On The Coast Of Somewhere Beautiful

Twin Mail

2012-02-06T22:32:00.001-10:00

We got a box??

Woody...and Buzz....for both of us????

Thanks friends! We love you too!

Pro Bowl 2012

2012-02-03T12:00:00.000-10:00

Aloha, Mike here. This will probably be my only post for the next 3 years. Jess is making me do it. Ha.

This past Sunday, my friend Chris and I were able to go to the Pro Bowl. Jessi and I have been stationed here for the past 6 years but have never had the opportunity to go to the game. It seems like every Jan I am either deployed, training somewhere off island, or the NFL up and decides to move the game to Miami, but this year I got lucky and was able to catch the game prior to our move to Fort Bragg.

Before making the trip over to Aloha stadium, Chris and I stopped off at a tailgate Kyle and Suraya put together and started our "Pro-Bowl Day" off right with some great friends and tasty BBQ...a great combination!

After the tailgate we made our way to the "NFL Experience" on the north end of Aloha Stadium...here we are getting autographs...totally worth the 45 minutes in line...

Running the "Bud Light Challenge"...lets just put it this way...records were broken...

We had great seats to a great production from the NFL. Both the game and the halftime show were great with a demonstration by the US Army Drill Team, F-22 flyovers by the Hawaii National Guard....and did I mention a game played by the best the NFL has to offer....Thanks Jessi for letting this husband off from duty for a day.

just another cupcake blog

2012-02-02T17:00:00.000-10:00

cause i love them so much ;)

my first ever dozen. my friend sarah is a super bad influence. obviously.

Holden was happy though

and Nora had that thing eaten in one minute flat. no lie.

a little this...

2012-02-01T23:23:00.000-10:00

a little that...

trains. trains. and more trains.

silly boxheads

we've got some serious hair growth, yes?

cleaning up the yard with Daddy

zzzzzz

norazzzzzzzz

HRB doesn't quite get it

but he excels in this area.

friends

A Glimpse of 2011

2012-01-31T09:50:00.000-10:00

thought i should get this posted before January and the New Year is officially over!

and if you wanna take a look at last year's as well to see what change 2 years can bring, click here

Daddy Initiation

2012-01-26T17:17:00.001-10:00

I mean you'd think after 2 years of parenting we've got it down. haha. i hear you all laughing now. but seriously just when you think you've got it under control...

YOUR SWEET LOVABLE TWO-YEAR OLD TWINS, LOCK YOU OUT OF THE HOUSE. yep. you read it right.

here's the set up:
-Mommy has the night off and is on her way out to eat with some other mommy friends. Daddy is manning the house and doing a mighty fine job--so good indeed that he decides to get a little laundry done.

here's the problem:
-OUR WASHER/DRYER LIVE IN OUR GARAGE. i know a tragedy on MANY levels.

the incident:
-Daddy walks outside to the garage to get the laundry started and then --"click"-- he's locked out of the house. "uh-oh".

the problem-solving steps:
-go to neighbor, since Daddy also has no phone
-call mommy to see if she will come home---
* side note: Mommy doesn't answer numbers she doesn't know, so when i got the call i was talking to a friend and didn't bother to even listen to the message right away. BUT had i answered...i would have been no help, because i was driving Mike's car with his set of keys and he does not currently have a house key.
-Daddy then remembers that we are in the middle of having to sell our house and there is a LOCK BOX on the porch! YAY! except its some hightech digital thing that we don't have access too.

the answer to our dilemma:
-Daddy calls Realtor, pleads our problem, and sweet Norma comes right over and helps a Daddy out--and since we are in escrow, she just gives the key back to Mike to avoid the problem.

lesson learned:
-a key now lives somewhere where this can never happen again--because just like Mike, i go out to the washer/garage DAILY and leave the kids inside. I'm so surprised this didn't happen to me! which would have been worse because most of our neighbors aren't even home during the day.

what were the kids doing you ask? Here's a full account via Daddy who was watching everything through the windows on our front door.
- Well all-in-all it took about 30 mins to get back in the house and for the most part they just kept playing as normal.
-Mike tried to convince Nora to come to the door and unlock it but apparently she just laughed at Daddy and ran away. A real jokester, that one!
-Nora found all her favorite toys, piled them up on the couch and enjoyed having the space all to herself--no mommy or daddy in her way.
-Holden complained for a few seconds and Nora hopped right off the couch ran over to Mommy's bag, pulled out a box of raisins, handed them to Holden to calm him down--which worked--typical male, food can solve anything-- and then she went back to her couch and toys.

Exciting, I know. But you better watch out. It could happen to you too!

Lost

2012-01-24T22:16:00.001-10:00

lost in everyday life that is. sorry. and i'm not offering you anything much better now. but here's some random pics from the past week or so. Happy Wednesday!

a little morning snuggle in mommy and daddy's bed and Holden being a clown as usual.

smoothies for breakfast

bright eyes and hair flips

getting a ride from brother

Playdate at the Larson's

blake and norabird drawing a picture

stroller riding

Tagged

2012-01-19T15:19:00.001-10:00

okay Kim, because i like you ;) and because i'm having a boring few days.
~The Rules~
1. You must post the rules.
2. Post eleven fun facts about yourself on the blog post.
3. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post, and then create eleven new questions to ask the people you've tagged.
4. Tag eleven people and link them on your post.
5. Let them know you've been tagged!

ELEVEN FUN FACTS ABOUT ME

hmm...

1. I can shake my eyeballs as well as cross only one eye. I can not however, roll my tongue or raise one eyebrow.

2. Well, speaking of-- Two is my favorite number. I got married on April 22nd of my 22nd year and that was NOT a coincidence. and lets not forget i have twins. and the fact that i graduated high school in 2002. two is a pretty cool number :)

3. I played trombone for 7 years, although i tried to pick it up a year ago and seemed to have lost it. I'd like to take music lessons of some kind again (cello, piano, banjo). Maybe once i get off this island...maybe.

4. Mandy Moore is one of my favorite actresses. I think we'd be great friends. anyone know her and want to hook us up?

5. One Tree Hill is my all time favorite tv show. It's on its last season this year. I'm excited and bummed all at the same time. and yes, i own the seasons.

6. I was totally resistant to the Mac takeover--but as of this Christmas I am the proud owner of a Macbook and I love it. I admit it. I was wrong.

7. I hated tuna prior to being pregnant. Now i love it.

8. My nose itches a lot, and i do this nose rub thing that drives my mom crazy. My kids do it too. It's genetic...totally not my fault.

9. I like to alphabetize things, although i am not a very organized person.

10. I'm really bad at painting my nails. If they are painted, someone else did it.

11. I'm afraid of falling. Not heights...i actually love being high. But i HATE jumping off of anything and the feeling of falling is totally scary.

QUESTIONS FROM MY TAGGER, KIMSY.
1. What is your idea of a perfect day? Walking around some foreign city with my sweet hubby that we've never been to before with no worry about the time. Just exploring, having fun together and hopefully eating some tasty food!
2. Sweet or Salty? Salty.
3. What's a blog of website that you enjoy (besides facebook)? Pinterest. Duh. Although i'll also throw out this random blog cause the writer always makes me laugh Don't Put Chopsticks in Your Hair.
4. Hot or Cold? Hot.
5. Books or movies? ooo...that's a hard one. i love both. A LOT. I guess books though, because although i'd make it without a TV, not so sure i'd make it without books.
6. What was the last thing you bought? Clearance Hawaiian Christmas T-shirts from Target for next year.
7. When was the last time that you belly laughed? Although i seriously hope this isn't true, the last time i remember belly laughing, like until i cried, was at a joke Hillary told me last fall. Oh no, maybe i need to get out.
8. Do you prefer a date night in or out? Out. I love going out.
9. If could do anything and you didn't have to worry about finances, what would it be? Take a Trip Around the World. I look at those flights all the time with jealousy.
10. What was your best childhood memory? It's not one in particular, but i loved Christmas every year, more than anything--with all the family and its busyness. Heck i still do. haha.
11. Are you still friends with people that you grew up with? Some of them, yep. I've been lucky to have some good ones.

TAG ELEVEN PEOPLE...what's with this eleven thing? that's alot.

1. Dana Kadwell

2. Lindsay Turnau

3. Carrie Davis..you def need to blog, dear!

4. Meredith McDaniel

5. Megan Barbre

6. Jennifer Allen...for your once a year post maybe?

7. Beth Castor

8. Kristi Larson

9. Katie Kirkpatrick...although i doubt you will ;)

10. Sarah Gabriel

11. Tracey Murray..you up for this?

Your Eleven

1. What did you want to be when you were little?

2. What is your favorite thing about yourself?

3. What's your favorite city?

4. What's the last thing you ate?

5. Take a Nap or Push Yourself?

6. Wine or Beer?

7. What is your biggest fear?

8. Name a book/movie that always makes you cry.

9. Do you have a hobby?

10. What is your favorite kind of music?

11. First thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word "floppy"

Ready. Set. Go

North Shore Excursion

2012-01-17T00:00:00.000-10:00

On MLK day, we woke up and said..."to heck with our plans to finally put up the Christmas tree and whatnot, let's go have fun!" and then we did just that.

we went to one of most favorite places, the North Shore. and it was a fabulous day!

we started off with brunch at Sharks Cove Grill. Mike had grilled ahi with his eggs and fried rice and i had an ahi sandwich with onions and avocado. AMAZING. How did we just now get to this little place? I know Jenn...you've been telling me to go for forever. You're right. It was so yummy.

After brunch we went to Sunset Beach to play in the sand and watch the 15 foot waves. That's a pretty good size wave to watch. It's not SO BIG that no one is out surfing in it--but big enough that it's mesmerizing to watch. There were local boys (like age ten or so) going out there and owning those waves. I know that's their life up there, but wow. It'd be hard as a mom to let my little boy out in that.

cool waves

Holden exploring

Haleiwa. How could you not love this place? Our favorite surf store on the left, and a yummy shave ice place on the right.

Nora LOVES shave ice--like dive face first in it--which she did until we could get her a spoon. haha.

a little surfboard photo shoot. isn't she beautiful?

our cool dude.

boards.

Such a Good Day! We really are gonna miss this!

Shopping Spree at the Swap Meet

2012-01-16T01:30:00.000-10:00

Like i said in a post a few days ago....as our PCS date keeps getting closer, i'm starting to think of all the things we need to start collecting before we go. So we woke up this morning and decided it was a perfect day for the swap meet. and really, it was. it the coolest day i've ever been at the swap and it was actually enjoyable instead of being so blasted hot.

here's our finds for today:

a hula skirt and hair piece...i know i don't really hula (except for my very basic knowledge for some friends at church), but i foresee wishing i had these things when my kids are a little older for show and tells, as well as for whatever hawaii-themed party we will inevitably be at

modeling--i really have been wanting one of these since i moved here. so this was a purchase six years in the making--i love it!

and then i got nora some too for when she gets older. aren't the adorable? they are also adjustable and should grow with her as she gets bigger.

and for Holden, we got him a fish hook necklace like his Daddy and his Uncles...and we got a magnet-cause we like them :)

and for our main purchase and most exciting....

I've been eyeing the North Shore sign for a long time. It is the sign that is posted as you enter Haleiwa. Today when we found this one, we also found the South Shore sign, which i had never seen before. The lady gave us a deal on both and we are so excited to have them!

On our way home we stopped at Chili's for lunch. The sugar packets in some of the restaurants on the island are hawaji-themed. There is a packet for 8 of the Hawaiian Islands. My friend Carrie used to love trying to get a full set at our table. I tried for her today, but only had a poor showing with 4 islands. Eh. Better luck next time. ;)

Play Date with Some of our Faves!

2012-01-15T01:00:00.000-10:00

On friday we met back up with our favorite multiples, the Larson's and the Lottig's. They are interacting more and more and it is fun to watch them all play.

Brooke and Stella...this was pretty funny, Brooke was running full speed ahead pushing Stella and occasionally running into to things, but Stella just seemed to think it was all funny.

Blake and Holden

Big Ben playing trains...i guess he needed a little alone time ;)

Brooke and Little Ben reading

Nora playing Nite Nite

Nora and Little Ben playing cars

Stella and Nora with their monkey babies

and of course we tried for the usual group pic...didn't go so well this time, haha. Big Ben was literally crying at the sight of the camera and then most everyone else had ants in their pants!

notice Little Ben's arm around Stella and the Car Slippers on HRB's feet!

there go the monkeys

and this is the best it gets--at least Blake is excited

and they're outta there

the Lottig's had to leave, but we stayed a while longer to have snack and play with a special activity Auntie Kristi had prepared.

sweetie pie girls

Blake stuffed his whole sandwich in his mouth, nutcase ;)

waiting for the water beads

wow!

mom, these are awesome!

Family Bowl

2012-01-14T00:00:00.000-10:00

To celebrate Mike's promotion we went to dinner at Moe's--cause EVERYBODY LOVES MOES. (sorry lindsey, we do have that one!)

and after that we decided to try bowling with the kids...as you can tell HRB was super excited--a room full of balls!

some of the pics are blurry, we forgot the camera so only had our phones, eh. H and N both wore leis that were presented to us at the promotion earlier that day.

N's excited too

Daddy showing Nora how it's done!

Go Ball Go!

and the final score....not too shabby little ones!

Congratulations CW3 Burns

2012-01-12T14:53:00.000-10:00

Mike's promotion to Chief Warrant Officer 3 was this morning at Schofield Barracks. There was a good attendance of people there to show support to him, we do however wish our families could have been there too.

LTC Honeycutt performed the ceremony. He said some very nice things about Mike and then switched his rank (see below)

I was given the duty of changing his hat--of which he had to immediately readjust to get the right fit :)

Afterwards it was Mike's turn to speak. He thanked his senior officers, mentors, fellow workers and he even had some kind words for me too.

of which we were "ordered" by the LTC to "seal with a kiss"

if you are wondering where the little ones are, our friends, Sherri and Keith De Silva were holding on to them for us! Thanks Uncle and Auntie!

Next there was a receiving line...

and then we took turns giving Daddy all of his lei's.

We're so proud of you Mike/Daddy! Love you Always!

pic with LTC Honeycutt

and one with Herman Hoffman--Herman was Mike's sponsor when we first moved to the island. He and his wife picked us up from the airport and got us settled on our first night in HI. Since then Mike and Herman have continued to be close even through his retirement from CW4. Herman has been a great mentor to Mike over the past 6 years and it was great to have him there today.

refreshments were provided afterwards...here's Mike with his cake

the new rank!

Just a Little Update...

2012-01-10T00:30:00.000-10:00

Well we're here in HI trying to get back in the swing of things. The babies did extremely well. Not one bit of jet lag to be seen. They went straight into their sleeping routines as usual. I am so thankful for our good sleeping children. We are truly blessed on that account. BUT, they have been pretty emotional since being back. That seems to be our downfall when traveling and really who can blame them? So much change and new things and the absence of any kind of schedule. That's hard on a kid. Shoot. That's hard on us. So anyway, hopefully some of these many tears will subside in the next week.

In other news, Mike has deferred his advance schooling until next year. He was supposed to leave this past Saturday to go to Ft. Lee, Virginia for 7 weeks. With our move coming up really close and us working hard to sell our house it really just didn't feel like it was the right time for the school. I'm very thankful we were able to postpone--i imagine right about now if he had left, the kids would be in serious distress as would I. :)

Upon getting back to the island, Mike was diagnosed with a major sinus infection and 2 ear infections which took him out of work the rest of last week. That was also when he was scheduled to be pinned for his promotion to CW3 at the Arizona Memorial. Since we had to cancel so late there wasn't time to reschedule at the memorial (bummer) so instead he will be pinned this Thursday on base (which is the normal way to do things anyway). We are very excited for this promotion! Mike has worked hard to get here.

We also have some very good news....An offer was made on our house yesterday! It's just the beginning of a long process, but we are still very happy to be getting on with this process. The potential buyers seem to be very motivated and want our house. We realize a lot can happen between a first offer and the close of a house. We ask for prayers that all the logistics work out and we can get this house sold before we move.

Along with this offer, means a possible shift in our timeline for moving home--at least for the kids and I. If all goes as planned, we could close anytime between mid-March and beginning of May. The kids and I won't stay long after that happens, since living in temporary housing/hotels is hard on the kids. I can't believe our time is coming to a close so quickly! I have so many mixed emotions! and I have so many Hawaii things to get before we go! You'd think after 6 years i would have collected everything i would want. But instead i kept putting it off thinking there would be a next time. No next time now...i gotta get on it!

That's it for now. Later.

Movie Monday

2012-01-09T00:00:00.000-10:00

He's the Best
.

Saturday Sequence

2012-01-07T00:00:00.000-10:00

New Years Eve Sillies

Set 1

more pictures??

boo yaa!!

settling down

bored again...

Set 2

Silly Daddy making the kiddos laugh

it was Knee-Slappin' funny!

Set 3

Little Smiles

Big Smiles

Biggest Smiles

Flight Back to HI..one last time

2012-01-06T00:00:00.000-10:00

Flying back to HI, it hit us that this time would be the last time--well maybe not forever, but the last time while we are living here. It was a little bittersweet as we were making our descent over the islands-i tried to take it all in, the beautiful hawaiian sunset over the clouds and the peak of Mauna Kea peaking through, the coastline lit up by a sea of lights--and lets not forget the warm sweet breeze that that blows over your skin the second you step off the plane...i'm gonna miss that.

i have a feeling the next few months are going to include a lot of those feelings. faithful blog readers, you might as well get ready ;)

but for now, i'll get back to the trip home. 4 words. It was just OK.

first 2 flights were fairly uneventful (minus a medical diversion that caused us to detour to PHX before heading on our way to LAX) and the kiddos handled them like champs. It was that 3 hr layover in the worst airport ever that has NOTHING to do and NOWHERE to let the kids run around and be free. Followed by the last leg, longest flight of the day--6hrs on a small 1 aisle plane with only shared movie monitors hanging from the ceiling playing one 90 min movie that no one cared to watch anyway. Thankfully the kids slept some of it... the hours they didn't sleep were an emotional roller coaster bouncing between tears and wild pent-up bursts of energy. i am SO glad its over.

So far though, they slept through the first night back, woke up happy and went right down for nap...they really do seem to be the best 2 year old travelers ever. We are SO THANKFUL for that :)

ready to go ...waiting at the gate for our first flight at 6am EST

Wendy's Bfast on the plane!

sharing with Woody

Daddy why do you always take pics of me?

a little nap on the second flight of the morning...all snuggled with her animals

HRB on the second flight...he's a bit more finicky...we've learned to build him a fort and he sleeps much better!

Daddy sitting my himself :(

third flight... a little timeout corner for a brother who didn't want to share

Woody (Toy Story) ALWAYS does the trick.

and then when we got home it was like Christmas all over again...TONS of Christmas Cards in our mail pile...as tired as we were we opened them all before we went to sleep. Now i gotta find a place for 'em all on the refrigerator!

2012 Bookshelf

2012-01-05T00:00:00.000-10:00

I love to read. This year i started off strong, made a list for the year and tried my best to stick to it. For about six months i did pretty well, and then Mike came home. STOP. NO MORE BOOKS. Embarrassing kind of. Except not really, because what's better than busy with the ones you love.

I'm getting back into it though--i've been feeling the itch-- and I've made a less ambitious list this year. 2011's list was pretty extensive and considering our move coming up in a few months, i believe i may be quite busy with things other than reading.

So here's the new list:

Parenting
-Shepherding a Child's Heart, Tedd Tripp (i'm already halfway thru it)
-The Mission of Motherhood, Sally Clarkson
-Don't Make Me Count to Three, Ginger Plowman

Pleasure Reading/Novels
-the Millenium Series, Steig Larsson
Girl with a Dragon Tatoo
Girl who Played with Fire
Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest
-Sing You Home, Jodi Piccoult
-Ender's Shadow, Orson Scott Card
-The Sparrow, Mary Doria Russell
-Outlander, Diana Gabaldon
-Cutting for Stone, Abraham Verghese

Non Fiction
-Kisses from Katie, Katie Davis
-Growing Up Amish, Ira Wagler

Classics/Books of Note...the everyone should read these sometime in their lives list
-The Faraway Tree Collection, Enid Blyton
-Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell
-Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck
-Life of Pi, Yann Martel
-Emma, Jane Austen (the last half)

To keep up with my progress just check the 2012 Bookshelf Tab at the top of the blog. I'll mark them off as i read them.

and if you were wondering what i read this year...

-His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman
Golden Compass
Amber Spyglass
The Subtle Knife
-The Handmaids Tale, Margaret Atwood
-The Curious Incident of a Dog in Nighttime, Mark Haddon
-The Color Purple, Alice Walker
-The Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad
-Emma, Jane Austen (the first half)
-Memoirs of A Geisha, Arthur Golden
-Rescue, Anita Shreve
-One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel Garcia Marquez
-Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold
-Testimony, Anita Shreve
-The Help, Kathryn Stockett
-Unplanned, Abby Johnson
-Water for Elephants, Sara Green
-A Cup of Friendship, Deborah Rodriguez
-The New Dare to Discipline, Dr. James Dobson

First Haircuts with Pop Pop

2012-01-04T11:40:00.000-10:00

Holden's turn first...he was a very good boy!

Nora watched Holden's haircut with Daddy

"PopPop, you sure you know what you're doing?"

Nora was a little unsure at first

but then she warmed up

Holden read books in the waiting room while Nora got her hair cut, just like a big girl.

Pop Pop multi-tasking

Then Daddy and Mommy got their haircut too...

and meanwhile Nora peeped over at Tommy

New Years, the Extended Version

2012-01-01T17:10:00.002-10:00

Our New Years Eve was very good this year. We were in Fayetteville visiting the Sweatlands again, and that morning, our friends, Mark and Carrie Davis (also from our Hawaii gang) came to visit for a few hours on their way back to their home in VA. We haven't seen Mark in over 2 years and Carrie I haven't seen since last New Years. It was good to catch up as always. After they left, Mike and I went neighborhood shopping preparing for our big move in a few months. Then that night Hillary invited some of her friends over to have dinner out and play games while our kiddos slept soundly in their beds.

Heres some pics of our day.

Aunite Hill reading to my kiddos

Uncle Mike/Daddy playing Trains

we made a real stellar parent move and put a DVD on while we ate dinner . it worked well, yes?

bath time--the regulars plus Channing. Jack didn't want to join in for the picture

Hillary and Jackie's New Years Picture--with Daddy Doll Jake

the cutest 2 year olds on the planet

my favorite people in the whole world--Last Family Pic of 2011!

After the kiddies were in bed we played games, including our favorite--Gimp. The Gimp hat this year was Jack's toboggan. Mike rocked it.

like i said, we had a good day and we did stay up till midnight--watched the ball drop live on the computer and even had some champagne, all in our PJ's. Low-Key and Fun.

Woody on the other hand, his night must have been a little more rough...he wasn't looking so good this morning.

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T18:36:00.003-10:00

We're here in Fayetteville with our New Years crew--those of us who could make it, we miss you Jake and the Howell's. Happy New Year everyone! Here's to an awesome 2012!

Meredith Reunion

2011-12-30T20:18:00.000-10:00

My college girls always try to get together around Christmas this year. Always it seems someone is missing...this year, Tara couldn't make it :( but the rest of us were able to meet for lunch and hang out the rest of the afternoon. As always it was great to catch up and get the latest updates on each of our lives.

My roommate Dee has a son just a few weeks older than the twins and she came over early for a playdate. Of course we took some pictures.

Nora, such a Diva, was sad we made her sit down with the boys instead of hanging out with her Auntie Michelle. I love how the boys are looking at her confused.

But in true Nora fashion, it was forgotten with a little Woody Distraction and a Silly Daddy! Holden is relieved she's better now.

getting a good picture of more than 1 toddler is pretty impossible...here's our best attempts

Nora back with Auntie Michelle

Holden reunited with Auntie Amanda

just our norm

at lunch we tried for a group shot--of course some weird light appeared across our bellies.

so we tried again, but this time the angle is pretty awful...eh.

Burns Christmas

2011-12-30T00:00:00.000-10:00

Our last Christmas function was with the Burns Family on New Year's Eve Eve. This was the first time that all of the grandkids/cousins have ever been together at the same time. It was also the first time since our wedding that all of Mike's siblings have been together.

riding on Grandpa's motorcycle

Nora watching from the sidelines

Walking around the house to see all of Grandpa's lights

Christmas at Grandma Burns--almost everybody!

Present Time!

Check out the sea of Santa Clauses in the background of all the pictures. Grandma is an AVID collector!

Grandma

silly pics with Kev

Grandkid pics...

Holden looks totally bored

minus Emory--He was overdue a nap and didn't want a picture

Karson was interested in HRB's hat-

"hmmm...i think i'll just take that"

"are ya'll gonna do anything about this?"

going in for it again

Cam trying to referee

the best we got...

lt to rt: Madison, Karson, Emory, Holden, Nora, Caitlyn and Cam in the back

Outside Fun

resident tree climber, Catilyn

Maddie is a great big cousin!

Siblings

lt to rt: Stacy, Kevin, Kelly, Mike and Mandy

i like him

cuties

and back inside for Dirty Santa...only 2 people brought this year though, so we just traded! Jimmy and Wendy got Hawaiian candy/coffee and lotto tickets and we got a George Foreman!

a rare moment: Nora playing with Cam...she's usually a girls girl, but she caved and sat with Cam for a while.

Dinner Party with the Little Ones

2011-12-28T08:45:00.000-10:00

Nanny Katie and Uncle Tim came into town for a few short days for Christmas so we had a dinner party at Katie's parents house just like old times. Auntie Heather and Uncle Chris were able to come over too.

here we are...as you can see the kiddos took to our friends pretty well. like they ditched us...haha.

the girls

i obviously didn't get the ghetto-pose memo...

with the littles

Holden jammin' on the guitar

with Nanny and Uncle

just a princess feeding her baby

and lets not forget the crazy hat tradition!

Christmas Day Part 3

2011-12-27T14:00:00.000-10:00

After Christmas at Nana and Poppy's House we went to Gram's House for Dinner with the Butt Family. As always, the food was yummy and it was great getting to see some family that we don't normally get to see.

throwing all the 'littles' in the air

Aunt Shirley

Holden helped play Santa and delivered some gifts

present time!

The Wilkerson's weren't able to make it on Christmas Day from Asheville so we visited them a few days later. This is the first time that Nora and Holden met their cousins Madison and Mayson.

Madison and Mayson love to dance!

Holden and Wallace (Jr. Birdsman and Sr. Birdsman)

Christmas Part Two

2011-12-27T08:13:00.000-10:00

From Pop Pop and Grandma's House we went to Nana and Poppy's House for lunch and more Christmas celebrations. This time we were dressed and out of PJ's! Tradition for Christmas lunch is Steaks, Baked Potatoes and a Salad. One of our favorite meals!

Nora and Nana fixin' lunch

Uncle Alex and Silly Holden

Big Poppy with his babies

playing with his newest Train

Nora's newest Meow

they were already so tired and the day was only half over! good thing nap time was near!

showing Nana her Tinkerbell and wings

Sweetest present from my Hubby and Kids...can you find the earings?

Nora tried to steal Nana's new purse. It was as big as her, but she managed fine--and she walked around taking everyone else's presents and stuffing them in the purse. Our little Hoarder :)

Big Poppy

our boys

the girls

with my bro

should be next year's Carlisle Christmas Card, yes?

Christmas Morning

2011-12-26T13:00:00.000-10:00

Get ready for a bunch of pics in the next few posts. Christmas Day was a whirlwind...but fun. the kids have no idea how lucky they are yet, but mike and i sure know. we had a great day and are so thankful to have spent it with so many of the people we love. of course it was also great to have mike here with us and bale to participate in all of the Christmas festivities with the kiddos. I couldn't have asked for a better day.

getting ready to get the kiddos

Nora, worn out from the day before and a little sicky, was still sleeping when we went in to get them at 8 am

but HRB was in full gear of course!

coming down the hallway

and straight to the tree...

a lawnmower

and power wheels!

after a lot of test driving the power wheels they finally saw the kitchen

it's time to open presents!

already worn out by 1030, we all showered and got ready to go to lunch and Nana and Poppy's house--with a little time to rest on the drive over. More to come check back later!

Christmas Eve...preparing for Santa!

2011-12-26T08:47:00.000-10:00

we had already had a busy/long day complete with a late Christmas Eve church service, but even still we had to take a little time to get some family shots under the tree and get prepared for Santa's Visit.

we read "the night before christmas"

left out cookies

and milk

then had a little ourselves ;)

after the kids were in bed, Santa's work was in full gear...here's the finished product

and then one more last job to do before mommy and daddy head to bed!

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T06:05:00.000-10:00

We're here! just super busy. I have lots to post. promise to get to it soon!

Have a great Christmas, love the Burns Team!

Caudle Christmas

2011-12-24T14:00:00.000-10:00

We had Caudle Christmas on Christmas Eve this year. I'm a little late with the post--oops. We're not very good at group pics with this family. i may have to change that next year! get ready family!

but here's what we have...

Ruby Lee was a tired girl.

Cousin Anna helped Nora with her gifts.

Holden didn't need anu help with his presents. I almost missed them all because he opened them so fast!

Ruby got a double stroller with twin dolls for Christmas. Nora has one very similar at home and was very interested in this one!

Katie was a good sport and let Nora help open her presents too.

Nora saying Thank You and loving Uncle Dane

The adults play Dirty Santa--Anna lucked up with a fun game

Uncle Dane got the last steal...and he def. played Dirty!

Mike and I lucked up with matching Walmart gift cards and we also got Pop Pop's remote control helicopter and Grandma's Christmas Candle...i'd say we did pretty good!

Santa's Elves

2011-12-23T12:00:00.000-10:00

Mike and Dad stayed up late Christmas Eve Eve putting the kiddos Kitchen together. It was his first long night of toy assembling out of many i'm sure.

Christmas in Jacksonville

2011-12-22T02:30:00.000-10:00

We spent a few days in Jacksonville before Christmas with Mike's Mom and Stepdad. We were able to spend a lot of time with family--including Mike's brother, sister and niece and nephew, Mike got to play some golf with his family, and i was also able to get my christmas shopping done thanks to the outlets and target ;).

my sweetie pie

~Big Family Breakfast~

Caitlyn making icing and Nora trying to be just like her :)

We had Cam buttering the pancakes....a very important job!

Aunt Mandy was on Holden Duty...also a very important job

The brothers were making pancakes

and each had their own specific way of doing it

hanging out outside

sweet girls

Holden wanted to nap with Uncle Kev

if you look closely you'll see that Holden's eyes are wide open staring at the hat above him. He layed like this this for a long time, super still...just like his Uncle

Cait and Uncle Mike

Holden was very excited about the presents under the tree. He kept bringing them to us asking to open them.

with Mamaw and Papaw

Time to Open! They received lots of fun things. Thanks a bunch Mamaw and Papaw!

Family Photo

Fayetteville Trip No. 1

2011-12-21T17:47:00.000-10:00

We visited our future home of Fayetteville last before Christmas and spent some time looking at neighborhoods in the area. Most importantly though we got to see our friends Hillary and Jack and hang out some.

we played on the floor, cause it's the cool thing to do of course.

Auntie It.

there I am

Jack showing Nora how to play on the floor...she wasn't convinced

just good friends playing!

tights a bit too little, yes?

pretty girl enjoying her ride

Nose

doing what we do best

goodbye man hugs

Santa's Village

2011-12-20T17:53:00.000-10:00

While in Fayetteville we went to visit Santa's Village. The North Pole was a little warmer than i expected though ;)

Once there you park and take a hayride through the woods to the village. The kids loved the fact that we were being pulled by a tractor of course. The first thing we did was the most important...visit Santa! He was a very nice Santa and just sat and talked to us. The kids felt much more at ease sitting in our laps than than Santa's.

Jack High Fives Santa

Mrs. Claus

skeptical at first...

but gave Santa love at the end

No crying from Norabird...apparently Santa isn't as scary as the Easter Bunny

pic with Santa

the village

bicycle daddy!

my loves

carolers

Daddy Love

Sitting by the camp fire

we also fed the mule/horse/donkey --(if you know what it is, pls refrain from making snippy comments...it was a little funny looking in person and we couldn't decide what it was but felt too stup to ask...so, MORSKY (mule, horse, donkey it is.)

holden loved it...fed him the pellets with no fear!

We ended our night with hot chocolate, cider, peanuts and a hayride back to our car. We all enjoyed it so much, i believe we will go back next year for sure--it was much more fun than visiting Santa in the mall!

Just Visiting

2011-12-20T07:33:00.000-10:00

We've been busy seeing a lot of people. Here's a few photos from the first 3 days in A-town.

HRB with Grandpa

opening presents with Cousin Maddie

First Chick-fil-a Kids Meals

Snuggles in a cold house!

laughing with Big Poppy

cool kids

wearing great grandpa's snow hat, even though it was 60 ish degrees outside! gotta be prepared!

Nana's Surprise

2011-12-19T07:13:00.000-10:00

Our Traveling Adventure with 2 Kiddos 2 Years Old

2011-12-18T19:12:00.001-10:00

HNL to LAX

nap time--airplane style...about 45 mins worth

LAX to ATL

(ran to make connection--no time for potty, food or leg stretching--ughh) this was also a red eye--so lights out for most everyone--N slept almost the whole time--H fought it for about 3 hours and slept good for an hour.

ATL--FINALLY getting to walk around a little bit

ATL to CLT

Kiddos were still in great moods...i had starbucks to help with mine!

Nora sleeping a little bit more

CLT- ride home...knocked out kiddos

we really couldn't have asked for a better trip. the kids were fabulous. NO MELTDOWNS, NO MAJOR PROBLEMS, NO AIRPLANE HORROR STORIES. even the time adjusting to NC has been fairly easy. with the jet lag they are actually sleeping in a little later which this momma and daddy REALLY appreciate!

We're Here

2011-12-16T04:00:00.000-10:00

just us and all of our stuff!

We're back in NC and just taking it easy for a few days trying to get everyone adjusted to the time. We'll be heading to Fayetteville/Jacksonville tomorrow night for the week and then spend the rest of our time in A-town. It's good to be home, now if only we can get a little winter weather around here!

Christmas Choo Choo

2011-12-13T23:19:00.000-10:00

While at the mall this weekend we finally had time to ride the train. The kiddos were so excited we told them about it on the way end and all the did for the 1.5 hr wait while we shopped was say "train, train, train" over and over.

Movie Monday

2011-12-12T00:42:00.000-10:00

A Cookie Exchange

2011-12-10T22:21:00.001-10:00

Our Coffee Group had our first annual Cookie Exchange this year. In the past we've played Dirty Santa/or had an Ornament Exchange, but this year we tried something different. If you haven't heard of one before, everyone makes a cookie (or 4 dozen!) and then you bring them to the party, taste test each one, vote on your favorites, and then grab take-home boxes and fill them up with everyone else's cookies!

this is a great idea, fun for everyone and i believe the husbands really benefit as well. Mike was very happy when i brought home his very own box of assorted homemade cookies!

here is the table of all of the cookies

my white chocolate gingerbread cookies

and since we are talking about food, lets talk about this cute little veggie tree...a great idea, yes?

we played a game involving panty hose, balloons and a brave volunteer...and this is what happened

and then we came back inside to announce the cookie winners....

my good friend, Sarah who the Mommy Award for the "simplest" cookie

this show-off here one the Martha Stewart Award for creativity

Josi won the Paula Dean Award, for best tasting--a carrot cake cookie, courtesy of her Grammy's recipe, pretty yummy!

and then Caroline won the Sandra Lee Award for presentation

the winners and their cookies

the preggos

our sweet group

Good Times and a fun start to the Holiday Season!

Beach Weekend Memories

2011-12-09T00:01:00.000-10:00

on the way to the beach house, the sunset drive down to North Shore did not disappoint. This is hands down, my favorite drive on the island and my favorite time of day.

10 minutes at the house and they already have all of the toys out

hats

Micky Mouse Pancakes in Haleiwa

double fisting the forks

just wandering around the backyard dressed like a superhero beach princess

cupcakes, round 2

Sand.Sun.Play

2011-12-07T22:21:00.001-10:00

Sunday afternoon on the beach with Daddy. So much fun!

Party Time

2011-12-05T23:02:00.001-10:00

Like I mentioned earlier, this weekend we stayed at a beach house in Waialua on the North Shore and Saturday was the twins birthday party with all of our friends. There was quite a good turnout and everyone had a really good time. The twins had a GREAT TIME. How do i know? at the end of the night when everyone had gone home they were still bouncing off the walls, running around, and laughing hysterically. Mike and I thought they would never fall asleep that night!

Alright, get ready for a LOT of pictures--

we hung out on the beach and played in the sand

Holden spent a little "alone time" with his new girlfriend, Ava--chaperoned by Ava's father of course!

we ate some yummy food

thank you pinterest for another great idea

the kids and uncle jim

the birthday kiddos

Larson Triplets

Then we painted our animal crafts

nora liked to paint so much that she made a couple of bonus pictures for us!

this is just the first stage. every kid picked and animal and made it out of their hand print. I'll do a whole separate blog later!

connor preferred to draw his animal--a ribbon eel!

even the babies participated

just a little party atmosphere pics!

party hats! Holden's only lasted for about 1 hot second

cake time!

i love this look on HRB's face as everyone is singing to him!

the pro blowing out his candle

Nora still needed a little help

cupcakes!

With our favorite 2 Year Olds!

Cheese, Noah!

Brookie loves her cupcake!

the Murray Family with their new walker, Amelia!

Nora thinking she can have another! Think again little one!

presents!

she's so serious about her doll!

new shades

Holden loves Uncle Kyle

and Nora loves her Auntie Sarah

and Brookie loves her Coconut!

Diva

friends

the jumper was our present to the kiddos. they love that thing and it was a hit at the party!

Yay for Fun Two Year Olds and Parties with Friends and Best of All, Birthday's with Daddy home!

Saturday Sequence

2011-12-03T00:00:00.000-10:00

Happy, Silly, Funny, Sweet, Birthday, Kiddos!

Birthday Week

2011-12-02T13:23:00.001-10:00

because the kids have so many people who love them dearly, the closer their birthday came, the bigger their pile of presents grew. We decided that we should start opening a few each night that way it wouldn't be too overwhelming and they would have time to play with each toy before they opened the next ones.

So here is our birthday week of presents: maybe you'll find your gift in the mix!

MONDAY

Nora's first birthday present

Holden's first present to open

Tuesday

Barbie!

we're thinking maybe next year, we'll decorate the tree for their birthday first--with fun kiddie things and then put their presents under the tree. It seems kinda like jumping the gun when we set up the Christmas Tree right around their birthday--but we still like to participate in the weekend after Thanksgiving decorating like everyone else! So next year, Birthday Tree it is! I've been eyeing some cute animal ornaments at Target that will be perfect!

Wednesday

skyping with Nana and opening presents with her

Nana is talking to Poppy, Nora is checking her out

CHEESE

possibly his favorite present...Woody! He goes about everywhere the family goes the past few days.

he puts the tied up balloons in his mouth and blows, trying to copy daddy

Holden cracked us up sitting on the horse watching the train go around

THURSDAY

we didn't take too many pics this day, but the cool present of the day was a bunch of animal figurines. They love animals and the noises they make. Daddy and the kids set up the train tracks again and put the animals around the tracks and the little ones in the train cars so they could be hauled around. It was very "cool", said Holden. (one of his most favorite words!)

Thanks to all of you who called, emailed, Fbooked, sent cards/presents for the kids bday. You all helped make their birthday great! We are headed to the beach in a few hours to stay for the weekend and have their birthday party with all of the friends on Saturday. I'll catch up on posting when we get back. ;) Happy Weekend!

~The Day the Twins Turned Two~

2011-12-01T17:35:00.001-10:00

The morning started out with a fun balloon surprise!

Then Daddy came home early from work and we played, napped, skyped with a few friends and family, opened some presents and then went out for a fun birthday surprise.

Fun Factory Rides and Games!

and dinner at California Pizza Kitchen--Pizza and Cake, yummy!

Holden blew out his candle perfectly!

LOVING their desserts!

the sad face here is because her cake kept turning on its side and she really wanted it to sit up. if it wasn't kinda funny, her little tears would break your heart!

such a fun day!

now Mommy and Daddy are ready and excited to enter the next year of "Teachable Twos"!

TWOS. TWOS. TWOS. TWOS. TWOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2011-11-30T09:44:00.000-10:00

~Oh Christmas Tree~

2011-11-29T00:30:00.000-10:00

On a whim we drug out the Christmas tree Sunday night. We weren't really planning on decorating at all since we are flying home in a few weeks...but with all the other decorators out there posting all their fun pics i really couldn't help myself. So we pulled out our mini tree and our most favorite ornaments and introduced the kids to a little holiday cheer. i think they liked it.

hanging one all by herself

her first, unassisted hanging ornament

finally, a tree with little homemade ornaments!

1 Corintihians 15:22

2011-11-28T13:27:00.001-10:00

~Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life. (NLT) Rejoice.

The Lord took Kalei home today, please continue to pray for this family.

UPDATE

2011-11-27T20:43:00.001-10:00

I really appreciate all of your prayers and concern for our friend Kalei and many of you have been asking for an update.

As of last night she has been steadily declining and her organs are now failing. Our hearts are broken for this family and we are all in shock. Prayers are still VERY MUCH needed--please keep praying! We know God can provide a miracle of healing, but we also know that no matter what, He can provide the only true comfort and peace that this sweet family needs so much right now.

Being in church today was hard. It was hard, and beautiful and real and there is no other place I would rather have been. I teach Kalei's son in children's church. He's a wonderful kid, full of energy, creative and has a super kind heart--a lot like his momma really. As we were sitting on the floor writing/drawing all the things we had to be thankful for, he was so involved in the activity--telling me about all of his favorite toys, his favorite trips and his family. My heart was screaming on the inside, all these thoughts running though my head-- how this sweet kid has no idea that his momma is fighting for her life--why does this have to happen? What is he going to be like next week if the unthinkable happens? How is all of this gonna change this innocent little boy?

And then I breathe.

I know God is in control. I don't understand. I probably never will. But that's okay. Because God has a plan, and it's for GOOD--not to harm us.

So I breathe. and I love this kid the best i can and i teach him our verse for today, try to ingrain it in his mind--"to be thankful in ALL circumstances, for this is God's will for you, in Christ Jesus". I've never felt that i'm preparing/arming a child for life more than i was in those minutes. and i don't think a child's lesson has ever taught me what it taught me today.

and then I went to our adult church service where we sang Remain during worship. We came to the chorus, and I look around completely moved by the emotion in the room. I've said before that i've not ever been a part of a church like this. When we first started attending here, i was constantly in awe of the real worship in the room, the way people seemed to be moved by their love for Jesus. Today that all came back and strong. Everyone knows Kalei--she's been a part of this church for years, she's a rock in our body of believers and we love her--i mean we really LOVE her. We'd just finished taking time to pray for her as a church body and we are singing Remain and the voices are strong, people's hands are lifted up to our Lord-- in a time where you'd think we'd be broken we were praising God, reaching to Him, not just singing the lyrics but MEANING them...

"When troubles come my way,

You guide and You sustain,

lead me, I pray.

Forever You will be

the great eternal King,

Now and always."

You are God with us

You're victorious

You are strong and mighty to save

For Your word stands true

There is none like You

And when all else fades

You remain

Like I said. It was beautiful. Raw and painful. But beautiful...and real.

So now i sit here at home, humbled by everything I have-- my sweet husband beside me and my 2 perfect children tucked in bed, our room glowing by the newly decorated Christmas tree-- and I try to make some sense of this day, of what's happening to our dear friends, of the helplessness i feel. and when i can't make sense of it--i do the only thing i can and turn to the Lord.

A Little This and A Little That

2011-11-27T00:20:00.000-10:00

found a couple more pics of our "jack days" on the camera

riding the kiddie rides. Nora only sits in them if they are *not* moving

getting ready for NC winter weather--if there actually is any this year

trying on all of her black friday purchases.

i heart this kid

thanksgiving day with my lovie

thanksgiving dinner can really wear a kid out

we needed a little air while black friday shopping--thankfully the store we were in had a pump!

uh-oh

he cracks himself up

Immediate Prayers Needed

2011-11-26T00:20:00.003-10:00

A friend of ours is currently fighting for her life in the ICU. Just a few weeks ago, directly after giving birth to her daughter, Kalei, wife and mother to two has been diagnosed with a rare lung cancer. She and her husband are currently on the mainland seeking advice and treatment. In the past 24 hrs she has had an emergency surgery and is now in fighting for her life.

I know I have many wonderful readers out there that are believers in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and I ask that you take time ~~today~~, NOW, to pray for this precious family. The next 24 hrs are critical.

Big Brother with his new little sister

Our Day of Thanks

2011-11-25T00:36:00.001-10:00

I am so thankful for my sweet little family and that we were able to spend this holiday together.

We decided to take the easy route this year and eat our Thanksgiving meal at the DFAC (dining facility). It was just okay--but no cook/no cleanup was pretty nice and made up for it!

our friends chris, sarah and baby bump came to eat lunch with us

Warrior Thanksgiving 2011

Nora was a very happy girl at lunch

i just had to add this in...how can some people be SO BAD at picture taking?? when i saw it i just had to laugh and then as soon as the nice guy left the room i asked someone else to take our pic again

second time around was MUCH BETTER, yes?

Nora LOVED the pumpkin pie---so much that she ditched the fork and went straight for her fingers!

after lunch we went to the park to burn off some of those calories! the kiddos were super excited about this!

i love watching them play together

hand-holding...seriously makes a momma's heart melt!

and a little Thanksgiving side-hug too!

after the park we went home to take naps and watch a little football. that evening we went to our friends Jenn and Kevin's House to eat leftover turkey sandwiches and play board games. It really was a beautiful and fun day--a little low-key than our usual, but a nice last Thanksgiving in Hawaii.

Thanksgiving Movie Monday

2011-11-21T09:15:00.001-10:00

Happy Thanksgiving Week!

Just Another Day

2011-11-20T00:03:00.000-10:00

that started out with 9 kiddos. 2 of which were not so excited about getting there pictures taken!

1 silly girl and a funny pair of glasses

and a knocked out little boy with all of his best friends.

Saturday Sequence

2011-11-19T00:01:00.000-10:00

Lovin' on my gigglebird momma, what you doing?

Cloud Dough

2011-11-18T00:02:00.000-10:00

i got the idea and recipe off of pinterest... here is the link if you want to take a look.

in the picture the dough looks like it would have an almost silky/powdery feel, but that isn't really how our batch turned out. although i doubt we'll make it again, the kids did have fun mixing the ingredients and getting dirty playing with the dough.

The Random Rest

2011-11-17T00:02:00.000-10:00

rest of the pictures from the past few weeks and our visit with Hill and Jack that is ...we don't really get much real "rest" around here ;)

just hanging out in mommy's drawers

my loves

evening playtime with Jack and Holden and Daddy

a time out that really got me tickled....she's trying so hard to put her nose in that corner she's on her tiptoes!

for all you softies out there, dry your tears, she's fine, see? all princesses have their moments.

after church play/snack time

Nora's first flower from a boy. Jack picked it off the bush and brought it to her, just like a little gentleman!

breakfast at Koa Pancake House--the kiddos LOVED it as usual

this hand-holding was orchestrated of their own free will. kinda the sweetest thing ever, yes?

Daddy/Uncle in charge of breakfast!

Jack's Halloween bucket turned Holden's MoMo (Elmo) Hat

my pretty girl

best buds

cute and fun idea at first...but for future reference, do not leave child alone in laundry hamper, they will fall over, bonk head, scream and possibly ruin the rest of the night.

the last night together. and they were CRAZY!

the.FAIR

2011-11-16T00:10:00.000-10:00

I love fairs. and rides. and fair food. and rides. and all the pretty lights. and the rides.

It wasn't quite the same as the fair at home, but a traveling fair came to town and I was so excited to take the babies to it. There were only a few rides that were baby friendly--but you better believe we were on them!

The Carousel was the favorite ride of the night. We rode it twice actually. They both loved the horsies and who can resist a wide-eyed "mommies please"

We taught them how to eat corndogs and of course they loved them.

We waited a while to ride the Ferris Wheel. It was out of operation for a while. I was very happy when it was back on because i really wanted to take the kiddos up in it. They were both interested but still a little nervous. Mike and I both got some good cuddling out of it. Totally worth the wait in line!

back on the carousel...this time i took pictures

a seriously fun day.

Happy Birthday

2011-11-15T00:00:00.000-10:00

to our Nana who still likes to do silly things...

like go down the slide!

we'll be celebrating your birthday here by trying on our our mommy's shoes!

love you!

~nora and holden

Movie Monday

2011-11-14T00:23:00.000-10:00

he loves the electric guitar part of the song. i love his good taste in music :)

Rainy Day Outing

2011-11-13T00:04:00.000-10:00

In true fashion, our supposedly fun beach day including Daddy was rained out, so instead we spent this past Saturday morning at the Children's Museum. I've been hearing about this place for a while, we just never seem to make it. It's a real cute place and the kids had a great time. I am certain we will be back!

There was a traveling Curious George show going on while we were there with lots of fun George activities...

drawing me a picture

obviously her daddy helped her a little bit

TRAINS!

my foot is similar in size to this former miss america

but not so similar to this guy's!

a future doctor?

puzzles with Daddy

nurse hillary brushing up on her skills

just driving The Bus

my personal favorite--the child-sized grocery store

this little girl knew EXACTLY what to do

FIRETRUCK!

firehouse bunks

making dinner

A really BIG ThomasJack was so excited about this!

Judge Nora...watch out Judy, this girl is brutal!

LOVE to Read

just riding a lion by the fire

the coolest bubble contraption ever

she is reading with her oven mit...multi-tasking is such a girl thing, yes?

a real Japanese family

not too sure about her outfit

On The Coast Of Somewhere Beautiful

Twin Mail

Pro Bowl 2012

just another cupcake blog

a little this...

A Glimpse of 2011

Daddy Initiation

Lost

Tagged

North Shore Excursion

Shopping Spree at the Swap Meet

Play Date with Some of our Faves!

Family Bowl

Congratulations CW3 Burns

Just a Little Update...

Movie Monday

Saturday Sequence

Flight Back to HI..one last time

2012 Bookshelf

First Haircuts with Pop Pop

New Years, the Extended Version

Happy New Year!

Meredith Reunion

Burns Christmas

Dinner Party with the Little Ones

Christmas Day Part 3

Christmas Part Two

Christmas Morning

Christmas Eve...preparing for Santa!

Merry Christmas

Caudle Christmas

Santa's Elves

Christmas in Jacksonville

Fayetteville Trip No. 1

Santa's Village

Just Visiting

Nana's Surprise

Our Traveling Adventure with 2 Kiddos 2 Years Old

We're Here

Christmas Choo Choo

Movie Monday

A Cookie Exchange

Beach Weekend Memories

Sand.Sun.Play

Party Time

Saturday Sequence

Birthday Week

~The Day the Twins Turned Two~

TWOS. TWOS. TWOS. TWOS. TWOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

~Oh Christmas Tree~

1 Corintihians 15:22

~Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life. (NLT) Rejoice.

UPDATE

A Little This and A Little That

*Immediate Prayers Needed*

Our Day of Thanks

Thanksgiving Movie Monday

Just Another Day

Saturday Sequence

Cloud Dough

The Random Rest

the.FAIR

Happy Birthday

Movie Monday

Rainy Day Outing

Immediate Prayers Needed