Read this blog...

Hi friends and I hope you are all having a good Friday. We got 1/2 inch of snow and it was such a disappointment cause 15 minutes from us got 3 inches and an hour from us they got 8 inches. Oh well, I will post some fun pics when we were outside this morning at 7:30 A.M.. Wow, I've never been out that early to play in the snow. Anyways, for a good laugh today you need to go check out my friend Cassie's blog. Mike and I both LOL last night cause we so relate to the last picture. Go to our links and click on
The Oake's! Enjoy your day

SNOW!

Yea!!!! I am so excited... we love snow and lots of it which is a problem here in TX. However, I just saw on the news that we could get 3-5 inches. I'm pretty sure we will have winter weather coverage from now to midnight on our local channels. They might take a break for AI results show. I will be relaxing now at home enjoying it before it melts. Have a great afternoon.
*I think E is taking a nap!

Nap Struggles...

I have a quick question for my blogging friends... so we took Ellie's paci away about a month ago. She did really well at first and there were no problems with her going to bed at night. However, the last week or so she will not take a nap. She seems sort of tired, but not like she used to be when she was younger. She used to miss maybe one nap a month where she was just not tired and she would sleep for 2-3 hours. Lately, she just talks, laughs, plays, etc... I cannot get her to calm down. We replaced the paci with a little stuffed animal cause she is all about something to hold onto while asleep. I put her down and she never really screams to get out for atleast 45 minutes so I do get some quiet time, but I miss my 2-3 hours of solitude. I go in lay her back down and go through the whole night night routine. I discipline her probably 3 times during our battle of the nap. She is wired just like her daddy and could stay up until midnight if we would let her. However, I know she is tired cause the past couple of nights we've gotten in the car to go somewhere for the evening and she falls asleep in like 5 minutes. Any advice for my non-napping toddler?!!! I would watch out by saying my toddler naps so well cause I used to say that and now look where we are at these days!

Celebrate Recovery

Celebrate Recovery from Steve V on Vimeo.

Here's a video my friend Steve from church made to share with our body what Celebrate Recovery is doing in the lives of believers here at Watermark...

"No more night night"

Ellie has been not so easy as she was about taking her nap after we took the paci away. She still will crash almost every day. It just takes a lot longer for her to fall asleep. It seems like I never know how I will find her at the end of nap time. She is really into taking off some of her clothes and has even taught Anna how to do it. Anna always takes off her pajama bottoms in the morning. She loves to leave us a "wet" surprise which is not so fun!

Pretty Funny Clip from Student MInistries...

You'll want to watch this video we made; we took American Idol footage and put one of our students in it. There's a post on our youtube page by someone who actually thinks it's real...

Good Morning!

It has been a good morning so far. The girls slept until 8 and so did I. Mike left really early this morning (6:00) and it was so quiet in our house. It is raining outside and we have Hillsong United playing on Itunes. You must listen to their new song "Saviour King". It is so good and I actually love any of their songs. Ellie even likes singing a few in the car now granted they are normally the ones that have the words "fire fall down" in them or "take it all"! We have Building Blocks this morning which is kind of like MOPS at our church. It is only once a month and it should be great! I hope you have a blessed morning and can slow down some to enjoy it.

Dress Up!

I'm not so little anymore. Check out my tummy?
Ellie loves to wear her costume and big girl flip flops (Thanks cousin Lauren)!

Ellie picked a bikini top and snow hat for Anna

The girls love to play dress up these days. We have a drawer full of swimsuits, hats, big shoes, etc... It is the one "girly" thing that Ellie loves to do and Anna loves to watch her. It has provided lots of entertainment these days. I think I am lucky that Ellie never "insists" on wearing her costume outside of the house!

Ellie and Anna on Vday!

We tried for a "sister picture" again and they are so hard to get a good one. However, I love their expressions in these pictures. We had a good Valentine's day even though the girls had no clue. Ellie picked out a Spiderman valentine chocolate that she thoroughly enjoyed. We had a great day.
* I just got back from the gym and I normally just do the treadmill. However, I am noticing that I need to tone up some. I went to a class called Core Central. OUCH! It was really good though and I think I might go again on Friday. I am so clueless on the step moves. I look like so uncoordinated, but oh well. We're off to the library this afternoon. Have a great day!

Blog-Slackers...

Mike and I just were talking about how we haven't blogged much this week. We have been busy and exhausted by the end of each day.  We had something almost every night of the week until Thursday. However, we've had a nice relaxing weekend. I thought I'd randomly post what we've been up to this week.....

* Our VW died. It got towed to the VW dealership in Richardson. It has been there since last Friday. It is now going on 8 days. We are not looking forward to this bill. We've loved our Passat, but it may be on its last days?

* My mom is in town and we have worked a ton on our house. She has painted the girls room (pink) and a wall of our "formal"living area. It looks so much better. We also organized all the closets, hung pictures, etc...I will post pictures of the girls room soon.

* Ellie went to the ped. dentist to get her tooth pulled. Read a previous post for details. She was so brave and I was so proud of her. She was given a baby valium pill to make her loopy. It really didn't do much. She screamed the most during the shot they gave her to numb the area. It only took about 5 minutes for them to do the extraction. She now has no front tooth and I can't get an artificial one until her 2 year molars come out. I was also informed on this day that she couldn't suck anything for three days. The dentist said no sippy cup, straw, or PACI! It really was the worst day in Ellie's life. She was traumatized by the extraction and now she couldn't have her paci. It was probably a good thing caused it forced us to get rid of the paci. Ellie was quite an addict. She had one in her mouth and one in her hand while she slept. She loved her paci from birth. She has done really well with giving it up and has taken her nap the past 2 days!

* Anna is teething like no other child I have ever been around. I basically cannot put her down all day except to sleep without her crying. She is becoming a mama's girl to the extreme. We think she is cutting all four molars. Oh my goodness I can't believe how bad it is for her. Last night I was up with her for 2 hours. She never wakes up in the middle of the night. We are giving her motrin and teething tablets. I don't know if it is helping, but I am really ready for my normal Anna! Any advice from my blogging friends?

*Mike and I got to go to a really fun restaurant with our friends the Liggit's. It was called Asian Mint. It is right by Watermark for all of our Dallas readers. We are not sushi fans, but we loved the Lo Mein and Cashew Chicken. Yummy! We had a great time with them. They are about to move into our neighborhood and we are so excited to be in a community group with them.

* My senior girls small group celebrated Valentine's Day together at a fun restaurant. I have really enjoyed getting to know these girls and wish they weren't Seniors. 

* I went to the gym 4 times this week! Mike has also been working out this week!

*We are really into American Idol and Survivor this season. I really like a lot of the contestants on AI. I like the 16 yr. old boy a lot. I think his name is David. He's awesome and I know all the girls are going to like him.

I'm sorry to write so many random things, but I haven't uploaded any pictures to post. Have a blessed Sunday!

Unbelievable Video...

Thanks Wes :)

Ellie's trip to the dentist....

Well, little Ellie survived her trip to the pediatric dentist. I would highly recommend you all to take your children to a ped. one! We got there and Nemo was playing on their t.v. which was a big hit with Ellie. They actually had an indoor play area there as well. We did not have to wait to long and they called Ellie back to see the dentist. I had to wait in the waiting area... I was expecting this cause my friend Sarah who is a dentist said when parents come back it ruins everything for the dentist. I heard Ellie scream a couple of times. Actually, it was more of a terror scream for mommy. However, I told them to do whatever they needed to get an x-ray cause I was concerned about her front tooth. It has a little chip and a line going through it with one side of it kind of a gray tint. They had "cars" playing for Ellie above her dental chair. They hygenist held her for her xray picture. I don't know if they were being honest, but they said she did really well. She wouldn't let them brush her teeth, but she did enjoy brushing her teeth for them. She also got a flouride treatment. The bad news is that Ellie's tooth is fractured. We were at chick fil a about 5 months ago and she got hurt there. Her lip was bleeding and I guess she actually fractured her tooth. It is hard to explain, but she also damaged the nerves. They now have to REMOVE her tooth. I like the word REMOVE much better than EXTRACT. The dentist said if we don't have it removed she could get an infection and the tooth is also moving around. I can't believe it has not fallen out as many suckers as she has eaten. I know all of my mom friends are wondering how they will get it out without her going crazy. They prescribed her a pill of "valium" which I have to give her one hour before the procedure. It will make her sleepy and out of it. When they do the procedure they will give her nitrous oxcide etc.. and it should not be to big of a deal. I immediately thought so she isn't going to have a front tooth. It is the one on top as well. They do make an artificial one they can glue in place of her missing one. However, she still doesn't have her 4 molars and the dentist said we might have to wait awhile. She said many people never get an artificial one cause of cost. However, cause Ellie has been so slow on getting many of her teeth. She said that she could be really slow on losing her teeth. I think I am going to have to get her the artificial tooth. I would feel so bad for her if in every picture she is missing her front tooth. Please, pray it all goes well. Also, if anyone has any experience in this stuff let me know. The good thing is when we left Ellie said " Go again". She loved her stickers and toy they gave her. It is never to early to go to the dentist! I was going to let Steph and Jenn know that Ellie now has a treatment plan!

Fun Blog Header!

I know many of you have commented that you like our new blog header! We love it and are so thankful for our friends for making it for us. The Penuel's have started a logo/blog header business. David can design anything and is so talented at anything creative. He is the middle school director at our church. He would love to make any of you a blog header and they are only $10! Check out their website for all the details (loudmouthlogos.com). I just added them as a link as well!

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!