What we've been up to...

We went to the Main Street Festival in Franklin last weekend.... Very crowded, but fun!

Harper has been as happy as ever, but has decided that sleep is something she can do without....day or night...

Grace has been loving her 'new' chair, and has learned how to make it work as a slide, trampoline, and a chase lounge.

Harper has been honing her reading skills... and here has made it to page 3.

As well as charming people with those blue eyes and little grin. She gets a lot of attention that way. Smart Girl.

I've refinished a little cabinet and it looks really cute, if I must say so myself!

And I have been sewing dresses! Fun, stress relieving, and it is an activity that has a start, an end and you get to see a cute finished product.... Unlike all the other tasks I do: laundry, dishes, diapering etc.

And that's what's been going on in the Burton household as of late. Riveting, I know.....

Walmart Faux Pas

Today is shopping day in our household... groceries... blah. We went to Walmart, the one-stop-shop. Why do I do this???... as something always goes wrong!

Grace loves the carts with the 2 kid seats on the front, so we got one... she can get in and out as she pleases, so we set up some ground rules: "If you stay in your seat the whole time, you can help me check out when we are done!" (Self Check-Out, a wonderful thing... when a 2 year old can do it, you really wonder about those people who have to call for help 100 times... another story...)

Anyways, to keep herself entertained throughout the store, Grace decides to say "HEEYYYY" to everything. For example; "Hey pudding! Hey corn! Hey lobsters! Hey cookies!..." -you get the idea, she is waving and the whole shebang.

We get to the do-it-yourself line and she has been wonderfully good the whole time, so I tell her that she can unbuckle herself and get out of the cart to help me check out. Meanwhile, there is another mom across from us with 2 kids buckled into the front of the cart, I overheard her tell them that they could NOT get out.

Grace is happily climbing down, and notices some lollipops behind the buggy with the trapped kids in it.... Not really noticing the kids, Grace yells: "HEEYYYYY SUCKERS!" (pronounced: suckaaaaas!) while waving with 2 hands, right in the direction of the children across the way.

I don't think I've ever been given a look like this woman gave me... I did not explain...

she probably gave her children a lecture in the car on the way home about 'those kind of people.'

Oh well, I thought it was hilarious.

Panties Please

Yesterday Grace and I went on a little shopping adventure. We both had on dresses. First stop was Best Buy. If you know anything about best buy on the weekends, it is populated with tons of men. I was picking up a copy of Photoshop and had found that BestBuy.com had a better price. We were at the service desk getting a price match when Grace decided that she wanted to look at my bottom...! Yes, that's what I said... So, up my dress flew! I quickly caught it so as not to show my entire butt to the men in best buy...about that time Grace says very loudly: "MOM, you don't have on any PANTIES!?"
My face was turning beet red, and I answered... "Yes, Grace, Mommy has on panties, thank you." and she responds: "Why you not have on panties? Where is your bottom.... I see it?..."
There is a rather large, hairy man behind us in line and I did not make eye contact wit him, but I could hear him chuckling under his breath. We finished our transaction and walked out. My eyes were glued to the floor. The entire walk to the door, Grace would not stop asking why I did not have on panties... I was totally embarrassed... as we walk out the door, of course, the alarm sounds! The security guy just waves us through, trying not to bust out laughing himself.

As we were driving to another store, I told Grace that it wasn't polite to pull up mommy's dress in public, and that it wasn't necessary for her to look at my bottom.... and that we shouldn't talk about panties for everyone to hear... She polietly says, "OK, mom..."

We shopped around for a few minutes, picked out Chris some shorts, and were in line to check out. Grace turns to the lady behind us and says..."Do YOU have on panties...?"

She polietly answers, "Yes, I do have on panties.... do you?"

Grace responds "NO, I don't wear panties." (but forgets to add that she still wears a diaper) "Mommy doesn't have on any panties either..."

"YES, Grace, I DO have on panties....and remember, it isn't polite to talk about panties in public....and no, you can't look at my bottom, thank you."

(The lady just died laughing.....thankfully.)

$5.99 and a few hours......

I had a great day yesterday with mom and the girls... We did some bargain shopping at my new favorite place: The Goodwill Outlet. This is one of the (many) things I found.... An over-sized Pottery Barn Kids Anywhere Chair for less than $6! One might say "Well, Jamie...it's pretty stained and last time I checked, none of your kids are named Kaitlyn!" No Problem! I just appliqued over it!
I think it turned out pretty cute. When I get tired of this, I can always order a new slipcover...(on sale, of course...) the insert alone is $90- without a slipcover!
I told Chris last night that I was his answer to a bad economy (well, God first and then me...) I hate to brag, but what can I say...? I'm just good.




Just a side note: I spent around $20 and got 2 mens shirts, 3 shirts for me, 3 outfits for Harper, a few things for Grace, this chair, 4 pillow covers, 2- 26 x26 pillow covers, a purse for Grace, an awesome Fossil tote that looks like it's never been used, a sweater...and some adidas work out shorts. (I may be missing a few things...) But can you believe it?

Let's Talk...

Don't really have anything profound to share, but I just thought this picture was very cute. I can just see Grace Ann saying... "Ok Harper, let's talk..." And Harps looks like she's about to bust out a word or two doesn't she?

These 2 really do have a sweet relationship. Last night Harper was crying and Grace takes Harper's head in her hands and says "But Harper, don't cry, because I LOOOVVEEE you. "

Harper already watches and takes in everything Grace does... I just hope we are over the tantrum phase before Harper begins to imitate everything she does. Prayers please.

Goose Eggs......Um, I mean Easter Eggs

Look at that shiner! What a lovely time to receive your first facial injury...right? The night before Easter Sunday! Oh well, it had to happen sometime. Grace got a little too excited about finding Easter eggs with her cousins and forgot that there were 2 steps she had to go down before hitting level ground... Well, she fell eye first on the aggregate sidewalk. OUCH. Poor thing, she had a mini meltdown, but got over it enough to pick up some eggs later in the evening.
I did wake her every 2 hours through the night just to make sure the swelling wasn't too much and she didn't have a concussion. But she seems to be fine.
Here's our first matching outfit picture. I just happened upon a small version of a smocked dress that grace had... it was on clearance, so I got it for Harper... and look how cute they look!

Along with the Easter celebration, we also celebrated Mary Tom's (Chris' great-great aunt I think) 102nd birthday... YEP, that would be 1-0-2.... can you believe it?

Lovin' on Harps...

Love this little lamb outfit

And the elusive family picture. This may be the first one we've taken since Harper was born.

Love/Hate Relationship

I have a love/hate relationship with hockey. While I love it because it pays the bills, my husband is able to work in sports, which he loves... and Grace Ann loves the games... it requires a TON of time. Now that hockey season is drawing to a close... (maybe... maybe not, depending on playoffs) we get to actually see Chris... but I may miss the games a little bit....and I know Grace will!

The first picture is of Grace as she saw Gnash ('mash') walking by... she loves him... and the second is the only picture I could get that was clear... all the others were blurred because the whole time we are there, she can't seem to stop jumping around and screaming "GO PRE-DA-TORS!"

She will miss the games too. She even likes to watch them on TV. Funny. But as soon as hockey is over... she gets to play golf with daddy every day after work... so I'm sure she'll get over her sadness pretty quick!

Season

I've been hanging onto this word for several weeks now. Season, it is one of promise and hope, a reminder that things will not stay as they are forever; that things will change, sometimes for better, sometimes for worse; it conjures up images of growth, renewal, happiness and sometimes heart ache.

The past 8 weeks or so have been frustrating, draining and hard. Mentally, I've been fighting off feelings of discontentment and discouragement. I can't put my finger on a particular reason. I've asked the ladies in my Bible study to pray that I will enjoy the girls, that I will enjoy this SEASON of my life and cherish the moments because things won't be like this forever. And honey, when these ladies pray about something, you better be ready for an answer, because they will storm the gates of heaven on your behalf.

The day after I shared my request (this was a couple weeks ago now) the posture of my heart and mind began to change. I am not longing quite as much for 'something else,' I am becoming content in the place where the Lord has me right now. I am not feeling inadequate because I am not 'out there making a difference in the world.' I am feeling more fulfilled by God and in my role as a mom and wife. For some reason I never thought I'd be the "stay at home mom type," and maybe I'm not... but I am feeling like this is where I need to be for this moment. The truth of the matter is that it is only a MOMENT, a SEASON. In less than 5 years, both of the kids will be going to school, and my days won't be filled with the things that they are now. In some ways, that sounds refreshing to me, but it's also a realization that this time is so short!

I have a hard time convincing myself sometimes that God is glorified in the tasks of motherhood as much, if not more than in the pursuits of a career... How could piles of laundry, scrubbing poop out of the carpet, and endlessly picking up the house be glorifying to God? I have to remind myself pouring into the lives of my children will impact them forever. The mundane things that I am doing all day and night are shaping their hearts and minds in ways they may never know. No one knows, or frankly cares about how many times I've scrubbed the toilet, or how many clothes I've folded, diapers I've changed... But God knows.... and it matters to Him.

I am just clinging to the fact that this time in my life is a SEASON... and when the kids are in elementary school, or (...CRINGE..) teenagers....I will probably long to just hold them, rock them, and hear "A is for Apple, B is for Borbin... and D is for doodle-bug" (even for the 1000th time).

So my prayer will continue to be that the Lord would make me aware that all this matters to Him; that each day I get with these kids is a blessing, and it is only a SEASON, time that I won't get back once it is gone.

Ecclesiastes 3:1
" There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven."

Ann's Outfit and Belly Laughs...

Before she died, Chris' mom hand picked baby gifts for all of her children's children...Isn't that precious? I have always been touched by the fact that she shopped for and picked out something that she thought was beautiful and special for each of them. I will always cherish the gift.

It's Harper's turn to be photographed in the little outfit! I am going to put up a couple pictures of her in it, and also 2 of Grace wearing it. They are almost exactly the same age in the pictures... maybe a week or two apart. Do you think they look alike?

Also, just for documentation sake, Harper had her first real belly laugh this week. Tuesday night (March 31) she busted out laughing while watching Grace act crazy! Chris was holding her at the time, so we all got to hear and see it! It was adorable. I ran to get the video camera, but by the time I got back she'd stopped! Of course!

The one above and below are Grace Ann at the same age (around 3 months).