It's in the water....

Last night, Nate crawled up on my lap, looked up at me and said, "Mom, I wanna go home." I just hugged him and told him that I understood.

Today, I took Kennie and Justin to see the movie up. As we got out of the car and started walking up to the theater my conversation with Kennie went something like this:

Kennie - "Mom, I don't think I can walk anymore."
Me - "How come?"
Kennie - "My legs aren't working."
Me (kinda concerned) - "What's wrong, where does it hurt?"
Kennie - "Don't be silly mom, they don't hurt. I am just homesick. I want to go back to Ohio."
Me - "Oh, well, I am sorry, but that doesn't cause your legs to stop working." Funny!!

Anyway, is it possible for homesickness to be in the water? I think we all have it!!!

Maggie turns 1

I know this is way late, but my parents computer won't recognize my camera card, so I have to use the pictures that my mom gets on her camera. Here is a little teaser. Maggie loved her cake.

A few things about Maggie at 12 months:

• She walks/runs everywhere
• She is getting very good and waving goodbye & hello
• The words she can say are: hello, more, all done, mom, dad, grandma, up, grandpa
• She loves to "talk" on the phone. She will grab a phone (or remote or whatever is close) and hold it up to her ear and walk around while talking on her phone.
• She is allergic to milk (not tested) but has a bad reaction to milk, so she drinks soy milk.
• She wears size 12-18 month clothes, size 3-4 diaper and size 3-4 shoe.
• She is strictly a sippy girl. But, she can't live with out her sippy.
• She will eat just about everything you put on her plate/tray. She LOVES Mac & Cheese and flavored applesauce.
• Has
• Is very well traveled. She has been in Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, Canada, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming, Utah and Idaho. In the next 2 weeks, we will add Alaska, California and Nevada to that list.
• Loves to read
• Is really good at going up & down stairs, seriously, she is awesome
• loves to scream
• crinkles her nose so cute (we got pictures yesterday, so you can see it soon.)
• Still loves her mama, but is equally obsessed with her Grandpa Burnside.
• Loves her brothers. She loves to torment Nate (so funny to watch).
• Still has the biggest brown eyes ever seen and we get comments on them every time we go anywhere. I love her eyelashes. She is going to love them as she gets older!!

Happy Birthday my sweet girl! We love you!!

Holy Crap!!

Okay, maybe not crap. But, I couldn't use Holy Moly because I just used it but maybe Hooray!! Tonight, before turning the water on for the boys bath, I put Nate on the toilet. Turned the water on and he did a little peeing. HOORAY! This is the first time he has EVER done anything on the potty, even though he sits on it all the time!! Go Nate!

To our dad....

Even though you are not here with us, we want you to know how much we love you! We can't wait to see you. 4 days and counting......

Love,
Kennie, Justin, Nate & Maggie (& mom too!!)


Thanks everyone, I'll be there soon!

Dad

Our new House

Here are the pictures of our new house. It is in Anchorage. It is 4 bedroom and 2 1/2 bathrooms. 2300 square feet.

Front of the house

Can you believe this kitchen?? HEAVEN!!

Look at this amazing back yard! Too bad summer is only 2 or 3 months.

Please Help Me!!

My really good friend is one of the finalist in a scrapbooking contest. Please visit this website http://www.scrapbookandshare.com/ and take a minute to vote for her!! Follow these instructions:
1. Click on Category: Best Use Of Color
2. Scroll to the bottom where is says comment
3. Vote for your favorite Finalist #1-#5(I AM # 5!!!!! THE LAYOUT THAT SAYS GROW)
4. Choose your ID
5. Submit

It is an awesome layout. If you want to vote for her, put Finalist #5 as your text in a comment for the color combo. Let me know if you have any questions.

Holy Moly

I don't know if that's how you spell it but Holy whatever. Aaron just booked our tickets from LA (the port where we drop the car) to Anchorage. $3045 later. Yea. Did you just fall off your seat? I did. I called him and told him I think I just filled my pants. He laughed at me. It was so good to hear him laugh. He has been pretty stressed. Anyway, we are leaving from LA the 21st of July.

Our anniversary is the 20th, so, for our anniversary, we get to drive from Vegas to LA and drop off our car and then figure out how to get 4 kids back to the TLF (temporary lodging) and then to the airport at 6 am the next morning. Grrr!

I saw this fun post on a blog and thought I would do it....

Here's ME:
Age: 29

Bed size: Queen

Chore you hate: laundry

Dad's Name: Jerry

Essential start your day item: Sleep

Favorite actor(s): ??

Gold or Silver: Silver

Height: 5’1"

Instruments you play(ed): Flute & Piano (flute for only 6th grade)

Job title: Mom, Close to My Heart Manager

Kid(s): Kennie, Justin, Nate & Maggie

Living arrangements: We are kind-of homeless right now. Aaron's still in our home in Ohio, but for only 2 more weeks.

Mom's name: Paulette

Nicknames: Sassy, Sassy Pants, Sissy (before 9th grade!)

Overnight hospital stay other than birth: recent 5 day admission (unknown), appendics removed, thyroid removed,

Pet peeves: Dishonest People, flakes

Quotes you like: "Live so those who know you, but don't know him, will want to know him because they know you." and "What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." -Oliver Wendell Holmes

Rightie or Leftie: Rightie
Siblings: Justin & Joshua

Time you wake up: 7:00 (It would be later if it wasn't for my sweet children!)

Umbrella: not usually, although, I really should

Vegetable you dislike: Peas

Ways you run late: Kids needing to go to the bathroom, or they can't find their stuff (ie backpack).

X-rays you've had: To many to count

Yummy food you make: My family's favorites are Rost (crockpot style), Beef in Onion Gravy, Artichoke dip, grilled meat and sauteed squash & zuchinni

Zodiac: Saggitarius

In my rear view mirror....

(Let the music play while you read! This is for all my friends in Dayton!)

As I look in the rear view mirror bright and early tomorrow morning, I don’t think it will seem real. I hoped this day wouldn’t come. I am forced to travel back in time a bit, so indulge me if you will (if not, just go on to the next blog!)

When we arrived in Dayton, it wasn’t the best day. We didn’t get in until after midnight (and still had 2 little boys that needed to wind down) and got a call at 7 am that we needed to get our keys so the truck could deliver our belongings. After we were moved in and unpacked and minus one houseguest (long story, don’t ask!) things started looking up! We lived in an amazing courtyard with some amazing people. Heather, Erika, April, Amanda and Christina became my fast friends. Most of these starts were made before even going to church. We arrived on a Saturday and that evening, they had a courtyard BBQ, of which they invited us to, even though we had no dish to share. There has been no looking back.

Since living in Dayton, we have moved once, added 2 new members to our family (Maggie & Nate), survived the perinatal center, enjoyed 14 fish, 4 neighbors to our West (once we moved into this house), lost great neighbors to the East, were forced to say goodbye to several families that we became very close with (the boys still ask when Robby is coming back to visit!), I have held 2 callings (Laurel Advisor & Compassionate Service Leader), Aaron has taught once a month (which he was never “called” to), attended/held many play dates, picnics at the park, playgroups, girls night out, countless scrapbook classes (I will miss those ladies tons!), walks, trips to the Boonshoft Museum & Air Force Museum and just plain good old fashion fun!

One of my girlfriends asked me a few nights ago what I was going to miss most about Dayton. I thought, wow, that’s easy. Until she said that friends didn’t count. I couldn’t come up with one. After thinking about it for more than a couple of days, I finally came up with one. I am going to miss living in the mission field. (I think Alaska will still be a mission field, but it won't be Dayton.) It is totally different living the gospel outside of Utah. That has been a lot of fun. But, the thing I will miss the most hands down is my friends.

I am a person you either like or you don’t. There usually isn’t a middle ground. But, I like who I am and am not going to change! Thankfully, here I have found some GREAT people who like who I am. (At least they pretend really well!)  I have already had to say goodbye to several who have moved from Dayton already, which was pretty hard. Right now, I feel like my heart is breaking. I am leaving so many people whom I have come to love more than words can describe. My cup runneth over. What an awesome Heavenly Father we have to have blessed me so much by bringing these people into my life.

For the first time in as long as I can remember, I don’t want to go. D.C. was hard for me, so it wasn’t too hard to say goodbye. When we moved for Utah, Aaron and I were excited to get to know each other on another level. Be away from our families and really focus on each other. But now, I don’t want to go. Can’t I put my foot down and tell my Heavenly Father that it is in my best interest to stay? Right now, I feel so alone, yet I know I have so many people standing behind me.

These friends of mine have been given the test and most passed with flying colors. Between 3 boys with hospital stays, Maggie’s heart procedure, a 5 day hospital stay for me, many overnight shifts for Aaron (I can’t even count), sickness, exhaustion, dirty house, 2 babies, 1 full (miserable) pregnancy and more that I can’t even think of (too many tears do that to a girl) they have all stood by my side. A mere thanks just doesn’t seem enough for all you have done!

May the girls nights still continue! Even without a compassionate service leader, may the compassion and service still continue! I would say that you will always have a piece of my heart here in Dayton> However, the more accurate statement is, you will have a piece of my heart with you where ever you may be!

May the road rise to meet you
May the wind be always at your back
May the sun shine warm upon your face
May the rain fall soft upon your fields
And until we meet again
May God hold you in the palm of his hand!

God be with you ‘till we meet again!

Sassy

P.S. I did try and make this shorter, but couldn’t cut anything out. Sorry!

Kennie's big day (again)

Kennie just got home from school today with some great news. He won the end of the year spelling bee. He wanted me to take a picture. Way to go Kennie!

We needed to get Kennie's 2 front teeth pulled (dang seizure medication!!) Here he is all grown up with his two front teeth gone. This year, we will enjoy singing the great teeth Christmas song.

Switched in Heaven?

This pictures was taken at the ward camp out last weekend. I swear, this kid should have been mine. He loves me. He gets so excited to see me and cries when I leave. (And I mean cries, no whimpering here!)

I wish I had a picture this, but I thought about it too late, but Nate LOVES Mrs. Cynthia! I have joked since he was about 6 months that he should have gone to Cynthia's family. He would much rather be at her house than mine. We have enjoyed them living right across the street from us for the last year and will definitely miss the part Mrs. Cynthia plays in our family!

So, if Sol should have been mine, and Nate should have been Cynthia's, does that mean Mallory should have been Shelby's?

We may never know!!