THE USLETONS

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-30T20:58:00.004-05:00

We had a very busy Halloween week. Wednesday was the Halloween Party at church, Thursday was Brody & Gavin's party at school, and Saturday was Halloween Happenings at the high school. We also went trick or treating down our block.

Blake is 7!

2010-10-26T21:54:00.001-05:00

Sweet Blake turned 7 on Saturday! I can't believe it. We had a great day, which included 2 soccer games, a birthday party, and lots of great food. He told me that all he wanted for his birthday was toys, and boy did he get a lot. He was so excited! We spent the evening watching Iron Man 2 together.

Happy Birthday sweet boy! We love you!

Pumpkin Patch 2010

2010-10-09T16:17:00.000-05:00

Blake had a 1/2 day of school on Friday, so I decided to take the boys to the pumpkin patch in Amarillo. They each got to pick out a $1.00 pumpkin and a few from the 3/$1.00 pile. Blake & Brody painted theirs today with acrylic paint, and I've been decorating with the rest of them.

Gavin's Ice Cream Party

2010-09-27T09:47:00.003-05:00

I decided to do an ice cream party instead of doing a big dinner. I think it turned out really cute. I borrowed the really cute dishes from Helen. We had 5 different toppings, chocolate syrup, caramel sauce, waffle bowls, and waffle cones. He had a good time.

Gavin is 2!

2010-09-27T09:23:00.004-05:00

How is it possible that my sweet little tiny baby is 2 already? Hasn't it just been like 6 months since he was born? It makes me sad so see him grow up so fast, yet he is such a delightful little boy. He's sweet, likes to cuddle with me, eats all kinds of crazy food that the other boys wouldn't dream of eating, sleeps very well, likes to play outside, can count to 10, trying to learn colors, and just super cute most of the time.

Disneyland Characters

2010-08-21T14:54:00.000-05:00

We got a few pictures with some of the Disney characters, which was kind of fun. The last picture is a character by himself. :)

Disneyland part 1

2010-08-21T14:51:00.000-05:00

We had so much fun at Disneyland! We got a 3 day pass and went Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. We got to do everything we wanted to do and even got to see the new World of Color at California Adventure. As long as we've been going, I always get a picture in front of the big A. And here's one of each of the kids.

Newport Beach

2010-08-21T14:47:00.000-05:00

I wanted some new family pictures for our living room and thought the beach could be fun. The weather was perfect - 65 degrees and overcast. The boys, however, were not so perfect. They had fun picking up a few seashells, but were pretty difficult. Gavin wanted NOTHING to do with being put down in the sand. Brody had had enough vacation fun and was just naughty. I'm surprised we got anything at all!
The lifeguard stand was fun and had a really cute #10 on the side, but we didn't get any with it in the background. We also got soaked trying to take pictures of our feet. A wave came up that we weren't expecting to be that big and by the time you really realize that it is, it's too late to run away! Anyway, I'm glad we went and had the experience to smell the water and enjoy the sand between our toes.

Happy 4th of July!!

2010-07-03T21:58:00.000-05:00

I wanted to get pictures of the boys in their cute shirts (and also make sure I had cute pictures for my calendar next year) and decided to do an impromptu photo shoot. Brody was super interested in me taking tons of pictures of him (cute boy). They were having a lot of fun running around.

We had a fun day going to the parade and just relaxing. HAPPY 4TH TO YOU!!

Brody's 3 1/2 Birthday Party

2010-07-03T21:53:00.000-05:00

We celebrated Brody's 1/2 birthday since his real birthday is so close to Christmas. This year he wanted a Goofy party, so we made cupcakes and put Goofy's picture on them. He was super excited about opening presents. Some of his favorites were his monkey underwear (he LOVES underwear), his big Goofy, and anything Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. He had a great time and was so cute to watch.

Silly Faces

2010-06-27T21:13:00.000-05:00

At the science museum, there was a place that you could color on yourself. The idea was to look in the mirror and try to draw on yourself - I think the mirror is supposed to confuse you. My boys were in hoggy heaven that they could color on their skin without getting in trouble!

Sean's Family Reunion

2010-06-27T21:10:00.000-05:00

We went to OKC for Sean's family reunion on his mom's side. These are all the brothers and sisters of his Papa. There are actually 10 children from their dad. The oldest brother has already passed away. One sister and brother had already left before we got the picture taken. They are standing in birth order from right to left:

Cleta, Freda, Lavonne, Charles (papa), Harold, Clara, and Gayle

It was so fun to see everyone and get a little vacation at the same time!

Zoo Part 2

2010-06-27T21:03:00.000-05:00

Here are the rest of the pictures. Picasa will only let me do 4 at a time! The giraffe & zebra were taken from the tram.

Oklahoma City Zoo

2010-06-27T21:01:00.000-05:00

We took the boys to the Oklahoma City Zoo on Saturday. It was hot, but they had a good time. Brody of course fell in love with the birds from the Tiki Room. They all liked the monkeys. I was looking for an empty cage I could leave them in, but they were all occupied. :)

Gavin was the only one brave enough to go feed the goats. Sean said he had a great time. We spent extra money to go on a tram ride to see the rest of the park. We saw some really cool animals. My favorite was the Okapi (which we didn't get a picture of) - it has zebra striped legs, a horse body (solid color), and a giraffe head and tail. It was certainly different!

New Knobs

2010-06-27T20:54:00.000-05:00

I've been wanting new knobs for my hallway for awhile. After doing some research, it was going to cost WAY too much money, so I decided to bust out a couple cans of spray paint and do the work myself. I think they turned out pretty good. I used a can of spray primer and then a can of Oil Rubbed Bronze metallic paint. I need to finish painting the doors white, but this is a good start. I think they look SO much better.

Jared Graduated!

2010-05-30T21:18:00.000-05:00

Jared graduated High School. He's the last one. Not really sure what my parents are going to do with no kids in the house! He's a cute kid and has been a great uncle to my boys. Congratulations, Jared!

Kindergarten Luau

2010-05-30T21:08:00.000-05:00

I loved the Kindergarten Luau. I remember my own Luau when I was in Kindergarten. They sang a few songs that I knew and added in a few new ones. They had apples, bananas, strawberries, and a cookie for a snack. Their drink was a capri sun with a fun Hawaiian straw in it. When I was little, our snacks were more authentic and we had coconut, pineapple, etc. I guess they decided that the kids don't eat that stuff and to stick with normal foods.

Kindergarten Graduation

2010-05-30T20:59:00.000-05:00

Blake had his Kindergarten Graduation last Wednesday. It was SO cute. I was so bummed that we didn't have a video camera to record all the songs. They were asked to go to the microphone and say "When I grow up, I want to be a...." The majority of the kids either wanted to be a police officer or a teacher. There were some really cute and original ones too. Blake was going to say that he wanted to be a space man, but changed his mind at the last minute and wants to be a baseball player. I think it's a big step from last year's transformer. It was super sweet. I really had to hold it together when they sang "What a wonderful world"...goodness! Why do they do that to parents?? We're excited for him and try not to think to hard about how fast time goes by.

Blake's 1st & Last day of Kindergarten

2010-05-30T20:53:00.000-05:00

Holy cow....I don't know where this year has gone! My baby is getting too big! He's had a fantastic year and I'm so sad that it's over. I have loved every minute of Kindergarten - and so has he! I asked him a couple of weeks before school was out if he was sad to be done with kindergarten. He said "no mom, I'm going to be in 1st grade!" Like "duh"! He's a great kid and has done so well this year!

The other thing I wanted to remember was that we were driving past the school on a Saturday and he said "I wish my school was open today!"...I said "me too!"

First & Last days of school

2010-05-30T20:48:00.000-05:00

Brody and Gavin's last day of school was May 20th. Luckily, I remembered to take pictures. Gavin was really not wanting to participate, so I decided to capture the moment anyway. They really have changed a lot.

Blake's Baseball Season

2010-05-30T20:44:00.000-05:00

Blake had a great baseball season! What a difference a year makes! This year, he was the Boston Red Sox. He started off playing in the outfield, but then was moved to 2nd base most of the time. He did a great job stopping the ball and getting it to 1st base. He did really good on his batting too. He probably hit 50% from the coach and the other 1/2 from the tee, but always hit the ball. I'm sad that the season is already over because it was so fun to watch them play.

New Sunday Outfits

2010-03-31T14:12:00.003-05:00

The boys had new outfits for church on Sunday and I had to leave Sean in charge because I had to go to Hereford with the Stake Relief Society. It's so hard to get 3 little boys to cooperate at the same time, but it was a decent attempt. I haven't gotten a good picture of just the 3 of them in several months, so this was good.

Gavin is 18 months!

2010-03-27T22:25:00.005-05:00

Gavin turned 18 months old today. I can't believe where the time has gone! What an absolute blessing he's been in my life!

Things about Gavin right now:
1. He's a sweet loving boy.
2. He sleeps all night in his own room and takes really good naps.
3. He has 4 top teeth and 3 bottom teeth (and currently cutting 2 top molars).
4. He says "no" for everything.
5. He loves to go places and will bring me his coat when he's ready to go.
6. His favorite person is Papa.
7. He eats just about everything, but particularly loves corn dogs, fruit snacks, apples, bananas, grapes, and cookies.
8. He can name all of the Yo Gabba Gabba characters.
9. He can say most words that end with the "k" sound: milk, snack, yuck, book, plex (close enough)
10. He says "owoah" for his "owel" which are his colored cloth diapers. He also says "I don't know" and "There it is".
11. He gets excited when I come home from kickboxing and runs to me saying "mama"!
12. He still wears little shoes. I love it!
13. He still likes taking everything out of the cabinets and drawers in the kitchen. Will he ever outgrow that?
14. He's definitely not afraid of the vacuum. Sometimes I wish he was.
15. He knows how to work my iPod touch and wants it if he sees it.
16. He knows to say "cheese" when I get the camera out and then runs over to see the picture.
17. He likes to sing and dance. His favorite songs are "This little light of mine" and "Gospel Chariot" and anything from Yo Gabba Gabba. He does some of the actions too!
18. He loves riding in his car seat.

Happy 18 month day, Gavi boy. We love you dearly!!

School Pictures

2010-03-20T16:24:00.003-05:00

I got the opportunity to be the photographer for Brody and Gavin's MDO program. It was really a fun and good learning experience. I only had one little girl not smile (I did a retake of her that turned out really cute), the rest did great! I did do a little photoshopping with some of the class pictures to get them where I wanted them, but other than that, I think they turned out good. I definitely learned some things to do differently next time!! This is a picture of my packaging efforts. It's ok, but didn't turn out like I pictured in my head. The colors on my business card were supposed to match the raffia, but after 2 tries, I gave up. I'm posting the picture of Brody's class for Ashley. :)

Compassion

2010-03-20T09:46:00.002-05:00

We recently moved Brody and Blake into a room together. I think they have had a lot of fun and I also think they have been getting along a TON better than they used to. They have fun talking at night (which they usually get in trouble for) and they wake each other up in the mornings (usually REALLY EARLY!) Anyway, yesterday morning they got up before I did and when I came out to check on them, Blake had written this note for Brody. It says:

I'm sorry that you lost your paci. Maybe mommy bought you a new paci. :( I love you Brody.

Apparently, Brody lost his paci during the night and couldn't find it when he got up. What a sweet brother to feel such compassion for Brody and his lost paci.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2010-03-20T09:34:00.004-05:00

We had a really fun time celebrating St. Patrick's day. I bought shirts at Old Navy for the boys and Sean and I just wore something green. We made green cupcakes with green wrappers and green crust pizza for dinner. The boys thought it was so fun (and it was so easy)! One crazy story from the day - we were eating lunch out (dressed in our green) and some lady came up to us and said "Cute family. Are you Irish?" I think I said "ya, something like that" with a smile, but then she said "oh, what's your last name?" BUMMER! So I told her it was Usleton, which is German, and that we were just enjoying the day! Other than that, we had a great day being green.

Brody's Funny

2010-01-29T11:17:00.002-06:00

Just wanted to write this down before I forgot. And just for your info, we've had A LOT of ear infections this past year.

Brody: "Mom, my ear hurts. I want to go to the doctor."
Me: "We can't go to the doctor, there's too much snow. Do you want some medicine for your ear?"
Brody: [thinks for a second] "no, in my mouth."

I guess he thought I would put the medicine in his ear. Cute kid.

Merry Christmas!

2010-01-13T17:12:00.000-06:00

I know it's a little late, but here are our Christmas Eve pictures. The boys had a lot of fun. I don't have any pictures from Santa coming to our house, but when Brody woke up and went in the living room, he wanted to know where his presents were. He had presents, but none of them were wrapped. He was so disappointed that there was nothing in paper for him to open. We'll have to write Santa a letter and tell him to do a better job next year!

Hook 'Em Horns

2010-01-13T17:08:00.000-06:00

Sean's Aunt got these jerseys for the boys for Christmas. Since Unkie died, we've been more into UT since that was his thing. This is a horrible picture, but wanted to get the boys in their matching shirts.

Photo Shoot

2009-11-29T14:39:00.000-06:00

I was inspired by a friend's friend who got some awesome pictures of her family in front of a really cool garage door. So we went out yesterday to try to accomplish the same kind of photo. I think we got some really good ones. The boys weren't as cooperative as I would have liked (are they ever?) but did good enough. I was looking to get some fun shots for our Christmas card. Thanks Mom for your help!!

Happy 6th Birthday, Blake!

2009-10-24T17:40:00.000-05:00

Blake ended up with a very mild case of the flu this week, which also happened to include his birthday. He had a fever and sore throat on Wednesday, but was feeling much better by Friday (his birthday), so when he couldn't go to school, we took him out for a fun day in Amarillo. I had to run a bunch of errands and the kids were so patient! We went to lunch at Chuck E. Cheese (which included a huge tub of Clorox wipes and a big bottle of hand sanitizer). Then we went to see "Where the Wild Things Are." We ended the day with free birthday ice cream at Cold Stone. We got Blake a bike this year - his very first one! He's doing great so far and loves being able to ride a big boy bike. Happy Birthday, Blakers! We love you and love that you're part of our family!

Fairy Tale Day

2009-10-15T15:52:00.000-05:00

Today was Fairy Tale Day at school. I had originally decided for Brody to wear Blake's Prince Charming costume from last year, but I didn't really have all the pieces and it was kind of too big. So then I decided that they could both be Mickey Mouse. But then in the middle of the night, I decided that Mickey Mouse wasn't really a fairy tale character and thought that they could be THE THREE LITTLE PIGS. I took Blake to school, came home and made 2 pig noses out of a toilet paper roll and pink construction paper. Brody was the pig who made his house out of bricks and Gavin was the little pig who made his house out of sticks. I went in the back yard and got some sticks and put them in his back pocket. It was hilarious, but neither one of them were overly interested in wearing the nose, so this is about as good as it gets.

Sprucing Up My Walls

2009-09-28T22:17:00.000-05:00

I decided that I needed some excitement on my dining room walls. Sean had taken the above picture of Gavin, which inspired me to take some of the other boys. I made them into 11x14's and sent them off to Sam's tonight. For a whopping $9.87, I can have new "art" in my dining room.

Happy Birthday Gavin!

2009-09-28T22:04:00.000-05:00

Gavin celebrated his 1st birthday yesterday. I can't believe it's been a year already. How incredibly fast time goes by! We had a small family party at our house. Gavin wasn't feeling great and was a little whiney and sad, but did enjoy playing with new toys and eating cake. He got lots of fun things!

Happy Birthday Gavi boy! I love you to pieces! So very thankful for your sweet spirit in our family!

Canyon Eagle Shirts

2009-09-26T22:30:00.000-05:00

I decided to make Canyon Eagle shirts for us since there are no shirts out there for boys (and even if there are, they don't come small enough to fit my little ones). I created the image in Photoshop and then printed them out on iron-on paper. The boys each have their name on their sleeve (I refrained from putting one on mine, but I did give some thought to the possiblity and decided to let it go). I thought they turned out really cute. They didn't wash up very good as the white shirts bled and the gray shirts show the outline of the iron-on paper. These really were for Homecoming and served the purpose.

Brody and Gavin's 1st Day of School

2009-09-01T17:14:00.003-05:00

Brody and Gavin had a great first day of school today. We were running a little bit late, which was a bummer on the first day, but made it there just fine. When I went to drop Brody off at his room, they were already lined up for chapel. I went in to put his stuff away and he kind of just lost it. I ended up walking to chapel with them and then the teacher took him from me. My friend Julianne said she would check on him when she dropped her children off. When she called later, she said Brody was fine, but Gavin was crying. Luckily she new that he needed his "owl" so she went and got it for him and he calmed right down. Both of their teachers said they had a great day!

Finger Problem

2009-08-27T17:06:00.005-05:00

I went to wake Brody up from his nap today and he had stuck his finger in this wiffle ball. I tried to get it off before we went to meet his school teacher, but couldn't get it off, so he went with it on there and also had it on to go get Blake. When I got home, I tried cold water, vaseline, and ice. Then I called my mom to come help and she tried Pam and an ice bath. Still nothing! We finally thought of Sean's wire cutters and cut the ball to pieces. His little finger is so swollen and sore. Hopefully he'll not do that again. I mean the poor kid has the chubbiest little fingers on the planet! Grateful that we got it off and didn't have to amputate anything! By the way, the pictures are crummy because I took them with my phone :)

Growing Up

2009-08-24T09:33:00.000-05:00

Gavin has done a lot of growing up in the past 2 weeks. We went to California and all of a sudden he could do all kinds of things. He can now eat more solid foods, like Cheerios and Baby Puffs, which he used to choke on. He can wave hi and bye-bye and also crawl like a real baby. The other boys did kind of weird crawling, but not Gavin, he can do it! He's a great little eater except that he's developed a loud yell if you don't feed him fast enough. He's a sweet boy though and we really are enjoying him!

Blake's First Day of Kindergarten

2009-08-24T09:16:00.003-05:00

Today was Blake's first day of Kindergarten. His teacher is Mrs. Richardson, who we are so excited about! I think he was a little nervous, but got in the room and did great! We put away his school supplies and then he sat in his seat. So cute! I thought I would cry, but I didn't. It's just an exciting new step in our lives. Happy 1st day, Blake! I love you!

Matching Boys

2009-08-22T16:37:00.000-05:00

I tried to get a cute picture of Brody and Gavin wearing the matching shirts that used to be for Blake and Brody. I couldn't really get them to cooperate like Blake and Brody had before, but they're still cute. This is Brody (2 1/2) and Gavin (10 months). Below is Blake at 3 and Brody at 4 months. It's hard to remember them being so little!

My Flag

2009-07-13T11:31:00.001-05:00

Me and my flag

The boys in their 4th of July clothes

Tired Gavin

I have been wanting a flag in my yard since I've had my own house. My mom got me a year's subscription this year for my birthday. The local Kiwana's club does it for a fundraiser every year. My first flag was on Flag Day in June. I was so excited to have my very own flag in my yard and will look forward to the other times this year that I get to have it. Thanks mom for getting it for me!!

4th of July Parade

2009-07-13T11:27:00.001-05:00

Brody waiting for the parade to start.

Blake

Gavin

Brody with his patriotic pinwheel from Gramma.

We walked down to the end of our street to watch the 4th of July parade. We were able to sit in the shade which was awesome! The start of the parade was right there, so we were able to get lots of candy and other goodies. The fire trucks were already ahead of where we were sitting, so we were able to miss that part - not sad at all. The boys had a really fun day!

Happy 2 1/2 Birthday Brody!

2009-07-13T11:14:00.001-05:00

Brody on his party day!

Gramma and the boys

Brody with his favorite gifts - color wonder books, a new "transformer guy", and the Texas Rangers jersey.

Brody's cake. He wanted chocolate, so I made Devil's Food with Cool Whip frosting. It turned out really good. I printed the Yo Gabba Gabba characters from their website and glued them on popsicle sticks. The wording was with a can of blue frosting - it was kind of hard to control. Notice the candles are 2 big ones and one 1/2 one! :-)

We decided to celebrate Brody's 1/2 birthday since he was born on the 29th of December. I had talked to several people with December birthdays and thought this was a great idea. On his actual birthday, we took him to Chuck E. Cheese and got his traditional ice cream cake from Marble Slab, but no presents since he had just gotten a ton for Christmas. I also wasn't sure how to do the age thing so decided just to do it as it was - he really was 2 1/2. He had a great day and kept saying "my birthday" all day.

Davis Family Reunion 2009

2009-07-13T11:08:00.001-05:00

Blake with cousin Wyatt

Gavin and Wyatt (they are 2 weeks apart)

Donnie, Stephen, and Sean

Brody

We went to Oklahoma City for Sean's family reunion. We had a great time seeing everyone and spending time with family. The only bad thing was that it was 111 degrees on the Saturday we were there. We ended up at Incredible Pizza Company for lunch and then let the kids play in the game room for a while since it was air conditioned. The little kids had a great time playing together and we had a fun time just getting away.

I'm Rich!

2009-06-13T14:08:00.002-05:00

While I was doing the laundry this week, I was switching over Brody's clothes from the washer to the dryer and one of his pairs of shorts made a huge "clunk" when it hit the dryer door. My first thought was, "great - he put rocks in his pocket!" but no, I found money. First let me say that because I do the laundry, anything that gets left in pockets is Finders Keepers. So, I started digging money out of his pocket hoping to find the big stuff, but all that was in there was pennies....32 of them. Good grief! I'm surprised he could keep his pants up! Cute kid - I guess he thinks things around him are Finders Keepers too!

P.S. My dad was babysitting the night he did that, so they actually belong to my mom who was collecting them to give to the primary for a project they're working on. :)

"Clever" Little Boy

2009-06-09T08:36:00.003-05:00

I like to have the living room clean before I go to bed so that I can start fresh the next day. So I distinctly remember cleaning up Gavin's toys and putting them away in the bucket last night. I was a little confused when I found the basket upside down and the toys everywhere.

Let me preface the following conversation. We installed the magnetic child lock system on our entertainment center to keep the little ones out. Brody is a big fan of getting all the DVD cases out and spreading them all over the living room and then leaving. He also takes the covers out and rips them up. Sean also doesn't want anyone touching his game system. So the magnetic key gets put up high where only Sean and I can reach it. We also call it "the special key". So here's the conversation:

Me: Blake, did you dump out all of Gavin's toys?

Blake: Yes mom, I needed the special key.

Me: Are you allowed to get the special key?

Blake: No, but I didn't want to wake you up.

Ok, good grief. I got up at 7:45. Is there really any reason for him to be up that early? And can you see that he used the bucket to climb up to get the key? It's a wonder that he didn't get hurt trying to do that. And I'm SO not good at punishing for stuff like that. What a start to the day!

New Do's

2009-05-27T16:52:00.002-05:00

The boys got their haircut from Joe, our barber, today and I asked him if he could do "faux hawks" on them, but leave it long enough to comb over for church. I think he did a good job. Brody's didn't last very long, but was cute while it lasted.

Innocence

2009-05-16T14:08:00.000-05:00

You wonder what they're thinking. What a sweet age! Gavin has learned to sit up this past week. The sad thing is that means he's getting older. The good thing is that he's getting a little easier. I did his hair in what Jared calls a "faux-hawk". It can't be a real mohawk because I didn't shave the sides of his head. I decided that since I don't have a girl, this is the closest I can do to fix hair. :-)

Blake's Pre-K Graduation

2009-05-16T13:44:00.007-05:00

I thought I would cry more than I did. And I actually did really well until one of the mom's got up with flowers for the teachers and started bawling and I lost it. The night was really sweet and the kids did such a great job. I've loved this school for Blake this year. He's learned so much and has had such a great time. I love his teachers - they're awesome ladies!
This is with Ms. Kaci. She was his teacher until she moved at Spring Break. They came back for graduation because her daughter was also in the class.

This is Ms. Teresa who took Kaci's place.

They were singing the days of the week song. It goes to the tune of "The Adam's Family". Really cute!

This is the hippo song. I couldn't understand any of the words, but they looked cute!

This is Blake's best friend, Brett. No, Brett's not a giant, Blake's just the shortest one in the class.We mediumly got the kids to pose for a picture although none of them really wanted to. Congratulations, Blake! We're so proud of all you've done this year! While there's part of me that is sad that you're going to start Kindergarten next year, I know that you are ready for that next step in your life. I hope that your little brothers can follow your example and do as well as you have. We love you buddy!

My Latest Project

2009-05-15T18:52:00.003-05:00

I've been trying out some of my photoshop skills by altering some of our family shots. I saw it on another girl's blog and they look so awesome. This is one I made tonight, although Sean isn't a huge fan of how it turned out. I wish Gavin wasn't so washed out, but I was tired of starting over just to fix it. I think it's super cute, but I guess that's just in the eye of the creator!

At the Hotel

2009-04-28T16:36:00.000-05:00

We had some extra time on Friday before Unkie's funeral. Blake was watching TV, so Brody decided he wanted to watch his show too. The thing is, we have a DVR at home and he can watch his shows whenever he wants to, so he thinks he can do that anywhere he goes. After a small meltdown, Sean brilliantly thought of letting him watch on the laptop. YEAH! The last picture is Blake with Chris, who is Unkie's (Doug) son from his first marriage. They had just gotten back in contact 4 years ago after 28 years of not seeing each other. Kind of a complicated story, but what a nice guy and super nice wife. It was really nice to spend time with them and get to know them better.

In Loving Memory

2009-04-21T10:21:00.000-05:00

Sean's uncle passed away yesterday evening. He was riding his motorcycle home from work and got in a wreck. This picture is him holding Blake when he was just a month old. He loved children and was such a good dad/grandpa/uncle. He was always the one at the family get-togethers that would take all the kids outside to play, chase after them, and just have a good time. He was an excellent role model to us and was a super fun guy. We will miss him dearly.

Scott is Home!

2009-04-18T18:32:00.001-05:00

Scott came home last night from his mission in Bulgaria. Their plane came in at 10:00 pm so we didn't get to visit very long, but it is so great to have him home! How cute is he?!?!

Blake's First T-Ball Game

2009-04-17T14:22:00.001-05:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Little Brother

2009-04-16T14:51:00.000-05:00

I found these really cute shirts at Kohl's last week that say "Big Brother" and "Little Brother". I got "Big Brother" for Blake and Brody. They didn't have one that said "Middle Brother" and the "Little Brother" one was white - totally off limits for Brody. Anyway, Gavin was in the office the other day playing on the floor and I thought I would play around with the camera. He was cooperative for a while and you can see by the end that he had had enough. At least I got a few good shots!

Me and the Boys

2009-04-16T14:46:00.000-05:00

I think this is the only time that I've ever had all 3 boys on my lap at once. This was right before bed one night and I just got done reading them a book. It looks like Blake and Brody had also just finished some sort of messy snack that they were saving on their faces for later! What sweet boys!

Monkey Bread

2009-04-08T19:11:00.001-05:00

We have a tradition of having Monkey Bread for breakfast on the morning of General Conference. I've usually been able to buy it already made in the frozen section at Wal-Mart and then it only takes 2 minutes in the microwave to cook. Super easy and really good!! When I went to buy it this time, they didn't have it, so I decided to make it myself. It took FOREVER to do, but was REALLY good! The recipe was easy enough but took lots of planning ahead. Here's the recipe:

Cinnamon Monkey Bread

1 pkg. Bridgford Parkerhouse or White Rolls OR 1 & 1/2 loaves Bridgford Frozen Bread Dough, thawed

1/2 cup melted butter or margarine

1 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

Lightly grease a 10-12 cup fluted tube pan. If using loaves of dough, divide whole loaf of Bridgford Frozen Bread Dough into 16 equal pieces and half loaf into 8 equal pieces for a total of 24 pieces of dough. If using rolls, there is no need to divide dough. In a small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon. Set aside. Dip each piece of dough in melted butter and roll in sugar mixture. Make sure that the dough is coated generously with sugar mixture. Place each piece of dough evenly in pan. Let the dough rise until double in size or until the dough has risen to just under the top rim of the pan. Bake in a preheated 350° oven for 30-40 minutes. The bread should be well-browned and sound hollow when tapped ontop. Remove from oven and turn out of pan immediately.

We really enjoyed it and I think I will make it from scratch next time, but I just need to remember to start it much earlier so we can actually have it for breakfast instead of lunch!

Swing Me!

2009-04-08T19:05:00.000-05:00

We went outside last week to play while Sean was working inside. Blake was gone and Brody wanted to swing (his favorite thing outside). Gavin usually has that look on his face the entire time he's swinging, but usually doesn't fuss much unless we push him too high. Brody always wants "up high" and be pushed as hard as we can push!

Gavin's 6th Month Check-Up

2009-04-03T13:58:00.002-05:00

Gavin had his 6th month check-up today. He weighs 16 lbs. 3 oz. (23%), is 27 inches (67%), and his head is 17 1/2 inches (67%). So while I was thinking he was a chunky kid, I guess he's not. His cute chubby cheeks have been misleading. She said he was doing well, although he doesn't roll over and he barfs all the time!)

Poor Brody had to get his Hep B dose #2. He did awesome!

Chick-Fil-A

2009-04-03T13:46:00.004-05:00

I found a coupon in my purse the other day for a free kid's meal at Chick-Fil-A. Gavin had his 6 month well check today, so I decided to take the boys there for lunch. I've only been to Chick-Fil-A a couple of times, because I'm not really a fan of chicken. It was so awesome today! First of all, the playground doesn't have tables inside, so you sit outside the doors and just watch the kids play. Awesome because the screaming and crying is muted! Love it! I also really like that they give you placemats for the tables, Purell hand wipes, cheerios for the toddlers, mints when you're done eating, and a great place for kids to play! We had a great time and will definitely be heading back there! My only disappointment was that my hands were too full to get ice cream. :-)

About Me

2009-04-01T18:34:00.005-05:00

I saw this on another blog and thought it was funny. By the time I got done asking Blake the questions, it wasn't fun anymore and was really quite sad. He doesn't know much about me and really couldn't think of anything. I had to ask him the questions lots of times before he would think of an answer besides "I don't know". Some of them are pretty cute, though. Anyway, here are his answers (in his own words):

What is something mom always says to you?
When I ask if I can have a snack, you say no because it’s not 3:30
What makes mom happy?
Anybody that’s bothering you and they’re gone – that makes you happy.
What makes mom sad?
When you don’t have any friends
How does your mom make you laugh?

By telling a joke.

What was your mom like as a child?

You didn’t have any polka dots around you (I'm assuming that he means freckles, which I don't think I have too many of :)

How old is your mom?

37 (hmmm)

How tall is your mom?

You’re taller than me and Brody and Gavin

What is her favorite thing to watch on TV?

The one’s that people build stuff, like House Crashers (I don't think that's a real show, but was cute anyway)
What does your mom do when you're not around?

You work

What is your mom really good at?

Candy Land

What is your mom not very good at?

Playing Mario Kart Wii

What does your mom do for her job?

Make things

What is your mom's favorite food?

Spaghetti (It's not, but that's ok)
If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?

Spongebob, because I like him.

What do you and your mom do together?

Play and work

How are you and your mom the same?

We’re not the same, we’re different

How are you and your mom different?

Because you’re bigger and I’m smaller

How do you know your mom loves you?

By giving me a hug

What does your mom like most about your dad?

You love him

Where is your mom's favorite place to go?

Ruby Tequila’s

Gavin's 6th Month

2009-03-27T20:28:00.004-05:00

Gavin is 6 months old today! I can't believe it. It seems like yesterday that we were bringing him home from the hospital. Where has the time gone? I have tried harder to just hold him and cuddle him and enjoy the small moments. They go by so unbelievably quick.

Things I love about him:

1. His gorgeous blue eyes. The other boys are brown, as are Sean and I.

2. When he sees me, he smiles really big and gets really excited that I might come pick him up.

3. He loves playing on the floor under his toys.

4. He sleeps all night (most of the time).

5. He sleeps in his own crib.

6. He has adorable little feet that are so very ticklish.

7. He adores his brothers.

Things he does right now:

1. Babbles - just started saying "da, da, da, da, da" but not meaning daddy :)

2. Sucks on his hands.

3. Plays with toys.

4. Hates tummy time.

5. Laughs when tickled.

6. LOVES getting his diaper changed. He gets a huge grin on his face and giggles when I take the diaper off. It's adorable!

When I was so certain that I wanted a girl for our third baby (and actually cried for a couple of days when I found out that it wasn't), what a sweet baby boy we've ended up with! I love you to pieces Gavi Gavers!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2009-03-20T19:30:00.000-05:00

I bought these cute shirts for all of us for St. Patrick's Day. We had a fun day, but when I went to try and take pictures, this is what I got. Brody was upset because he wanted to hold Gavin and Blake was holding Gavin. Gavin wanted nothing to do with not being held by me (which requires me to stand up). Anyway, Happy St. Patrick's Day - a few days late.

New Kitchen

2009-03-06T15:10:00.006-06:00

We decided to redo our kitchen (I have a list of things I want to redo in our new house) recently. We did lots of shopping and research. When we moved in, the appliances were older and worked for the most part, but as we lived here, they weren't meeting our needs. The worst one was the dishwasher, which was rusted, smelly, and didn't have enough room for our billions of kid-sized forks and spoons. The other bad thing was that the microwave was built-in above the stove. This sounds nice, but just wasn't practical in our kitchen. The microwave hung down so low that you couldn't even stir pots that were in the back on the stove. The stove was the old coil burner type with the knobs in the front middle. One day while I was cooking, the boys were helping and when I turned my back, Brody was turning the knobs! I just can't have that! They don't help all that often, but it just takes once. The oven was fine, but the inside light didn't work and the knob broke off of the timer, so I was using a paper clip to turn it. So when we decided to get all new appliances, that meant that we should get new countertops, sink, faucet, and backsplash to go with it (why not, right)? So we ended up chosing granite, a stainless steel sink, cute faucet (the plumber and Sean did not approve, but I like it), and travertine tile to go with our new black appliances. Here are the befores and afters: Old stove, microwave, and oven (on wall)

Old dishwasher, sink, counter

More old

New microwave and oven. We had a drawer built for underneath the oven for more storage. I still have painting to do :-)

New sink, faucet, dishwasher, backsplash

We put in a hood instead of the microwave, and did a fun different tile above the stove. I love my cooktop - it has no knobs! It's all touch (and does include a child lock). Sean and I also installed undercabinet lighting wired directly to the outlet, so I don't have any ugly plugs hanging out.

Needs

2009-03-01T20:22:00.002-06:00

I saw this fun game on Fleur's blog and decided to try it. You google your name with the word "needs" like "Becky needs" and see what comes up. You then post the first seven things.

Becky needs...
1. Becky needs a home.
2. Becky needs to listen to "Kareem Abdul Jabbar" by Kevin Devine and to laugh about it.
3. Becky needs a free download.
4. Becky needs a little taste on Flickr.
5. Becky needs friends, not boyfriends. (hmmm...)
6. Becky needs a friend Podcast (is someone trying to tell me something?)

There were only 6 on the first page, so there you go. I tag Stephanie, Diane, and Deanna.

Five Months Old

2009-02-27T20:16:00.003-06:00

I know this is a blurry picture, but it's the best one of the day. Today, Gavin is 5 months old. I don't really know where the time has gone! Things I want to remember: he smiles and recognizes us, tries to grab things, and is a fairly happy baby. He loves playing underneath his toys hanging above him. He does not like the swing, or bumbo (darn it) and mostly loves being held. He weighs 15 lbs (when he was weighed when he was sick). We love you sweet boy!

Poor Gavin

2009-02-23T20:42:00.003-06:00

My sweet baby has been very sick the past several days. It started last Wednesday when he woke up looking like this. I called the doctor and they said to give him Benedryl and they also prescribed some eye drops. By the end of the day, his eye had gone down, but he had a runny nose. His nose never really got better and on Friday late afternoon, he started running a fever. I ended up taking him to the doctor on Saturday and he has the flu, RSV, and an ear infection. He's just absolutely miserable, poor guy. The good thing is that his lungs were clear and he is eating well. He did sleep better today, but his little nose is so raw and yucky. Hopefully he will get better quickly because it's just so sad.

Happy Groundhog Day

2009-02-02T15:48:00.001-06:00

Happy Groundhog Day! Today is my mom's favorite holiday. Because: you don't have to go anywhere, do anything, be anything, cook anything.....you get the point. I had these shirts from last year and they worked for the day. Poor Gavin doesn't have a shirt, but he's also taking a nap, so that's good for all of us. Hope you enjoy the holiday!

Valentine Cards

2009-01-22T16:33:00.002-06:00

To those of you who love sweet Valentine cards, I found this website in a magazine. Their cards are pretty cute. You can get 6 free cards, plus free shipping if you want some just for fun. You go to ScrapbooksEtc.com/valentine. Then use valentine at checkout to get them free. This is the one I did, although you can't see it very well. They have lots of other fun things too!

Valentine's Shirts

2009-01-21T19:30:00.000-06:00

I thought the boys looked cute today in their coordinating, but not identical, Valentine's shirts. Blake's is from last year (yes, he's still about the same size), Brody's is a hand-me-down from Blake, and Gavin's is brand new. Cute boys.

Almost 4 months

2009-01-21T18:46:00.000-06:00

I decided to take some pictures of Gavin outside in his cute little outfit. I ended up in the shade so he would open his eyes, but I thought they turned out pretty cute. The first one is the one I put in my room, only in sepia. Blake was a big helper to try and get Gavin to smile.

Happy 2nd Birthday, Brody!

2009-01-06T21:41:00.000-06:00

Brody is our sweet, but poor, Christmas baby. He was born on December 29th. After talking to lots of people with December birthdays, we decided to celebrate his 1/2 birthday in June where he will get presents, since he just got done opening what seemed like thousands of presents 4 days earlier. We did want to celebrate and have fun that day, so we decided to take him to Chuck E. Cheese for a fun evening. He had a great time playing the games and putting the coins in (sometimes more than was required at a time). Before we got our food, I took him over to see the band sing and he was loving it. By the time I wanted to take pictures in front of the band, he wanted nothing to do with it (mostly because they were way to close for his comfort), so we opted for a family picture in front of the Chuck E. Cheese sign. We had a great evening! Happy Birthday my sweet 2 year old boy!

Brody's Birthday Cake

2009-01-06T21:34:00.000-06:00

Brody loves ice cream. He knows right were it is and asks for it a lot! He says "num num". For his 1st birthday, we got him an ice cream cake from Marble Slab and he liked it so much (so did we) that we decided it would be our tradition for his future cakes. He ate most of it, but decided he didn't like the strawberries in it, so he gave them to papa.

Gingerbread House

2009-01-06T21:30:00.000-06:00

One of the first days of the Christmas break, Jared came over and helped Blake build this gingerbread house. It was one of those that comes in a kit. The younger two boys were napping, so I left Jared in charge and came in to do some computer work. You must know that Blake is very much a follow the instructions kind of kid. As they were building, I heard Blake talking about where to put things based on the picture on the box. After a while of this, I heard Jared say "Blake, we're not making it like the box. We're making it our own way." He had definitely gotten tired of the comparison and just wanted to be his own kind of creative. They did a great job and it was fun to have around for Christmas!

Abstract Art

2009-01-06T21:23:00.000-06:00

I was watching HGTV the other day (Deserving Design with Vern Yip - he's my favorite) and he was doing a house for a firefighter. For the living room, he hired a photographer to take pictures of things in the firehouse and turn them into abstract art. This guy was definitely professional, but the pictures turned out awesome! I definitely want to be able to do stuff like that. These are some pictures I took, just messing around with it, but I thought the one of Gavin turned out especially cute. Brody's would have been better if I could have gotten him to hold still for 5 seconds. Just thought they were kind of fun. I'm really looking to do something fun over Brody's bed, and I thought some unique pictures of him would be cool.

Blake's Nativity Program

2008-12-29T16:41:00.000-06:00

Blake's pre-school class put on a little Nativity play. Blake was a wiseman and was so cute! It was hilarious to watch these little kids say their parts and do the actions. The picture with his hands on his mouth was when they were singing "Go, Tell it on a Mountain". The second picture is with his best friend, Brett. Blake had to say "hallelujah, baby Jesus is born" with the other wisemen. Really cute!

Our Big Christmas Tree

2008-12-27T11:18:00.000-06:00

Because we've never had much room in our house, we've never had a big Christmas Tree. Before, we only had a very small, skinny tree that we could stick in a corner so it didn't take up much space. This year at the after Thanksgiving sale, Home Depot had this tree on sale for $49 instead of $199. My mom got up early and got to the store to get one for us. I wasn't able to do it because we were in Clarendon for Thanksgiving this year. It is a pre-lit tree and just folds up kind of like an umbrella. I originally wanted white lights, but since this is what we got for such a great price, I think the multi-colored lights are just fine! And the boys really like the colors. The tree is only decorated on the top half because Brody kept taking the ornaments off. When he did, I would just move them up high. He eventually stopped messing with them. We're excited to finally have a real Christmas tree!

DuBois Family Christmas

2008-12-27T11:11:00.000-06:00

We spent Christmas Eve with my family. We ate dinner a little early because my mom and I had a playing job at one of the local churches. When we were done, we went home and opened presents. We decided between the adult kids, that we would exchange names between each other and not buy for the little kids, since they get so much already. My mom also bought all the grandkids matching PJs. It was a good evening spent with family.

Snow Day

2008-12-27T11:04:00.000-06:00

The boys wanted to play out in the snow today. The backyard is sheltered enough from the wind that the snow was just falling straight down and not blowing very much. It's about 30 degrees, so they didn't stay out long but had fun while they did.

White Shirt Follow-Up

2008-12-23T20:07:00.000-06:00

The pictures really explain themselves. Of course Blake's shirt is perfectly clean and well, Brody's is not. Before we got ready for bed tonight, I thought it would be fun to see how the shirts lasted throughout the day.

I'm Dreaming of a White.......T-shirt

2008-12-23T11:53:00.000-06:00

I bought these shirts for the boys last year, after Christmas, while we were in California. Brody was just barely 1 and I didn't know how messy and filthy he would be ALL the time. Really...white?? I don't know what I was thinking except that Blake will probably wear his all day and not get anything on it. We'll see how the day goes and if it gets ruined, then it does. Good thing they were on clearance and didn't cost very much! Gavin and I have coordinating shirts with snowmen on them, but not exactly the same.

Smiley Boy Gavin

2008-12-22T19:16:00.000-06:00

Sean was able to make Gavin smile tonight. He just doesn't smile very much, but he's starting to smile more and more. He's in his new little outfit from Aunt D. He also scratched himself on the forehead - I think he looks like Harry Potter.

Christmas with the Davis Family

2008-12-22T19:12:00.000-06:00

We had Christmas with Sean's family yesterday. We opened presents (everyone bought just for the kids) and then had dinner. We had it at out house this year since we finally have room for everyone. Sean's grandmother also has cancer and is in Amarillo for the next 2 weeks for Chemo treatments (that is why we celebrated early). We served lasagna (thanks Mom for the help), bread, salad, and lots of yummy desserts. It was a very fun evening!

Santa Claus concert

2008-12-22T11:01:00.000-06:00

My mom plays with the Amarillo Symphony and every year they put on these concerts for K-5 children. I've gone since Blake was a baby (I think I even went when I was little), so it's kind of a tradition. They play some standard orchestra music and introduce all the different instruments. Then Santa comes out and directs the orchestra and also sings Christmas carols. The audience is full of children and it's really fun to hear them when Santa comes out on the stage. Since I have 3 children this year, I talked my dad into going with us to help. We had a fun time and even got to get our pictures taken with Santa.

School Christmas Party

2008-12-18T14:16:00.000-06:00

Brody and Blake's last day of school was today, along with their Christmas Party. Blake's class had cupcakes with M&Ms on it to look like a Christmas tree and chex mix to eat. They had water bottles with all the kid's names on them and then they called it "Snow Juice". They also made an ornament with their pictures on it surrounded by beads. Brody made an ornament decorated with foam stickers. His favorite treat was the huge tube of mini M&Ms. I love their school and their teachers! They have had a great year so far!

Gavin's Blessing Day

2008-12-17T22:13:00.000-06:00

We blessed Gavin on December 7th. We did it a little late in order for Sean's grandparents to be there, although they ended up not being able to make it. He's not much of a smile-er, so it's sweet that we got some pictures of him smiling.

Cookie Monster

2008-12-17T22:03:00.000-06:00

Brody loves cookies! It's one of the few words he can say. I also thought it was cute that he was trying to sit in the Bumbo seat I had gotten out for Gavin. Both Blake & Brody like it better than Gavin does right now (he is still a little young to be using it). This just captures the fact that Brody can be sweet and cute some times.

Jason's Graduation

2008-12-17T22:00:00.000-06:00

My brother, Jason, graduated from WTAMU last Saturday with his Bachelor's degrees in Accounting and Finance. He's so excited to finally be done. Congratulations Jason!

Matching Sweaters

2008-12-17T21:56:00.000-06:00

Aren't they cute in their matching Mickey Mouse sweaters?

Christmas Gifts 2008

2008-12-17T21:54:00.000-06:00

These are the Christmas Gifts I made this year. The top one is a rag quilt for Sean's cousin's baby that is 3 weeks older than Gavin. Her husband and dad are big UT fans, so I thought it would be cute for them. The second picture is an embroidered monogrammed towel. I saw something similar at the Secret Place and decided I could make it myself. I thought it turned out pretty cute and only had one minor injury with my sewing machine. On the towel is a picture of a pocket calendar that I covered with my own scrapbook paper and added the initials, ribbon, and buckle to the outside. Thanks Stephanie for the idea! Both the towel and the calendar are gifts for Blake & Brody's teachers.

Christmas Baby

2008-12-17T21:50:00.000-06:00

My mom bought this outfit when I was pregnant and before we knew what we were having. I just love it! He has enough Christmas outfits to wear one every day of the week. It's too bad the holiday is so close because they are all so cute. By the way, the 2nd picture is what Gavin is usually like during the day unless he's being held.

Words of Wisdom

2008-12-12T20:44:00.003-06:00

We were on our way home from Amarillo tonight and were driving on the highway when Sean accidentally drove over the white line on the right and onto the part that makes noise and vibrates your car so you'll move back onto the road (I don't remember what it's called). Anyway, Blake yells from the back seat "Uh, oh. Someone ate too much!" I guess he thought that the vibration from the road was actually someone passing gas from inside the car. That would take some serious talent to pull that off! It was hilarious!

New Sunday Vests

2008-11-17T16:25:00.000-06:00

My mom found these cute matching vests for the boys. Blake's primary program was yesterday, so I thought it would be fun for them to match. They all looked so cute and grown up and were halfway ok to let us take pictures.

So far today...

2008-11-12T10:22:00.002-06:00

Brody woke up at 8:30 this morning. Right now it is 10:30 am. So far today, he has managed to grind his toast with butter and cinnamon sugar into my chair, eat Blake's water color paints and his leftover chips from yesterday, spill the water that went with Blake's water color paints, climb on the kitchen table, unroll the toilet paper in the little bathroom, and wake Gavin up from his nap. I'm so looking forward to the rest of the day with this sweet little boy!

Difficult Halloween PJ Pictures

2008-10-21T21:22:00.000-05:00

It's pretty much impossible to get 3 boys to hold still long enough to get any good pictures. Really, it's just Brody. I have about 2 seconds to snap the shot and then he's done. He has learned to say "cheese" but he doesn't necessarily hold still while he's saying it. All I wanted was some cute pictures in their Halloween PJs....I pretty much just got these, and now I'm exhausted from fighting Brody - sweet boy that he is!

Fairy Tale Day

2008-10-21T21:16:00.001-05:00

Last Thursday was Fairy Tale Day at school as part of them studying the letter F. We decided Blake could be Prince Charming. My mom made the majority of his costume, which consisted of a tunic with a fleur de lis on the front and her belt from 1980 to hold his sword. Sean's Gram made the cape and we had to have lunch at Burger King one day to get the crown. We made our own sticker that said "Prince Charming" to cover up the BK logo. Brody was the Tortise and the Hare. He had a turtle shell and the rabbit hat. He's holding a bat because he wanted to have a sword like Blake. At one point, he even wanted it tucked into his pants to be like Blake. It was a fun day (and thanks mom for all the work you did for Blake's costume!)

My Top Ten

2008-10-11T15:13:00.004-05:00

Here are the top 10 things I can't live without (not in any particular order):

1. My family

2. Cute toes/pedicures

3. Adobe Photoshop

4. My computer

5. Diet Coke

6. Taco Tuesday at Rosa's

7. My pillow

8. Flip-flops (only wish I could wear them year round)

9. DVR - what did I do without it??

10. Heavenly Father - lots of prayers lately

Gavin's First Week

2008-10-04T19:22:00.002-05:00

These are a few pictures of Gavin's first week at home. He's naked because he was supposed to be in the light box. Day 5 of his life was his first full day to be able to wear clothes. We were so excited!!

Blake's Soccer

2008-10-04T19:21:00.000-05:00

This is Blake's first year to play soccer. I thought it would be fun for Sean to be the coach...so he did it. There are only 5 boys on our team and there are three 4-5 year old teams total. They are super cute. They run to the wrong goals, get scared to kick the ball away from the other team--typical 4-year old soccer boys. I think they all have a fun time.

Hyperbilirubinemia

2008-10-04T19:14:00.000-05:00

Sean and I are ABO incompatible. Sean has B+ blood, which is very dominant, and I have O+ blood. All 3 boys have B+ blood. Basically all this means is that they have severe jaundice and issues getting rid of the excess bilirubin when they are born. Both Brody and Gavin had to stay in the bilibeds at the hospital. They could only stay in the room to eat and then they would have to go back to the nursery to be under the lights (which helps in breaking down the bilirubin). We were able to bring Gavin home, but were given a bili bed for him to live in at home for 4 days. We had to take him in twice to have his blood drawn to check his bilirubin count. On Tuesday, the count had gone up - more lights for Gavin. By Thursday though, the count had gone down, so we were able to take him out. I didn't get any pictures taken of his "dog house" --it was basically a 3-sided box with lights at the top and a clear bin for him to sleep in. We were supposed to take his temperature every 15 minutes for the 1st hour, every 30 minutes for the 2nd hour, and then every other hour after that. We had to keep him between 97 & 99 degrees. And not only that, but he had to be rotated from his front to his back. If it's not bad enough to bring home a new baby and adjust....just add a dog house! Oh, we were so relieved to be done with that! He's doing great now and we are very thankful!