Fall Sickness = Photos by Tash

This fall, we have been bombarded with germ, bugs, sickness, ickiness, snot, etc. Everyone is currently healthy-Praise the Lord!- & we're trying to stay positive: the girls' immune systems are building up & everyday of yuck now will make them stronger plus less yuck later.

Unfortunately, sickness means staying home means CABIN FEVER for all, especially mommy! During one of these lovely homebound days, I stumbled upon a too cool, free app (thanks kevin!) that allows me to make my everyday jane pictures less mundane & pretty awesome! My picture taking ability is probably the equivalent of one of our girls. I really try, but i lack that natural picture taking ability that some, becca & cindi, have.

Anywho- these are some pictures on this cabin fever week & I kicked it back old school with some. my oh my have the girls grown & changed~ even stella in her short 9 months!
Stella James rubbing her face as she falls asleep.

Birthdays, Back-to-School, & Ball (Football that is)

Well, October 25th where did you come from & what did you do with August & September?
We hosted a Football kickoff party at our house earlier this season, when there was hope, & we had a wonderful time. Stella had lots of friends root on the Cowboys with her.
Sweet Stella is growing as I type and is still the best baby we've had or even known: she is so happy & easy going. What a blessing!

Not only have the months come & gone, but we celebrated Skylar & Piper's birthdays this summer. 5 & 3....Wow! What happened to this baby? Skylar is still a sweetheart & is such a big helper! Breakfast in bed started this year & I'm sure will become a Burks tradition. Piper is little miss independent & loves her sisters!
Both girls love school! We all do actually.... Both started off the school years bringing apples to their teachers-they were so excited!

M-I-C-K-E-Y-M-O-U-S-E

Our family trip to walt Disney world was wonderful! The girls had a blast & aside from the humidity the trip was great! Sweet Stella made rare appearances for pictures due to her napping, nursing, & being put to bed before our evening trips back to the parks.

Skylar & Piper were so excited to get their faces painted like princess kitties. it was well worth the time & money, even if sweet skylar wiped the whole masterpiece off her face before we had walked away from the face painting booth. Again humidity made faces melt & felt sticky-sky's defense for scrubbing face.

We had breakfast & lunch with the princesses. The girls LOVED it!
Rosie cheek Stella- she was such a trooper! She was able to ride on several rides & slept on the go through out the whole trip. We went to a BBQ & were able to dance with mickey & Co.


Skylar loves the Mad hatter tea cups. This year she wanted us to spin around really fast. Thankfully i didn't vomit!
We went out at night & had a lot of the rides to ourselves. No waiting! the girls did crash in the stroller on the trip home that night :)

Month of Milestones

What a whirlwind month it has been! And to think that I was worried that we would get bored this summer! Piper has grown up so much it the past couple of weeks. We kicked off the craziness with staying bye-bye to the pacifier. Stephen & I carefully planned the farewell to coincide with Stella's well check appointment with the pediatrician. Piper proudly walked in with a ziploc baggie filled with pacifiers, and with a grin, she handed them over to the doctor-she was "a big girl now"! She has only asked for a pacifier once since! With that awesome adjustment, we decided to just rip that baby bandaid right off-that weekend we converted her crib to a toddler bed & the following Thursday we had her first haircut.
Skylar (right) ,with cousin Callie, had a wonderful week at Nana & Papa camp! She stayed 3 nights along with a few of her cousins at Stephen's parents' house. We had been apart from her for a week when we've traveled, but this camp was piggybacked with our Chicago trip so we were apart from her for roughly 9 days! Whew! I think it was harder for me than her :) Skylar will be 5 in less than a week & will start kindergarten this fall...sigh!Oh-Stella Bell! The sweetest & most easy going baby I've ever known (We're in for it when she's 15!) Stella went on her first airplane ride to Chicago & would you believe it-didn't make a peep! We were able to truly enjoy our trip to Chi-town to see our much loved friends the Coles.
Stella now can support herself for an exersaucer-she loves it!
We were given the go ahead for solids. Skylar & Piper were SO excited & loved taking turns feeding Stella.
As normal, Stella was pretty happy about this new substance being shoved into her mouth-no complaints from her!

Embracing This Texas Summer

This summer, in dreaded anticipation of the disgusting heat, our saying & mindset is embrace the summer. Instead of being miserable, we've decided to enjoy the wonderful parts of summer (fruits in season, swimming, snowcones) & doing what we can to live with the not-so-fun parts(grilling as much as possible & using other methods other than the oven to not heat our already hot house, traveling out of texas during the hottest months) It's amazing how much ones outlook can impact their experiences. So far, so good-Here's to embracing the summer!

Both Skylar & Piper have been taking swimming lessons since they were 6 months old. They love swimming-so we've been very excited about the weather being warm enough to "show off their mad skills".
Another wonderful activity that comes with summer is Camp Thurman. Skylar loves going to camp. Stephen was a camp counselor at Camp Thurman-I love watching them bond over camp activities & songs!
Pacifier amputation date set-June 22nd. Start praying now(seriously).
Sweet Stella is always smiles.....
I love the way that Skylar is holding Stella's hand!
Good Morning! This is what morning looks like at the Burks House. The girls slowly awake & make their way to the living where they plop down on the couch & watch a show while I make breakfast & do dishes. Regardless of who wakes up first or the hour, the girls are all smiles, which in turn makes me smile!

Promises, Programs, Blackberries & Baths

Recently we made a promise to the Lord-that we would raise our children to know Him & according to His ways. It was a wonderful day! & we have been having a lot of those lately-wonderful days that is! Now that we are working the kinks out & functioning as our family of 5. I think that this is the first picture that we're taken together of all 5-as crazy as everyone looks here, one thing I know for sure-we LOVE each other & are having FUN!

Skylar and Piper's school year is coming to an end & with that comes Spring Program. The girls were so entertaining to watch. Skylar's program was at night & close to bed time-I stopped counting her yawn at 20 yawns!

We have wild blackberries that grow in the backyard and they are finally ripe. Skylar and Piper have shown such patience in watching the flower bloom, petals fall, and blackberries to then change from green to red and finally to black. With bowls in hand, we picked & picked-Piper snacked on one for every two that she put in her bowl. It was awesome!

Bath time at the Burks House is never dull. Regardless of the bath products that we purchase that help to make bath a calming & soothing time where our sweet little ones wind down, it never works. As crazy as it can be, we all love it. It is our time to talk about our day & read our devotional all together- the girls especially love it because the usually get their dessert in bath.

When two became one

(alaska 2003 & 2009)

exactly seven years ago, i was practicing walking down the aisle. how can a moment in time feel like a lifetime ago but also just like it was yesterday? Precious skylar, piper, & stella would have never been without that magical & blessed may 3, 2003. they are just one of the many, many reasons why i love my sweet stephen b, my garage band king. it amazes me how much we've grown together & how so many things have remained the same. i think back to all our first encounters & how all of them had gone awry...until we finally got on the same page :) oh am i ever blessed! he loves me so! as do I! with all the wonderful things that my husband has done for me, the greatest was before i was his wife...before i was even promised to be his some day...my prince lead me to my King! i love his passion for me, the girls, & especially Christ! here's to the next seven years....

The Beginning

on loan from Him~who? might you ask. well...sweet skylar, piper, & stella aren't really mine. i mean, stephen & i conceived them, i carried them to term & even birthed them. I've nursed them, changed countless diapers, soothed them, taught them, disciplined them but they aren't mine-they are His. God's children that we have been entrusted with while on this earth to train up, to raise, to love. so these precious ones are on loan for the time being. ours for now. i hope that we make Him proud with how we raise His children.