A girl can be proud, right?

So I have to brag for a moment. I might get in trouble for this but I am going to be a rebel and do it anyway. I have to brag not about my incredibly brave, good looking, always obedient, uber smart....the list goes on and on......children. This post is for bragging about my amazing manly man of a husband. This is a picture of Charles with a few friends riding around Lake Tahoe. Yes the whole lake! Not only do I deem that an amazing feat in itself BUT he did it riding a bike that is a hand- me-down, honestly older than he is, weighs more than he is bike. When he goes riding with friends they commonly refer to this as the "cash register" because it makes so much noise when it shifts gears. As if that were not enough he has had to revise this bike and make it a SINGLE speed bike people just to get it to go! Single speed I say. You know those mountains that surround Lake Tahoe? Yes those. Well he went up and down those on pure manly man strength. No help from any sissy gears. Who needs gears? I do believe that he earned some serious man respect among the ranks when he showed up with that thing. Luckily he finished just in time to get back to help me take Brigham to Urgent care. ( I know that I am probably so busted for posting this and that Charles may come in right behind me and delete it so read fast people because this may be gone in a minute)



Charles took some of the kids on a bike ride back to the scene of the crime of Brigham's accident and this time they made it all the way down to the water. These are not all my children. Lauren and Jason Hall were with us also.

Boy + Bike = Urgent Care

Well here is a picture that a few people have been waiting for. We went camping up at Sugar Pine Point in Lake Tahoe. It was beautiful as always. However within 24 hours of being there we were frantically driving around the lake trying to find an Urgent Care Center. Brigham had gone on a bike ride with Grandma and Grandpa and a few other kids. Charles was on a bike ride around Lake Tahoe with some friends and so I was just waiting back at camp with the little ones for all my biker family to return. Charles got back from his ride and with in 10 minutes of his arrival Grandma was bringing Brigham back with her. He was holding something up to his mouth and she told us that he had had an accident on his bike. He was such a trooper and got back up on his bike and rode back about a mile and a half and did not cry until he saw his dad. His lip and mouth were really bloody and we decided that we should find a place to have him looked at. Our friends were also in Tahoe for a family reunion and they have a brother in law that is an ER doctor. I debated on calling them but I did not want to bother them on their vacation. So off we went to find a doctor. When we went to the ranger station the girl had NO IDEA where to send us and just handed us a phone book to look it up. No good. We called 411 on our cell phone and they were unable to give us anything close. We said a prayer in the car along the way and soon after we passed a fire station that actually had a fireman standing outside. What luck. No- not luck - answer to a prayer. She told us some rough directions how to get to an Urgent Care that was about 5 miles away. When we got where we thought that she told us to go we were still lost. Guess what? Another fire station with more firemen out front. We were able to get better directions and they even stopped traffic so we could get back on the busy highway. Once we were there we had a short wait where we had the nicest nurse, who had all boys and reassured Brigham that everything was going to be ok but that he was going to need to get stitches. He was very nervous at that point but she was great with him and really helped calm his fears. Then we had a great young lady doctor who stitched him up something great! She was very calming and complimented him on his bravery. She said that she has had grown men not do as well and she was serious. 6 stitches, 2 lost teeth, 2 screwed up front permanent teeth, 2 bottle of Motrin, 1 bottle of Tylenol, countless straws and $400.00 later we had a cleaned up Brigham who showed how brave he could be and was such a good sport to still go to the beach with us and tried so hard not to ruin our family vacation. He was such a trooper. Here is his picture about 24 hours later. He kept telling us not to take anymore picture picture of him. He could not even stand to look at himself in the mirror for a while until the swelling went down. After we got back from camping he was still down and out on the couch. That was ok because I joined him there for a few days coming down with strep throat the day after we got back from camping. All in all it was really a fun trip despite the bear getting all the way in to the cab of the truck for a brownie bite, 4 of my 5 kids sick (on Motrin,Tylenol or Robitussin), and raining ash over our entire camp for the last 2 days from all the fires, but seriously it was FUN! That is what makes life interesting. It would be so boring if everything always went smoothly.

If I gave you a million dollars....

If I told you that I would give you a million dollars if you could identify these VERY well known icons do you think that you could do it? Easy you say? I say not. For if you answered Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse, and Piglet then you would be wrong dead wrong! For what I did not tell you was that we were talking about reality according to Hudson. IF you knew this little piece of information you would have clearly guessed these guys: Alvin, Simon and Theodore! For the past 2 weeks we have had these little guys traveling everywhere we go. And I mean everywhere. I am constantly hearing the humming of the Chipmunk theme song. Never mind the fact that just 2 weeks ago these little ones were the Wonderpets. But we have SO moved on from that. Have I mentioned that my child goes OCD on stuff like this? Let just say that this is how last night went:
I was on the computer finishing up some stuff and he ahas already been tucked into bed which really means nothing in his world because there are always 10 more trips out of his room after that.
He walk up to me and bows his head and folds his arms and starts praying.
Mom: Did you want to say your prayers again?
Hudson: yeah
Mom: Ok sit here and we can say them together.
Well he did not need any help. He knew exactly what he wanted to say.
Hudson (in his Little mouse tiny whisper of a voice that he always uses to say prayers): Heavenly Father, thank you for this day. Please bless I say "Mom Can I have the Alvin and the chipmunks movie" and mom says ok Hudson you can have the movie. In the name of Jesus Christ Amen.

One track mind I tell you. ONE TRACK! Funny enough he was out again 5 minutes sitting on Charles' lap doing the exact same thing and repeating the EXACT same prayer verbatim! Did I say one track mind? Yes ONE TRACK!

Rescuing Tweety Bird

I feel like a bird hero. Ok - not me but my Brooklyn. The other day her cousin Haley was here visiting and we had lost a huge branch off of one of our white peach trees. (We lost it because it was so heavy full of too many peaches) Since it has just fallen Charles told the girls to go and see if there were any peaches that were ripe on the branch and to pick them. When the girls went out this is what they found. A little baby bird that was still in it's nest attached to the fallen branch. The bird would not move out of the nest. They were very worried about the little bird and they came in to get some gloves so they could help the bird out. Well it turns out that the reason that the poor little bird did not get out was because it was stuck. REALLY STUCK! Like forever entwined in that nest of his and had been for some time. His little foot had been entangled in the hair and string that momma bird had used to make the nest. We could tell that it had been a while because his foot had become mis-shapened from it. It was a different color than the other one and was turning the wrong way and gnarly. Brooklyn remembered that last night a friend of ours had to call "the bird lady" to ask about some baby turkey chicks on her property - oh the fun of living out in the country - and so Brooklyn called to get her number. What luck for us since I would not have know what to do or that there was a "bird lady" had our friend not told us that story the night before! Divine intervention I say. Anyway...we talked to the bird lady, learned a lot of interesting facts about birds over the phone, and we were told that we needed to bring her the bird immediately. Charles was super busy, being the Saturday farmer that he is, and was not about to take the time to run this bird in Auburn to the bird lady. Enters Grandma: the bird hero. She was willing to take the girls up to have help complete their bird rescuing mission and deliver Tweety Bird to the "Bird Lady". Tweeety will probably live the rest of his life there in her sanctuary and might have to have his little foot amputated! But at least he is alive. Great job Haley and Brooklyn!

Berry De-lish-ious!

Michelle took the kids out to pick berries along our driveway. She gave each of the kids a big red cup and when they all combined their efforts this is what it yielded! They were so sweet and amazing. That night we made a fresh black berry cobbler. Our course we had to use our favorite recipe of Jennie's. We even froze the rest and took them camping with us. We made this same cobbler in the dutch oven. Although with this thief around it is astonishing that we had any left!



Jennie's Berry Cobbler

2 cups of sugar (divided into 1 cup each)
1 cup butter
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
dash of salt
4 cups of frozen berries (boysenberries or marionberries are best)

Cream 1 cup of sugar and butter together. Add milk and then all the dry ingredients. Mix well. Pour into butter 9x13 pan and top with berries. Then pour 1 cup of sugar over the top of the berries. Next pour 2 cups of boiling water over the top of everything. Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees.

Frog catchin'

I told you that the Call kids were enjoying country life. Here is the frog that Isabelle found and then released back into "the wild". As you can see by the dirty fingernails there was a lot of playing outside. I think that it took a couple of days before Michelle got used to how dirty the kids would get. I gave up a while ago worrying about the damage to the clothes, the dirty little fingernails and toes, and whether they smelled spify anymore. Don't get me wrong....they still have to brush their teeth, wash their hands after going to the bathroom, and get nice and smelly clean for church on Sunday but other than that they are having fun just being kids!

And we are back!

So I have good reason for being "off-line" for a few weeks. The last month has been full of change and craziness her at the Davis Family Farm. I am planning on posting something new everyday so for all of you loyal readers ( all 2 of you) check back daily to get caught up with us. One of the highlights that began our summer was some serious cousin time. My brother Anson and his wife Michelle and their 4 sweet kids moved in with us until they could decide where they would be living permanently here in California. We had so much fun with them here. Brigham finally had a boy cousin, Kaden, to play with and boy did they play. There was a lot of Star Wars, Lego building, and lots of secret attacks on the girls. They were inseparable. The girls on the other hand were so wrapped up in Polly Pockets, playing dress up and putting on makeup that I am not sure that they ever quite noticed those pesky boys. I think that the Call kids did enjoy the country life while they were here. Charles finished our chicken coop and so the kids would regularly check on the chickens and let them out.
Calina and Rexton were still trying to get used to the bird flying around and even landing on their heads.

Brigham and Emmelyne, who now deem themselves " chicken experts" were showing Kaden the ropes. Yes - my kids hung out in their bathing suits most of the time that the cousins were here.



Rexton likes petting them in a controlled environment.



Well the cousins have now left and I can not tell you how sad my kids were. It did make the transition easier because they moved out while we were camping in Tahoe ( that is a whole other post) so I think that it made it a little easier. I have to say that I miss cooking dinner with 9 kids running around the kitchen asking ,
"When dinner is going to be ready? "
" Can I have another drink?"
"Can we swim right now?"
" Can I eat with Aunt Michelle - I like what they are having better."
" Can we just have otter pops until dinner is ready?"
I miss cooking my breakfast, lunch and dinner in the same kitchen with Michelle and watching what yummy creation she is going to come up with.
I miss going through a million cups everyday.
I miss having our 11:00pm meetings around the dinner table with Anson and Michelle.

We know that they are excited to be in their house in Folsom and we are glad that they are now sooooo much closer. We will just have to figure out how to get along with out everyone living here.