Routine!

Well, life is back to normal this week and I can say that it does make it so much easier with the kids. We are back to Bible Study this morning which is great for me! We are studying Galatians and 1/2 Thessalonians. I am really excited cause Mike told me he is going to the men's study at 6:30 in the morning which will be great cause we will be studying the same thing. Our church all studies the same thing and we also have a website that sends you daily Bible readings, questions etc... to go along with our weekly large group study. Anyone can sign up for it so if you are looking for something to study daily check out www.jointhejourney.org . The girls love getting to play with their friends at church and I love the time with other ladies! Anna went to the doctor yesterday for her 1 yr. appointment. It is such an experience to take both kids to the doctor. It would go so much better if the Dr. was in a hurry! We survived with 3 suckers and a few stickers. Anna got 4 shots and I found out she is cutting 4 molars which explains the fussiness. She weighed a whopping 15 lb. 15 oz. She is smaller than Ellie was at 1 by a few ounces. However, she is on the growth chart for height! She is at a really fun stage and is just about to walk. The girls are now sharing a room together every night. It works out really well. Anna goes to bed first, but Ellie knows that she can't cry anymore when we put her to bed! She loves having Anna in the room with her. I can picture them in a few years in bunk beds or a trundle. I am really glad that they are close in age for the reason that they will always have a playmate etc....It is neat to think that they will probably share a room for the next 17 years! Tomorrow, I am taking Ellie to the dentist for the first time. I wouldn't take her so early , but I think she has a chipped tooth. Has anyone taken their 2 yr. old to the dentist? It is a pediatric clinic so that should help. I hope you are all doing well and walking in the grace of Christ. It has been so evident to me lately and I am so thankful for my Savior. This is a recent picture of Anna from her 1st birthday. She was not very smiley cause she was not feeling well.

Costa Rica Slideshow

Here's a quick slideshow summing up the AMAZING trip we went on to Costa Rica!

Happy Birthday Anna!

Anna's First Days...
Anna looking cute!
Anna's 1st Birthday!

Wow! How time flies and Anna is 1! It seems like just yesterday that we were driving to the hospital in Raleigh. She was born at 8 A.M. and it was a relatively easy labor (as easy as it can be...)! She is such a sweet little girl who has brought so much joy to our lives. She has been our easy sleeper and has yet to ever fight us on it. She loves to play with toys and be outside. She is much more of a "dare-devil" than Ellie and is not afraid of much. We celebrated her birthday tonight as a family. We are having a little party for her next week when my parents are in town. We took the girls to Maggiano's and to Build a Bear. We've never been there, but it was really fun. Ellie made Anna a little bear. We had a great night in spite of them both not feeling that great. I am so thankful for our girls and their daddy who loves us so much!

Quick Pics of Costa Rica...

Wanted to get some pics up while we're here; more will come when we get back :)

Our crib in Costa Rica...

Three more days till we will be here......

We leave tomorrow morning at 7 A.M. for our flight to ATL to drop the kids off.This could be insane, but we are actually flying to Birmingham and driving to ATL cause we have a friend who works for Southwest and she got us good tickets. We fly out Saturday morning for C.R.. We are so excited and I think I've accomplished almost everything on my list. Wow! What a task it is to get 4 people ready for a trip especially one on an airplane. Please, pray everything goes smoothly. We really don't want to have a crazy can you believe this happened experience on this trip. More in a week with pictures from C.R..




Many people have seen this little guy from their bedroom...

We will probably spend some time here

The pool at our villa and a great view

Taking a break.....

I don't have much to write about today. I have no pictures it is kind of a sad bloggy day! Anna is much better and of course I got her bug. It was a miserable 24 hours. We are all feeling better now and I'm just taking a break from the busyness of this week.
Ellie and I normally take a break about this time of the morning. Anna is down for her morning nap and Ellie is watching Wonder Pets (super cute show!). It seems like the morning time is a sprint to get everything done before Anna's nap. We have to eat breakfast, get dressed, brush teeth, start laundry, put away breakfast, etc...all in about 1 1/2 hours. Somewhere in there I get ready and this morning was a good one cause I got ready before the kids got up!
Anyways, we leave for Costa Rica on Thursday. We are dropping the kids off in GA at my parents house and then we fly out on Saturday morning for Costa Rica. I have my list made of things to do this week and I'm maybe half way there. We are so excited and I can almost feel the warm sun and sand on my feet. Mike is fulfilling his last duty this morning after staff meeting for winning the trip. He has to jump in the pond in front of our church and completely submerge himself. I'm glad I am not him cause it is super cold outside today. However, everyone who entered the game for a chance to win the trip also has to get in the pond today as well.
Ellie and Anna are doing awesome. Anna turns one on February 1st. I still have to plan that party. She has changed so much in the past month or so. She's standing alone and wants to take steps. However, she is so fast at crawling that she prefers to get around that way. She has said mama, baby, and ball. She is super happy except when I leave the room and loves to play with Ellie.
Ellie is talking so much and it is really nice to be able to communicate so well. I tell Mike that there are so many days that I don't think her hands or mouth have stopped moving all day. She is into pulling stuff out of drawers, cabinets, etc...She is so sweet and loves to cuddle with us. She has been into books a lot lately and likes for us to read to her as much as we can. She has a children's Bible, but she prefers the adult Bible. We read random verses in all different books cause she turns the pages so quickly. She loves to play games and dance. Her current favorites are Hokey Pokey, London Bridges, and Wheels on the Bus.
Well, I should get back to the list. I hope you all have a blessed day.

Poor Anna....

Well, it has been quite a day so far. We got up and got ready to go to the gym. Anna did not eat much breakfast and was kind of fussy. I thought she might just be teething or something.... She was still fussy when I dropped her off in childcare, but she normally stops crying once I leave. I do my workout and go get dressed in my jeans etc.... I pick up Anna and she is still not very happy. I pick her up and she throws up everywhere. It went all over her and me(so much for clean clothes). I have never seen a baby throw-up that much. It was so gross and all over me, Anna, and the kids club floor. I felt so bad for the workers. I'm trying to get Ellie to leave and get to the car quickly, but of course she is wanting to look the swimming pool, etc.. Anna was asleep within the first 5 minutes in the car. I think she has a virus. I'm just hoping it does not make it rounds through the rest of us! She seems better after a long nap. We'll see what the rest of the day holds and to think I was so motivated to get lots of things done today! Oh, well there is always tomorrow.....

Ski Trip 2007

If you've got a few minutes, sit back, and enjoy our high school student's ski trip that we just went on; very fun video!

Christmas 07!

Anna's first Christmas

Thanks for all of our presents! Grandparents are great!

All the children at our staff Christmas party got these cute jackets.

Sweet Sisters

Anna kind of liked Santa Clause. Ellie not so much!

Our first attempt at a Christmas picture!
We finally put these pictures on our computer. It was a wonderful Christmas and so different from any other. We were in Dallas the whole time with visits before and after with family. However, we are so glad we were not traveling through the airport around this time of year with two little ones. We really enjoyed spending time together and worshiping at Watermark on Christmas Eve. Have a great Monday!

We're going to Costa Rica!!!

Here's the video of when I found out I won the trip...Read the post below to get all the details.

YOU MUST READ THIS!!!

Mike did it again with his streak of being lucky. I know all of our seminary/college friends have always wondered how did the Shelton's win that item or get those tickets? He has gotten more free plane vouchers than we can count and many great basketball tickets for face value, macbook pro,iphone etc... However, many of you always say that Mike volunteers for things that many would not try. Well, you are about to drop your jaws when you hear the latest event in our lives. I am so thankful that I have a husband who takes risks and there are only a handful of times where I regret his adventure, risk-taking spirit!
I will try and set this story up for you. However, to hear Mike tell it in person is hilarious. Yesterday, the Watermark staff went on their yearly retreat to some lake in Texas and stayed in different lake houses. The retreat was more of a fellowship, play games, get to know each other time. Everyone went on the retreat including administrative assistants etc... There were probably 70-80 people there I think? Our pastor, Todd loves games and competition. We've heard of these games and of course Mike would be up for it. The game this time was for a great prize. However, to even qualify to play the game you had to jump in the pool at night and swim across it. It was pretty cold last night and surprisingly only 20 people or so even wanted to do it. These 20 people were now qualified to play the game. The next round moved to a dice game called Farkle (Thanks, Gurney's for introducing this game to us)! It is something where you roll the dice and try to get to 5,000. Mike said he did pretty good and advanced to the next round where only 6 people got to play. He got down pretty far in farkle and thought he wasn't going to be able to come back. He rolled a great round I guess and won the Farkle! The final round to win the grand prize was to play the dvd game 1 vs. 100 just like the tv show. Mike as the 1 and the other 80 people were against him. It is a trivia game which Mike is not so good at and was probably a little nervous at this point. He could pick one other staff person to be on his team and help him. He was going to pick David Penuel. The MS director at our church cause he is really good at trivia. David told Mike he really wanted him to win and that he should really pick someone else (Thanks David!). Mike chose a guy named John who is our assistant pastor. John is really intelligent and has 5 children so he has to have learned lots of info. John can now help Mike answer any question. Praise God! The first couple of questions were not to bad and if the people on staff miss the question they are eliminated and the same with Mike and John. There is one question that comes up about "Rip Van Winkel" which Mike is really unsure about and so is John. I forgot to mention I am his other helper on the phone. I thought I was going to throw up I was so nervous. I had stayed the night with a friend so I wouldn't have to stay alone. Angie was so helpful in helping me stay calm and her husband works with Mike so she knew all about these games. I have no clue either about the question. I hear Mike tell John I think it is "C". John says "I don't know" . Mike says I think we should go with our gut. He could have used a lifeline at this point just like millionare, but he decided to just go for it. The answer was right and the staff went from like 60 people left to 11 people left. This move was critical cause it eliminated so many people. Anyways, it gets down to 4 people. 2 from the staff, Mike and John. The last question comes up and if Mike gets it right he wins the prize along with John. The last question is about the movie "Fight Club" which of course Mike knew about. He gets it right and so does one of the staff guys left. Now, there is one staff guy and Mike and John so the game is over. They all three won! We are excited to tell you that we are all going on a trip to COSTA RICA!
Our airfare, lodging, and child-care is all included!!!! We are so excited. I would like to tell you a little bit about the place we are staying. Someone in our church owns a private villa at a Four Season resort in Costa Rica. It will overlook the ocean and there is a private plunge pool etc... Here is the crazy thing besides it all being crazy. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie spent New Year's at this resort last year. You can imagine how nice it is. We are in shock and are so thankful to be able to work at a church like Watermark. They know how to have fun and we always feel so blessed by how they do creative things like this to bless people. I am thankful for Mike being willing to jump in the pool etc.. We are going on this trip at the end of January and we will most likely drop the girls off at my parents house. We haven't been on a "fun" trip without them and are so looking forward to this trip! I now have to try and focus for the next three weeks!

Baby Photo Contest...

Hey...I've seen all your cute babies and think you all should enter them in the "Regis and Kelly" baby contest. The only reason I am doing it is because you have a chance to win 125K and other prizes. You never know maybe your baby could be the winner. Go to their website to find out all the details. It only took me about 5 minutes!

Snowboarding and more..

Happy New Year! Mike is in Colorado snowboarding with the students for their yearly ski trip. I think it took like 18 hours to get there. I'm glad I was not on that bus trip. I flew to Georgia to see my parents with the girls while he is gone. I cannot give any tips to my friends who have two little ones and are flying alone. I just keep thinking the whole time "I will not see any of these people ever again." I can say do not ever change planes and always get a direct flight. It is also so much easier when the baby is little and will sleep the whole time. I carried Ellie's car seat on this time with the help of our nice airtran guy. However, it is so much work to get it fastened in and get her into it while I am trying to hold Anna. I eventually have to ask a young girl behind me to hold Anna. It is so strange to me that no one offers to help. Also, once I got to Atlanta I had the car seat in the single stroller and Anna in the baby bjorn. Ellie walking next to me. It took us forever to get to baggage claim cause Ellie wanted to stop and touch every item. We then get on the train and Ellie is trying to hold onto the pole so she doesn't fall down. However, she doesn't really get it and eventually I just sit down with her on the floor so we don't all fall down. It is totally insane not to mention our $19 kohl's dvd player doens't work anymore and I had to carry Mike's work laptop on and I was so nervous about Ellie touching it etc... I will be using a wal-mart gift card to buy a better dvd player and a new movie for the way home. Anyways, we survived and it is so worth it once we get here!
I celebrated my 30th birthday yesterday. There's nothing like your 30th birthday on December 30th! Mike and I went to the Mavericks vs. Cavs game this week for his present and it was so fun. We got to see LeBron James etc.. it was a really good game and we are glad we got to go. My dad cooked us a yummy supper and got us a great cake. Today, is my mom's birthday. I recommend trying to avoid December birthday's if you can! Tonight, dad and I took Ellie to see Alvin and the Chipmunks. She loved it and I thought it was very cute as well. She loves being at Nana and Papa's!
Mike is in Crested Butte, CO. It is supposed to be freezing there so we had to pack lots of extra clothes etc.. He is really excited about the trip and getting to snowboard in Colorado again. It is much better skiing than on the east coast. I have so many fun Christmas pictures to post, but I don't have my cord. I will have to do it when I get home. I hope you all have a great New Year. I think my resolution is to run a half-marathon this year. However, I can't believe I just posted that cause I know that Mike will hold me to it! Anyone want to join us?!

Merry Christmas from Ellie

A great day...

Today was a perfect day. Mike said it was our best day since we've lived in Dallas! There have been many great days since we've been here, but we haven't left the city to venture out. It was 75 degrees here so I woke up and thought "what could we do outside"? I heard that the Fort Worth Zoo was lots of fun. Ellie has watched "Barney at the Zoo" a few times and it was filmed at the FW Zoo so we knew she would be up for it. It was a great zoo and we were out for almost 5 hours with no melt-downs etc... Both girls were in a great mood and loved being outside in the nice weather. Ellie loved the elephants, tigers, and the baby jaguar (Go Diego Go)! Anna got a great ride all day in the baby bjorn with Mike. We drove around Fort Worth for ahwile and saw TCU, downtown, etc.. It is a unique city and we are so glad that we went. Well, the day got better when I got home and got to open 10 Christmas Cards. We got so many cards from our blogging friends and they all look great! There was a trend of a letter came with those who have no kids or only one child. It seemed like those families with multiple kids just sent the picture like us. We are so thankful for our friends. We were telling some new friends we've made here how we have so many good friends they are just spread out all across the United States. It seems like in Texas that most people have the majority of their friends in Texas. Anyways, I hope you all have a great weekend full of Christmas cheer. We miss you all!

Dave Barnes Christmas Extravaganza

I love it.

Our Student Ministry Staff

Recently our student ministry staff did a Christmas photo shoot for our leaders as a gift. Some lucky people walked away with some sweet pictures framed of us in some fun Christmas outfits.

I feel bad for Kelly Pickler...

I love Jeff Foxworthy...

Crazy Mom Moment....

I've been meaning to blog this story for a few days now so get ready for a big laugh. Well, a couple of weeks ago when we went to AR for my grandma's funeral I had a ton to do they day we left. Mike had to work all day and our plan was to leave around 5:00 P.M.. I wanted the house clean before we left cause I hate coming home to a messy house. I had to do a couple loads of laundry, pack, bank, gas, and you know watch both girls all day. I normally make a list cause if I don't I will forget something. I finally got it all done with the car loaded when Mike got home. At this point I was really excited to just ride in a car for 5 hours and not do anything. We are on our way and I had made Anna 2 bottles for the trip. However, I realize I had forgotten the can of formula (I know the most essential item). We get into Oklahoma and pull over at a supercenter. Mike goes into get the formula and I decide to fill the car up with gas at Wal-Mart's gas station cause it is always cheap. It is really cold this night and Ellie is wanting to watch a dvd. I pay at the pump and push "No" on the receipt so I don't have to get out of the car again. I'm in the backseat fixing the dvd and helping Anna out. I get back in the front seat and drive to go pick up Mike. I hear a loud noise, but I'm not sure what it was so I keep on driving. I get about 200 yards from the gas station and a lady is honking at me. She rolls down her window and says the "gas pump is attached to your car". I think oh my goodness I hope the car is not damaged? I get out of the car and the pump along with about 8 feet of tubing is still attached to my gas tank. However, nothing is wrong with my car. I run the pump and tubing back to the wal-mart gas attendant and she says "it happens all the time". There is some sort of break away thing so that when crazy ladies run off with the gas pump attached to their car it just breaks away. Praise God our car is o.k.. I go pick up Mike and tell him the story. He asks me do you think as a stay at home mom you start to lose brain cells? I totally think you do cause there are many things that I forget on a stressful day! It was a good reminder to slow down and take a break sometimes!

MUST WATCH...

Stay with it until the end...Holly wants all of you to know that most youtube videos are posted by me. Trust me though, this will have you laughing at the end.

We are back to normal...

Our lives have been crazy since Thanksgiving and I am so glad that it seems like we are back on a routine today. I know all my friends who have children understand how travel and lack of a schedule leads to many melt-downs! We were away before Thanksgiving to visit my grandparents in Arkansas and then we went to KS for Thanksgiving. We came home and the week after Thanksgiving my mom came here to help us paint the family room and kitchen. It looks so much better and I really like it. Well, while my mom was here Anna was really sick and ended up in the ER one night cause we thought she had RSV. She ended up having bronchitis or something you know they can do nothing about. Ellie had a cough and fever. Well, one day she woke up from her nap with a swollen eye and gunk coming out of it. I take her to the dr. and she had pink eye. While my mom was here on December 1st we found out my grandmother was taken to the hospice hospital and was not doing well. My dad got a flight to Dallas that night and the next day my mom and him drive to Arkansas. My grandmother ends up passing away two days later on December 3rd. Also, while my mom was here I got the flu and felt awful. I had a fever etc... and of course it lasted until we were in Arkansas for the funeral. I then get pink eye while we were in Arkansas and have to go to the doctor. We are finally all better and feel great! My grandmother's funeral was such a celebration of her life and how she's in heaven with Jesus! She looked beautiful and I believe it was exactly what she would have wanted. There were over 200 people there to honor her and it was very special. I am so glad that she got to meet Anna before she passed just 3 weeks later.
We are now home and have a week full of Christmas parties. However, we don't have to cook dinner another night this week so that is always nice. I hope you are all enjoying the season. We are trying to refocus on Christ this week as life has been so busy. I asked Ellie last night in the "Do you know what Christmas is about" She quickly responds REINDEER. However, she's pretty cute trying to sing Silent Night. I don't think I've mentioned that when you ask Ellie what she wants for Christmas she says a "race car". She wants nothing to do with a baby doll or anything like it! She does have a race car set that grandma got her that she will be very excited to open on Christmas morning... Have a great week!

The Prosperity Gospel

A friend of mine showed this to me (thanks wes), and I figured I better put it on our blog to share with our friends in the blogosphere. Love it.

Huckabee 08

Well, we are trying to do what we can for the 2008 election as it will be here before we know it. It seems like some people already know about Mike Huckabee, but others have no clue about him. He's a great guy who is moving up in the polls. He's a proven leader and if you watch him in the debates he is awesome. We agree with all of his views and really feel like we could trust him. You can learn more about him anytime on CNN or Fox. He seems to be catching lots of press and is actually becoming a leader. I also have followed him forever cause he was Governor of Arkansas for eight years. He spoke at my high school graduation. A random fact about him is that he has lost over 100 lbs. He used to be quite large and has now run a couple marathons. He's a very unique candidate. I don't know if he can get the nomination, but I think he will at least be the vice-presidential nominee. GO Mike!

Blessings and more....

Well, I thought about doing a "Thanksgiving" post, but it never happened. We have been gone to Arkansas for a few days and then to Lawrence, Kansas to visit Mike's family. We had such a great Thanksgiving and it was so nice to be away. We have so much to be thankful for this year and it has been on my mind so much the past couple of weeks. I am so thankful for our girls and their health. We have seen babies go to heaven this year and ones who are so sick. We have two very lively little girls who bring much joy to us each day in the midst of the toddler chaos. We are so thankful to be in Dallas at Watermark. It seems like the past couple of years have brought so much change and stress that I am feeling so content here. It is an amazing place to worship each week and Mike is loving his job so much. Our pastor's sermon on Sunday was all about gratitude and it really reminded me of how grateful we are to be at a church where Christ is truly the center. It would be an awesome sermon to listen to online. You can go to Watermark.org and then click on media.
I am so thankful that we are about to celebrate my 30th birthday and our 6th wedding anniversary. I cannot believe how fast time goes. It seems like we were just in high school or going on a date in Springfield, MO. I am thankful that each year has brought so much more and drawn me closer to Christ. Mike and I still have so much fun together. We cherish our time together so much more as life with kids has made everything a lot more busy!
I don't think I have blogged about this, but some of you know that I thought I was going to have a skin cancer removed. After, I had Anna a small place showed up on my face on top of my birthmark. It looked similar to a small zit (I know it is gross you may not want to keep reading). I left it there for a few months and then went to a dermatologist. They called it something I had never heard or and removed it with a razor blade. I thought I was going to pass out as they put a shot in my face and then used the razor blade to remove it. They did a biopsy on it to see if it was cancer. I am normally o.k. with pain, but the needle/razor blade thing was awful. They called me and said it was a form of skin cancer underneath my skin, but they weren't sure what it was. We found this out shortly after we moved. The derm. said I should go see a plastic surgeon since it was on my face. I met with a plastic surgeon and he sent me to a specific dermatologist who removed this kind of cancer where they cut a small circle on your face and then "scoop out" the cancer and then after he was done I would go back to the plastic surgeon who would finish the procedure. I was really dreading all of this and really didn't want a bandage on my face for 3 months especially during Christmas. Anyways, I met with the derm. here in TX and he wanted to look at my pathology slides again just to make sure exactly what he thought I would need to have done. He looked at them along with another pathologist and they said it was an "ingrown hair follicle"! I would not need the surgery! I cannot tell you how relieved I am and how thankful I am that I don't have to deal with all of this right now. I do urge any of you to go see the derm. if you are concerned about anything it will be worth it!
Anyways, that was a very random blog post, but it has been on my mind and I thank God for He is so good.

Sweep the Leg Johnny!!!

So I (mike) found this music video that is one of the best I've seen in a while. Incredibly creative, a band got the original cast from the Karate Kid together for an amazing video. If you've got 5 minutes to kill, buckle up and watch this...

Possibly the best show of all time...

I found out today (possibly old news) that one of my favorite shows from the 80's is coming back with Mr. Hasselhoff himself. Knight Rider is back! The picture shows it all. I can recall many times I wished I had the follwoing things...
a watch I could talk to and tell Kitt to pull around back
an ejection seat in my car just in case
a silent mode button in case I ever needed a detective job on the side
a sweet red light on the front of my car
of course, the most important part, a bullet proof shell on my car in case I get shot at

Favorite Things....

Well, I just saw that Oprah's favorite things episode is on today. I love this episode and I think I've been able to watch it the past couple of years. I will never be able to purchase any of these things, but it does get me excited for a few Christmas presents. I will for sure be watching at 4:00 today while the kids are asleep and I'm sure millions of other SAHM will be joining me! If I could make a "wish list" of my own this year these would be a few items...I'd be curious to hear what would be on your list. It would be a blog topic if you are running out of them like me.
1.) A nice big purse (aka not from target)!
2.) New black and brown shoes. I tend to wear the same ones everyday and they are not in style I don't think. However, the ones that are in style (the ballerina slipper look) I'm not sure that I like them cause you don't wear socks with them and my feet are oh so white.
3.) Jewelry (once again not from Target) I love it, but never wear it cause it is so expensive to buy.
4.) House stuff
5.) A complete day off where it is all about me ha ha! I'm not selfish or anything.
Okay, better go both kids are now crying!

A great trip to Arkansas...

Anna and Reagan!

Cute Cousins!

Anna loving her roll from AQ Chicken! Yummm! Many Presidents have eaten here!

Ellie and Kayla
We had a great visit in Arkansas. It was so nice for us to see my grandparents and for them to meet Anna. Ellie was so kind and sweet to them. She sometimes is fearful of older people, but she warmed up fast to Meme and Pop. It might have been the candy, baby doll, etc.. that my grandpa had waiting for her. We got to stay with Kim and John Hurley. They have a beautiful new house and are adjusting well to Arkansas. I think they are going to attend the church that I attended all of high school. Ellie had a great time with her friends Jay and Kayla. Her and Kayla are best buds. They are about the same size and they both think the other one is hilarious. We enjoyed some yummy food at some of our favorite local restaurants and ventured to the mall for some play time. We ended up getting to see my parents as well since they got there a day early for Thanksgiving. My brother and sister-in-law were there as well. The girls got to play with their favorite cousins Reagan and Avery. They are such sweet girls who love to "baby" Ellie! It was a great time and now we are getting ready to fly out on Wednesday to go to Kansas. Mike is so excited to get his Kansas football shirt since they are now #2 in the country. It is so crazy that they are two wins away from playing in the national championship game! We are really excited to go see all our Shelton family in Lawrence. I hope you are all doing well. We have so much to thank God for this season. Blessings....

Christmas PJ's.....

I couldn't wait until the 25th to get the Christmas PJ's out this year. I wanted the girls to be able to wear them as much as possible since they look so cute in them!

Going Home....

I am so excited cause tomorrow we are going to Arkansas. I cannot believe we live within driving distance of where I spent the fist 21 years of my life! I grew up in Fayetteville/Springdale, Arkansas and it is where all my roots are from childhood etc...All of my family still lives there except for my parents. I try not to think about how nice it would be if they were within you know a 6 hour drive. Mike has some vacation days to use before January and this is the only weekend between now and Christmas that worked out. Our main reason for going is to visit my grandma and grandpa. My "Meme" is not doing very well and I really want her to meet Anna. She is now on hospice care and we don't know how long she has until she goes home to Heaven. She's a fun lady... I actually think Ellie has some of her spunk and strawberry blonde hair. I lived in the same town as my grandparents for 13 years of my life. My high school, church, dad's job, etc... were all across the street from their house. I went shopping with my meme all the time. She loved her "Dillards" Card. She gave me a love for books and laughter. They attended all my ball games, track meets, etc... I spent so many nights at their house I had my own room! I have so many good memories that I will never forget so I am really glad we are not in Carolina and we have this opportunity to go see them.
I also cannot wait to be in cool weather. Fayetteville is in the Ozark Mountains and it really is a beautiful place. I am so excited to be in a forecast that is not 84 degrees like it was here today. I hope to go to just one of my favorite restaurants and maybe take the girls to the Univ. of Arkansas campus. (I will always be a hog fan!) We are staying with our good friends Kim and John Hurley. We've known them all of seminary and this past year in Raleigh we lived in the same neighborhood. They just recently moved to Arkansas for a job transfer. We hope to maybe go on a double date with them. We don't really desire to go out with our four kids. There would be little opportunity for adult conversation. Anyways, we will come home on Sunday and I look forward to sharing some fun pictures. These are a few random ones I've taken the past couple of weeks. You can tell Anna is totally into snacks these days and is pulling up on everything. She also loves to find Ellie's sippy cup even though Ellie does not like it. Anna has already enjoyed juice, chocolate milk, and sprite. She's very sneaky.
Ellie's vocabulary is growing everyday. I plan on getting the video camera out soon. She loves to sing in the car and we have real conversations that are quite funny sometimes. Ellie has to say "sorry" quite often it seems like during the day. When she says "sorry" I always say I forgive you. Tonight, we are riding in the car and I told Ellie sorry about something and she said "I forgive you". It was so great and funny! She's very into having good manners lately and loves to say excuse me, sorry, please mommy (I hear this at least 50 times a day). Anyways, she's very fun right now and at the same time I'd say it is the most challenging time with Miss Ellie. Are any other mom's out there with 27 month olds going through some of the battles I'm going through everyday? However, I love her so much and thank God she's here with us everyday. Have a blessed day!

A Ballerina and a cat....

Sweet Sisters!


I love to dance!

Anna the Cat!

"The Draw" Ranch Party

Here's a video I (mike) put together from our ranch party last weekend. It was a blast, and the kids loved it. After the video you'll see a bunch of ours at the bottom that you can scroll through to watch

Do we look like Texans?

Every year the high school ministry does an event called "The Draw". It is a ranch party about an hour from Dallas. There is a family at Watermark that owns some land and has built a really neat "barn house" that they let us use. The night was really fun cause there were hayrides, smores, a mechanical bull, and lots of country dancing. I ended up taking the kids and they did really good. Ellie loved seeing all of the students and of course the country music. It was a great opportunity for the students to invite their friends to a really fun event!


What do you think of Mike's hat?

Anna's First Dance!

Ellie and Mike having some two step fun!

The Flood

Here's a fun video from when there was a "flood" a couple of weeks ago and the youth staff had some fun with it!