How did she get so smart

A little conversation with Maddie and me today...

Maddie - I like hugs mommy

Me - Me too babe

Maddie - But I really only like 'hello hugs'

Me - What do you mean sweetie?

Maddie - I like 'hello hugs'...you know...the kind that you give when you get to say 'hello' to someone. The 'goodbye' hugs make me kind of sad...like the 'goodbye' hug I had to give Nana Carol when we left NY. (She paused and looked like she was deep in thought) I wish that all hugs were 'hello' hugs. Lets work on that mom.

I love that girl!

Madison

This is Madison. Aka - Maddie, Maddie May, Maddie-boom-baddie, Sunshine, Princess, Punkin' head, and My babe.
Let me tell you a little about Miss Maddie -
- She is a lot sweet and little sassy...and I love that
- She knows what she likes and doesn't like
- She has a huge heart
- She loves to give hugs
- She wants to be a worship Pastor...not a worship leader...a Pastor...and she says that one day she will take Daddy's job (I hope she plans on taking care of us financially then :-)!!)
- She never gives up
- She loves stuffed animals...we have stock in Build-A-Bear (not really...but we should)
- She sings all the time...loudly...and it is beautiful
- She looks a lot like her momma...or at least we hear that all of the time
- She has to have me sing, "You are my Sunshine" to her every night
- She is my sunshine
- She gave us a scare in the delivery room...but ever since then she has always been healthy (and I am SO thankful for that)
- She needs a reminder every now and then to not have an attitude :)
- She loves school and all of her classmates
- She adores the people she loves...and if she doesn't like you...she will have nothing to do with you
- She loves to help
- She likes to do things her own way...and she does them well
- She is very creative
- She loves to sit with her Daddy as he plays piano and writes songs...she has always loved his music
- She loves to sing and dance with her momma (her momma loves that too!)
- She loves her big brother and she loves to get things for him
- She loves to wear fun tights...and her momma loves to see her in them
Maddie is my baby girl. She helped me realize that I had room in my heart for another sweet babe. Some of my favorite memories in my life are the times that I spent feeding her and talking to her in the middle of the night. Her hugs and kisses still make a bad day better and just having her in my life makes my heart complete.
Today (and always) I pray for my Maddie May. I pray that she always keeps her strong will and that she knows how to use it. I pray that she continues to love on people and bring joy to others. I pray that I can be and will be the mom that she needs...and that she knows that I love her...support her...and think she is the most amazing little girl in the world. I pray that her heart and mind will be protected and pure. And I pray that she will always know who she is and never be ashamed for it.

Do over

I love listening to my babes play a game together. They laugh...they play hard...they get frustrated...and eventually one of them will say, "Do-over!" and the other one will reluctantly start the game over.
I have had a lot of "Do-overs" in my life...and I am so very thankful for them. But recently...I have realized that even though I have been given the chance to have a do-over...I keep reminding myself of why I needed the do-over in the first place. I had failed at something...or I made a wrong decision...I wasn't who I wanted to be...I acted wrongly...I said something I shouldn't have...I just plain messed up. I am realizing that I never actually get to use my do-over because I am more focused on what I didn't do right...and less focused on a great opportunity for a new start. I want to be done remembering who I am not...and start realizing who I can be. Have I made mistakes in my life...O my...YES...but I can't let them define me anymore. I want this year to be a year that I start looking at what I can do and stop looking at who I think I am not.

* PS - This fast has been amazing and I am so thankful for what I am learning...but I think I am ready for some fun, light-hearted posts about my cute babes and the funny things they say...only one more week! :-)

One week

Well...I am officially one week into the Daniel Fast. This last week has been amazing and hard all at the same time. I haven't posted in the last few days...not because I wasn't focused on anything but because I really felt as though I needed to not have my agenda in the way. I think it needed to be a time for me to listen and reflect. If you know me...you know that I tend to be a talker. It was almost hard to try to just listen...but I am so thankful that I did (and I am going to try to continue to). I didn't have any major revelations...but it was comforting to know that God still speaks...He still loves me...and He still has plans for me. Sometimes knowing those things is really all that matters.

My Momma

I called my mom yesterday morning after dropping the kids off at school and I knew that I was going to pray for her for the day. God has totally restored my relationship with my momma and I am still amazed at all that He has done between the two of us. This blog post would be WAY too long if I went into all of the details...so just believe me...God has done some amazing healing in our relationship!! Moving on...
My mom and I talk almost everyday (thank the Lord we are on the same cell phone company!!). She calls to talk to the babes at least 4-5 times a week and they love it!! (They are already asking me when we can go back to NY...or when Nana Carol can come visit us) She spoils my whole family...A LOT! She always tells me that she is proud of me and that she thinks I have the best family in the world. She LOVES Dustin and thinks he is just amazing! She is the person I call when I have to cry or just need to hear that "everything will be OK". She is my mom...my friend...my encourager...and my #1 fan.
Today I am praying that she will know how much I love her. That she will stay healthy and continue to take care of herself. That her job won't stress her out (well..at least not too much :)!!). I pray that she will know how much her grand babies adore her and miss her. That God will bring amazing people into her life to love on her, encourage her, and support her. That God will bless her life in every possible way and the she can know just how much she blesses mine!

Tyler

This is Tyler. AKA - Ty, Tyman, Boo, Boo-bear, Griffin, my little man, and my babe. Let me tell you a about my little man...
-He is the sweetest boy I have ever met
-He is very forgiving
-He is so smart that it is almost scary. He memorizes things very quickly and knows more about outer space than I will probably ever know
-He wants to be a rocket scientist
-He adores his daddy and he also wants to be a rockstar. (He has already started planning his own band)
-He is a little clumsy and tends to get distracted easily
-He is such a good big brother...even when his little sister is being annoying
-He made me a mommy for the first time...something I was SO fearful of...and something he made SO easy
-He is very compassionate and would give anything he had to someone who needed it
-He loves video games
-He loves to pray
-He loves his momma even when she gets frustrated easily and has bad days (he actually seems to love me the most on those days)
-He loves all animals and would have even more of them if he could
-He always sees the best in people
-He loves to help
-He secretly wants to be a ninja
-He thinks it is very cool that his momma knows karate
-He loves to re-tell a story...and he gives EVERY detail
-He loves to laugh and his laugh is one of the most beautiful sounds in the world
-He loves to wrestle with his dad
-He still lets me give him a hug and kiss in public
-He is a dreamer...just like his mom and dad
-He is my little man...he has changed the way I look at life and myself...and I love him more than I ever though was humanly possible

Today I pray for Ty. I will pray that God protects him and keeps him healthy. I will pray that all of his dreams will come true and that he lives life to the fullest. I will pray that I can be the mom that he needs and that he will always know how much I love him, support him, and believe in him. Today (and always) I will pray that God keeps his little heart pure and that he will always have a relationship with the Lord...not because he has to...but because he wants to. I pray that he keeps his sweet and compassionate heart and that he uses it to reach out to and love on others. I pray that God uses my little man to change the world.

Out of the mouth of babes

Have you ever felt unsettled? Not completely upset, angry, frustrated or sad...just unsettled. That is how I felt yesterday. I was thinking about my dad and his health problems. I was praying that his Dr.'s would have wisdom and that he would want to fight to get better. I was also praying for Haiti. I saw images yesterday of children looking for their parents...wives looking for husbands...and loved ones weeping as they sat next to the body of someone they had lost. My heart hurt as I tried to put myself in their position...knowing that I couldn't even imagine the pain they are dealing with and the hopelessness they are feeling. And in both of these situations...I know that there is nothing that I can do to change what is happening...all I can do is pray...and that left me feeling a little unsettled. I prayed for my dad and Haiti all day and all day I asked God to show me who He is...not that I didn't already know...but I desperately wanted a reminder. Well...last night me and the babes were on our way home from church and Maddie started to sing...in her sweet and beautifully loud voice. This is what she sang...

He is jealous for me
loves like a hurricane. I am a tree
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy
When all of the sudden
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory
And I realize just how beautiful You are
And how great Your affections are for me

O how He loves us so
O how He loves us
How He loves us so
O how He loves us so
O how He loves us
How he loves us so

Out of the mouth of my sweet babe came my "answer". I may not be able to "fix" what I prayed for yesterday...but I can still pray. He loves us...He loves me...He loves you.

We interrupt this regularly scheduled blog post...

So...I had planned to write about how I was praying for my little man today (and I had a really cute picture of him already to load onto this wonderful post) but God has something different for me to think about.
Yesterday, I stopped at Meijer on my way home from work. I was heading into the store to get some mangoes, blueberries, pomegranates, and kiwis, so that I could make a fruit salad to have on hand during the fast. As I was walking into the store I was giving myself a pep talk about not looking at the bakery, deli, or bread section. It was then that I realized...I am walking into a huge grocery store...to get all the yummy fruits I want...then I am going to go and pay for them...drive home in my car...and make a wonderful fruit salad in the comfort of my own home... Wow...I am so blessed! I was almost complaining at the thought of having to eat fruit...fresh fruit...that I love! That was sad to me.
I want to have a heart of thankfulness...TRUE thankfulness. I want to see all of the blessings that surround me each day. I want to focus on those things...not the silly things that I can so easily get frustrated about.
So...my prayer for today has been and will be to have a heart that oozes with thankfulness. I want to be thankful for the fast our church is doing...thankful for what God is and will teach me through it...thankful for my fruits and veggies...thankful for my sweet babes and the joy they bring into my life daily...thankful for my amazing husband...thankful for my cute house...thankful for good health...thankful to be making hot chocolate for Maddie and her sweet little friend who are playing dress-up...thankful for my amazing friends (one of whom is coming over tonight to watch American Idol with me)...Thankful for grace...thankful for my restored relationship with my momma...thankful for my church family...thankful for my cuddly dogs...thankful for my clothes...definitely thankful for fun shoes :-)...thankful for the chance to be used in spite of myself...thankful for prayer...thankful for 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 50th chances...just plain thankful for everything.

21 days...

Our church (CLC) is doing a 21 day Daniel fast that starts today and goes to Feb. 1st. (It is basically a fast of fruits, vegetables, and water) So...for the next 21 days I am going to try to write a little tidbit about what I am/have been praying for that day and what God has been teaching me. I am actually excited to see what God is going to do through this and I am so thankful to have a wonderful church family to go through this process with!!


SO...my prayer for today is for my hottie potattie husband (yes..I just said 'hottie potattie')

Even though he would not agree...he has a little bit of a love for Dt. Mountain Dew.

And when I say "a little bit of love"...I really mean that he is totally addicted!! :-) I am sure that the next few days will be hard and have a few caffeine head aches involved as he adjusts to only drinking water.

If you know my husband...you know that he is the most amazing worship leader ever!! He writes the most beautiful worship songs and he has a heart for worship like no one I have ever met. He also has a huge heart for people. There have been many times that I have listened to him give advice to a friend that is hurting, or watch him comfort a family when they are going through a difficult time and I have learned so much about what truly ministering to someone looks like. I can honestly say that in almost 9 years of marriage...I love him more now than I ever thought was possible...and I know that somehow I will love him even more tomorrow. He is an amazing husband and he is also my best friend. I love that we laugh together...about the most ridiculous and stupid things. I also love knowing that he will always support me and he wants all of my dreams to come true. And...don't even get me started on how wonderful of a Dad he is!! He is the ultimate "Fun Dad". If there is snow to play in...he is playing in it with the babes, if there is a pool to splash in...he is throwing the babes in it, and if there is ice cream to be eaten...he has made sure to already buy ALL the toppings we could possibly need to have the ultimate ice cream sundae night! He is also Ty's wrestling and Wii game partner...and he is Maddie's tea party guest and dance partner. The babes just adore him...and so do I. He truly is the man of my dreams.

I say all of that...because today...I am going to pray for my husband. I hope that these next 21 days are just an amazing time for him. My prayer is that he can hear God even more clearly than he already does and that he can see even more of the plan that God has for his life. I am going to pray that his dreams and desires will become reality for him.

And (selfishly) I am also going to pray...that he is not in a bad mood for the next few days due to lack of Dt Mountain Dew. :-)

Snow Day (Also known as "Burke family fun day")

*Warning...there may be a lot of pictures in this post*

Yesterday school was cancelled for the babes + Dustin was off of work and his bands show was cancelled that evening due to the weather + I was off work as well = a family fun day!!! We started off the day right...with marshmallow filled, homemade hot chocolate and cookies. Then we all decided to bundle up and go out in the snow... The boys were rolling around and Harley LOVED her first time in the snow...



You might notice that this adorable, sweet, and guilty puppy face is not in the snow...she decided to run and not come when Daddy called her. She also decided to make him chase her almost three blocks in the snow. Daddy was not happy...at all!! I think she might be going through a "dog mid-life crisis" But her face is just so cute and squeezable that I couldn't even get mad at her (of course...I also did not have to run after to her and bring her stubborn 80 lb body back home)

Now...back to the snow playing...

This sweet babe just loved playing out in the snow. She just kept laughing and throwing snow on everyone...including herself.

The boys wrestled and Harley kept trying to "save" Ty by jumping on top of Dustin...it was a funny site. Then Dustin suggested that we go sledding...the babes LOVED that idea. So...I put my camera safely in the house and headed out to walk to our neighborhood sledding hill. We were surprised that no one was there yet but we were happy to have the hill all to ourselves. After a few runs...sweet Maddie decided that she was just too cold and needed to go home. Maddie and I started on the walk home while the boys followed (well...they followed at a distance because they kept taking breaks to throw each other in the snow!!) After we got home and warm Dustin told everyone to get ready because he was taking us out for lunch and a "surprise" afterwards. The kids were very excited so they got ready in record time. We ate lunch and then got back into the car and headed to the pet store. Yes...you heard me right...I said pet store. Let me give you a little background...

Tyler had received two hermit crabs from Nana and Papa for his birthday last summer. He LOVED those hermit crabs!! *Fast forward* to before we left for NY 2 weeks ago...eating with Daddy...Ty says, "Hey daddy? Can you make sure to give my hermit crabs a full dish of water and food so they will be set for while we are gone?" "Sure buddy" said a very busy Daddy who was trying to get everything ready for not only his family to go out of town...but himself and the band as well. *Fast forward* to the tragic loss of the hermit crabs. (and I never told Ty that they had not been fed and watered...per Daddy's request and promise to buy him 3 new ones!!)

So...we were at the pet store...and Ty's face just lit up. We walk in to pick out his crabs and somehow it was decided (between Daddy and the babes) that Maddie NEEDS a fish in her room. I agree (it is better than a puppy!!) *Fast forward* even a little more and Maddie's fish turns into a fish and a dwarf water frog to go with the fish. So now we are checking out with 1 fish, 1 dwarf water frog, 1 bag of pink pebbles, 1 round plastic fish/frog bowl, 3 new hermit crabs, and 1 fresh bag of sand.

So I figured you should all meet the newest members of the Burke household...
Meet Shelly...she is the most outgoing of the 3. She loves her new little cage and even climbs up her climbing wall (something Ty's previous hermit crabs wouldn't do and he is very excited that Shelly does!!)

This is Hermie. He is a little shy...but we have gotten him to come out a few times...and he even crawled on my arm. He and Shelly have played together a little...and he likes climbing over things in his cage.

This is crabcake. He is very shy. We have actually only seen him come out of his shell once. He is super tiny and Maddie already refers to him as the "baby".

This is Ariel. Maddie's Beta fish. Her body is red and she has puprple and blue fins. I always thought that Beta fish were mean...but...come to find out...they are only mean with eachother. Which is why it is fine to have Ariel in the round fish bowl with this little one...

This little dwarf frog is Dory and he swims all the time...which is why he got his name. Maddie already sings, "Just keep swimming...swimmimg...swimming..." to him...it is very cute.

So after all of our new additions we had a family movie night complete with juice boxes and timbits...YUM!! It was an absolutely perfect day.

Careful...He's a talker

My little Ty man tends to be a talker. When he knows a lot about a topic...he loves to tell ALL about it...and I mean EVERY detail!! And when he asks a question about something...he will ask it in 5 different ways to make sure he is getting all the info he needs. All this being said....
We were driving in the car tonight on our way to church. We had just gotten off our exit and we were waiting at the light. Ty asked me, "Mom...why is that street named 'W-Yes'? To which I replied it is actually pronounced 'Wise' even thought it is spelled W-Y-S-E." Ty replied, "O...that is a weird name. " Thinking the conversation was over...I did not respond...but he kept going..."Who would name it that?" "I am not sure buddy." I responded. "Well who decides the names for the streets...and why would they spell it funny?" I don't know buddy...that is just the name" I said "But why? I mean why is it called Wyse? Who wanted it to be called that? Maybe they weren't a good speller? How do you get the job of naming streets?" At this point...I was SO done with hearing about street names...so I replied in a very firm/kind of frustrated tone, "Buddy...I DON'T KNOW! I don't know why they named the street that...or who named it...it is just the name of the street...that is just the way it is...OK? He paused for a moment and said, "Oh...well you know what mom?" "What buddy?" (I tried to respond like I was not totally done with the conversation). "If there was a street named Jessica...that would be my favorite street because that is your name...and you are my very favorite person!" My heart just melted...I love my little man!!

Super Powers

So...I need a super power...and not just any super power. I need the one like the guy on Heroes has (the guy whose name I cannot pronounce or spell). He makes a really weird face...closes his eyes...concentrates really hard...and makes himself instantly travel to anywhere he wants to be. Because I would travel to see my brother at least once a week to have lunch with him at Cabo Fish Taco (the most amazing little restaurant that we both love!!) I loved getting to see him so much over the holidays...but now i miss him. I am going to go and work on my Super Powers now.

NY trip (Reader's Digest version)

SO...me and the babes went to NY last week. It was actually not a planned trip...(my dad had two strokes in a little over 2 weeks and I really wanted to go to check on him and make sure that everything was ok) but we had a great time! The babes and I stayed with my mom and she totally spoiled us!! She let me sleep in and had coffee ready for me when I got up (It was hard to leave that :)!!!) and the kiddos got cookies and orange juice for breakfast (and they didn't want to leave that :)!!!) We went to Carousel center...Heids...Aunt Linda's...Dad's...the Buzzell's house (to see them and Sheri)...and SO much more!! The babes were amazing with all of the driving and I loved getting to be on a mini-vacation with them. Now we are trying to get back into our little routine (NO fun!!) and they are off to school and I am off to work and cleaning. Even though we miss everyone in NY we are glad to be back home safe and sound.
Here are a few pics from the visit...

Resolution

So...my New Years resolution is to be a better blogger. We'll see how it goes :-)