Happy Birthday Greg!

We celebrated Greg's birthday today. We enjoyed showering him with love, gifts and good eats!

Lunch at Five Guys! Greg's Request. Sounds familiar...!

Hazelnut Crunch Cake with Mascarpone and Chocolate!

A week of FIRSTS!

Monday was our official first day of Home School. Gabby started 1st grade, Matthew will be working his way through Pre-K and Alex is playing along. We had a fun and productive first day. We had a wonderful year last year. Gabby did so well! She was really looking forward to starting 1st grade. Matthew was also really excited about doing more this year. So far he looks forward to school with Mommy, which is such a joy to me. I have captured some moments from our first day. All three kiddos are drawing pictures of their first day of school. We pray that our attitudes and hearts will remain positive and most importantly focused on Christ as we embark on another school year.



Another first...

Gabby and Matthew love to play and ride scooters and bikes out doors. Matthew has been asking us to put the training wheels back on Gabby's bike so he could ride. We told him if he wants to ride a bike he will have to learn how to ride the two wheeler. So, both Greg and I tried on numerous occasions and it just didn't stick.

We noticed one afternoon while the kids were playing on the drive way that Gabby would hold the bike and help Matthew balance while he attempted to maneuver the two wheeler. She was patient and always encouraging him. This was happening each time they would play outside. Greg jokingly said, "wouldn't it be funny if Gabby taught Matthew how to ride a bike?!" Well, it happened! I went out front this afternoon and to my surprise found Matthew riding Gabby's pink two wheeler in a circle on the driveway. I let Matthew go onto our block and ride around and Gabby ran beside him the whole way. I think he went around the circle about 6 times.

A huge smile is on my face now as I remember how sweet that moment was. The fact that our 6 year old taught her younger brother, who is 4 years old, how to ride a bike. The patience she had with Matthew and the constant encouragement she showered him with, has me overjoyed. Matthew would continuously laugh off all his falls and run ins with the shrubs like it was some kind of game, BOYS! He showed a lot of patience and perseverance as well. You can't teach this stuff. I am so thankful I was able to witness this moment in their lives.

A celebratory dinner at Sneakers!

Bon Appetite!

This post may seem out of sorts based upon my other posts which are typically about family. But I believe this is about family...how I feed my family. This past week I tried all new recipes from Everyday Food. I love their magazine, cookbook and PBS show. I was able to get pictures of some of the dishes that I thought were so colorful and they tasted as good as they looked.

Shrimp and Tomatoes over Soft Polenta was delicious! Shrimp is a favorite around here. One tip, make double of the Polenta and pour it into a loaf pan and refrigerate. Use it later in the week for Broiled Polenta with Mushroom Ragout. Yum-O! Thanks Rachel Ray for that expression!

This evening we tried Roasted Cod with Potatoes and Olives. It was a hit! We devoured it all. Even the kids enjoyed the fish just as much as Greg and I. The blend of potatoes, olives, tomatoes and garlic was divine. Paired with a delightful white wine, it was a wonderful celebration of food and family.

I enjoy trying new recipes and I hope this post has inspired you to do the same. Happy Cooking!

Bon Appetite!

Nathan!

We have a new nephew and cousin to welcome to the family.

Nathan Kelly
Born August 17, 2009
@ 3:31 pm
8 pounds 11 ounces & 20 inches long

Congratulations to Chris, Mellany and Carly!

Thank you all for your prayers for Mellany and Nathan. Mellany and Nathan are doing great and are being showered with lots of love from all the family down south. The Davis' look forward to meeting him real soon.

Alex

Today I took Alex to the Dr. because of a runny nose that he has had for two weeks and a cough that developed in the last couple of days. Due to Alex's history of ear infections they got us in at 10am. Thankfully, his ears were clear but the PA heard wheezing. She wanted Alex to do an oxygen check and an Albuterol breathing treatment in the office. Alex did great and the treatment helped the wheezing. But he had to do a second treatment in the office because his oxygen levels were not high enough. So, Alex did it a second time and did great. Two hours later we headed to pick up his prescription and the nebulizer was delivered to our home earlier this evening. Here are pictures of Alex doing his first treatment at home. We got a cute little penguin nebulizer and it came with an adorable elephant face mask. Alex wanted no part of that elephant. He got upset and would only do the treatment with the mouth piece. We need to continue this every 4 hours as needed. We go back on Tuesday for a recheck. We are very thankful that Alex has been handling all of this so well.

"Pedro" the Penguin and Alex

Busch Gardens

Gabby & Greg

Earlier this month we all went to Busch Gardens in Tampa. We were celebrating our successful completion of the first year of Homeschooling. This was Gabby & Mommy's reward for a job well done. Gabby chose the theme park and we all had a great time. Gabby experienced her first roller coaster ride with her Daddy. She had a blast! The boys enjoyed the more appropriate kiddie rides and seeing the animals. We wanted to share some of our moments with all of you. Enjoy!