Introduction

Apr. 20, 2008

A blue ribbon

Jameson found a blue ribbon in my goodwill pile.  He found many uses for this ribbon, but the one that tickled me the most was when he asked me to put it on his head.  He thought he was quite cute! When I told him he looked a little like a girl he informed me that he was not a girl.  He was a boy!  Phew!

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Apr. 20, 2008

Destination Greenville!

Saturday morning Johnston got Jameson up, changed his diaper and got him dressed.  They had a mission.  They packed up their tent and climbed in their car with one place on their minds. Destination Greenville, SC! I'm happy to see that Johnston is driving carefully with his eyes shut.  Jameson thinking of his own safety fastens his seatbelt.

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Apr. 20, 2008

Moments to cherish!

Great-grandma and Jameson curled up under a blanket Friday.  They took this opportunity to watch a movie together.  It was so precious seeing them cuddled up tight!  Great-grandma sure loves that boy and that boy sure loves her! Jameson fought bravely to stay awake during the movie.  He was more then ready to head off to bed after it was over though. I'm so thankful that God has allowed for us to have this special time with Grandma.  We will always cherish these moments and hold them close to our hearts!  We love you Grandma!

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Apr. 20, 2008

Thank God for little men!

Thursday I decided to take down the bed in the guest room as it is becoming the boys new room.  This is usually Tim's domain, but with him in school I knew  I would have to wait until the end of this semester.  So I called Johnston in and asked his advice.  (Picture him standing a little taller and prouder!)  He informed me that he knew just what we needed and where the tools were.  Within a few minutes he was back with the exact tools needed for the job and he was more then willing to have me "help" him.  Sigh....tis wonderful to be taken care of so well while daddy is away. Jameson was not to be left out of his manly duties.  He was the keeper of the nuts and bolts! After all our hard work we rewarded ourselves by making a massive tent.  It turned out fabulous!  The boys have so enjoyed playing and sleeping in it this weekend. Memories of their grand adventures: Priceless!!!!

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Apr. 8, 2008

Goodwill Treasures!

On our adventures yesterday we went to a new Goodwill.  I browsed the shoes quickly and picked up a pair of sandals for Jameson to trash this summer for $2.60.  They were in great shape and the only thing he needed for the summer.  Having only a few minutes to shop I quickly scanned the books looking for anything that we might possibly want.  We found treasures I tell you...7 of them. We found 6 out of the 10 books from The Bible Story Series by Arther  S. Maxwell.  I wanted to buy this set when Johnston was little.  We had a few when I was young and I loved them!  So a few years ago I went online to price them and after seeing the price tag I decided it was not going to happen.  The price for the series is $179.99 for the paperback.  We got all 6  (hardcovers) in very good condition for $9.00!  I was so excited! Our last find was just as exciting! Johnston keeps checking this out from the library.  Now we don't have to!

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Apr. 6, 2008

Boys and Georgia Red Clay!

My boys have had the best time in the Georgia red clay  we have here.  They were so dirty I striped them at the door and put the same clothes on them the next day when they escaped from school.  Why wash a bunch of dirty boy clothes when they could easily put the same pants on before going out yet again the very next day.   Johnston had just done a dirt angel.  Sigh...I guess he'll need a bath now. They begged Daddy not to pressure wash the dirt off the driveway from the past Tornado storm we had.  Ok...maybe I did a little begging to...I mean how much fun does this look?  I'm not sure what they were doing, but they just sat there talking.  Making plans, talking shop, soaking up the sun....

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Apr. 5, 2008

Yet another year!

It seems like only yesterday that God placed you in our family.  A missing piece to our unique puzzle!  Getting a thrill from your first time in your bouncy toy. Not sure about your first time in the lake! You always had your tongue out! Your daddy loves you so much! You've had a few crazy hair days!  (Don King eat your heart out!) If you squeeze your eyes tight...it's not that scary!  You are ambitious! (We can't wait to see you conquer life.) You and your hats!  Don't roll your eyes...he's just trying to protect you.  (Jameson was running toward the street) Not just brothers, but best friends! Happy 3rd Birthday Peanut!  We all love you!

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Mar. 26, 2008

Wordless Wednesday!

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Mar. 4, 2008

How to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon!

I heard Sunday was going to be beautiful.  I couldn't think of anything better to do then sit outside and enjoy the sunshine. So I invited three friends for the boys to play with and they had a grand time. They gathered rocks to build with.   Our friend Christopher showed us how to start our rock fort. Johnston found he was brave enough to skate up our driveway and fly down it without injury! They pulled bikes, trikes and wheeled things up the drive only to peddle as fast as their little legs could down it!  I loved how Sahvana's curls flew as she came down the hill.  They played friendly neighborhood!  Jordyn kindly showed the "men" where the gas needed to go in their family car! I sat in the shade enjoying their laughter and dirty faces.  Tried to read a chapter in my book, but kept stopping to take pictures.  It was a beautiful day!

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Feb. 25, 2008

Trip to Greenville!

Saturday we visited our friends in Greenville, S.C.  It was beautiful!  We went and walked by the river downtown.  The boys loved the water and the park.  Johnston, Jameson and Miss Destiny! The kids loved climbing on these rocks.  There were a lot of ducks (white and mallard) and big geese swimming and sleeping on the rocks out in the river.  It was so cute..they were all paired up!  Can't wait to see all the babies this spring/summer swimming around with the parents! Destiny and Jameson posed by the rose bushes in the kids park on the river.  Johnston of course was off doing his own thing! Jameson pulling on Peter Rabbits ears! The three bears!  Well...they eat as much as three bears!  We will be having a picnic this Spring down on the grass!  It is so peaceful there. Thank you Uncle Kenneth for taking such great pictures of the kids.  We can't wait to come and explore Greenville with you all again soon!

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Feb. 18, 2008

Fun Friday!

Friday has turned into our run around day.  We always hit the library.  Sometimes the weather is nice enough to hit a park.  Since I have Great-Grandma with us we end up going someplace to eat.  This past Friday the weather was beautiful we ended up going to one of the parks by Lake Lanier before heading anywhere else. Johnston is so outgoing.  He invited this little girl to play with him and Jameson. Jameson was a prisoner!  He doesn't seem to unhappy about it.  (I have a feeling he escaped down a slide soon after this picture was taken!) Best buddies! I had to take a picture of these geese just to show you how low Lake Lanier is.  You can see the water in the background.  Last year these geese would have been paddling around right where they are. You can really see how low the water is in this picture.  The water should come right up to below the trees trees behind the boys. Jameson was very interested in how high he was.  He kept asking if he was going to  jump now.  Uh...no!!!!

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Feb. 14, 2008

Saving big on play food!

We play "restaurant' quite a bit at our house.  "Chef" Johnston whips up great feasts of imaginary food to feed us.  The kitchen counters are covered in all the pots, pans, utensils, and spices that he uses to make our fine meals.  He really gets into it...but always cleans up after himself! I thought about buying play food for us to use, but with Tim in school I just couldn't bring myself to spend money on a non-essential item.  However, I did have an inspiration which was received with great enthusiasm from the boys.   It turned into a fun project for us all! I took a Southern Living Magazine that was at the bottom of my MIL's magazine basket. We cut out any food items that looked good enough to eat.  (They really enjoyed this!) Then we used clear contact paper to make the "food" more durable. We cut them out.... Then we had a feast!  Don't forget dessert! When we were done we had about 30 different food items.  We put them all in a gallon ziploc bag.  I love that they take up no room at all to store and they were free!

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Feb. 7, 2008

Good clean fun!

Fresh from the shower fun!  The boys have turned our closet into their cave!  Johnston has taken up sleeping there as much as we will let him. More clean fun!  Jameson putting a few miles on his horse before calling it a night!

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Feb. 5, 2008

Outings with daddy!

Tim likes to surprise the boys by swinging by to pick them up on his lunch breaks.  I never know where they are going until they return.  Tim always takes the camera so I can enjoy the adventure as well.  Todays adventure was a trip to a local park.  The boys thoroughly enjoyed themselves! Why must slides be climbed?  Johnston claims it's the "shortcut". Our adventurous Jameson loves all types of slides! "He flies through the air with the greatest of ease...." Where Johnston goes....Jameson will follow!

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Feb. 4, 2008

Crock-pot Crazy!

Today Johnston and I played chef.  Which means while we got dinner into the crock-pot we talked with French accents and put "chef" in front of our names.  When we are really crazy we pretend we are taping our own show on the Food Network!  So much fun! (Thanks for this idea "chef" Destiny!) When I looked in the fridge this morning trying to see what I was going to make for dinner I found half a bag of broccoli that I buy in bulk from Costco.  Usually we don't seem to eat it fast enough and I end up throwing about a 1/4 of the bag away.  So there it was.....just looking at me.  We have had raw broccoli for almost two weeks straight and I personally was done with it.  Out of the corner of my eye I saw my crockpot and bells started ringing.  I could almost hear angels singing.  Ok...maybe not....but ideas started flying through my head. I hadn't done any shopping last week due to Tim's dad being in the hospital.  So I wasn't sure what I had that would work.  I grab a few things that I had around and we "created" a soup!  It turned out so good I had to post.  Johnston cut up two carrots. One large onion and the carrots ~  sauteed just slightly. Pouring the raw broccoli into the crock-pot. All ingredients must be taste tested for quality! Just about to stir in the cheese Johnston grated. Ready to eat!  It sure was yummy! Recipe: Raw Broccoli (just poured almost to the top of crock pot) 2 carrots (chopped and sauteed w/ butter) 1 large onion (chopped and sauteed w/ butter) 1 small can corn (will use frozen next time) 1 family size can of cream of mushroom soup (any cream soup would do probably) 1 soup can of milk About 2 cups of shredded cheese (we really didn't measure...might have been more) Salt Lots of garlic powder (only form of garlic my mil had at her house where I cooked dinner, will use minced garlic next time) *Throw everything in the crock-pot.  Stir.  Cook on high for 3-4 hours. **I'm going to play around with herbs next time and I might add celery and rice as well.

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Feb. 2, 2008

Update on Tim's dad!

This has been the longest week we've experienced in a long time.  Tim spent Tuesday thru Friday at the hospital from 8am to 6pm each day.  He was allowed a 30 min visit at 8, 11, 2, and 5.  The rest of the day was spent sitting in the waiting room with Dot (his step-mom).  As of today Tim's dad has made a miraculous recovery.  On Tuesday Burns (Tim's Dad) was put in ICU.  This is how things looked: 1. They didn't know where all the blood was coming from (vomiting, etc.)...but they replaced 5 pints of blood that morning. 2. He was on total life support 3. By 5pm they put him on 24 hour dialysis.  His kidneys had shut down. 4. His blood pressure was 85 over 40...when he got to the ER that morning they couldn't even get a reading.  This raised questions of how much damage, if any, did his heart have. They were able to get his blood pressure up a little by putting him on 4 different medications. 5. It also looked like he had a heart attack the previous day. Within the last 24 hours: 1. He has been taken off dialysis.  They still aren't sure if he will need to do dialysis for a while until his body get's back on track, but he is off right now and things are looking good. 2. His breathing tube was removed today. 3. He is almost off of the 14 meds that were helping his body function. 4. He was given another 2 pints of blood. 5. Asked for a cup of coffee. 6. They think he will be out of the ICU by this Monday.  Wednesday we were at the "need a miracle" stage.....today he gave Tim a note for the boys and me. It read: I heart JB, JJ and Bky 2.  Heart, Dad Translation: (I love Johnston Burns, Jameson Joe, and Becky too.  Love, Papa Burns) God is so good!!! JB & JJ with Papa Burns ~ Winter 2005

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Jan. 30, 2008

Happy Birthday Tim!

Today is Tim's 41st birthday!  Another year gone....another year in our sights.  Johnston and I had a whole day planned for our favorite daddy.  His favorite meals were arranged, notes for him to find throughout his day were ready, a fun after work activity to do, and a movie for us to watch after the boys were put in bed.  We've had to put this all on hold for a while.  Tim's dad was put in ICU yesterday morning.  He is in critical condition...with small improvement.  Tim being the man that I love has been a rock for his step-mom.  He hasn't left her side during this ordeal.  He even took her home last night so she could shower, change and try and get some sleep.  He stayed the night to make sure she was ok.  He is such a wonderful man.  This is definitely not the way one wants to spend their birthday though. I thought I would put a few pictures up of him with our boys. Tim saying hi to Jameson after being at work all day ~ June 2005 Tim w/ Johnston and the twins (friends of ours) at JumpZone for Johnston's 6th birthday ~ September 2006 Tim w/ Johnston and Jameson in our front yard ~ Fall 2006 I just love my guys ~ Spring 2007

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Jan. 23, 2008

It's smells clean in here!

So Johnston wanted to practice carving again today.  He got everything out and away he went.  He found that he could stab the knife through the soap and twist to make a hole.  He cut the bar in half,shaved part and chunked the other part.  Is he making anything in particular...ummm...no.  But he is doing something way better...he learning the feel of the knife, the feel of the object in his hand.  He's learning how much pressure to put to make different kinds of cuts and shapes in the soap.  Today he took it even farther...he became the teacher.  Jameson came over to inspect what Johnston was doing. "Feel the soap Jameson....squish it in your hand." "You have to hold the knife like this...here let me hold your hand..." "Now try it on your own...."  It helps to have a big brother apply pressure to actually make the knife cut through the soap.

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Jan. 21, 2008

Simply puzzling

Johnston enjoys puzzles.  He's the only person I've met that does puzzles from the inside out.  We haven't figured out why or how he can....but figure it only adds to his unique personality!  Does it really matter if one doesn't start with the border?  Once in the beginning of the puzzle era that I now find myself living in I  sat down to do a new puzzle with him.  I pulled all the border pieces out and put the the middle pieces across the table.  That's just the puzzle rules right?  I looked up to see Johnston standing there watching me with a strange look on his face.  He asked me what I was doing and why was I doing it?  It hit me  that I was just following the simple puzzle rule...start with the border and work from there.    No reason...no thought...just doing what I was taught and my mom was taught and so on.  I realized that I had never "taught" Johnston to do puzzles...he just took off from the wooden puzzles and kept going.  Since then we do puzzles together a few times a week and he starts with the middle and I start with the border...it works out quite well!!!!! I started a new puzzle the other day with Johnston and when I came back in from doing something I found Johnston perched on the table working away! (You can see my border started.)

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Jan. 21, 2008

For the love of shoes!

Jameson is in a shoe phase.  Every time I turn around he has someones shoes on.  So today I thought I would snap a few pics of him with my shoes on!  He loves to put them on and just walk around.   Forget the toys...he is  perfectly happy with a pile of shoes.  I'm blessed to have a 2 year old who is so easily amused. Who can resist this face?!?! "My toes are right here....they almost fit!" Someday I'll be trying on his shoes!

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