Burns Day 2009

August 11 came and went again! Kate turned 6 and we celebrated 8 years of marriage. Although, I use the word "celebrate" loosely: after Kate's second birthday party of the day, we put on our pjs, drank a glass of wine and looked at our wedding photos. Then we watched Season 8 of Friends for a while.

Kate is now old enough for me to find it hard to believe she was ever a baby; her baby face has been slowly replaced by Nancy's baby face, until I pull out pictures, and countless memories of our days spent just the two of us come flooding back. I love the convenience and quantity that digital cameras give, but nothing beats sitting down with a fat stack of photos to flip through. Even nostalgia seems a luxury to me these days.

Kate decided months ago she wanted her 6th birthday to be a fairy house building party. She has a favorite book from the library about a little girl who goes on vacation with her family, and in the woods near the cottage they stay at is an area where people can build fairy houses to try and attract fairies. The "houses" actually just attract bugs and animals, and that determines whether you are graced with the fairies' presence.

The "rules" of the woods are twofold: All materials must be natural (no man-made products) and no materials can be made of living things (like a wad of hosta leaves picked to be a fan for the fairies - I am very appreciative to the author for this rule). I read the book, then the girls divided in to teams, collected their materials, and built! There was a very special guest, Puck the Garden Fairy House Engineer, that showed up to judge the houses, and prizes went out to the teams with the brownest, greenest, biggest, and shortest fairy homes. It really was a fun party, and the girls seemed to enjoy it; so much so, they ditched the video I put in to cool them off (it was over 90 before noon) to go out and build more houses. Great idea, Kate! She's already talking about her next 4 birthday parties....I'm not sure she'll be really interested in Dora when she's 9. At least I hope she won't be!

Kate at 9 months old at Isle of Palms. This is one of my all-time favorite Kate pictures!

Kate's cake. She helped me make and frost it, and the flower she did all by herself! We added Fern, her special woodland fairy, to "fairy it up" a bit.

The big 6!

Me reading to the girls. It was so fun to have Brandy and Sarala come to the party! I know there won't be many more opportunities to celebrate things like this together since they will be moving overseas soon. These pictures are priceless to me!

Brandy got a great shot of the big girls teaming up and beginning their search for the perfect fairy house spot, with Nancy in the background wanting to keep up with them.

Team Dayleah and Harper. They got the prize for the shortest fairy house.

Team Clara and Hannah. They received the greenest fairy house award.

Team Abi/Abby, receiving the brownest fairy house award.

Team Sarala and Kate, who got the biggest fairy house award (they had their own ideas of what they wanted their house to look like, so they did all of them.)

Puck, the Garden Fairy House Engineer, in his garden home.

Puck examining the houses.

The girls just followed him around the yard! It was so funny!!

Puck and the Fairy House building winners.

Clara & Ashley Mozingo gave Kate another dress to match Clara. They did the same thing last year, and I love it!

Nancy and Spencer at Kate's party at Fuddruckers. Since we have family in town, we get the fun of celebrating all day!

Even the McGowans got to come to the party, which was so fun! It's rare all of us are all together! Emily, Chris and Cort were there, but Cohen sat beside me and I couldn't help posting this pic!

Most of you may know, but for those who don't, Ryan and I have known each other since we were 13, and began dating in high school. I am older (that will be a rare admission from here on out in our marriage), so it was my senior year, his junior, in 1996. We were married just shy of 5 years later, August 11, 2001. My dad and mom and I were talking on the phone the other day, and we all agree (admittedly biased) that our wedding was still the most fun party we've ever been to. Here are a few pics to take advantage of our scanner now working: and Elizabeth, I am not embarrassed about these, either. Well, maybe for Ryan....

About 2 weeks after we started dating, it was my homecoming, which I was in charge of putting on and running, so Ryan sat in the auditorium of the school and ate while I ran around making sure everything was going like it should. I think we danced once or twice. And no, it's not the angle, Ryan really was half my size. Not that I was big...he was just that skinny!

Our Wedding Day! See why I love your painting so much, Emily!?!

Our 8th Anniversary, taken by the Birthday Girl after a long day of partying. Eight years ago, it was hard to imagine loving Ryan more that I did then, but he is truly one of the most amazing men I know, and I am so proud to be his wife. I love you, Burns!

Chicago Trip, Round 3

Final round of pictures!

Kate's birthday is August 11, and she really took a liking to one of Mary Claire's toys, and Tyson not only bought one for Kate for her birthday, but one for Nancy too!

Thursday we went to the Children's Museum in Napverville. We had so much fun, despite behavior issues with the kids. While we were gone, the Children's Museum opened here in Greenville; I am very glad we got our museum fix in Naperville! It's $12 to go to the museum here in town!! Even for a one year old! Okay, done complaining...

In the water exhibit, they had tons of bubbles and stuff, including one you could get inside of. Kate finally got the hang of it!

After the museum, Tyson had to return home to get Reid, but the four of us stayed in Naperville for a little while. We grabbed some lunch at a Mexican restaurant (Nancy singing "if you're happy and you know it say "AMEN!" very loudly) and we wandered around the riverwalk they have downtown. I couldn't get enough pictures of the girls together. I was having one of those moments that I knew I'd remember forever, and we'll look back on these pictures and remember our trip, how small they were and hopefully how they have always loved being sisters.

Our last morning in Aurora, and Sean snuggled up with the girls still in their pjs. Mary Claire loves shoes, and puts them on first thing in the morning!

I love kids in pjs!

Nancy and Mary Claire "coloring". Nancy really just makes marker fingers and giggles. Mary Claire followed her lead.

Wednesday we went to a nearby park. It was beautiful, and Ryan went for a run while we picnicked with the kids. Sounds great, right? Nancy whined the entire time, she threatened to step into the water and mud at the edge of the pond; Kate complained of being hungry, Mary Claire refused to listen to Tyson, Reid wouldn't eat his lunch, and Ryan got lost running and ended up running for 50 minutes instead of 30. Moments like these are why we call this a trip, not a vacation. Real life follows us wherever we go, no matter how picutresque the scenery is!

Tyson with Reid and Mary Claire.

Tyson and me; Kate did a pretty good job taking the picture!

One final stop: the giant Cabela's store off exit 2 in Indiana. We spent a brief 45 minutes looking at the stuffed menagerie of animals, camoflauge and even a talking deer head with target practice. Our trip was officially complete.

Chicago Trip, Round 2

On Tuesday of our trip to Chicago, we went to the Brookfield Zoo. It was absolutely amazing! It really does have every animal you would expect to see in a zoo, and more. Tyson's mom Mary (or GrandMary to the kids) kept Reid so we were gone all morning til naptime. She and Sean's mom came back the next day and kept all 4 of the kids so that the four of us could go on a double date in Naperville together. I know they had their hands full, but they fed and pj-ed everyone like professional grandmothers. Thank you GrandMary and Grandmommy!

Looking at the camels. Actually, the kids are looking at the camera, we are looking at the camels' rear ends. Real camels, not dromedaries. Kate informed us real camels have 2 humps; Dromedaries only have one.

Outside the marsupial slash Austrailian exhibit.

Talking to the monkeys.

Nancy loved watching the gorillas. I loved watching her watch the gorillas.

Kate's finally getting the hang of looking at the camera and smiling.

I had to get a picture in front of these flowers. I thought of my mom, she would have loved them! You can't really see the flowers for the cute girls, but that's okay.

In the children's zoo part, where you can pet some animals and feed them. A goat really did grab Kate's dress in it's mouth and start to eat it for lunch. She was nervous and a bit frightened, just because the goat would not let go! It was really funny; and she's still talking about that goat at the zoo that thought her dress looked delicious.

One of Kate's favorite parts of the trip: riding the carousel. And she's really riding the flamingo in the background, not the praying mantis.

Tyson and Mary Claire.

Chicago Trip, Round 1

Here's Round One of many from our trip to see our friends the Bradshaws in Aurora! When we pulled into their driveway, we fell out of the car and I said "Kate, we're in Aurora! Do you think Sleeping Beauty lives here?" Kate immediately said, "No, Mom. She lives in Disney World." Oh, silly me. I forgot.

We had several milestones happen while we were gone: our car (named Cleo by Kate) rolled over to 100,000 miles on the odometer. Kate lost her first tooth on the Sunday we went to church with the Bradshaws. I ran 3 full miles without stopping and had my first elliptical experience at the gym with Tyson. She and I also had hour-long massages at the spa at their gym, so it was my first real massage - by a man named Arturis. "Vud chew like a peelow?" And I also finally experienced what most of my friends are addicted to: the Gilmore Girls. Now I feel like a real woman.

Nancy, ready for the trip. This was on our first leg, somewhere between Knoxville and Lexington, KY.

Tyson, holding Nancy. I'm holding Reid, who is 10 months old, and Mary Claire, who turned 3 August 5, is beside Kate.

Nancy didn't fall asleep in the car until after 11. We stopped at 11:30 in Richmond, KY.

Kate falls asleep instantaneously, anywhere.

Watching tv in the morning in the "helltell" (my bro used to call it that; we still do). One of Kate's favorite things was eating the continental breakfasts at the hotels we stayed at. I can't blame her!

Halfway between Indianapolis and Lafayette, IN, traffic was at a standstill. There were people walking their dogs and skateboarding on the highway. Luckily, we were right beside a rest area with plenty of grassy space to play. We got out, ate some peaches and climbed trees til the traffic cleared. I think we avoided a major catastrophe being stuck in the car in traffic!

There are 3 kittens living under the porch of Tyson & Sean's neighbor's house (the neighbors no longer live there) Tyson's heart is full of mercy for anything that has a heartbeat, so she feeds the cats twice a day and sits and waits for them to come out. She's trying to get them used to people so they won't be so skittish and could possibly be adoptable. Most of the time, I was just focused on the gorgeous, humongous hydrangeas.

Big Kahuna, Cat No.1.

Sean, showing Kate how to use the motorized Lightning McQueen.

Kate LOVED driving the car. I love the squeals of joy.

Kate's first tooth! After she lost it, she said "Mom, I know you and Dad are really the tooth fairy. Are you going to put some money under my pillow tonight?" PS: do NOT call her "Snaggletooth". She doesn't like it.

We brought Mary Claire an early birthday present. She wore her fairy wings all day that day!

Bathtime together!

Mary Claire & Nancy dancing in MC's room.

A Preface

Why did we go to Chicago? Actually, we were in Aurora, IL. Chicago sounds glamorous. Let's face it: we drove 2 days, 750 miles with 2 kids in a station wagon loaded top to bottom with our stuff and met our friends the Bradshaws at their home in Aurora, in the suburbs about an hour and a half West of the city. The closest we got to downtown Chicago was going to the Brookfield Zoo, still about 30 minutes outside the city. We were more about hanging out with our friends than seeing the sights. We had an amazing time!

Mary Tyson has been my best friend since we were 13. We've known each other since we can remember, and really became close in middle school. We make each other laugh and cry and I have always thought she is the smartest, most beautiful person I know. She moved to Naperville, IL the summer before our sophomore year in high school. She came down to Furman for college, and despite the distance we have remained kindred spirits.

Kate asked me how I knew Tyson, since she lives so far away. I told her we were friends at church when we were students, and then her dad got a new job and they moved away. Kate said "I bet you were sad." Talking about it with Kate, I realized that time in our friendship is still a huge marker for me in my journey. It really was one of the hardest things I have struggled through, and Tyson and I still mourn together sometimes the sadness we both feel of missing each other.

All that to say, this trip was monumental for me and our family. It was fun to go to the zoo, Children's Museum and go on a double date with Sean and Tyson. But it was even more fun to eat breakfast in our pjs together, go to church together, go for runs and the grocery store, watch Gilmore Girls and eat popcorn and even have to discipline our kids in front of each other. To get a taste of their real life was such a blessing!

I've scanned some old photos of Tyson and myself, mainly for her to get a kick out of it; hopefully it will give you a glimpse of why we decided to take a trip to the suburbs of Illinois for our vacation this summer!

Me, Tyson and Tyson's sister Jennifer (on the sofa). Tyson and I are in the 7th grade here. We have no idea who that little girl behind us is. Our jeans are pegged, and, wow. I just feel sorry for the 13 year old "us"es. I know it was some kind of holiday party (hence the red), and I don't know what's on the tv. Ghostbusters? Beetlejuice? A Prize to who can guess it.

On the beach at Holden Beach in NC.

My 15th Birthday. Tyson surprised me before school with a pancake breakfast. That was a big deal, because she went to Eastside, I went to Riverside. Remember when it was cool to wear burgandy, hunter green and navy? We still didn't look cool.

Tyson was my maid of honor in my wedding, and she got married just 5 weeks after Ryan and I did. It was SO much fun to see that much of each other! And I am very, very thankful that we seem to age well.

Our New Nepher is Here!

No, I did not misspell. Nepher is a shout to my dear friend Allison Rickard, who 7 years ago told us her new "nepher" was born; it makes me laugh every time I think about it, but I think I am the only one who laughs...I digress.

Spencer Raymond was born July 2 to my brother and sister-in-law! He spent 8 days in the NICU before they were able to take him home, and we are so thankful that he is well now! These are all the pics I have of him so far; shortly after he was born, all 3 of us got sick and had to stay away, then we left for 9 days for Aurora, IL, and now they are at the beach. Hopefully we'll get to hang before the little man can drive. Although I do hear he's enjoying the occasional steak already; like father, like son....