Broken

So, I will not be blogging for a little while.  My hard drive crashed...I do have my computer back and that is good BUT...all of my photos are on my fried hard drive which is out in California.  They are trying to recover my pictures for the lovely price of $855.  I am happy to pay it if it means I can have all my pictures back.  Lesson learned...always back up your photos.  So, until then....

JACKSON IS THREE!

Jackson, Nya and Iyla...old school!

So cute!

Baby versions

Stacy was only like 1-2 months away from giving birth to her GIANT twins in this picture.  How HOT is she???

Yes, his eyes are REAL!

Aweeeeeeee

Even the back of his head is cute.

Jackson D. Carter has turned THREE people!  I meant to do this post yesterday (his actual birthday) BUT I forgot.  I wanted to post some pictures to celebrate this awesome little dude.  We cannot wait to spend the weekend with you Jax...See you tomorrow!

xoxo,
The Davy fam

Matching pj's...

My mom bought the girls these matching pajamas.  I promised her that I would get a picture so here it is.  Not quite award winning but it was the best I could in the moment.

P.S. I am pretty sure Iyla just poked Nya in the eye and that is why she is squinting...whoops!

Leila's appointment

Well, we did not get the news we were hoping for today. Leila's acetabular index (AI) angle is still at a 34-35 and it needs to be at a 20-21. She has had no change since her last xray 4 months ago. I have been in a total funk all day. I just want to put all of this all behind us. She has another xray in 6 months and if the angle is still not coming down than we need to address the possibility of another surgery. The hardest thing about all of this is that I am making decisions based on a 30-40 year old future version of Leila. This hip issue is at a point where if we did nothing from here on out than we are risking the possibility of Leila developing early arthritis in her right hip joint.  She would not have a limp or have any trouble playing sports or walking or anything like that.  We are just trying to prevent any cartilage build up that will cause her to have early arthritis in her mid to late 30's.  It seems so crazy that I am making decisions about her health that far into the future. I mean my initial thought is to let it be and we will deal with it then. But then I thought, that is so unfair. I cannot ignore this issue and then tell her when she is having severe joint pain in her thirties that I just could not bare the thought of putting her through another surgery, cast, recovery...etc. She might be a mother by then and she will be taking care of her own children. She does not need to be dealing with any sort of extra pain during all of that. We all know that parenting has enough pain and agony already.

But the good news is that today reminded me of something very important. As I was picturing the 30 year old version of Leila and how she will thank me for taking care of all this when she was so little, I had a realization. I realized that every decision we make as parents is for the future versions of our children. The goals we set for them, the rules we enforce, the praise we show them, the lessons we constantly instill in them and the countless moments of extreme imperfection is all just the mold that is forming our little people into strong, confident, independent bigger people.

Parenting is daunting, tiresome and tedious....but it is also boundlessly rewarding. So, I am going to hope that whatever happens with Leila will only afford her the best possible version of her future self. I am also going to constantly remind myself that my children are healthy and that any of these issues are not threatening their lives in any way. I am grateful that I have their potential futures to worry about, I would not want it any other way. Just another hurdle...and we will clear it!

No words to describe...

It is pretty exhausting to try and find the words to express how amazing my mom actually is.  Thank you surely does not fit the bill.  That is such mediocre expression of gratitude but there is really nothing that gets the sentiment across "just right".  

How do you thank someone for always having your very best interest at the forefront of their mind, no matter the cost.  Or for sacrificing everything in their life to ensure that you have the very best childhood imaginable.  Or for hiding all the pain and hatred in the world so that you never have to know sadness or loss.  Or for standing up for you when the entire world feels that you are a "lost cause".  Or for loving you unconditionally even when all the dreams she once had for you slowly fade away.  Or for accepting the choices that you made even when she worries it might cause you pain, the same pain she has spent her whole life protecting you from.  Or for teaching you perseverance and the true meaning of strength.  And then, for doing all those things all over again for her grandchildren.  I mean how?  How on earth do you thank someone for that?  There is no gift that I can buy, no grand gesture that I can show her.  I would like to think that she just "knows" but that does not seem like enough.

I know that every one's mother is amazing in their eyes but I am pretty sure that anyone who has ever met my mother and knows her story would agree that she might be the most amazing mother person in the world. 

Happy mother's day, MOM....I love you.

Nya, Mom and Iyla...

Best friends

Tiny Leila

Cheers!

My 30th Birthday party

Loving life...

Iyla sleeping in the outdoor hammock at Isabel's house.

"HI MOMMY!"

Cooper and Leila

"Hmmmm, where to next?"

Tree fort at Isabel's house.

Bathing beauty.

Look at those eye lashes and those crazy curls...love it.

Professional picture taker.

Nya and Sarah, woooo hooooo!

Sarah, Tyler and Nya!

This is the face she has on when I get her out of her crib in the morning!

Iyla and Will....and Nya.

"Say cheese"

How cute is he?

"I love it here!"

Nya, cuteness.

Love this picture.

And this picture too...

"Akasha". Spent 18 months in rehab after being hit by a boat propeller.

Doesn't she look excited to get in the water? Her flippers were going crazy.

YAY!!!! There she goes....

I have been feeling very grateful for my life these days.  I am extremely aware that it could have been so much different for us.  I am lucky enough to stay home and watch my kids grow up.  Even though there are days when it is so tedious and beyond exhausting, I would not have it any other way.  We really do have it so good, we are fortunate to have family close by and so many friends to make the days pass and help our children nurture life long bonds with these other little people.  These pictures are from a day at my friend Isabel's pool. It looks like a luxurious resort pool, but nope, it is right in their backyard.  It is amazing, like paradise.  The next pictures are from a day at our pool with some friends.  The other pictures are from a beach day that the Froling family invited us on.  We went to go see the rehabilitated turtles released back into the ocean.  It was so great and the kids learned a good lesson about taking care of other living things.  Nya has said that she has been thinking about "Akasha" (that was one of the turtle's names that was released).  She is worried that there might be other turtles in the ocean that need help and nobody will find them.  She is so cute.