Elf on the Shelf: Day 1

After coming out of hiding in the North Pole, Chippy made his appearance riding in on Reid's dinosaur today!

My sorry.

I have to share this story...LilliAnn walked into my closet when I was hanging up clothes and said, "My sorry, mommy." I said, "What for sissy?" She took my hand and led me to one of the walls in my bedroom where I noticed some pen marks & scribbles. "My sorry for this wall, mommy." She had to have done it earlier this morning, but I guess she started feeling bad and wanted to tell me sorry...I probably wouldn't have noticed for days. She's her mother's child...always telling on herself :)
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Then, Jeb was trying to get the kids settled down for the night, but they were both running all around our house acting crazy! Jeb kept telling them to stop running and lay down or they were going to get a spanking and be in trouble. Reid finally settled down, but LilliAnn would NOT listen to Jeb. Finally, Jeb said, "Sissy! Stop running and lay down now!! I mean it!" She looked at Jeb with a huge smile and said, "Dang it!" Then she plopped down in Jeb's lap, lifted up her leg and said, "'pank me Reid!" Oh my goodness...and she's only 1 1/2! Jeb said, "KelliAnn, think about when she's 16!"

One day...

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A couple of months ago Jeb and I closed on the lot where will build our future home...one day. The lot is in Shawnee in Bridges - the back part of the Country Club. Jeb and I debated over whether we wanted to live farther out of town on more land, or whether we wanted to stay in town. I wanted to be in town because as the kids get older and get more involved in extracurricular activities, it will be easier if we live in town. Also, when they start driving I didn't want them going back and forth on the highway. Jeb was for living a little farther out, but I DID NOT want to drive on dirt roads... and finding nice land for sale a little bit out of town on a paved road seemed impossible.

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We finally agreed on the beautiful lot in the very back of the Country Club in the cul-de-sac. It's one of the bigger lots in the addition, it backs up to a gorgeous tree line, is somewhat secluded, faces the golf course, and we'll only have a neighbor on one side. It's also in Grove Elementary school district, which is where we want our kids to start school. We decided it was PERFECT! If we want some land out in the country to "play on," we decided we could buy some later on. Also, we have the land at the lake that is "out in the country." We've had our eyes on this lot for about a year now, so when it went up for sale a couple of months ago, we made an offer immediately!

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The 2,200 sq. ft. house we live in now was brand new when we moved in 5 years ago, but we're wanting something bigger and we've always wanted to build. My dad loves projects and him and Jeb are very anxious to get the process started, however, I get overwhelmed when I start looking at plans! Jeb thinks that I'm not excited, but with the kids still being little, I feel like I don't have the time that I need to really focus on everything. Small children are so hard on a house...messes, spills, scratches on walls, coloring on walls, dented baseboards...so I've decided that I'll take my time with the new house. I'll spend the next couple of years collecting ideas for my dream home, and we can pour the foundation when Reid starts school. So for now, I'll dream, plan, visualize, collect ideas...and before you know it, we'll have built a house!

Pretty Little Kitty: SDC Fall Party 2011

Last month LilliAnn's Mommy & Me dance class had a fall party the week before Halloween. I was so excited to dress LilliAnn up in her Halloween clothes and take party favors to dance. I wanted to bring the perfect treat for her first party and I think my popcorn balls were just that! My mom helped me make popcorn balls and I put them in little treat bags, tied them with orange ribbon, raffia, and a picture of LilliAnn holding a pumpkin that said, "Hope your Halloween is a BALL! Love, LilliAnn" They were absolutely adorable and DELICIOUS, of course!

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Miss Darana painted their little faces like kitty cats! LilliAnn wasn't so sure about all of it at first...

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but she sat very still until Darana was finished.

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Prettiest little kitty I know!

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Lil and Maggie checking out their faces in the mirror

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Snack time!

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Sis was really into the candy!

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And the icing off of the cookies...

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Bubba even got a ghost tootsie pop!

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Seminole Dance Company * Mommy & Me 2011

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Miss Darana was my dance teacher too!

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My favorite shot...I love this baby girl!

LOVE her!

"Hold me tight mommy."
#bestwordsever

19 Month Old Drama Queen

LilliAnn's new phrase... "Oh Ba Gosh!" She's soooo dramatic! I wonder where she gets that from?

Other recent sayings..."I love you a whole bunch, mommy." "Who was that?" (after I hang up my cell phone). "Mommy, I'm one." "I'm gonna 'pank you Reid!" (after her brother gets put in time-out). "Ina get up...peeease!" (when she gets put in time-out). "Mommy, Reid hit me." "I want some pretty." (wanting to open up my make-up bag).

She is SUCH a talker!

I handed Reid two omega-3 gummies and LilliAnn got one. After a few minutes LilliAnn walked into the kitchen and said, "I need two vit-mins, mommy! Anoder (another) one!" I said, "ok, you can have just ONE more." A few seconds later she walked up to me and said, "more, peeeease."
My little 19 month old talker... love how she already understands the concept of one versus two!

I felt the Earth. move. under my feet!

Last night, at around 10:30 p.m., Oklahoma had an EARTHQUAKE that measured as a 5.6...the largest quake in Oklahoma history!!! But what was so crazy about this entire experience is that it wasn't characteristic for Oklahoma to have big earthquakes, and this was the first one that we had ever felt!

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On November 5th at approximately 2:13 a.m. we had the first earthquake that I had ever experienced. Jeb and I had been at a party at Suzanne and Billy's house and the kids were at home with a babysitter. We arrived back home at around 1:30 a.m. and Reid woke up about fifteen minutes after we got back. I had just put LilliAnn in her crib, Jeb and Reid were watching television in our bed, I had just taken off my jewelry, and was about to plug in my phone to the charger when we it happened. The walls started shaking and I thought that someone had hit our house with a car. I started looking out of the windows in our bedroom, then the shaking and rumbling intensified. Jeb and I looked at each other, both of our eyes wide as could be, and he said, "It has to be an earthquake." I yelled, "We've got to get sissy!" And I rushed into her room, lifted her out of the crib, and ran with her back into our bedroom. I put her into Jeb's arms and she immediately fell back asleep, but Reid was wide awake! About the time I got LilliAnn, the earthquake was over. It lasted about 30 seconds, but the light fixture above our dining room table swayed for several minutes. This was the first earthquake any of us had ever felt and we were in complete shock! We had no idea what we should do, or if it was really happening...it was a little bit surreal! Within seconds of the earth settling down our telephone rang and it was my dad. He kept asking how the kids were doing and I could tell that he was still a little shook up...literally...and he kept saying, "that was just wild!" Jeb and I both grabbed our phones and started checking Facebook. Everyone was talking about the earthquake! 4.7 magnitude...epicenter near Prague...largest one since 1952. Oklahoma is known for our tornados...but earthquakes?!? I was a nervous wreck and didn't sleep the rest of the night! We kept feeling small aftershocks and every time I got out of bed I felt anxious, dizzy, and a little off balance. I'm not good with things that are out of my control! With earthquakes there is really NOTHING you can do! You cannot escape them!

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Reid tells the story of the first earthquake like this...a little TMI, but it's funny and I want to always remember it. This is the story he told to my grandparents..."I was laying in mommy and daddy's bed, and my butt was itchin'. Mommy was fixin' to get that medicine for my butt, and then there was an earthquake and everything was shakin' like this (shakes his head and hands). And I was under the covers!" He talked about it all day the next day. "I don't like those earthquakes, mommy." "That was crazy!" 

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We were hoping that was our first...and last...earthquake that we would ever feel...but it wasn't over yet. At around 10:30 p.m. that same day, a bigger one hit. Jeb was lying in bed watching the post-game reports of the OSU/Kansas State game on the news when we heard the rumbling. It's like a train is coming and there's no where to run! LilliAnn was in bed with us and as the shaking intensified much more than the previous quake, Jeb got a really scared look on his face...one I had never seen before. "Get Reid!" We both yelled. I ran into Reid's room and as I turned the corner with him to go back into our bedroom, I saw Jeb in the door frame of our bedroom with his arms wrapped tightly around LilliAnn. He grabbed me and Reid and said, "stand here." We all clung to each other as tight as we could...kids in the middle of us...with nothing to do but ride it out. We heard the newscaster saying, "We're experiencing another earthquake right now. Our studio is shaking!" After over a minute of intense shaking, things began to settle down. A few pictures were knocked off of our wall and shelves, and decorations had fallen off of our mantle. Things played out about like the night before...we got on Facebook and discovered even more people talking about this quake, and lots of people were very scared and shook up! We got the phone call from my dad again, and things had fallen at their house too. Mom said their pool was even white capping! As we watched the news and kept checking Facebook, the reports started to come in...at first it was a 5.2 and within minutes they had upgraded it to a 5.6 magnitude...largest earthquake ever reported in Oklahoma...epicenter near Sparks...lots of damage to houses...roads buckled and cracked...Neil's Home Furnishing in downtown Shawnee significantly damaged...steeples at St. Gregory's University fell. And again, we had several aftershocks throughout the night and I was unable to sleep. Jeb and I decided on an earthquake emergency plan for our family. Since we have no trees in our yard, and not many in our neighborhood, we felt that at our location being outside would be much safer than being inside during an earthquake. The door to our backyard is just a couple of feet from our bed, so in the event of another quake, we are grabbing the kids and heading to the middle of our backyard. Hopefully, that was the last earthquake we will ever experience, but if another one hits...we're going to be prepared! 

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When natural disasters such as this occur, it is comforting to know that I am a Christian and will be going to Heaven. Someone shared this on Facebook last night and it gave me some peace. Proverbs 8:29 states that "He laid the foundation of the earth." You do not have to be afraid when the Earth shakes, when you know the One who laid the Earth's foundation. I put all of my trust in the Lord and pray that He will keep my family safe.