Always makes me smile

December 14, 2012

 

My hubby, Chris, is quite the character and he is continuously the goofball and life of the party. Ever since I have known him he has had a wonderful sense of humor and always finds a way to make me smile. Now of course, he would say I don't appreciate it sometimes, but in the end he does make me smile even when I am feeling down. This is one of the many, many reasons I love him and why he is the love of my life.

 

A few weekends ago, a friend of ours from Sunday School offered to take our family pictures for our Christmas Cards and the Christmas Season. This was going to be done outdoors in the natural sunlight in Mid-Afternoon. Well this just happened to be on the same day as the SEC Championship game between Alabama (BOO!) and Georgia! Chris had been working Saturday School in the morning and was very tired but knew we had to go and take pictures. He was not very happy with me or with the fact we had to take these pictures during the SEC game. HOWEVER, when we got to the location, he threw all his frustrations out the window and as usual was the life of the party. In the midst of me trying to get both kids looking good in the pictures, he was posing for crazy shots and just having fun! Sometimes I forget to have fun... But Chris reminds me! Thank you Honey!  

 

I love you honey!

Always a "jokster"!

 

This is one of my favorites... I am worried about kids and he is just having fun! Love it!

My funny guy!

 

Haha!

 

Enough of this already... Whats the score?

 

Daddy's partner in "laughter"... Natalie Grace!
I can tell she will be just like Daddy in that category!

 

Thank you Lord for giving me Chris to show me to LAUGH and have FUN!

 

God is good... ALL THE TIME!

 

 

 



 

My Growing Boy: Month 5

Monday, November 12, 2012

Baby Luke is growing LIKE A WEED! In this past month he has rolled over from front to back and back to front. He is like a little rolly-polly all over the house. I will leave him in the media room and go and start dinner and in the few minutes I return to the media room he is on the other side of the room. On October 16, when he was 4 months and 4 days, he rolled all the way over for the first time. It has all been downhill since then!

Feeding

During mid-October we conducted an experiment with Luke and his reflux. We tried breastfeeding alone and we tried Formula (Nutramigen) alone and then we finally tired supplementing with formula and primarily breastfeeding. By the end of October, when I had to return to work, we decided it would be more beneficial to just use formula. So for the past 2 weeks he has been drinking about 28-30 ounces each day of Nutramigen. He is spitting up about 2-3 times a day and rarely is it projectile. I have noticed that he will spit up a LOT and it will be projectile about once every 10 days. This is so much better than previous months!

Sleeping

He is still sleeping for 10-11 hours each night and will stay asleep through the night but his naps have become a little less consistent. A lot of this has to do with the schedule of dropping off and picking up Natalie from Day school. I think this is even out once he too is going to Day school, which will be in January.

 

Playtime

Luke usually plays in his exercauser in the morning and afternoon while waiting for Natalie to get ready for school or nap time. He also spends lots of time on the floor on his play mat where he rolls over a lot and grabs on to just about anything!  

 

Month 5 has been a whirlwind for all of us since I returned to work. Baby Luke has grown so much and is growing and developing at an alarming rate. Since being able to roll over this month he has been on the move and I don't think it will take him long to figure out how to crawl or at least move around on his belly to get to stuff or his favorite... NATALIE GRACE! He just loves her and I can tell he wants to be near her so I think he will be on his way soon! We will see!

 

Baby Luke- December 10, 2012 (Almost 6 months)

 

 

I love my smiling boy! He is so happy!

 

 

God is good... All the time!

My Growing Boy: Month 4

October 12, 2012

 

I cannot believe my little man is already 4 months old. He has grown so much in the last month! I have had the opportunity to stay home with him this last month and I have seen him take leaps and bounds in his developmental process.

 

Feeding

He is still having some major reflux issues and we have had to have several calls put into the pediatrician to try to find a solution. During the 1st week of October we tried to iliminate all breast milk and just try a special formula made for GERD (Reflux) or cow's milk allergies. I was so sad to have to do this since I really wanted to continue to breast feed as long as possible. When we went in for our 4 month appointment Luke was still spitting up but not as much so the doctor told me to try to go back to breastfeeding as an experiment to see how he responds. We are still concluding this experiement now but it looks as if he responds better to the formula.

 

Sleeping

He is still sleeping for extended periods of time during the night. He usally goes to bed around 8:00 to 8:30 and wakes up around 7am. He averages about 10.5 to 11 hours of sleep a night. Occassionally (Usually only 1 night a week) he will wake up in the middle of the night or in the 6am hour but that is on a rare occasion. He is napping pretty well and taking about 1.5 to 2 hour naps twice daily.

 

Playtime

Just last week I was able to get him an EXERSAUCER to play in during playtime. He was so tall that I had to adjust it to the medium height level. It took him a few days to really understand how all the toys worked on it but after that he was a happy camper. Usually I will place him in this while I get Natalie up and feed her to get ready for school. He loves it!

 

My baby boy is 1/3 of a year old! It is so hard to believe how much he has grown. I known within a few week he will be rolling over and a few months he will be crawling! I love you Baby Luke!

My hansome boy! I love his smiles!  

 

God is good... ALL THE TIME!

Thanksgiving 2012

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Conroe, TX

 

Today we celebrate and rejoice in the many blessings of 2012. There are too many to list and I am so very grateful for what God has given my family and I during these past 12 months. A lot has happened this past year. At this time last year we were telling my parents that we were pregnant with Baby Luke and now the little guy sit up on his own! Wow... how time flies!

 

This is a year where we get to spend Thanksgiving with the Davis side of the family (Although since moving so close to both sides it doesn't really matter as much). Both John and Leeanna as well as D'Ann were able to come into town and celebrate my favorite holiday of the calendar with us. In fact, they all were able to come into town a little early and even stay late to spend time with us and Dan and Jackie.

 

This particular Thanksgiving was a VERY special one to Chris and I as it was our first holiday we were able to spend and HOST in our new home. We have been living in our new home for nearly 2 months and have been working long and hard hours to get it all ready and "Set-up" for everyone to come and see it and enjoy this holiday in it! We arranged all the furniture and unpacked all the boxes. We also took time to hang pictures are nearly every wall and displayed our most treasured possessions.... Natalie and Luke.

My living room all decorated for Thanksgiving 

Since we were going to be hosting the Thanksgiving meal I decided to use my China that we got as a wedding gift. I had always wanted China but never really understood how little I would actually use it. I think in the nearly 7 years of marriage, I have only used it MAYBE 6 times. That is not even a ratio of one use per year! I knew this occasion needed the China. So on Thanksgiving morning I got up early and brought down all of my china from the upstairs hall closet. I laid out all of the dinner plates, salad plates and even dessert plates. I also found a beautiful Autumn colored tablecloth and matching napkins to use as well. In fact both the tablecloth and napkins as well as the napkin rings HAD NEVER BEEN USED. It was almost like I didn't even know they were there. Chris also thought using our wine glasses would be a great idea. These have probably only been used twice at the most since we don't drink often (Or at all in Chris' case).

My beautiful dining room (With my china!)
 

After I set the table and got all of the preparations for it ready, I began to help Chris with his Thanksgiving tradition of frying a turkey. We have an indoor turkey fryer but with the layout of the kitchen we decided to fry the turkey in our courtyard. This allowed for maximum usage of the kitchen counter tops and area space.

Chris getting ready for his turkey by making a dry rub!
 

Jackie, Leeanna and myself began making the EIGHT side dishes that would accompany the fried (and baked) turkeys. Luckily this was taking place in two separate kitchens. By 1:00 o'clock we were ready to cut into each bird and feast on our many delicacies.

These were Leeanna's AMAZING creations including: Macaroni and Cheese, Broccoli Rice Casserole and Corn Casserole! They were all very tasty! Thanks Leeanna!

 

This was one of my creations: Traditional Green Bean Casserole! This is always a crowd favorite and it seemed to go over well again this year!

 

Wow... the plates were full! Luckily we used our long counter tops to create a bar and assembly line of which to fill our plates and in true "DAVIS" style we all had multiple helpings! Everything was so tasty and cooked to perfection (Except the rolls which I burnt!!... sorry!). We had enough food to feed an army of big hungry men! We even had 3 different kinds of desserts, each of which were filled with tons of sugar and texture!

The Feast

 

What a wonderful meal!

 

Overall, we had a huge feast of many of our favorites and we were able to eat off of these for several meals and days! In fact, we packed up most of the leftovers and took them over to Dan and Jackie's for them to eat later next week. Chris gave his opinion that this was the best Thanksgiving we had ever had. I think I agree with him and I am very anxious to see if Christmas goes off as well as Thanksgiving did!

 

My family and I are so blessed and we are counting our MANY blessings and will "Name them ONE BY ONE"! Praise the Lord for His many blessings!

 

God is good.. ALL THE TIME!

The Ghosts of Thanksgiving Past: 2010-2012

November 2012

Chris and I have been together for nearly 8 years and 7 Thanksgivings. This past Thanksgiving went VERY well but we have had some that did not quiet turn out as well...

Thanksgiving 2010
The Davis'
Wren Hill St- Conroe, TX

Natalie Grace was 15 months old and was walking EVERYWHERE. She had been attending Mother's Day Out at our church in Shawnee and on Monday seemed like she was coming down with something. We were set to leave for Houston after I got off of work on Tuesday. All day Tuesday, Chris was at home with Natalie throwing up nearly every hour. Around noon on Tuesday, it looked as if Natalie was getting better so we decided to go ahead and try making the 7 hour trip from Shawnee to Houston. We decided if she threw up in the first 60 miles or so, we would turn back and wait until Wednesday. She seemed fine and was sleeping for the first 65 miles and literally at mile 66 she decided to puke... ALL OVER THE CAR!

We called Dan and Jackie and told them situation and decided to try and continue to make it south to Houston. The next 10 hours were pure torture... What was usually a 7 hour trip turned into a 10 hour trip due to the ALWAYS problematic Denton construction and then a wreck on I-35 south at downtown. Poor Natalie was basically puking every hour on the hour. We had to call our pediatrician and have them fill a prescription in Houston and Jackie picked it up before we arrived. By the time we got to Conroe, Natalie was empty and was beginning to get her color back.

D'Ann, John and Leeanna were already in Conroe when we arrived and everyone was feeling fine, even Natalie. Ten hours passed and it was Wednesday morning... the bathroom toilets were getting cleaned with bleach. Yep... EVERYONE got sick thanks to Natalie. It started with D'Ann and then they started dropping like flies! By Thanksgiving day they were all still pretty sick and we had Chicken Noodle Soup for Thanksgiving meal. I was the sole survivor of that stomach bug and never got sick AT ALL! I give all the credit to teaching in a public school for 5 years!

Thanksgiving 2011
The Klingsicks
Arp, TX

This too was not as much of a memorable Thanksgiving as years in the past but it was loaded with lots of craziness of its own. During the summer months, Chris and I had purchased an indoor Turkey Fryer made for counter tops and decided we would try to fry a turkey again. We took the fryer to my parents house and fried the turkey in their patio room. It actually worked and only took 1.5 hours to heat up the oil and cook it!

It was this Thanksgiving that we decided to go out on Thanksgiving night for the MIDNIGHT BLACK FRIDAY sales. I was nearly 4 months pregnant and was exhausted but I wanted to try this craziness out for myself and I had specific gifts I wanted to get my family. We started at Babies R Us and there was a line of over 300 people wrapped around the building just to get in the door. We left there and went to Wal-mart instead. There I split up my mom, dad and Allison each shopping for gifts for each of them from Chris and I. Natalie and Chris stayed home and slept. We were gone for 6 hours and got home at 3am BUT I got EVERYTHING on my list! It was awesome! This has now become a tradition for me! I love the mob mentality and thrill of a good deal!

Thanksgiving 2012
The Davis'
Wing St- Conroe, TX

As our tradition states we fried a turkey in our new courtyard and I went shopping (alone) at 8pm on Thanksgiving night just for the fun of it! Even though I was by myself, I was still able to get 90% of the items on my Christmas lists and I was back at home just in time to get my kids into bed and play cards with the family!

This was a memorable holiday because we were now a "Family of FOUR"! Baby Luke joined us in June and was already growing up so fast that at 5 1/2 months he was sitting up on his own! There weren't any disasters or catastrophes (Thank GOD!) and all went well. In fact, Chris has said this was the best thanksgiving EVER! I tend to agree.

 

Me and my TWO blessings! Praise The Lord for his continued gifts and blessings!

 

 

David Luke- Thanksgiving 2012

 

Natalie Grace- Thanksgiving 2012

 

 

Just a few more MEMORABLE Thanksgivings for
Chris and Kellie!

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday on the calendar and looking back makes me realize why! We have had some very memorable Thanksgivings! I will NEVER forget some of them!

God is good... ALL THE TIME!

The Ghosts of Thanksgiving Past: 2008 and 2009

November 2012

Chris and I have been together for nearly 8 years and 7 Thanksgivings. This past Thanksgiving went VERY well but we have had some that did not quiet turn out as well...

Thanksgiving 2008
The Davis'
Las Vegas, NV

The year was a "Davis" year and they decided we all need to meet in Las Vegas for the week. Of course looking back on the Thanksgiving of 2007 all Chris and I could say was "AMEN". Dan, Jackie, D'Ann, John, Chris and I met in Las Vegas for 5 days to gamble and eat our troubles away. While there we stayed off the strip at a nice "local" casino where the minimum bets were smaller and the dealers were nicer. We were able to go to a show and eat LOTS and LOTS of buffets (Too many for my tastes but I was fun)!

On the last night of the trip while waiting for a show to start Chris and I went to play roulette. We had budgeted a gambling allowance for each day and had been hoarding the winnings and leftovers for our last night. We were at MGM Grand and the minimum bet was $25 but we played $100 each on black... just to say we did! It was really just about the thrill of the large bet. One spin of the wheel and sure enough it landed on black. We were up $100 each. We decided to "Let it ride" and bet $200 each on black again. Sure enough, a second black landed. We were at $400 each! Wow... This was such an awesome. I thought we should have stopped at that point but Chris said to "Let it ride" again so we bet $400. WOW... It landed on BLACK again! We won $800 each! We walked away! Oddly enough the following spin landed on Black too but it was better just to walk away. If we ever go back, I certainly hope we have the same type of luck!

It was also during this Thanksgiving that we found out that after over 15 months of trying, we were PREGNANT! I remember taking 3 pregnancy tests WHILE IN VEGAS and all were negative but literally hours after we got home I took a fourth test and it was positive! The rest, as they say, is history!

 

Chris and I at The Venetian

 

Chris and I inside The Bellagio Hotel and Casino

 

Us outside of The Belliago Fountains our last night in Las Vegas

 

 

Thanksgiving 2009
The Klingsicks
Arp, TX

We are a "Family of Three"

 

This was the first Thanksgiving we were a "Family of Three"! This was a very special Thanksgiving for us since Natalie Grace was included! This was a "Klingsick" holiday and it was spent in Arp at my parents house. Not a lot happened at this particular holiday but unfortunately Chris had just lost his job in October so he spent hours upon hours on the computer filling out UNEMPLOYMENT paper work. It seemed as if he missed most of the holiday!

 

Natalie Grace- Thanksgiving 2009

 

Natalie Grace- 2009

 

Mommy and Natalie- 2009

 

This was the first Thanksgiving where the girls took part in the BLACK FRIDAY madness and went out shopping early Friday morning. This was a little crazy since I had a 3 month old but we made it work. I remember breast feeding in the Macy's parking lot and changing many a diaper in the backseat of my mom's Cadillac. It was a blast and started the tradition of the "Klingsick Women" going shopping on Black Friday!

 

"Mommy and I LOVE to shop!"

 

Just another Thanksgiving for Chris and Kellie!

 

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday on the calendar and looking back makes me realize why! We have had some very memorable Thanksgivings! I will NEVER forget some of them!

God is good... ALL THE TIME!

 

 

 

The Ghosts of Thanksgiving Past: 2007

November 2012

Chris and I have been together for nearly 8 years and 7 Thanksgivings. This past Thanksgiving went VERY well but we have had some that did not quiet turn out as well...

Thanksgiving 2007 (Get ready... This is one for the history books)
The Klingsicks
Shawnee, OK

Let me set the stage first: Chris and I lived in a small 1200 sq ft house in Shawnee, OK and our two beagles, Abbey and Oxford, had just had their 1st batch of 6 beagle puppies. We were trying to have an early lunch (12:30ish) so Chris and dad could watch the Cowboys game on TV. Chris' friend Chris Calvert (Same one from 2005) and his wife Marnie wanted to come over and see our new puppies as they were huge beagle fans.

Chris and I were ready... To host that is! This was a "Klingsicks" Thanksgiving and we decided we were going to FRY A TURKEY. We had been reading and studying up on it and decided we could handle it! All of us, my parents included, were so excited to try something new... and who doesn't like fried meat? Chris and I went out and bought the outdoor turkey fryer, oil and utensils and were ready to fry this bird.

We woke up early on Thanksgiving morning and got all the preparations ready to fry the turkey. This was an outdoor fryer (Like the ones you see on TV and movies with those crazy Cajuns from Louisiana) and it was below freezing in Shawnee on that day. We knew it was going to be cold but we had NO IDEA it would be that cold. We had a steep driveway and you were not supposed to fry in the garage in case it all caught on fire so we had to move to the street (This should have been our first clue that something was about to go TERRIBLY wrong)!

Around 10am Chris and my dad went outside to start heating up the oil in the fryer. Again it was below freezing and the wind was blowing very hard (It is OKLAHOMA people). Poor Chris and dad, it took them nearly 20 minutes just to light the fryer. Once they finally got it lit they were so cold they began to take shifts watching the oil start to heat up. By noon the wind was blowing so hard and fast that Chris had to go into the garage and find a large box to place around the fryer so the flame would not burn out.

It was only supposed to take 40 minutes to heat the oil up in the fryer (Even outside). Two more hours had past (2pm) but the oil had finally heated up to the required temperature on the thermometer. Chris and dad went out into the street like heroes and placed the bird into the oil to fry. Almost immediately the temperature of the oil and fryer dropped over 50 degrees. They both stood out there for a few minutes and soon realized they were too cold to both stand out there in the cold temperatures and wind so they went back to taking shifts.

After 2 more hours had passed (4pm) Chris and dad were both icicles and the meat was barely warmed through at all. The flame had blown out numerous times and we had all but given up hope. Most of the rest of the side dishes had been sitting in the oven on "warm" or were awaiting to be put into the oven. We literally had nothing ready and we had been cooking/ preparing for over 6 hours. Dad said it was time to call it and go and get some meat from Denny's (The only thing open on Thanksgiving back in the day)!

Mom and Allison started trying to get all the side dishes ready, Chris tried to clean up the frying mess while dad and I went to Denny's to get some turkey meat. While Dad and I were gone, Mom and Allison had some troubles with the sweet potatoes. As dad and I arrived back at the house with the meat black smoke was pouring out the kitchen window and the front door as the smoke alarms were blaring as loud as can be. The juice from the sweet potatoes had boiled over and begun a fire (An actual fire) in the bottom of the oven. All of the puppies were inside in a crate just wailing and barking as loud and annoying as can be.

Finally around 5:30pm we set down to eat our Denny's turkey, dressing and burnt sweet potatoes. Almost immediately after the prayer was complete, we heard the doorbell ring and sure enough it was Chris Calvert and Marnie there to see the dogs. Chris and I got up from the table and tried to greet them and be social. My Chris explained the story to Chris and Marnie who laughed hysterically but encouraged us to go ahead and eat even though they were there. If you know Chris Davis, you know he didn't need their permission and had already downed a turkey leg. My family, on the other hand, was not so easy to convince it was OK to eat. I felt really bad and weird eating with them there and so did my parents. I think through most of this time Allison and Mom ate a little but Dad and I barely ate anything.

 

The cute little puppies!

 

About 20 minutes after Chris and Marnie arrived they wanted to see Abbey and Oxford (Our beagles and the parents of the 6 puppies) so they looked out the backdoor and saw them anxiously await some attention. Chris Calvert said "Why don't we just go out back and love on them while y'all eat". This sound like a wonderful idea so we agreed and they opened the back door. As soon as the back door opened Abbey rolled over for some petting while Oxford took two steps (Literally) and jumped up on our table with all the food. Before we could even realize it he had eaten most of the Turkey (From Denny's) and some other food. Rolls and side dishes were flying EVERYWHERE! While we were getting him off the table, Abbey jumps up and does the same thing. Six little puppies are trying to jump up and cant and all 8 dogs were just barking and eating like crazy. Dad is yelling and mom and trying to get them off the table while Allison is just laughing and possibly crying I don't remember! Finally we get both adult dogs off the table and back outside. But... the damage had been done. The table was covered in a big mess and all that was left was the burnt sweet potatoes (Oxford is a little picky so he did not eat those).

 

The culprits and masterminds behind the whole thing! (They look so innocent don't they!)

 

I am beyond embarrassed at this point and I start crying and go and hide out in the bedroom. Chris Calvert and Marnie almost immediately said good bye and left. We later found out that they sat outside in their car and laughed for well over 30 minutes. We were all hungry and tired and just wanted to eat. We ended up making sandwiches and eating those and chips for our Thanksgiving feast. If only we would have had a video camera... We would be rich!

 

Just another crazy Thanksgiving for Chris and Kellie!

 

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday on the calendar and looking back makes me realize why! We have had some very memorable Thanksgivings! I will NEVER forget some of them!

God is good... ALL THE TIME!

The Ghosts of Thanksgivings Past: 2005 and 2006

November 2012

Chris and I have been together for nearly 8 years and 7 Thanksgivings. This past Thanksgiving went VERY well but we have had some that did not quiet turn out as well...

 

Thanksgiving 2005

The Klingsicks
Norman, OK

This was the 1st thanksgiving that Chris and I were together and we held this in Norman at my apartment on Brandywine Dr. This was the 1st year that we "split" up the holidays with our families and we were with my parents and Allison (The Klingsicks). Chris had a very good friend, Chris Calvert, who lived in Norman and was not going to be able to travel back to Alabama to spend Thanksgiving with his family so we asked him to join ours.

 

My apartment was VERY small and there was not a lot of room in the kitchen let alone the sitting area. I remember the women all staying in the kitchen most of the time and the men in the living room, which was attached to the kitchen basically. In fact, my dad spent most of the day on the floor.

 

The meal was nothing special or out of the ordinary and in fact it was at this holiday that my dad fixed his last "Pink Cherry Fruit Salad" (At least at our holidays!). This was a salad that my dad had fixed at nearly ALL holiday meals for as long as I can remember. I didn't really care for it due to its texture but Chris didn't want it because it was a SALAD. He has a theory that salads are NOT NEEDED at ANY meal but especially not at a holiday meal. He informed my dad of a Simpson's episode (Of which my dad and my whole family DETEST!) where Homer sings a song "You don't win friends with salad". Calvert knew this songs as well so for the rest of the day the two boys were singing this song and giving my dad a hard time. By the end of the day my mom and sister had joined in singing as well just for the fun of it! Needlesstosay, there was LOTS of leftover salad! To this day, we do NOT have any type of salad at a holiday meal when with the Klingsicks!

 

Thanksgiving 2006

The Davis'

Abernathy, TX

This was our first holiday as a married couple and it was spent at "The Farm" in Lubbock with Chris' family (The Davis'). This particular Thanksgiving was not very memorable in that nothing crazy happened but it was the 30th anniversary of Chris' parents Dan and Jackie on November 20th. This was special to me since Chris and I had just got married! It was also at this holiday that we met Leeanna who was John's new girlfriend at the time. She is now a part of the Davis family as John's wife and that is what made that holiday special! So glad to have you along for the laughs Leeanna!

 

 Just another Thanksgiving for Chris and Kellie!

 

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday on the calendar and looking back makes me realize why! We have had some very memorable Thanksgivings! I will NEVER forget some of them!

 

God is good... ALL THE TIME!