The Davis Family

Santa Train

2011-12-23T12:51:00.000-08:00

This morning we went on the Santa Train. It has become an annual tradition and the kids look forward to it all year long-- especially Dylan. Here are some pictures from this year's trip....

Christmas Fun

2011-12-22T15:34:00.000-08:00

The last few weeks have been busy, busy, busy with lots of holiday activities. We've had parties, school programs, tea parties and all other sorts of fun things going along with the holidays. Things are finally settling down and we are very much looking forward to celebrating a relaxing Christmas at home. Happy Holidays to you all!!

Going to see the muppets

At Discovery Kingdom for Holiday in the Park. Ready to ride Sky Screamer!

Savannah & Mitch are the second ones in from the left

Ready to go ice skating

Dylan & Daddy

Savannah & Daddy

On our way to holiday party

Dylan & Mommy

Teddy Bear Tea at the Ritz Carlton in San Francisco

This year Daddy & Dylan came too!

Coco & Savannah

Dylan was SOOOO excited to be there!

Dylan & Coco hugging each other while watching the show :-)

Savannah got to participate on stage with the two elves

Coco, Dylan & Savannah

Coco & Dylan checking out the train inside the life size ginger bread house at the Fairmont

Savannah & Coco

Writing a letter to Santa

Playing on the bell hop cart

Dylan being Dylan

Savannah & her friend at her holiday performance

Read to sing!

Having fun on stage

Dylan watching his sissy

Dylan's Christmas performance

Fun reindeer pancakes!

Some Fun Fall Photos

2011-11-07T19:30:00.000-08:00

I bought a Groupon a few weeks ago for our Christmas cards & realized after that I had to order the cards before November 15-- which is a little early... even for me :-) The next month or so is pretty packed and the weather is starting to turn, so we headed out to Mumm Napa a few Sundays ago to snap some pics of the kids while the sun was still shining. We got a lot of cute pictures-- I think Dylan is finally over his determination to ruin all my photos! Here are a few cute ones...

Halloween

2011-11-07T19:20:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Halloween this year with the usual festivities.... lots of friends over for dinner, then trick-or-treating with all the kiddos with the wine wagon in tow :-) Here are some pics from all the activities...

Dylan's preschool class. Yes-- that is Dylan making the lovely face

Sitting with some of his buddies

Pin the nose on the pumpkin

Savannah's jack-o-lantern

Dylan's jack-o-lantern

Yvettie enjoying the crisp fall air

Sylvester & Lala Loopsy

Savannah & some of her friends from school

Dylan & Matteo all ready to trick-or-treat

Dylan, Chris & Matteo

Maylor, Savannah & Bella

AND.... we're off!!

TRICK-OR-TREAT!!!!

Savannah & Joey-- still best buddies :-)

Disneyland!!

2011-10-09T20:36:00.000-07:00

We recently took a short trip down to Orange County to see the Coye family AND make a quick visit to Disneyland. It was Dylan's first plane ride and it is hard to say whether he was more excited about that or going to Disneyland. I was not a very good photographer, but we had a great trip. The kids were super brave and went on ALL the big rides-- Thunder Mountain (which Savannah ended up shutting down for a good portion of the afternoon-- but that is a whole other story. Those interested can inquire within), Tower of Terror, Splash Mountain and Star Tours! I was really surprised at how brave Dylan was. Auntie KK and Coral joined us too, which was really fun-- Savannah & Dylan love seeing their cousins! Friday we visited Gigi at work and got to see all the awesome Christmas decorations at Roger's Garden. We also took Papa John out to lunch to celebrate his birthday. Then Friday night the kid's had a sleepover at Gigi & Papa's with all their cousins while Mitch & I went out to dinner with Kevin, Karin, Kelly & Naomi. Unfortunately Saturday afternoon we had to head home. It was a short but sweet trip!

Ready to "blast off"-- he really yelled that when the plane took off!

Some love for Goofy

Waiting in line for Star Tours-- Dylan was pretty much in awe

Savannah & Coco

Fall Fun!

2011-10-01T14:30:00.000-07:00

Meet Murdoch & Sparkles

2011-09-12T22:43:00.000-07:00

Yes it is true-- the kids talked us into getting another pet-- or pets. Although in hindsight I don't really think it took much convincing... Mitch may even have initiated the idea. The good news is that they are fairly low maintenance & the kids are really enjoying them. Plus we almost walked out of the pet store with a new adopted puppy-- a chiuaua no less!!! I figured we got off easy & I don't plan on going back to the pet store anytime soon with my husband or kids! Without further adieu....

This is Savannah's fish-- Sparkles. Savannah is thrilled because the fish (which of course is a girl according to its proud new owner) appears to have lipstick on

This is Dylan's fish, Murdoch. Yes, it is absolutely shocking he named his fish after a Thomas train.

Sparkles & Murdoch's lovely new home in all its colorful glory!

Mitch-a-Palooza 2011

2011-09-12T22:32:00.000-07:00

We spent Labor Day weekend down on the Central Coast celebrating Mitch's birthday-- this now annual celebration is also known as Mitch-a-Palooza! We rented a house last year in Edna Valley with some great friends to celebrate the big 3-5 for Mitch. We had a fabulous time & decided to go back this year, only this time we stayed on the beach in Cayucos. We were able to come down and leave the kids with Pommy & Papa on Thursday night, then head out on Friday for a fun weekend. We rented a funky little house just steps away from the beach and had a wonderful time. We spent lots of time walking on the beach, drinking good wine & enjoying the company of fabulous friends. Plus we could sleep with the windows open and hear the ocean-- my favorite!! Can't wait for next year...

Molly & Andy joined us for the weekend

Shots of tequila to celebrate!

The birthday boy!

Andy inspired some serious MJ impersonations with his gift

Too funny

Me & my birthday boy

We went tasting on Saturday. We hardly ever go tasting at home, but LOVE to hit up the wineries on the central coast. This is at Dark Star & Brian Benson Cellars-- our absolute favorite! The lady on the end is Susan Benson (the winemakers' wife & mother) and her dog Gracie.

One of our nightly strolls on the beack

Molly & Mitch with the annual birthday pie

Relaxing on the beach

Beautiful sunset from our deck

Dylan's 1st Day of Preschool

2011-08-30T21:34:00.000-07:00

Dylan had his 1st day of preschool today-- well technically not his 1st since he went to a structured day care for a short time when he was two at the same place-- but this was his 1st day in traditional preschool class :-) He was so excited and proud to go-- if you can't tell by looking at the picture. We were able to go Friday to an open house to see his classroom and meet his teacher and he has been asking constantly since then to go back. Since Savannah goes to school, he thinks it is a pretty cool thing to be like his sissy! He had a great day and was so excited to share all the details tonight at dinner- such a big boy!!

Yvettie's "Baby"

2011-08-30T21:30:00.000-07:00

Our babysitter Jenica rescued a 3 week old kitten this last weekend named Teddy & brought it over to the house while she was watching the kids. The kids loved it of course--- BUT Yvette loved it WAY more!!! She completely thought it was here baby and wanted to take care of it. If she didn't have the kitten right next to here she was either pacing nervously or hovering as closely as she could to see it. It was so sweet.... of course the kids are convinced we need to get Yvette a kitten now-- me, not so much!!

1st Day of School: FIRST Grade!!!

2011-08-17T22:26:00.000-07:00

Today was Savannah's first day of FIRST grade! It is absolutely crazy to me that my "baby" is in first grade eating lunch at the "big kids" tables & playing on the "big kids" playground. Her teacher this year is Mrs. Bower and she is absolutely AMAZING-- Savannah has so been looking forward to being in her class. We are so thankful we ended up at such a wonderful school with a very strong sense of community involvement. I love that it is a small school-- there is only 1 class per grade-- which means she will be in class with the same 22 kids through 5th grade... so cool! She had a great first day & is very excited for the school year, as are Mitch & I. Although, the reality of how busy the year is going to be is really sinking in... new job, PTA Secretary, chairing the Red & White Affair (BIG fundraiser for the school) & leading Daisies--- yikes!!! If anyone has any extra hours in the day they would like to donate to me I am graciously accepting donations!

Savannah & Dylan

My BIG 1st grader

Savannah & some of her buddies

Savannah & Lily

Listening to morning announcements

Taking a tour-- moving out of the kindergarten playground & room is a big step!

A Day Out with Thomas

2011-08-17T22:13:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we surprised the kids (really for Dylan's sake, but Peanut had a great time too!) with a trip to the Roaring Railway in Felton for Thomas's Day Out. Dylan ADORES Thomas and was so excited to actually get to meet Thomas and go for a ride. The event had a lot of fun activities & we all enjoyed watching Dylan's delight!

Taking the little shuttle train to see Thomas-- he has no idea at this point!

Savannah was very excited to figure out the surprise

Dylan immediately started identifying the trains as certain Thomas characters and began related everything he saw to one of his favorite Thomas movies

Getting EXCITED!!

THOMAS!!

Dylan & Savannah with Percy

We failed miserably at getting a family shot on the train-- it was SO bumpy. But you can see how happy Dylan was!

One more try...

Enjoying the ride

Beautiful Scenery!

Vacation/Summer Update

2011-07-25T18:00:00.000-07:00

We returned last week from another WONDERFUL week at Lawrence Welk in Escondido. It is not exotic or particularly fancy, but we absolutely love it there! We went to Legoland, a Padres game and had some visits from friends and family. The rest of the time we played at the pool and enjoyed some quiet family time without any interruptions from work--ahhh, so nice! Here are some pictures from our trip...

Dylan & Daddy

Sibling Love

our water rat

Takin' a break

Waiting for the water to drop

Watering the golf course... boys will be boys, right??!

Silly Dylan

Dylan & Coco

Sweet Savannah

Daddy & Savannah

Go Padres

one day Dylan will let us get a good family picture!

Mommy & Savannah

watching the game

Mommy & Dylan

Hit over here!

Savannah's 1st Shirley Temple

Dylan sharing a treat with his new friend Audrey

The Davis & The Walters kiddos!

Savannah posing with the Lego people

Following Sissy's lead

Savannah & Daddy on the Safari Ride

Dylan "driving"

Mommy & Dylan

In the lion's mouth

Again, following Sissy's lead :-)

Riding the train

One happy boy

Dylan earning his driver's license

Savannah earning her license

There was a huge display of Star Wars figures built out of Legos. Dylan was beside himself!!

Silly kids!

Savannah & Chewy

Checking out the Star Wars village with Daddy

The aquarium

"Inside" the aquarium

Summer has been speeding by! Savannah starts school in 3 weeks-- crazy!! I am starting to realize that this next year is going to be quite busy... Dylan is going back to preschool in September, I have a new job, I am chairing the annual fundraiser for Savannah's school, co-leading Savannah's girl scout troop & serving on the PTA board at secretary. YIKES!! Wish me luck! And I just had to share this picture of Dylan on the 4th of July-- it makes me smile every time I look at it :-)

Disney Brunch

2011-06-09T10:07:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Savannah got to attend an amazing Disney Brunch put on by all the teacher's at her school. The teachers donated the brunch for the school fundraiser and a handful of parents all went in together and bought it during the live auction. It was absolutely wonderful and the teachers completely out did themselves... just another testament to the fabulous school we get to attend!!

The beautiful table

Savannah's place setting

Mickey Mouse pancakes-- of course!

Minnie Mouse muffins

Disney fruit cups

Cinderella and her Fairy God Mother (AKA Mrs. Hall)

The Fairy God Mother and all her Cinderellas

Savannah playing charades. I think she was acting out The Little Mermaid

Marcy, Helen, Katie & Me--- some kinder moms!

Breakfast Time!

Hokey Pokey

Pulling the pinata

Jessie (AKA Mrs. Floyd) playing Disney Go Fish with some of the kids

The wonderful teaching faculty at Yountville Elementary
L to R Mrs. Meno- 5th Grade (Daisy), Mrs. Williams- Principal (Lilo), Mr. Elias- 4th Grade (Captain Hook), Mrs. Ferraria- 3rd grade (Minnie), Mrs. Hall- 2nd Grade (Fairy God Mother), Mrs. Bower- 1st grade (Tigger), Mrs. Floyd- Kinder (Jessie)

Mrs. Floyd with all her kinder girls!

10 months Later....

2011-06-09T09:39:00.000-07:00

Kindergarten Promotion

2011-06-09T09:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Savannah's kindergarten promotion. I can't believe my baby has completed kindergarten and will be a 1st grader! The year flew by and Savannah really enjoyed her first year in elementary school. We are so thankful to have landed at such an amazing elementary school and even more thankful for her WONDERFUL kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Floyd! We are all looking forward to the next few years at Yountville Elementary school-- well it will be more than a few given Dylan has a few years until he even starts-- but I am sure it will all fly by just as quickly as this first year did!

Our invitation to Kindergarten Promotion-- love that Savannah thinks she has such big luscious lips :-)

All ready to go...

Ava Luna, Claire, Savannah

Claire, Savannah, Kevin, Liam & Lily

Saying the "Pledge of Allegiance" in sign language

I LOVE their handmade graduation caps!

Checking out her "diploma"

Mrs. Floyd putting all of her gold slips (earned for good behavior) around her neck

Mrs. Williams (principal) handing Savannah her diploma

Doing a silly dance-- the little boy on the left sat with his hands in his pockets just like that for the ENTIRE performance. Priceless!!

Counting her gold slips!

Mommy & Daddy with their big 1st grader

Proud Graduate!!!

Savannah & Willy

Savannah & Mrs. Floyd

Playing with some of her buddies

Being silly with Hailey

The beautiful piece of art work the class made for me as a thank you for helping

The tooth fairy is COMING!!!

2011-05-11T08:13:00.000-07:00

Just on the heels of her 6th birthday... Savannah finally lost her first tooth this morning. She is one of the last kids in her class to lose a tooth and has been patiently waiting-- needless to say she is elated :-)

Happy 6th Birthday Savannah Leigh!!!

2011-05-10T16:16:00.000-07:00

This last weekend we celebrated Savannah's 6th birthday-- I still can't believe she is 6!!! She had lots of special visitors here for the festivities... Gigi, Pommy, Papa AND Great-Grandma Poppy!!! She had quite the birthday extravaganza beginning Friday afternoon with a little birthday celebration at school-- all of her grandparents made it into town in time to come help her celebrate her birthday at school, which was extra special! Then Friday afternoon we went with Gig to get our toe nails done & shopping to pick out a birthday outfit --this has become a bit of a tradition the last few years and it is so fun :-) Friday night we went with the whole gang out for dinner-- Savannah requested fish & chips. Then Saturday afternoon was the main event-- a tie-dye themed party at Scientopia! The party was awesome-- Marcy and her staff did such an awesome job!!! I could not imagine doing tie-dye with 15+kids-- but they pulled it off without a hitch! Savannah had a very special birthday and is so blessed to have so many wonderful people in her life.

HAPPY 6th BIRTHDAY PEANUT-- WE LOVE YOU!!!!!

Reading her "Birthday Book" with Mrs. Floyd. Every child in her class writes a note and draws a picture explaining what they would give Savannah for her birthday-- lots of rainbows & swimming pools?!

Taking her new American Girl twins on a walk with Gigi

Birthday Breakfast

The tie-dye cupcakes I made-- YES I MADE THEM!!! I can hardly believe it myself!

Poppy & Savannah at the party

Pommy trying to wrangle in Dylan for a picture-- not an easy task, but at least he is smiling!

Getting ready to tie-dye!

Hailey & Dylan making t-shirts

Savannah's kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Floyd came to the party-- so special!!! She is a WONDERFUL teacher!

Happy Birthday to you...

Poppy holding court with the 6 year olds-- totally in her element :-)

Papa & Dylan

Getting ready to Cha-Cha slide

Dylan & Savannah gettin' low!

Dance Party!!!

Savannah & Joey-- good buddies :-)

Savannah's tie-dye dress she made

Swim Lessons

2011-05-03T21:58:00.000-07:00

Dylan had his 1st swim lesson today. Savannah also did swim lessons with Tami when she was Dylan's age-- but man, what a different experience! Savannah NEVER had ANY fear of the water. As soon as she could walk, she would jump right in the deepest end of the pool and could care less about what would happen. Dylan is another story... Don't get me wrong he LOVES water, but on his own terms. And those terms typically involve him sitting on the step of the pool and not moving, so I knew today's lesson was going to be an experience. He was super excited and got right in the water and planted his little bottom right down on the step. There was one other little girl in his class (Annette). Tami looked at Dylan and said, "Okay Dylan, put your arms over this barbell and I am going to help you kick over to the other side of the pool". Dylan answered by hightailing it off the step and out of the pool. Tami successfully coaxed him rather quickly back into the pool by telling him Annette would go first. That was good enough for Dylan... at first. I think he soon realized that Annette's turn would be up soon and then it would be his turn. So he yelled across the pool, "Hey Tami, when Annette is done take her again. And then when she is done, take her again. And then when she is done take her again. I no need to have a turn, I will just sit here and play with Buzz & Woody!" We all laughed and by the end of the lesson, Dylan was swimming on the barbell all by himself!

PUPPIES!!!

2011-04-29T22:08:00.000-07:00

Yvette had her 3rd litter of puppies for CCI today!! 7 total puppies... 4 yellow (2 boys, 2 girls) and 3 black (2 boys, 1 girl). We whelped the puppies this time at our house and it was such a neat experience. The kids both were able to see the puppies being born, which was pretty cool. I was a little scared it would freak them out & might bring on a round of questions that I wasn't ready to answer-- but so far so good!! Savannah watched all of it and only got grossed out with the last puppy, which came out fully in its sack and I had to break it open. Yvette is such a good mommy and doing great!

The day before...

One tired Mama!!

This little guy escaped from his momma and siblings to keep warm under the heating pad

All fast asleep

Just a few hours old-- could they be any cuter??!

Easter Day

2011-04-25T21:09:00.000-07:00

We had a great Easter this year... we stayed home, enjoyed a nice quiet weekend & were able to spend Easter day with most of the Israels. The kids both had a blast with all the different traditions---I think this was the first year Dylan really got it :-) Here are some pictures from the day...

Ready for the egg hunt...

Easter Baskets

Hunting for eggs

"I found a BIG one!!"

Look what I found!

Savannah LOVES her American Girl dog she got in her Easter Basket

Dylan LOVES his Diego underwear :)

Watching their new movie, Tangled, that the Easter Bunny left for them

Dylan had a blast dying eggs

Frowning about something-- no idea what, but it was such a cute picture!

I tried my best to get a good picture of both kids together...

but....

the best I got...

was this one!!

pretty girl

Dylan and Yvette

Dylan and Hailey

Dylan & TJ goofing off outside

Savannah in her new swimsuit

Some quiet time with Daddy

The Egg Roll! An Israel tradition, that my kids LOVE!!! Everyone starts with 6 eggs and rolls one down into "the field". Then you all take turns rolling an egg and the object is too hit the other eggs in the field. You get to take every egg you hit, plus the one you rolled. The person with the most eggs wins...

Dylan rolling

Savannah rolling...

Savannah and all the eggs she won

Easter Dinner-- I conquered leg of lamb!!

Cupcakes-- YUM!!!

Savannah & TJ--- Savannah shamelessly flirted with TJ all day :)

The Favorite Fella' Dance

2011-04-16T20:37:00.000-07:00

I am sitting in a peacefully quiet house right now-- virtually all alone.... ahhh SOOOO nice :-) Dylan is fast asleep and Mitch & Savannah are off on a "date" to the Girl Scouts' Favorite Fella' Dance!! This year's theme was the Sixties and Savannah was so excited for the special night with her Daddy. They went out for Thai food, then off to the dance. I have received multiple texts and I think they are both enjoying themselves-- I can't wait to hear about it when they get home!

All ready to go in her 60's attire

Dylan wanted to take a picture with Sissy so badly-- of course when I have them all dressed cute and try to get pictures of the two of them together neither will cooperate!

Waiting for Daddy

My "Flower Child"

Handsome Boy!

Daddy brought his "date" tulips-- her favorite flower. As they were leaving she looked
at me and said, "Mom, can you please put these in some water and put them in my room?"

SO SWEET!!!

A LONG Overdue Update...

2011-04-16T20:18:00.000-07:00

It has been a REALLY LONG time since I have updated the blog... life has just been busy-- good, but busy! Here are some pictures of what we have been up to the last few months... and I will try & update more regularly for the 5 people the read our blog :-)

Dylan visited the dentist in the last few months-- the kid LOVES the dentist. He started visiting the dentist earlier than most kids due to a fall that injured his front tooth, which has actually been great because he has no fear of going now. It also helps that Auntie works for an oral care company & provides my kids with an endless supply of toothbrushes & other goodies :-)

In late February, Dylan woke up one morning screaming that he couldn't walk-- and he literally wouldn't move! Which for anyone who has ever been around Dylan, knows that is quite bizarre. We spent a couple of days in the doctor's office/hospital ruling out various conditions. Mitch was in NY and it was a bit scary, but thankfully Dylan is okay and they think it was just a viral infection that caused his hip & knee joints to get severely inflamed.

On March 12, Savannah's elementary school had their annual fundraiser-- The Red & White Affair at Silverado Vineyards. I chaired the non-wine donation and the event was a huge success, raising $91,000!! Mitch's parents, sister & brother-in-law were all able to come help support Yountville Elementary-- here is a picture of us all enjoying the night.

Savannah had "Crazy Hair Day" at school in March...

Dylan got a new pair of Vans-- which he is SO excited about, for a few reasons. #1-- Daddy has the same pair, which is super cool. #2-- he can put them on all by himself, which he is pretty darn proud of. We found him the other night sleeping like this ;-)

Dylan & Gianna are becoming good buddies. Gianna has been spending Mondays over at our house with Dylan and Melissa (our wonderful nanny) & she recently got to have a sleepover too! She is the sweetest little girl and the kids love having her over-- cousins are so fun!!

Savannah discovered rock climbing! One of her friends had a birthday party at a local rock climbing spot here in Napa recently. Savannah was really hesitate to try it, but once she got up there we couldn't get her down-- not even for birthday cake!!!

Both kids started taking gymnastics on Saturday mornings. Savannah LOVES it-- although she is not the most graceful creature. The poor girl is just so darn lanky and hasn't quite figured out how to make her long limbs work in unison. Of course she has no clue how awkward she often looks & gives it her all with a big smile :-) Dylan is also enjoying gymnastics. The first few classes were a bit rough & he had a hard time sitting with his class, but he has gotten so much better AND it is such a good way for him to burn off some of the endless energy he has!!

Snow Much Fun!

2011-02-12T17:03:00.000-08:00

We are up in Tahoe this weekend enjoying the snow & sunny weather. The kids are having fun playing in the snow, watching movies & being lazy (Mommy & Daddy too!). Here are some pictures from our adventures...

I am the king (or queen) of the world!!!

Playing in the snow!

Dylan is not really sure what to think. He doesn't remember the snow
last year & he is not too sure about it this time around.

Being silly!

The kids LOVE the giant jacuzzi tub in the house we stay at

Patiently waiting to go sledding

Nice to see that Dylan listens :)

Hitching a ride up the hill for the 1st sled run...

Such a GOOD Daddy!

Life is good!

Dylan was not a fan of sledding-- one run & he was done!

Checking out the little stream-- Savannah was
very concerned Dylan might fall in :)

Don't mess with me

Daddy & Savannah

Weeeeeeeee!!!!

Being silly

Savannah's 1st run by herself

So proud of herself :)

Chillin' back at the house with a little snack

More sledding back at the house

Snow dog

Mommy & Savannah

Happy 3rd Birthday Dylan!

2011-02-12T16:48:00.000-08:00

Dylan turned 3 on January 10 and celebrated with a Star Wars themed birthday party-- much to Daddy's delight! He is growing into a very sweet, clever & mischievous little boy--- quite the package :) He definitely keep us on our toes, but we wouldn't trade a moment of it! My "baby" is definitely growing up and all the signs of infancy are quickly disappearing from our house. Yes, that does make me sad to some degree-- but more than anything I look forward to all the fun times ahead :) We love you Dylan Mitchell!!!

Time for the pinata!

Batter up!

Cake time

Happy Birthday to you...

Make a wish

Beautiful Bella!

Coco

Fork-- who needs a fork??

Mommy & Savannah

Cool Favors

Matteo

Opening presents with TJ

Matteo helping Dylan open presents

Playing with his FAVORITE present-- Diesel & the
Troublesome Trucks!
Thanks Joey & Bella!

Christmas 2010

2011-02-12T16:31:00.000-08:00

Dylan passed out right before Christmas dinner...

...naked of course!

Savannah all dressed up for Christmas dinner

Dinner :)

Christmas Crowns-- a family tradition :)

Getting ready for Santa to visit!

Why can't I eat the cookies???

Santa visits!

Christmas Morning

One happy little girl

Checking out the new Thomas scooter

My little Bruin!

Best Buddies

Santa Train 2010

2010-12-23T21:31:00.000-08:00

Dylan talking with Frosty

Daddy & Savannah

Dylan & Papa

Dylan enjoying the ride

Savannah & the Gingerbread man

Dylan meeting the Gingerbread man

Dylan & Daddy

Savannah & Frosty

Dylan & Frosty

Gigi & Papa

Savannah, Santa & Dylan

Gianna & Santa-- the 1st time she would sit on Santa's lap this year!

Uncle Mitch & Gianna

Gianna & Auntie Jacquelyn

Savannah, Auntie & Gianna

Dylan & Daddy on the back of the train

Yummy hot chocolate!

Papa, Gig & Dylan

Dylan & Mommy

View from the train

Savannah & Dylan on the back of the train

Gianna & Dylan

Silly boy!

Savannah, Gianna & Dylan with Teddy

Rudolph!

Savannah, Dylan & Rudolph

Family picture with Santa

Good-Bye Grandpa Jack

2010-12-09T21:25:00.000-08:00

Today was a sad day for the Davis Family-- Grandpa Jack quietly passed away early this morning. He would have been 95 years-old in January and lived a very full and active life. To say that he was an amazing man would be an understatement. I am so thankful to have had him in my life and that my children both had the chance to know their great-grandfather. I am even more thankful for the significant role he played in Mitch's life. There is not a doubt in my mind that Mitch is the man he is today, due in large part to the relationship he was fortunate enough to have with his grandpa-- THANK YOU Jack!

We love you and you will be missed dearly...

October 1975
Jack, Poppy, Mitch & Dudley

Pam, Mitch, Poppy, Jack

Jack, Mitch & Jacquelyn fishing in Canada

The whole Davis/Stone Family at our wedding

Meeting his 1st great grandchild
Poppy, Pam, Savannah & Jack

Getting to know Savannah

July 4, 2008
Savannah & Jack

June 2009
Jack, Dylan & Poppy

Teddy Bear Tea 2010

2010-12-05T16:47:00.000-08:00

This last weekend Savannah and I went to San Francisco for our 2nd annual girl's weekend & Teddy Bear Tea at the Ritz Carlton. This year was extra special because Gianna & Coco (Savannah's cousins) came to the tea, along with Auntie KK, Auntie Jacquelyn, Pommy & Grandma DiDi (Karin's mom & Coco's grandma). Savannah had a wonderful time and I have a warm heart after spending the weekend with my baby girl!

Heading over to the tea

My pretty girl!

Savannah & Gianna

Savannah & Pommy

Savannah & Coco

Drinking "tea"-- AKA hot chocolate

The Gingerbread house at the Fairmont-- it was HUGE!!!

Writing a letter to Santa

Checking out the gingerbread house with Gianna--right
before Gianna started licking the candy canes!

Auntie, Gianna & Savannah

Heading out to play in the city

The Christmas tree at Fisherman's Wharf

Dinner at the Rainforest Cafe

Enjoying the hotel room!

Elf Yourself!

2010-11-27T19:39:00.001-08:00

We have made one of these the last few years & they always crack me (and the kids) up. Here's to a great holiday season...

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Halloween Festivities

2010-11-01T15:39:00.000-07:00

We had a super busy weekend filled with multiple costumes, candy, treats & lots of fun! Halloween is one of the those holidays that lost its luster as I grew up and became an adult-- but now with kids the fun & excitement are back! It is so much fun to experience all these things again through our children's eyes.

Savannah heading out to school-- no costumes during

class this year. But she still looked cute :)

Savannah's Halloween party at school

Savannah & Mommy

Costume #1-- Cinderella at the school parade

Savannah and some of her school buddies

Most of the kindergarten class

Tweety Bird-- AKA Dylan

Dylan & Savannah (in costume #2-- the mermaid)

Mermaid!!

Halloween night-- Tweety & Lola (Bug's Bunny's sister or girlfriend?!)

Lola

Dylan and Matteo

Ready to go trick-or-treating

The most poorly designed Tweety costume-- but he is so cute!

Joey & Savannah

Hello-- is anyone home??!

Dylan still not ready to believe

nobody is answering the door

So, Dylan looked pretty darn cute-- despite his poorly designed Tweety costume. So cute in fact he made it into the Napa Valley Register :) Click on the link below if you would like to see!
Light Heart, Heavy Head

Daisies

2010-10-30T15:59:00.000-07:00

Savannah had her 1st Daisy Troop meeting this week. I am leading the troop with another mom from kindergarten & we are looking forward to a fun year! Here are some pictures from the first meeting-- the girls were so excited & absolutely adorable!!

Savannah all ready to go to school in her uniform

Starting the meeting

Learning the Girls Scout Promise

Playing around

Arts & Crafts

The finished products

Disneyland Pics!

2010-10-30T15:43:00.000-07:00

Orange County/Kelly & Naomi's Wedding

2010-10-24T14:43:00.000-07:00

This weekend we went down to Orange County for a long weekend to celebrate Auntie Naomi & Uncle Kelly's wedding. We had a busy weekend (which included Dylan's 1st trip to Disneyland) but we had a great time celebrating with Kelly & Naomi and the rest of our family. Unfortunately, my camera decided to crap out as we went to take our 1st picture at Disneyland-- which means I didn't get a lot of pictures. But Auntie KK did, so we'll post some soon. The good news is that I got a fancy new camera to capture lots of great shots from the wedding & the rest of the weekend.

Dylan playing on the hotel phone

Mommy practicing with the new camera...

Our little flower girl

Dylan dancing during pictures

Kody & Savannah

Mommy & Savannah

Kelly & Kody

Gigi, Kandice & Savannah-- 3 generations :)

Savannah & Auntie Naomi

Coco giving Auntie Naomi a kiss

All the flower girls-- Kianna, Savannah & Coco

Gigi & her girls

Kelly & Gigi

Kody-- the ring bearer

The flower girls

Naomi & Zach

The ceremony

Handsome groomsmen

Mitch & KK

Savannah & Auntie KK

Kody looking handsome

Kevin's best man speech

The happy couple

Pretty girl!

CHEERS!

Dylan playing hide-n-seek under the tables

The first dance

Savannah and Kody--she was a dancing queen!

Savannah & Uncle Kelly getting down and being silly

Dylan waiting patiently for the cake

YUMMY!!

Dylan, Daddy & a Day at Discovery Kingdom

2010-09-18T21:09:00.000-07:00

Dylan got to take a trip to Discovery Kingdom today all by himself with Daddy. It was originally supposed to be a family trip, but Savannah got in trouble for being sassy (the joys of raising a stubborn little girl) and didn't get to go. So off Daddy & Dylan went, while Savannah & I cleaned out my closet and ran errands. We ALL ended up having a great day and although I didn't snap any of pictures of Savannah and I, here are some cute shots from the boys' adventure...

Checking out Thomas

So HAPPY & EXCITED!!!

Informing (or reprimanding) the little boy in front of

him that he was 2, not six (which was the number of his swing).

Having fun

The pretty white tigers, that Dylan wanted to

bring home to his kitty Beau.

A Girl's Best Friend

2010-09-18T20:55:00.000-07:00

Mitch's 35th

2010-09-06T21:14:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Mitch's 35th birthday this last weekend with a trip to SLO with some good friends. We dropped the kid's off with Pommy & Papa (THANK YOU Pam & Dell!!!!) and headed off to start Mitch-a-pallooza-- yes we even had shirts made :) The weekend was filled with wine tasting & relaxing on the central coast. We rented a fabulous little casita in the hills of Edna Valley over looking the vinyards-- it was beautiful and we had a great time. HAPPY 35th Mitchell!!!

Me & my birthday boy

The girls... Julia, Molly & me

I didn't do a great job as photographer over the weekend-- sorry! Luckily Julia had her camera and took lots of great pictures-- once I get some more from her I will post them.

First Day of Kindergarten...

2010-08-18T11:08:00.000-07:00

Today was a BIG morning-- Savannah had her first day of kindergarten! She was so excited & ready to go to kindergarten and I know she will do great. It was definitely harder for me & I have been weepy all morning :) She is going to a wonderful little school and only has 22 kids in her class-- which is pretty remarkable in today's public school system. There is only 1 grade per class & a very active PTA-- which I have already been recruited to participate in... I am going to co-chair the non-wine donations for the big annual fundraiser. I am sure I will be hitting you all you up donations :) Here are some pictures from the morning...

She insisted on curly hair the 1st day of school

The Big Kindergartener!!

Sissy & Dylan--he was so sad to see her go!

Savannah & Daddy

Savannah and Mommy

Listening to morning announcements

Lining up to go to class

Bye Mom & Dad!!

See Ya!

2010-08-18T10:45:00.000-07:00

The Wiggles

2010-08-18T10:39:00.000-07:00

We went go go see the Wiggles a few weeks ago. Both kids have actually seen them once before-- Dylan was just a new born though and obviously didn't participate much :) This time was a whole different story! The trip was planned mainly for him-- and he LOVED it! But Savannah had a great time too. Of course Mitch & I enjoyed seeing the excitement in their eyes and the fun they had singing and dancing along!

Waiting for the show with their new souveniers

It's starting...

The BIG RED CAR!!!

Dorothy

All the wiggly friends & Sam

Dylan's New Bed

2010-07-25T21:08:00.000-07:00

We officially moved Dylan into a big bed this today-- doesn't it look cute?! He wasn't entirely excited and has asked for his "nother bed" quite a few times...

But he napped just fine in it today...

and is peacefully sleeping in it tonight as I write this. I think he was a bit more excited about it tonight at bed time because we got to have story time in his bed with Sissy (Savannah). We have reiterated to him several times that he is not allowed to get out of his bed and if you ask him what the rule is he will say, "No get outta my bed". So far so good-- however, he has been summoning Savannah to come to his room and get things for him to play with in bed :) Clever little fellow!! Think good thoughts for us for a peaceful AND restful transition into the big boy bed!

Lawrence Welk Resort

2010-07-19T21:29:00.000-07:00

We spent a wonderful week down in Escondido at the Lawrence Welk Resort for the second year in a row. Mitch's parents bought a timeshare at Lawrence Welk back in 1989 and have been very generous with it over the years! We have been able to take some great vacations all over by ourselves and with the whole Davis Family by exchanging the timeshare. Last year we had to be down in San Diego for a wedding and were able to stay at Lawrence Welk for a week with the kids. We had such a fabulous time & the resort is so family friendly that we decided to go back this year. We were able to visit with family & friends who live down in Southern California, as well as enjoy some of the great things San Diego has to offer. We love the Lawrence Welk resort & all the fun family memories we have made there--- thank you Pommy and Papa!!!!

This photo slideshow personalized with Smilebox

Sea World... and vacation!

2010-07-15T09:54:00.000-07:00

This week we are down in Escondido staying at Lawrence Welk. We came here last year and had such a good time we decided to come back. There is a lot of history here with the Davis family (more on that later) and the kids have an absolute blast--- so do Mommy & Daddy! I forgot my camera cable so I can't upload the photos I have taken, but I thought I would share a few pictures from our trip to Sea World yesterday that I took on my iphone.

The kids got to meet Elmo & Grover. Both were happy

for the opportunity, but Dylan's excitement

was at a whole different level!

Savannah got to have her face painted like a "unicorn fairy". She

always asks to do this, but we normally don't let her because it is

expensive! Since we are on vacation we indulged--- the

look on her face when they showed her the final product in

the mirror was so worth it!!

Dylan picked out a super cool soccer tattoo

Savannah & Daddy :)

On an entirely separate note, Dylan has been sleeping in a "big boy"

bed all week! He looks so little in the big bed, but is so proud

of himself.Our first project when we get home next week will be

transitioning his crib into a bed! Another indication that my little baby is growing up...

Our Troublesome Truck

2010-07-02T08:51:00.000-07:00

Dylan continues to be absolutely obsessed with all things Thomas! Most recently he has taken a particular liking to the "Troublesome Trucks" which are 2 silly tenders that cause a lot of problems for Thomas & his friends. Last weekend we were out to breakfast & Dylan started making this face...

When we asked him what he was doing he said, "I a troublesome truck". Mitch & I cracked up because it really is quite accurate....

Good Night Kisses

2010-07-02T08:43:00.000-07:00

Summer Fun...

2010-07-02T08:42:00.000-07:00

Father's Day

2010-07-02T08:41:00.000-07:00

Special events & holidays are really becoming very fun with the kids. Savannah has a full understanding of most of the holidays now & ABSOLUTELY LOVES to celebrate every single one with gusto! This year for Father's Day she made oodles of lovely projects & crafts for her daddy and on the morning of she insisted we make him a special breakfast. She also orchestrated (with a little help from Mommy) an elaborate scavenger hunt that Mitch had to complete in order to find his gifts :) Here are some pictures from the morning of festivities...

The scavenger hunt

Father's Day Breakfast

So cute, I had to post :)

On to Kindergarten...

2010-06-10T15:23:00.001-07:00

Today was Savannah's last day of preschool, which we celebrated with a class picnic at the park. It is hard to imagine my baby girl in kindergarten this August-- but is happening, so I better get used to it :) We finally heard this week that she will be attending Yountville Elementary School-- which we are thrilled about. Kindergarten enrollment was quite a roller coaster ride this year with all the budget cuts-- but thankfully there was a place for us through open enrollment at Yountville Elementary. It is a great little school with a wonderful sense of community & lots of family support. We are all looking forward starting our journey there at the end of the summer-- especially Miss Savannah! Here are some fun pictures of Savannah and her buddies from preschool celebrating their big "graduation"!

Savannah & I spent the morning together with a trip to Starbucks.

She got a hot chocolate & was so proud of the fact it came in "like a real coffee cup"

Savannah & Gracie

So this is a picture of Savannah with her two

best friends (Claire & Joey) at the beginning of the year...

And this was them today-- not a great picture I know.

But it amazes me how much they changed during the school year.

What is even more amazing is that all 3 of them have known

each other and played together since they were babies!

Claire & Savannah will be in the same

kindergarten class in the fall too.

Savannah & Mrs. O'Bryan-- the BEST preschool teacher!

Savannah & Gracie pushing Brody & Cade

A special gift from Mrs. O'Bryan. They read this book together

as a class all year & have a special song they learned to sing that goes along with it.

I even got a special gift-- a picture from the Mother's Day Tea

This book is a favorite of mine-- I had to share!

Savannah has been working on this all year. It is neat to see the progression...

Self Portrait #1

Self Portrait #2

Self Portrait #3-- love that she says she likes

to be with her brother :)

Self Portrait #4-- her family :)

Self Portrait #5

Mommy & Daddy are so proud of you Peanut!!! We know you are going to do wonderfully in kindergarten and have so much fun with everything this new adventure entails. You are becoming such an amazing young lady & we are so thankful for you each and every minute! WE LOVE YOU!!

Happy 5th Birthday Savannah!!!!

2010-05-08T21:19:00.000-07:00

Savannah turned 5 on Friday & we have been celebrating all weekend. I know it sounds so cliche... but I really can't believe my baby girl is FIVE YEARS OLD. She is such a bright & loving little girl that has brought so much joy to our life and I am thankful every minute for her!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY PEANUT-- WE LOVE YOU!!!!!!

Savannah's birthday celebration at school with her friends Brody & Gracey

Birthday Breakfast

A birthday hug from Dylan :)

Birthday dinner with our best buddies the DeNatale's

The birthday girl ready for her party! I know I am bias, but seriously-- could she be any cuter???

On our way to Build-a-Bear

Ready to build some bears...

Savannah & Gigi

Naming the stuffed toys

Savannah got to help put stuffing in the machine that stuffs all the animals

When you make a stuffed toy at Build-a-Bear, you get to put a heart inside before they sew it up. Savannah's teddy is SUPER special because it has a heart from each one of her friends at the party!

Giving the bears a bath

Savannah & her buddies with all their new furry friends

Lunchtime!

Back at home for cake & presents

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PEANUT!!! WE HOPE ALL YOU WISHES COME TRUE THIS YEAR...

My Boys

2010-04-07T20:39:00.000-07:00

Easter Weekend

2010-04-05T12:09:00.000-07:00

We spent Easter weekend down in Nipomo with Pommy & Papa. It was extra special because Gianna was there also while Jacquelyn & Jarrid were in Australia. Although it wasn't as warm as we had hoped, we enjoyed the sunny weather and all the Easter festivities!

Dying Eggs!

Dylan kept saying "OOOH!" at the pretty colors

Savannah in her pretty Easter dress

My handsome little man!

The kids had pretty cute matching outfits, but of course I

couldn't get a great shot of them together!

Another unsuccessful attempt to get them to pose

Savannah & Gianna

Dylan hunting for eggs

Savannah on Easter morning

1500 Little Ladybugs

2010-03-22T19:32:00.000-07:00

Gigi got the kids a ladybug habitat earlier this year and with the warm spring weather I decided it would be a good time to break it out. There was just one problem... we had no ladybugs. Not to worry, that quickly changed! One quick trip to the nursery on my way home from work and we are now the proud owners of 1500 ladybugs. Yes-- 1500! I tried to buy less, but I couldn't. We took the habitat outside, sprinkled some sugar water on it, opened the container and out they came. The kids thought it was the coolest thing ever-- there were so many & they crawled all over the kids...

Watching the ladybugs crawl into their new home

Soon there was one little ladybug on Dylan and he was

quite happy about his new found friend

Then a handful crawled on to Savannah

Then a few more little critters found their way

on to the kids

Before we knew it they were all over! Dylan must of had over 100 ladybugs on him at one point. They were in his hair, all over his back, inside his clothes... EVERYWHERE!! If you can't tell he kind of liked it :)

A Hiking We Will Go...

2010-03-18T16:27:00.000-07:00

Since the weather has been warming up we have been enjoying some good times outdoors. Our most recent favorite outdoor family activity is hiking! There are so many great places in Napa to go hiking and we are just now discovering them-- it only took us about 5 years! This last weekend we hiked up Westwood Hills and enjoyed the warm sunshine...

Savannah, Daddy & Dylan on the way up

Savannah likes to be the leader- go figure!

Enjoying a little snack & the view at the top

Dylan loves playing in the tall grass

This last weekend we discovered a rope swing

Dylan's turn

Home we go...

SNOW Much Fun!

2010-02-23T20:17:00.000-08:00

We spent last weekend up in Lake Tahoe. It was both Dylan's & Yvette's 1st time in the snow-- and I think they liked it equally as much! We pretty much spent the weekend playing in the snow & sledding-- really just enjoying some good quality family time! Here are some pictures from our fun weekend...

Building our snowman

Daddy, Dylan, Savannah & our snowman

Savannah making snow angels

Dylan enjoying his FIRST time in the snow

Of course he had to taste it!

Going up the hill to sled... with Yvette.

She LOVED the snow and chased the kids all over!

On your mark. Get set...

Dylan & Mommy

Taking a break at the tubing hill

Ready to go tubing!

At the end of a long day in the cold snow, all Dylan wanted

was a hot bath and a drink of "Daddy's jupe"

Soccer Stars

2010-02-23T15:00:00.000-08:00

We started soccer 2 weekends ago-- even Dylan gets to play this year! It is a pretty informal program through the parks & rec department, but the kids have fun. Dylan loves the idea of kicking the ball, but about half way through the class he would much rather go play in the park!

Savannah is definitely more into it. I think it may have to do with the fact that we got to go shopping for shin guards and cleats-- both of which are pink :) Once again... she is the only girl! But she doesn't mind one bit since her best buddy Joey is in her class!

The 5th Wiggle...

2010-02-23T14:10:00.001-08:00

"Big Red Car"

"Rock-a-bye Your Bear"

Dylan's 1st Day of Preschool

2010-01-12T08:39:00.000-08:00

We just dropped Dylan off at his 1st day of preschool-- I am still wiping my tears! Savannah's preschool has a great 2 year old program and they agreed to take Dylan mid-year. We've been talking about it a lot lately and he was so excited to go to school with his big sister this morning. He ran right in and started playing. He happily told us good-bye and didn't mind one bit that we were leaving. As we were walking out the door, Savannah could see that I was sad and said, "Don't worry Mommy, I will take care of him." They are both growing up way too quick!

Pre-school- party of two?!

I had such a hard time getting a good picture of him because all he

wanted to do was drag his Thomas backpack around.

Happy 2nd Birthday Dylan!

2010-01-10T22:05:00.000-08:00

Today my sweet baby boy turned two!!! We celebrated with a party at PB&J's with lots of friends-- AND Pommy even surprised us by making a last minute trip up for the party. I can't believe my baby isn't a baby anymore-- he is growing up so fast! Here are some pictures from the party...

Dylan, Savannah and some of their buddies

Dylan & Dylan

Getting ready to blow out the candles

Yummy!

Maybe I will try a fork now...

Some Fun Pictures from the Last Few Weeks...

2010-01-04T21:38:00.000-08:00

Playing Jack in the Box

Dylan and his new ATV from the Israels

Savannah (in make-up) & Hailey

Dylan stomping on the trash for Daddy on Xmas morning

Our super spoiled dog :)