Okay, Mickey is the MAIN mouse, but Chuck takes a respectable 2nd).

We had cupcakes with candles that spelled "Happy Birthday".

I just LOVE how excited and happy Jonathan looks here!!! NOT!!!

Jonathan still wanted to play games so he was not particularly excited to sit down and have cupcakes.

Man, what a mean mom I am...

All in all, I think it was a positive experience--No one got hurt or lost, and everyone seemed to have a good time.

Happy 4th Birthday Jonathan!

Yes, we are still alive...

So, this was my fear about doing this whole blog thing. I knew I was going to feel the pressure of posting. I took a rather long break, but I think I am ready to give it a go again. I have many more posts in my head; the problem is finding the time to post them on the computer. Thank you for your patience. Hopefully, I will learn to be more efficient with my time when it comes to creating posts. Can we say: Perfectionist? Yeah, I have issues...

Warning Moms--Don't try this at Home...

Jonathan goes to Open Gym on Wednesdays. He is in a gymnastics class on Saturdays, and the gym is open to kids 5 and under on Wednesdays for an hour. Jonathan has fun jumping in the pit, sliding down steep mats, and jumping on the trampoline. It is low key and gets us out of the house.

So, today we went, and Jonathan decided he wanted to do the obstacle course. He was practicing cartwheels, and he kept landing on his knees. So, I said, "Jonathan, watch me. You want to kick up high and land on your feet." I proceeded to do a cartwheel. Okay, I should have stretched beforehand because I swear I pulled a glute muscle doing a STUPID cartwheel!!! Apparently, I am not as flexible as I thought I was... Maybe Janis will massage it out for me. :P

If I only had a Brain...

On Tuesday, I heard Jonathan's bus pull up to our house and so I quickly put Lauren down on the boppy on the couch. I unlocked the door and rushed outside to meet Jonathan at the curb. We were walking back to the house, Jonathan was telling me about his day at school, and then he stopped and asked, "Mom, is the door locked?" I said, "No..." My heart started to beat a little faster as I tried the doorknob. Well, you guessed it, I locked the door instead of unlocking it, and I did not have the keys with me!!!! CRAP!!! (I hope this word does not offend anyone, but it was exactly how I felt). I proceeded to turn the doorknob franticly and push on the door as if I had super-human powers, and the door would give in. Then, I took Jonathan's bus pass off of his backpack and tried to pop the lock through the door frame that did not work either. I went around to the back hoping that I did not have the pole in the sliding glass door frame. I yanked on the slider and sure enough the pole was in, and it wasn't budging. During this whole process, Jonathan kept asking, "Do we need to call Maggie's dad?" (Sidenote: Yes, we have locked ourselves out before. Back in September, Janis and I were headed to Jonathan's Back to School Night. Janis walked out with Jonathan without his keys; I shut the door without my keys thinking Janis had the keys. NOPE! Maggie, a friend from our ward, came and picked us up and took Janis and I to Jonathan's preschool. Jonathan played at their house. Afterwards, Ted, Maggie's HUSBAND, took us home and got us back into our house by using one of his tall ladders. Yes, the Ostler's saved the day for us.) Jonathan obviously remembers this experience and knew that Maggie's dad, who is really Maggie's HUSBAND, could help us. There was no way that I was calling the Ostler's to help us out of this one; I would be too embarrassed. We went to a neighbor's and borrowed her phone. I called Janis and asked him to come home and unlock the door for us. Luckily, Janis' work is just 10 minutes away. While we waited, we went around to the back so I could check on Lauren and make sure that she was ok. Poor Lauren. She was on the couch crying and no one was there to help her. Trying to make the best out of the situation, I decided to water our plants on the patio and take the clothes out of the dryer. Multi-tasking is essential to my sanity. Before we knew it, Janis was inside comforting Lauren. Jonathan and I went back around to the front and went inside. Jonathan said, "Dad, thanks for letting us borrow your keys!" Yes, Dad was our superhero for the day! I have to say that I have lost most of my brain since having kids! Hopefully one day I will find it again...

A Hard Day

Jonathan has been fighting a cold for the past week. He did not go to preschool today due to his runny nose, but he still was able to keep himself

entertained...

He brought a few of his puzzle creatures to me and said that

he was going to have them "race" and go to the finish line. I said, "Okay, sounds good." --having no clue what he was talking about until I went into the hall and saw the MAJOR race. I think he lined up every car he has along with his puzzle creatures (from Chick-fil-A) and his mini Cranium games (from Wendy's). Notice how nicely lined up the toys are. I wonder if he has a little OCD in him. I can't imagine where he would get that from...

Later on, Lauren was being very fussy. I think that she is getting a little sick too. She was screaming/crying, and Jonathan tells me, "Mom, Lauren is having a hard day." What a sensitive and perceptive boy I have!

And yesterday, after playing at the park for a little over an hour, he told me that he had a hard day (mind you it was only 2 pm). I asked him what made it so hard, and he said because he was digging so hard in the sand. Man, life's rough.

I went in to check on Jonathan tonight, and this is what I saw...

He was right; he did have a couple of "hard days." He was sprawled out on his bed looking completely SPENT!

Saying Prayers and "Schnuggle" Time

Jonathan volunteered to say the prayer for dinner time. He was doing a great job, and then he stops mid-sentence and asks, "Do we open our eyes or close our eyes during the prayer?" When he asks this question, he is opening his eyes wide with his fingers and then shutting his eyes closed with his fingers. (Yes, my eyes were open). So, I had to turn my head away from Jonathan because I did not want him to see me laughing about this. After I was struck down by lightning, I asked him to start the prayer over and to be respectful to Heavenly Father.

Later that night, he was saying his bedtime prayers. He was thanking Heavenly Father for the usual-- Mom, Dad, Lauren, etc. Then, he says, "Thank you for Chick-fil-A." Yes, we love Chick-fil-A! In fact, we went there twice today--once for "Free Breakfast Friday" and once for lunch. Apparently, this made quite an impression on Jonathan. Ya gotta love the things that kids are thankful for in their prayers!!!

After saying bedtime prayers, Jonathan asked me to "schnuggle" (cuddle) with him. I agreed--I was looking forward to laying down for a few minutes and just relaxing. The problem was Jonathan kept talking to me. I was ignoring him and just laying there with my eyes closed. Jonathan then started patting my cheeks. I still held strong. Next, he started flicking his hand up and down the pillow. And the final tactic--pounding the pillow. Ok, I lost it here. I just started laughing. Of course, he started laughing too. So much for trying to establish a quiet environment conducive to sleeping.

Jonathan says "the darndest things"...

I was tutoring downstairs the other night. Janis was upstairs dealing with Lauren who was screaming mad. And then there is Jonathan aka Mr. Bossy. He opens the bedroom door and tells Janis, "Dad, you need to feed Lauren. She's hungry." Then, he slams the door shut. He proceeds to do this about five more times. The last time he does it, he says "Dad, feed Lauren; she's hungry." Then, he totally switches into his sweet boy voice and says, "HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!" Oh my gosh... where did that come from?!? Needless to say, the student I was tutoring and myself just started cracking up. We could not stop laughing. I sure hope that this is not a sign of Jonathan having multiple personalities!

Kids mimicking--Is it the best form of flattery?

You can tell a lot about yourself by just listening to your kids and what they say. It is amazing what they pick up on. The past several days Jonathan has been calling me "Honey" and "Hun". It cracks me up so of course that eggs him on. I have become very self-conscious of how often I call him "honey" and "hon", but I can not seem to stop calling him that. I guess that is better than calling him other things, right?

Other funny things that he has said recently:

• "Lenny Krapfitz" = Lenny Kravitz. I just bought his latest CD, and Jonathan wanted to listen to it in the car. (He does venture out from The Wiggles more frequently these days and likes to listen to mommy and daddy's music too).


• "How's it goin' Dad?" When Jonathan first said this I just had to laugh. Holy cow, my little guy is growing up!


• "Mom, I am going to count to three. You need to make a good choice." Now I can not imagine where he got this one from...


• The best ones are when he has "quiet" time up in his room, and he is playing with his toys. One time, he gave one of his Bionicles a "time-out" because he made a bad choice. Well, you gotta do what you gotta do!

So beware moms and dads everywhere, we have little ears listening and little eyes watching every thing we say and do. NO PRESSURE!! And the best part is: Our kids will most likely share the not so flattering stuff at the most inopportune time! Gotta love it!!

Disneyland=The Happiest Place on Earth??

So, Jonathan's preschool had an amazing deal on Disneyland tickets, but we had to go during a desginated week. I was slightly apprehensive--ok, extremely apprehensive--about going to Disneyland by myself with Jonathan and Lauren, but I did it!! Let's just say that Disneyland is NOT the "Happiest Place on Earth" for little Miss Lauren. There were great moments where she was asleep and content, and I was thinking, "This is a piece of cake. I can do this. No biggie." And then there were THOSE moments were she was screaming bloody murder and was not a happy camper. Through it all, Jonathan was great and a real trooper. He was able to go exploring on "Treasure Island", ride Winnie the Pooh, get a Oatmeal Raisin Cookie, help Buzz fight Zurg, and fly the rocket.

Sidenote on the rocket ride: I had Lauren in the Baby Bjorn and got in the rocket with Jonathan. The guy came to our rocket and told me that I had to take her out and sit her on my lap!!! Are you kidding me?!? How is that safer?!? So, Jonathan is flying the rocket and decides to fly the rocket low; well, when you do that the centrifugal force is stronger. I was freaking out because I thought that I was going to drop Lauren. I kept telling Jonathan to raise the rocket; he was oblivious to my hysteria. By the time I manuevered my foot to pull back on the controls to raise the rocket, the ride was over. Needless to say I will NOT be riding the rockets again while holding a baby! :@

By the time we got home, we were all exhausted, but the good news is that we are once again Disneyland passholders. YEAH!!

Blessing Our Sweet Lauren Davia

Yesterday, sweet Lauren Davia was blessed. She is now 11 weeks old!! It is amazing how quickly time flies. Lauren is the only granddaughter out of 4 grandkids for my parents, and she is grandchild #28 for Janis' parents.

This is what Lauren looked like before heading to church...

Needless to say, Janis was quite concerned about giving a screaming baby a blessing. I am sure he had sweaty palms wondering how this was going to work, but she quieted down and was perfect for her blessing. What an obedient little daughter she is.

My parents and my sister and her family came out for Lauren's blessing. We appreciate them making the trip out to see us and share in this special event for our family.

Courtney, Ryan, Janis, Lauren, Jenn, Grandma and Grandpa S, Jonathan, Griffin, and Anton

Janis' parents, his brother Matt and his wife Heather, and Sue's friend Minnie also came to Lauren's blessing. Unfortunately, we were not able to get a picture with them after Sacrament Meeting, but we appreciate them being there to support Lauren and our family as well.


We feel so blessed to have Lauren Davia in our family! She has already been a joy to have in our home. We look forward to more special memories with both Lauren and Jonathan.

Our Little Family

Joining the Blog Party!

I have caught the "blogging bug." I have decided that this will be a great way to stay in touch with friends and family as well as to record our family "history." I am going to count this as journal writing! Beware everyone--I have a tendency to ramble...