Eden's First Haircut!

I've put off cutting Eden's hair for a couple reasons.  First of all, I was told that it is against African American culture to cut a girl's hair before she turns two.  Secondly, I love her hair and I wouldn't want anyone to chop it up.  Lastly, Stacy cuts my hair and the boys but she doesn't want to cut Eden's hair because it's African American hair and it needs to be straightened to be cut.  She's not very familiar with it so she recommended us to someone she knows.

 Eden did well once we turned on cartoons and promised her a snack when she was done.  She does not like to sit still for anything, at all.

I know you can't really tell a difference with her hair now that it is cut but Eden felt pretty.  This was the first time I was able to get her to "cheese" for the camera.

Potty Training

For the past 8 months, we have been talking about potty training.  We've watched "Elmo's Potty Time" DVD so many times, I get the songs stuck in my head.  This isn't the first time we've tried potty training.  When I was home on maternity leave with Silas, I tried to potty train the twins.  I used the "train them in one day method" where you put them in underwear and let them soak themselves.  I spent all morning cleaning up Pee-pee and after a meltdown at lunchtime about sitting on the potty, I decided they weren't ready.  So, we went back to diapers but kept talking about it.

Once I was out of school for the summer and we were back from the beach, I decided to give it another try.  This time, I talked up Silas being a baby and wearing diapers, I made a sticker chart, and pulled out the M&Ms.  I also decided that since Silas is now mobile it would be best if the twins trained in pull-ups so I wouldn't have to clean it off the floor and worry about Silas getting into it.

Day 1:  I showed Eden the pull-ups and she threw a fit!  She wanted big girl panties and there was no way she was going to wear a "diaper."  So, I let her wear panties and she did great.  At nap time and bedtime I insisted that she wear a pull-up and she did but with a huge resistance.  Gabe loved his Lightning McQueen pull-ups, the M&Ms, and stickers.  He was harder to convince to sit on the potty but I showed him that Eden was getting a reward and then he wanted to do it too.

In the days that follow, Eden continued to do really well.  I finally gave up on her wearing a pull-up at nap time or bedtime and she's yet to have an accident.  Her biggest issue is going #2; she holds it in for 3, 4 and sometimes 5 days until her belly hurts.  I have to give her Miralax to make her go.  Gabe has his ups and downs.  He doesn't want to leave what he's doing or playing with to go potty.  I can normally persuade him to go but I have to be creative like showing him where his cars can park by the bathroom while he goes.

I've learned a few things during this process; toys don't belong in the bathroom.  I only had to fish one toy out of the potty to begin the rule of no toys in the bathroom.  I also learned that when Gabe says he's done, he's not always right.  I had to put the little potty away and make him sit on the big potty so he can't get down when he's "done."  Another thing I've learned is that I shouldn't be the one to teach Gabe how to aim; for now he sits until his daddy can help him with the skill.  Lastly, I've learned that it doesn't matter how many times I tell Eden that she can't stand to pee, she's going to continue to see it as unfair.  Life at our house is never dull.

It may appear that Eden is having more success that Gabe but in reality they are only 2 and can't identify their name so the sticker just goes wherever they want to put it.

Myrtle Beach

We have been talking about going to the beach for months.  The twins are excited that they will get to swim and play in the sand but they really have no idea what the beach is.  The last time we were there, they were only 6 months old.

 Once we arrived, we decided to take a walk on the beach.  This turned into much more as the kids got soaked from head to toe.  They had so much fun that evening.

 Silas' first time in the ocean!

 This is one of my favorite pictures from the trip. 

 Silas loves the water and the sand.  I spent a lot of time pulling sand out of his mouth.

 Gabe and Eden don't look very excited in this picture but they really love their Nana and Pop Pop

 My little man

 We took the twins to play Putt-Putt for the first time and I quickly learned that they don't care much about it.  We spent more time chasing them around the course than playing it.

 This picture was taken from the Sky Wheel.  When Eden saw the huge Farris Wheel in the air, she was determined to ride it.  We had a blast on it and were glad to spend time together.

Our family is so blessed.

Missions Update: It's Application Time!

We are so excited to finally have a missions update!We have finally reached a point where we can start the next step with our missions board, World Venture.  For the past year and a half, Leah has been working towards completing the Bible education requirements needed to begin the formal application and by the end of the summer she will be done with the first 15 credits.  So, we have just received the formal application for long term missions!

Here's the game plan for the next 6 months:  We have a lot of paperwork ahead of us!  All of our application is due to World Venture by the end of September.  Once they receive our paperwork, a committee will review it and if approved we will head to their headquarters, in Colorado, in early December.  While in Colorado, we will be interviewed for Appointment from our mission board.

Currently, we are considering serving street boys in Senegal (Northwest Africa).  We had lunch, this week, with a missionary couple that serve in Senegal and we were very encouraged by their advice and kind words.

We would appreciate your prayers over the next 6 months! 
Here is specifically how you can pray:
-Please pray for us as we complete the application
-Please pray for us as we take a course called "Perspectives in World Missions."  This runs July-October
-Praise: Leah is off work for the summer since she is a teacher.  This will allow us to focus more on school work and the application.
-Please pray that our house will sell.  We've had it on the market for the past year and a half. 
-Please pray that God will give us clear direction as to where He will have us serve Him.

Thank you for supporting us through this process.

Daryl, Leah, Gabriel, Eden, and Silas Burnette

Rub a Dub Dub . . . All 3 in the Tub!

Now that Silas is sitting up very well, on his own, it's time for all three kids ta take a bath together.  This makes life a little easier on Mom and Dad.  Gabe and Eden like having Silas in the tub with them but it does get a little crowded so we let the twins get in first and right before we wash them, we put Silas in too.  Silas loves to splash which sometimes irritates the twins but it's so fun to watch them play together.

Visiting with Birth Family

Today we arranged to visit with the kids' birth family.  This is a very important meeting for a few different reasons.  First of all, we get to see their birth mom and 2 full siblings.  It's been a year since we've seen Ty and Jr.  Secondly, their birth mom is about to move to South Dakota so she can be closer to her family and go back to school.  Lastly, we are going to meet the kids' birth grandmother, aunt, and uncle!  I am so excited to meet their extended birth family.

We chose to meet at a splash park in Charlotte so the kids could play with each other.  It was a lot of fun; I wish we had one closer to home!

We are all together!  The kids didn't hesitate at all at the sight of their birth family.  We've showed them pictures and talked about them a lot.  I am so glad they were not shy so they could bond in this short time we had together.

 Eden and Silas with their birth mom and grandma



Eden with her birth aunt and uncle

Gabe and Jr were inseparable.

This part of our day brought tears to my eyes.  We went out to eat after playing and I told the twins I was going to the counter to order food and I asked if they wanted to come with me.  Gabe said no and quickly ran to his birth mom to hold her hand.  Seeing them standing in line in front of me, holding hands, brought up all these questions in my mind.  What would their life be like if we hadn't adopted them?  Where would they be right now?  Would they be happy?  I realized that none of that matters.  What matters is that God gave me 3 amazing children from this unselfish woman who just wanted the best for her kids; what's interesting is that she chose me to fill a role she knew she couldn't.  Me, an imperfect woman that can only repeatedly express my sincere gratitude for giving me 3 children.  Thank you, God for allowing us to have a relationship with my childrens' birth family.  I pray that we see them again.

The pool is open!

Ever since Gabe and Eden saw a cow tumble into the pool this past winter, they have been wanting to get in.  This Memorial Day weekend was the perfect time to break it in!

 Eden "cheesed" for the camera for the first time!

 This is one of my favorite pictures!

 Silas' first time in the pool!  He didn't mind the water at all!

 Gabe likes to throw the toys into the pool then "jump" (more like a fall) into the pool after them.

Eden is jumping into the pool already!  I can't wait to see what they can do by the end of the summer!