Better Late Then Never- Rylin's 1st B-day!

So this has taken me forever to post I know. I can't wait until we are in a location where we can get DSL, but check out these great photos of our little toddler! Her birthday was a blast, and she had a great time, especially with the cake. She is growing so fast, learning new words, and becoming so busy and active and so much less "baby-like". We are enjoying her so much and thank God for entrusting her to us!

Rylin's First Pony!

The other day I noticed that Rylin's hair is getting long enough that I am going to have to start fixing it soon to keep it out of her eyes. So Kacia and I decided to test out a new hair style on her, I have to admit it's quite cute. I don't think we will be doing it on a regular basis until it is absolutely necessary since she hates to have her face or head touched! I never would have guessed when I came home from the hospital with this little baby who had a full head of dark brown hair that nearly a year later it would be this blonde! Go figure.

A Much Needed Escape

This past weekend my sister Breanna and I got away for a little "girl time." It was a fun time together, and a great time of shopping! For those of you who do not live in Redding, this may be harder to appreciate, but our mall is quite lame in all honesty. When I was waiting for Rylin to arrive, I would often take Kacia to "walk the mall", but after 2-3 minutes we were back where we started, and would circle the loop again and again and... Well, you get the picture, our mall is not so much a real mall, but a collection of a handful of stores. So on Saturday Breanna and I hopped in the car and drove down to Sacramento to do some serious shopping. I had almost forgotten that malls are often more than one story high, and have more than one shoe store inside! Needless to say, we enjoyed our shopping kid and stroller-free, and we moved entirely on our own time schedule, which was basically shop until our feet hurt or the money ran out. After sleeping an entire night without being called out of bed, and only getting up in the morning 10 minutes before breakfast closed, I came home to Kevin and the girls well rested and ready to start a new annual tradition with my sis!

My 2 Princesses!

So check out our adorable girls. Kacia was insistent on being Ariel, but just told me on Sunday. Naturally, I said sorry, but we already decided that you were going to be a butterfly. We already had the stuff from one of her dress up boxes, but then I went to Old Navy on Monday to find Rylin a costume, and found that the mermaid costume was on sale for $3.97! I just had to get it, not only did it make Kacia so excited, but I can never turn down such an awesome bargain! Rylin's outfit - also $3.97, I will never buy costumes at full price, and will always be a last minute sale shopper! Enjoy the pictures of these cuties!

"Wake Up To Pie"

Well, for those of you who have never been in the car with Kacia, you will not be able to quite appreciate this as much, but I will try to paint you a picture. When it comes to backseat drivers, Kacia is Queen! She loves to tell me how to drive and commentate on my skills. If I make a sudden stop or hit a bump to fast, I get a "Whoa Mom!". If I am taking a detour from our normal route, I hear "Mom you are going the wrong way! This is not how we get to...!" If I don't respond as quickly to a green light as she thinks, "Mom, green means go!" Admist all of the "instruction", there is still plenty of time for her to tell me all sorts of stories of what she is going to do when she goes to school, or what game she is going to play with Alayna (her cousin) the next time she sees her. Basically, my car is never silent! But what amazes me, is as her mouth is going non-stop, she somehow manages to listen to the radio. For over a year now she has voiced an opinion on my music choices. "Can you turn it up please?" or "I don't like this song." or "Mom, can you sing this song, I can't hear you." But a couple of months ago, she was rambling on about something and then all of the sudden, said "What's wake up to pie?" My response, "I have no idea." Repeat Kacia, slightly aggravated, I respond, "Honey, I have no idea what you are talking about!" Then the chorus comes on the radio, "I wake up to find your glory divine..." Oh, suddenly the light comes on. Ever since, this has been Kacia's favorite song, we blast it everytime it comes on. But then something happened about a month ago, she began singing it too, not just the chorus, but more of the song than I know! Not only does she sing Building 429 "Glory Divine", but she sings along to quite a few songs now on the radio. I know it might seem strange, I hear Kacia sing songs all day long, but to hear her sing songs about glorifying the name of our Father, gets me everytime! I know that ultimately she doesn't understand them all, but to hear my daughter praise God in her 3 year old fashion is something special. Not to mention one more way that my car will continue to never be silent again!

Sleep...Will I Ever Know it Again?

All right, so I know that sleep is something you expect to lose when you have a baby, but Rylin is 11 months old and still waking up a minimum of twice a night! The Dr. said that due to her weight (an enormous 15.4 lbs!) he would suspect she could go at least 5-6 hours without food. But lately, Rylin is not our only child interupting our sleep. For the last week and a half, Kacia has been waking up, whimpering/whining and coming to our door 2-3 times a night. And Saturday night/Sunday morning, she woke up at 3:30 and NEVER went back to sleep! Having not gotten a solid 6-8 hours of sleep in nearly a year is really starting to take its toll on me (and giving Kevin the idea that maybe two kids is all we need!). Any suggestions to get either (or both) of children to sleep more so that I can maintain my sanity would be appreciated!

Exercise...

So I have decided that as a mom desperately trying to train my children up in the Lord, I must be more intent on memorizing Scripture so that I am better equipped for the day to day challenges. The verse I chose for this week is

1 Timothy 4:7b-8

"...exercise yourself toward godliness. For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come."

This verse helps me to gain a little perspective on the things which I choose to spend my time on. Spending an hour at the gym at the expense of having quiet time for the day, perhaps not the best decision, and not the best example for my daughters. A thought to chew on...

Kacia's Royal Birthday Ball!

Kacia absolutely adores Cinderella, and so her party just had to be fit for a Princess, and our 3 year old, dressed with every accessory possible, was the perfect princess! She had a wonderful time at her party, it was so much fun to watch her truly enjoy every aspect of a birthday party. Even now, several days later, we still thank Jesus for her birthday ball and everyone who came to it when we pray at naptime and bedtime. My favorite comment of hers during the party was when she spilled jello down the front of her dress, and in the most genuine and concerned voice she exclaimed, " Oh no! Now I'm not a Princess anymore!" We were all quick to inform her that even princesses spill every once in awhile! Oh, and this picture of everyone jumping in the crib- well, Kacia only jumps in Rylin's crib when she has friends over and she knows I am too preoccupied to notice. I'm just glad that someone was able to catch the act with our camera! I still can't believe God has already given us 3 incredible years to enjoy and love her! Thank you Jesus for the wonderful gift of children!!

A Love for PJ's and Sunglasses!

Kacia lives in her pajamas. Even if she gets dressed in the morning, the pj's always have to go back on for naptime so she can be "cozy". She associates clothes with leaving the house, whenever I get dressed in the morning, her immediate question is "Where are we going Mommy?" Does this mean I wear my pj's too much...Anyhow, I love all of these random photos of her in her shades (and Kevin would shoot me if he knew I shared this one of him, but I think it's awesome!).

My Little Birdie

Rylin is at that stage where she wants to eat EVERYTHING- or at least she thinks she does! It is impossible for me to eat anything around her without her reaching for it, whining, and leaving her mouth wide open for me to fill it. So far her favorite baby food is sweet potatoes, just like Kacia's was. But her favorite thing of all is ice cream. What can I say? She's a Burns, the poor girl never stood a chance when it comes to ice cream!

So I Can Share With You...

Hey Everyone! I have enjoyed looking at other's blogs so much that I decided to start one too. This way all of our family and friends far away can keep an eye on the two most important little people in my life- Kacia and Rylin! They just keep growing up...