Whitney's thoughts... Random as they may be

Last Saturday I got a call from my cousin Tinsel. She wanted to know if we wanted to join her and her husband Shane (who is my actual cousin) at the Silvertips game. Since I love hockey and Kelly doesn't mind it we decided to go. We invited Megan to come too. She didn't want to stay behind so she decided to come. She didn't want to feel like a 5th wheel so she found a "date". She invited Kathleen to come with us. The game was great. We won 5-0. Hockey is always better when your team wins.






After the game we hung out at Mondo's.

Yesterday was a day for basketball in the Davis family. I went to 3 games yesterday. That is a lot for someone who doesn't really like to watch it. But basketball is better when you are watching someone you love play.
I wish my camera took better action pictures... They are all grainy and blurry, but that's OK.


Jackson made a basket

I love the look on Jackson's face


Braeden helped Kain score


Braeden in action

The Boys all played well and I hope they all had a good time.

So much has happened in the last 6 months....

2009 was such a challenging year. So many ups and downs...

(in chronological order mostly...)
The good stuff:
Getting Engaged
Planning the wedding
Trip to LA
Trip to Hawaii
All of our day trips around the state
Our Friend Sean coming home safe from Iraq
Trip to Utah
The wedding
VEGAS!!
And all the great nights out

The bad stuff:
My dad being sick
Finding out there was no surgery we could do to "fix" dad's belly
Kelly losing his job
My dad passing away

As I was making this list of all the good and bad stuff from last year it is interesting how some of the bad things also seem like good things.

First, my dad getting sick (that sounds bad.. keep reading). Watching dad struggle was the hardest thing I have done. My dad was the strongest person I knew. He could unscrew any bolt (and tighten a bolt so strong I couldn't unscrew it) or open any jar. I had seen him have surgery and not take pain med's. To me, he was Superman. Knowing there was nothing that could be done to heal him, I wanted to spend time with him. I am always so wrapped up in Whitney that I often forget that I won't always have people in my life. The last year of my dad's life I was there almost every Thursday (unless I was sick... Didn't want to pass it to him). Also, when mom wouldn't be home with him Kelly and I would go over. He didn't always need someone around to help him, but he got lonely and needed people to talk to. I am sure my mom asked us because we are the one's without kids (they take a lot of time I've heard) and our schedules are so flexible. I know my dad felt bad that he was "ruining" our night. More than once he told me that he was sorry we had to be there and that he would be OK if we left. I tried to tell him, but he wouldn't listen, that I loved those nights. There were even a few times I took the day off work to be with dad. Dad and I never talked about anything important but as I look back, I cherish every minute I had with him.
One of the times mom asked us to come over was on 09/15. She had things to do. Dad had gotten worse and she didn't want him alone. Kelly and I were over. My dad had gotten his appetite and taste back. He wanted milk chocolate covered cherries. I went to 9 stores to find them... Let me tell you, NO ONE had them (dark chocolate, no problem, but milk... not a chance). I finally called and told him that like it or not, he was getting homemade ones. As I was making them, Kelly mentioned chocolate covered bacon. Scott had seen something about it on TV. Dad thought that sounded interesting. So I made chocolate covered cherries, blueberries and bacon. My dad loved them, especially the bacon (it sounds gross, I know, but it is good). Kelly and I stayed at the house awhile. I didn't want to leave, but had to work early the next morning. That was the last time I saw my dad.
Being able to be of service to him up until the end was a blessing to me. He was always there to help me with anything from moving 1,000 miles to spelling. I am so thankful for all of the moments we had together, good and bad. I think that losing him quickly would have been too much to handle, but having him get sick allowed me time to show him that I love him. It also allowed other people to show how much me meant to them. There was not a single time I was at my parent's that someone wasn't stopping by to visit him. So while him being sick was bad, it was a good way to say goodbye.

Kelly losing his job is also one of the bad/good things. Bad because we need the money to live, as well as to support my shopping habits. Being on a budget does not make me happy. There are 2 reasons this was a good thing (well maybe there are more reasons, but right now, only 2 things). First, being on a budget is g...go.... good for me (even though I HATE HATE HATE it!!). I have needed to learn to control my spending for a while. This has been a great way to learn.
The other good thing is that Kelly got to take care of dad for the last month of his life. My mom had to go back to work right after Kelly got laid off. It was nice to know dad was always taken care of. And it also gave Kelly time to get to know dad better.


Now, the wedding stuff... That was ALL good!! I had a great night and I love being married to Kelly. I love being with my best friend and sharing all of our fun times together. I have all of the pictures on Facebook.. To see our wedding picture click HERE

I am hoping 2010 is a great year. We are trying to go to Hawaii for our honeymoon as soon as possible. We are just waiting to hear about a job for Kelly. I hope we get to go :)

I just read a story on MSN.com about the Duggar family from Arkansas. Michelle Duggar is pregnant with her 18 child!!! HOLY COW!! I can't even wrap my mind around having one... Let alone 18 (and they want more).

Growing up Mormon you are accustomed to large families (Katie's family has 8 kids). But 18!!!! That is unheard of, even in Utah... Well unless you are a polygamist (which are NOT Mormon), and even then there is more than 1 mother. And this lady has given birth to all of them, no adoption (thoughts of Monty Python's The Meaning of Life where the baby just falls out keep popping into my mind).

This large clan got me thinking... Can you have too many kids? I am the youngest of 5, and I know the joys of having siblings. You always have someone to play with, and when you do something bad you have someone else to blame it on. But at the same time, you have more people to pick on you, tickle you, and take all your stuff (I did this to my sister A LOT). I am not anti big family by any means. I think if you can afford to support a lot of kids, then go for it.

BUT (and this is a big but), just because you can financially support your kids, does that mean you can emotionally support your kids? With that many kids, one mom and dad can't do it on their own. So it falls to the older kids to help take care of the younger ones. Becoming mini parents... Changing diapers, babysitting, doing laundry, making sure their homework is done. Is that fair to them? They have to miss out on normal teenage experiences because mom and dad want more.

And not just that, because maybe the kids like helping, but what about spending quality time with each kid? I can still remember days when I was a kid and would be home from school and spending time with my mom, just the two of us. Or car rides with my dad every morning talking about things that were important to me at the time. Do you think that is possible with that many kids? Say you wanted to spend just 30 minutes a day alone with each child. Well that is 9 hours. And when you have cooking for that many, piano lessons to go to, laundry (they do over 200 loads a week), and other various activities for all the kids, when do you have the time? You don't. Sure home schooling your kids gives you extra time with them, but they are all there... You still can't give them the important 1:1 time that, I believe, all kids need.

Having children, and how many you want to have, is a decision only you and your partner can make. But I think there comes a point where you need to put your own wants a side for a while and think about how it affects the children you already have. I am not condemning them for how many they have, and for wanting more. I know they have their reasons. I guess I just don't understand them. And I am REALLY glad my parents decided to stop with me.

Speaking of mom's... HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all the mom's out there. Especially my favorite ones.. My mom, Megan, Thelma, Melissa, and Danielle. You guys all do a great job!!!