Janet's New Kitchen

Here's the tour that Mom requested of Janet's new kitchen:

Janet's Kitchen Tour

“ These are a few of his favorite things” Happy Birthday, Doug!

 

Photo Sharing Site

I've decided to try out a new photo sharing site, since the one we used in the past is no longer in existence.

I couldn't find a way to do sub-folders, which is something I dislike. I have all our September photos loaded on, in different folders. Let me know if you'd prefer to have them all lumped together in one folder for the month in the future.

Anyway, here's the link:

http://russanneburnettfamily.shutterfly.com/

Just click on the "Pictures & Videos" tab under the heading and you'll be able to see all the albums I've added so far.

(P.S. This post is mostly for Mom, since I don't think anyone else really follows all of the photos we take.)

Pass Times

I used to know how to edit videos and now I don't. This means that for our lovely viewers you get the entire video which is too long to hold excited attention instead of a shorter version.

These are some of Elise's favorite pass-times. She loves spinning and singing in her supersaucer. She also loves...

growling. She is our little animal, who is starting to imitate a lot! Very fun.

Happy Birthday, Russ!

I thought I would post some pictures from the past that were taken at about the same ages as the girls are now. Who looks the most like Russ?

This one was taken in Hoffman Estates, IL when Russ was a year and 10 months old. See any of Brenna is this face?!

 

This  was taken on Russ’ 4th birthday. See any Ashlyn there?

 

 

 

And this was taken just after Russ’ 6th birthday. What do you think? 

Happy Birthday Emily!

We love you Emily! Thanks for the yummy lunch yesterday and for taking us swimming. Can't wait to see you again. Have a wonderful birthday!
Love,
Nikki, Bekah, and JJ

WE MISS YOU!

It was wonderful to have time with my sister.

We took Grandma and Grandpa to the airport this morning. Fortunately, they are not headed into Hurricane Irene's path! We had a great time with them and miss them already. Hope you had a good flight home, Mom and Dad. Here are some memories of our time together...

Aunt Janet entertaining Elise with one of our garage sale finds... "This little piggy..."

Our centerpiece of fun and entertainment!

Our tradional stop 1/2 to the coast. Yeah for Dairy Queen!

Their second night in Oregon was spent in downtown Portland to see Les Miserables. A long but memorable night!

We had just one night at the coast and were treated to a beautiful sunset and were reminded how beautiful are all of God's creations!

The traditional picture of Grandpa in his recliner... this time with the next generation!

Janet, Grandma, and Susan enjoyed our first visit to Canby's theatre to see The Help. Fun times!

A fun day at the Taggart's picking blueberries and playing with Elise

Happy Birthday Brandon!

We've thoughts about you lots today. The kids wanted to call but I said it wasn't a good idea since you'd be busy working. But they both said they wished we lived closer since "Brandon is fun. He's my friend." (JJ)
We love you!

Yay! Happy 2nd Anniversary to us two days ago!

WOW! IT'S BEEN ELEVEN YEARS...

and congratulations to Nikki and Jason on their eleventh anniversary !!!

FOUR YEARS CLOSER TO ETERNITY

Congratulations to Doug and Emily on their fourth anniversary!

Funny Things

We finished our first homeschooling year on Friday! Thus the reason for dropping out of the blogging world unintentionally. It really took a lot of time out of my life (and still will) but there are some wonderful things that have made it all worth it, some of which are the funniest things I've heard in a long time. (You will understand the rest better if you know that we studied Ancient History, including a long section on Egypt, and the Human Body this year.)

First Funny Thing
Several weeks ago, in the car, been a very long day, all tired, kids picking on each other. I say in my stern voice to the back seat "Bekah! Stop getting on JJ's nerves!"

Within two seconds, JJ quipped back to Bekah, "Yeah, and stay off my bones too!"

Needless to say I laughed til almost crying. I would never have thought of putting that together!

Second Funny Thing
Last week, JJ at the breakfast table with dad. Still early in the morn. (None of us are thrilled with JJ's lack of sleeping lately and constant climbing in bed with others, so it's hard for us to be happy with him in the morning.)

JJ starts eating. Says, "Dad, my food is going down to my sarcophagus!"
(Did you get he was trying to say esophagus?)

Third Funny Thing
Bekah decided to make books this week. One book was on Cleopatra and trying to be a spy for her father when she was young. Back of the book she wrote (I used her spelling): "read this book! cleaptra finds two guys trying to poinz (poison) her fater! will she get her fater in time or will he die? read this book to find out."
Inside the book says:
"Table of Contents
capter 1
Then the end."

"nine year old cleaapachra looked down of the bakarey. she spyed on the two peploe she had been wathing then for howrs. They wroe planing to pozin the King her Father. Suddly the two men left and Cleapachra ran for her father's throe room she quickly told the story. He called for his gurads he told them to aresstd the
(and here there is a page break)
two men. Since Cleaapachra kewe (knew) six lageges (languages) she could spy good. Sudnely the gurads came back with the men iteruping cleaapachra thothgs (thoughts). The King aste them questins. Then the King throg them in jial. Then he turned to cleaapachra. "You have saved me" he said.
The end."

I love the way she wrote her story. But hang on for the best part.
Bekah says, "Did you notice how on one of the pages I wrote 'the' and then 'two men' on the next page? I did that on purpose so the reader would just HAVE to turn the page to find out what was coming next."

Nothing goes past that girl...watch out advertisers, she already knows your tricks!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

Thanks, Dad, for always helping me live my dreams. Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day from some very cute kids

Check out this Father's Day present for Jason...

The Easy Way

Perhaps you all already know about this, but I recently learned about Windows Live Writer. It’s a program that you can download onto your computer – for free. With this program, you create all your blog posts entirely in the program and then push a button and it publishes it straight to your blog! It’s amazing because you avoid using the awful, not user-friendly blogspot.com process, and there are no draw backs, at least that I’ve found anyway. Blogging can go much faster and smoother.

So, seriously, give it a try!

Windows Live Writer

Susan

by Brandon Roses

I remember the day

When I crossed ways

With an amazing woman

Who has the charm of May

She invited me in

This was no mistake

She gave me that last

Of her husband’s cheesecake

As we talk a little while

I could tell

She was someone great

I need to know well

As I peeked and peered

Around her home

I was piecing a puzzle

Of a Susan unknown

I saw books of horses

Riding boots that don’t fit

In the bathroom the towel holder

Was a D-ring snaffle bit

In a book I saw pictures

Of a pretty, young rider

Sailing over the jumps

Like a calm, smoth hang glider

On the shelf sits a treasure

That makes me weak in the knuckle

The name Mary Sue

On a champion belt buckle

In the garage I saw something

That made my heart hollow

A dusty wood stall plaque

With the name Caro Regalo

I then saw Susan as

Someone tougher than leather

But when she opens her mouth

Her soft words are soft like a feather

When I pieced it together

I was dead like an opossum

I realized quickly that

Susan is legitimately awesome

BEST MOM ON EARTH!

Thanks Mom for being born! HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY!!! We love you sooooo much!

Happy 34th Anniversary To Us!

Today marks 34 years together... now there is something to celebrate! Happy Anniversary Blaine! I love you forever.

New Blog

So, as much as I enjoy putting up all of my posts twice (once on this blog and once on the Walton family blog), I've finally decided to start our own family blog. I still plan to post on here occasionally if there's something meant only for family members.

Here's the link:

http://russanneburnettfamily.blogspot.com/

Ashlyn is always full of questions. Recently many of her questions have been about Jesus. It's obvious that she is really beginning to think about Him more. She often requests to hear the story about "when Jesus died" and she'll make statements like, "We believe in Jesus, don't we, Mom."

This morning she asked me when we get to live with Jesus. I told her we get to live with him in heaven after we die. Then she said, "I'm so excited to live with Jesus! Jesus will say, 'Hello, Ashlyn.' And I will be one of the children."

It's very rewarding, as a parent, to observe these seeds of testimony beginning to grow.

Good Manners

Brenna Updates

Brenna turned 15 months yesterday and got to visit the doctor and get three shots in celebration! At her 12 months visit she weighed 18 lbs 11 oz. Yesterday she weighed in at 19 lbs 3 oz. A gain of 8 oz over 3 months is not so good. Her weight was up in the 50th percentile until the 12 month visit, when it had dropped to the 20th. Now it's down in the 5-10% range. The pediatrician was ready to send her to a GI specialist, until I mentioned that Brenna has been sick almost constantly for the past month. So, we'll hold off on too much worry for now. She'll be adding one can of PediaSure to her daily diet for the next three months, at which point we'll re-evaluate where she's at.

Last week we picked up Brenna's very first pair of braces. They are called DAFOs, which stands for Dynamic Ankle Foot Orthosis. The point of the braces is to stabilize her ankles when she's standing and walking (which only happens with adult support at this point) and to make sure she's positioned correctly. She usually puts up a fuss when I'm strapping them on, but doesn't seem to mind once they're in place.

When I took her in to get cast for the braces we got to choose the padding color, the velcro color, and the strap pattern.

Brenna has recently begun folding her arms for prayers (and at various other times throughout the day as well). It's basically the cutest thing you've ever seen.

Easter Weekend

We had a fabulous Easter weekend here in Delaware!

Saturday morning the girls found all the goodies the Easter bunny had left for them.

Brenna got some tasty Froot Loops in her eggs.

New outfits!

After the Easter basket fun we drove to DC so Mom & Dad could go to the temple (on their anniversary). The girls had fun playing with cousins Kelly and Ashley.

Brenna had fun smearing a partially eaten M&M all over her face on the way home.

The girls looked lovely on Sunday morning (though Brenna, who was getting over a cold, wasn't too thrilled about taking pictures.)

But Kaylee and Ashlyn cooperated nicely. :)

Two Weeks of Fun

Day 1 Brenna: throws up 4 times during the night

Day 3 Kaylee: feels sick, stays home from church

Day 4 Kaylee: wakes up coughing hoarsely, high fever, visits the doctor

Day 5 Kaylee: coughs constantly, stays home from school

Day 6 Kaylee: coughs constantly, stays home from school

Day 9 Brenna: feverish, fussy, won't eat, won't sleep

Day 10 Brenna: feverish, fussy, won't eat, won't sleep, visits the walk-in clinic = ear infection

Day 11 Brenna: feverish, fussy, won't eat, won't sleep, hates amoxicillin

Ashlyn: falls asleep on floor, head aches, throws up (during Pres. Monson's talk)

Day 12 Ashlyn: head aches, mouth hurts, throws up

Day 13 Brenna: teething, fussy, won't sleep

Ashlyn: diarrhea

Day 14 Brenna: teething, fussy, won't sleep, runny nose, congestion, coughing

Ashlyn: runny nose, congestion, coughing

Someone PLEASE tell me they'll all be healthy and normal again soon!

Kaylee LOVES to draw and color and write.

Here is a paper she did while she was home sick this week.

Front: Mom & Dad getting married

Back: "Dear Mom and Dad I LOVE you and Ashlyn and Brenna and God and JjCc (Jesus Christ) and I LOVE Me"

shingles update

For your viewing pleasure...
  this was how it looked last Wednesday.


and on Friday...


and today...


The cellphone photos don't make it look nearly as gross as it has been, but the blisters are healing over now. I've still got headaches, and blahs, but am able to keep normal food down, and am finally sleeping through most of the night. There's no way to know how this condition will proceed, since it seems to vary for everyone. I have to believe that since we caught it early, I will get ovet this sooner.

I appreciate the prayers you have offered in my behalf.
Love, Dad

all these things shall give thee experience...

I had a wonderful birthday celebration, and noticed a bit of a sore throat and aches in my neck and head towards the end of the day. We went to an all-day seminar on Monday, served in the temple Tuesday morning, and worked in the office that afternoon. All the while, I felt yucky, but I didn't know what else to do. So I plodded along, working in the office on Wednesday. My skin became tender, and my teeth became very sensitive on the right side, both signs of a sinus infection. I attended a board meeting Thursday night, but other than that, I was pretty worthless through Sunday. It was Ward Conference, and the choir was supposed to sing, so I endured through that, and went home right afterwards. Sunday afternoon, the blotches started forming. I did not want to endure another night without good rest, so we went into emergency. The doctor asked lots of questions, and then admitted she was concerned about the possibility of shingles.

Monday morning, I read up on shingles and found a definite match:

"The earliest symptoms of herpes zoster, which include headache, fever, and malaise, are nonspecific, and may result in an incorrect diagnosis. These symptoms are commonly followed by sensations of burning pain, itching, hyperesthesia (oversensitivity), or paresthesia ("pins and needles": tingling, pricking, or numbness). The pain may be mild to extreme in the affected dermatome, with sensations that are often described as stinging, tingling, aching, numbing or throbbing, and can be interspersed with quick stabs of agonizing pain."

"Eye involvement - trigeminal nerve involvement (as seen in herpes ophthalmicus) should be treated early and aggressively as it may lead to blindness. Involvement of the tip of the nose in the zoster rash is a strong predictor of herpes ophthalmicus"

Since by now, the rash had spread to from my right eye to the tip of my nose, I was convinced I needed to act quickly. (My nose, as you know, was already large enough without the added swelling  ;-)  We saw a doctor Monday afternoon, she prescribed acyclovir, and warned me to watch carefully for eye pain, light sensitivity, or blurred vision. If that develops, I will need an IV immediately.

Poor Susan -- about all she has done for a week is tend to my needs. What a blessing it is to have such a wonderful helpmeet for almost 34 years.

Sorry for the long diatribe, but I thought it would enhance your understanding of my situation. I humbly request your prayers in my behalf.