Snow in Seattle!

Merry Christmas from Seattle!

We have settled in for a long Christmas day rest after a lot of excitement this morning. In spite of all of the help from Mom and Dad, along with a ton of work prior to the move on Amy's part - we were still up until the wee hours wrapping and arranging things under the tree. The unwrapping started in an orderly fashion, but with Hope leading the way it soon broke into a fast paced sprint. Amy and I did our best to capture the stream of hallmark moments on film, and have posted some of the pictures from the morning for you to check out.

As I write this the snow is falling heavily up here on the mountain which reminds me of a wonderful book by Patricia Hermes called "When Snow Lay Softly on the Mountain". It is about a young girl andher father who live on Hairy Bear Mountain. During their walks her father shows her the secrets of the coming spring, and Hallie shares her special wishes for Christmas and her family. Our day has been filled with wishes, laughter, and time together. After the craziness of the past few weeks we have found an oasis of peace, and are content to watch the snow fall outside as we think about family and friends far away.

Just yesterday the kids and I were out on the trail down the street from our house. It was a sunny day, and everyone was eager to break in their new hiking boots from REI. As we hiked up and down the mountain, the burning in my legs was a constant reminder that hiking here vs. hiking in Kentucky is somewhat different. We crossed a gorge, broke through the tree line and looked out over Lake Sammamish. Wow! I don't think I will ever get used to living in such a beautiful place.

We are feeling much more at home, and I hope to have more time soon to post more about the move and our adventures so far. Many friends, family and complete strangers all played a part in making the last three weeks possible. Happy holidays to everyone! Best wishes for an amazing New Year!

Scott, Amy and the Kids + Baby Catherine

Merry Christmas everybody!

Well, very typically, it' now 11:45 UK time and we are now only just at a point where we can goto bed - mind you, not because of a crazy amount of wrapping to be done... oh no... Dawn has been fantastic and, basically, has been wrapping the girls' pressies for some time now and there just aren't any more that need wrapping... tonight, we spent time with our Christmas Eve favorites - Lena and Graham and Lena's parents - up the road from us which is always a good time with lots of silliness and far too much food (which of course you eat - not because you're necessarily hungry, but because it's there... why else?) Needless to say, tonight was no different from other years as I'm feeling rather over full and it's time to try and settle down.

I'm sure that at some point, we will be doing the phoning around thing... it would be great to hear familiar voices during this season which celebrates family, good tidings and far too much chocolate - if, indeed, there is such a thing. we will be heading over to Dawn's parents tomorrow for Christmas dinner which is another time honoured tradition which is lovely and gives you that fab warm fuzzy feeling all over. If, for some reason we don't talk tomorrow, i will be off the rest of the week in the lead up to New Year's eve... so there will be time.

We will be spending this New Year's eve at home... life with two glorious girlies is great, though it does tend to curb the whooping it up on the dance floor - of course at my age, any whooping will probably end with tearing some more cartilage and needing months of physio afterwards... it's better this way... What will be really special about the start of 2008, is that we will have Becky with us for a couple days - from the 31st til the 2nd. It will be nice to have another Davidson on our doorstep as we welcome the New Year.

As per usual, i've added a few more up-to-date pics of us and the girls on the flickr site which you can access by clicking the following link:
from Aug to present

Peace, love and smoochies to all and have a lovely festive season.



todd, dawn and the girls...

Jesame and Kizzy's Dedication Service

Today was Jesame and Kizzy's dedication service. It was a really special occasion as our minister David has been alongside us as a family throughout the past three years and was therefore able to deliver a very touching and personal service. He referred to a devotion that I found online recently which I felt was particularly pertinent:

READ: Job 42:14-15

The first daughter he named Jemimah, the second Keziah and the third Keren-Happuch. Nowhere in all the land were there found women as beautiful as Job's daughters, and their father granted them an inheritance along with their brothers (Job 42:14-15).

The fascinating thing about this account is that the whole Scripture seems to focus now on the daughters of Job instead of the sons. In chapter 1 it was the sons who were in the forefront. They had a birthday party every year, and they invited their sisters to come and share with them, but here, at the end of the book, it is the daughters of Job. Being the father of four beautiful daughters myself, I know how Job must have felt about them. He was proud of these daughters. In fact, he gave them an inheritance among their brothers, which was unheard of in the culture of that day.

For anyone who is deciding on a name for a baby girl, here are some excellent suggestions: Jemimah, Keziah, and Keren-Happuch. The names are significant, and here are their meanings:

Jemimah means "dove." Throughout the Scriptures, and even in our culture today, the dove is the symbol of peace.

Keziah is another spelling of the word cassia, and, you recall, when the wise men brought their gifts to the infant Jesus, they brought gifts of cassia, aloes, and myrrh, all of which were fragrances and incenses that were expensive, rare, and beautiful. Cassia, therefore, is incense or a fragrance. That is the symbolism behind the name.

Keren-Happuch literally means "the horn of adornment" and is a reference, therefore, to the outward beauty that comes from an inward character.

Daughters who represent peace, fragrance, and beauty are the fruits of Job's trials. Surely, as the text says, there were none so fair in all the land as these. The New Testament, in Romans 5, tells us that suffering produces fruit for all those who persevere as the evidence of God's love. "Suffering," Paul says, "produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope" (Romans 5:3-4). Character produces hope, hope that you are becoming the kind of person you want to be, and "hope does not disappoint us," Paul says (Romans 5:5). It leaves us confident and sure of our God and of the power and resources of the spiritual life. That is the message we have at the close of this book.

Lord, thank You that out of my own brokenness You bring beauty, peace, and a fragrant life that is pleasing to You.

With love to you all,
Dawn, Todd, Kizzy and Jesame x

Moving on up!

Well, Laurie and I have taken the plunge and bought a house in Northwest Evanston. Although we have loved our place for the past 5 years, the lure of a lawn to mow and sidewalks to shovel was too much for me to resist. The downside is that the house needs major renovation (mostly to get rid of the cigarette stink) and we won't be able to move in for 6-8 months. We'll be adding a second story and renovating the kitchen. When all is said and done, this really will be the Davidson dreamhouse. Great street, great schools and nice neighbors. Can't wait for you all to come and see it.

So glad to see the new addition

Seems like we've been waiting for such a long time for this baby to arrive and what a beauty! Congratulations to all the Davidsons in Louisville - soon to be Davidsons in Seattle! I'm sure that Scott's romping to and fro to the pacific NW has not been easy - heck, let's say it, it's probably been downright annoying... "I know you... you're my father? "... well, all that has come to an end, and not a minute too soon, I'm sure.

Obviously, we can't really compete with the arrival of the special bundle - not that we have a competitive thing going on - but we'd like to give some glimpses of what it was like to have Mom and Dad here not too long ago... though it now seems like AGES! I know I circulated a link to the flickr site a wee bit ago, so no doubt many will have seen some of these piccies anyways, but in case not... We spent a long weekend at Center Parcs - which was absolutely fab! Each Center Parcs site is set in wooded area and the only time when cars are allowed on the site are during specific times (either on a Friday or Monday), the rest of the time, it's either foot-mobiles or, you guessed it, bikes... very family friendly.. monster indoor wave pool with water slides... more activities (climbing, boating, archery, falconry.. . you name it, they got it) than you can shake a stick at... such a great time - but with babies in the trolley... it did get a bit tiring.. there is a train that is allowed to circumnavigate the park for those not wanting to take the people-powered options...


For those who I forgot to send a link to our flickr page, here's the link: October 2007

much love from all of us over here!

The newest addition to the Davidson Clan has arrived!

Catherine Rose Davidson was born at 4:58am on Thursday, November 1st. It was an amazing labor and delivery experience for both Amy and I, and we are still in the "glow" of the moment. Catherine weighed in at 8 pounds 3 ounces and was 20 inches long. Both Mom and baby are doing well and will come home from the hospital tomorrow morning. Here are a couple of early pictures, and we will post more later after things have had a chance to settle down.

Much love,

Scott

Anna is Eight!

Dear Anna turned eight on September 20th, but things have been a bit hectic so I am late in posting. She had an exciting time at her birthday party, and is thoroughly enjoying her eightness. We also all went to the Louisville Balloon Festival tonight for the big balloon glow and it was amazing! Cotton candy, Funnel Cake and Popcorn- Yum! It was a beautiful evening and the whole thing was a lot of fun. We are all rapidly counting down to baby day with five weeks left until her arrival. I also start my new job on Monday and will be out in Seattle bright and early. Lots happening, but it's late so I will blog more later.

Happy weekend!

Scott, Amy and the Kids

Lots happening in Louisville!

We are counting down the weeks to the arrival of the new baby. We are officially seven weeks away, but Amy would certainly be happy if she chooses to arrive a few days early. There is so much happening in our household right now - school starting, preparing for the new baby, ballet beginning and now a new job for yours truly. For those that have not heard, I have accepted a new position at Microsoft Corporate which will require us to relocate to Seattle, WA over the next few months. All of this activity makes for a lot of excitement, but also a great deal of work.

It has been amazing to hear from everyone recently, and learn that we all in different ways are beginning a new thing. Each day we are discovering new things about our family, ourselves, and the world around us. I can't wait to see how all of this comes together over the next several months. I am reminded of a wonderful passage in "The Tale of Cuckoo Brow Wood" by Susan Wittig Albert which goes something like this:

"It is undeniably true that the imagination is far more powerful than knowledge, and it is much more important to believe in something than to know it! There is, after all, a limit to the things we can know (even if we are fortunate enough to be geniuses), but no limit whatsoever to the things we might imagine. And if we cannot imagine, we will never know what we have yet to learn, for imagination shows us what is possible before knowledge leads us to what is true."

I see the power of the imagination at work in my children as Amy guides them in their studies at home, in their play, and in their excitement about what lies ahead. There is no concern for the work of the move or the lack of sleep that comes with a new baby. Only a belief that things will be even better tomorrow. I hope that we can all find that for ourselves. That simple faith which lifts us up as we work through the journey towards what will be true for each of us in the months and years to come.

Know that you all are in our thoughts and prayers as we move together towards new things. Much love from Louisville!

Scott, Amy and the Kids

Happy Birthday Kizzy

I've been meaning to sit down and commit a few lines to the lovely and wonderful Kizzy Davidson. Her birthday was something really special to celebrate; well, so special that we took her back to the hospital for a hearing test (poor kid... to receive the announcement that you've got a hospital appointment... on your birthday... what a drag - I'm sure she would say if she could... ). And just fyi, there's nothing wrong with her hearing... she's got full hearing on even the lowest levels - so no reason NOT to listen to what Daddy is saying...

Oddly enough, Kiz's appointment gave us the motivation to go and visit the special care baby unit (SCBU) where she started life and to see some of the people who took care of her for so long (really weird to think that it was a year ago that she came to us). It was a lovely time. We bottled visiting the unit on previous appointments because it was all a bit much, but coming back on her birthday just seemed right. It was great to see some of our friends there and it was great for them to see how much she's grown - and how much a 'baby' she is... it must be hard seeing babies like this.. just not right... but to see how Kiz has grown and is such a lovely baby.

So in true style, we took Kiz and Jesame away to celebrate in the best way for children to celebrate... we went camping! We headed Dorset way (it was where the forecast was looking the most promising to have some episodes of good weather) and the camp site we landed at - a lovely place with covered swimming pool (most key!) delivered a very family friendly feeling with lots of other little ones running about. Now, something that we've always known is that camping, generally, is tiring: camping with little ones is EXHAUSTING! My goodness... I have to say, it was a great time! Jesame and Kiz really enjoyed their first experience of camping life - as did we... but you just don't have down time... and it's really tiring! i think it took me a couple or three days to get back right after that.... and you know what? we loved it so much, we're doing it again on the weekend commencing the 14th September.













Pics above are of Jesame on the weekend away. I actually think that Jesame's idea of 'on holiday' involves touching sand... so I'm glad we could accommodate. She had a great time building sand castles..seeing the Red Arrows (the Blue Angels equivalent) rehearse their show above the beach... and touching the water (though the water was a bit cold and I don't think she REALLY enjoyed it).

Here's a few more:











Generally speaking, we're doing well... we're getting older bit by bit (my birthday coming up on the 6th, and Dawn's on the 13th.. fast approaching 40 - which has got to be weird for mom and dad...yes, your children are nearly all over 40 - but I'm enjoying my last year of sub-40ness... unless i'm 40 this year... I can never remember how old i am... each time i think about it, it just seems wrong....

Well, going a bit out of character here - as i don't have anything silly to draw people's attention to here; so you're just gonna have to wait for the next posting.

So, in the mean time, be good one and all and keep posting! Much love and most monstrous smoochies from all of us over here. Missing you all like crazy and looking forward to visits up-and-coming (Mom and Ross in October and Becky in the New Year).

Happy Birthday to Kizzie

Miss Kezia looks fabulous! So glad that tomorrow is a happy birthday, after all she has gone through.

Chicago is hot and humid and the summer progresses. The farmers markets have wonderful peaches and blueberries, and in two weeks the Honey Crisp apples should appear. I've been going to the Green Market - the organic produce is pricey, but it's worth it. Saturday the market is a summer festival. Music -people doing food demos - lots of kids and dogs - people eating the made on the spot crepes and veggie rolls and PIE - oh the pie. One of the bakeries that come to the market sells whole pies and slices. There is a cheese and egg guy from Wisconsin.

My Christmas plans have firmed up. I will have the 30th, 31st and January 1 with Todd and Dawn and kids. I have sold my apartment and will probably be moving in January. I haven't got a place to go, but it's not a problem...if I have to store and rent for a couple of months, it will be okay.

My Cancer Board work continues and I am working extemely hard. I am heading up the merchandise committee for the Live and Silent auctions - I have a staff of 24, but they are volunteers and not everyone has the same work ethic that I do. The big fundraiser is November 10. Dick and I had committed to taking a table before he left, so I am doing a black tie girls night out. Marianne will be there, Laurie will be there and I have invited Carol and I am hoping she can work it out to get to Chicago that week-end. The rest of the table is friends, some of whom know know Carol and are looking forward to spending some time with her.

I went to NewYork. I had a great evening with Tom and Sharon and Doug and Maria. Doug is in good health after his surgery and Maria is her wonderful self. Tom and Sharon were on their way home from a golfing trip to Colgate - an annual thing.

I'm still hoping to learn to post a picture - I want you all to see the new slimmer me, with short grey hair.

Love to one and all. Becky

Back again!

Well, this is what the Botley Road looked like not too long ago; we were never under threat from the rising tides (living, as we do, on the top of a biiiiig ole hill - thank goodness we live in Cumnor. Life in Oxford did get a bit difficult as roads were cut off, buses re-routed... took much longer to get home... but the Oxford flood was much less problematic than other areas (Gloucestershire and Witney looked much worse). Another weird thing... when the army brought in deliveries of sandbags and water, people reacted in a way that you would imagine humanitarian aid deliveries to war torn areas - groups of people appearing from nowhere, grabbing more than they need and stealing sand bags from their neighbours over night.... just weird...

On a lighter note, week of summer has finally arrived and I've just got my first burn following a couple hours of weeding in the back garden (I'm normally so good about sun block... it was the middle of my back... I couldn't reach, and being the guy that I am, I didn't ask for help.. never mind, aloe is good for stuff like this and I promise I won't do it again.

Work continues and I'm still keeping an eye towards the door - and job sections. The NHS is a rather hard place to work at the moment; for some reason, despite being funded more than ever, most hospitals are really struggling (ours included) and we're currently undergoing 'restructuring'.. 'Restructuring?! In the NHS?! This really is a foreign word in the world of the wonderful NHS and has been resulting in job some job losses (not mine... I'm ok... but, man, a bit of a hard time...). But this is not what I'm really here to write about. We've got some great new piccies which really need to be shown.

On Friday, we went to a wedding.. the weather was glorious, Jesame had a good number of her friends handy (not to mention, there was a travelling creche that was brought in... not that i love ditching my daughter, but it was great putting her in safe hands whilst we carried on (well, i carried Kiz most of the time, but that was ok...). Speaking of which...

Kizzy is fast approaching her first birthday (on 15th Aug) - which is wonderful, but will also bring back a few difficult memories. Developmentally, she's on track for the 8 month corrected age that she is... she's sitting up.. .she's babbly (saying 'Da da' all the time...which I'm sure it's because she knows her dear old dad... until you show her a primary coloured soft cuddly cow or spoon, which she also calls Da da... she's bit confused, but when she says Da da to me, I'm certain she knows who she's talking about...well, in my mind, anyways).

Special thanks to Chad and Laurie for sending through the Cheeky Monkey t-shirt... it's very cute and had a good outing the day it arrived... whoops, hearing a baby girl waking from a nap... gotta run... will be sure to post more soon.

love from all of us.

and as per usual, here's a bit of silliness: becky barry
(they're all funny, but the bottom one about demolishing her school is particularly funny)

Vacations

We've had a wonderful time this past month, taking 2 vacations- first to Benzie County for a fun, down-home 4th of July, complete with parade, fireworks, and many trips to the beach.

Then it was Frisco, Colorado, for a fantastic time in the mountains hiking, biking, swimming, horseback riding, and not the least of all seeing Grandma Carlin, Uncle Palmer and Aunt Lee Carlin, cousins Bridget and Bob, and the newest Carlin, 4-month-old Francesca.

We can't wait to come back to Frisco again--summer or winter.

Down on the Farm!

Boy it was a hot one in Louisville today with temperatures reaching up into the 90s. The kids and I loaded up early and headed out to Hubers Farm in S. Indiana to pick peaches and blueberries. In spite of the heat we had a great time hanging out with the farm animals, sliding down the mountain slides, and finding our way through the rope maze. We also managed to pick 3.5 lbs of blueberries in less than 20 minutes. Everyone pitched in to pick including Ben, and tonight we all enjoyed Amy's blueberry cobbler. Yum! I head out to Denver this week so Amy will be holding down the homestead until her parents arrive. Time is passing so quickly, and we realized today that we only have 16 weeks left until our new baby girl arrives. We had the final ultrasound this past week and everything was perfect! The one small thing they wanted to check turned out to be nothing, and the doctor said she looks "beautiful". Hope everyone else is enjoying the summer - we will report back next week sometime.

Scott, Amy and the Kids

No you're not!

I see that the Evanston Davidsons are signing themselves "Chicago" Davidsons. Au Contraire!
I, and only I, am the Chicago Davidson. Now Evanston is a wonderful place - I could easily move there, although I believe I will be going downtown, so why would C. and L. and big boy Jack claim to be from Chi Town?

I wish everyone a wonderful holiday week and a super Fourth of July. I turned 66 on the 1st, and had a super birthday dinner with Chad and Laurie at our favorite - Mon Ami Gabi. Chad could not be lured away from his usual Steak Frites.

I head to NYC on the 8th and am scheduled to have dinner with Tom, Sharon, Doug and Maria at a place that has a bocce ball court in the center of it. How fun does that sound. I'm really looking forward to seeing all of them. I haven't seen Doug and Maria since all of his health problems and surgeries, so that will be a special treat. I met most of Sharon's sibs at Elizabeth's wedding some years ago, but Doug is my favorite. I have very fond memories of an evening with them which Doug cooked before we all went - with Ross - to celebrate what I believe was his 60th at the Metropolitan Opera. How time flies.

Miss you all. Love Becky

Joe Cool...make that Jack

It's summer at last here in Evanston, and that means...beach day every Friday! Jack couldn't be happier about that. Even better is the ride on a *School Bus* all four blocks from school to the beach itself. Life, as they say, is good...

Hope everyone is having a great summer! We're off to Benzie County on the 3rd for a fun and relaxing week. Wish we all were meeting there--we must schedule our next gathering at Crystal's water park soon!

Love, Chicago Davidsons

Mom and Dad spend some time in the 'Ville

We had a wonderful visit with Mom and Dad this week in Louisville! They arrived Tuesday evening from the their tour of the East coast and promptly went to work making dinner for everyone. This was greatly appreciated since I was still in Dallas, TX at a planning meeting and was not able to get back until Wed at lunchtime. The week was filled with games, a visit to the Zoo, Elsa's ballet performance during her summer intensive, and a trip to the Frazier Historical Museum. I wish I could honestly say that I understood everything that Ian and Dad were talking about as they went through the Middle Ages, several royal monarchs, and a bunch of other stuff that obviously did not register. I will leave it to Dad to fill in the blanks when he posts. We were also able to take a side trip to the Louisville Glassworks where we saw two hardy guys blowing a vase in 100 degree heat. We were trying to decide if it was hotter outside in the sun or inside near the kiln. In the midst of all of the activity our cat decided to go MIA as well. We were just about to post signs and alert the neighborhood when he showed up a the backdoor two days later. We figured Fritz just wanted to add to the excitement and drama of the week, but being a cat this was all he could think of to do. It was a great week, and Mom and Dad departed yesterday for the Stone family reunion in Barren River. Things are very quiet here as we wrap up the weekend and look through the pictures of the visit. I am off to tuck little people in.

Much Love from the Louisville Davidsons

PARTY!

Greetings from Chicago, where it is hot and sunny on Thursday the 14th of June - Happy Bastille Day everyone.

Tuesday, I had my first party since Dick left for greener pastures. I invited 18 interesting, smart and savvy women (including Laurie, of course) for a Girls Night Out. I love to entertain, and this was my first foray into cooking and serving for a crowd, since Christmas. It was a fun evening and everyone mixed well. The apricot chicken salad was a huge hit, probably because the secret ingredient was apricot chardonny jam, a present from Carol.

I'll be 66 on July 1st and Chad and Laurie are taking me to Mon Ami Gabi - how great is that.

I'll be travelling alot this summer - St. Joseph to stay at a friend's house on the Marina. Michigan City, twice, to visit other friends, New York City for three days of musuems with friend, June, who lives there. I'm hoping the Princeton crew will hop on the train to meet me for dinner

Then, there is the biggie - I am OUT OF HERE for Christmas - couldn't bear the thought of being alone, and then Pat Howe, and her daughter and son in law invited me to spend Christmas in Merry Olde England with the whole famdamily. I'll be with Pat in St Albans when I arrive and then Christmas week she and I will go to the Henderson's in Kent. If Toddie and Dawnie and Jezzie and Kizzie are in England, Oxford will be on the to do list. I'll be there from December 19th to January 2d.

I'm meeting with a geek tomorrow who for a sum uncertain will help me order a Dell super light notebook and all the bells and whistles, on line. Then he will teach me how to transfer files from the old desk top to the new notebook - if the geek fails, Scott, you may need to come visit me. Love to see you even if the Geek succeeds. His name is Niall - pronounced Nile, which I am told is Celtic. He's the son of a woman I work with on the Cancer Board, so I think I can trust him.

Lots of love to everyone - Becky

Mom & Dad Retired

Hi Everyone,
Dad's "Godspeed" Service was this past Sunday. It was very touching and wonderful. It was especially meaningful because Grandma was with us. Not every person can have a parent at their retirement celebration.

On Monday (Memorial Day)we placed some of Grandpa's ashes in the Pine River as he requested. Grandma hiked through the woods with us to the River. She's very secure on her feet. Her daily walks serve her well.

Scott wrote about our visit with him in Grand Rapids. He looked so handsome in his power suit and shiny shoes, but he sounded like the kid he is, by saying right away," I'm hungry. Lets get something to eat." We had such a good time together.

Love you and miss you. The Michigan Davidsons

Big Ben turns Three!

It was a busy week here in the 'Ville. I spent the week in Michigan and had the opportunity to connect with Mom and Dad in Grand Rapids. We were able to take in a bit of history as we visited the final resting place of President Ford along with a brief tour of his presidential library. We also took in a bit of family history as we visited Pop's childhood homes and hangouts in GR. Toss in lunch and dinner just a couple of hours apart and you have the final ingredients for a wonderful visit. Amy spent the week entertaining her sister Kristin and her 3 kids while Nic was also away in Japan. Lots of backyard fun and time with the cousins! Which brings us to today. The BIG day for Ben who turns three. Wow! When anyone said "Happy Birthday Ben" he replied "Happy Birthday - insert name of person saying Happy Birthday" In spite of being a little fuzzy on the concept he was very happy all day and enjoyed himself immensely. Now if we could only get him to let someone cut his hair...

Much love from Louisville!

Scott, Amy and the Kids

dry knicks

I'm being reminded that I started a conversation a wee bit ago (there's a hint... a WEE bit ago... get it?... 'wee'... humph har har..) about Jesame and potty training but have yet to close the topic. Starting off wasn't so easy and we had about 4 days of wet pants, accidents and lots of washing to do, but after that... no real problems - and that was weeks ago. Jesame just picked it up and is now happily asking to go for a wee and that she's done 'poos on the big toilet' - what a star. Of course it's very difficult keeping up the excitement about wees and poos, but we found the strength from somewhere... So, the great stuff is, we've been able to ditch nappies 100% during the day (well, I get a bit crazy and don't put a nappy on her whilst she naps... I know... living life on the edge... I'm a bit of an adrenaline junky..) and she does tend to be dry when she wakes up. What a big girl she is - and i say that in the nicest way. WE are very proud parents to have a 2 year old who likes to boast about doing poos in the big toilet... that's nice. bye for now from all of us...

Tis the Birthday season

When it rains... We survived! Oh boy, I am getting old... but we did survive and survived in style as Jesame's fantastic Teddy Bear's picnic garden party at ours - complete with 11 or 12 (i lost count) of Jesame's nearest and dearest - joined us to celebrate the big 2. It's really weird to think that we've got a 2 year old - and a 2 year old who is so wonderful and loving.

Jesame was magic... she constantly made us really proud soppy parents just by being herself - which is a lovely cuddly, sharing pretty girl who says the cutest things. Seriously, every time we looked around, she was having a lovely time with her friends, eating 'like a big girl' on the blanket and, in general, just being GORGEOUS!

At the end of the blog, I'll putting a link in which will give the whole feeling of how great the day was (sunshine held for us, garden came together very nicely and the bouncy castle - that's a moon walk to you Americans - and gazebo combo worked a charm). There will be a number of folk there who you won't know, but that's ok, they won't mind.

We'd also like to wish those Louisville girls happy birthdays - when I said when it rains... March/April/May time is mega birthday season: Mom, Dad (although I keep thinking Dad's Birthday is 24th April - guess I'm combining Mom and Dad... they are one person, aren't they?) Back to business!... Hope, Abby, Sarah (esp Sarah as Jes and Sarah do share their special day with each other). We certainly do think about you on your special days and it's so great to see how you are all growing up into lovely young ladies and gentlemen. Big hugs and kisses all around!

As promised, here is a link to the Jesame Birthday party:
just click on slideshow for the presentation
Around the Birthday

Here's another fun link which features the rest of us non-birthday types:
More Recent

Sara celebrates birthday number twelve!

The Louisville Davidson household has been a buzz of activity this week. Anna, Abby and Elsa stole the show at the Louisville Ballet School Spring Showcase! It was amazing to see all of their hard work in class come together in such a wonderful performance. And here at the end of the week we had much more to celebrate! Our baby Sara turned 12 today, and at Sara's request the party was quite low key. We had dinner at her favorite restaurant - Longhorn - where you can still throw peanuts on the floor. We then had a late evening party with ice cream cake and presents. As we made short work of the cake everyone was thinking of their cousin Jesame who shares this special birthday with Sara. I expect there was cake and ice cream on the menu at more than one Davidson home today.

We also received some additional good news this morning. For those that have not heard we are expecting #8 at the end of October. We had our first ultrasound today and everything was just perfect! We also found out that we will be bringing home another baby girl. It truly was an amazing day!

We are off to get ready for Hope's performance tomorrow, and will look forward to seeing the birthday news from the gang in England.

Ciao for now - Scott, Amy and the Kids

Abby turns the big 1-0!

The weather is heating up here in Louisville which normally means we are in the middle of birthday season. Unfortunately the Queen could not delay her return to England for a few days after the Derby to join Abby's birthday celebration, but it was festive none the less. Today only marked the beginning of the festivities which are scheduled to last through the weekend. We are also gearing up for the big Spring Showcase at the Louisville Ballet School. Abby, Anna and Elsa will be performing next Tuesday, and Hope has her performance the following Saturday. We may tempt fate and try to post some video from the event at some point. Well I am off to eat cupcakes! Much love from Louisville!

So sorry to hear

So very sorry to hear about the charming and lovely Rathbone - he was such a lovely cat... so willing to be picked up, rolled over and stare at you with a contented glow. He was such a part of your family and I'm sure you're missing him like crazy. It's great to see pics of him - just like I remember him. RIP buddy! Take care of each other and lots of hugs!

RIP, our lovely Rathbone

As many of you know, our wonderful kitty Rathbone has not been well these past few weeks. On Saturday we had to make the terribly sad but necessary decision to let him go.

He was the loveliest friend and companion to all of us for 11 years. We will miss him so very much.