Our Little Walker

The pictures pretty much speak for themselves- I'm in trouble! This little guy is officially walking- everywhere! He started taking steps on the 8th (a b-day gift for Aunt Sabrina even though she couldn't be here to see him). For the next week he would sometimes walk back and forth to people, if he wanted to. But for the last few days, he is walking around even when no one is egging him on. He'll be standing at the coffee table, see something he wants, and off he goes on his own 2 feet! It's really cute to watch because he keeps his arms up to balance himself and sometimes, when he is halfway to his destination, he stops, claps for himself, and then continues on. The girls are absolutely loving it, they get so excited for him and are by far is greatest fans!
Oh how we love our crazy busy Lincoln!

Rylin's "Short" Hair

So Rylin's hair was starting to get just a little too long in the back, so I decided to pick up some scissors and do a little trimming (Kaitlin- why do you have to live so far away?). I cut over 4 inches off the back, but much to Kevin's delight it is still definitely "long"- just don't tell her that! She thinks her hair is now "short" like Mommy's and Kacia's. If only the rest of her grew as quickly as her hair!

So now you know,,,

So thanks to my incredible husband's thoughtfulness and very kind words (combined with his surprising computer hacking abilities) all of my blog readers now know, that yes, it's official- I am 30. Over this last week I've gotten a lot of "So how does it feel?" "Do you feel older yet?" and to be honest, I feel a little nostalgic to be saying goodbye to a decade that has really shaped my life. So many things have happened in my 20's, so much more "life" took place in these 10 years than I had ever expected. The 4 greatest days of life all happened while I was in my 20's, along with some of the most painful and heartbreaking days. I feel like even 30 years from now, so many of my stories will begin with "Well, when I was 20something..."
Here's a very brief rundown, the highlights and lowlights of a decade in which I learned to love my Savior even more, but still not nearly enough:
20- I married the man who will forever hold my heart
21- Graduated college and got to be Mrs. Burns the teacher
22- Finally began to understand the cries of the Psalms writers, this Earth is not my home
23- My mom went to be with our Lord
24- I became a mom! Kevin and I welcome Kacia into our lives
25- We celebrate 5 years of marriage in Maui
26- Gave Kacia a sister, Rylin is born and sleep becomes a thing of the past
27- Learn that people fail me, I fail my God, but my Lord never does!
28- My dad passes away
29- My family is made complete with the birth of our son, Lincoln
See- a lot happened, and that's just the big stuff, not the day-to-day things of life. So, saying farewell to my 20's is a little bittersweet, but here's to hoping the next decade has a lot more growth with a few less "major" things. Plus, 30 is the new 20, right?!

A Post About My Wife on Her 30th Birthday

Well, in case you haven’t guessed by the title of this post, this is Kevin writing not Jenny. I have decided to hijack her blog today, her 30th birthday. As I think on the number of years Jenny and I have been together, it floors me how quickly it has gone by. I was remembering this morning the day I met Jenny. As the memory has faded slightly in the last 12 years I still remember it quite well.

It was the first day of our first semester at The Master’s College when I first noticed her. I chose my seat in the back of the classroom as I had been doing since elementary school. I was always more comfortable back there & was rarely ever called on to answer questions. Jenny of course, who was on an academic scholarship, sat in the first or second row. As I noticed her, I knew I could never get to know her from the back of the classroom. She was definitely out of my league (and still is), but hey it was a Christian school and it’s not all about looks, right? So, my plan was to continue to inch my way to the front over the next few classes and let my smoothness work from there. Well, as providence would have it I wouldn’t even have to wait for the next class to meet her. My roommate Matt & I went to the computer lab the next day to check his e-mail. There were only 2 seats available and they happened to be right behind Jenny & her roommate Ali (Matt didn’t know that he was meeting his future wife as well when he met Ali). I kept going through my mind on what to say to introduce myself. She actually probably noticed me but only because I had just dyed my hair and it turned this nasty orange color after a bad reaction! I really wasn’t in to e-mail at the time and had yet to start an account. This was my perfect lead in. I asked Matt to help me and I spoke loud enough for Jenny to hear. She turned around & asked me if I wanted some help. SCORE! I didn’t even have to use some cheesy one liner (not that I had one prepared). You could say the rest is history, but not so fast. After talking about being in the same class together she asked if we could share books. Come to find out it wasn’t so much about getting to know me & study at the same time but rather a good way to save 75 bucks. Can you say frugal? Over time, after my orange hair grew back to its normal color & after Jenny had checked out all of her options, we started dating. Sometimes I miss those days where we didn’t do anything but hang out. About 1 ½ years later we were married.

After all of these years I am so thankful to the Lord that he has blessed me by giving me Jenny as my wife. She is still by far the person I’d rather do anything with. You know the question, “if you were deserted on an island, who would you want to be with”? Jenny is not only the person I would pick, but she is also the only person I could live with on that deserted island and not go crazy. I don’t know what I would do without her in my life. As I start to get stressed out she calm’s me down by just being herself. She knows when I want to talk & when I’d rather be quiet. She keeps every aspect of our home in order. Most importantly, she takes time with our awesome kids. She doesn’t just discipline, feed, change and bathe our kids; she takes every opportunity to teach them about our Lord.

I was coming in from our back office late one night last week. Jenny was busy finishing up the dishes after a typical long day. I stopped and watched her through the window for a couple of minutes and thanked God for her. For as beautiful as she was that first time I saw her, she is so much more so even now. I know she isn’t perfect but I know her heart. I know she loves me, I know she loves our children but even more so she loves our Great God. The growing love she has for Him allows her to in turn love me more, despite my faults. I hope we have many more years together and tonight I am so thankful for the time we have had. Happy Birthday Jen!

Just a little off...

So yesterday was Kacia's class' Mother's Day Tea. I had a wonderful time of being pampered by my daughter and entertained by their many songs. However, it also gave me the chance to talk to the TA about the chocolate milk situation, and let's just say I was a little off! It wasn't 15 times that Kacia snuck behind our backs, but rather 33!!! Apperantly chocolate milk is only offered every Tuesday and Thursday, which means that she had been getting it every chance she could for quite awhile!!!
33 times my daughter hid something from us
33 times she chose to be deceitful
33 times she purposefully did something hoping not to get caught
33 times!!!
And who says we aren't born with a nature prone to sin?!
Boy do I have my work cut out for me, good thing I'm not doing this parenting thing all on my own :)

Oh, Just Charge It!

So last week I got a bill from Kacia's cafeteria stating that we owe $8.25. I was sure it was a mistake, Kacia has never once ordered hot lunch. So I asked her about lunch, and no, she'd never had it. As the questions continued coming, the truth, ever so slowing, starting emerging. You see, the school gives each kid and ID # that they can use to "charge" their lunch. I had never bothered teaching Kacia hers because it's quite a long # and I never planned on her needing it. But as she started to confess, I realized that my sweet little girl was "charging" chocolate milks! 15 chocolate milks to be exact! She, like so many others, never thought the day would come when we'd have to pay for the milk, afterall, she just gives them her # and they hand her over a chocolate milk! Oh, so early to be learning the harsh reality (and thus consequences) of charging things!

The Tooth Fairy Comes to Visit- Twice!

So a little over a week ago Kacia lost her first tooth! The pour thing was just hanging there, getting in the way. Kevin gave it a little tug and out it came! Our little girl was ecstatic and the Tooth Fairy made her 1st of many visits to our home.

Then last night after dinner, Kevin was checking on the other very loose tooth, and out it came too! Kacia now has a fairly large "window" in her mouth! She is proudly holding the very weird toy she picked out at Michael's today with her Tooth Fairy money. Silly fairy forgot about tax :)

I'm thinking Kevin and I ought to start saving for braces now.

I must say it is a weird thing to have one kid losing teeth at the same time another is getting them. Oh how much growing and changing we do in the first 5 years of life!

Saying Goodbye to the Highchair

So our highchair is 5 1/2 years old and it is finally time to say goodbye. There are so many pictures I have of each kid with this same chair in the background. The pics of Kacia's first b-day are not digital prints and I couldn't get the scanner to work, so those will have to wait, but here are the other two.

Rylin on her first birthday

Oh, my beautiful baby girl!

Lincoln enjoying the biter biscuit I swore I would never buy again. But hey, when you get desperate enough to cook dinner without tripping over someone who refuses to leave your ankles, it's amazing the sacrifices you make!

Plus, by the innocent look on his face, one just can't imagine the disgusting mess that remains after the biscuit has been finished.

...and this is why I'm getting rid of the highchair! No matter how tight I buckle him in, he finds a way to squirm out of it and stand up. Literally seconds after I took this pic, I made a lifesaving grab! I was able to get a fistful of his pj's before he plummeted to the wood floor head first. (I can't imagine what would've happened if he'd been naked!). All this to say, we've moved on to the chair that sits on a chair, and a tray that touches his belly so he can't stand up (at least not yet!).

The Proof

I took these the day Kacia learned but never got around to posting them. She's all smiles as she makes her loops around the patio.

This is Kacia's biggest fan. He just stands at the slider, banging on it and "talking" to his sisters. The girls love to stand on the other side and wave to him. He seemed to really enjoy Kacia being home for spring break, and now when he sees her for the first time after school, he just lights up!

A Great Read

So it probably won't surprise anyone that I don't read as many books as I would like to these days. I figure if I have a few minutes to read, my Bible should come first. But last week I finished a great, but convicting book. This is the 2nd book of C.J. Mahaney's I have read (well he didn't write all of this book), but they always appeal to me because they are small, but well written. He gets his point across with as few as words as possible. And being that I typically read at night, when my mind is mush, I appreciate that I don't have to think too hard to understand. So if you want to be convicted, or rather, need to be convicted, read this! It's a good kick in the pants, a reminder that once again, this world isn't about us, but our Maker, and choosing to try to live with an eternal perspective, choosing to pursue godliness above all else.

"When we see our lives in light of what Jesus Christ accomplished on the cross, everything will be different. We won't be enamored of a fallen world that opposes God; it is for such a world that our Savoir died. Nor will we ignore the world, untouched by its God-glorifying potential or unmoved by its needs. Rather, we'll take our plaec in this world, enjoying God's gifts, fulfilling God's purposes and giving our lives to see the gospel proclaimed, sinners saved, and God glorified." Worldliness: Resisting the Seduction of a Fallen World

Big Moments for My Biggest Girl

So this Spring Break has been very productive for Kacia. She has mastered the 2 wheeler! She spends a lot of the day outside on her bike just going in circles on the patio. She gets going quite fast and is loving the fact that she can tell and show anyone who is interested her new talent.
She also got a new pair of shoes with laces, which has provided the tool we've needed to learn to tie her own shoes. (Until now, we've kept it to velcro and slip ons for my sanity.) She has been asking to learn, so yesterday we sat down with her new shoes, and she quickly learned this new skill. She's thrilled!
She also has her first loose tooth, well make it 3 loose teeth! Oh, my baby is growing up!!!

My LIttle Guy

So here is Lincoln sportin' his new buzz in his Easter outfit. Maybe, just maybe, he won't need another haircut in a few weeks. (This makes cut #5, we just keep getting shorter and shorter!)

I didn't manage to get a pic of the girls in their dresses, but Grandma did, so atleast I'll get them documented in the scrapbook. I love that I spent $2.50 on each of their baskets and they were totally thrilled! With all of the egg hunts, I refuse to put more candy in their baskets, so they got bubbles, a notebook and coloring book. The baskets were a project we had to do for Kacia's class and we liked making it so much (and I likes how economical they were) that we did a milk jug bunny for Rylin too. This just may be a tradition we end up doing every year!

Egg Hunts

So on Saturday morning, the girls and I, along with Breanna's family and 1/2 of Redding went to Simpson college to watch eggs fall from a helicopter. It is perhaps not the best idea since the majority of the eggs crack upon landing, but it was still a fun and unique experience.

Later that day we met up with friends from church for our 2nd annual egg hunt. Thanks to our good friends, the Schneiders, who organized it and planned out various egg themed games, we once again had a blast. It is so much fun to get all of the egg hunts and candy done with on Saturday so that Sunday can be free from distractions, and truly about Easter!

A Good Friday

So with Kacia in school every day this year, and all of the various sicknesses our families have had this past season, I honestly don't remember the last time that Sawyer and Kacia got to play together. So on Friday, to initiate the start of Spring Break, Megan and the boys came over for some Easter fun. We colored eggs and made cupcakes that looked like baskets, but mostly we just enjoyed the great gift of good friends! I know it wasn't a very "spiritual" themed Good Friday, but on a day that can bring great sadness mixed with joy as we contemplate the heartbreaking sacrifice our Savior endured for us, it was good to bring a little fun to the day. The girls definitely know that Easter isn't ultimately about eggs and bunnies. We've been talking a lot about it and Kevin read the Resurrection story for devotions, and somehow, as we've been going through the ABC memory verse book, we landed on F this past week, which happens to be John 3:16. So fitting, huh!

Living on the Rock

So the longer I live on this Earth, the more I long for home- my eternal home. The older I get the more pain and heartache I see. This last week we have mourned with our church body the loss of a young girl. Megan was a week shy of her 24th birthday and fought a tough battle against cancer. Megan is one of so many people I can think of who's life seemed "too short". Pain and heartache does not escape any of us. As I reflect over the last few years, I can think of quite a few parents who have lost their only child in car accidents, people who have had to watch loved ones fight too hard to keep breathing, friends who have suffered extensively because of the sin of others. It's so tempting to say, "that's so unfair, why did God allow this" etc. That is our human side hurting and wanting to beable to comprehend a God who is far bigger than His creation. Although there are many times I wish I could understand why God allowed something, I am so grateful to serve a God I cannot fully understand. What kind of a god would that be if our finite brains could fully comprehend him? His ways are higher than ours, and for that I praise Him!
So often our blogs can be so decieving in the fact that for the most part, they only highlight life at it's best. Don't get me wrong, God has given us so many things to enjoy and love on this Earth. And so we can find ourselves in this difficult place of loving so much that we have here, and the dangerous place of loving it too much. And when one that we love is taken away, will we keep living? This is what has hit me this week as my thoughts have continued to return to Megan's family. What am I preparing myself for? What am I preparing my kids for? Because this place is temporary, I want to make sure not to lay down roots here. Am I spending useless hours on entertainment, or am I investing in my future? Am I teaching my kids to long for Heaven and preparing them for it? And what does that look like? For me it means that for now, while my kids are young, I help them lay a solid fondation of knowing God and so as we get down on the floor and play, I look for every opportunity to teach them and praise our Maker. To help them to know that their brain that helps them put together puzzles, is from God, their imagination as we play house, that comes from God. When we go for walks, looking for the beauty and creativity that God put all around us. Kacia knew Megan better than Kevin and I as Megan had spent a great deal of time serving the kids in our church before she got sick. So as I was telling Kacia of Megan's death, she knew and understood that we're not sad for Megan, we rejoice for her, but we're sad for her family and friends who will miss her. (Death is a very real thing to my kids, something we talk about often because of their grandparents. Heaven is often the conversation in our car.) Kacia took the news fine, she has a very compassionate heart. Then after about 10 minutes, she looked at me and asked if Miss Megan had gotten married, and I told her no, and then this look of sadness came across her face, as if to say "that's too bad". And I quickly reassured her that though that might seem sad to us, it's okay because Heaven is far greater than marriage! And now that Megan is there, she's not sad about it either. Yes, marriage is a gift God has given us, but it pales in comparison to all that awaits us in glory! I want my kids to see that nothing here on Earth is better than Heaven, nothing temporary and impefect can ever be greater than eternity and perfection! I want me and my family to be standing on the Rock so that when a storm comes (and it will), we keep standing. There may come a day that you get an unexpected diagnosis or a terrible phone call that changes everything, will you still be standing? Our world is full of pain and suffering, and yet as a believer, we have hope that it is not all in vain. We have assurance that we serve a Mighty God who sees the big picture, and who always loves us. This love does not keep us from pain, but it makes it bearable because we don't have to walk in it alone and without purpose. And this Big, Huge, God who created all and transcends all time, is also the same Father who holds you and comforts you in times of pain and rejoices with you in times of triumph and joy. What a Mighty God we serve! May we make each day an investment in our future. May we strive to live in light of eternity. May we make every effort to know God more so that we may never question Him. May we soak ourselves in His Word so that we will hear and feel His comfort when the tears come. May we keep our eyes and hearts focused on the One that ordains and orchestrates our days on this Earth and will someday welcome us home! "Come, Lord Jesus, Come!"
(A few verses to see God's sovereignty in our trials: Deut. 8:3, Ps 66;10-12, 2 Cor. 12:8-9, 1 Pet 1:6-7, James 1:2-3,12)

A Little Bit of James

So for those of you who know my brother James, hearing that his first word was "yump" (aka jump), that he learned to walk at 9 or 10 months ( I can't quite remember), and taught himself to ride a two-wheeler at the ridiculous age of 2 1/2 probably doesn't surprise you. James is the type of kid (now young man, I suppose) who has always been good at every sport, really good at most. He is very stubborn and determined and absolutely loves to do anything that others might see as slightly "crazy". If you have ever seen him on a wakeboard or snowboard, you would know that James doesn't have too much fear, and loves to go bigger and higher on whatever. (This is why when he purchased a motorcycle a couple of years ago, I panicked a little!) Anyhow, all of this to say I am beginning to see a little bit of James in my 9 month old son. I found him a couple of weeks ago on his way up our slide. Sure enough he made it to the top with great ease, and has no fear of doing a faceplant off the top platform. Oh, life with a boy is so different! At least it looks like Kacia will have a sibling to go on the big roller coasters with!

The Blogger Slacker!

Lincoln and Landon are only 10 days a part!
They were kind of like little puppy dogs crawling all over each other, pulling hair, and Lincoln's favorite game- stealing the pacifier.

Kacia getting a little too close to Weston- she's going to be my little flirt!

So I know I have slacked a little recently! I had good intentions of posting at the beginning of the week, but in all honesty, I don't know where this week went!

Well, last week Kevin went down south to the Shepherd's Conference. He had a great time, came home with a completely new library (we already needed bookshelves after selling our entertainment center, now we really need some!) and feeling a little nostalgic of our college days. But while he was gone, my very dear friend Suzy came down to visit with her 3 boys. Suzy and I have been friends since I was in the 7th grade! It is hard to believe we hadn't seen each other in 4 years! She hadn't met Rylin or Lincoln and I hadn't met her youngest, Landon. But there are those friendships that are just rooted in such a strong way that not "seeing" each other doesn't really change the friendship, and this is one of those. We've walked through a lot of life together, there are bonds that just go beyond distance. We talk on the phone and read each others blogs, but it was so great to spend time together- to watch our kids interact and play, to stay up late eating ice cream and talking, and just catching up on lost time. I greatly appreciate her making the drive down from Oregon. I think it is good neither of us knew that she would have to face snow, hail and buckets of rain beforehand, but hopefully it was worth it in the long run (it was for me!). Her boys don't love the camera, so I unfortunately only got pics of Landon and I snuck a picture of Weston, her 7 year old. Somehow I didn't get one of Logan (he's 5) or the two of us! I guess we used her camera more than mine!

Thanks for coming Molens!

All Boy

So this little guy is all boy! This last month can be summarized by this statement - 3 ear infections, 4 new teeth, and still going strong! Ear infections or teeth alone were always reasons that life seemed to stop with the girls, but this is not the case with Lincoln. It was occasionally obvious to me that he wasn't feeling quite like himself because he wouldn't eat as much and he would have fussy times where I just couldn't get him happy, but for the most part, he just kept pushing through with his big ol' grin. The dr. rechecked his ears today and said the infections had cleared up, so we are just praying for no immediate runny noses in his future!

Kevin and I are wondering if we picked the wrong presidential name, perhaps Hoover would have been more fitting because this kid sucks up every little and big thing he can find on the ground. He has also discovered that climbing is quite entertaining (did I mention, he was all boy?). It used to make me nervous when he would climb under our coffee tables, but after watching him, he very methodically thinks his way down, and then does it over and over again! He is also pulling himself up on everything! Yesterday Kevin moved his crib mattress down because he discovered he could stand up in his bed, and who wants to lay when you can stand? He has taken a couple of falls, (it appears that curtains aren't the most stable thing to hold onto,) but he is quite tough, it doesn't seem to faze him much, because he just does it again. He is growing up way too fast, but at least he is making it so easy to enjoy every minute!

"R" Queen

So Rylin is fascinated with letters. She always asks me, "How you write 'Mom'?" "How you write 'Kacia'?" And until recently, she was always content to just scribble something as I would say "M", then she'd say "what's next?" "O" and she would scribble something else. And so on. And then I realized that at her age, Kacia knew how to write her name, and maybe it was time to start working with her. She is quite independent and quite motivated. We bought her own book that has two lines to practice each letter, and then you just wipe it off, and practice again and again and again. Rylin wants to practice her letters constantly! She is starting to branch out from the letter "R" now but, the first day it was all about "R"! She has now perfected the letter "L" and "I" but "Y" is a little tricky. She'll practice it briefly and then move on to an easier one like "O". But I'm thrilled that she's so excited. She is also quite good at "reading" Kacia's home readers. Kacia will read the book through a couple of times and then Rylin will want to try. Most books she's quite good at, but as Kacia is advancing through the books, they are getting a little more challenging and little harder to quickly memorize. It is so much fun to watch your kids learn and love it! (Aunt Sabrina, you'd be proud! Maybe next time you come to visit, not only will Rylin sit through a book you read, but will also "read" one to you!)

What's New with Kacia

So what's going on with Kacia these days? We took her training wheels off of her bike this weekend. This was something that was long overdue. She was so excited, and then quite hesitant. She wouldn't pedal fast enough to even make Kevin jog, but after some "pep talk" (telling her everyone we know who can do it) she is quite anxious to get out there and try it again. Too bad the rain is keeping her and her competitive spirit indoors.

In other news, I think she might be a democrat. They watched the swearing in of our new president at school and she now seems to have an overwhelming amount of respect for him. Everytime she sees a magazine cover with him, she thinks we need to buy it and everytime we flip the tv channels and he's on, she thinks we "have" to watch it. It has brought about some interesting discussions and we are reminded by our 5 year old that God does command us to respect and pray for our leaders. It is also a good tool as I can continue to attempt to tame her tongue and attitude- "Would you talk to President Obama like that?" (I should clarify that I do use other examples and Scripture as well :) .)

She is also a big fan of country music. We primarily listen to the "Seeds" cd's in our car, but every once in awhile I need a break and will put on one of my cd's. I now get requests for "hey son, what's your problem" (Carrie Underwood- All American Girl) and "Juliet" (Taylor Swift- Love Story). When I hear how quickly my 3 and 5 year old can learn a song and sing along, it makes me think twice about what we listen to!

She is also loving her Bible. She loves to find our memory verse of the week in her Bible and then she will challenge herself to find it over and over again. She also loves to sit next to either Kevin or I when we are reading and open up her Bible to the same passage. Sometimes she looks for words on the page she can read and other times she is just content to have it open and will flip to different books to keep up with wherever we are reading. I think it is quite cute!

There's your update on our eldest!