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.

Spelling words

Emmy has her first list of spelling words for the year. There are twelve of them and one night she has to write sentences with six of them and the next night she has to write sentences with the other six of them. The words are pretty simple like “back”, “dad”, “can”, etc. I especially like these two sentences that she wrote:

 

“Can you dig it?”

“My dad has a hairy back.”

 

Her challenge words for the week were “Tennessee” and “onomatopoeia”. Thankfully she told me what onomatopoeia means.

Magic Springs

We wanted to get in one more hoorah before summer really ended so we headed to Magic Springs. I can't believe how much we love it each time we go but this time was really special. Emmy loves Coco Jones from Disney and she was performing in concert. Emmy and I got soaked on our second ride of the day and then she talked me into riding the roller coasters.

And she promptly fell asleep at the concert. They told us that Coco would be signing autographs so we of course got in line. Sadly, the line got a little to dangerous so Emmy had to hang out with daddy while I braved it for her. I felt a little silly when it was my turn and I was 37 years old getting her autograph with no kid with me. But, the girl was happy so the mama is happy!

 

Emmy Talk

I found this box of devotionals for little girls that we started reading together last night. The first one was about a little girl who disobeyed and one of the followup questions in the devotional was asking if you have ever disobeyed. Emmy said “oh yeah! That is the story of my life!” Sadly, I can’t argue with that too much.

 

We are heading to Magic Springs this weekend and as we packed, I asked Emmy what swimsuit she wanted to take. She said, “my two piece of course, I don’t want my belly getting hot”. No, we certainly don’t want that.

 

Battle of Wills

I want to remember exactly the frustration I felt with this girl last night. One day when she is a successful woman and has a child of her own, I want to be able to remember exactly the way she made John and I feel last night.  We have struggled consistently with her attention span and getting her to want to read. I have attributed it to her not being very strong at it so she doesn’t have a  great desire to do it. I can’t say much about that—I am a self-professed numbers nerd; I was never strong in literary sciences. I want her to love to read and I want her to strive to excel in each and everything but that is about as far as we are getting—I want.

 

We struggle with pushing too hard and it being an issue that she hates while also requiring her to learn and it ends up being a delicate balance. Sunday night, we gave in and let her skip some of her work because we knew she was tired and I was afraid that we were fighting a losing battle. That meant that we had to do that work last night. So, we drew our lines and I told her not to get up from the dining room table until she was ready to read and she said she wasn’t reading. And both of those things happened. She sat there until it was time for bed. This morning, I woke her and carried her back to the chair. She had just a tiny bit of her homework that is due today to finish. Eventually, she did it and I told her when we get home from school today she gets back in the chair until the other work is done.

It is going to be a long week around the Burton Manor.

Mona Lisa

Emmy's class has been talking about the Mona Lisa. This afternoon, I found this drawing on her dry erase board. 

Gibson

The week before school started, I took off a couple of days off work to spend with Emmy. We mainly hung out around town and did the tour of Gibson. I was teasing that I wanted to see that daddy really worked. Emmy said she knew he worked because every day he comes home "with dirty hands and he stinks". She was such a rock star on the tour since so many of the guys working knew her. She got lots of attention and she oh so loves that!

1st grade

Oh how are we here already???? I am so very sad for some of our friends who didn't get the teacher they wanted. My heart is broken for them but torn because we are so very happy that we did. Last year was such a struggle for us and we really needed a great first year. One day she is going to first grade and the next she wants to walk home by herself. So of course I drove slowly beside her half the block home. 

Rose's birthday

Our Rose Ryan is four!!!

Camping!!!



Camping was never something we did growing up. We always went on family vacations but not camping like lots of folks did. I did go a few years ago with the Salinases but we had a camper. This was my first real-in a tent on the ground-camping trip.  And it was wonderful!!!!!!!! I can't quite get the pictures in any order but the general ideas are there.

 

 

Emmy got some hair treatments.

Jorge and John surveying the swimming area.

Busy time while waiting to get to the water!

 

We were about to get on the paddleboats and got one last quick picture.

 

I am not sure what this face was about from Lu.

Oh these two. Love, love, love.

Again. A famous Lu face.

Emmy is ready to ride.

Smores. Lazy.

 

John was an excellent kid chunker at the swimming hole.

 

Oh this one. Best Buddies.

We were the first to wake this morning. Emmy was patiently waiting for the rest of them to be ready to play.

 

 

We had bacon for breakfast and Emmy made herself a bacon sandwich with tomatoes that Papa Richie sent her.