Today in History

July 31, 2005 was a very exciting day in my life. On this day six years ago, I was happily dating a young man named Chris Davis. We had met at Bethel Baptist Church in Norman, OK where he helped me in 3-6th grade Children's Choir. We had been dating for about 6 months and had pretty much knew we were soul mates and destined to be "Man and Wife". We had talked about marriage a little and I had declined at least 2 band directing positions so I could be near him knowing this was the real thing. I woke up on his day like every other Sunday morning. I got up and read my Bible, got ready for Church and went to church. I also helped in 4th grade Sunday School at Bethel Baptist Church and Chris had decided he would come and help me teach SS when the new SS year started in August. On this particular morning I was leading the worship songs and having a great time with the kids and out of nowhere came Chris. I didn't think anything about it really and just thought he was coming to get a hint of what 4th Grade Sunday School would be like. I finished the song we were singing and by the time it was over, the rest of the Singles Class where Chris was a member was also standing at the back of the room. Chris came forward and said he had an announcement. Again, I didn't think too much of this and thought he was going to introduce himself to the kids as their new teacher and helped. Instead,he said "Kellie, you are the love of my life and I truly enjoy your company". He then in front of the Bethel Baptist Church Singles Class, the 3-6th Grade classes and all the teachers plus a few others who knew about the event, he got down on one knee and said "Kellie Klingsick, will you marry me?" He put the ring on my finger and I was still a little shocked. I jumped and said "Of course I will".

I gave him hugs and kisses and hugged everyone. By the time the Singles class had left the room, the rumor was out and people who I barely knew were congratulating me. I had to call my parents ASAP. This was not an easy task since my dad is a Baptist pastor and was already "on duty". I called his church and told the Deacon, Bro. Ted, it was an emergency and to go and GET MY DAD. Bro. Ted did just what I asked and my dad came running... Fortunately it was NOT the news my dad was expecting. My family and Chris' family were very happy of the news. Bethel Baptist Church and Arp Emmanuel Baptist Church (My dad's church) both made announcements at the end of the service about our proposal and engagement. And... to this day, my mom ALWAYS has her cell phone on her just in case.

Now don't get me wrong... EVERYONE remembers their wedding proposal but ours is truly unique. How often do people get engaged in Sunday School? Children's' Sunday School for that matter! I often look back on this day and think, if this is the way we started our life together, we will have a great foundation to build upon. Since that day in history, Chris and I have grown not only closer together as husband and wife but also closer to God and the church. Unfortunately we are no longer members of Bethel Baptist Church in Norman, OK but it will FOREVER be in my heart. Chris and I have served in many other churches in our time together and I know we will continue to do so and train our children likewise. This is a perfect picture of the scripture "Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will NOT depart from it". This is the verse I base my parenting on and I look forward to the day that my children share similar stories with me.

The past six years have been a blessing to me and I thank God every day for bringing Chris into my life. As much as Chris and I have been through in these six years, the past two in particular, I still know he is my soul mate and I am just as happy as I was on this day in history. Chris Davis, I thank you for allowing me to be your wife and I love you VERY much! I cant wait for another 6+ years. You are amazing and sometimes I cant believe God chose me to be your wife. I am so lucky!

On this day in history, Chris and Kellie got engaged. The rest, as they say, is HISTORY!

This week in the life of Natalie's Toddler Bed

When we moved down to Houston we decided it was time at 22 months for Natalie to get used to a toddler bed. It took us a while to get it all settled but this past Monday we got it all set up in her room and was ready for the first night. On Monday afternoon for her nap and then again on Monday night she went right down and didn't throw up a fight or anything. Then came Tuesday...

Tuesday night she would NOT go down. Chris tried to put her down several times and she didn't want any part of it. She would shake the sides of the bed and yell "Mama...Dada". Now back when she was about 7-8 months old we "feberized" her and let her cry herself to sleep which has paid off enormously as she sleeps about 10-12 hours a night. However, once she started asking for Chris and I, we gave in and I took her to the living room to rock her. I ended up rocking her most of the night (which I LOVE to do and was not a problem). After I tried to put her back in her bed 3-4 times without any luck, I decided to take her to our bed where she would spend the rest of her night.

Wednesday came and the nap and evening routine was fine and you would not have even known there was an issue. Today arrived and after I returned from an in-service workshop at school I put her down for a nap and she seemed fine and didn't throw a fit or tantrum. Chris and I started to do stuff around the house and we heard a loud noise from upstairs. We didn't hear crying or anything so we overlooked the noise. All of a sudden Natalie comes running down the hall saying "Hey Mommy". She had jumped out of her bed, which has rails on it to try to avoid that, and OPENED the bedroom door and came running down the hall. Chris and I were floored and began to laugh really hard. Obviously, Natalie thought it was funny too. She giggled for nearly 10 minutes. Once she settled down I took her back to her bed and went through 5-10 minutes of:

"This is YOUR bed"
"This is where YOU take naps and go 'night-night'"
"You cant get out of your bed during the nap or 'night-night'"

So I put her down and asked "Can you show me you can do this please?" She smiled. I told her to have a good nap... She literally laughed at me and I could see the mischievousness on her face. I shut the door and told Chris "I bet she is out of there in 3 minutes". It has been nearly 20 and I have not heard a peep. I am not surprised at all she does this because I have heard MANY stories about me and my honery behavior. Not to mention to even more stories like this about my mom, so it must be hereditary!

I only hope and PRAY that she didn't figure out the entire situation in her head. Chris and I start our new jobs and careers in 10 days and we cannot afford long nights with a toddler that gets out of their bed.

Family Vacation #1-Day #3

After the long, hard first two days (and nights), Chris and I decided we were in over our heads and decided that maybe just 2 nights would suffice. We went ahead and check out of the hotel on Thursday in order to come home after a day of sight-seeing. Since Natalie had been throwing such fits and tantrums the previous day, we thought we would find a place "just for her". We found this place called the "Kiddie Park" which is literally a Children Under 8 Amusement park. We got there and it seemed just right. We decided to get her an All-Day Ride Pass so she could ride as often as she likes. This turned out to be a good thing since she LOVED riding the carousel and the other rides too.

This park had a large Carousel that was built to travel from County Fair to County Fair. Natalie loved the "horsies" and wanted to ride it non-stop. We encouraged her to ride others. They had a small airplane ride that was like swings at other amusement parks but it was just planes instead. These planes had guns on them and we tried to show Natalie the guns and she would often watch the boys on the planes in front of her shoot but she never did (That is OK with me...trust me!) She rode these airplanes about 5 times and loved every time.

She also enjoyed riding the cars at this park. They were set up to go round and round and she was able to honk her horn and wave at us while she went by. She rode this ride 4 times and finally on the last time she chose the pink John Deer tractor to ride.

She also rode the Mini School Bus ride several times. This was a small school bus that the park had made just for kids and went around small railroad type of track in a circle. Every time she rode it, she was the only one and was able to sit wherever she wanted. I think she really liked the privacy and being able to choose her own seat. She would run all over the park and say "Bus please, Bus please". She loved that ride. I think she rode this one about 6 times.

The boats have a very funny story to tell. On about her 3rd ride on the boats, she was put in the same boat as another small toddler boy. She was in the front of the boat and he was in the back. She kept turning around to show him how to steer with the steering wheel. He was very kind and didn't say anything back to her. She would say "Hello, wanna ride?". It was so cute and adorable but she definitely wanted to be captain of that boat and show him how it was done.

Between these rides she rode the flying saucers, the carousel and the Ferris wheel but like her Poppi, she didn't like the Ferris wheel and only rode it once. We also played some skeet-ball in the arcade. Overall, this was a FANTASTIC place and next time we go to San Antonio, we will start off each day at this park! Great times!

After the "Kiddie Park" we went to the San Antonio Children's Museum. This was downtown near the Alamo. This place seemed to have it all. They had a Ball Factory towards the front that had lots of little balls like you would find in McDonald's and you could place them inside this maze and watch them go everywhere. Natalie basically just liked throwing them around on the floor. They also had a small jet plane that kids could pretend ride in and be the captain. Natalie really liked holding on to that steering wheel!!!! She was able to explore a large version of a doggie house and climb through a doggie door. She also was able to milk a cow... That was so cool because I have never milked a cow either so that was awesome to me too.

I think the coolest thing in this museum was the HEB Kid Market. This was a very small market set up just like a grocery store. Kids were able to kid small carts and fill them with whatever they wanted. They had produce scales to weigh the plastic fruits and vegetables and even scanners to check-out with. This was very high tech and Chris and I were impressed. Chris and I both thought "Where was this when I was this age?" We loved it and would recommend it to anyone who has children and is visiting San Antonio.

After the children's museum, we left San Antonio for Conroe. On our way out of town we drove by the new Grand Hyatt Hotel near the convention center and saw a large strike by its workers. There were cops everywhere and it was crazy! I had never seen anything liek this live so we took some pictures!We also drove by the AT&T Center to see where the Spurs play. It happened to be 2 days before the WMBA All-Star Game so we got out of there pretty quick if you know what I mean.

Overall, it was a GREAT family vacation and I cannot wait to blog about Family Vacation #2!

Family Vacation #1- Day #2

So it is Wednesday morning and we are all a little wore out and tired. Well... Chris and I are! Natalie slept just fine and is not tired at all. Chris did not go to sleep til about 6 and that is when Natalie woke me up so her and I went to the store to get some supplies we forgot. When we returned we all ate breakfast and then headed to the Alamo.

We got to the Alamo around 10:30 and it was already hot. It was about 98 at the time and it seemed much hotter. Natalie began the adventure just fine and was not cranky or fussy at all. We went all the way through the "Long Barrak" fine and she wanted to do just what we did and would stop at the signs we were reading and go "Hmm" just like Mommy and Daddy did. Shortly after the tour through the "Long Barrak" we went and attempted to listen to a tour guide give a depiction of the Battle at the Alamo. Natalie did not want to sit and listen so she decided to go up to the signs nearby and give her own tour. She would walk around the signs just babbling to herself and even other kids too. Finally we decided to go inside to get out of the heat but she did not want to go with us. She began a fit and oddly enough only mommy could fix it. (She is usually a "daddy's girl during fits" but not today. We ended up leaving the Alamo a littler earlier than expected and with a screaming toddler on my shoulder!

Since she was throwing such a HUGE fit we thought she was hot and went across the street to the Rivercenter Mall since it would be air conditioning. We went to the indoor playground and she was able to run around freely and play. This was great for us too because by this time it was about 104 and a heat index of 110 with high humidity. As crazy as it sounds after that sentence... we then decided to go on a river cruise along the San Antonio river!

The last time I went on this river cruise was when I was in the OU Women;s Basketball band at the Final Four. The band got on one of these boats and played Boomer Sooner and other OU songs while going down the river. The fans from the other schools "boo"ed us and even threw food at us. I had pasta in my saxophone at the end of that boat ride. This ride was a little different but the same frustration at the end of the ride!! Again, it was very hot outside and we were all tired and sweaty. Natalie loved the boat at first but then as the shade left us and we were all packed into the boat like cattle, that fascination began to dim away. She dropped her juice all over and kicked the stupid Florida Gator fans next to us so many times they told me to pick her up so she would stop. I was not thrilled with them but I held my tongue and picked her up. Our tour guide was very insightful but this time I just wanted a short cruise with little commentary. Needlesstosay, we were all glad when we returned to port.

After that, we made our way to the Hard Rock Cafe which Chris and I always go to while on vacation. This began when we were on our Honeymoon in London. I had been to a few Hard Rock Cafe's in my life but NONE like the one in London. Then when Chris and I went to Washington DC we went there again so it has been like a tradition for us and I hope we will continue to do this on family vacation wherever possible.

After that we decided to the Tower of the Americas. This was really cool because EVERY time I came to San Antonio for Band or TMEA I always wanted to go there but never did. Towers and tall building is also something my family did on vacations so I felt like I was passing in on to Natalie Grace. She loved the Elevator ride to the top and she also loved running around the observation deck outside. Again, this fascination was shortly lived. She began to get really tired and fussy and the observation deck time was over. We made our way back down to ground level and went to the "Skies Over Texas" 4D movie. This was really cool since I have never been to a 4D movie. Again, Natalie was not impressed and basically tried to get out of the room the whole time. It was basically a 3D movie with chairs that move and even smells that fragrance out to you and things that poke you on your chair. It was very neat.

We made it back to our hotel around 5 pm with a toddler who fell asleep in the car only to find that our room had not been cleaned yet and the maid woke Natalie up with a knock on the door. Suddenly this toddler who was crying her eyes out not 30 minutes before was the world's happiest baby ever. We decided to go to a "Diner's Drive-ins and Dive" called Tip Top Cafe. It turned out to very good and we all enjoyed it. Natalie literally picked up her Mac and Cheese and drank it. It was not her "daintiest" moment... trust me!

We ended the night the same way as the previous night... with ALL THREE of us in the King bed. As tired as I was from the previous night and the LONG LONG day of fussiness and fits, I just cuddled my little baby all night. I don't think I slept but 1-2 hours. I kept laying there thinking "Wow, she is growing up fast" and "I better treasure these moments". There were lots of tears that night. It is hard to believe she is almost 2! It is crazy how time flies!

Family Vacation #1- Day #1

Once Chris and I both got a job down here in Houston we decided we deserved a vacation from the 22 long months of searching for a job and the pain and patience it took from us. We were envisioning a vacation just the two of us, but fortunately shortly after Chris and I got jobs our current babysitter, my sister Allison, got a job as well. This was awesome since all three of us got jobs around the same time. However, this meant that the relaxing and otherwise "mommy and daddy only" vacation turned into a family vacation. This was fine because I traveled ALOT when I was young and I want to raise my family the same way. So Chris and I decided to go to San Antonio in July. Chris had never been and it is a really great family destination.

Our trip began at the San Antonio Zoo. This is the nations 3rd largest zoo (Which I did not know and I was highly impressed with). The zoo itself is laid out VERY well and really allows you to get the feeling of being in the jungle or African Safari or whatever the case may be for each animal exhibit. We were able to see a Hippo feeding which was amazing and Natalie loved it. We were also able to go up into a tree house to look out on the African Forest and see the cheetahs and rhinos and other animals! That was really cool as well. It was about 104 that day and Natalie was a little hot and tired from the drive in from Houston so she became very fussy and about 1 1/2 hours into the zoo she feel asleep. I have been to alot of zoos and I would put this one in my "Top 10" at least. It was very great experience and I would recommend it.

After that we went to the famous Mexican Restaurant and bakery "Mi Tierra" at the Market Square in San Antonio. This is a very well known restaurant and when I was in the All-State band my band directors brought me here each year and I have LOVED it ever since. This was a unique experience for Natalie since a Mariachi band came and sang for her. She loved it and sat there and played her "Air guitar" with them. Chris was able to try GOAT which I guess was pretty good... (I didn't try it obviously :) )

When we got back to the hotel we all settled down and begin the night time process. This involved the usual bath and milk and stories and songs and what-not. Natalie was doing great and seemed ready to go to bed. Yeah... that was NOT happening. She did not like the pack and play and the weird room we were in. We found a suite downtown and it had a separate room which we thought would be great... it backfired and all 3 of us ended up sleeping on the King bed. Well... Natalie slept on the bed. Chris was getting kicked in the back all night and Natalie just wanted me to snuggle with her all night. Anytime I tried to take our arm out from around her... she would cry and say "Mommy No". It was a very long night...

And the next day... Ha, there is more to come! And that was Day #1!