Where the swings are like comfy recliners...

Playgroup made its way back to Angel Park for a warm and very windy morning/early afternoon. This time Holland brought her friend Deanna. Deanna prepares her dismount from the balance beam.

Holland and Deanna work on their Spiderman skills.

aaahhhhh yes, this is the life. Of course, I have cramps in my arms from the endless pushing. I plan on reminding Holland of that when I'm old and gray and need someone to push my wheelchair.

A Morning of Basketball.....Falcon Style

I can't tell you how much I enjoy watching this team play. Their games are so much fun and not just because they win, (although that is a really nice part of it) but because they truly love to play. You can see it. There's not one slacker on the team. They all give 100 %. This week was another victory.
Falcons 24 Panthers 2

Team photo:
L-R front row: Grey, TJ, Daniel
L-R back row: Asst. Coach Clayton, Jake, Mark, Nichalas, Coach Nick
not pictured: Kristopher and Kiernan

Fuzzy Math

When we order basketball pictures, we usually order the trader cards. Below is last year's basketball trader card when Grey played for the Hurricane Hoops. Below are the stats for Grey's 2006 trader cards. I was in charge of filling out the details for the stats.

Here is Grey's trader card for this 2007 season with the Falcons. Mac filled out the details for the stats this year. Does anybody notice a slight descrepancy, like maybe Grey grew 13 inches and put on almost 30 pounds in the off season?

The Streak Continues....

Falcons 28 Bulldogs 2

Happy Valentine's Day!

Holland loves Valentine's Day! She has been carrying her bag of valentines from her party at school Monday with her everywhere. She asks me a hundred times to read who they are from. She even slept with some clutched in her hand. She also got a card in the mail from Granddaddy and Carole yesterday with a paperdoll cuttout. That's tucked safely in her free hand. She dances around singing, "happy palentines day". (yes, that's valentines with a "p".) Grey, on the other hand, tolerates the day for the candy. (Of course, he was pretty happy about the $5 in his valentines card from G & C and another $5 from Ran & Papa.) He had to take a single rose to his teacher (the whole class did) via the bus. First he tried shoving it in his backpack, which I quickly nixed that idea. Then I watched him walk to the bus and get on desperately trying to hide it behind his back so no one would see it. Boys and girls; night and day.

Miracle x 3

Congratulations to Frank and Jessica on their 3 beautiful and most precious miracles!

Truly, your faith and strength have been a blessing to us!

Matthew, Nathan, Jordyn

5lbs .08oz / 5lbs 3.3 oz / 4lb 14.9oz

(Let the parade of casseroles begin......)

It's all in the headband.....

This week's basketball game was against the Bears. Coach Nick gave them all headbands to wear for the game. The boys loved them. (Grey wanted to wear his to church today...Uh NO.) I'm not saying the headbands had anything to do with it, but they did win the game 28-22.
The winning streak continues. 5-0. Go Falcons!

We had one referee who was a big kid. As the boys lined up for the 2nd half, he pulled the headbands down over the boys' eyes.

A New Tax Deduction Has Arrived

We here at The Davis 4 corporate office want to congratulate Joe and Mary Sullivan on their beautiful baby girl.

Molly McKenna Sullivan

February 5, 2007

9:08 AM

9 lbs 14 oz

22 inches

(Better go ahead and start saving for her wedding.)

Save the drama for your mama

I thought I had 9-10 years before I had to worry about this, but I guess I was overly optimistic. Holland came to me, waving her finger at me and told me, "YOU'RE RUINING MY LIFE!" I tried to think of what I might have done or said to possibly ruin her 4 short years, and I came up blank. Then I realized that she had been watching Disney's "Mulan" and was quoting a line from the movie. She was very convincing. She may really have a future in some sort of drama/music field. But don't worry, Hollandland is still in tact and "Mulan" is being returned to the library first thing.

U N D E F E A T E D

Another victory for The Falcons basketball team. They beat the Panthers 18-6. One of our players threw up about 2 minutes into the game. They cleaned him up, gave him a rest and then put him back into the game (at his request). This team is just tough like that. I've seen our players get hit in the head with the ball, run over by the opposing team and get up and keep playing. Mac says that our team plays "street ball". Whatever it is, it's working.

Flat Stanley

Papa , Ran, Flat Stanley and Flat Stanley's blind date, I guess.
(She's a little old for Flat Stanley. But that's just my opinion....)

Flat Stanley is one of Grey's school projects. The story goes that there was a boy named Stanley, and a bulletin board fell on him and flattened him, thus changing his name to Flat Stanley. He wanted to visit some relatives so his parents mailed him to California. They mailed him back, and Flat Stanley had great stories about all the things he did. So, Grey had to mail Flat Stanley to relatives or friends, and they would send Flat Stanley back with stories and pictures of all the things he did. Grey wanted Flat Stanley to go hunting so he mailed him to Papa and Ran in Starkville, MS. Not only did Flat Stanley go hunting with Papa, he also got to go to the Mississippi State Basketball game with Ran and Papa. He even got to meet Bully!!
(The only school project I had at his age was a pen pal in Canada. whoopee.)



Papa wrestles a deer to the ground and holds it in a headlock while Ran snaps a picture. The lengths grandparents go to for their grandkids....

( Bully, Flat Stanley, and Papa. Papa has friends in high places.)

The Many Phases of Holland

The last year of Holland's 4 years has been filled with one phase or another. Some pass quickly and others seem endless. Here are a few examples just to get you up to speed.

1. Scared to walk on grass. (2-3 months)

2. Scared to take a bath. (7 months)

(Oh, don't worry, she got baths in that time frame, but there was a lot of crying, pleading, and screaming on both sides of the tub.)

3. Scared to sit in her own chair in resteraunts; having to sit in my lap. (6 months)
(Many a crumb I had to pull out of her hair.)

4. Scared to eat outdoors. (2 months)
I didn't sweat this one too much.

5. Scared to sleep in her own bed. (1.5 weeks and still going on)

(Poor Grey has taken the brunt on this one. We put her in his bed.)

6. Scared to go to upstairs by herself. (3 weeks and still going on)

7. Terrified of bugs. (1 year)

(When I say terrified, I mean total, paralyzing terror)

But on the good side: Sweet, loving, cuddly, precious, music-loving, dancing, beautiful little girl (4 years and still going on)

10 Things I Have Learned In Our 3 Years Here.

(This picture was taken a couple of days before we left Missouri and so many good friends to move to Texas.

It was also before highlights came into my life.)

We have been here in Houston, Texas for 3 years now. It was official this week. I'd like to reflect back for a moment......ok, I'm done. I'd also like to share 10 things I have learned about living in Houston.

10. Cowboy hats and boots are appropriate attire for every occasion including weddings, funerals, church, bar mitvahs, sunbathing, and working out.

9. The seasons in Houston are Summer, Summer, fall/spring/winter, and More Summer.

8. Don't watch the Houston News. (It's much better to take your chances with the newpaper.)

7. If you like NASCAR, you will love the Beltway during Rush Hour.

6. The Texans should have taken Vince Young.

5. The Texas motto during a hurricane crisis is "You loot, we shoot." It has more impact actually spraypainted on your house.

4. "Name That Debris In The Middle of The Road" is a great game to play when driving through the city. (examples of debris: lumber, ladders, twisted metal, tires, chairs, bumpers, mufflers, chains, and so on.)

3. "Don't Mess With Texas" is actually a litter campaign for the state. I still wouldn't mess with it, though.

2. The Spanish word for furniture is "mueble". (Hey, it's very relevant to us.)

1. When someone lets you in, in traffic, ALWAYS, ALWAYS give the Texas wave. (People have been shot for a lot less.)

"Everbody Clap Your Hands" (clap,clap,clap,clap,clap,clap,clap,clap,clap,clap,clap,clap,clap,clap)

Grey has the ball and is driving it down the court. (lower left hand side of the pic, in blue)

(If you have been to a basketball game, you've most likely heard that song.) I know I promised you footage of Grey's basketball game, but it turns out my palmcorder isn't compatible with my laptop, and the quality of the video of my camera isn't that clear. So you are going to have to visualize it with me. Before the game starts, they turn off the lights, turn on the strobe light, pump the music up and say, "Let's get ready to rrrruuuummmmbbbbbllllee...." and then they call the team and each player's name as they run out of this inflatable tunnel. It's really cool! This was week 3, and the Falcons were on fire! They won the the last 2 games, 12-10, 22-10, but this game was a total blowout. They won 52-4! They were passing, stealing, rebounding, and shooting like a real team. We (the fans) were impressed. Mac kept standing up and yelling "Coast to Coast, Baby" when one of the Falcons would steal the ball and run it all the way to the hoop. You can imagine the smile on the coach's face. After the game was over and we were heading to the post-game snack huddle, I looked back at the Bulldog's coach (our opponent, I know, I know, the name threw us off a little.) and he was sitting in a chair with his head in his hands which is a little overdramatic for Upwards Basketball because I assure you his team forgot about the game as soon as they got home and finished their day with video games, playing outside, birthday parties and so on . Anyway, Grey had a great time and we were very proud of him! Go Falcons!

On The Road Again With The Playgroup

After a holiday break from playgroups, we have picked up right where we left off. Due to the cold weather and the fact that none of us Texans own a heavy coat, we picked an indoor destination. We returned to The Children's Museum in The Woodlands. We spent a couple of hours in the museum, then ate lunch, rode the carousel, visited the Disney Store, and played in the play area. A great time was had by all.

Holland and Amy work on their graffiti on the "chalk car".

Holland and Amy make snowflakes out of pipe cleaner and beads. (It's probably the closest they will actually get to snow.)

Holland digs for dinosaur bones. She was actually more interested in the hat. That's my girl.

The princesses.......and they know it.

The playgroup crew this week was Holland, Amy, Trent, Mia, Avery, Olivia, Terry & William.

(We sure do miss our Madison.)

Welcome Aboard!

We here at the corporate headquarters of The Davis 4 blog would like to welcome aboard a new link. My identical cousin's brother, Lu, (that would make him my fraternal cousin) and his wife Katie have a new blog. They are expecting their first baby. The due date is July 29 for you numbers people. So their blog has a real purpose unlike the ramblings I put out here. (But we're not having another baby just to give this blog some direction.) Anyway, let's give a warm welcome and a double-click for the new link, The McCrarys. themccraryfamily.blogspot.com

Happy Birthday to My Identical Cousin!

Who Shot J.R.?

I hope he gives me his class ring!

Tracy competes for the gold in the Rubik's Cube Challenge. (You only needed one side.)

Billy Ray Cyrus was able to make it to the party,... oh wait, that's Jay....

Some decades of fashion should just be left to die out on their own. The 80's for instance. But, for one night our Sunday School class brought it back. It was an evening of tight-rolled jeans, leg warmers, crimped hair, mullets, colorful layers, mesh gloves, Sears tower bangs, blue eyeshadow, jean jackets, and loud jewelry. Kinda of makes you nostalgic, huh? We really had a great time. We had a Pac Man Challenge and then we divided into 3 teams, The Mullets, The Whammers, and Dave and the Bangles and played 80's jeopardy and a heated game of Name That Song, Artist, and Year. It was so much fun, and I'm not just saying that because my team (Dave and the Bangles) won both games. Well, yes, I am. We also brought pictures of ourselves from that time period. Conveniently, I couldn't find any of me,( no family member needs to send me any, and you know who you are.). It was like, so fun, like, to go back for like, a couple of hours! Now I must go and try to scrape the hairspray off the bathroom counter and the cat. I forgot just how potent that stuff is in mass quantities. I'm sure my lungs have a nice coating of it.

P.S.

Lylas, BFF, 2 Friends + 2 gether = 4 ever

Ice Age

Holland posing in "The Ice Storm of 2007".

Last night, we had the big "Ice Storm Warning" paired with "Winter Storm Warning" and one news station, not to be outdone, came up with my personal favorite "Arctic Blast". The usual Houston newscast of murder, robbery, corruption and the use of tazers was replaced with stories of roads being sanded, overpasses shut down, Home Depot out of space heaters , Academy selling out of long johns, and reporters 60 miles outside the city interviewing truck drivers who were passing out advice on how to drive on the ice. It got just plain silly because it was only going to possibly hit the fringes of Houston, but you know how the South is, just the mention of possible ice and schools start announcing closures. So naturally, I watched. I kept a close eye on the ticker at the bottom of the TV screen as reporters bleakly spoke of "black ice". I was waiting to see what Humble Independent School Distict would do, because Grey went to bed thinking he was getting the day off. And sure enough it appeared, Humble ISD closed Tues and Wed. What? Tuesday AND Wednesday. That didn't sound right. Why would they close for 2 days when nobody else was even sure about the 1 day? Turns out, some clever person forged an email to the news stations announcing the school closures. And you know I think he/she would have gotten away with it, but they got greedy and put 2 days. They were so close. And poor Grey actually cried when we told him school was not cancelled. As for tomorrow's weather, well, it's still up in the air. (HA, HA, HA!) Seriously, I think all will be fine and Grey will have school. I don't worry until I see Jim Cantore from the Weather Channel on the corner of Kingwood Drive and W. Lake Houston, then I know it's time to panic.

The Falcons Have Landed

The Falcons played their first game against The Panthers. They won 8-6. (It could have been 10-6 if we had counted the basket the opponent made in our goal.) I have to say, I really like the Upwards league. It felt more like a real basketball game with the music playing, concessions, and even a half-time show with the Upwards cheerleaders. They are a lot stricter about the rules of the game unlike our 2 seasons at the YMCA. I feel like Grey is really learning the game. He even got his first foul. I'm so proud. I took my palmcorder to video the game, but my battery died before I got to film any of it. I took some video with my camera, but the quality isn't that great, but I will try again next week to bring you actual footage.

The Big Oh Four

Holland had her 4 year checkup today. She passed, and she will be allowed to press on toward 5. She was in the 55th and 50th percentile in height and weight respectively. And her ears and sinuses looked good. Hallelujah!

I Will Now Open The Floor For Questions.....

You can now leave comments on the blog without having to log in. Just check "anonymous" and leave your comment. You can leave your name at the end of your comment. I do ask that you keep your comments, questions, dreams, aspirations, grocery lists, or whatever you are writing clean. After all, my mother reads this blog.

The Falcons Land Saturday.

After soccer, we took a short break and now we begin a new Upwards sport, basketball. This is Grey's favorite sport and one that we actually understand all the rules. He has played 2 seasons at the YMCA, and this will be his first season playing Upwards Basketball at one of the local churches. His team name is The Falcons, and the first game is this Saturday. We've already got Flag Football lined up to play as soon as basketball season ends. So, if the season turns sour we can always look ahead to the next sport. Hey, Mississipi State fans have been doing that for years. It's how we hold on.....

Grey, the asst. coach, and most of the team having their weekly devotional. Grey is in the grey shirt (isn't that handy) with his back to the camera.














Holland entertains herself at yet another practice for Grey. Don't worry her time for sports is coming.

Pajama Daze

Remember growing up when you got to wear your favorite pajamas,(slippers,too) to school and even to church on a Sunday? No? Me, neither, because it never happened. If we wore pajamas to school we were promptly sent home to change and forever labeled a troublemaker and wearing them to church was so far from the realm of possibility that we didn't even dare to dream it. But not these days. Grey and Holland regularly have pajama days at school and even had one at church this past Sunday. They even get popcorn to go with the theme. (I remember the smell of popcorn wafting from the teacher's lounge, but no student ever actually saw the fluffy stuff. ) My issue with pajama day is, well, the pajamas. Grey generally picks out the smallest, rattiest t-shirt from deep within the bowels of his dresser and pairs it with pants that would remain high and dry should we have to wade through a foot of water. And Holland only wears her "Castle" t-shirt, 3 sizes too big, paired with striped pants originally designed to go with a matching shirt and then accesorizes the ensemble with the loudest socks she can find. (I finally had to hide the long, red Santa socks.) I know what you are thinking, "They looked cute in the Christmas Day pictures." Well that was plannned out as carefully as I planned their Christmas card picture outfits. Turns out, my friends do the same thing. Years on down the road nobody wants to look back at their Christmas morning pictures and see their kid wearing "My dad went to Cedar Rapids and all I got was this lousy t-shirt" 10 sizes too big or in a too-small t-shirt that barely reaches the top of the Scooby Doo underwear. We have to have some standards. But now I find myself shopping for pajamas in a whole new way. I have to buy church pajamas, school pajamas, and pajamas they will actually sleep in. Do I really need this kind of pressure?

A Ladies' Cat

Texas' animal magnetism draws all the ladies to him.

How the Mighty Have Fallen

One week you are shaking hands with the 41st President of the United States, George H. W. Bush, former WWII pilot, Texas oil tycoon, Republican Congressman, U.N. Ambassador, Director of the CIA, and Vice President.

The next week you are posing with the Chik-Fil-A cow......

What Can We Say.....

Disclaimer: This picture is not claiming that this is the actual Davis house. We aren't even claiming this house is on the same street as the Davis house. It could have just been a really cool house with an amazing light display that the Davis family is trying to pass off as their own. But who knows, for sure? The Davis' sure aren't talking.

The Toy Purge of 2006

In order for our house to digest all the new Christmas and birthday gifts, we had to do some major purging of old toys. Mac and I tag-teamed, and found much success with that method. My "maybe we should keep that; they play with it twice a year," coupled with his "throw it away, throw it all away; they don't need a bed." balanced well together. As you can see we cleaned out A LOT and this is only the donation piles. There were several bags of toys that went straight to the trash. There should be a law on how many McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's kids' meals toys allowed in one household. I'm sure we were on our way to a state record.

Thanks, Gary....

About 9-10 months ago, Grey "accidentally" threw a large, orange plastic spider off of the top of the stairs, and it landed in our light that hangs over the foyer. When you turned the light on and looked up, you could see it. Pretty creepy looking for spider-haters like myself. Our previous next door neighbor, Gary (and his wife Pat) who have remained good friends, (either they still like us or we have some of their lawncare equipment we haven't returned.) came up with the idea of using the leafblower to blow it out. Normally, I am the voice of reason in these type of situations, but I am so sick of seeing that spider shadow that I was totally on board. Though the light was swinging precariously, doggone if that spider didn't fly right out!! So thanks, Gary.