Monday, August 25, 2014
First Day Pictures
After the descriptions from yesterday, figured I should blog the finished products. There is something magical about first day of school clothes, unless you are 9 and a girl and have your entire first 2 weeks of clothes planed out, what you wear on the second day seems so much less eventful.
Sunday, August 24, 2014
The Night Before 1st Day of School
This year's back to school prep has been a little ragged. A couple of school clothes shopping trips happened in 3 different states and school supply lists were a combination of 9 PM run to Walmart last night and what was left from last year.
To make sure that everyone had new clothes for tomorrow, without seeming like a bad mom that couldn't remember, at dinner tonight I asked everyone to tell us what they were wearing tomorrow. After the 3rd kid's response, I realized that it perfectly characterized them and I had to record it. The best news of the conversation was that everyone did have new clothes to wear on the first day!
To make sure that everyone had new clothes for tomorrow, without seeming like a bad mom that couldn't remember, at dinner tonight I asked everyone to tell us what they were wearing tomorrow. After the 3rd kid's response, I realized that it perfectly characterized them and I had to record it. The best news of the conversation was that everyone did have new clothes to wear on the first day!
Molly: “Uh, my first
day of school clothes”
Jake: “A red shirt and new pants (the kids that love to wear
jeans in the 100 degree ht, none of the rest of us can figure it out) and my
new backpack
Caleb: “Awesome new
shirt, awesome new shorts, awesome new socks, awesome new shoes, and awesome
new backpack.”
Aly: “My dark red
tank-top, with the grey Justice shirt that says Hope on the front and goes to
about right here, my new gray pants that
have pockets all over on them, my …….….“Mom, do you think my pink shoes would
look good”………....my pink shoes, and a silver clip in my hair.
Abby: “My Justice dress
that says “rock on” and my sketchers and black shorts…….. that Aly has on right
now.
AJ: “My new blue shoes,
my not so new white socks, a new shirt and pair of non-athletic shorts so I
will please my mother.
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Spring Break 2013
What an adventure. My baby brother Jared got married March 9th in Logan, Utah. The good news was that the kids' spring break was the next week so we could spend a few extra days with family. The bad news was that airline tickets were going to be over $5000 for our family. Ouch! We decided to try road tripping it at an 1/6th the financial cost. But we weren't sure about the mental cost. 9 people in a van for over 24 hours could be setting ourselves up for failure. Fortunately, we made the trip in 25 hours each way, about 5 hours less than we thought it would be.
Highlights of the Trip:
#1) The 3 AM cat fight between Miley & Aly. Miley wanted Aly to put a blanket on her, Aly kept trying, Miley kept kicking it off. Both of them were half asleep. It was 15 minutes of crying/screaming from both of them that the rest of us won't forget.
#2) In-And-Out in Centerville, Utah. Our driving force to keep the bathroom breaks short. We hoped to get dinner there. We were fast enough to eat a late lunch. Yeah!
#3) 7 Minute Bathroom Breaks. We figured out a method to get gas and the 9 of us in and and out of a bathroom in about 7 minutes. I think the fact that we didn't stop at a bathroom that we didn't say a prayer first that we wouldn't get some communicable disease. Where is a Buc-cees when you need it?
#4) Charlie's. The late night ice cream run with Jared & Keirra, night before their wedding was one for the books. No one does a Rootbeer Freeze like Charlie's.
#5) Wedding Pictures. Miley refused to be in a single wedding shot with the professional photographer. We do have several pictures of her screaming and trying to get away though.
#6) Double back plane ride. Al had patients scheduled that were going to be too hard to change. His travels went like this. Leave Texas at 5 pm on Thursday by car. Arrive in Logan, UT at 5 PM on Friday. Leave Utah 5 PM on Sunday for Texas by plane. Leave Texas 7 PM on Tuesday by plane. Leave Utah 10 AM on Thursday by car. Arrive in Seguin, Texas at 1 PM on Friday. I think he spent more time traveling than vacationing.
#7) Does KFC ever run out of fried chicken? Yes, as my mother-in-law found out at noon on a Wednesday. Fortunately, Juniper Take-Out pulled through so we could have fried chicken for Grandma Elaine's special lunch (menu was her request!).
#8) 7-11. Two trips for those heavenly slurpees. Nothing else on earth like them!
#9) Hike to Delicate Arch. A 3 mile steep round trip hike with recommended two water bottles per person quota. We attempted with 4 total bottles. We quickly found there was a reason for the recommendation. Along with the water issues, we weren't exactly dressed for a hike. My house shoes actually handed the hike okay. So proud of the little girls for hanging in there and making it.
#10) John Grisham & Downtown Abby. Thank goodness for headphones and a DVD player for me to keep me in the car those last couple of hours. Al was glad for the climatic ending of The Racketeer as a book on tape, though he did look like a secret service agent driving with only one headphone in.
Highlights of the Trip:
#1) The 3 AM cat fight between Miley & Aly. Miley wanted Aly to put a blanket on her, Aly kept trying, Miley kept kicking it off. Both of them were half asleep. It was 15 minutes of crying/screaming from both of them that the rest of us won't forget.
#2) In-And-Out in Centerville, Utah. Our driving force to keep the bathroom breaks short. We hoped to get dinner there. We were fast enough to eat a late lunch. Yeah!
#3) 7 Minute Bathroom Breaks. We figured out a method to get gas and the 9 of us in and and out of a bathroom in about 7 minutes. I think the fact that we didn't stop at a bathroom that we didn't say a prayer first that we wouldn't get some communicable disease. Where is a Buc-cees when you need it?
#4) Charlie's. The late night ice cream run with Jared & Keirra, night before their wedding was one for the books. No one does a Rootbeer Freeze like Charlie's.
#5) Wedding Pictures. Miley refused to be in a single wedding shot with the professional photographer. We do have several pictures of her screaming and trying to get away though.
#6) Double back plane ride. Al had patients scheduled that were going to be too hard to change. His travels went like this. Leave Texas at 5 pm on Thursday by car. Arrive in Logan, UT at 5 PM on Friday. Leave Utah 5 PM on Sunday for Texas by plane. Leave Texas 7 PM on Tuesday by plane. Leave Utah 10 AM on Thursday by car. Arrive in Seguin, Texas at 1 PM on Friday. I think he spent more time traveling than vacationing.
#7) Does KFC ever run out of fried chicken? Yes, as my mother-in-law found out at noon on a Wednesday. Fortunately, Juniper Take-Out pulled through so we could have fried chicken for Grandma Elaine's special lunch (menu was her request!).
#8) 7-11. Two trips for those heavenly slurpees. Nothing else on earth like them!
#9) Hike to Delicate Arch. A 3 mile steep round trip hike with recommended two water bottles per person quota. We attempted with 4 total bottles. We quickly found there was a reason for the recommendation. Along with the water issues, we weren't exactly dressed for a hike. My house shoes actually handed the hike okay. So proud of the little girls for hanging in there and making it.
#10) John Grisham & Downtown Abby. Thank goodness for headphones and a DVD player for me to keep me in the car those last couple of hours. Al was glad for the climatic ending of The Racketeer as a book on tape, though he did look like a secret service agent driving with only one headphone in.
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Christmas: Burns Style
One of the trickiest parts of getting married is figuring out holiday traditions. Al & I each came from families with great Christmas traditions. It took a few years, but we now have worked out the kinks on our own family's traditions and love them!
6:30 PM: Panda Express Picnic in the light of the Christmas Tree with Christmas music playing.
7:15 PM: Family walk around the neighborhood to see all the pretty Christmas lights.
7:45 PM: Making Goodies for Santa: cookies & banana bread
8:00 PM Using NORAD Santa Track to watch Santa's Progress & make sure he is headed our way
Abby was the winner this year!
9:30 PM Official Showing of the BURNS FAMILY 2012 DVD. Every year I make each of the kids a music video using the the pictures we have for each one of them over the last year, plus I make a video of family pics. This year a party song seemed the best fit, it seemed that our family was either working really hard or partying (almost everything turns into a party with 9 people under one roof!)
Burns Family 2012 Video
10:00 PM Movie, Joy to the World. A movie put out by our church that shows the birth of the Savior put to some awesome Christmas Music.
10:30 PM All the kids sound asleep.
2 AM Al finishes Grandma Lindley's secret recipe of Christmas Danishes. Yummy!
7:30 AM The Line-Up, Youngest to Oldest
7:32 AM Living Room w/ Santa's goods all wrapped up.
7:41 AM Everything open..
9:30 AM Breakfast of Grandma's Danish, cereal with tons of sugar in it (Cocoa Pebbles, Fruit Loops, Lucky Charms) that Santa brought, eggnog, and fruit.
10:00 AM Open Presents from Grandmas
1 PM- 5PM Took lunch to a shelter for 10 kids 16-21 and Dinner at a shelter for 6 kids 8-18. Perfect way to spend the rest of the day. We all walked away realizing how grateful we were for each other.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
1 PM- 5PM Took lunch to a shelter for 10 kids 16-21 and Dinner at a shelter for 6 kids 8-18. Perfect way to spend the rest of the day. We all walked away realizing how grateful we were for each other.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Monday, December 3, 2012
Laundry Day
Tonight while starting on the 12 weekly loads of laundry this family generates, I started wondering how much underwear 9 people can really have as it seemed like everything I sorted had to have underwear pulled out of it (not a skill we have taught the group yet apparently).
But then I realized I have been taking for granted the fact that everyone at this house does wear underwear. No more diapers here.
Memories of the days of four babies in diapers. It is so nice that those days are long gone and everyone takes care of things on their own.
But then I realized I have been taking for granted the fact that everyone at this house does wear underwear. No more diapers here.
Memories of the days of four babies in diapers. It is so nice that those days are long gone and everyone takes care of things on their own.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Mismatches pajamas
Years and years of matching pj tops and bottoms has come to this...
My baby has no regard for the nice order all of her pjs are in. Every night she digs through them throwing several out of the drawer until she find her "perfect" match. I think she is trying to teach me that what you wear while sleeping doesn't actually matter.
My baby has no regard for the nice order all of her pjs are in. Every night she digs through them throwing several out of the drawer until she find her "perfect" match. I think she is trying to teach me that what you wear while sleeping doesn't actually matter.
Molly Video
The past couple of months have been filled with awesome experiences as Molly Lindy Burns became an official member of our family in July and then on August 12th we were able to participate in a special religious ceremony (a Sealing Ceremony in the San Antonio Temple) on August 11th. Here is a little video I created to capture some of the moments of the last year with Molly.
We are so excited to have sweet Molly as a permanent member of our family. She fits in perfectly to our crazy bunch!
We are so excited to have sweet Molly as a permanent member of our family. She fits in perfectly to our crazy bunch!
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