Keys anyone?

I know I'm marathon posting and y'all might actually get sick of it, but there have been some stories over these last couple of weeks that have to be told :). Our youngest, Molly, has a fascination with food and keys. She is relatively calm and entertains herself, but if it involves taking keys or food away a HUGE meltdown of epic proportions ensues. There is no calming her down. Last week my big set of keys went missing. I immediately knew little hands had taken off with them and wrongly assumed they would be easy to find. Out of necessity I grabbed my extra set and resumed life as always. However, out of precaution I didn't put the trash out....just in case. This was Friday. Over the weekend we looked and looked and, well, you get the idea. No success. Monday morning rolled around and we were hurriedly getting dressed as usual. I left Mary Ella in the mud room tieing her shoes and went to put the two younger ones in the car. I heard Mary Ella say, "Wait!" and she slammed the door. My heart began to race and I looked at Addy and said, "please, tell me Mary Ella is not in the garage?" Addy, hesitantly shook her head, "yes" knowing with the look on my face that this couldn't be good. We were locked out. My keys and cell phone inside the house. No extra key outside b/c I had just taken it up while Scott was out of town. It was 7:48 and the bell rang at Mary Ella's school at 8am....not good. I sat there for a minute wondering what on Earth I was going to do and then a thought....I grabbed Mary Ella's back pack and walked all three of the kiddos down to our friend's house, the Phillips. Erin opened the door and thankfully she let me take her car while the other two kiddos stayed at her house. We got there as the bell rang and I returned to their house where I found my other two playing happily inside. Monday just happens to be the day Erin stays home, she is a physician at the same clinic as Scott, and Chris, her husband had not gone to work yet. Thankfully, he took me up to the hospital to get Scott's keys as Erin continued to watch the two youngsters. I finally got everything settled and was more determined than ever to solve the key mystery. I decided I needed to search the outside trash and they were in the first bag I looked in. Molly must have thrown them in there during one of my (many) distracted moments. So two things to be thankful for:

1. The Phillips who totally saved me
2. The fact that I had the forethought to not put the trash out last Friday

Outside time

These were taken on one of the last cooler days of Spring while Scott was studying. Mary Ella is learning to climb trees which means Addy is trying to climb trees :)

Then, Mary Ella had to take a picture with my camera. Have you noticed I'm always in a black jogging suit? I guess it can be considered my uniform.

They were drawing with chalk and I was reading a magazine. I turned around and saw Mary Ella had drawn this:

My heart melted.

I know some of you noticed they are all dressed alike. As a mother of three girls, I have learned the genius behind this. At first I thought people did this to create uniformity between the kids and cuteness. Don't get me wrong....I think it is cute to dress them alike every once in a while. But here's the deal:

1. It decreases the arguments of "Why didn't you get me that sweater and I want to wear what she's wearing."

2. It makes shopping easier....I find something I like and say, "I'll take three of those please"

3. In a crowd, it makes them easier to spot because they NEVER head out in the same direction. It's like playing "where's Waldo?" with the Burlison girls

So I've quickly learned that dressing them all in the same clothing actually makes sense sometimes, but I have to admit....it is pretty darn cute too. Trust me, they all assert their individuality in other ways :).

We are the Church.....

In the Fall, Mary Ella saw the kiddos in the Cherub Choir perform in the sanctuary. She said she wanted to do choir, so in January, she began. This was performed during the traditional service, so they donned robes and all. It was Children's Sunday and the older choir kiddos did a musical. It was SO cute and they did such a great job! Mom, you will recognize their little "robes"....I'm pretty sure I remember wearing these in the church I grew up in :).

Re-engaged

Our poor blog is suffering from neglect and SO much has happened! Scott completed his marathon study sessions by taking his oral board exam in New York City (now you know every time I type or say that I make it sound like the Picanti sauce commercials for some twisted reason!). Anyways, he won't get the results for another few weeks and hopefully before our Vegas trip :). In the midst of all that stuff was preparation for Mary Ella's dance recital and her first church choir performance. Some small details are that Molly's nose continues to drain like a river and an hour before Scott arrived home Addy gave herself the biggest shiner I've ever seen on a kid by running full steam into the corner of our dining room table. Yes, it's always gotta be something. If only I could get her to look forward while she is running :). I've taken pictures. When Scott left to take his boards, I think we all began to deflate. Mary Ella cried and prayed for "free time" to return with her daddy, I had to explain to Addy that planes don't get lost in the sky like balloons do, and I, myself, had a few tearful moments knowing when Scott returned home he would be free from all the shackles and chains. I know the questions looms, "how does he think he did?" Well, I tell ya, no one comes out of those jumping for joy. In fact, most come out thinking they've failed. So, I'm not sure that Scott necessarily thinks he failed....he just doesn't know or have a "feel" for it one way or the other. We shall see and hopefully it will be sooner rather than later.

We held a "surprise" party for him upon his return and the kiddos made signs. Well, Addy and Mary Ella did. Molly ate the crayon....literally.

We tucked everyone into bed that night and just hung out together. At 5:15am the next morning Addy was crying on the stairs with a HIGH fever. Of course, Motrin did the trick, but Addy had to stay home from school. At least she could spend time with dad and I escaped to run errands child free (ahhhhhh!) :).

Right after the table jumped in front of her

2 days later....

Fortunately Addy's fever was short-lived and we were able to get on with the rest of the cuteness that awaited us....Mary Ella's recital and church choir performance. At first Mary Ella was just excited to wear make-up for the recital, but as soon as it was over (she did SO great by the way), she came up to me and said, "I want to do this FOREVER!" And, yes, I cried watching her up there.

After the recital, Scott decided to take care of some unfinished business with an armadillo that has made a home in our flower bed Uggggh!








....and he WON!










Below is a picture of Mary Ella's entrance into the sanctuary. I'll post the video later

We are so excited to be resuming family activities and having Scott join us. Although relieved to have it behind him, I can tell he sometimes feels a little lost thinking he's forgetting to do something :). More to come....

Spring to it

Spring has sprung at home. The flowers are blooming, the yard is getting greener, and the calendar is getting fuller. Spring is truly a phenomena. For as long as I can remember, Spring comes with a busyness like no other season. And the odd thing is....I can't possibly account for what creates all the busyness. Truly, I just know I'm one busy chic in the Spring. We celebrated Easter, went to church, lunch, then Scott was off to study. Only SEVEN more days until he leaves for New York City! Yay! It is very difficult to wrap my mind around what all these young docs have to endure to get their certifications. I'm not playing the violin or anything (this time), but there are people who look at the "life" of a doctor and think it all just fell in their lap. It has taken Scott 15 years of countless study/work hours, sleep deprivation, little social interaction and excessive federal government borrowing to get to this point. It is truly a marathon and we are proud for this "last" milestone of all his training. Hard to believe in TEN days he will no longer be handcuffed to his books. I'm thinking I need to cross the Smith County border to make sure he has an ice cold beverage to sit and enjoy when he gets home....

I love this picture of Scott and his littlest, baby girl...Molly Kate

On Saturday night, we got the kiddos ready for bed. Addy's apprehension was growing and Scott and I were a little perplexed by our "fearless" one's behavior. She asked if Mary Ella could sleep in her room and of course we said, "yes". We got to her room and she quietly climbed into her bed (again, "quietly climbing" is very out of character) and covered her head with a blanket. She wouldn't even come out for hugs and kisses! Then it hit me...she was scared the Easter bunny was going to come in her room. We assured her this was not going to happen and gave hugs and kisses to a blanketed head. Scott and I were trying to hold back the laughter as we exited the room. Addy then yelled, "Close the door!" Ok, the child NEVER wants her door closed! We granted the wish and off to a sleepy slumber they went. We awoke to a very dark sky and we realized it was almost 8AM!!!! BONUS! All the kids slept in. Usually we just hope they all make it to 7AM, but 8!?! Yes, it is the little things. As a result of the rain, the bunny had to leave the eggs in a basket instead of outside. How considerate....

Our three girls...our angels!

If this were a large picture you would see the drainage seeping from Molly's nose and the chocolate smudges on Addy's dress. I'm beginning to think our Molly suffers from some East Texas outdoor allergies. Funny how perspective has changed. I remember being down in Galveston with all my sweet friends and staying in practically ALL winter because of Mary Ella's recurring snotty nose. I was afraid to take her out in public. One instance in particular was when I was on my way to a baby shower for one of my friends at Vicki's. I heard a sneeze in the back seat and looked back to find snot all over Mary Ella's face. I ran into Vicki's house dropped off the plates and refused to stay (remember this, Vicki?). Vicki, a mother of four, looked at me and said, "I just don't think a snotty nose is that big of a deal." She did not persuade me and I left anyways. I just couldn't be that person who brings a snotty-nosed kid everywhere. Well, Vicki, NOW I GET IT! It is totally impossible to quarantine a snotty nosed child and it is, in fact, "just a snotty nose". Life can not and will not stop. So now, if you see me with all my children...chances are at least one of them will have drainage and if this is all they have, it is believe it or not...a good day. Funny, I spent all that time inside that Winter and Mary Ella still kept getting infected. I have found the same to be true for all our children, but miraculously by age 3 it is not nearly as persistent as the earlier years. Guess, they just have to build up their defenses.

All in all we had a wonderful Easter and am totally enjoying the fact that my girls are loving their church. I love watching them run up and down the hallways with the same familiarity as they have at home. It is such a blessing. God bless you and we hope you and your family had a wonderful Easter as well. We are so blessed to have all of you in our lives!

Happy Birthday Grandmother!

I'm two days late posting this grandmother. Wish we could have been there to celebrate with you. Thank you for all you do when we all decend upon your house and all the love you give. You truly do inspire us all. Love you very much xoxoxo

Hey, I ain't perfect, ya know???

Well, today was one of those days. It shouldn't have been because we started the day off at an AWESOME worship service with wonderful music by the christian band Luminate. Check them out....they are some neat guys. Anyways, Scott was on call yesterday, so he came in this morning, helped me get the kids ready and off to church. For whatever reason trying to get three little girls dressed and out the door is never routine. I pick out outfits, tights, shoes, and even bows the night before then something always comes up. A shoe that was previously on the foot is now missing, a dirty diaper, a need to use the restroom, or this morning it was, "my booty is hurting real bad momma" resulting in a booty inspection (isn't motherhood glamorous???). Scott stayed home to sleep and we arrived home in time to see him off to study. It was hard not to resent this darn test at that moment because I was feeling the fatigue taking over knowing I needed a break, but couldn't take one. Yes, I was beginning to feel sorry for myself. We are both tired...he's tired of studying....I'm tired of, well, holding things together without him and the kiddos are probably tired of me and missing their daddy too. I felt like I was two steps behind the kids all day...literally. The drive to keep up was not there. I was slow to react resulting in more boundary testing and then when I did react...well, let's just say I wasn't that nice about it. No spanking or anything like that, just the impatient tone in my voice was ever-present today. I was just "blah". It is a good thing days like this don't happen very often around here and I'm not even sure why I felt the need to share it...just keepin it real, ya know??? Thank goodness God's grace is sufficient to wash it all away. Now I just need to get off this computer and let Him! Glad tomorrow is a new day.