OH.NO.SHE.DIDN'T.

Yeah...she did.

Ana Lucia cut her hair this morning. Was it a snippet in the back? NO. Was it a small piece underneath? NO. It was right on the side. By her cheek. GRRRRRRRRRRR.

We have been talking about getting her first haircut. I talked to a friend last night who said she would cut it. Ana Lucia's hair is half way down her back. She has never had a real haircut. I guess she heard the conversations and decided to take matters in her own hands...or scissors.

The more I look at it the more I decide you can't really tell.

Yet another milestone of childhood accomplished.

And that is all I have to say about this morning.

As The World Turns

"If you don't take the journey you won't have a story."

I cannot remember where I read this quote and have no idea who said it. I just like it. Life is a journey and I am so thankful for this crazy journey I am on with my family and friends. In this house there is always a story. Trust me.

I thought I would share just a few stories and photos from the last two weeks around our home. There are very few quiet moments here...and I love it.

There are some conversations which take place in our home that I promise CANNOT be made up. If you are ever bored come and spend a few days at our house. You simply never know what you'll here.

The following is a sample of some of the phrases, questions, and conversations which have taken place in the last few weeks. Enjoy. I typically do not share much from our teenagers. With the "Teenage Privacy Laws" in today's world I try to respect their desire to not be discussed publicly. However, they don't read my blog and I'll be as cryptic as possible. If you read these and see my teenagers try real hard not to admit you know anything. ;)

*Marco was learning a rhyming song at school. I never did quite get the exact lyrics from a song about a donkey. However, I kept hearing him sing, OVER AND OVER, something about a "kicking honkey".

*I had to take Ana and Gus to the bathroom at Target. All 3 of us went into the family bathroom. Upon entering Gus commented "it smells like Fruity Pebbles in here". Note - there was an air fresher plugged into the wall. Fruity Pebbles is the "longed for" cereal that Gus cannot have because it is full of red dye which he cannot have. So Gus is accomplishing his bathroom duties while I am keeping Ana occupied (i.e. stop her from touching everything in the public bathroom). Suddenly Gus remarks "it doesn't smell like Fruity Pebbles anymore over here in my corner..." Spare us Gus.

*A certain not-to-be identified child in our home owed us money. The conversation went something like this:

Parent: You still owe us money and need to pay up.

Child: In cash?!

Duh, no, I'll whip out my credit card machine and you whip out your credit card. YES in cash! We weren't accepting working off this debt with babysitting services. When the offender realized texting was being eliminated until the bill was paid there was a sudden counting of coins going on. The bill was paid in crisp new bills, wadded bills, and a BUNCH of change. Texting has continued.

*I promise this is a true story. A parent never knows what type of general knowledge will be needed to save the day. Our teenage daughter came to me while on the phone with a friend. Dilemma: said friend is waxing her legs, the wax has hardened, and she doesn't know what to do. Friend's mother had surgery that day and is knocked out on vicodin so can offer no input. Friend calls my daughter, daughter comes to me for assistance. Think fast Aimee, a young girl's legs are in jeopardy! This is one of those times a mother doesn't laugh. I suggest she use a blow dryer to soften the wax and then wipe it off the legs. If that doesn't work lay a steaming hot wash cloth on the wax in hopes it will begin to melt. As I stated earlier, I could not make this stuff up.

Never a dull moment.

By the way, a late evening update from my daughter brought news that the hair dryer advice worked! Friend's legs are wax free...and hair free. I'm a genius. :)

And now for a few photos from the daily bliss...

March 17th - Celebrating the 3rd anniversary of Ana Lucia's homecoming. Was there a formal dinner with trumpets blaring? No. The 3 little ones had to accompany me to the University of Cincinnati campus and hang out while Katie was at rehearsal. We had a celebratory dinner at...Panera. Ana Lucia chose a pumpkin muffin, caesar salad, and chips. Oh well, it was her special night!




Taking a break from playing freeze tag while waiting for Katie to finish rehearsal.


March 24th - Zack's 17th birthday
Holy cow - times flies when you're having fun! Notice Zack's choice of dessert. He is not a cake eater. He typically requests apple pie for his birthday dessert.


Zack's birthday dinner at Red Robin. Seven children dining with only two adults tends to get a lot of sideways looks ("wow, look at that group), dumbfounded looks ("better you than us"), or outright stares ("is that one family?"). Zack and Katie each brought a friend. A family sitting next to us had 3 girls who spent most of their dinner staring at us. Apparently the circus came to dinner! We weren't loud or overly obnoxious - at least until the servers came and sang Happy Birthday very loudly. Zack loved that...not.


Ana Lucia is in a dance/gymnastics class and loves it. She has been watching big brother Gus in gymnastics for awhile and is very proud to be learning her own moves!

Notice the girl behind Ana Lucia quickly approaching my girl's personal space!


The girl is all about fashion. She is really into dressing herself. I didn't get the memo stating that stripes, stripes, and more stripes are hot this season!


We're off to Indiana for Zack's first college visit. Oh.my.goodness.

17 Years ago today...

I was one day away from becoming a mother.

On March 24, 1992 our oldest child was born at 3:02pm weighing 8 pounds, 1 ounce and measuring 21 inches long. Simply amazing.

Our family was born.

Nothing can prepare you for parenthood. It is a league completely unto itself.

Motherhood has introduced so many experiences and emotions that I truly never knew existed. It is the most incredible blessing I have ever been given. It is also the biggest challenge I have ever been given.

I still remember a particular day late in my pregnancy with Zack. My sister and I were taking a walk in the town where we grew up. We saw a boy who my sister had babysat when she was a teenager. He had experienced a tough family life. His mother left and his father was attempting to raise him on his own. As the boy approached us he noticed I was pregnant, and was so excited for me. He turned to his father and said, "Dad, they are going to be a FAMILY!" I think I fell in love with the word "family" at that moment.

The past 17 years have been full of new experiences and amazing memories. Zack claims to be our "guinea pig" child - we tried everything on him first. Oh, if he only knew. The day we brought him home from the hospital we had no clue! I remember looking at Mark and thinking "now what?!"

Carrying a baby in your body and giving birth is such an incredible adventure. I'm certain I'll spend some time tonight pouring over photo albums and enjoying the memories.

The night before our children's birthday I always tell them their story. For Zack and Katie I tell them about the day they were born. For Marco, Gustavo and Ana Lucia I tell them about the first time I met them.

How can 17 years pass so quickly? It seems like he just started playing baseball as a 5 year old, started kindergarten, had his first sleepover, lost his first tooth, went to camp for the first time, started playing the saxophone, started junior high, began driving, and so much more.

We are traveling to our first college visit at the end of the week. How can I possibly tour a college campus and walk along with all of those other parents whose kids ARE old enough to be preparing for college? Holy moley, where has time gone?

Seventeen years ago tonight I went to bed with absolutely no idea how my life was about to change. Our son, and his 4 siblings, have brought so much to our life. There are happy times, sad times, frustrating moments, memorable moments, craziness, laughter, shouting, tears, hugs, high-fives, and much more.

I really shouldn't embarrass Zack. But hey, I don't think the kids read the blog anyway, so here goes. Our son is growing into an incredible young man. He is a Christ-follower, true friend, encouraging big brother, and loving son. He has a heart for the people of Guatemala. He is a dedicated, self-motivated athlete. We have shared some incredible conversations.

I look forward to celebrating our son tomorrow, and celebrating the day we became a family.

Happy Birthday son, we love you

Sisters

"A sister can be seen as someone who is both ourselves and very much not ourselves - a special kind of double." ~Toni Morrison

I get a special treat this weekend. I am escaping today at 2pm and driving to Indiana to spend the night with my sister. We are attending a Chocolate, Coffee & Comedy event at her church. Wahoo!

My sister and I could not be more different in some areas of our lives. She has blonde hair and blue eyes. I am a brunette with hazel eyes. She is very creative and extremely technical at the same time. As a child my sister took apart small appliances and put them back together - just because. She always had an "active imagination" and convinced our neighbor that a goat fell through the garage roof. As an adult she is a writer and a do-it-yourself type of woman. I am always calling her for instructions regarding many different areas.

We do share a few similarities. We have the exact same voice, and can fool our parents on the telephone. We have even tricked our husbands on occasion. We have strong convictions on a variety of topics and aren't timid about our passions. We both LOVE to laugh.

My sister is 5 years younger than me and we have not lived near one another much since I left for college nearly 25 years ago. Doesn't matter.

"How do people make it through life without a sister?" ~Sara Corpening

The blessing of having both a brother and a sister is incredible. It warms my heart that my children have both brothers and sisters. In fact, when we were adopting the final time one of the reasons I hoped for another daughter was so Katie would have a sister.

Sisters fight. Sisters detest each other. Sisters are jealous. Sisters learn from one another. Sisters watch each other's back. Sisters rock.

"It's hard to be responsible, adult and sensible all the time. How good it is to have a sister whose heart is as young as your own." ~Pam Brown

Amen! One of the cool things about spending time with my sister is that we simply laugh. We can take a break from real life and relax. We have had some hilarious moments together as adults. We escaped to a hotel one night shortly after she moved back home from Texas. We were all set to get our jammies on, watch a movie and relax. Imagine our reaction when we realized we had packed MATCHING pajamas. We howled and hoped there would not be a reason to evacuate the hotel and have to run to the parking lot in our twin pajamas. Or how about the time we were driving on the campus of Ball State University late at night, in the howling snow, and suddenly came upon this huge bell tower - in the middle of the intersection. The bell tower was new to campus and we were sort of like "where the #&%*@ did that come from?" Or how about the time she brought several of her friends to my house and we stayed up waaaay too late, ate all sorts of food, and woke my teenage daughter up at 2am so she could do an impression for us of a skit on youtube. Oh, and the time I went over to help when she had foot surgery. She was a little loopy from the pain meds and I had lots of fun with that! She was shouting nonsense into her pantry. Yeah, I know none of this is funny to you. However, we wet our pants from laughing so hard each of those times and many, many more.



The sisters - Summer of 2008

We were off to an exciting adventure at IKEA. She always makes fun of my sunglasses. She wears tiny-little-hip-how-can-she-even-see-out-of-them glasses. Me, I wear big 'ol Jackie-O sunglasses. On this particular day she had left her sunglasses in her car and was FORCED to wear some of mine. Oh, yeah, I had to get that documented with a photo!

"I smile because you are my sister, I laugh because there is nothing you can do about it!" ~ Author Unknown

Three years ago today...

...I was traveling home from Guatemala with sweet little 4 month old Ana Lucia. Our daughter.

Try to picture me carrying Ana Lucia in the Baby Bjorn strapped to my front, a backpack diaper bag on my back, two HUGE suitcases to check, a rolling suitcase to carry on, and an umbrella stroller (which was carrying a briefcase full of her adoption paperwork). I had to be the picture of "PITIFUL".

The morning began at 5:30 am, off to the airport at 6:30, flying from Guatemala City to Houston, passing through immigration for me, then escorted to an immigration office to process Ana Lucia's paperwork, being flagged in customs to be searched (thanks Houston Homeland Security personnel), walking briskly to catch the next flight, flying from Houston to Cincinnati, and arriving at the airport to be greeted by my husband and children all waiting anxiously to meet their new daughter and sister.

The arrival home of little miss was a happy day indeed!

Adoption trips are always filled with emotion. However, on this particular trip I was flying solo and the four days were filled with unbelievable experiences. For the first time, I watched my child's birth mother say goodbye. Never in all of my wildest dreams did I ever think I would witness such a moment. The experience was almost sacred. As Ana Lucia's birth mother left our hotel room I closed the door and wondered aloud how to process the emotions of what I had just encountered. I remember hugging Ana Lucia with tears pouring down my face and saying "its just you and me until we get home girl".

Below is something I wrote a few years ago. It can be so difficult to capture moments of life.

"The Blessing of Three Mothers"

Oh my. She is so precious. Those were the thoughts running through my mind the first time I saw our daughter. She was a tiny bundle in a car seat sitting on a dining room table. She was six days old, and had a head full of black hair and the sweetest face. I was sitting in a home in Central America far from my home in the suburbs in the United States.

The experience was surreal. Was I actually peering at the baby who would become our daughter? Time stood still as the room included a baby and three women who would all be her mother. Along the wall sat her birth mother. The woman who had just given birth sat and watched me cradle the tiny infant. She had given the baby life and now was making the decision to give the baby a future with another family. The woman who had cared for the baby since birth, her foster mother, also watched as I held the baby. She was committed to nurturing and caring for the baby while the adoption process was completed. How long would she have the baby? Would it be four months, six months, nine months? At that point no one knew. She simply promised to love the baby as her own granddaughter. And then there was me, the woman who would become the mother of this precious child.

What does one say at a moment such as this? “May I hold her?” I ask. “Si, yes” came the reply. “Would you like to feed her a bottle?” asked the foster mother through our translator. “Si” I replied. As I fed her I suddenly felt as if a spotlight was shining on me. Were the two mothers watching me to see how I held the baby, fed the baby, and if I remembered to burp the baby? Goodness, I am the mother of 4 children! I know how to take care of a baby but I couldn’t help feeling like I needed to prove something in that moment. Yes, I will love her. I already do. Yes, our family will welcome her with open arms and love her unconditionally. Yes, I promise to raise her with love and respect for her birth country, birth family, and foster family.

It is unusual in an international adoption to be able to meet both the foster mother and birth mother. I absolutely knew the unique opportunity I was presented with in that moment. On that day a baby, birth mother, foster mother, and adoptive mother met for the first time. Four months later I traveled back to Central America to take our daughter home. In November I held another woman’s daughter and had to say good-bye. In March I held my daughter and watched as the foster mother and birth mother said good-bye.

Once again the three mothers were united. As we spent the morning together I was amazed at yet another opportunity to be together. I answered questions from the birth mother in order to provide a glimpse of the baby’s future. The birth mother answered questions to provide a history for our daughter. As the visit came to a close I struggled with the words to express our family’s feelings. To say thank you seemed impersonal and inappropriate. The only way I could express our gratitude was to promise we would love our daughter unconditionally and honor the birth mother’s wishes by teaching her about her birth country and birth family.

There are some people who go through their entire lifetime not feeling loved. What a blessing for our daughter to grow up with the love of three mothers.


Ana Lucia - our first morning together after visiting her two months earlier


Francisca, foster mother, brought Ana Lucia to the hotel


Ana Lucia with her first mommy and her forever mommy


Daddy is awesome! What is this "March Madness" that we are watching?


The Fab Five


Oh, what a fun-filled three years it has been since Ana Lucia Alejandra joined our family. She is such a precious part of the Davis crew. Right now she is playing outside on the deck, enjoying the beautiful sunshine, and attempting to jump rope. Thank you, dear Heavenly Father, for giving us the vision and ability to adopt "just one more time". I simply cannot imagine my life without all five of our children.

I have found that most callings on our lives from God that don't make sense turn out to be unbelievably amazing. Is God challenging you to do something outside of your comfort zone? Go for it.

"We witness a miracle every time a child enters into life. But those who make their journey home across time and miles, growing within the hearts of those who wait to love them, are carried on the wings of destiny and placed among us by God's very own hands."

Happy St. Patrick's Day and Happy Homecoming Day Ana Lucia! We love you!!!

Everyone should be Irish today!

A limerick in honor of the day:

There once was a mom and a dad
Whose kids' antics could turn one mad
Their stories never mild
Adventures always wild
Gales of laughter and smiles were had!

Enjoy some photos from our summer trip to Europe. Katie and I spent two glorious weeks in Ireland, Wales and London with the Cincinnati Children's Choir. Katie's choir performed in cathedrals, festivals, and various venues throughout Ireland and Wales. Our day in London was pure fun. I posted a few of our shots from Ireland. If you ever have the chance to go to Ireland - go! It is a beautiful country with fun music, dancing, and interesting people.

The Ring of Kerry


Irish Countryside




St. Patrick's Cathedral - Katie's choir performed here


Glimpses of Dublin






Katie at Waterford Crystal


Blarney Castle


Katie in a dungeon at Blarney Castle


Looking down from the Blarney Stone - yes, we kissed it!


The Irish Sea


Mom and daughter at the Irish Sea



Don't forget to wear green today. Mark and I are headed out tonight to do some Irish dancing...yeah right! Actually the little kids will spend the evening with me on the University of Cincinnati campus while Katie is in rehearsal.

St. Patrick's Day + college campus = interesting evening

Wish us the luck of the Irish...

Overnight Retreat

My husband is a generous man. He is sending me away for the night to refuel.

My body is weary. My soul is tired. My attitude is less than stellar.

I am human and need a break. Is that allowed? I feel like I need some time to rest, refuel, and just be quiet. You see, there isn't a lot of "quiet" in our family. It is a by product of parenting a big family. It is the reality of managing activities relating to school, church, family time, homework, and everyday life.

I am a thinker. I tend to exhaust a lot of mental energy on matters. Our family has a lot in the pot right now. Beginning the college search. Making decisions regarding high school next year. Working through the challenges of a learning disability and the most beneficial way to help our child learn. Life lessons. Quality family time. Quality spouse time.

I am a multi-tasker which can be more challenging when I am tired. I must choose to experience God in everyday tasks such as getting the children ready for school, driving Katie to choir, discussing college details with Zack, helping Marco with homework, working with Gus on his reading skills, reading books to Ana Lucia, folding laundry, paying bills, attending meetings, organizing functions, and more.

While I do believe in quiet time spent with God, I also need to continue to be centered around Christ all throughout my day. When I am overwhelmed by the mounds of laundry I need to be grateful for the precious children and loving husband who create all that laundry! When I am frustrated at trying to come up with a creative way to teach a concept to my son with a language-based learning disability I need to be thankful that he is in the United States where there is access to academic support. When I am tired of driving down to UC and back each and every week I need to appreciate the time with my teenage daughter to listen to LOUD music, laugh, and just be with her. Christ offers many opportunities to grow in our relationship with him through everyday life.

So tonight I am going to spend the night in a hotel. It is going to be quiet. When I want to go to sleep it will be completely dark and there will be no baby monitor. I will spend some time reading. I must admit some reading time will be spent in the Bible and some spent in People magazine. How's that for honesty? I will spend some time writing. In the morning I will wake up when I determine I have had enough sleep - not when an alarm goes off or a child wakes me up. I will take the world's longest shower. I will eat breakfast in bed.

I will take some time to really think about the following scriptures and commit to believing them and truly living them.

Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
~ Philippians 4:6-8

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it."
~ Isaiah 30:21

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.
~ Colossians 3:15a

Spring in Ohio = RIDICULOUS

I need Spring, and I need it now! I made it to March, now quit teasing us with a little bit of sunshine, a day or two of warm temperatures, and then back to cold. CRUEL AND UNUSUAL PUNISHMENT.

It is this time of year that I start dreaming of living somewhere, anywhere, other than here. It would need to be south of here. I detest the time of year when the closets and dressers are still full of winter clothes but warm weather clothes are desperate to take their places.

Our covered pool begins to take on the form of an ugly monster just laughing at us. We start counting down the days until it will be sparkling water luring us for fun and refreshment.

We don't do spring break vacations and every year about this time I start getting a little pouty about that fact.

Yesterday I broke out some Easter decorations to breathe some Spring into the house. Ana Lucia is ready to color eggs! She has spent a significant time since yesterday playing with the bunnies. I caught her earlier today sitting at the kitchen island having a detailed conversations with her new friends...

Gustavo asked me this morning if the Easter bunny was a real bunny or someone dressed in a costume. Hmmmm, he technically didn't ask if the Easter bunny was real.

The month of February nearly kills me every year. March isn't much better. The highlight of March is our oldest child's birthday. Yeah! He turns 17 in a few weeks. How in the world did that happen? He takes the SAT this weekend and is full force into looking at colleges. We have our first college visit at the end of the month. He is having an intense week of baseball tryouts for the high school team. Wish him luck! The team has been working out since October and had 5:40AM workouts twice a week since the first week of January. He is one dedicated athlete.

Today's high is 72 degrees...tomorrow 43. Spring in Ohio...ridiculous.

Life 101

Life lessons can be tricky to teach to a young child. Our children understand that Aunt Paula died and is now in heaven. They understand that her body got very sick and God took her home to be with him.

Yesterday 5 year old Gus heard me say that I was talking to a friend, Paulette, on the phone. He then began a conversation that went something like this:

Gus: You called Aunt Paula Mom?!

Me: No, Gus, I called my friend Paulette.

Gus: Because you can't call Aunt Paula can you?

Me: No, I can't Gus. She is in heaven.

Gus: You can't talk to her right?

Me: You're right. We can't talk to Aunt Paula but we know she is safe with God in heaven. Someday we will see her again when we are in heaven.

Gus: Will we die?

Me: Yes. Everyone on earth will die. It is part of life.

Gus: Will you die Mom? When will you die Mom?

Me: Well Gus no one knows when they will die.

All the while I was wishing this topic wasn't so real to our family right now.

Mark's family is having a memorial service in Cincinnati for Paula this weekend. We felt it was important for extended family and local friends to have the opportunity to celebrate her life. Mark and I have been given the responsibility of taking the three eulogies from the funeral in California and combining them into a "reflections" segment of the service. So many emotions came flooding back this morning as I sat down to review the eulogies. One eulogy was from Paula's friends, one from her husband, and one from her immediate family. Paula was a daughter, sister, cousin, niece, aunt, wife, mother, and friend to many. I pray that our words will honor her this weekend. Mark has agreed to speak but has asked me to accompany him and be prepared to speak if he cannot. I ask that you remember the service in your prayers, and that we would stand together and speak words which honor Paula.

While her death may not make sense to us, we must move forward and continue learning life lessons. It simply isn't logical for a loving, compassionate, and dedicated mother to leave her family - specifically two young sons - but our lives here on earth are not meant to be eternal.

We chose this scripture to be read at her funeral in California and will do so again this Saturday.

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:16 - 18