It's my first time posting to our new blog. Josh says I'm going to like it. We'll see.
Well, Josh told everyone about our Christmas. Our trip to Oklahoma, the gifts we received and Christmas day. But he left out the part about Christmas morning. Before I begin, let me give you a little background information.
Myra has introduced us to a game that she made up. The rules aren't real clear and sometimes they even change, but we still love playing it with her. She's pretty tough to beat, but as Aunt Doo-Doo is about to show us in this clip, if you can outlast her, you can usually come out the winner. And now, without further ado, I give you the magic of "Ding-Dong Cookie"!
I love that song. Reminds me of the old Frosty the Snowman show we used to watch every Christmas. Well, after a week of traveling and celebrating, Christmas has come and gone for the Davis Family. Other than my wimpy back giving out on me, it was a great one. We spent some time in Stroud with the Davis Army where Myra picked up a Barbie Jeep and Noah got a School Bus. We can't wait until Granny and Papa bring down the jeep later today.
Looks like we've finally gotten all the old content moved over here to the new blog. This Movable Type program ROCKS! I'm still tinkering with it to get the functionality that the old one had, but it won't be long before I get that taken care of and start takin' this blog to the next level! I'm not quite sure where the "next level" would be for a blog. It's not like they have Blog Playoffs or even Blog Bowl games, but I know that whatever the "next level" is, we're gonna be takin' it there. So, hop on our Bandwagon (or, as I like to call it, the Nog-Blog Express) and hang on, because it's gonna be a bumpy--but definitely fun--ride!
I hear there is some colder weather heading for us next week. Maybe even cold enough to get snow. I know, I know, we probably won't get a single flake, but a boy can dream can't he? National Geographic has some sweet pics of really pretty snowflakes to help you get in the mood.
Every winter my dad makes his Slow Cooker Chili. When I was younger, I didn't really care for it. Chili was something that didn't have beans and tasted great on Fritos topped with cheese. It's still a quick favorite when it's cold outside. Now that I'm older and actually care about my health (not as much as I should), I really like my dad's chili. I actually made it tonight for dinner. It was incredibly easy to prepare and tasted great. If you have a slow cooker, I definitely recommend that you try this.
Ingredients:
1lb Ground Beef (browned and drained)
5 cans Red Kidney Beans (2 or 3 cans drained)
1 can Diced Tomatoes
1 can Rotel
1 Medium White Onion (chopped)
2 pks William's Chili Seasoning
Directions:
Throw everything into the CrockPot and mix until well blended. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. It is recommended that you occasionally stir the chili.
We topped our chili with shredded cheddar cheese and had saltines on the side.
Serves 6.
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We like this blog thing so much, that Chris and I have decided to take the plunge. We bought us some webspace and will be moving the Davis Family Blog over to our very own corner of cyberspace. But it doesn't end there. We are also going to be upgrading to a new blogging software: Movable Type. It is one of the most popular and powerful bloggers out there. It may take a while to get set up, but eventually, everything you see here will be repackaged in a brand new site with even more bells and whistles. I'm anxious to get started on it. We'll keep you updated.
I probably shouldn't say anything because I'll end up regretting it but ... Noah's slept throught the night the past THREE nights! Saturday night he slept from about 8:30pm until 5am. Sunday was 6:30pm which I thought would be bad until 6am the next morning. Okay, he did get up once that night about 10 or so but Josh and I were still up so I'm counting it as a full night. We fed him, played for a bit and then put him back in bed around 11. Last night he went to bed at 8:15 and slept until 5 this morning. Now, you'd think that I would be well rested after three nights of sleep. Wrong! I wake up every so often, look at the clock and then get out of bed to check on Noah and Myra. (Myra's been snoring really loud and talking in her sleep. I guess she's taking after her daddy.) Maybe tonight I'll let it go and just sleep. Maybe after writing this Noah will start getting up in the middle of the night again. Hopefully not. Consider this your warning, you'll be hearing about it if he does.
Found this recipe in a Kraft Foods Magazine a couple of months ago and it has become our new version of Chicken and Stuffing.
Chicken Bruschetta Bake
Ingredients:
1 can 14.5 oz diced tomatoes, undrained
4 cloves of garlic...or more
1 pkg 6oz Stove Top Stuffing mix for chicken
1-2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 tsp dried basil
1 cup of KRAFT shredded mozarella cheese
Cooking Instructions:
Place Chicken in 13x9 pan
Preheat oven to 400
Place tomatoes with liquid in bowl.
Add garlic and stuffing mix and 1/2 cup of water, stir until moist...
Sprinkle with cheese and basil.
Top with stuffing mixture
Cook 30 min...serves six!
--From Anna Stuever
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Saturday afternoon I decided to get off my hiney and put up our Christmas lights outside. Nobody else on the block had put up lights. I wasn't really planning on doing it but this is the fourth Christmas we've been in this house. We've had lights up every year. Why stop now? I also thought it might be nice to be to have the prettiest house on the block (at night, that is). So Saturday night our house shined bright. HOWEVER, last night, as Myra and I were leaving to get something to eat, I heard "Look Mommy, I see some pretty lights! And there's some more pretty lights! And look!!" Three other houses are now lit up and my bubble has popped. Looking at the bright side ... I'm a trend setter this year! (Those Copy Cats!)
...with Daddy. Yes, tonight was the first time Josh has given Noah a bath. Myra used to get in the shower with Josh when she was Noah's age. She loved it. She would yell just to hear her voice echo. The two-in-one shower was fast and convenient. Not to mention, it was Father/Daughter time. We tried the shower thing with Noah. The first time he was really scared. The next couple of times he was okay with it but didn't seem to like it. I think he likes taking baths because there's not all the loud noise. He's not very vocal in the tub. Noah's a splasher. We still give him baths in the kitchen sink. As a result, my cookbooks, the countertops, the floor, and the bath giver all get soaked. Bernadette, my mother-in-law, mentioned putting Noah in the tub with just a bit of water and letting him splash his little heart out. I think we might try that when his arms get a little stronger. He doesn't stay on his back for very long and I'd hate for him to hit his head on the bottom of the tub. We won't have long to wait.
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I remember the day five or six years ago when Ricky introduced me to AOL Instant Messenger. He told me it was the GREATEST THING EVER! If you know Ricky, you know that he pronounces something the “GREATEST THING EVER” about ten times a day. I’ll have to admit, though, this is one time when he might be right. I can’t live without my AIM and MSN. I am constantly chatting during the day as I get free time. How can you not love it? It’s like a long, leisurely paced conversation that you never have to say “huh?” or “come again?” in. Someone gives you a phone number? No need to repeat it! Don’t just describe what he/she was wearing, send them a pic!
There is also a downside to them. It’s hard to get any work done when my little yellow AOL Buddy or my (much more beloved) MSN Blue Dude pops up and says “Hey you! Stop working and shoot the bull with So-and-so!” Man, it’s so hard to tell those guys NO. Then there’s always that one guy that somehow got your screen name and you really don’t want to talk to him, but you don’t want to block him, because that would just be rude, and besides, one of these days he might tell you something really important. That dude’s always popping up to tell you stupid things like how he lost his keys this morning and later found them in his pocket.
Well, here lately, my work has decided to block MSN messenger. It’s only a matter of time before they get to AOL, too. That worries me. You can’t cut me off from the outside world. Then I’ll be alone in that classroom with nothing but thirty 15-year olds to talk to. I can’t handle that. I get tired of hearing about who loves who, who hates who, and why Slipknot is greater than any band before it, including the Beatles. If Dante had known about a typical room filled with freshman, he’d have definitely included in the Inferno. So, if one of these days in the near future, JoshCMyra doesn’t sign on in the mornings, expect the worst, but pray for the best. I’ll need all the help I can get.
Noah is sitting up all by himself!
Before I sit down for a lengthy session of bloggin', I always gotta have some nog. I'm like Super Mario after he's eaten a mushroom every time I take a sip. I feel like Will Farrell in the movie Old School after he chugs a beer from the bong. Oh yeah, Egg Nog runs THIS blog!!!
I got this email from Anna Stuever and it kind of started it all:
Ok, I'm stuck in a dinner rut and trying to come up with some new meals that everyone will like and that I won't mind cooking. I thought it would be fun to see what everyone else is making. Have a meal that is a constant each week? What is it? Lately, ours has been Chicken and Stuffing with a twist. We have also been having Nathan's request of Sloppy Joes and Zoey's of Ravioli. This is our typical meals. If you see something that looks interesting (sure, we're tired of it.. but that doesn't mean you are) let me know and I will share the recipe with you. Sloppy Joe's, Ravioli or Spaghetti, Chicken and Stuffing (with twist), Tacos, Pork Chops and Mashed Potatos, Chicken Bog, Chicken Enchiladas, and Hamburgers Thanks in advance and I hope this is a fun experiment. Love, Anna
I thought that I'd be nice and give everyone a sneak peek of the kids' Christmas pictures. There's more to come later when we put the album together. Until then ...
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After Christmas there will be the pitter-patter of some new little feet in the Davis household ... but only during the day and it will probably be a while before we actually hear the pitter-patter of this ones feet. Hannah Grace will be joining Myra and Noah while Anna goes back to work. She (Hannah) came over for a while yesterday afternoon. It wasn't bad at all. Hannah was awake for about ten or so minutes and then took a short nap. Noah was already sleeping when Hannah arrived. So it was just Myra and me for while. I'm excited and nervous about Hannah coming to stay with us. I know everything will be fine once I get used to it. It's just like when Josh went back to work after having Noah. It was an adjustment but I survived and so did the kids. Now all I have to do is figure out the feeding thing with two infants. (Pictured Below: My little helper. She has it all under control.)
I've decided to archive all the mastheads we use for the Blog. If you notice, we've added a special Christmas flare with our brand new Banner!
The Original:
First seen in Early November 2004
Christmas:
First seen - 6DEC04
RadioHead:
First seen around 1JAN05
Myra and Mommy sat down and wrote a letter to Santa Claus. Chris told her to just write it all by herself and Santa would be able to read it. She was very excited to tell the Big Guy exactly what she wanted. She took her time and wrote a nice little letter on some pretty stationary that Chris created. She translated it for us. I expected her to list off a laundry-list of fairy toys and Barbie this-n-thats. Every time she sees a commercial for something like that(which is 200 times a day on Nickelodeon), she tells me "Daddy, we need to go to the store and get that!" I was a little surprised when she asked for just one thing. Maybe she just couldn't remember all of the cool stuff she's been seeing on TV, but her request was pretty simple. Myra said that she wanted a Pink Princess Room for Christmas. I'm sure Santa is working on it right this instant! She also visited Santa and actually sat on his lap, but that's a story for another time.
Well, the whole "Quiet Breakfast" thing isn't working out so great. I'm going to keep trying though. I like the idea of it. Monday and Tuesday was the best; a great start to our new routine. Wednesday I didn't fell so great so it was cerial for Josh and bed for me. Thursday Noah decided to get up early and actually eat (normally he plays for about 30 minutes to an hour before eating). Today ... where to begin? At about 1am Noah got up to snack and then wanted to play. Josh and I put him back in bed to play by himself and hopefull fall back to sleep on his own. He did. At about 2am, I got up to check on the kids and put covers on Noah. At about 3am, Josh jumped up and asked "Where's the baby?" in a very concerned voice. And at about 4am, Myra got up saying that she was scared and her lips hurt. Around 4:45 or so I took her pillow and a couple blackets and put her to bed in our room on the floor (I didn't want her to be too comfortable). Finally, a little bit of sleep. Okay, so at about 6am Myra gets up again to tell me that her lips hurt and she can't find her dolly. I gave up and told her she could lay down with us. After 5 minutes of her constant movement and crying (her lips), I decided it was time for her to go back to her own bed. I got her tucked in and ... "Good morning, Noah." The good news? Josh and I got to have our quiet breakfast today but with a happy baby. Like I said before, I really want this to work and not just be a dream. I think we'll give it another try next week.
I have become a math geek. No, I’m not a math nerd, just a math geek. What’s the difference, you say? Oh about 60,000 bucks a year. Actually, geeks are obsessed with stuff, but nerds actually know stuff. I fall in the former category because I love math. And although I’m not too bad at it, I can’t compute differential equations on the fly while brushing my teeth or anything. That makes me a geek, but I guess I can live with that.
I have taught Algebra I for 5 years now and I don’t mean to brag, but I know that stuff inside and out. I’m an Algebra I STUD, and because of that, it’s starting to bore me. Today I was watching my student assistant finish up some pre-Cal and I decided to help him out. It wasn’t anything too tough, just operations with functions, but I got a kick out of doing it. My eyes lit up as I saw where the problem was leading and I did a mental fist-pump when I got the answer a couple of steps ahead of him. This is where the problem begins.
I got a little too excited and I just started gushing about how cool math is. I told him how great it was to watch the progression of math from kindergarten up to Calculus and how amazing I thought it was that it all fit together perfectly. I told him about how awesome it is that the math that we teach in High School was done by the ancient Egyptians and other civilizations without all the fancy stuff we use now. I finished off by waxing poetic about the moment that some caveman realized that one plus one is two and math was born!
My poor aide just stared at me, nodding his head, pretending to care. Suddenly, I felt like Poindexter in the Revenge of the Nerds trying to explain quantum physics to one of the Omega Mus. I quickly made an excuse to leave and headed out the door, leaving him shaking his head at my geekiness. I have learned a valuable lesson. Math may be super fun and interesting, but it is under no circumstances “cool.”
So I’ve decided to start another topic. This one is gonna be a little bit different from all the kiddie-talk and mushy stuff. Every once in a while I feel like writing about something else and occasionally the urge is so strong that I actually put my fingers to the keys and do it. There are a few things I’d like to accomplish from this. I’d like to polish my writing skills a bit as well as offer some insights on the world. Also, I’d like to have a little journal of sorts to look back on years from now to see just how much I have or have not changed. So, when you see Ramblin’ Squatch icon, it’s a good bet that it will have nothing to do with the Myra or Noah. If that’s what you’re here for, you can feel free to just pass it on by. It won’t hurt my feelings. But, if you like good writing (cuz I’m just soooo great at it—yeah, right) and want to know a little more about what makes this man tick, then read on!
That’s right! We’ve added another website to the Squatch Web-ring. The Kaos are checking in with a brand new site about McKinney’s Favorite Family. It features some pics of Leon, Brenda, and the gang along with a super-cool video of their recent ultrasound. Rumors have circulated about naming the baby Josh if it’s a boy and TooBadI’mNotABoyCuzI’dBeNamedJosh if it’s a girl. You can visit them here or by clicking on them in the links menu. Welcome to the hairiest web-ring around!
For the past week Myra and a helper have been trying to make sugar cookies in Christmas shapes. The first time she tried making cookies with "Uncle Boo Boo". We tried cheating by buying the refidgerated cookie dough. When they say to keep it refridgerated, they mean it. By the time the rolling and cutting was done, the dough wasn't sticking together. Also, did you know that the refriderated dough was made to rise? The shapes that made it to the cookie sheet ended up being blobs after rising. To top it all off, the timer wasn't set so they came out a little on the crispy side. Last night, Myra and I tried for a second time. The recipe that came with the cookie cutter I figured couldn't fail. I was wrong. The recipe is titled "Home Made Christmas Sugar Cookies". Guess what they left out of the list of ingredients? THE SUGAR!! I tried my best to guess at how much of what went into the mixture but ... We're going to try again when I get up the courage to do so. Hopefully by Christmas we'll have some fun cookies to leave for Santa. (pictured below: Myra and Uncle Boo Boo making the first attempt)
