Christmas Eve



Oh how I love these kids!!!! I was so glad that Sol and Rose spent the night with us before our Christmas Eve event with Papa Richie and LynnLynn. I love love love having them around. I can't wait until Dean is ready to stay with us! LynnLynn made us all coordinating pajamas this year. They are fabulous.

Dean is one!

I can't believe our sweet baby Dean is one!!!! He might be the sweetest munchkin ever and we adore him so.

Christmas with Friends

Emmy was determined to have a Christmas party for her friends this year. We had so much fun and I am so glad that we agreed to do it.  Sweet kids! I bought a fountain in hopes that we could do a cheese fountain. However.... Emmy insisted on chocolate. It was chocolate for each of our Christmas gatherings. I am still waiting on my nacho cheese fountain; maybe for my birthday????

First grade

We are so lucky to have the best first grade teacher ever. 

When I grow up...

"I want to be a police girl. You know the ones that show their bellies and wear bright lipstick". 

--Emmy Ruth Burton, fall 2013

Lucas's birthday

Generous soul

We went to Jonesboro on Thanksgiving to spend the day with John's family. We usually stay in a hotel room when we are there so we can get in some good pool time at an indoor pool. While there, Emmy started her Christmas list but on one of the hotel notepads. I mentioned that she might want to add something about Santa remembering all the other kids in the world too.

The next day, I told her we needed to work on her real list--you know the one that was in true letter format, just another chance to work on her penmanship, I thought. She told us she didn't want anything from Santa. She was afraid that if he brought her anything, he would forget all the kids in the orphanages.

Of course, my heart tore. What had I done? I want her to a caring girl but I don't want to take away the magic of the holidays for her. We talked about how we could go buy gifts together to take to the orphanage and we talked about all the charitable things we do already. Still nothing.

This morning, she asked why there were no presents for her under our tree. I reminded her that she said she didn't want anything and she reminded me that she said she didn't want Santa to bring her anything but I still could. Then it hit me.

The little twerp just doesn't want to have to write a letter.

The big decision

We are talking about refinishing our attic to add a loft bedroom for Emmy. We thought of having a master suite but seriously, there is no way we are going to be upstairs and give Emmy a better opportunity to sneak out in a few years. Our house (which we love and just can't stand to leave) has only one bathroom and we are in desperate need of another one.

This morning when I got up at 4am as I always do, I walked past Emmy's room, thought "wow, someone should really sleep in that room" and then got back in bed with John and Emmy. I would love to come up with a great story about how we co-sleep because it helps her become a more confident child but honestly, it is just because we are lazy and selfish. It started out innocently enough. We brought her home from the hospital and John was sick that first night. I looked at that baby and burst into tears because I didn't know what to do. I slept with her in the bed in her room that night. And we've been together ever since. There was the one time when she was learning to scoot and she scooted up and over my pillow and head and off the side of the bed. We woke up to her crying and couldn't find her and she was sticking feet up out of the trashcan by the bed.

Emmy and I rush through the days together and we take it out on each other. A lot. The mornings are a fight everyday. We rush and fuss from the time we wake until I walk her to the door at school, about 1.3 miles from door to door. I don't even get kisses anymore and sometimes I get a hug. The PE teacher who helps the carpool line laughs with me but she's a Tennessee fan so I really can't understand her well. Every morning, I get into my car, exhale deeply, lay my head on the steering wheel and say a prayer that tomorrow will be better. I cry some mornings. Then I call Daddy and he calms me down to start the rest of my day. After school varies from cheerleading practice, Girl Scouts, gymnastics and Sparks, then we get to hit the homework bricks hard and heavy. Once I discover it is past her bedtime, we are ready to crash into sleep.

So we all pile into our king size bed and sleep. The king size bed we bought a couple of years ago because we weren't comfortable in our queen size bed. Around midnight I look over at her blond waves of hair and her sweet face and I am just so thankful she is here and mine. A little latter, she rolls over and her arm wakes me when it wops me in the ear. I notice that she smells like her daddy because she has been snuggled against him for a couple of hours. When I get back in bed after my 4am bathroom trip, she flips over and her feet are on our pillows. Her stinky, yucky, rotten feet. I can't believe how lucky we are that those stinky feet are the same ones that dance in our living room with mad skills.

We are talking about refinishing the attic with a bedroom loft because it just sounds silly to refinish the attic with a bathroom loft.

Halloween!

Our sweet little girl had another fun Halloween. First she dressed up as Lalaloopsy's Mittens. We had two carnivals in one day--at school and our church--but the costume didn't quite make it through as well as she did.

The second costume of the season was Layla from Teen Beach Movie. Emmy has loved this movie and has decided she relates more as a biker than as a surfer. Here she is at the third carnival of the year. She is such a sweet, sweet mess!

Peek a boo

Oh how we love Dean!

Just hanging. Watching TV.

And how else would you watch TV? I love how she is is gently rubbing his head. 

Princess Bill Burton

Sweet Bill. 10/16/98 - 10/17/13. She wasn't always sweet but she was our first baby. And as Emmy says, she's the only one in our family that will eat my cooking. Our home seems a lot more quiet tonight.