Oops, I did it again...again.

Okay, that's it.  NO more going back to Utah for me until someone has a 7 (or less) step program to cure my habit I have acquired!  It seems every time we go back to Utah, I end up doing the same thing, and I'm not sure we can keep up with it!

So, you remember back in September how we went to Utah and we came home with Little Louie?  And then do you remember how about a month later I announced that we had sold Louie because of what our future held? (Plus, if we're being honest, he was too much work for me!)

Well, I kind of went ahead and forced talked with Marty and we agreed to give the dog thing another go.

What the what?  AGAIN??

I know, we're nuts, aren't we?

So here's the dealio.  After we sold Louie, I was very relieved.  As cute and sweet as he was, he scared the girls to death with all his jumping, whining, barking, biting - you know, being a puppy.  And no matter how many times I told the girls he was just a puppy, and that's what puppies do, they just couldn't deal with it.  So that meant I was playing referee all. the. time.

As time went on...like sand through the hourglass...I started to realize that for the (almost) 7 years Marty and I have been married, we've always kind of lived our lives on hold, waiting in limbo for "something else to happen".  We're always in an apartment where we can't make decisions, or we're finally living in a house on a base BUT we won't be there for long, or we're in a house on another base BUT Marty will deploy and then I'll be alone.  Blah, blah, blah, other people's opinions/restrictions seem to always be standing in our way.  And really, it's annoying.

So I said to Marty, "You know what?  How about if we just live our lives how we want and not continue living in limbo."  (Okay, so I may have really said, "You know what, screw what people think, let's just do whatever the heck we want.")

Except this time, we were a little smarter about getting a dog.

We already know a puppy is NOT for us...too much work!  So I was on the hunt for a little bit older dog that we could adopt that was already potty trained and over the whining and chewing phases.

OH. MY. GOSH.  We found the PERFECT dog. 

I am not even kidding...seriously, I'm pretty sure you'd be jealous of how freaking amazing she is!

So, our new little addition to the family is a 3 year old Shih Tzu named Lizzy.

She's potty trained, fixed, had all her shots, been micro-chipped, is GREAT with kids...I mean seriously.  AMAZING!  

She has one blue eye (which we're pretty sure she's blind in...the owner wasn't positive) and is so chill it's just kind of crazy.  

 She doesn't care that the girls drag/carry her around everywhere, they hold her and love her and pet her and she just soaks it all in.  She just wants to be where we are but doesn't demand attention.  We are all totally in love with her. 

But I will make a promise to you all...next time I go to Utah, I will NOT bring home another dog.  

Pinky Promise.

Lizzy is here to stay.

Happy New Year! (A little late)

I'm not too late to jump on the "Happy New Year" bandwagon, am I?

Well good...because here I come with my trampoline! (Get it...jump...on the bandw...oh, never mind.)

So, this year I've been contemplating what on earth I could possibly do to improve on the perfection that I call myself.  

Needless to say, coming up with a resolution has been tricky!

Of course there are the standard "be less chubby" and "make a million dollars" (or win a million dollars, I am not really picky as to how that money comes into my life).  But I realized I needed something I could easily attain...because I'm a little too fond of the good old drive through.

So, after some deep contemplation during a little "snowball fight protection wall" building with my kids, I came to a conclusion as to what my resolution would be.  

Play More, Worry Less.

That's it.  I think it's totally doable.

While it sounds like a bit of a cop-out resolution, it really is something I need to work on.  I've realized in the last year or so I've become much more serious and have worried a lot more than I should about things I cannot fix and/or change.  Life is too short to be worrying about the kids getting a little water paint on the table, or to worry about all the shreds of paper you're going to have to clean up when you decide to make paper snowmen with them. 

So, here we go.  Time for the FUN Camille to reemerge.

(Assuming that's what I was previous to serious Camille.)

So here's to a FUN, PLAYFUL, WORRY-FREE year!

Christmas Fun

This year was our first Christmas away from Utah...and we all survived.  

I know, shocking.  

We weren't sure it was possible.  

Now I won't go so far as to say we were all overly joyful during the holiday's...some of us experienced a little less joy than others, but we did have a good time.  

So, here are some pictures of our holiday activities.

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Addison is one crazy kid.  This isn't really all that Christmas related...but the picture was taken in the last week or so.  :)

Making gingerbread houses two days before Christmas

Christmas Eve Pajamas (minus Addison who went to bed before we got the other two girls ready in their pajamas for a picture.) Brielle was SO excited and shocked that they even make feetie pajamas for kids her size.  She wants to wear them every night.

Christmas Morning:

This picture is blurry, but SO funny.  Marty "looks femmy" with the wrapping paper (his words) and Addison's face is hilarious.

Digging into presents (I never managed to get all three kids together at once.)

Addison got a Cozy Coupe and chooses to sit in it ALL THE TIME.

And the BIG surprise that waited until after breakfast to be revealed Christmas morning...

A Trampoline!  The kids are LOVING it.  We still need to put the safety enclosure up...but Santa got a little tired Christmas Eve since it was raining and freezing and dark while setting it up, so he kindly left us the enclosure to do another time.

The next day was FREEZING and rainy, but nothing can keep the girls from jumping

(The picture is a little blurry again, but I love Claire's pose.)

So there you have it.  Here's to hoping that 2011 brings some miracles, JOY and good memories.

Merry Christmas!

Here is our 2010 Christmas Letter.  

We hope you all have a WONDERFUL Christmas...just TWO DAYS!!!

Dear Friends and Family -

Once again, we find ourselves at the end of a year wondering how in the world we got here!  We are so grateful for the lessons we have learned and the experiences we have had.  This year we started with a freak snowstorm in Texas, and have ended with a freak snowstorm in Washington state.  We have had anything but a dull year.  

Marty - Finished his Biomedical Technician training in June, graduating as the top army student. Of course, if anybody has ever held a conversation with an Army enlisted they know that isn't too big of an accomplishment. He continues his job fixing hospital equipment and learning what all the Army acronyms mean. We are very proud of Marty for surviving a horrible BYU football season and still managing to crack a smile once in a while. 

Camille - Is busy just being the all-around best wife and mother. She was able to adapt from having a husband in training to having a husband in the operational Army and moving her family across country…again.  Let's just say schedules are anything but concrete.  Some of her pastimes are playing piano, blogging, and trying to fool the baggers at the Commissary into believing she is an officer's wife by tipping more than fifty cents and using full sentences.

Brielle (5) - Is enjoying being a standout Kindergarten student, just as her father was at her age. She has been earning  achievement tickets for good behavior and listening every day.  When we asked her if she could be as well behaved and listen as well at home, she informed us "I'm not good at school because I want to be, I'm only good at school because I want tickets!"  She has high aspirations of being a drama queen when she grows up and is well on her way to her goal. 

Claire (3) - She might be Batman. We can't be sure, because we sleep at night when she is supposedly out fighting crime. She tells us all the stories about it so it must be true. She continues to be a laugh a minute even if she doesn't want you to laugh at her. Claire has yet to learn the art of an "inside voice" and has only two levels of speaking…silence and 90 decibels.  And while she couldn't carry a tune in a bucket, she sings with extreme enthusiasm whenever she has a chance. 

Addison (1) - When this kid isn't stuffing another roll in her mouth, she is getting calls from the airfield to quiet down. Apparently they can't hear the jets over her screaming. Her smile is contagious, thanks to a hillbilly assortment of teeth. That is no surprise, she was born in Wichita Falls. She is starting to take her first steps which means we'll soon find her trying to steal the car. She loves to hug everything, she just likes to maim it first.

We hope this letter finds you all in good spirits, and that you may all remember the true meaning of Christmas…to eat lots of chocolate and not feel guilty about it.   Oh wait, that's the true meaning of every other day.

In all reality, we hope the spirit of Christmas will be in all of your homes and that you will feel of the Savior's love and recognize the great sacrifice he made in our behalf.

Merry Christmas!

Love - The Davis Platoon