The Burns Family

Dance Recital

noreply@blogger.com (Stefanie) — Wed, 07 Jun 2017 16:47:00 +0000

Molly had her spring recital over the weekend. She was beautiful. Avery loved every second and even knew a dance from one of the other classes that meets at the same time as Molly's. She did it in the aisle while they were on the stage. She pays a lot more attention to things than we give her credit for. Samuel put up with it and even improved the attitude after a brief lecture on the hours and hours that Molly has spent on the ball field watching him play.

Her costume was beautiful and they did the cutest dance to Happy Working Song from Enchanted.

And of course she loves to show off all of the ballet positions.

She had a great time in dance this year. Next year she says she'd like to try gymnastics and little Miss Avery seems pretty suited to that so I think we'll give it a go. For now we are enjoying summer break with no weekly schedule!

First Tooth!

noreply@blogger.com (Stefanie) — Mon, 15 May 2017 21:49:00 +0000

Molly lost her very first tooth last Monday. We never got a good picture due to feeling puny but she's all better now and ready to pose. So we pulled out the big camera to document officially before her new tooth starts growing in. She says it's very hard to smile so that your bottom teeth show but she was more than willing to try as you can see.

This girl is blossoming these days and developing the sweetest little spirit. Our once timid, homebody has turned into a nurturing sister and friend who brings everyone together and organizes every playtime. This morning at bootcamp she had a group of 3 year olds lined up and taking turns at the tire swing while the moms were working out. She has worked hard in kindergarten this year and is reading beginner readers, adding and subtracting and working on neat handwriting.

We love our girl in the middle!

Spring Football

noreply@blogger.com (Stefanie) — Mon, 24 Apr 2017 14:20:00 +0000

Samuel had his first two hand touch football game on Friday evening. He knew about half the team from tackle and in true Samuel style he recruited a friend from school to sign up for his team as well. And now Samuel and the coach have convinced his Mom and Dad to let him play in the fall. The spring league is a little more laid back and it's a lot of fun. Samuel got some great playing time on offense and proved himself with an extra point and then an interception and a touchdown. It was a fun night!

Interception!!

We take football seriously down in Texas. Ha!

Almost a full team photo. Couldn't squeeze everybody in with my zoom lens.

Happy Easter!

noreply@blogger.com (Stefanie) — Mon, 17 Apr 2017 20:26:00 +0000

We had a fun Easter weekend celebrating our risen Savior. We started it off with a nice, slow, no school Friday. We dyed Easter eggs and played outside all day. It was just what we needed. Saturday we did yard work and cooked all day for our Easter Sunday company. We had two families join us for lunch and an Easter egg hunt on Sunday afternoon. We had 10 kids, a bunch of nerf guns and Easter candy. What could be more fun than that?

Avery likes to take her silly pills at picture time.

No one ever wants to be serious when Mom hops in the picture.

They picked a crazy face dye kit this year.

Easter morning sisters

I'm guessing someone mentioned poop. That always makes for a good laugh.

What a fun day!

Samuel is 8

noreply@blogger.com (Stefanie) — Fri, 17 Mar 2017 20:51:00 +0000

I'm far behind on blogging but better late than never! Our Samuel man turned 8 last month. I'm sure you're all surprised...he had a football party! We had a fantastic time down at the park in our neighborhood and he came home bruised up and slightly bloody. His idea of a perfect day. Ha!

Blowing out his candle.

Sassy little sister

one hand touch football game

Passing practice

He has made some great friends since we've been in Texas. We enjoyed getting to meet all of his school friends and see some buddies from football and church. We're thankful for this spunky, fun-loving 8 year old!

Spring Break 2017

noreply@blogger.com (Stefanie) — Fri, 17 Mar 2017 20:46:00 +0000

We had a few visitors the first half of the week. Aunt Cori and Dean got to see our house for the first time and Dean proved himself to be a great traveler for such a little guy. It was so fun to spend so much time with him and not have to share. ;) He is a snuggler so if you ever need a good long hug, give him a call. We miss him already!

Sunday pics before church.

Park time

What happened to my little baby?!

Cheese!

Seriously! They are growing up before my very eyes!

Cousin love

We headed over to a local farm for on Tuesday. We got nice and muddy and went down the slide hundreds of times. It was a great day.

Come back soon, Dean! We loved having you!

Sparkly Dresses and Messy Hair

noreply@blogger.com (Stefanie) — Sat, 21 Jan 2017 22:09:00 +0000

We’ve had a lot of cloudy, rainy days recently. The weather mixed with Daddy’s long work hours makes for some crazy days. But Friday morning was sunny and beautiful so we declared it an outside day and we didn’t even get fully dressed or brush our hair until lunch time. It was a perfect morning of playdough and dancing in the driveway. And it will always be fun to look back on Avery girl’s faces and wild hair days.

Avery's 3rd Birthday and Painting

noreply@blogger.com (Stefanie) — Sat, 29 Oct 2016 01:58:00 +0000

Avery girl turned 3 last week! She is a ball of energy and fun. She knows how to push all the right buttons to drive you crazy and then before you know it she's got you curled up on the couch reading books and playing babies, thinking she's just the sweetest thing in the world. She loves babies and purple. She rides her little tricycle all over the neighborhood, bound and determined to keep up with the two-wheelers in front of her. She's rarely still but she does love her lap time in the morning and just before bedtime. Cousin Dean introduced us to Peppa Pig and she's a big fan. We had a second set of tubes put in 3 weeks ago and we are already seeing a big difference in her speech. She even started talking in Sunday School. Every day she gets up asking if she is still 3 or did she go back to being 2 again. These birthdays are just so confusing. We love her so. We couldn't think of anyone better to round out our little family.

(We made a promise that she could paint with Molly when she turned 3 so she held us to it. I think you'll see why we made her wait. Maybe we should have made it 4. :))

Pumpkin Patch Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Stefanie) — Sat, 29 Oct 2016 01:39:00 +0000

We had so much fun at the pumpkin patch a couple of weeks ago that we had to take Samuel back today on his day off of school.

We are are all pretending that it's fall here in South Texas. You even see plenty of girls walking in leggings and boots but we're in denial. It's still full on summer. But we won't let that stop us from doing all the fun fall activities and burning those pumpkin candles!

We had a great day. And it reminded us how much we miss having bubba around during the day. Avery held his hand the whole time. It was sweet. We're glad for a school that gives us a day off at least once a month.

Pumpkin Patch

noreply@blogger.com (Stefanie) — Sat, 15 Oct 2016 02:17:00 +0000

The girls and I hit up our first Texas pumpkin patch with our CC friends today. It was loads of fun and 4 hours after we arrived I dragged them out in a rain shower. It was perfect. The only thing we were missing was fall weather!

They had a big hill with these slides on all sides. Molly loved it. Avery loved it too as long as Momma went with her. So I had to sacrifice and do the slides too. ;)

There were plenty of photo ops. Molly was more than happy to pose.

We might need to work on Avery's pose.

There we go! That's better.

Colombus Day Vacation

noreply@blogger.com (Stefanie) — Wed, 12 Oct 2016 19:24:00 +0000

We made a quick trip to Beavers' Bend to spend a day and a couple of nights with some of the OK family. The Spears family had to cut it short (poor Dean) but we snapped a few good shots before he went down hill. We had so much fun and can'r wait to do it again!

Just before the weekend Avery got a second set of tubes in her ears. She's a much happier girl now! And she is quite the entertainer while under the influence of sedatives.

This boy knows how to pose for the camera! He also figured out that the cousins would jump to his beck and call at the slightest cry. Good job, buddy! Keep them hopping!

We also had a little early birthday party for Avery girl. It was all purple of course!

Even when he's sick he can crack a smile for the camera.

Molly learned to ride her little 12 inch bike without training wheels and then blew a tire. The neighbors gave us a big bike so now she can manage that one too. Look out world!

What's camping without a good card game?

We're looking forward to the upcoming holidays and lots more time with these guys and all the other family in OK!

Labor Day in San Antonio

noreply@blogger.com (Stefanie) — Tue, 06 Sep 2016 03:01:00 +0000

We took a last minute trip to San Antonio for our long weekend. We parked out car at the hotel yesterday afternoon and never got back in until we left this afternoon. We had a great time strolling the river walk and exploring parks and the Alamo. Molly is in a picture taking stage and the other two aren't about to let her get all of the attention so that means we got lots of fun shots on our trip. We found a great area to take pics and I really wish we had been dressed up and not sweaty but we took advantage of it anyway. Such a fun weekend and I'm so glad we have the pictures to prove it.

We got an evening ride on the river boat.

Little Sis wasn't sure what was going on. She kept asking, "What are we riding this boat for?" and "Why are we being quiet for?"

This morning we visited the Alamo.

The boys enjoyed a musket demonstration and the girls freaked out and hid from the musket demonstration. Sounds about right. Molly heard the man say that a musket ball could take an arm and she was convinced that she was about to be short a limb. In hysterics, the three girls bowed out to find a potty.

They all grew up so much this summer!

Her poses are too much sometimes

Proud of this guy right here.

Everyone did great on the trip. Avery got hangry and had a slight melt down in the mall (read lay down on the floor and refuse to move while screaming at the top of her lungs) but we got her some lunch and she was back on track.

Somebody loves her big brother and sister.

She got a little tired this afternoon and requested a stroller nap.

We decided that we need to go back for a longer trip next time. It was a fun getaway after the first two weeks of school!

First Day of School - Kindergarten Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Stefanie) — Fri, 02 Sep 2016 19:24:00 +0000

We had a soft start for Kindergarten this year. We eased our way into it but we're in full swing now! Monday was our first day of Classical Conversations and it's going to be a great year. Molly has some sweet girls in her class that she already loves. They are a little older than her but thanks to hanging with her big brother all the time she fits right in. And my class is full of sweet 5th and 6th graders who really know their stuff and we are going to have so much fun. We've already got two field trips lined up for September and October. We get to see the Bill of Rights at the Natural History Museum and then we are headed to Blessington Farms for a hayride and all things pumpkin. A trip to the Ballet and something Christmasy will round out our first semester.

Just like her brother, reading seems to come pretty naturally to her and we've had a great time learning phonics and sight words together. Math is pretty easy right now too so she's blowing through a few lessons a day. This will allow us some fun time when the weather gets cooler.

It's going to be a fun year with with just Momma and the girls. We plan to make the most of it!

Molly Turns Five

noreply@blogger.com (Stefanie) — Wed, 31 Aug 2016 19:28:00 +0000

August 17th was a big day around here. Not only was it Samuel's first day of school but it was also Molly's 5th birthday!

We celebrated a few days early when Grammy and Papa came for a quick visit. We visited the children's museum, ate dinner out and had a little party with all of her presents from the Oklahoma family. A bit thank you to everyone for making her birthday special.

The neighbors strike again with yard cards!

Little sister can't be left out.

Five going on 15.

One of her birthday requests was to make a ice her own cake. Can't argue with less work for Momma! She had the best time. We also had corn dogs for dinner. You only turn 5 once!

First Day of School 2nd Grade Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Stefanie) — Wed, 31 Aug 2016 19:08:00 +0000

Samuel started school 2 weeks ago. He jumped right into school like he's been going all along. This first day we had to leave before it got light outside so pictures were a bit tricky. We've now figured out a pretty good schedule and even get some of Molly's school done in the afternoons while we wait in the carpool line. It's all about efficiency!

Back in the Groove

noreply@blogger.com (Stefanie) — Sat, 23 Jul 2016 15:57:00 +0000

This summer has helped us come out of our "Move-to-Texas" slump. It turns out we live in a super fun place and we've made some great new friends over the last couple of months. Samuel finished his first year on the swim team, which is a very big deal around these parts. He has moved on to football now and is loving every second of it. We have some exciting school opportunities on the horizon and Molly will start off the school year as a 5-year-old back in dance classes and doing Kindergarten at home with Mom. And Avery as usual, is along for the ride.

In the meantime you can usually find us at one of many great pools or hunting free air-conditioned activities!

The night the kids came back from OK we took advantage of a stump burning to make some smores in the backyard.

A local shopping center has a fun green space that usually has a local band playing on Friday evenings. Of course last night was the only night in July that no music was scheduled But we didn't let that stop us from having a little fun.

This girl...ornery doesn't even begin to describe her. Just as you think you might pull your hair out from a day of constant redirecting and struggle she climbs up in your lap, gives you a big kiss and settles that wild head down for some sweet snuggles. She can melt your heart and drive you to the brink all in a matter of seconds.

Molly doesn't usually care for sweating, or being uncomfortable in any way really, but she'll make an exception if enough fun is involved.

Group pics are not always easy.

But occasionally you get a keeper!

Independence Day 2016 Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Stefanie) — Fri, 08 Jul 2016 20:27:00 +0000

We celebrated Anna's birthday on the Burns side of the family. Pink princess cupcakes for everybody!! Lots of swimming and poppers and tank wars left grandma and grandpa really tired! Lots of fun memories with the cousins.

Independence Day 2016 Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Stefanie) — Fri, 08 Jul 2016 20:14:00 +0000

We had a great time over the 4th of July weekend. We headed back to OK to visit friends and family and enjoy our annual festivities that we started when we lived in Owasso. The Spears clan joined us this year and Dean is not sure how he feels about all of the commotion but I bet next year he's waving sparklers with the rest of the crazies! Enjoy the pics!

This boy is always on the move.

Our almost 5 year old is growing up so fast. She's always up for posing for a pic these days. And I often find my phone full of her selfies.

Poor guy.

Avery felt the same way last year but look at her now!

3 teeth missing!

See what I mean?

Grammy and her grandkids.

The rest of the pics are from earlier in the trip when we took a trip down to Papa's pond.

Oklahoma Trip

noreply@blogger.com (Stefanie) — Wed, 08 Jun 2016 19:16:00 +0000

The kids and I made a trip to Oklahoma in May. We celebrated an anniversary, a birthday and a retirement while we were there. As usual I only brought the camera out one time but I'm sure glad I did. We got some sweet shots of the Gorrell/Cole grandchildren.

Life Lately

noreply@blogger.com (Stefanie) — Sat, 07 May 2016 23:50:00 +0000

Easter Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Stefanie) — Thu, 31 Mar 2016 19:25:00 +0000

We made a last minute decision to head north for Easter and we are so glad we did! Here are the picture from Grammy's house

Fun in the Sun

noreply@blogger.com (Stefanie) — Tue, 15 Mar 2016 19:16:00 +0000

February

noreply@blogger.com (Stefanie) — Fri, 26 Feb 2016 20:03:00 +0000

Here's a little February update. We have had fantastic weather this month and spent a good part of our time outside.

We celebrated Samuel's birthday with some Shipley donuts.

And the girls had a spa night while the boys watched monster trucks.

We wore heart braids for Valentine's Day.

Made homemade lemonade with some lemons from the neighbors tree

Built some new birthday Legos.

We had TONS of fun with Grammy. In fact, Avery has renamed the hall bath to mammys bafroom.

A few days after Grammy left high in the sky (another Averyism) we discovered some mints left behind.

Avery grew up all in one week. Potty-trained, climbed out of bed and started talking all in the same week. Bed time is a bit challenging these days.

And today we went to an art class on the green.

Zoo Day

noreply@blogger.com (Stefanie) — Wed, 03 Feb 2016 17:42:00 +0000

We’ve had beautiful late spring weather the last few days so we decided to try out the zoo since it was the monthly free day. Our zoo is fantastic just not as close or convenient as the Tulsa Zoo was. And it requires that we drive downtown on 12 lane highways. But we did it. And we made it there and back in one piece. We even had to cross a few lanes at the last minute to avoid getting on the wrong highway. No one honked at us and we only made one wrong turn. So it was a successful day!

4 going on 16.

Ok, maybe not a zoo picture but some pretty little ballerinas.

Happy girl!

We dance everywhere.

It was a sunny day!

Free day is only from 12-6. Somebody was getting a little sleepy.

Who needs words when faces will do? This is how she tells us she’s tired.

Oh look! A second wind!

Our big, handsome, almost SEVEN year old.

All three as close to looking as I could get.

And this is a normal picture face these days

It was a fun day and now we're ready for winter weather again. Well, what they keep calling winter weather down here...highs in the 60s seeem pretty warm to me but I can get used to calling that winter!

A Little Texas Update

noreply@blogger.com (Stefanie) — Wed, 20 Jan 2016 22:54:00 +0000

It has been a whirlwind of a month for the Burns Family! We are now full fledged Texas residents. We even have the license plates to prove it. We've been busy setting up house and learning our new town. We also don't have a desk for our big computer. All of that explains our lack of posts but we're slowing down now and plans for the school room are in the works so we should be back to regular updates soon!

Samuel wanted everyone to see our new backyard so here are some shots from this morning:

Avery's new picture face. Isn't it lovely?

A little better...

Molly enjoys Samuel pulling her all over the place in the wagon.

She climbs too! I couldn't believe she got up there by herself.

But Bubba has to help her down.

And then there's this guy who climbs on anything and then just jumps off.

Little Sis is always up for a jump on the trampoline.

We love this wild-haired, sassy girl.

Even when she drops to all fours and crawls around in circles dadada-ing like a baby anytime you request that she doing something remotely helpful.

This is the corner where Samuel perches and keeps tabs on the neighbors. The noise factor may have increased a tad when we moved in.

We're settling in to CC, started in a ladies Bible Study and have now visited 3 churches. So we're figuring out our new normal slowly but surely. Come on down and visit!