Rocky Top

Yep, headed to Knoxville for the weekend! Ellie will be with her father this weekend and rather than missing her at home, I'll be missing her in Tennessee. We are going to have a blast though! Felicia, my niece, is going with me to visit Lauren. Even though I love my time alone, it's going to be great to have a traveling buddy...and who better than my precious niece?!

See, my brother and his wife are headed back to Indiana today (tear), but Felicia will be staying with us another week! :) I don't think I have mentioned much about Felicia thus far. She's ten and the youngest of my brother's girls. He has one other sixteen year old, Elizabeth, who didn't have the chance to come visit this go around. Hopefully soon though!

So anyway, I have a cute story about Felicia. Ellie has been SO taken by her this whole visit. The first night they arrived Ellie was crawling up into Felicia's lap begging for her attention. It usually takes Ellie a day or two to warm up to new people, but not in this case. She's been following Felicia around this whole week...it's so cute!

On Wednesday, when I got home from work I asked Dad how the day went with the grandbabies. He smiled and said great. Then, he proceeded to tell me earlier that morning Felicia had taken Ellie upstairs to play with the toys in Ellie's room, but Felicia came back down a little later alone. Of course Dad asked where Ellie was and Felicia just replied with a, "She was falling asleep while we were playing, so I put her down for a nap in her crib." I just thought that was so precious. Here is a girl who is the youngest, so she hasn't really had to "care" for anyone. She can barely reach Ellie's crib as it is, but she took the initiative to tend to Ellie's needs regardless. I just thought that was so sweet. I guess I just look at it like I was the youngest and at ten I probably wouldn't have done the same.

We have a fun weekend ahead of us. Lauren and I are taking Felicia to see the new Batman movie and to do some other fun stuff. I have to say, I think I'm more excited about the movie than she is. I'm pumped! Seriously, we watched Batman Begins last night and it was AWESOME! Where have I been? I can't believe that was the first time I watched it. I can honestly say it won't be the last time! I'll let you know how The Dark Knight goes. :)

July 4th Weekend

What a wonderful holiday weekend! We went to Knoxville to visit my sister and had a great time. It is always nice to spend extra time with the whole fam. This first picture is of Ellie in her July 4th dress! Wasn't she a doll?! Let me just say that dress only lasted through dinner. Little Ellie had a huge accident in her pretty new dress. Yes, you heard me correctly...poo all over the place. For those of you who have never experienced such a grotesque event, let me enlighten you.

It's a funny thing...kids and their bowel movements. They can just keep that stuff to themselves until the next thing you know you're up to your elbows in nastiness. You think I'm kidding? I wish. I do have to say it wasn't THAT bad since it was my own daughter, but had it been anyone else I wouldn't have been able to do it.

So, we were enjoying our nice 4th of July dinner at The Olive Garden. They seated us in a private room because there were eight of us (or maybe they knew the fate of our night already). We enjoyed a great dinner, wine and conversation. Little did we know that while we were enjoying the atmosphere, Ellie was destroying the ozone layer with her own fireworks. That's right, I took her out of her highchair so that she could walk around the table while we continued our conversations. Well, she hadn't began her little escapades then, instead she waited until she was down doing her own socializing before relieving herself at the same time.

She was walking around the table and who did she pick to surprise??? Uncle Judson! Oh yes, he picked her up with an, "Awww, she wants to sit with me." Next thing we knew he was saying, "Ummm, I think someone had an accident..." followed with an "ALL OVER MY LEG!" Oh man, it was so funny. Judson stood Ellie up and had a huge brown, pure liquid, spot on his freshly pressed khaki shorts.

Needless to say, Lauren and I rushed her to the restroom and, to our surprise, Ellie had messed all the way up the back of her diaper and into the cute July 4th dress. Oh, and it didn't just go North. Nope, those cute sparkling red and blue sandals adorning her precious dress were now adorned with something I can assure you I didn't pay extra for. Lauren and I thought, "We can handle this...we're pros!" Sure, sure. So what did we do? Yep, we stripped the baby butt naked in The Olive Garden restroom and washed her in the sink. Hey, desperate times call for desperate measures.

Luckily, I always keep a spare outfit in her diaper bag for times such as these. Though, I never thought I might need to keep a hand-held pressure washer in her bag too. Wonder if they make those? Hmmm. ;)

Well, we managed to get Ellie all cleaned up and the outfit and shoes washed out. We even made it to the fireworks early! She wasn't in her red, white and blue, but she was still precious.

This next picture was taken outside Lauren's apartment before dinner.

Ah, our night out together. Finally. It has been too long since our last night out together. It's always a good time with the Davis girls. Those of you that have brothers and sisters that you are close to know what I mean. It is fun to go out with friends, but nothing like spending the night out with you sisters! Too much fun!

Dolphin Fun!

I was looking through the videos I had taken this weekend at the beach and this one is the best! No comments on the terrible filming job please; it was early and we hadn't eaten breakfast, so I was pretty shaky. You can still see the beautiful dolphins though!

Isn't that exciting?! I thought so. They were everywhere that morning. I always find it exciting and interesting to watch animals in their own habitat. Just to admire their routine, and in the dolphin's case, their elegance. I have been reading some rather interesting facts on dolphins since we have been back. Did you know that as soon as the calf is born, the mother takes the calf to the surface so it can take its first breath...what a good mom! Then, the calf will nurse from 11 months to 2 years, and after it is done nursing it will still stay with the mother until it is between 3 and 8 years old.

Let me just say, no way would I let Ellie nurse for 2 years. Sure, she kept it up for about 9 months, but that was long enough to damage Mommy's once-cute body. Although, I don't see many dolphins swimming around with any sort of sagging going on...they just firm right back up! Hmmm....very interesting. They usually only have one calf and twins are extremely rare. I guess our population would shrink quite a bit too if we were only programmed to have one baby. There's some food for thought!

So anyway, there is my two cents' worth on dolphins. :) Regardless of their reproductive habits, I am still in awe of their lifestyles and playful nature. I think they are just one of those mystical animals. You know, the ones that little girls fall in love with...like horses! Which, by the way, I love too! I am still a little girl at heart I guess.

More FB Pics

June already! I cannot believe half of 2008 has already passed. It is going to be Christmas again before we know it! I do have some fun stuff planned for the next few weeks. Josh and I are going to the Tim McGraw concert next Wednesday...supa excited about that! Then, a friend of mine is getting married June 14th and we all know how fun weddings are! The 4th of July is just around the corner which is exciting. Plus, I just got tickets for the Corey Smith concert July 19th...that's going to be a BLAST!! Then Lauren (my oldest sister) has her birthday on July 30th! So, that is the fun stuff we have planned; the rest of my time will consist mostly of classwork and real work. I guess all of that work makes the playtime more fun! I often times find myself wishing I had more time to play with Ellie though. Delayed gratification, remember? That is what I keep telling myself. I do take time for her, but I think every parent wishes they could have a little more time with their kids...at least while they are little, cute, and mute. ;)

So, Josh took some adorable pictures of Ellie on our Folly Beach vacation and I thought I would share them! These are too cute!

Lauren, the green outfit is for you and Judson...I thought you would appreciate that.















These pictures were taken during breakfast on Saturday morning. This was shortly after she spit up all of the orange juice she guzzled down. If you look closely at her shirt you can still see what's left. One of the many pleasures of having a toddler...lots of messy clothes!


Look at those eyes! Makes me melt. Don't ask me how I got such a beautiful little girl. What can I say? God loves me! :)


Can you say bored?! I have to say this series of photographs that Josh took are by far my favorite. I am hoping to get these framed together at some point (whenever I have some free time). I just love them! Thanks Josh!

Hmmm...how do I explain this one? Well, if you blow air out of your mouth with your lips closed; making the sound of a big truck...that is what she is doing. Her noise doesn't sound much like a truck, but I am hoping that gave you some sort of an idea. I am actually making the sound right now as I type in an attempt to better explain it. Not so great with those descriptive details yet. Sorry.

Well, that is it for now. I have more to post, but no time! Maybe this afternoon!

Ellie with her Papa D

I thought I would add these in separate from the rest. I know I mentioned before that Ellie has her Papa D wrapped around her finger, but she has everyone that way. Who can help it? This picture is just one of the priceless memories that will last a lifetime.

I have this short clip of Ellie at the beach. I know it isn't much, but it is still cute.

Believe it or not, there are still tons of pictures I have not shared. I will try to keep posting the cute pics over the next few days. I know I am not writing much, but there isn't much I can say about the photos that they don't already say for themselves. No worries, you will get to hear me ramble about myself again soon! :)

Random Cuteness

Yes, I am still adding fun stuff from our trip to the beach! There are too many cute things to just leave out. So where should I start? Ellie, where else? This first picture was taken Sunday afternoon. She was so precious! I know I have said that a thousand times, but there just isn't any other way to describe it. The first day we were there, there was a little boy playing beside us. He was about the same age as Ellie and he was digging head-first in the sand. She kept looking at him with amazement that he was covered in sand from head to toe. He was definitely a beach baby!

It's me! Josh took this on our EARLY Saturday morning walk. This was about the time we saw all the dolphins. I will be posting about them soon....I even have video! :) So yeah, this is me and a whole bunch of water.


This is my Ellie again, ready for breakfast! She left that hat on about...ummm...two seconds before deciding she did not want to wear it. Gotta love that outfit...sportin' the potbelly. She is so cute, I could just eat her up!



Have you ever seen a kiss so sweet? There are few things greater in this world than a daughter's love. I am really not much of the affectionate type, but when it comes to Ellie I just cannot help myself. She brings it out in everyone I think. They see her and just want to give her love. What a wonderful gift she is!

Surfing Adventure

So we did it...well, we tried to do it anyway. Let me just say that 5:30am does not come early enough when you are excited about doing something new. Josh and I woke up Sunday morning at Folly Beach, put on our swimsuits and headed out to the beach for our first adventures of surfing.

The sun was rising, the waves were crazy, the water was warm, and there we stood on the beach with a surfboard looking at each other like we may be nuts after all. After a little nervous laughter and several questions of who was going first, Josh headed out to sea! I stood on the beach, camera in hand, and watched as he made his way out on the surfboard. He actually made it look pretty simple, paddling his way through each wave. Then, after several attempts, he stood up on the board and rode the wave the best he could. It was so exciting! This first surfing picture is of Josh standing up for the first time.

Then it was my turn. A few simple instructions from Josh and I was ready to try it. So I grabbed the board and started wading through the surf. After climbing onto the surfboard, I started to paddle. Let me just say that the rental boards they give you to use are huge! My arms barely reached either side, so it looked like I was paddling with my fingertips. Then the first wave hit me and I thought I just got sprayed in face with water from a pressure washer. I am sure it was an interesting sight; me paddling just as fast as my arms would allow, hair all across my face, saltwater in my mouth and nose, me gasping for air and frantically blinking my eyes in hopes I would regain some sort of vision before the next wave hit me. I remember briefly thinking, "I remember Josh making this look a lot easier." Somehow I did it though, I actually made it to a spot suitable for catching a good wave. So, I turn around and see a wave coming and I start paddling again. At this point my arm muscles, which rarely get exercised, are burning with pain. Then I notice I am not even moving. You know when a big wave comes and it pulls you backwards? That was me, paddling just as fast as I could and not even moving. So the wave catches me... I'm in it! I'm going! Then I think, "Ok, time to stand up!" I put my arms on the board to assist with the standing up process and they collapse like Jell-O. Not kidding at all, they were so tired I barely got to my knees before the wave was over. So what did I do? I got up and headed back out for another try! That is me in the picture making it to my knees before flopping into the water.

This process continued for a few tries before I finally got one. Yep, I stood up....and that was about the extent of it, me standing on a huge piece of foam. It was so much fun! It was one of those things that once you got that feel of how it was supposed to work, you crave to keep trying it. I was pleasantly surprised at all the excitement that came along with it. Something I would definitely do again...LOTS!! :)

A bit of advice for those new surfers out there...the ankle strap can be tricky. Once I regained my balance in the water after falling off, my legs were swiped out from under me as the surfboard was taken with the next wave. It comes as a quick surprise if you aren't prepared for it.

This last picture is great! Really captures the intensity of the whole adventure. Definitely a reminder that you are all alone out there...paddling for your life. ;) I really wish Josh and I would have rented surfboards when we first arrived at the beach, it was well worth having the whole weekend. We will know next time though. SO MUCH FUN!

Folly Beach, SC

What an amazing weekend! I have a feeling I will be blogging about this vacation for a while. We all had such a good time. The drive from home to Folly Beach really only took about five hours. We left Friday morning and after stopping for breakfast, gas, the restrooms to change Ellie, and lunch, we finally arrived about 3:00pm. Trips are always longer with a little one, but it really wasn't a bad drive at all.

So when we arrived, we checked in to our condo and unpacked the car. Packing for Ellie is like moving the whole nursery, so unpacking the car took some time. Then we headed to the beach! Ellie was so precious. She was in awe of the beach and the ocean. She loved every minute of it. Josh and I were going crazy snapping pictures and taking video of her. I am sure the locals were probably thinking we had never seen the ocean before. Needless to say, I will be posting pictures from this trip for a while too!

Then we headed for the water. She was a bit frightened by the waves at first, but it did not take her long before she was giggling with excitement. Josh and I took turns holding her and jumping through the waves while the other took pictures. She was such a sight. She did not mess with the sand at first. When it got on her hands she would hold them out towards you like, "Here, get it off!" She would waddle her way down to the water with me to wash her hands. The longer we were out there the curlier her hair would get. I will post more pictures of her at the beach a little later. This post is just an overview of what the weekend agenda consisted of. ;)

So after an afternoon of playing on the beach, we headed inside to shower and prepare for dinner. We went to the Folly Beach Crab Shack the first night. We ate more than enough and then headed out to the pier for a nice evening walk. We were already wishing we could stay longer and it was only the first night.

On Saturday, we got up early to watch the sunrise and chitchat on the balcony. It was a beautiful sunrise...as usual at the beach. Then, Josh and I went for a walk on the beach before Ellie got up. Those early morning walks are always wonderful, but to add to the beauty there were several occasions we stood along the shore and watched the dolphins play just beyond the surf. It was perfect!

Once we finished our walk, Ellie was up and ready for breakfast. We headed to one of the restaurants in town to eat. That was another thing I found so enjoyable about Folly Beach, everything was within walking distance. The town was small enough that it took no time at all to walk from one side to the other. It was just a great vacation spot (or spot to live if the opportunity was there). So anyway, after breakfast we walked around town for a few minutes before heading back to get all of our beach gear ready for the day.

After the day out by the ocean, Josh and I managed to decide we were going to rent a surfboard. Surfing has always been something we both have wanted to try, so I guess once we saw that we could rent a board for $25 (for 24 hours) there wasn't anything stopping us. We rented the board late that evening with plans to try it early Sunday morning. Why early Sunday morning you ask? Well you see, less people=less audience for our first attempts. You will hear all about that later...that is a post all by itself!

To conclude our Saturday evening, we all got ready and headed for dinner at the Locklear's Pier restaurant. Dinner was delicious and the dessert was even better! A perfect end to another perfect day!
Sunday morning Josh and I got up early and tested our surfing skills or should I say the lack of skills. We had a blast! Then we spent the remainder of the day by the beach and in the water with Ellie. We ended up leaving Folly Beach about 5:00pm...tan and tired. It was a wonderful trip and weekend.

Memorial Day 2008

Back to work for me! It would have been nice to take today off and enjoy Memorial Day, but instead I am working. Good news though, I am taking this Friday off for a long weekend at the beach! Josh, Ellie, and I are going with my parents to Folly Beach, SC. For those of you like me who have never heard of Folly Beach, I have included a map for you.
We are pretty excited about our little vacation. Yes, I would give just about anything to head to the beach for a whole week, but work just won't permit that this trip. So, we are leaving early Friday morning and coming back Sunday afternoon. A brief trip, but long enough for me to get some cute pictures of Ellie playing on the beach! I know, I know...buy some sand and a backdrop and I will save myself some time and money, right? Nah, the real thing is way better!

So, the weekend went well. Aside from me missing Ellie, Josh and I had a nice time together. I say that, but yesterday I spent the whole day studying after church so we didn't really get to spend much time together. I like to think of it as delayed gratification. I am working hard now so that I can enjoy things once I am finished with school. Had I thought of that five years ago I would already be finished with school, but it is better late than never.

This was a cute picture taken Saturday evening before the movie. Yes, I do take random pictures all the time. Aren't they great?! There is not anything better than having special moments captured in a photograph. If you are like me, you probably have trouble remembering things anyway so having pictures really helps jar the memory. That is another thing Josh and I have in common, not the memory loss, loving photography. We both appreciate the art behind it and enjoy creating art with it. I think I enjoy being in front of the camera a little more than Josh does, but he's warming up to the idea.

What else? Hmmm...
Ellie made it back home safely. She is such a little rascal. She is that kid that is so darn cute you just want to squeeze her all the time. No, I am not biased. She really is the cutest kid in the world. I cannot wait to see her at the beach. I took her to Florida last summer, but she was just too young to even know what was going on. Not that she will be any better this year, but at least she is old enough to walk and play in the sand. I will probably regret the longing for her to play in the sand when she returns with sand in every orifice. I am foreseeing the error in my judgement as I am typing this. I guess that is all part of the fun.
Here she is, Miss America. Look at those eyes! She is going to be such a little heart-
breaker. I think I better get her out of that pacifier stage before she starts breaking those hearts.

I wish I had some fun Memorial Day pictures to share. Maybe after work this afternoon I will have some free time to enjoy the holiday and snap some pics. No fear, the beach weekend is just ahead and I see tons of photos in the near future! :)