The Davolts

 Andrew is just about ten days past turning four months so obviously, I'm a little behind. Thankfully, our monthly chair pictures were taken at the right day. I guess I've just had my mind on our busy lives rather than updating the blog and I apologize. We were scheduled to have Andrew's four month check up last week, but due to Snowpocalypse 2014, it was rescheduled. Our pediatrician has a busy practice and her own nearly four month old at home, so the earliest appointment we could get is still a month away. A five month check up, I guess.  I'm a little disappointed that we must wait so long for "official stats" but I also know so much of this is beyond my control. In the meantime, I would estimate Andrew to be about 20 pounds and we have started to transition to 12 month sized clothes.  Andrew has been in daycare for the last month, as I returned to work just after the Winter Break. He is at a different Christian school down the street from Nathan...

I am still in shock that the Seahawks won the Super Bowl.  Nathan figured out how to to cheer, "Go Seahawks," pretty early in the season.  I knew even before they won that I wanted to be sure I went to the victory parade.  Nathan has also been talking about going to a parade for the last couple months.  He remembers the 4th of July parade we attended in the summer and after we watched the Rose Parade on TV he was ready to go to another one soon.   I took a personal day and Aunt Jenn called in sick and we headed north to Seattle at 7:30 on the day of the parade.  I knew it would be a crowd filled day, but I had no expectation for how many people would come out to support and celebrate the big victory.   The day was really a test of patience and of waiting in lines.  It all started when traffic started to slow in Tacoma.  As we looked around seemingly every car was filled with someone in Seahawk colors.  We had decided to park in ...

Nathan's Favorite Books: Part II Part I Nathan loves to read books.  Most of the time he gets hooked on just a few and we read them over and over and over.  We have a ton of books for him, and we read to him daily.  He gets to pick out two before bed each night, but somehow he can usually talk dad into at least three.  Here are a few of his current favorites. How to Babysit a Grandpa by Jean Reagan This is a really cute book that Nathan received from his Grandpa for Christmas.  It has great pictures and Nathan loves to point out the next steps in a successful babysitting adventure with Grandpa.  Now if we can just convince either grandpa to actually babysit (just kidding they both do a great job, and I am sure are just waiting for potty training to be complete before they dive in for extended adventures). Currently Nathan asks us to read this book every night before he goes to bed.  His favorite parts are the very beginning where he know...

As school teachers we are blessed with having a few more holidays than many in the business world. Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his message is something I want to be able to leave to our two boys.  I remember my father reading Dr. King's, "I have a dream" speech to me on at least a couple occasions.  His message of love, tolerance and forgiveness is one I hope to pass on to both Nathan and Andrew. I get goosebumps from this speech.  I used to play it over the intercom at Ross each holiday.  My employees always thought I was kinda strange, when I would do such things but they were appreciative as well.   MLK day has now been turned into a day of service around the country, with public officials and others advocating to not take a day off, but rather to volunteer for a worthy cause.  Volunteerism is something I want to ensure my boys see us do, and something I want to be sure we can do as a family together.  It is important th...

Nathan just wrapped up his first swim lesson session.  We had a blast.  His lessons were at the school district's pool, and because they just started offering Saturday classes, Nathan was the only kid in the class and ended up with essentially private lessons for the price of a group lesson. Nathan learned important skills like how to float on his back and stomach and how blow bubbles.  He practiced using a life jacket and almost mastered jumping in the pool.  He got really good at throwing the water Frisbees and chasing after them.  At the end of each class he got to go down the big water slide with both dad and his teacher.  Mostly Nathan and dad had lots of fun while Nathan got more comfortable in the water. Enjoy just a few pictures from the lessons.  We start another session next week. Nathan got pretty good at floating around the pool.  Floating on his back was a bit nerve wracking for Nathan.  But he was brave and kep...

  Andrew is three months old and starting to become his own little person. He smiles and giggles easily, showing off his gummy milk teeth. When he's upset, he is quicker to become worked up and scream than I remember with Nathan. He dislikes tummy time as much as Nathan did, and lets us know by planting his face on the floor, waving his arms and legs and screaming.  He loves to prove how strong his legs are (which he did in my belly, too) by locking his knees and letting us hold him gently in a standing position. Andrew can hold his head pretty well, as well. In general, his preference is to be held upright or seated in a lap to watch the world go by. His current objective in life seems to be putting his hand in his mouth, grunting loudly with his efforts.  Andrew survived a lengthy cold this month, which he was generous enough to share with Grandpa Murray and myself. His cold did lead to another Davolt family trip to the ER as his breathing was become more lab...

I think it's safe to say this Christmas season was truly as magical and fun as Jeff and I hoped it would be. We watched most, if not all, of the Christmas movies and shows we own. We made piles of Christmas cookies and hosted friends and strangers. We admired Christmas lights around the neighborhood, seeing them through Nathan's wide eyes as he discovered that simple joy. We were blessed to have both families come to our house for celebrations. We enjoyed plenty of yummy treats and savory meats. We watched the pile of presents under our Christmas tree grow, disappear and grow again. We loved Nathan's enthusiasm for opening presents, laser focus on that gift, then do it all over again with the next package. We loved making Andrew smile and giggle during his first holiday. We felt love from near and far as Christmas cards appeared in our mail box. We felt grateful for all the ways our families spoiled us this season. Most of all, we simply took pleasure in our abundant famil...