BIG Changes!

There are some BIG changes happening in the Davenport household...

I GOT A NEW JOB!!!




I am SUPER excited because it's in LEBANON! I'll only be 5 minutes away from my little man, and I'll get to attend his Mother's Day Out programs. Not to mention the fact that I'll be closer to all my family and friends. Oh, and of course, NO TRAFFIC!!



I feel the stress leaving my body as I type this... :)

It's been a tough and emotional decision though. I've been at my current job for 5 years-straight out of college. When you see the same people 5 days a week for 5 years, they become like family. I love the people I work with (mostly-haha), and I've definitely been blessed with a lot of great perks over the years (massages, bonuses, etc.). But, in the end, I know this is the right decision. The drive was getting to me, and with Jeffrey working the amount of hours he's working, I didn't need to be working 40 hours a week 45 minutes away.

I truly feel like this is what the Lord has been preparing us for over the past year. If Jeffrey hadn't been working what he has, there's no way we could afford for me to do this. But God had a plan, and it's been amazing to see it come to reality! :)

National Night Out

Hey everybody! Ok, if you're like me, you're always looking for fun (and FREE) stuff to do for the entire family. Well, I have a suggestion for you:

NATIONAL NIGHT OUT!

It's tomorrow night at the Don Fox park. There's going to be stuff for everybody to enjoy-especially the kiddos! It runs for 4 hours, so that's plenty of time to just stop by and check it out. Hope to see you all there! :)

A Special Visit

Yes, I realize I haven't posted in a week and a half. Forgive me friends. :(

Last week was WONDERFUL! My Uncle David (my dad's brother) was in town visiting from Florida. I love this man so very much and am always over the moon when I get to see him-which isn't often enough! He has always been, and continues to be, so good to me and my family. He loves Courtney and me as if we were his own, and the same can be said for Jeffrey and Levi. He made a promise to my dad 22 years ago that he would watch out for my mom, Courtney and me. Let me tell you, he is fullfilling that promise! :)

I pretty much put life on hold when Uncle David is in town so that we can spend as much time together as possible. This visit was no exception! Jeffrey, Levi and I went to pick him up from the airport Friday night. I loved seeing his face when he walked out and spotted us. And oh boy did he light up when he saw Levi and his sign. :)

We had him over Monday night for dinner with all of us. We had such a good time just being together and catching up. He spent the night that night, and after Mom and Courtney left, and my boys were asleep, we stayed up and talked about any and everything. He is not just my uncle, but he's also a wonderful friend. I love our times together like that. :)

This one was for Mom-she always complains that all of our pictures are just of us and our "heads together" :)

That night, we were telling Uncle David about the Art Mill, and he said he would love to do something like that! So, later that week, that's what we did! We painted a beautiful flower, and even though they were the same thing, they all ended up looking so different-and good! :) He had a great time and is even going to try and find a place like that closer to home.

The beginning...

Artists at work!

Finished projects!

He was leaving on Friday afternoon, so Thursday night, Jeffrey, Levi and I went over to my Aunt's to say goodbye. Oh I just love to see Uncle David and Levi play together.

It's such a bittersweet feeling for me. It makes me so happy but also sad to know that my Dad can't be the one playing with him. I can only imagine how I would feel witnessing that! I know my uncle has the same type of thoughts. But you know what, it makes me even MORE grateful for Uncle David and the relationship we have together. I hate that he doesn't live closer, but I appreciate the time we do get together. Hopefully, our next time together will be spent at his place and not mine! :)

What's Peeving Me Wednesday

Ok, I realize it's supposed to be "What I'm Loving Wednesday", but my mood has taken me in a different direction. :)

Today, I wish to share with you some deep profound thoughts I like to call my:

PET PEEVES!

*Be warned, these are very serious and should be taken as such.*

*Be warned again, the above statement is highly sarcastic. :)*

1: When a man's tie does not reach his belt. (See, very serious stuff here.)

2: When someone calls you to tell you they just left you a voicemail. (Hmm...cuz I can't see that on my phone?)

3: Bugs splattering on my windshield directly in my line of sight.

4: Pop-ups.

5: When people don't blog. (Don't you know I have nothing better to do than stalk my blogger dashboard waiting for new blog posts?) :)

6: People who walk down the center of the aisle in a parking lot. (Yes, my sister posted about this the other day, but I just encountered it yesterday myself.) Argh!

7: Facebook games and requests to participate (sorry Farmville users). I just don't need any more excuses to be on Facebook. :)

8: Boxers left on the bathroom floor. (Ahem, husband!)

9: Does 100 degree weather count as a pet peeve? I think so!

10: The fact that there is a chocolate chip cookie in the kitchen, but I am not in the kitchen. :)

Now, I'm sure you all feel so fullfilled knowing these things about me. I'd love to hear some of your "pet peeves".

Happy Wednesday!! :)

17 Months

I know I say this every time, but I can not believe my little boy will be a year and half next month! To say "time is flying" is an understatement! I feel like I can see him grow up a little bit more each and every day. It's amazing to me to watch what he learns and then see him act those things out. He's like a little sponge! :) I have to say this past month comes in pretty close as my favorite month with him (the 5th month is my other favorite). I can't put my finger on it exactly, but he's just become a little person over the last few weeks! I know that sounds weird, but he's not a baby any more. He's talking, running, climbing, dancing, cleaning, helping, loving, etc. And he is an absolute BLAST to be around! I love to just sit and watch him play. His mind is always working, and it's usually thinking "what can I get in to?". Haha.

So, what is Levi up to now? Well, at 17 months Levi is...

Picking his nose... :)

Not afraid to touch anything...

Throwing EVERYthing...

• Weighing in at 28.6lbs and measuring 33 3/4 in long!
• Climbing any and every thing
• Shimmying to music (still trying to catch this one on video)
• Telling people to "shh" (again, must catch on video) during church or when you turn out the lights
• Saying "hop" for rabbit and has just recently started "hopping" too (can't quite get his feet off the ground yet)
• Walking down steps by himself (with mom's hand VERY close by)
• Drinking out of regular cups (without getting it everywhere) and especially enjoys Tervis Tumblers :)
• Bringing us things he knows he's not supposed to have
• Climbing out of the bathtub-the GARDEN tub!
• Back to normal eating-thank goodness!
• Being good in church and restaurants
• Finally shaking his head yes! Jeffrey worked on this with him one night when I wasn't home, so the first time I saw him do it was in response to "Do you love Mommy?". Heart=melted!

And finally, Levi is...

Continuing to be the love and light of our lives!

I Am Oz

You ever wonder what makes people "toot their own horns"? You know what I mean...those that talk about how great they are at "fill in the blank". Or those that talk about how much they love something or somebody that it makes you wonder who they're trying to convince?

It reminds me of the great and powerful Oz in The Wizard of Oz. Here this guy is hiding behind smoke, lights and mirrors, talking about his greatness. Turns out, he's insecure and unsure just like the rest of them (and us)!



I am a Christian. I love God. You will hear me reference God, prayer, the Bible or church in converstations. You will not hear me saying "God" or "Jesus" every 2 seconds. You will not see "God" or "Jesus" in every post on Facebook. You will not see me wearing a t-shirt that says "I am a Christian". Why? It is my desire that you see Christ in my actions. That you hear Christ in my words. I want it to be obvious by my life that I love God and strive every day for a home with Him in heaven.

I am a Mother. I love my son, and I love being a mother. You will hear me talk about Levi or refer to him in conversations. You will not hear me gushing about how perfect he is or how wonderful of a mother I am. You will not hear me say "I love him" every 2 seconds. I want you to see that though! I want you to see it on my face when I do talk about him. I want you to feel it when you see us together. I want him to know that I love him and think he is wonderful, not just by my words, but also by my actions.

Why am I saying all of this? Sometimes, I hear people gushing about God or their children, and it makes me reflect on my own life. Do I talk about them enough? Do I say "God", "Christ", or "Levi" enough? And then, I realize that I don't have to. I am confident in my relationship with God for the first time in months. I am sure that my son loves me when he hugs my neck every night. I feel like people hide behind their words sometimes. Perhaps they feel like if they say it enough, others (and maybe even themselves) will perceive it as the truth. It is not always necessary, or good, to stand on the mountaintops and shout your greatness. Humility is a precious personality trait, and God rewards us for it as stated in Matthew 5:3, "Blessed are the humble, for they shall inherit the Kingdom of Heaven".

So my goal: Be proud of who I am. Be proud of my God and my son. Be proud of my spritual life and my motherhood. Be proud, but be humble. :)

Date Night

Tuesday night was supposed to be my Girlfriends Bible Group meeting. However, it got cancelled (sad) so I was left with a free night. I immediately called my wonderful mother and asked her to keep Levi so Jeffrey and I could go out on a date. A what? A date? Is that even a word? I feel like I haven't spent quality time with him since our anniversary in May! Anyways, she agreed, and the plans were made!

We saw "Horrible Bosses" in Mt. Juliet (thanks to my boss, we had free tickets). :) I have to say, it was pretty darn funny. However, they went way overboard with the bad language. I hate when movies do that-just ruins it for me! Maybe if they had an edited version...yeah, don't see that one happening. We laughed a lot though, so I consider it a success!

After that was "dinner" at Marble Slab. Lol. I got a red velvet cake milkshake, and man was it fabulous! I mean, look at this thing:



Red velvet ice cream, chocolate cake and white chocolate chips! YUMMMMMY! :)

We headed to get Levi after that because I hadn't seen him all day. On the way home, Jeffrey said it felt like back before we were married and went out on a regular basis. That made my heart smile! It's nice to know we can still act like we did while dating. :)

I do have to tell you a funny story...Driving back, this car of 3 guys pulls up beside us. We had the windows down, and I guess the sun was blinding them or something, because they start hollaring and grinning at me. Yeah, um doofus, see the man beside me? Now, they were all of 17 years old, so I just found it amusing. My husband, however, did not. He got MAD! I mean, MAD! I have to admit, it was kind of funny. My laughter did not help him. After I stopped laughing, I realized the sweetness of it all. (Yeah, I know that sounds weird.) But seriously, it made me feel good to know my hubby still gets posessive of me (but not in a psycho way). :)

Anywho, for those married folk out there (especially with children), I want to encourage you to go on date nights. Make time for yourselves. It is more than worth it. And hey, I'll be happy to babysit! ;)

Fiddlin, Fishin and Fireworks!

For the 4th of July weekend, we rented a cabin on Center Hill at the Sligo Marina. Me, Mom, Courtney and Levi went up Friday afternoon, and Jeffrey got to come up Sunday and Monday. We had an AMAZING time! It was so nice (especially after a week of sickness) to get away and just relax with family. Unfortunately, Levi got sick Saturday night. :( I was so glad to have Mom and Court help so I could be with him. But...he was better the next morning, so we stayed and enjoyed the rest of our time together!

*WARNING: There are a LOT of pictures in this post!* :)

Friday consisted of getting to the cabin, playing with homemade bubbles, going to the Smithville Jamboree and a very longggg trip to Wal-mart. If you've never been to the Jamboree, I highly recommend it! We're already making plans to go back next year. It is like they took my favorite parts (food, exhibits, music) of the Wilson County fair and took out all the other stuff (rides, games, thugs, etc.)! I loved all the booths of handmade and local goodies, not to mention the delicious "fair" food! (Yes, I ate fried chicken on a stick! Yum!). :) They also had contests for everything from fiddlers to square dancers. It was so much fun! In fact, we had such a good time (and missed so much) that we went back Saturday night too! :)

I do have a Levi story to tell (of course). :) They had a "train/trolley" for the kids/big kids to ride. I wasn't sure what Levi would do since he'd skipped a nap, but we went for it. He seemed to just take all the sights in. Every once in a while, he'd smile, but he mostly just observed everything. I had my arm around the back of him so that my hand was on the outside part of the cart. About halfway through the ride, he looks over to my hand, takes it and puts it on his side, then pats it while smiling up at me. He didn't let me move it the rest of the time! I have to say that goes down as one of my favorite moments of his life so far. :)

We were supposed to have a boat Saturday, but it didn't work out, so we hung out on a houseboat at the dock (thank goodness for Courtney's friends, Sierra and Luna). :) We swam a little bit, laid out a little bit, but mostly chased Levi with his water gun. He made a fast friend when Sierra filled it up for him. :)

Dancing with Aunt Cece



He stayed like this for almost 3 hours!

After a nap and some fishing, we headed back to the Jamboree! We got to see some amazing performers, and I racked up on some Christmas gifts! :) The dreaded "throw up incident of 2011" happened when we got home that night. For those with weaker stomachs, I won't go into detail. Let's just say I didn't know a toddler, or anybody for that matter, could throw up that much. Yeah, not fun. Poor little baby. :( I think I slept 2 minutes that night just praying he didn't do it again.

Oh joy, the nose-picking stage...

We took it easy Sunday, keeping a close eye on little man. He never got sick again and was back to his usual self, so we headed out for some swimming! Jeffrey arrived that afternoon so we all went fishing before heading back tot he cabin for dinner and fireworks. The fireworks were great, but I was more amazed at the amount of boats and people! The marina was covered! Thankfully, we had a perfect view from our porch, so we didn't have to fight a crowd anywhere.

Testing the water

He loved his little chair!

My little fishing man :)

LOVE this picture!

Wasn't bothered at all by the worms. :)

We went swimming and fishing again on Monday (see a theme here?) before Jeffrey and I headed back home with little man later that day.

This picture cracks me up for some reason. :)

We are some fishin ladies!

I love spending time with my family, and to do it at the lake with fishing makes it even better! We all had such a good time, and I can't wait to go back next year! :)

We went over to Jeffrey's parents that night for a bit so they could see him. They got down an old wooden truck of Jeffrey's, and Levi loved it. :)

Helping Nana clean it up!

They had some poppers and a bottle rocket for Levi, and his reaction was more than I could've ever hoped for or imagined... :)

As you can see, he liked Poppa making the "motion of throwing" as much as he liked the actual throwing of the poppers! :)

Love hearing him say "wow"! :)

Overall, I'd say we had a pretty fabulous holiday weekend! So thankful we all got better to be able to enjoy it! :)