throw up makes you a mom

last night I had a true mom night.

After being asleep for about 30 mins, I woke up at 11:45 to little eight-year-old kassidy waking me up because she was covered in throw up.

awesome.

and it was everyyyywhere.

after helping her shower and holding her hair a few more times in the toilet, I made a bed for her at the foot of our bed.

then about 4 more times in the night, we woke up together for more "over-the-toilet" moments.

so I think I got a total of about 2-sporadic hours of sleep, and I suddenly have SOSOSOSO much more appreciation for working moms.

because I am DEAD dead DEAD at work today.

yesterday morning, she called me from school because she wasn't feeling well.

Taylor picked her up and stayed with her, but by 3pm she was feeling a lot better.

she never had a fever, and we thought she was more "mom-sick" than "sick-sick."

but when she came in last night and I saw her covered in throw-up, we learned pretty quick that the poor thing was actually sick! ha!

thank goodness for the nicest neighbor, who agreed to watch kass today while I was at work and taylor had meetings.

Luckily, I think she got everything possible out of her system last night.

BUT wow.

being a mom is hard.

and also GROSS.

I almost threw up myself so many times. 

but I'm hoping that part gets easier?

also last night was the best birth control! HA

mostly I just love that little girl and want her to get better.

and mostly #2, I'm using last night as my excuse of why my lunch consists of only 2 nutty-bars.

I bought these last week because I was CRAVING them for some reason...and I NEVER buy snacks (except for almonds), so taylor was pretty happy to see these in the cupboard.

and today I was pretty happy to see these in my lunch.

and I think I made about two coherent sentences today while teaching. that's it.

but regardless of all of the sickness and throw up and smelly smells and no sleep, these 5 kids have our heart!

a lot of teacher thoughts, because I'm a teacher.

day #4 of being parents of five, and I'm happy to report that we're alive!

...and the kids are too! ;)

haha, we love every second of this little gig.

we have SOOSOSOSOSO much fun with our pseudo-kids.

like I wish I could just record them 24/7 and show you all how witty they are. it's unreal.

last night, taylor and I decided to treat our little ones to some ice cream.

we decided to visit the oldest, karlee, at chick-fil-a (where she was working)

we went through the drive through to have her take our order, and didn't reveal who we were.

the littlest ones were laughing so hard in the back--they just thought it was the funniest thing.

which made taylor and I laugh our little heads off.

then taylor asked, "can you tell me how many chocolate chips are in the chocolate chip cookies?"

and that's when all of us in the car lost it. 

poor little karlee had to put up with taylor's pestering.

when we pulled up to the window and she saw who we were, we all had a good laugh.

GUYS. this morning, I received the nicest parent email.

I always get a little nervous to open parent emails--some parents just aren't nice.

and this particular parent went out of their way to send me an email JUST to tell me nice things!

I had tears in my eyes while I was reading it--it was just so nice, and the perfect start to my day.

also...she referenced my blog, and I had a brief moment where my stomach dropped and I thought, "oh my goodness. do parents see my blog? what have I said on there that could get me into trouble?" HA...too late now! 

and a quick update on the speakeasy party, since I had some questions on how it went.

we had two different parties on thursday.

the first one---was a bust.

it was awful.

there were some "issues" that we had to deal with, which made it so we couldn't do a lot of what we had planned.

and so the students in that party kind of got the raw end of the deal.

when that party ended, I tried really hard not to cry--there was just a lot of "wow, this really sucked" and "worst activity ever" comments as students left.

and I wanted to tell them, "yeah, I know it sucked. because some students messed it up for all of you. but also--this took the history teachers hours to plan, so stop being meanie-heads." (I inserted meanie-heads instead of the mean words I was thinking HA)

in between the two parties, I headed down to my classroom to compose and rework some of our plans for the next party.

One of my wise professors once told me to keep a folder of "heart-warming-letters" and to read them on the bad days or the times that your lesson just really takes a dive.

and man--probably the best advice I was ever given.

I have a folder of about 50 of these, and on thursday, I pulled them out.

it was the perfect recharge I needed to get the energy for party #2.

and party #2 was a success! THANK GOODNESS

definitely can improve next year, but it was night and day comparing the two parties.

us history teachers took a deep breath that day and high-fived each other.

and now we are excited to make it even BETTER next year!

(if you are a history teacher wanting to do something similar, email me and I'll send you the details of what we did and what did/didn't work!)

aaand a classic high-school-ism:

yesterday, while talking about the KKK in U.S. history, the projector started making a funny noise.

I looked at one kid who was sitting right below the projector and said, "hey, I'm really sorry if this projector blows up on you. just don't sue me."

then another student says, "is it ironic that the KKK is up on the screen right now while this is happening?"

the student sitting below the projector so happened to be african american...

HAHAH I tried so hard not to laugh, but when I looked over and saw the "under-the-projector-kid" laughing, I lost it.

if he laughed, I guess I could to ;)

also, just finished the glass castle.
SO GOOD. read it.

and just started "the selection"--a mix between the bachelor and hunger games. HAHA

oh, hi, i'm a mom of five kids!

on Sunday, taylor and I became parents of FIVE!

we are watching our cutest neighbor kids while their parents are in hawaiiiiii.

and if we had to "babysit" any kids, these are the easiest ones we could ask for.

they are unbelievably talented, and smart, and kind, and WITTY.

like taylor and I have tears in our eyes from laughing so hard every night.

it is the best thing ever.

also, they are all in school all day (with the oldest in high school), PLUS meals are pre-prepared...sooo we are getting the rich end of the parenting-gig.

but other times, I feel like I'm getting the "real-deal"

I got two calls from the elementary aged children during the school day yesterday asking little questions, had to make extra trips for "forgotten homework," did kindergarten homework for an hour, and flushed toilets that forget to be flushed.

and really. i love every second! HA, time to be a mom? 

these kids are just the best.

last night, we went to the closing night of their elementary school play.

three of "our" kids were in it.

with one of them being the main male role--we were pretty proud.

and here I was, finding myself squeezing in between heads to snap blurry pictures on my iphone, and yet I couldn't seem to snap enough of them.

I was just so proud of my pseudo-kids!

^see? total mom pictures--and yet, they were my favorite ones of the night, because they remind me of how happy they made me while performing on stage!

"my" kids are the ones on either side of me!

my little sebastian and mer-sister!

While standing in line waiting to get inside, I realized that all of the other parents had flowers and chocolates in their hands, and then I realized--DUH, CLOSING NIGHT.

we had to give them flowers!!

So I frantically called taylor and told him to stop to get flowers and candy.

and that's how you know I'm not a REAL mom. HA

we have just been having the best couple of days.

we hardly feel like we are "babysitting" and instead feel like we are playing all day with little friends.

they have taught us so much already!

and also. 

my heart is just constantly in a melt-status.

by now, it's probably just a puddle.

watching taylor interact with the kids and doing "dad-roles" like making breakfast or trying to make them laugh or comforting them if they are sad or putting them to bed---LIKE FOR REAL.

MY HEART

i'm ready to pop out five, right here, right now.

ALSO, last night I got to sit and listen to taylor sing with their oldest, Karlee.
here's a video if you want to enjoy yourself ;)
he is just going to be the best dad there ever was!

pw: singing

wish us luck for the rest of our pseudo-parenting-journey!

and follow on instagram to see some of our adventures this week!

xoxo

1920s party!

today my classes are participating in a major 1920s party!

the history teachers got together and we made possible an idea I have envisioned for a long time!

we are creating a "speakeasy" for our history classes!

we have transformed the school library into a "hidden bar."

the windows are blacked out, there is caution tape everywhere, and the only lights are little bulbs we hung from the ceiling.

we have a postmodern jukebox playlist, a "bar" with drinks and snacks, a live jazz band, and some "historical figures" that will be visiting our speakeasy.

there was a lot that went into this, so let's hope it turns out like we are hoping.

our goal is to expand every year, and make it even better than the last.

so here's to hoping today is successful!

(with lots more pictures to come!)

ALSO, you must do this workout! 

I shared it on the blog about a year ago, but I just did it yesterday and want to share it again!

it is so hard, but so worth it.

aaaand, book recommendations?

ready, set, go!

wiiiiiinners!

I had a pretty fantastic day off on monday.
I kept sending pictures to taylor that looked like this:

if you can tell me what episode of friends this is, can we be best friends forever?
maybe you're like me and my sisters who send each other pictures of episodes and have each other guess...OR maybe you're not lame.


taylor and I kind of have an obsession with bath and body works candles.
out of all of the candles and plug-ins and any other smelling thing that I've tried, the B&BW candles are the ones that permeate and last the best.
cross my heart.
each candle lasts us about 3 months, which is perfect, because there is a sale every 6 months that is a "buy two for $22" with the three wick candles (the best kind).
so after we are done with our 2 candles, it's time for the sale again!
it's perfect timing, every time.
aaand for some reason, this is one of our favorite little "dates."
...that only happens twice a year.
ha. we go to the mall, get a soft pretzel, and then head over to B&BW to start smelling candles.
we each get to pick one, which usually ends up with each of us having a "top 3" and we help each other narrow it down.
and then we skip on home with our new candles in tow!
so FYI--B&BW candles are theeee best!
(get the three wick!)

OKAY GUYS.

time for a virtual applause!!

I have been trying to beat the seth&taylor team at canasta for TWO YEARS NOW.

they have like a secret language and it's impossible to beat them.

we decided to play last night--the wives against the unbeatables.

AND WE DID IT, GUYS!!

WE WONNN!
I have waited two years for this victory!

I guess all I needed was kelsey's beginner's luck! ;)

we wanted to take a picture of all four of us, but the boys were being pouty and refused to be in it. HA

I'm still on cloud nine.

and taylor wouldn't talk to me about it for the rest of the night.

even while I giggled in bed BECAUSE WE WON!!!

also, here's to making your wednesday just a little bit better:
this is THE funniest video.
it's so uncomfortable and so awkward, and I don't know which parents would agree to do this, BUT, it made me laugh out loud a few times.
especially the little asian kid.
maybe i'll just show my future kids this video when the "talk-time" rolls around. HA

and thank you to everyone for your dog advice!

...i kinda want a puppy now!

thoughts

+I love mondays for two reasons: my little missionary sister gets to email us AND the bachelor. mostly because of the bachelor though. HA kidding. but really--that show has me wrapped around its little immoral and dramatic finger. also, I love that taylor may actually secretly love it more than me.

look at how fashionable and cute this little missionary is!

2.5 months down!

+on friday I was driving home for lunch and I was behind a lane of cars turning right.  I was surprised at how long the line was (this is the same way I go home every day, and it is never this long!). The line wasn't moving at all! I was so confused as to why we were all stopped, and figured there was something upfront that I couldn't see.  So I'm sitting there for a good couple of minutes, just jamming to the radio and trying not to be annoyed.  Then I notice a person getting into the drivers seat two cars in front of me, and I think, "what the heck? was there no driver in that car?" AND THEN, stupidity. you guys, I was behind a LINE OF PARKED CARS ON THE CURB! hahahhah They were just all parked a little farther off the curb, so partially in the right hand lane, and here I was just sitting behind a line of parked cars for a good 3-4 minutes. hahah, I called taylor and could barely get the story out because I was laughing so hard.

+this weekend we went to boise to see our new gilbert sister run for BYU. we had the best time, especially during our little gilbert sleepover in the hotel. HA

+waving hello to my THREE DAY WEEKEND. i'm looking forward to my favorite three "r's" today: rest, reading, and running!

+just finished the book "all the light we cannot see." I recommend it with a warning that the beginning is slow, but the end is worth it. and I started the glass castle yesterday, and I can't put it down! any other recommendations?

+we went on another snowshoeing adventure! we seriously would go everyday if we could. it amazes us every time!

 this time, we stopped for a "picnic" in the middle of a winter wonderland. 

+the other day, on my walk home from piano practice, I found a note tucked into my phone-case-wallet (whatever those things are called). it was a little love note from my cute husband. as I read it walking home, I had tears down my face, because he always knows exactly what to say and exactly when I need to hear it. I think i've read it 134287 times since.

+I kinda feel like my life is run my emojis. Whenever I feel an emotion, an appropriate emoji pops into my head and I wish I could somehow show them in every day life. does anyone know what I'm talking about? ha

+I keep having this back and forth dilemma about if I ever want a dog someday. you see, if we got a dog, I wouldn't want it to be an outside dog because that just kinda breaks my heart. BUT I also don't want an inside dog because they destroy houses, make the house stink (I have like this super sniffer that smells dog in any house that has a dog, even when the owner swears their dog is a non-stinky dog...I always smell it), shed hair, and I don't like the look of "dog beds" or "dog food" in the house. so...for those that have dogs or don't have them, what's your advice? I know this dilemma hardly matters, but just look how cute this face is!

plus, I think I'm driving taylor crazy with this constant dilemma, so I need advice from someone else. to dog or not to dog?

xoxo

home for new years.

let me start this by saying that I hardly took any pictures when we were at home.

but we did have the best time!

AND on the drive there, I only slept for like 20mins--which is a RECORD.

I'm normally asleep for like 75% of the time, while taylor drives.

but this time, we listened to a "thriller" audio book and I was hooked the whole time.

we took an obligatory trip into san fran, played lots of games, relaxed, and ate lots of good food.

 

we also met up with my cute friend from high school, savannah.

she's pretty much an adopted davis child at this point.

I can't believe we graduated almost 6 years ago!

it seriously blows my mind how fast time flies!

we rang in the new years with our favorite family games and lots of laughter.

AND we celebrated my sister's new years eve birthday, so it was double special!

I'm already loving 2015!

I have some really fun new years resolutions that I'm excited about.

each year, I pick a quote to "focus on" for the year.

my quote this year?

"If you have the power to make someone happy, do it.  The world needs more of that."

Also, its THURSDAY, and I have a three day weekend coming up, so I'm pretty excited about that.

xoxo

i like random things.

 a little photo dump for this rainy monday.

because it's necessary and random, and I love random things.

seriously my eyes turn into little hearts when I see him.

last night I was giggling in bed because MY HUSBAND IS SO CUTE

and every time he would laugh at me, I would swoon all over again--because his half-smile and dimples...OMG

then he started to think I was weird, but I just kept laughing and saying, "but tay, you're just sooo hot. like I can't even stand it! I'm so excited to sleep next to you tonight!" 

it's okay. taylor definitely called me out on being weird. HA

but you know those times when you're just GIDDY over your love? that was last night.

one of my best friends from BYU had a baby!

the cuuuutest baby girl I ever did see!

tippy-toe kisser for life.

accepting it.

#tbm to the time that we laid under the christmas tree (hence the red hanging ball) and chatted for awhile.

and then took pictures with our new selfie stick.

and I think everyone should own a selfie stick.

one night last week we both headed to the gym together, and we were moaning and complaining the whole way because we avoid the gym in january-february like the plague.

because all of those new-year-resolutioners make the gym PACKED.

and I just anxiously wait for everyone to give up (so mean...but I like maaa space)

anyways, it was late and cold so we decided to go there instead of running outside, and we were convinced it would be insane.

we walk in to this:

still confused.

but HIIII empty gym!

an empty gym is allllmost comparable to christmas morning.

 the time we went to park city for an aerial ski competition, and I used my california mind and wore flats.

so sweet taylor carried me the whole time. HA

i'm dumb.

and also--this weekend was the greatest.

filled to the brim with puzzling and watching friends (NOW ON NETFLIX!!!) together.

my sisters and I have an unhealthy addiction to friends.

we can pretty much quote every episode--in fact, there was about a 4 year period that I didn't go a day without watching at least one episode. 

and now that it's on netflix!? so easy to watch all day, every day.

also, I turned to taylor last night and said, "I really like this moment."

and so I set up the camera and took a picture.

so yeah, I guess this is kinda obviously staged-- but I just want to remember it forever because this weekend was good to us.

HAPPY MONDAY!
xoxo

THEN AND NOW

months ago, my sister came up with the best christmas present idea for our parents.

(i think she saw it online somewhere...)

we created a "then and now" book, in which we took pictures from when we were little and RECREATED them today!

and it is one of the funniest things we have ever done together!

we could hardly keep straight faces as we posed for the pictures.

we had to plan this wayyy in advance, because the only time all six of the siblings were together this year was in july.

Unfortunately, I wasn't there when my parents opened the gift, but my sister sent me a video of their reactions, and I seriously don't know if I have seen either one of them laugh harder.

and they are proud little peacocks, showing the book to all of their friends and family, as they laugh their little heads off.

win for the davis kids!

so here are a few of my favorites.

trying to recreate the face of your 6-year-old-self, or even your 6-month-old-self isn't the most attractive looking picture...HA

THEN

NOW

THEN

NOW

 THEN

NOW

THEN

NOW

THEN

 NOW

THEN

NOW

THEN

NOW

THEN

NOW

THEN

NOW

THEN

NOW

THEN

 NOW

I hope this makes your Friday just a little bit better! ;)

and gosh, I love everyone in these pictures! 

xoxo