September Snapshots

We spent the month of September getting into a new routine and enjoying one another's company.

 

 

Gabe loves to dress up and since he has been introduced to the movie, "Toy Story," he really likes to wear cowboy hats.

 

 

My 3 goofy kids.  I brought this laundry basket into the living room for one of them to play with.  While we were all watching a movie together, I looked over an saw all 3 kids crammed into the basket together!

 

It's time to say good bye to the pool for the summer.  We have really enjoyed the pool a lot and we are looking forward to spending even more time in it next summer once Silas can walk.

 



 

Daddy and Silas at Dan Nicolas State Park.

The twins go to preschool

Today is Gabe and Eden's first day of preschool.  They are going to Grace House in Kernersville and their teachers are Mrs. Lauren (as in aunt Lala) and Mrs. Leah.  Their cousins Abram and Lila Ruth are also in their class.

 

Gabe immediately found Tow-mater and was content.

Summer Time Adventures

August was a hot month but we tried to make the most of it.  We had a blast in the first couple weeks of the month enjoying the last of summer before Mommy had to return to work.

 

We went to the zoo.

 Gabe and Eden loved seeing all of the animals and they enjoyed spending time with just Mommy and Daddy.

 

 

 

 

We had a fun time playing at the Children's Museum with our friend, Eli Lewis.

 

 

 We had a lot of fun on Daddy's company trip to Lake Lure.  We didn't care for the lake too much because the water was kind of cold and there were a lot of geese.  Besides, the pool had a lazy river and a waterfall.

 

Gabe and Eden discovered goggles and although Eden doesn't like to put her head under water, she really likes to wear them.  Gabe learned how to hold his breath and swim a few strokes under the water!

 



 

We went to the butterfly farm, All A Flutter with our cousins Graycie and Levi.

 

 

 Gabe didn't care for holding the butterfly; I'd catch one for him on the sugar pad and he would drop it on the ground.

 

 

We enjoyed many trips to the park and we learned how to swing on the monkey bars.

 

 

Everything is always more fun with water!

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