The Burley Bunch

Happy 4th Birthday, Karson!!!!

2012-02-23T20:01:00.001-06:00

February 22, 2012 my baby boy turned 4!!!! (gulp, gulp...) Being our caboose, each of his milestones seem to hit me just a little harder. :-) What a privilege to be a parent!!

I like to let my kids choose what kind of cake they would like. He has been telling me for several weeks that he wanted a monkey cake. Thanks to pinterest, that request was granted!!Every monkey needs a few bananas.

Karson brings so much joy and happiness to our family!!! He loves to keep things very neat and organized; loves to help out around the house with laundry, dishes, cleaning; is his brothers biggest fan; loves popsicles and icecream sandwiches; loves his BB gun; and is just such a sweet little fellow!!
Khara, Kelsey, and Kaden were out of school on Monday, the day we had his party, so they had fun making some cute birthday banners.

Oh, and the air compressor in our dining room?? :-) Well, Mark is working on putting new tile in two of our bathrooms. He volunteered to move his equipment to the garage but I figured the least I could do was encourage him to keep his tools close and handy while the project is being completed. ;-)

The sign Kaden made for Karson.

Karson is at a great age for gifts. I think every gift he opened was met with a very enthusiastic, "AWESOME"!!! :-)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KARSON!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

2012-02-14T22:14:00.003-06:00

I just love Valentine's Day; always have-- hopefully, always will!!! :-) So many sweet, fun little things to celebrate!!!

Addressing those Valentine cards!!

Karson really was enjoying it, he just looks like he wasn't. ;-)

Kelsey wanted to make a special treat for her classmates. We made rice krispie treats: cut them out in heart shapes, drizzled them with choc., added a few sprinkles and she had a cute snack.

Kelsey's class party.

Makin' another batch of sugar cookies. Again, Karson LOVES those sprinkles. :-)

Balloons, lots and lots of balloons. These for the church Valentine party,

These, for four extra special children!!!!!

A succulent supper of crab legs, twice baked potatoes, brown sugared green beans, and garlic cheese biscuits cooked with my daughter at my side and shared with the most incredible spouse and children EVER made for a very---

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!!!!

Christmas/New Year's in Michigan 2011

2012-02-07T09:13:00.005-06:00

Every year around New Year's weekend we enjoy Christmas in Michigan.

Mark happened to be reading the paper and saw that we could get free tickets to the Children's Museum. We gladly claimed that offer.

After we had been at the Children's Museum a little while, Mark and Gene happily agreed to watch the kids while Tina, Amanda, and I went and did a little shopping. Great guys!!! :-)

Then, when Greg and Stephanie arrived it was gift time.

Ryan and Khara

*******
A great way to top off the holiday season. Then, it was back to Missouri for school and work.

Christmas 2011-- Home

2012-02-05T21:17:00.001-06:00

It has taken me a little longer than I anticipated to finish my Christmas posts. I'm finishing them up today!!! MARCH-- is just around the corner!! ;-)

Enjoying one of our Christmas traditions-- visiting the local museum. My kids LOVE this place!! The elementary students make ornaments for the Christmas trees on display. Kelsey and Kaden had fun finding their ornaments.

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Nothing like making, baking, and frosting sugar cookies with four children!!!

I had thought we might share some of the cookies with our neighbors, but when the frosting started being sampled, my plans went another direction. ;-)

Lots of frosting and even more sprinkles-- makes for some oh so yummy cookies!!! :-)
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Our plan was to open gifts Christmas Eve. morning. With a little bit of coaxing, we decided to let the kids open their gifts from each other and one gift from us the night before.
Ready to open the first gifts!!

Karson's gifts to Khara and Kelsey.

Saturday morning.

Karson-- thrilled to have his own BB gun!!

Kelsey and Kit!!

An IPOD touch made Khara VERY happy!!!!

Kaden and Karson wanted their tents to be set up right away. Karson ended up sleeping in his several nights, with his BB gun right beside him. :-)

*********
Enjoying the day at my parents with Philip and Dana, Elijah, and Tanner. More gifts!!

Karson LOVES!!! games and was showing Elijah one of his favorites!

Cousins!!

Playing with one of Karson's Christmas gifts. Play-dough dentist set!!

*******

Wonderful Christmas memories-- truly it is, the most Wonderful time of the Year!!!

Back In December...

2012-01-18T22:17:00.003-06:00

Wow-- The middle of January already??!!! What a great Christmas season-- so great that I didn't take the time to blog about alot of it. For the sake of my own "blog diary" I'm going to jump back into December for a few posts. If you're kind of tired of seeing Christmas stuff, check back in February.. I might have January's happenings up. ;-)

SCHOOL CHRISTMAS FUN:

Karson and I went to Kaden's 1st grade classroom one day to help the students make gingerbread cookies/ornaments. "Knead it, roll it, cut it.. maybe eat a little of it..". Such a fun activity!!!

I wish I had taken a picture of the giant cookie sheet lined with all of the ornaments. His teacher let them "be creative" with their extra scraps of dough. That cookie sheet had all kinds of creations on it!! :-)

We helped out at Kelsey's 4th grade Christmas party. Lots of games, food, and fun!!

Karson reaps so many benefits from having older siblings!! :-)

Kaden's class had a story contest. His teacher read them a story about Santa getting stuck in a chimney and then they had to write how they would get him out. Kaden won the contest and she, I mean SANTA, sent him this package and letter under the class Christmas tree. I think some of those 1st graders were completely spell bound with the magic of Christmas and Santa after she read them the letter!! :-)

Mrs. Sayler, once again I mean SANTA!!!!!, knows his L.O.V.E. of hunting and made him a very happy little boy with this gift!!! He/we are blessed with an Amazing teacher!!!!

Kaden was thrilled to give Mark and me the gift he had worked on so hard at school.

One of the gifts in someones treat bag, those cool 3D glasses. An amazing way to look at Christmas lights!!!

Khara's reaction to not having a Christmas party now that she is in Middle School.... What?!!?

just kidding... she loves Middle School!!!

Khara and Karson getting a little more school Christmas fun in, in grandma's room after school!! Ring the Reindeer

And then.... Christmas break began!!! Loved having all my kiddos home to enjoy the season to it's fullest!!!

To be continued...

Bakin' Boys

2012-01-17T21:35:00.003-06:00

I have two little boys (and two bigger girls) ;-) that just LOVE to help out in the kitchen. Last night I had planned to make monkey bread for their evening snack. Not the healthiest, I know, but hey: it's January, it was cold out, and I had several cans of biscuits on hand due to a great sale! Every child deserves a delicious bedtime snack!! :-) Kaden and Karson quickly let me know that they would love to make it.

Maybe it has something to do with pizza cutters... they love this!!

The finished product!! Paired with a tall glass of cold milk.. my children were very satisfied!! :-)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

2011-12-25T12:18:00.005-06:00

Merry Christmas from the Burley's!!!!!

"Simply having a WONDERFUL Christmastime!!!!!"

Delightful December!!!

2011-12-12T08:02:00.001-06:00

Wow-- what a busy month. So far this month:

Mark turned the big --35--!!!!
We celebrated at Lambert's Restaurant:

We love this place: the atmosphere, the food, those rolls sailing everywhere... great place to eat!!

then enjoyed the sights at Bass Pro for a couple of hours.

Kaden had his 1st grade Christmas program--

5 and 6 year old's dressed up looking very nice!!

Kaden got to experience another 1st this Saturday. He very willingly crawled out of bed at 5:15 a.m. and went duck hunting with his incredible daddy and a couple of fellow UPS'ers. (Mark's hunting buddies). The hunt was successful (thankfully) and Kaden got to experience it to the fullest. Sitting in the blind, seeing the dog working in full action, and bringing home the birds. Another hunt that he now LOVES!!! He can't decide what he likes best now: turkey, deer, or duck hunting!!! He was pretty impressed that with duck hunting you can talk, LOUD! ;-)
Another great thing about December... Mark brings home all kinds of goodies from customers who appreciate him! :-)

Until next time... Merry Christmas from the Burleys!!!!

Englund Gatlinburg Thanksgiving

2011-12-11T23:10:00.006-06:00

With Christmas just two weeks from T.O.D.A.Y!!!! I wanted to squeeze a couple of late posts into my blog before things get even more busy. I kind of keep my blog as a little family photo album at times, so I don't want to leave too many gaps in our happenings!! :-)

This year for Thanksgiving, my extended met at a cabin in Gatlinburg!! I had never been to Gatlinburg before (with Branson just 2 hours away, we had never made the trip) and fell in LOVE!!! What a beautiful place!!Our "home" for a few days.

Out for a walk-- wonderful weather and beautiful scenery!!

Cookie decorating at the Christmas Store.

A favorite activity of some of the little people was looking over onto the crowd below. Notice grandma's grip. ;-)

"Good-morning!!!"

Mark and adorable Addy.

One of the highlights of the trip was seeing a couple of bear cubs in a tree right beside the road. We stopped and took some pictures. Someone warned of the mother being close by and we made a quick retreat to the vehicle.

Brenda doin' a fine job of carvin' the ham!! :-)

Cousins!!

More "lookin-over" time. When you see Jeff, ask him about yellin' out and then throwing a pillow over the edge-- uugghhh!!! MORE gray hair (and LOOTTTTS of laughs!!!)

Playing pool was the activity of choice for several hours that weekend by the guys.

So blessed to have four of the best sisters in the world!!!

What a wonderful week-- Can't wait to go back!!!

Kaden's 1st Hunt

2011-11-05T22:50:00.007-05:00

Mark found out yesterday something that made a little 6-year old boy very happy!!! Kaden was able to go on his first youth deer hunt today. Mark had been thinking that 7 was the "Conservation Correct Age"--nope, 6 year-olds get to try it. Anyway... they left bright and early this morning. Came back several hours later, unsuccessful. They went out again this afternoon and after about 3 minutes in the tree stand, Kaden shot his first buck. To say he was thrilled is probably an understatement!! :-)

Kaden with his prized possession!! We went and met them in the field so that we could watch all the gory work. ;-) Khara loved seeing it field dressed and wanted to help, Kelsey... not so much!

Calling Grandma to share the news. I LOVE his T.H.R.I.L.L.E.D. facial expression!!!

Both sides of the buck's antlers had been broken off in fights!!

"We're from the country and we LOVE it that way!!" :-)

Memories to last a lifetime.....

--A Fun Halloween--

2011-11-04T16:10:00.003-05:00

Another night of trick-or-treating has come and gone, and my four kiddos loved it!!! Just something about dressing up, putting on a little face paint, and going around town getting a little sugar from acquaintances thrills them!!! :-)

Checking out some of the inventory!! What a fun night!!!

September Review!!

2011-10-05T20:20:00.004-05:00

Wow-- it's hard to believe we are well on our way into October. September was a fun-filled month... here's our picture review.

Some of our activities:

Karson trying out a new type of painting, using wheels of different cars/trucks/tractors. The more tread, the better.

Finding a birds nest-- PrAyInG that it was EMPTY when I knocked it down for the little man.

After putting his clothes in the washer he somehow got in there with them , and was amused with his accomplishment. :-)

This is more my preferred method of getting children clean.
Clean little boys. That's a miracle in itself, yeah?? :-)

We've enjoyed some beautiful days at the park. LOVE this weather!!!

People pyramids: Karson looks comfortable, Mark... not so much!

Enjoyed the great Walnut Festival. One of the highlights, besides the massive amount of candy from the 2 hour parade, was getting to try their hand at making pottery.

How could September be complete without Friday night football??:

Yep, our school colors happen to be red& black!! Never mind that my shirt says Cincinnati, it was the colors we were after. Mark got the wording right on his. ;-)

I enjoyed a wonderful birthday!! Children make all celebrations so much more fun!!

Library story time with this familiar character:

Khara had spirit week in Middle School before the Homecoming game on Friday night.
Nerd day!!! I think a person's confidence level can really show through with events like this. Let's just say.... I'm pleased with her level. ;-)

Mismatch Day!!

--Wish I would have taken a picture of her on some of the more normal looking days-- Cowboy Day, School Spirit Day... guess they didn't stand out to me quite as much. :-) Anyway, she REALLY enjoyed this week!!!

Headin' to the game! Another Friday night of football!! Again, wish I would have gotten a group pic. of the kiddos. They were certainly showing that school spirit.

Well, that wraps up our September review. Have a wonderful Thursday!!!

~A Visit from the Vernons~

2011-10-04T19:45:00.001-05:00

A couple of weeks ago Dana, Elijah, and Tanner came to Missouri for a visit while Philip is in Afghanistan. We loved having them here!!!! Karson loved having playmates during the DAY!!

Enjoying lunch together-- Silly boys!! The faces I got for asking them to say "cheese"!! :-)

Only an aunt would give a 1, 2, & 3 year old fudge bars. Don't know if I was kind or 'krazy'. ;-) They did great with them, despite Tanner looking like he tried to demolish his on Elijah's head.

Cute little Tanner.

We enjoyed going to a little fall festival:

train rides,

balloons on a stick,

and even pony rides.

Elijah and his great grandpa Englund. Watching the wool being loaded on the semi.
Cousin fun!!

Kelsey and Elijah after a long full day of play.

What an enjoyable week!! :-)

~ An Apple Butter Makin' Day!! ~

2011-09-19T22:17:00.006-05:00

Saturday, we were able to snag a great deal on a bushel of apples. $9.00 for 40lbs. of apples rates as an excellent deal on my price page!! :-) So today, I delved into a very delightful task!

I gave the apples a quick bath.

Then put my ever so clever apple tool to work-- LOVE this thing!! It saves so much time and effort!

Had to snap a picture of my very willing helper! I won't be surprised if his arm is a little sore in the morning. :-)

Got them all peeled, cored and cut up. Added some sugar, a few spices, and they were ready for the crock pot. After a few hours the house was starting to smell wonderful and the apples looked like this:

Several more hours, and it was looking like Apple Butter!! Ready to be canned.

About 10 hours after starting this project: canned goodness!!

Kelsey asked me to make biscuits as soon as it was done, I didn't think any of us really needed biscuits at 9 p.m. so I assured her they would be on the Tuesday morning breakfast menu!! :-)

What a wonderful Monday!!!

Tis' the Day to wear ORANGE-----

2011-09-07T07:53:00.003-05:00

...or at least the Burley children thought so!! :-)

HAPPY WEDNESDAY!!! :-)

Random Summer Pics.

2011-09-01T22:00:00.001-05:00

I was just looking at my posts today and saw these pics. that I had loaded back in June... and that's as far as I got. So here they are... early summer memories. A hodge podge of pics in no certain order.

Khara on her way to her 5th grade music concert. RECORDERS-- ahhhh, wonderful recorders...if you never had to endure learning to play the recorder with 100 other students... well, be ever so thankful!! Actually, they did a very nice job!! :-)

Kaden and Karson enjoying a Friday together. One big perk of Kaden's kindergarten school year was no class on Friday. Oh how Karson and I miss him this year!!!

Khara and Kelsey with the gift they made in Sunday School for Mother's Day.

Yard work-- they LOVE to drive that mower!!

Loving the berries!!! Which, this picture makes me kind of sad.... with the extremely high temps. and no rain for several weeks, I think we lost all of our strawberries. Sad, sad!!! Hopefully we can replant next year!!
Another strawberry picture!!! One of the best fruits EVER!!!

Karson loves them, too!!!

Another pic. for the memory book!

Hope you enjoyed that little summer flash-back! Have a great Labor Day weekend!!! :-)

My Potting Bench!!

2011-09-01T14:32:00.000-05:00

Last week I saw an adorable potting bench on a blog I love to follow, Thrifty Decor Chic. She had a little pictorial of how she and her dad had made it. She gave excellent instructions and assured her readers that it was soooo simple to make. I told Mark I had something I would like him to see/ read... the directions to make a POTTING BENCH!!! He was ready to tackle the task.... what a great guy I have!!! ;-)

Saturday, we loaded up the van and headed to an Amish sawmill. Mark had already talked to the owner about the project and the possibility of us getting some beautiful cedar. He was happy to sell us some and we were thrilled to get it.... wish this computer had a scratch and sniff screen,ahh the smell of cedar.... beautiful wood!!!
Fresh cedar boards, ready to be put to use.

A few tools-- and a Sonic Drink... makes any job easier!! ;-)

My working man,

and some great little helpers.

Kaden was in "carpenter heaven"!!!

All framed in--lookin' goood!!

A couple hours later-- one satisfied husband, one happy wife!!! The finished product!!!

...and The Adventure Begins-- School Year 2011- 2012

2011-08-16T21:28:00.000-05:00

I can't hardly believe that summer vacation is over and another school year began today. We had a wonderful summer but thankfully, my kids are usually pretty enthusiastic about heading back to the classroom. May have something to do with the new school supplies, shoes, clothes, and meeting back up with all their friends, but never the less-- they always get excited. :-)

The evening before school starts the PTO hosts an Open House so the students can bring their school supplies and meet their teacher. Khara, Kesley and Kaden-- ready to go!!

Not to be outdone by the siblings, Karson grabbed his backpack on the way out the door.

Kaden visiting his classroom for the first time. His first venture at the public school for 1st grade!
Kaden with his very sweet teacher, Mrs. Sayler.

Kelsey in her 4th grade classroom. Checking everything out!

"Hhmmmm, look at all those books!"

Kelsey with her teacher, Miss Conner. She is so excited to be in her class.

For the first time Khara doesn't have a homeroom teacher to pose for a picture with. She has 7 teachers. She decided she would get a picture with her locker. A new thing for 6th graders.

And when she can finally get that combination to work, she is THIS kind of thrilled!!! ;-)

Tuesday-- First Day of School. They were up early, dressed, and ready for the day waayy early!!

Once again, Karson grabbed his backpack on the way out the door. HE wanted to go to school, too. Poor little guy, he cried and cried after we had dropped them off.

Kaden in his classroom on the first day.

I consoled Karson be telling him we would have school at home this year. We came home and got out every workbook we could find Pre-K- 1st grade. He was thrilled. He/we worked away until we left to go to camp. Happy Boy!!!

I am so thankful that we are blessed with such a great school!! Praying for another WONDERFUL YEAR for my children!!!

Happy Birthday Khara and Kelsey!!!

2011-07-09T23:22:00.004-05:00

Khara and Kelsey both celebrated a birthday a week ago. Kelsey was 9 on June 29, and Khara turned 11 on July 6. This year they were happy to have a combined party. We were so happy that Phil, Dana, Elijah and Tanner were here for their birthday this year!!

Kelsey wanted a cell phone cake this year!

Khara chose to have an ice cream cake. We all enjoyed the cake/ice cream combo! :-)

Ready to blow out those candles!!

Gift time-- some happy, excited girls!!!

They were thrilled to receive their pool. Kaden said, "I'm kinda liking this, too!!!" ;-)

Happy Birthday, Khara and Kelsey!!!!

Awesome Shopping Trip

2011-07-09T23:12:00.003-05:00

I just LOVE "couponing"!!! I usually find the best deals at Walgreen and CVS but feel I am at a little disadvantage due to living 40min. from Walgreens, and over an hour from the closest CVS. Today, my local grocery store really came through for me!!!! No ECB's or RR's involved. :-)

They have been offering a $10 off $50 coupon for several months now that I LOVE-- saving 20% off your grocery bill these days really means something! :-) Today, I combined that coupon with several others and came away with this little stockpile:

My before coupon total: $53.40 after coupons......$1.62!!! I was a happy shopper! :-)

Michigan Trip

2011-06-14T23:40:00.000-05:00

Over Memorial Day Weekend we took a trip to Michigan to attend the wedding of Mark's niece, Harmony. We enjoyed a great time of cooler weather and lots of family fun.

At the church, Evan and Kelsey want to see just how long this wedding is going to last!! ;-)

Khara and Kelsey passed out the programs.

The cousins and their cameras...

Kaitlyn and Karson hanging out before the ceremony.

Two of my favorite guys!!!

Harmony and Chris

All of the cousins except for Karson who had fallen asleep.

The Burley family

Pretty reception

Monday morning we all went out for breakfast:
Ryan must have thought it was still just a little too early. Kelsey on the other hand...

The other half of the table.

A really neat tree on Chris and Harmonys property. Perfect for pictures.

On our way back to Missouri we just had to make a quick stop and let the kiddos see the beautiful lake. I could have spent hours there--- Beautiful.

Happy 6th Birthday, Kaden!!!

2011-06-09T08:25:00.001-05:00

On May 25, Kaden turned 6!!!! He's a sweet, sweet boy that I'm so thankful God blessed our home with!! He loves to hunt, fish, really do ANYTHING that calls for being outside!! (which makes his daddy very happy) He loves to help out with household chores and can clean and organize his room almost better than I can. ( and THIS makes his mama VERY happy) :-)

HAPPY BIRTHADY, KADEN!!!!

He didn't waste any time in putting his garden tools to work!!! What little boy doesn't want to dig?? :-)

Before he got out of school I took cupcakes and icecream up to his kindergarten class to celebrate his birthday a little early.

This was his reaction to the class singing "Happy Birthday" to him!! Bless his heart, he was pretty embarrassed!! ;-)

And not to be left out, Kelsey thought that since she had a summer birthday her class needed to celebrate with her! :-)

Kaden Graduates!!!

2011-05-20T08:17:00.006-05:00

Tuesday, Kaden marched down the aisle and said good-bye to Kindergarten. Thankfully he wasn't the least bit sad, his mama on the other hand... Seeing 17 little 5 and 6-year-olds in caps and gowns is an adorable sight!!
Kaden, ready to get his cap and gown on. A student forgot their cap/gown a couple of years ago so the teacher just keepS them at school now until the night of the graduation so that doesn't happen again. The classroom reminded me of a wedding dressing room. Hustling and bustling around...I've never seen so many tassels straightened and caps adjusted! :-)

A happy graduating kindergarten!!

Kaden with his wonderful K-5 teacher, Mrs. Daniel!!

E.C.S. Kindergarten Class 2011

Kaden with his sweet friend Olivia!! ;-)

Saying his speaking part.

Kelsey and Khara take a quick picture with Kaden!! Karson was still inside with Mark!

After a graduation ceremony, opening cards, gifts, a fun trip to Pizza Hut with Gr. and Gr. Englund... Kaden was feeling the "happiness"!!! :-)

CONGRATS, KADEN!!!!

~EASTER~

2011-05-11T14:24:00.000-05:00

Easter weekend was another wonderful week at our home!!! Celebrating the Resurrection several times in several different ways. A favorite holiday of our whole family.

Kaden's class Easter party. Karson's "youngest sibling role", comes with lots of perks. He usually attends several class parties at every holiday.

Each student(and Karson) :-) got to decorate their own bunny cake. He was very pleased with his finished product.

Kaden with his cake.

On Friday I organized Kelsey's class Easter party. Khara no longer gets Easter parties since she is in 5th grade. :-(

Finding those eggs.

Kaden and Kelsey with their haul from the community Easter egg hunt. Khara and Karson were around, too... I guess just not close enough for a picture.

Our annual tradition--dyeing eggs!!!

Eater baskets all ready and waiting. I just love putting these together every year. I told Mark, "I hope I'm one of those moms whose is still giving her kids Easter baskets when they are 20"! He said, "Don't worry, you will be". ;-)

Ready to head to Eater church services. (I always wish we weren't in such a flying hurry to get out the door so that I could grab a few more pictures.)

So, I took a couple on the way... :-) Hope your EASTER 2011 was wonderful!!!!

Turkey Time!!!

2011-05-10T21:58:00.004-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, Mark took a VERY excited Kaden on his first turkey hunt. They/I/ WE ALL were thrilled when a couple of hours later they had dropped their first bird!! They both LOVED the experience, I think they're hooked for life. I'm sure I'll eventually get use to hearing all that practicing on turkey calls!!!

Getting ready to clean the bird. Which by the way, the meat is fantastic!!! Mark has several "hunting buds" that gave him specific directions on how to prepare/cook it. Delicious!!!

Two happy hunters!!! Kaden is so blessed with an incredible dad that takes the time to let him experience some of the finer things in life!!! Memories to last a lifetime!!

Clines/Kelso Wedding

2011-03-30T22:05:00.006-05:00

March 12 my great friend, Jennifer Clines, said "I DO"!!!! I was so happy to be a part of her fun, exciting weekend!!! I can't even remember when we first became friends but we have shared a lot!! Youth Camps, college days, choir tours, dorm days...what a great friend!!!!

Jennifer had a beautiful wedding that was just as organized and well put together as she is!!! Instead of folding programs, or decorating the church after the rehearsal (she already had all of that done!) we had a fun bridal shower for her. A FUN filled evening.

I wish she and Rocky ALL THE BEST!!! As M. Stetler said when performing the ceremony, "Jennifer, you're getting a great guy!!", "Rocky, you're getting a super girl!!!"

Let The Good Times Roll

2011-03-10T21:52:00.002-06:00

Just stoppin' in to make a quick post amid a very busy week. Khara had a school play today--Excellent Job!! Kaden had his Spring program tonight--So cute!! Kindergarten pigs, ducks, and farmers singing their little hearts out made for a great program. Kelsey's class has been studying fiddler crabs and dwarf African frogs. Today she adopted two of them!! The aquarium is once again set up. (I've questioned my sanity a couple of times since them, but she's happy). :-)

This weekend my great friend, Jennifer Clines, gets married!!!! Rehearsal, dinner, and bridal shower tomorrow, followed by walking down the aisle on Saturday afternoon!!! Sooo excited and happy for her!!! Theeeennnn, on Sunday morning bright and early I'm taking off on a long road trip to visit all my siblings!!!!! So, to some of my faithful readers... I'll see you in a couple of days--Can't wait!!! :-) Have a fantastic weekend!!!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Karson!!!

2011-03-01T15:08:00.005-06:00

February 22, Kason turned 3 years old!!! This is soooo hard to believe--time really does fly!
We had his party at my parents house. It was fun having Philip, Dana, Elijah, and Tanner there, along with several of my cousins!

Karson's one birthday wish was for a train cake. It was fun granting that one!!

Love Elijah's look in this pic. I think the candy on the train made him smile!! :-)

"Make a wish, make a wish..."

Karson had lots of help opening his gifts! ;-)

He was very happy with this one!!

And, this one made him smile! Love my little happy guy!!!

HAPPY 3RD BIRTHDAY , KARSON!!!

Valentine's Day!!!

2011-02-24T13:08:00.005-06:00

Valentine's Day is always such a fun holiday for us!!! Khara and Kaden had to make Valentine Boxes at home to take to school. Kelsey's teacher had them make them at school. BLESSSS that teacher!!! :-)

On one of our several snow days, we tackled the job of making the boxes. Kaden made a Hershey Kiss. Khara make a locker. Khara had a contest in her classroom and was happy to get 2nd place out of the 24 students!!

**my computer is having issues and will not let me turn the photos, EXTREMELY annoying!!!
Sorry, just turn your neck. ;-)

Time to address those Valentine Cards!!

Kaden with the Kiss!

Khara with her locker.

Kaden's class party.

One more pic. of Kaden with his "box".

Karson enjoying one of the many fringe benefits of older siblings-- he gets to attend lots of school parties! :-)

Basketball

2011-01-26T14:06:00.001-06:00

While looking at my past posts, I realized I had never posted this one from the first of November. Better late than never!!

~~~~~~~
For the first time, our little town is offering a Basketball program for little ones. When the note came home from school, Kaden just knew he wanted to be in it!!! :-) It is very similar to the well known "Upwards" program, they just used a different name to avoid the high price tag associated with that program.
He is really enjoying it and we are really enjoying watching!!! ;-) Have you ever watched a group of 5 & 6 year-olds try to play an organized game of B-ball?? Very entertaining!!! :-)

Practice

Ready for their first game. The girl to the right of Kaden was less than impressed. They give them each a colored clip for their shirt so that they can remember who they are to be guarding on the other team. The opponent to be guarded has a matching colored clip.

Mid game drink break.

And so the sport begins....now through the middle of December. After watching Kaden, Khara has decided that she wants to play. Her practice will start this Saturday....

~~~~
The season is now over and they both LOVED it, esp. Khara!!! I'll have to get some pics. on of her playing.

Holiday Wrap-Up

2011-01-26T07:56:00.010-06:00

Jan. 26---- hard to believe. Since Valentine's Day is just around the corner, I realized I needed to wrap up my Christmas event pictures. I have so many pictures it's almost staggering-- here are a few:

Englund family Christmas--

One of life's big blessings--- lots and lots of cousins!!!

Clayton and Kelsey playing in the basement.

Gotta love all the gadgets kids (okay, we adults like them pretty well, too) are entertained with these days! Caleb.

Kelsey and cute little Allie.

Little Addison

I LOVE how Emme really latched on to me this visit. Lots of fun!!

Sonic and Sugar Cookies...soooooo good!!! :-)

Stocking Time--

Well into the festivities!!! What a blast!!!

The guys enjoyed helping my dad work on clearing land by cutting some wood. Actually, enjoyed might be an understatement. Mark LOVED it! Maybe something to do with a new chain saw he received for his birthday in December. :-)

Sheep Rides:

Burley New Year's Activities--

We went to Michigan a few days after Christmas to spend time with Mark's side of the family. When it was time to load up the van my camera was MIA. I am thankful that Khara and Kelsey captured memories on their cameras.

Allison, Harmony, and Kelsey----Sweet!!

Silly!! :-)

Burley cousins-- checkin' out Kristen's pictures.

Just about every year we order pizza from somewhere. There is always a new delicious place to order from. YUM!!!!!

Kelsey with the soon to be wed niece, Harmony. Kelsey was telling me she sure hopes she still gets to see Harmony alot after she is married! ;-)

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Hope your New Year is off to a wonderful start!! We are trying to enjoy life to the fullest!!! We are so Blessed!!!!

Christmas Memories

2011-01-07T11:46:00.001-06:00

Wow, it's hard to believe I typed the word "memories" after Christmas already. Seems like I am only hitting the holidays on this blog anymore.. I guess better "some(posts) than none", right?? :-)

We had a simply wonderful Christmas season this year!! I did 90% of our shopping this year from the comfort of my home , a.k.a. on-line!!! :-) What a huge difference in the stress level of gifting!!! LOVE it!!! My family came to Missouri for Christmas (we missed Phil and Dana, who are in Africa). Then we made the trip to Michigan to be with Mark's family for New Years.

Some of our holiday activities:

Our holiday tradition, making a gingerbread house.

Complete project!!

Kaden's kindergarten class the evening of their Christmas program. sweet, sweet...

With a couple of his little buddies.

Making Christmas cookies. I may still have cookie dough on the tile but they LOVED it!!!

ooops, forgot to turn this one...

Christmas Sunday at church.

Sisters are the Best!!!

Kaden and Karson in front of our dining room gingerbread tree.

The evening we opened gifts-- 4 VERY excited children!!!

I love having expressive, excited, kids!!!

I think Khara and Kelsey were just as excited as Kaden when he opened his DS. :-)

Khara, thrilled with this package!!

Karson went right to work/play with one of his gifts.

I'll save our extended family Christmas family pictures for another post. Have a wonderful weekend!!!

Halloween Happenings!!!

2010-11-02T13:09:00.006-05:00

Fun October Events:

Carving Pumpkins!!! Anything messy-- my kids are all in!!!

We carved several green ones this year from our garden.

Finished product!!! :-)

Kelsey's class party.

Yummy caramel apples!!

Our night of trick-or-treating!!!

Pippi Longstocking, an old lady, bear, and pirate...the costumes of choice for this year!!

Headed out to collect enough sugar to last 'til Summer!!! :-)

Khara chose this mask and has had so much fun with it!!!! (Mark has too...several frightened church members Sunday night!!! :-)

Pictures!!!!

2010-09-29T13:56:00.007-05:00

It's been over a month since I posted so I thought I would just share some random pictures of what we've been up to.

Creations:

A couple of weeks ago Khara wanted to make a dessert. (I guess the banana bread, and peanut butter bars that we already had weren't enough.) Cherry Pie is her favorite so I suggested she make one. Her first attempt--
Mixing up the dough-- cutting in the shortening.

Rolling out the pie crust.

Filled and ready to go into the oven!!!

SUCCESS!!!! We all enjoyed the "fruits of her labor" :-)!!! Simply Delicious!!!

A few weeks ago I was at a sale and asked about this chair. FREE-- can't beat that price. It was kind of beat up and had a vinyl seat. I thought this would be an easy chair for me to experiment with.

A little sanding, some new fabric, and a couple of coats of paint later--

WAAA-- LAAHHH!! :-)
I kinda like it now.

Another recent creation... For some reason I had never owned a spring form pan. Thanks to my parents, that was part of my b-day gift from them. I made my very first baked cheesecake--Oreo!

Other pics of the fam.--Kelsey before school one morning. Just too cute not to snap a pic. of.

Karson is at home with me all day and has fun doing all kinds of things. I was changing out the clothes in the girls' closets(hence the clothes and hangers alllll over the floor) while he was on an African Safari hunting trip.

Khara came out Sun. morning with this outfit not knowing that we were thinking alike that day---we matched. And...she was happy about it.

Kelsey joins us for the picture.

Kelsey can get her little brothers to do all kinds of things!! This one even surprised me!! :-)

Didn't want to leave out the man of the house...Karson got a truck tour yesterday after we met Mark for a little lunch date.

Well-- that's the Wednesday update!!! :-)

The Beginning of Another School Year!!

2010-08-25T16:13:00.000-05:00

I can't hardly believe it, but our summer is over!! Last Tuesday, Khara, Kelsey, and Kaden started school!! Khara is in 5th grade, Kelsey- 3rd, and Kaden started Kindergarten! They are all loving it!!!! (the 'before 7a.m. rising time', not so much) :-)

The Monday night before the first day of school they got to meet their teacher at Open House. Khara and Kelsey at ElDo public school.

Kelsey with her very sweet 3rd grade teacher!!!

Khara with her 5th grade teacher. Khara just loves her!!! My mom is also one of the 5th grade teachers. Khara gets to have her for math which made her very happy!!! :-)

Kaden at his Open House at the ElDo Christian School.

He found his cubby!!

Getting personal instruction from his teacher as to where to put all of his supplies!!

Kaden with his wonderful Kindergarten teacher!

First day of school--yep it was a little early for them but they were excited!

Leaving my little guy for his first day of kindergarten. When you've been with someone nearly all day every day for 5 years, this has been quite an adjustment. Time marches on.... So thankful for great schools, excited learners, and wonderful teachers. Praying for a wonderful year for all three of them!!! :-)

~Maggie~

2010-08-06T17:49:00.003-05:00

Khara and Kelsey have been begging for a puppy. Two weeks ago, we satisfied that desire. A lady from our church raises puppies and gave our kids a full blooded black lab. They were thrilled!!!!

Even the two neighbor boys joined in on the fun job of giving a dog a bath!! :-)

Two happy girls with a clean little puppy!!!

Family Vacation

2010-08-05T17:09:00.002-05:00

A couple of weeks ago we enjoyed a nice family vacation in Branson. We just LOVE that place!! We took in a few shows: The Dixie Stampede (again), Cirque Montage, Noah The Musical; enjoyed going to Silver Dollar City; did a little (okay, a lot ) :-) of shopping and just enjoyed being together!!

Dixie Stampede

Condo time:

Our only attempt at a self-taken family picture! :-)

Posing with my two favorite daughters for our Crest "amaze'mint" lip gloss commercial!! ;-)

Kelsey was not real thrilled with our appetizer at Shorty Smalls.

Riding with cousins at Silver Dollar City!

Karson with cousin Ty.

Feeding the ducks on the landing.

Noah The Musical-- our favorite show!!! Unfortunately photography was not allowed during the show. I did snap a few pics outside of the theater. Beautiful!!!

Beautiful theater!

Karson waiting for the show to begin.

Strawberry Season!!

2010-05-08T23:25:00.006-05:00

We have been loving this beautiful weather and everything it brings with it!! One of my favorite things about this time of year are fresh picked strawberries. The patch we planted a couple of years ago is not disappointing us!! We found the first red strawberries last Sunday and have been picking a few every day since. Today was the first day we actually went out and picked with containers. Up until now all berries picked were very quickly consumed! :-) I've even caught Karson popping some green ones in his mouth, he doesn't seem to mind. In a few weeks I will probably be swimming in strawberries but I try to enjoy it while it lasts. :-) LOVE this time of year!!!

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Just had to share this picture...Kaden had his last show-n-tell day for preschool last week. These are VERY important days!! :-) He was so excited to take a turtle we had found to show his class.

Kaden ready to leave for school with his turtle-- Ian. He gave it that name because it rhymes with his best friend's name--Ryan. ;-) I just LOVE 4 year-olds!!! (and 2, 7, 9,....all the " __year-olds")

Easter Weekend

2010-04-14T22:24:00.006-05:00

We enjoyed a wonderful Easter weekend packed to the fullest!!! School Easter parties, the town Easter Egg Hunt, coloring eggs at home, and then topped off by our Sunday Easter activities. What a wonderful time of year!!!

15 4&5 year olds having an Easter Party makes for some excited children!! :-)

Each preschooler had 16 eggs to find with their name on them! Made the egg hunt last more than the normal 30 seconds. :-)

Kelsey's class Easter party was on Friday. Thanks to an idea from Brenda, I made these for her to take.

Cheese Curl Carrots

Ready to head to school with her basket.

Saturday they were all able to participate in the community egg hunt. For some reason I didn't catch any pics. of Khara and Kelsey. They were probably off playing with friends when the camera was out.

Karson was not thrilled at all with picking up the eggs or candy. He actually dumped his basket out twice and then cried when I insisted he needed to fill it. By Sunday, he had become a more "happy hunter".

Kaden with his loot--candy, candy, candy!!!

One of my kids' favorite activities of the whole year--coloring eggs. Messy, but oh so much fun!!

Kaden was very proud of HIS eggs!!

Completed Easter baskets waiting for sleepy eyed children to exclaim!!

Waiting on tow more children to join us for the annual pictures.

Easter Sunday morning!!! One of the best times of the year!!

Catching a pic. after church in front of the magnolia. (Hence Karson's untucked, candy stained shirt/vest :-).

Hope your Easter Week was wonderful!!!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Karson!!

2010-02-23T14:13:00.006-06:00

On Monday, Karson celebrated his 2nd birthday!!! I can hardly believe how fast 2 years have gone. What a wonderful little boy God has blessed us with!!!

He would not blow out his candles for anything!! :-) Won't leave my jar candles alone but to blow out birthday candles, no way!

He definitely already knows what money is! He wanted to carry this around with him for most of the evening! :-)

Loves his new gun!

Happy Birthday to a pretty special little guy!!!

New Addition Pictures.

2010-01-20T14:45:00.004-06:00

Well, I'm finally taking the time to get a few house pics. posted. We finally started moving in Monday. What a Blessed Day!!! We had been without a kitchen and laundry room for 7 weeks-- a loooong time for a family of 6!!!! Now I am trying to get the rest of the house sorted and organized. We are all moving to diff. bedrooms but those pics. will def. have to wait. Much, much, organizing to do in those rooms first! :-)

The old kitchen. The entire wall where the cabinets/window are was knocked out.

The new completed kitchen!!!

One of my favorite features, a walk-in pantry!

Dining room. Our table that once seemed big looks itty, bitty now. :-) Lots of decorating in this area to do. The color of the walls is actually a pale yellow. Somehow didn't turn out on the pic.

The more accurate color of the dining room.

Master bedroom.

New bathroom.

What happens when "someone" puts a few too many bubbles in a whirlpool tub. They loved it!!!

My "blogging-break" is now over! I'm off to do more "moving in". Happy Wednesday!! :-)

Thanksgiving/Christmas Memories

2009-12-22T00:30:00.000-06:00

Since Christmas is just around the corner, I'll quickly get my Thanksgiving pictures posted. :-) This year my family celebrated Christmas over Thanksgiving. My parents had a houseful, but it was definitely a houseful of fun!!!! I took almost 100 pics. over the 5 day period, here are just a few random:

We enjoyed having Aaron, Brenda, and Clayton stay with us while in MO. Karson and Clayton got in on some p.j. time! :-)

and bath time.

Cousins Kelsey and Kaley enjoying the beautiful weather!

The poor dog got a workout that weekend. Kaden, Karson, and Camen got toy guns in their stockings. The chase was on. ;-) Can't beat the great outdoors!!!

"Can you say-- BRIGHT??" :-)

Drew adds a little drama to the girls' DS time.

Kendall and Leanna's new addition~ 2 week old Tyson Kendall!!

Kaden had to have his turn at holding him but was a little nervous.

One of my favorite things in the world-- LITTLE BABIES!!!! :-)

Dana cooking up some goodness!!!

Clayton

Philip was a real trooper and let his nieces "style" his hair. They were LOVING it!!!! (as you can tell on their faces) :-)
20+ stockings waiting to be filled. A tradition that we all love!!!

Khara with Tyson

Elijah Vernon

Wow, I have so many more pics. I would love to post, maybe some day....

Construction!!!!

2009-12-10T13:27:00.005-06:00

Many of you know that we are under a MAJOR construction project!!! We are enlarging the size of our kitchen, dining, and laundry plus adding a master bed/bath. I am so excited about this project but it is also bringing a few challenges. Right now I am without a kitchen. Ever cooked solely w/microwave, crock pot, elec. skillet, etc. def. a challenge. And, as of Monday I lost my washer/dryer. :-( The end IS near--hopefully it will all be done in 3 weeks! VERY EXCITING!!!

The first step of a huge process! Breaking up the old patio so construction can begin on top of it!

Can't get a much closer view. They loved watching the action right outside the window. Now they can watch action from the living room. :-)

Where there is construction there is fresh dirt/mud. I've quickly found out mud is a little boy magnet!!!!! I could post a lot of pics of these 3 little boys in this "mud dream world". Needless to say, the construction workers enjoyed some laughs as I let the little guys enjoy life to the fullest.

Check out the supervisor. :-) Mark was actually talking to some of them up on the roof.

These pics. were taken almost a month ago. I took a few pics. today and am amazed at the progress. The sheet rock is up and has been prepped to be textured. We choose paint colors and flooring this weekend. Stay tuned for more pics.

Hunting

2009-12-10T13:15:00.003-06:00

For the first time ever Kaden was granted permission to go deer hunting with his daddy. He was thrilled!!! By nothing short of a miracle, :-) the hunt was successful!!!! Ever tried taking an excited, wiggly, excited, slightly loud, excited 4 year old hunting??? I haven't either but Mark said it was a job!! :-)

Khara and Kelsey survey the catch! Khara is totally hands on when it comes to this stuff. Kelsey, not so much. :-)

Fall Festivites

2009-11-03T08:38:00.001-06:00

What a great weekend!! We did the usual--Halloween Parties, Carving Pumpkins, and Trick-or-Treating which made for some very happy kids! :-)

One more last pumpkin hug before chopping into it!

Khara esp. loves getiing her hands into anything messy/slimy/grimy like this!! :-)

Masterpieces created by Mark and the kids. I was roasting the yummy pumpkin seeds for us to snack on!

Karson was still a little unsure of Kaden's face paint.

Our little Indian girl with her papoose.

Khara the artist!

And, the little Indian who would NOT wear his headband and feather! :-)

Taking Inventory :-)

Karson learning how to give the big fake smile!

Branson--Shepherd of the Hills

2009-10-06T17:27:00.000-05:00

I just realized that I had never published this post from our summer vacation in Branson. Better late than never, huh?? :-)

Shepherd of the Hills--LOVE this outdoor drama!!

They have a pre-show frog-jumping contest for kids. Kaden was all about that. Actually Khara loved it too. One huge bullfrog!!

Kelsey wanted no part of holding a frog.

Young Matt and Sammy Lane

Ollie

Mandy--Sammy Lane's friend!

My kids LOVE drama so this show was a real hit!! They can't wait to go back!

Precious Moments Chapel

2009-10-05T16:51:00.005-05:00

In September we took a little trip to Precious Moments Chapel. We are only about an hour from the chapel but had never taken the kids. I always find it interesting to see the changes/additions that Mr. Butcher(the creator of Precious Moments) has made since my last visit. He has made the final painting on the big Hallelujah Square Scene. He has also created the figurine, character, (not sure what they call it) to be released once he passes away. He included that figure on the Hallelujah Square Scene--Bitter Sweet!

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In totally unrelated news, Khara had a little scare at school a few weeks ago. The nurse called me and told me they thought Khara may have fractured her thumb! Dr. visits and X-rays later, we were so thankful to learn that it was just badly sprained/jammed. Who would have thought that a cartwheel can do this to your thumb?? This picture does not show near the extent of coloring that her thumb turned--I was amazed!

Happening

2009-10-05T16:35:00.004-05:00

Finally taking the time to post--Woo-Hoo!!! It's amazing how fast time can pass!! So, a few things that we have been up to:

I had another great birthday in September!!! I continue to be amazed at God's blessings, esp. the four that are around me!!! :-)

This little man is just growing up way to fast. I just love Karson in these little overalls. I wish I could have gotten a pic. of the little boots he had on with them!! My camera battery died after this picture.

Sweetest little girls ever!!

Guess what team was playing football Saturday?? We're trying to train our boys right!! :-) Unfortunately I can't report a happy ending to that game!

First Day of School

2009-08-20T13:36:00.005-05:00

So hard to believe it is already time for school again! Where did the summer go??!!!

Kaden is experiencing school for the first time EVER this year--K-4 Preschool!! His first day was Wednesday.

Monday night going to meet his teacher.

Khara and Kelsey had their first day today!!

They were both excited to be going back now I am just waiting to hear the "1st day report" when they get home in a couple of hours. :-)

VACATION!!!!!

2009-07-20T10:41:00.002-05:00

We're on VACATION--and loving it!!!!

Branson--one of our favorite places. Beautiful condo., great food, fun entertainment, EXCELLENT company!!! :-) Hopefully pics. when I return home next weekend!!

Until then, have a great week--I know we will!! :-)

Track & Field Day!!

2009-06-19T16:58:00.001-05:00

This was a post I started a month ago and never finished it up. Hopefully old news is good news.:-)
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Wow, I feel like I am so far behind on posting that I don't hardly even know where to start. I am finding it much quicker to jump around facebook for a little while. Maybe this summer I can get back on my blogging schedule!! :-)

A couple of weeks ago Khara and Kelsey had Track and Field Day at school. 3rd grade(Khara) was in the morning and 1st grade(Kelsey) was in the afternoon. Mark has such fond memories of his school Field Days that he took a day of vacation. We were so glad that he was able to be there and watch the girls participate!! They each brought home several ribbons!!!!

Khara lining up for the 100 yard dash.

Gotta love the sack race!! :-)

Khara with some of the girls in her 3rd grade class.

This picture just cracks me up! If you look at the above picture you can see the girls that are lined up ready for the 50 yard dash. Once they said "GO"--Kelsey was off!!!! She won first in this race by a long shot!!! Check out the length of her stride :-)

Little Karson enjoyed the day!!

My mid-afternoon the day was starting to seem a little long. The high jump mats came in handy for these three guys! :-)

Standing broad jump.

Proud, happy Mama!! We are blessed!!!!

Karson's Dental Surgery

2009-06-18T23:56:00.004-05:00

Wow--I'm actually blogging--kind of shocking to even myself! :-)

Tuesday Karson had to have a little surgery on his top four baby teeth. For some reason,that I'm still not sure of, those 4 teeth came in without the enamel on them. Without enamel, teeth do not hold up very well at all. He had four shiny, white crowns placed on those teeth. If you've never had to have a child "put under" be ever so thankful!!!

After arriving at the hospital, trying to keep him entertained.

Talking with the Dr. one more time before heading to the O.R. Just looking at this picture makes my heart hurt--what was ahead for this little guy was not fun!! :-(

Trying to sleep off some of that anesthetic.

An arm this little is just not suppose to have an I.V. in it!!

Post surgery, eating for the first time in over 15 hours--he gladly accepted the graham crackers.

Homeward bound--FINALLY!! The surgery was suppose to take 1 hour--it took two. The expected time in recovery was about 1 hour-- we were in our room for about 2 1/2 hours. So glad it's over!!!

Happy Birthday, Kaden!!!!!

2009-05-27T19:24:00.005-05:00

On Monday, Kaden turned 4!!! He was so excited which made it so fun for all of us! :-) Sunday afternoon he took a pretty long nap, when he woke up he said, "Is today my birthday?" Nope, one more day.

He is so full of life and energy, can't imagine our family without him!!

Let the fun begin!!! :-)

Karson was trying to blow out Kaden's candles. Doesn't take them long to figure out what that is all about!

Enjoying his presents!!!

They talked Grandma in to playing one of the games he got for his birthday.

Now Kaden's question for me--"Do you have more than one birthday in a year??". :-)

~Sweet Success~

2009-05-18T07:49:00.007-05:00

Last year we planted 100 strawberry plants!!! We are starting to reap the "fruits of our labor" and are LOVING it!! Khara and Kelsey never want me to pick them while they are at school--they want to be in on the "picking" action. :-) That is a great bonus right now, I'm just wondering how long their enthusiasm will last. The season has just begun. We've probably picked around 5 quarts and have at least 55 more that will soon be ripe. Pies, cakes, jams, jellies....here we come!!!
This was taken a few weeks ago when they were starting to come into full bloom.

LOADED plants!!!

Thankfully, all of my kids LOVE strawberries. I think Karson would eat them all day long if I would let him.

Caught in the act!! :-) See the green berry in his hand (and the red one at his feet)??

Kaden at his finest!!:-)

My very willing workers.

The makings of our Sunday dessert--Crushed, ripe strawberries(with lots of sugar), cream cheese pound cake, ice cream, and a little cool whip. My dad and Mark came to the conclusion that, "It just doesn't get any better than this....."!!!!

Pics. From the Past....

2009-05-05T22:55:00.005-05:00

Just a few pictures from some of our recent happenings. I'm so far behind in blogging, I'll just throw some random shots out there and close the gap to bring me up to MAY!!! :-)

We had a great time of going to Ohio in May. I.H.C. the first part of the week and then visiting at Jeff&Vicki's place (where Kendall and Leanna joined us). Great Times!!!

A big event---Kelsey lost her first tooth!!! (at I.H.C.) :-)

All of the "Englund" cousins!

Back home----

Kaden brought me this stack of books the other night and asked, "Can you read me 1,2, or 3 books"?? :-)

Karson looking WWWAAAAAYYY to grown up--and lovin' it!!

Happy Easter!!!

2009-04-13T00:22:00.005-05:00

Easter is one of my favorite holidays, if not my Most favorite!! Why??-- School Easter Parties, Local Easter Egg Hunts, Coloring Eggs with family, Easter Baskets, a wonderful church service today,.....We have had a wonderful Easter WEEKEND!!

Dana and Elijah came out for a visit. It was so nice to spend time with them!!! We all loved having another baby around! We missed Philip who is in Afghanistan.

Khara's 3rd grade class Easter Party. Karson got some extra attention and put up with it pretty well. ;-)

Kelsey and Kaden at the town egg hunt. (Khara had already gone to her age group). Kaden had just gotten hit accidentally in the face which explains the frown. He didn't stay sad long! :-)

The traditional egg coloring party!! LOVE it!!!

More participants!!

Karson discovers the joys of an Easter basket!! Did I mention I love this holiday?? Another reason!!

Ready for church. Well, Mark and I were ready. Karson still needed a little straightening!! :-)

God's greatest gift--CHILDREN!!! So much joy and happiness!

Dana and Elijah ready for church. His first Easter!

Enjoying Grandma time!

That's it for this week. We are very excited to be leaving for Ohio in the morning for a full week of I.H.C. and family visiting!! Maybe I'll see you there.....

Great Weekend !!

2009-03-31T13:26:00.001-05:00

Last weekend we took a little mini vacation. Marks beloved :-) Michigan basketball team was playing in the NCAA just 2 hours away. He was able to find a great deal on some tickets. I was able to find a great deal on a motel room (Thanks, Priceline :-). On Thursday afternoon to Kansas City we headed. Mark met a friend and was off to the game. I visited with some friends awhile, did some things with the kids, and then went to the motel where a happy Mark (MI won that night :-), joined us later.

Kaden lovin' the big, soft, bed.

Khara ready for bed, reading!!! Her FAVORITE past time!!

This picture just cracks me up. I have no idea why Kelsey was so sober but hey, we'll take what we can get!! :-)

We packed a lot into our two days in the city.

Cabelas:

We always really enjoy this place.

Amazing animals!

If guns are involved in any way Kaden is THRILLED!!!

Mark wanted to take a picture of this animal, something to do with a game he had loved watching the night before....;-)

If was great running into my longtime friend, Jennifer C.. I didn't think to grab the camera but since she told me she checks this blog I'll say again how great it was to see her. :-)

After leaving Cabela's we went to the T-Rex Cafe. A really neat place!!
We were seated in the Geo room where a volcano erupted every 30 minutes. There were lots of Dino's., aquariums,...very interesting!!

It was a little dark so this didn't turn out very well, but coming down the stairs, this was hanging from the ceiling. Great decor!!!

Have to include one more picture of Karson. He has discovered a new love. Looking for mama's drink on the counter. Oh, no!! I may have to quit this bad habit! :-)

Sidewalk Chalk

2009-03-27T14:44:00.000-05:00

A few days ago we tried a new idea out--Homemade Sidewalk Chalk. The kids thought it was just the greatest.

Plaster of Paris, water, food coloring and/ or tempra paint (liquid or dry). Mix ingred. until the consistency of a thick cake batter. Pour into molds. We used cookie cutters placed on waxed paper and a silicone rose cupcake pan I had. How cool is it to have "rose shaped" sidewalk chalk??!! :-)

Khara didn't know her pic. was being taken. She really DID enjoy making this. : )

The finished product:

"It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like....SPRING"

2009-03-16T23:01:00.006-05:00

Spring is just around the corner, I am SOOO ready!! One of the wonderful things about this season for me is getting outside and enjoying the DIRT!!! :-)

Two weeks ago my dad got our garden spot plowed!!

This year I wanted a little bit of a bigger garden. Mark was still at work when I made this decision (hee, hee). Saturday, when he was doing the hard part, he thought those rows were loooong. ;-)

This tractor has been in our family for years....it's given lots of little children many a ride!! memories, memories......:-)

This Saturday he came back with the tractor and tilled it!!

Then the fun begins...we planted!! Beets, Onions, Peas, Potatoes, Radishes are all tucked in the warm soil waiting for a little bit of rain.

I didn't even have the camera out on our planting spree, we were just too busy enjoying it I guess. Karson got to sample lots of new things that day: dirt, the taste of seed potatoes, rocks, and who knows what else. He loved it outside!! Mark was a trooper and did the hard work while Khara and I (Kelsey and Kaden off and on:-), just dropped in the seeds.

Loving to finally enjoy the outside!!
Kaden found a frog that he thought was going to have babies.

After the way the frog was handled/dropped/squeezed, I'm afraid "was" is the keyword to her maternal state.

Karson was sleeping during the plowing day so he didn't make the pictures this time.

I'll leave you with one more beautiful picture:

Rich, Black, Soil!!!!!----oh, the potential!!! :-)

First Haircut

2009-03-05T15:57:00.000-06:00

Karson's hair officially reached its lenght limit this week. Mark had kept mentioning that a haircut was very much in order for the little guy. I kept trying to stall around for a few more days/weeks. I think it makes them look so much older instantly!! (kinda want him to stay a baby for just a little bit looonger :-)

Anyway....when a little water produced this hairstyle--I knew it was time!!

Mark tackled the chore at home and they both did wonderful!!!

The end result--a much more neat, trim, adorable BABY boy!! :-)

"Happy Birthday, Karson!!"

2009-03-02T20:23:00.006-06:00

Last Sunday, Karson celebrated the big "1"!! This year has definitely seemed the fastest year of my life. It seems like it was just a couple of weeks ago that I held this precious 10lb. 1oz. little guy for the first time!! Time marches on! I'm trying to remember to treasure each moment.

Karson is now walking/running, loves to climb, weighs 28 lbs, has 7 teeth,....the pride and joy of three older siblings. A happy handful!! :-)

Enjoying his cake at Grandpa &Grandma Englunds. I had my camera on the wrong setting, thus the dark pictures :(.

Kaden was more than happy to help him blow out the candle. :-)

The most adorable little flip-flops(and crocs. too) from Gr. and Gr. Englund. It is so funny to try to put these on Karson. He just curls his little toes and smiles!!

Loving his "big-boy" car seat. (Even if his foot is caught and his mom is totally unaware...)

"Happy Birthday to my favorite little one year old!!!"

2009-02-05T19:49:00.003-06:00

Just wanted to share a few pictures again... :-)

This was our (I wisely chose a Saturday so that Mark could accompany me) first time to attempt a group picture of all four children together. WHEW--- it was a job!! I'm not sure who was more exhausted (physically as well as mentally), us or the photographer!! :-) The results are always WELL worth the effort!

Dec. Pics.--

-Words of Wisdom...-

2009-02-04T13:59:00.003-06:00

I learned the hard way today...

Never leave an 11-month old alone, anywhere near a box of cereal.

Oh, and the reason our couch is void of cushions.....Kaden's morning creation.

His question for me, "Mama, are you scared for me to get up on top of these?"... "Uhhh, YES!!!"

Never a dull moment.

~Burley Boys~

2009-01-26T17:04:00.002-06:00

I just wanted to share a few pictures of Kaden and Karson that Brenda took this summer. Kaden hasn't changed that much since July but Karson has really done some growing. It took me forever to get my order placed--it's great when the photographer is your sister!! I was once again so pleased when I got the finished product in the mail a couple of weeks ago.

These are scanned images so the quality is a little altered.

150% BOY--Kaden!!

Chubby, Cuddly, Karson!!! (Now with 7 teeth--WOW!! )
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Now, if I can just get my December picture order placed.....

A What??!!

2009-01-23T07:47:00.005-06:00

One day last week, Khara came home from school all excited about a home project they were assigned. For science class, they were each to make a "Cupid Trap". This contraption had to include one source of: force, work, or friction, and have at least one simple machine: lever, wheel and axle, pulley, inclined plane,..... UUUGGGGHHH!!!

Well, to say the least I wasn't quite as excited about it as she was. Sounded like another parent project to say the least. :-) Growing up, my dad usually helped us with things like that so, I told her to ask Mark about it when he got home. Let's just say he was not impressed with this teachers methods. He made some excuse about not being creative. :-)

Saturday evening, Mark headed to a ball game, Karson took a nap, and Khara and I plunged in. Khara LOVES hands on activities like this and was so excited to be working on it.

About an hour later the project was complete. She was one happy girl and I was one relieved mama.

Cupid climbs the steps (lured by some candy hearts in the cage), slides down the inclined plane onto the red glitter heart. The force of him on the heart will cause the blocks to fall out, causing the cage to shut. A trapped cupid!!!

Now, I wonder what grade we'll get. ;-)

Christmas Memories--Part 2

2009-01-20T08:00:00.007-06:00

We had a great time going to Michigan for New Year's. It's always quite an adventure to make the 700+ mile trip but well worth it. Plus, my kids usually get to see SNOW. Something that seems almost foreign around here anymore. No, I don't believe in global warming, it's just that we don't have the "white stuff" very often.

Snapping a couple of group shots before opening the gifts.
Greg, Stephanie, and family

Gene, Tina, and family

Khara and Ryan-- 6 months apart in age.

Not sure about Kris, but Karson and Harmony are happy to smile for the camera. :-)

Tina and Karson

I think Karson was starting to get a little close to Kaitlynn's gifts.

Well, that concludes my "holiday posts". I guess that is a good thing since it is nearing the end of January. Until next time.......

~Christmas Memories~

2009-01-15T10:34:00.000-06:00

What a wonderful holiday season!!! We enjoyed a wonderful two weeks of being with family!! My family here in Mo. at my parents house and then making the trip to Michigan to spend New Year's with Marks family. It's hard to believe we're nearing the middle of January but it is wonderful to be getting back onto some type of schedule.

Karson was plagued by the wonderful disease of spots a.k.a.--Chicken Pox, a couple of weeks before Christmas. This will explain the pictures of a ten month old covered in sores. :-(

Christmas Sunday

Christmas morning ready to find out what is in all of those packages. The excitement of children at Christmas is wonderful!!

Khara and Kelsey did some Christmas Shopping on their own this year and were so pleased with their purchases. :-)

We were blessed with four new "Englund Cousin" babies this year. At Christmas they were 10 months, 7 months, 2 months, and 5 weeks. Our holidays took on a whole new twist this year!! If anyone was empty armed it was by their own choosing. :-)

Dana and Philip with 5 week old Elijah.

Aaron and Brenda with 2 month old Clayton.

Vicki with 7 month old Emme.

10 month old Karson. This picture just cracks me up. We were trying to get pictures of the four new babies in a baby's first Christmas hat. UUhhh-not the size for big boy Karson. :-)

The cutest little Mr. and Mrs. Santa!!

Khara. Kelsey. and Kaley always have sooo much fun!!

Baby Elijah

Kendall and Elijah

Kendall and Leanna with Elijah. We held several midnight (and later) conversations which may be why they look a little tired.

Clayton (held by Dana)

Mark and Clayton.

Camen and Kaden.

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Whew, that was a lot of pictures. I'll wait and get my Michigan pics. up in another post.

Happy Thursday!!! :-)

"Oh Be Careful Little Feet Where You Go..."

2009-01-11T23:45:00.005-06:00

This post is especially for some of my relatives (Drew, Caleb-- "Buckeye Fans" :-) who know how much of a Michigan Wolverine fan Mark is trying to make Kaden into.

This morning in Sunday School I was teaching Kaden's class about Jesus healing the lame man. We were talking about how important our feet are. They can take us good places or bad places. I was asking them where some bad places for their feet to take them would be. Kaden spoke up and said, " Like, OHIO STATE???"!!!!

"Train up a child in the way he should go....."

Mark--Mission accomplished!! =)
GO BLUE!!

Christmas @ Bass Pro!!

2008-12-18T11:49:00.000-06:00

Last Saturday we braved the crowds and had a family outing to Bass Pro Shop. Our kids LOVE to go there, it is especially pretty at Christmas!

Kaden, Kelsey, and Khara anxious to be "on the way"!!

We have arrived!!! :-)

They had a special "Winter Wonderland" area set up for kids.

Kaden, with a little help from his Daddy, target practicing.

They made candy cane reindeer ornaments.

LOVE the look on Karson's face!!

I was trying to get the kids in front of one of the Christmas trees for a nice picture, NOOO, Kaden decided he would rather hide.

Karson taking it all in. They have beautiful trees !!

Oh, and I had to include one of our baking days-- Candy Cane sugar cookies!! :-)

--Recipe for Toffee--

2008-12-12T08:23:00.002-06:00

Super Easy English Toffee--

(esp. for Brenda, Adrian, & Missy :-)

2 c. (4 Sticks) butter
3 c. packed brown sugar
1 tsp. cream of tarter
1 c. shopped pecans
1 1/2 c/ semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips

Butter or spray 15x10x2-inch jelly roll pan. Set aside.

Melt butter in large pan over medium heat. Add brown sugar and cream of tarter, cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture reaches 287-290 degrees on candy thermometer. (Hard crack). Quickly pour into prepared pan. Sprinkle chips over hot toffee. Let stand about 5 minutes. Spread melted chocolate over entire surface of toffee. Sprinkle with chopped pecans. Press gently into the chocolate. Cool completely. Break into pieces. Store in airtight container.

Enjoy!! :-)

2008-12-08T11:36:00.005-06:00

My first attempt at English Toffee--

WOW--we love this stuff!! Super easy to make, though it did take just a little longer than expected to cook which caused us to be a couple of minutes late to church last night.--ooops! I sent some home to my parents and hope to deliver some to my grandpa later today. I don't need a full batch of it sitting around--did I mention I really like it! :-)

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In other happenings, Mark celebrated birthday #32 last week! We had one of his favorite "cakes", Cheesecake! I still marvel at what an amazing husband, father, provider....God blessed me/us with!!

Karson, up early to say"Good-morning" before Mark left for work.

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Well, I'm off to put my nursing badge back on again. I feel like we have been hit with a plague these past couple of weeks. Khara came down with strep throat the Friday after Thanksgiving, Kaden was diagnosed the following Tuesday.

Early Saturday morning Kelsey came walking in our bedroom and let us know she had gotten very sick. To keep my readers from getting sick, let's just say I changed all the bedding, and all of her clothes around 4a.m. We had pictures scheduled for later on that day and I just knew that was off. Lots of prayers were prayed and thankfully, she never threw up anymore. I seriously feel like she was healed. We were able to go ahead with the appointment and have a great Saturday; went out to eat, watched the parade...a miracle.

Now we're on to Monday. Poor Khara must have caught it from Kelsey. I was up at least 15 times (and I'm not stretching that number) with her last night. She is still resting in bed at 12:00 and I'm hoping time and lots of rest will get her on the road to recovery!!!

If this is the last post for a week or two, you'll know I caught the dreaded bug!! AAAAHHHHH!!

A Very Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-12-03T18:23:00.000-06:00

Wow, it's been awhile since I've posted-- time has a way of racing!

We had a great Thanksgiving. Mark's brother Gene, s-i-law Tina, and family came and spent a few days with us. We played tons of games, ate way too much food, stayed up way too late,...just had a wonderful time!!

I hosted the dinner at my house for the first time and besides a few small mishaps (the oven catching on fire, the pressure cooker blowing up,...just small things!!!!!) all was well. Seriously, I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to doing it again. :-)

Gene--the expert turkey carver!

I brought out the "fine china" for this meal. Can't beat disposable!!

Anxiously awaiting the feast!

I was so thankful for the nice weather. The kids played outside most of the day.

Karson's reaction to the meal--all smiles!

Poor Kaden, this picture may haunt him in years to come. :-) He wanted to get in on playing dress up with the girls, we're a little short on "male outfits".

That's the wrap up! We were so glad to have Gene, Tina, and family visit!!!!!

Pleasant Surprise

2008-12-03T18:22:00.001-06:00

Look what came in the mail yesterday:

I was happy to be the recipient!! Ever heard of "Money Saving Mom" ??? I LOVE those give-aways!!

Pictures

2008-11-07T14:10:00.001-06:00

A couple of weeks ago our local MOPS group was having a portrait fundraising event. I didn't really want to participate (I already had a studio appt. scheduled for the family for next week), but told them if they needed another "setting" to meet the needed quota to give me a call, I would bring Kaden and Karson up. (You can photograph boys spur of the moment a lot faster than girls--something to do with hair, ribbons/bows, tights/socks,....). The morning of the event I got the phone call, 2 people had already canceled. Less than 30 minutes later, my little guys were being photographed. Karson did great, we couldn't get Kaden to hardly crack a smile. I was very pleased with the results. A postponement call has been made for our prior studio appointment. :-)

I was not sure about the crooked bow-tie and the turned up collar, but I guess that just reinforces his "100 % boy" personality!! :-)

2008-11-02T22:28:00.006-06:00

My kids had an absolute blast Halloween evening. The weather was perfect, the treats were in abundance, and it was a FRIDAY!! No early bed times to worry about, homework, etc., it was great!!
Doctor/Surgeon Kaden, and characters from the Wizard of Oz ready to head out!!

A local department store was having a costume contest. Kaden was pleased to walk away with first prize.

How Karson spent the first part of the evening.

Somehow, he got a hold of a sucker(his first) before the night was over. His reaction--THRILLED!! Mine--BATH!!!!

Earlier that afternoon I helped out at Kelsey's 1st grade Halloween party.Cute little first grade friends!!

Congrats, Khara!!

2008-10-27T14:14:00.005-05:00

Last week, Mark and I were happy to get a letter in the mail inviting us to the first Good Citizens assembly of the school year. This year we have some new administration on board and they decided to have the teachers choose only one student per class as the good citizen for the month. Khara was so excited to receive that honor!!!!

Khara with her teacher(L) and the assistant principal(R). Each teacher wrote a little paragraph about the student they choose and what made them a "good citizen" that was read at the assembly.

First month "Good Citizens".

In other news--

Did anyone else take advantage of the $1.00 Tee's at Old Navy this weekend?? Gotta love a good deal!!!!

Yesterday was the last Sunday in October for Pastor Appreciation. Rather than a cake, I went with something a little different this year for the "reception" part of it. I would love to know what your church did. Seems we run a little low on ideas at times.

Have a Marvelous Monday!!! :-)

A Picture Journal of Our Life the Past Couple of Weeks--

2008-10-21T10:14:00.006-05:00

First of all, Kaden and I got the cookies made yesterday, Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Oatmeal---YUM!!

They were a great dessert to this little meal I whipped up for our Monday evening.

Now, back to the previous days.

We enjoyed having Mark's parents here for several days last week.

We took in a neat festival--Apple Butter Makin' Days.
Kelsey didn't have her own sunglasses so she wore Marks.

Karson enjoying his ride through the booths, and throngs of people!! I'm not sure how much longer he will be content to ride all the time. He has already(at 7 months) started pulling up! And here I was hoping that he would be one of those who didn't walk until 14 months or so....

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Last Thursday Kaden had to have a little work done on one tooth at the dentist. He had been before for a check up but never to have anything done. I was a nervous wreck!! We don't go to one of those "fancy-smancy" dentist with the PlayStation's, green or pink fillings, etc. On our way in he guessed where we were going so I tried to prep (bribe) him as much as possible. Long story--longer, the sword and shield are what he chose for a prize. He did awesome!!

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Kaden and Kelsey found a nest outside. They thought that if they put an egg in it surely the egg would eventually hatch. (even if it's cold and pasteurized out of the refrigerator) Khara was letting me know through looks how silly their idea was. :-)

Poor Karson, Kaden shows him love in lots of different ways!!

Even with eyes closed, squints, not everyone smiling; to get all four in the same picture looking the same direction is success!! ;-)

Just To Brighten Your Monday....

2008-10-20T13:39:00.003-05:00

Just wanted to pass on a little bit of happiness--- On Mark's way to work this morning he saw gas priced at $2.21/gal!!!! YEAH!!!!!

I hope to get a better blog on w/pictures later today. For some reason, (maybe 4 children...:-), I'm finding it difficult to find much time to post. Right now Kaden is waiting to make cookies with me. If he gets to crack an egg (or two or three makes it even better), he is more than ready to help in the kitchen. I'll have to admit, at the age of three, he is getting to be quite the "pro. egg-cracker". He loves it!!! :-)

More later....Hopefully!!