My Growing Boy: Month 6

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

HAPPY 1/2 BIRTHDAY LUKE!

 

 

I cannot believe you are 6 months old today! It seems like only yesterday you were all wrapped up in blankets and in my arms for the first time. You definitely wanted to make your own entrance into this world and at the perfect time. You made June 12, 2012 one of the best days of my life! You are a true blessing to me and I thank God for you each and EVERYDAY! I love you so much!

This pretty much sums it up... this boy gets into EVERYTHING!

 

Feeding

This month we are all done with nursing (tear, tear) and drinking only Nutramigen formula ($$$). We started solids in late November with Rice Cereal and Oatmeal. He took this pretty well and I could tell he was ready to move on to vegetables and other solids. Right after Thanksgiving we started feeding him the vegetables and we are currently on our last type of veggie, carrots, before we move on to the good stuff... the FRUIT! Natalie was pretty tolerant of all of the vegetables but as I have found out with just about EVERYTHING ELSE... whatever Natalie did as a baby, Luke will do the OPPOSITE! It is incredible how very different they are (Yet so similar in so many ways too). Luke doesn't seem to like the peas or the sweet potatoes. I cannot blame on either of those since as a kid and as an adult I don't like either of those as well. He LOVES the green beans and seems to do OK on the squash. We have yet to determine if he likes carrots or not but I am going to bet not... I think they stink and look terrible, but we will find out soon! Usually he eats grains in the morning and veggies for a mid-afternoon meal. The rest of the time he is getting the majority of his nutrition from Nutramigen formula. He drinks about 30-32 ounces a day. He is just now beginning to be less lazy and actually hold the bottle up himself, which is very helpful for a busy mom!

Sleeping

He is still sleeping 10-11 hours at night without problems but his nap schedule is so inconsistent. Some days he will sleep for 1.5 to 2 hours at a time and other days he will only sleep for 30 minutes at a time. Usually this is in the swing at our house or at Gigi Jackie's house. I have tried to get him to sleep in his crib but he will just try to sit up (thinking he is missing out on something) and not go to sleep. He really likes the calming vibrations of the swing. However, I think since we have hit the 6 month mark it is time to really focus on getting him to nap in his crib. I mean he wont be able to fit in the swing forever (Although it does say holds up to 30 pounds!). I know going to MDO 4 days a week will help this since they will get him into a routine of their own! I know this will help!

 

Playtime

On November 17th, when he was 5 months and 5 days, he sat up on his own without falling over. Ever since then he has been alert and ready to play. He will roll ALL OVER the house. I will lay him down in one area of a room and before I can even look up he is somewhere else. He loves to roll over and play. On December 5th we saw him "Army/ Belly" Crawl across the floor for the first time. Oddly enough, he was trying to get one of Natalie's toys she had been playing with. He crawled about 4 feet on his tummy. Ever since then he has been going just about everywhere. He can put himself on "All Fours" but he just doesn't have the strength to actually crawl on All Fours yet. For now he will just scoot across the floor on his tummy and sometimes his knees. He is just so cute when he does this. Other than that he plays on his floor mat and Exersaucer a lot. Just yesterday, December 11th, I introduced him to Natalie's toy piano on the floor and he LOVED it! He would push a button and then just giggle and giggle! This made my heart smile!

Playing the piano!

Luke at his 6 month old Check-up!

 

 

Happy 1/2 Birthday Luke! I love you!

 

God is good... ALL THE TIME!  

Christmas 2012

December 27, 2012

A Christmas to Remember

 

Well, this year's Christmas Season has come and gone so have my Christmas Decorations. In fact, they went up in record time, the day after Thanksgiving, and I had them down by 3pm on December 26th (Thanks to the help of my parents and sister). Having just bought our house and having lived with my in-laws for 15 months, I did not have a lot of Christmas Decorations so my house was pretty basic. I am hoping to build this up over the next few years.

 

This Christmas season was one for the keepsakes as it was Luke's FIRST Christmas and our FIRST Christmas spent as a family of FOUR! It is hard to believe but this time last year I didn't even know that my baby was a BOY (Of course, I knew I was pregnant but I didn't know HE was a HE)! I remember spending Christmas 2011 just imagining what 12 months from then would look like. Honestly, it looked alot like what was in my head 12 months ago! I am so very blessed.

 

 

This was a "KLINGSICK" holiday meaning we spent the holiday with my parents and sister. However, since we live close (4 streets over) from my in-laws, this was an even more special holiday because we were actually able to spend Christmas Day with BOTH sets of parents. It was so special to be able to see EVERYONE on this special day.

 

The festivities began when my sister came into town on Saturday. She spent the evening with us and then went with us to Church on Sunday morning and helped me take the kids to see Santa on Sunday (12-23-12). This was so much fun since Natalie is at the perfect age to know who he is. Allison and I were not really exposed to Santa as a child so I was indifferent to the idea of taking our kids to sit on Santa's lap but as Chris reminded me "Why would you deprive any child of that joy?" He made a valid point so I decided to talk to Natalie about Santa and have her go and sit on Santa's lap. This was led by our family mission which is to educate our kids about the REAL meaning of Christmas which is the BIRTH OF JESUS, CHRIST!

 

My parents arrived on Sunday evening around 10 pm and brought in the MASSIVE amount of gifts they hauled from Arp to Conroe (I still don't know how it all fit and they were able to breathe the whole time)! On Christmas Eve we started the day off with some yummy Cinnamon rolls and Allison, Chris and I began our "Dessert Challenge" for 2012. This is a tradition of the "Klingsicks" since 2010 where all the kids (Allison, Chris and I) participate in a dessert challenge. This year we chose to make cupcakes. As always it was a fun filled day of sweets and treats AND... THIS YEAR I WON (More about that to follow in a separate blog)!

 

In the afternoon of Christmas Eve, Allison and I took my dad to get a new iPhone. He had the same ANCIENT phone for nearly 3 years and it was time for him to join the 21st Century. This was such a cool experience for me to share with him and I am so excited for him to be able to share the photos and videos with my whole family!

 

On Christmas Eve we had a tasty version of Pork Tenderloin made by my dad and we started to get ready to open gifts. We gave the kids a bath at 6:30 and at 7 we began opening the KIDS' gifts! There were so many gifts coming both sides of the family and even extended family sent gifts from Wichita, KS. Natalie got some great gifts like a new art easel, an American Girl doll named "Alex", Minnie Mouse shoes, a Daisy Duck, LeadPad and so much more. Baby Luke got some great baby toys too such as: a new "Learning Puppy", a basketball goal, a activity walker and some other toys for his developing mind to play with. The funny thing about all these gifts is that Natalie wants to play with Luke's and Luke wants to play with Natalie's! I guess that is the start of the sibling rivalry! After nearly 1.5 hours, we were done with the kids gifts and we put them to bed!

 

Luke opening his gifts!

 

Natalie opening her 3rd round of gifts!

 

 

Around 10pm we began opening the adult gifts! Chris and I got some AMAZING gifts this year! We got a Keurig Coffee machine (Even a few days after opening this I am already wondering how I EVER LIVED WITHOUT IT!) and some new bath towels! Chris got a Wii and a Wii Fit Plus, a new briefcase (He has wanted and need for a while now) and lots of other stuff. I got tickets to a Yankee's game in September, a new set of Kitchen Knives, a smore's making machine and lots of other stuff. We really cleaned up and are so grateful to our many family and friends who showered us with love and gifts this Christmas Season!

 

On Christmas Morning, we all woke up and changed the focus from gifts to Baby Jesus. That is what Christmas is all about and we have made it a point to make Christmas Day ALL ABOUT Him and his virgin birth into the world!

 

Natalie woke up with a cough and was throwing up a little just from congestion. I immediately went into panic mode but thanks to my dad for spending all morning with her upstairs playing while i could try to cook and play host. After a few hours she was all better and Christmas continued!

 

For lunch we had Ham, Fried Turkey (It was Chris' BEST YET) and lots of sides. Dan, Jackie and D'Ann came over to celebrate this day with us and as Chris said "This was the best Christmas Ever". Natalie got over her sickness and was able to eat lunch with us and even Luke sat in the room with us as we ate the feast. After lunch we played a game while the kids took naps and then as soon as Natalie woke up we had BIRTHDAY PARTY FOR JESUS! This is a Davis Family (Chris and Kellie) tradition it was super special this year to spend it with not only my parents but Dan and Jackie as well. Even Luke wore a Birthday Hat for Jesus!

 

After the Birthday Party we settled down enough to get the kids an early bath and then we opened the Stockings that we forgot to open previously. Finally around 9pm we got the kids in bed and were able to do another Family tradition of watching a Christmas Movie all together. This year we watched "Christmas Vacation". My dad had never seen it and that made it special to me!

 

On Wednesday, December 26, the girls woke up early and went "After Christmas Shopping" while the men stayed home and watched football. This was special too because we were able to spend time together (Natalie included) doing what we love... SHOPPING!

 

Later that day my parents took Natalie and Luke back to Arp with them for a few days. They needed a little "Grand-baby" time. In fact, I didn't even have to ask them this time. Chris and I had been looking forward to this little vacation for a while and we are excited to be able to spend time together without the kids!

 

Overall, it was an AWESOME Christmas with my hubby, kiddos and family! I agree with Chris that very well may be our best Christmas yet... But I think they will only get better with time!

 

I am so very blessed and I thank God each and every day for the amazing blessings He has given me! If it weren't for Him and these blessings, we would not have had the BEST CHRISTMAS EVER! Thank you Lord!

 

God is Good... ALL THE TIME!

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!

Think Like Nordstrom?

I came across a post on Facebook that a friend of mine liked from Nordstrom. It read:

 

"We believe Thanksgiving should have it's own day so we will not be putting up any Christmas decorations (or selling any) until the Friday AFTER Thanksgiving (BLACK FRIDAY)."

 

All of my life my family has waited until AFTER Thanksgiving to put up our Christmas tree and we kept it up until after New Years so my sister, whose birthday is on December 29th, could have a "Birthday Tree". We used to always take down all the Red and Green decorations and exchange them out for Hot Pink Birthday Streamers. This was really special to Allison and looking back I think it is a really neat tradition!

 

As an adult I have only had a Christmas tree about half of the time and I have usually put it up after Thanksgiving if at all. When I was single and living in an apartment, I did not bother in getting an artificial tree or real tree and usually just put up a wreath or garland in the Kitchen. Real festive, right? I wasn't really in the Christmas spirit! Now that I am married I have purchased an artificial tree and decorated it with ornaments Chris and I have received as gifts. Unfortunately, my beagle, Oxford, chewed through the branches of this tree while we still lived in Shawnee so this year I get to purchase a brand new tree.

 

However, I have yet to decide when to actually put up my tree and all my other Christmas decorations. Now that I have such a large house with multiple options and locations to decorate, I want to go "All Out" and make my home a "Winter Wonderland"! With all this decorating I want to have these decorations up for as long as possible since so much work will go into it. Yet, I still feel like I should not just over-look Thanksgiving... especially since it is one of my favorite Holidays!

 

A part of me really wants to get my tree up and decorated and start to transform my home now, especially since I am already listening to Christmas music at work and with my classes. But I just cant bring myself to do it! I want Thanksgiving to be about Thanksgiving!
What are you thoughts?

 

God is Good... All the Time!

Back to the old "GRIND"

Friday, November 2, 2012

 

This week has been so very long and tiring and i will go ahead and say it has been the week from well... you know where! I went back to work on Monday and since then, I have slept maybe 20 hours and have been physically and emotionally exhausted.

 

My nearly 5 month only who has been sleeping through the night for quite some time is deciding he needs to wake up on and off in the middle of the night and as soon as I am ready to walk out the door. I think it is going to take Luke a little while to get used to both Mommy and Daddy working and him spending the day with Gigi Jackie. Fortunately he has had great days while with Jackie but I can just tell his routine is messed up and it is going to take him a little while to adjust. On Monday and Tuesday he barely napped at all. Luckily yesterday, Thursday, he was able to nap for about an 1.5 hours. This helped alot and I know his sleeping schedule will continue to improve as he adjusts to his new daily routine.

 

Natalie has been acting and behaving fine but she is still dealing with "Clowns"  It all started at the AWANA back to school party where a clown was making balloon animals. One of the balloons popped and due to Natalie's sensitive ears she got really frightened and now associates that loud scary noise with clowns. Every night she says "No clowns", in fact she says this multiple times a day! When we say our nightly prayers she asks God to protect her from the clowns and says a memory verse that helps her remember God protects us! I am glad she is praying and turning to God for help and protection. I just don't know how to help her get over this fear. In fact, we did not even go to our church's Fall Festival because we knew there would be a clown there and it was going to be the exact same clown that scared her in the first place so we did not take any chances.

 

On Monday when I finally got back to work after 11 weeks off, SO MUCH had changed that the day itself was OVERWHELMING! In fact there were NUMEROUS times during the day that I just wanted to pack up my things and NEVER COME BACK! I was so very discouraged and upset. Now keep in mind that my emotions were running SKY HIGH due to having to leave the baby and a laundry list of other things but I was so very upset and discouraged at the end of the day!

 

I remember when I returned from Maternity leave with Natalie my band classes were a TOTAL mess and the kids were out of control and had BARELY learned ANYTHING! It practically took me the rest of the semester to clean up the mess that was made. This time around, my kids were great and under control. In fact, since there was a substitute, my classes were reading music and learning from a music textbook which I usually do not use since it is so basic and boring. A lot of my kids came to me this week and told me they actually LIKED the textbook. I am going to use these books more often now that I know they like them.

 

It wasn't my kids that had me discouraged but all the "Behind the scenes" and "Paperwork" stuff. I now know that we have faculty meetings EVERY Monday for 1.5 to 2 hours after school. Alot of this has to do with the TEA score we received last year as a campus. This is so frustrating because I got into this level of music teaching to avoid after school duties and hours. I just got so upset thinking to myself "If I am going to be at work til 5... I might as well be doing what I LOVE... TEACHING BAND". All day on Monday this was my attitude. I kept thinking "I have a Master's degree and I am teaching word for word out of the book. They seriously DO NOT NEED ME! The average Joe could do this job! In fact, the AVERAGE JOE did do this job while I was gone! I just want to go home and hold my baby!" I feel so under-used and under-appreciated! This makes me so sad!

 

The week got better with each passing day but even today I feel like I should be doing so much more with my career. I know I have to hold on and endure this "TEST OF FAITH" for another 7-8 months until June 1! I am very grateful to God for giving me this job and opportunity!

 

I have a passion for teaching and a passion for music... but right now all I can think about it my beautiful kiddos and how much I miss them! I know over the next few weeks, I will get back into the "Grind" and "Routine" and my feelings will change... Patience!

 

God is good... ALL THE TIME!

Hats Off

Friday, October 26, 2012

It has been FOUR months and my how the time has flown by. It seems only yesterday that I was laying on a hospital bed waiting to see my new baby boy! I had dreamed of having a baby boy all my life and the day had come to cut me open and get him out. It was a beautiful sunny HOT day in Houston/ Conroe and David Luke was about to make his grand entrance. At 1:30pm, baby Luke graced us all with hi presence and my life has never been the same since.

Since that sunny and hot day, it has continued to be HOT and humid but my how my boy and my life have changed. I spent practically the entire summer months taking care of my newborn and that in an of itself was a full-time job. Too many sleepless and restless nights waking up 4 and 5 times and nurse him, Changing 10-12 diapers a day and rocking that precious bundle of joy. Whew... By the time August came around I was exhausted. I felt like I needed a vacation! Hahaha... Little did I know at the time but a mother of 2 DOESN'T GET A VACATION!

The month of August was spent taking care of Luke ad then as soon as he was done eating and burping, I would go and get Natalie up and feed her breakfast and whatever else she needed. Before I knew it, the time was 11am and NOTHING had got done. I still had not showered or finished any chores or housework. Then within what seemed like seconds or minutes it was lunch time and one for Luke to eat again. Soon after lunch was nap time. I was never lucky enough to get nth of them I nap at the same time. Several times they overlapped by 20-30 minutes and I usually took that time clean or pack boxes. Of course at the end of the month, Chris started back teaching and I was on my own.

September came around and our move into our new house was getting closer and closer. I had NO TIME to pack boxes or get Dan and Jackie's house cleaned up from us living there. I was constantly trying to get both kids fed, cleaned and taken care of. I remember on September 3rd, the day BEFORE my 30th birthday, my mom and sister took me to get a pedicure and I felt like I literally won a MILLION DOLLARS. In fact, that is what I would have paid for that pedicure at the time. It was GLORIOUS! Thank you Mom and Allison for taking me! I loved it!

The rest of September kinda dragged because we were supposed to close Mid-September on the 14th but ended up closing a week later on the 21st. So between trying to pack boxes and clean and then actually MOVE into our new house... My poor kiddos were exhausted and so was I. When we finally did get moved into the new house and we were able to sleep there, all I wanted to do was just rest... BUT WAIT, I still had to take care of my little angels. There were bottles and feedings and baths and play times (in the new "Kitchen" of Natalie's... which is AWESOME by the way). Wow... Thank goodness I was not working at the time... I don't think I would have made it!

October came and went so fast. I was able to get most of the boxes unpacked and even hang a few pictures on the walls. Much to the disliking of both of my kids. I guess they don't like the sound of a hammer to a drywall! Several times I would have to just put Luke in the swing and I would go and clean the kitchen or vacuum or decorate because if I didn't get it done before i went back to work, I knew it would not get done til January since the Holidays are just around the corner. Several times I would put him in the swing crying and eventually (Like 10 minutes) he would just fall asleep or give up on crying. I hated doing that to a 4 month old but Mama HAD TO GET STUFF DONE!

Bottom line... I DON'T KNOW HOW STAY AT HOME MOMS DO IT! This is HARD WORK. And I only have 2 kids.... How do moms of 3 and 4 even survive? I barely have a moment to myself... TO SHOWER, let alone do anything else like clean the house or go grocery shopping (in fact i usually take BOTH kids to get groceries, my LEAST favorite part of a week). I have so many friends who are "Stay at home moms" and they have such well behaved kids, a clean house and a beautiful demeanor about them. I, on the other hand, after only 4 months of being a stay at home mom, am ready to pull my hair out and my house is NOWHERE near close to as clean as I would like!

I just don't know how y'all do it! Anyone out there that has a suggestion, I AM ALL EARS! Hats off to you wonderful STAY AT HOME MOMS! You are AMAZING! Please send some of your energy my way!

I love my kiddos SO MUCH and i am so VERY GRATEFUL for being able to spend this time with them! I will never get this time back and they grow up WAY TOO FAST so I am so glad I got to be home with them when I did! God blessed me with this time and for that I am FOREVER GRATEFUL!

Even for this Non-So- Good Stay at home mom...

GOD IS GOOD... ALL THE TIME!

I Need Guidance... And Only Prayer Will DO!

Monday, October 15, 2012

Texas Children's Pediatric Associates Conroe

My baby is FOUR MONTHS old! It is hard to believe he already FOUR MONTHS. Yet at the same time I cannot believe it has ONLY BEEN FOUR MONTHS! It seems so much longer sometimes. My poor family has been through SO MUCH in the last FOUR MONTHS! I think Baby Luke is doing REALLY well considering all the change that has taken place. Between the move and his reflux he has done really well these FOUR MONTHS of life!

We went into the see Dr. Quarles today for Baby Luke's 4 Month Well-Baby Check. This was more of a follow-up for his reflux really. We had been patients of Dr. Pullium but she moved to Colorado in late August so we were forced to "Shop around" for another pediatrician. We went with Dr. Prohodia at first because she was available to see us on short notice when Luke's reflux got to be at its worst. She is very young and I liked her. She diagnosed Luke with GERD (Reflux) on August 30th and gave us some medication and advice to try to keep it under control. Since then Luke has had good days and bad days. I had changed Luke and Natalie over to DR. Prohodia as the PCP in September but after Dr. Pullium left the computer automatically put Dr. Quarles as our PCP so we ended up seeing her yesterday! This was alarming at first but turned out to be wonderful.

Luke has been on Nutramigen for the past 10 days and I have seen great improvements. He has been spitting up much less and in less volume and he is also taking the bottle much better (even from strangers). In the evening hours he is much less fussy and even laughs and plays more than the day time. During the past 10 days he has smiled for daddy just as soon as he gets home. This makes daddy so very happy. For most of his life Luke has screamed between the hours of 6-8 and he has begun to grow out of this and with the help of the Nutramigen he has been even more happy during these hours.

When we went in to see the Dr yesterday she answered a lot of my questions about reflux and medication but did not give me a definite path to take from here. She said that even though Luke seems to be doing better on the Nutramigen formula, he may still be able to breast feed if I cut out 4 of the major foods that effect reflux. These foods include milk, eggs, nuts and soy. I ha already cut out mill from my diet but not to the extremes she wanted me to. Absolutely NONE!!! She told me to look at labels for ingredients and if it had milk or eggs AT ALL don't eat it. I don't really eat these foods themselves very often but wow... EVERYTHING, I MEAN EVERYTHING I eat has milk or eggs in it. I love cheese and put it on most everything. I am not a great breakfast eater but I love raisin bran and of course that requires milk. Salad dressings, bread, tortillas, you name it... It has one of the four "No-No" foods. I guess I will be going on some form of Atkins. Man... I HATE THAT DIET! I would rather go back on HCG!

She gave me some advice about using the expressed milk I had been pumping in the freezer and also some expert opinion on Reflux but she did NOT tell me directly what to do. I am indecisive so I wanted this but I understand why she could not tell me what to do. She basically told me that I could switch to Nutramigen if I wanted to but she thinks overall Luke is just a "Happy Spitter" and is going to spit up no matter what. She also gave me the classic line "You have a LAUNDRY problem... not a medical problem". This made me feel better for Luke but a little discouraged for me. I wanted to know that the Nutramigen was the perfect fix and all would be well. Dr. Quarles doubled the medication of Zantac to 1.1 ML twice a day! After it was all over she sent us home to do yet another experiment. She said "If I were you, I would use all the milk in the freezer and breast feed him until you go back to work (10 days). If at that point pumping isn't an option or you still feel he is spitting up more with just breast milk, go back to Nutramigen. I just don't want to recommend an unneeded added expense." I greatly appreciate that aspect of it but I really wanted her TO TELL ME WHAT TO DO!

Since Monday, I have decided to take her advice and go with the "PULL YOUR HAIR OUT" diet and try to get Luke to breast feed again! That was always a wonderful bonding time for both of us! Maybe that is JUST WHAT I NEED before I go back to work! I am going to start him on the breast again on Friday so that way I will have 2-3 days to get all the "toxins" out of my system!

I don't know what will come of this experiment but I just want Baby Luke to feel better and not spit up as much! I know God will show me the path I need to take!

God is good... ALL THE TIME!