Fond Farewell

In 1985, after Keilie had passed away, my parents bought their first new car.  A red Nissan pickup truck.  It had no radio, no power steering- in fact, no power anything.  It was the base of the base models.  Throughout the years my dad has added two radios and a toothpick as the speedometer reader.  He has taken incredible care of that truck, as proof from the four girls that learned to drive in that thing.  My dad wanted us to learn to drive on a stick in case we were ever in a situation where we needed to drive one.  (In hindsight, that did actually happen to me once.)  My first and favorite memory of that truck was the first day ever that my dad took me to the church around the corner from our home.  I was doing great!!!  I could get started without stalling, park in the parking stalls, and was ready to conquer the world.  At the time, the road between the church and our house was a detour for the construction on 5600 S, so it was BUSY!  My dad thought I'd done a great job in the parking lot, so he told me to drive all the way home.  I was ready.  Until we got to the left turn onto our road.  There was traffic coming at a continuous stream.  First opening...Stall.  Up pulls an RCWilley truck.  After two more stalls, he pulls around me jumping the curb and gives me a honk.  Or two three.  I'm getting more and more reserved about making this turn!!  Then, pulling up behind me has to be the boy that I've had a crush on since second grade.  The boy that is in my exact same drivers Ed class, learning to drive a stick.  Yep, of course.  A few more openings in traffic, a few more stalls and out comes the tears, and hysterics.  I'm looking in the rearview mirror, wanting to die, only to see Logan laughing at me!  It only fueled my hate fire even more.  I gave myself an ultimatum...next opening I'd make the turn or walk home.  I walked.  Do you think Logan made fun of me at school the next day?  Yes, yes he did!
There have been many, many, many good memories with that truck.  The Friday before Christmas, my parents were headed back from Home Depot.  As they pulled into their driveway, our little red truck died.  Completely seized.  It's not worth the money it would take to fix it.  With heavy heart I say goodbye to an icon.  Goodbye to the Burrell Trademark.  Goodbye to our little red truck!

Candy

Today it was Brennon's turn to ask for a date.  So, I took him grocery shopping.  Now, before you think that's a dumb thing to do on a date with a four year old, consider the fact that they have kid carts.  He was in heaven.  I asked him to grab stuff off of the shelf and put it in his cart.  He felt so big and special!  I asked him if he'd like to get a doughnut or pick a candy.  He wanted candy.  His next comment made me tear up, "So I can share it when we get home."  He was true to his word.  He wouldn't open them until he got home.  He handed them out and looked so pleased with himself for his good deed.  Now that's what I call love!

The other day while I was snuggling with Brennon, just chatting, he said in all seriousness, "I'm just going to wink at everybody.  Like this..."  And he does, too.  There is a woman in our ward that actually stopped dead in her tracks between Sacrament meeting and Primary to hug Brennon for his wink.  She told me later that he winked at her again while in Primary.  She then smiled and told me that when she went to thank him for his winks he said, "You're pretty!"  Now that's what I call suave!

This little boy is such a fun little guy.  He has the funnest voice, says the funnest things, does the cutest stuff, and just makes people smile.  I love that he's still so solid.  This is a picture from 2011.  Notice his jowls cheeks and cute little sausage fingers.  He's thinning as he grows taller, but he still has more meat that my other cuties.  And his cheeks are still the perfect amount of fluff to kiss.  I also love that he still loves to snuggle.  He'll notice that I'm sitting down and ask to sit on my lap.  He'll place his arms around my neck, lay his head on my chest and just sit.  For hours if he can.  He is just such a loving boy.  I wouldn't trade him for all the gifts in the world!

Snooping

Once, a long time ago, two little girls decided to play in the unfinished basement.  While downstairs playing among the boxes, weight bench, and dust, they found two comforters in plastic.  The youngest claimed the pink/teal one before the oldest had a chance.  This left her with the dark blue/baby blue one, much to her dismay.  They didn't know that, in reality, those comforters were presents for the upcoming Christmas.  When asking their parents about them that night, they found out that those comforters were not for them- in an attempt that they would forget about them come Christmas.  They never forgot and were excited to find them under the tree months later.  I never wondered how the parents' felt about the little girls finding the gifts.  Until now...

Christmas Eve while we were looking around Costco, trying to waste time before bed, Keilie came forward and told us a truth that was very hard for her to admit.  She'd been in our closet playing with Ty and found a motorized scooter behind a fallen suitcase.  She'd seen the biggest present of the year.  We played it off, saying no big deal, all the while feeling like we'd been punched in the stomach.  Saddened by the lack of surprise that would show on her face the next morning.  And all at once I felt the sting that my parents must have felt when we found those comforters.  As I snuggled in Blue Blankie that night, I gave thanks that I got the blue one after all.  I love it more than any other blanket I've ever owned.

Aside from the find, it was one of the best Christmases we've ever had.  Although we missed being with family and friends more than we can say, it was nice to be together with my own small family.  It was pretty stressful waking so early, so many times, but it was perfect in the end.  Each of the presents was given a respective squeal of excitement.  They played all day without complaint or argument among them.  The snow started falling around lunchtime and continued throughout the day, the only day that snow has stuck in our time here in the tri-cities.  Perfect!  We were all lazy watching the Blu-Rays that Darwin and Jackie got for the kids.  As I sat back and watched it all with a heart full of love, I couldn't help realizing that I had everything I've ever wanted in one small little rented front room.  That's all the Christmas Present I'll ever need!

Date

Today Shelby asked Randy first thing if she could go on a date with him.  Randy took Keilie to a movie last week and I took Caden out to dinner and to Barnes & Noble.  We soon realized that Shelby is at an age that she shouldn't be clumped with the babies.  She wanted one-on-one time with her dad.  She got all dressed up, brushed her long hair without complaint and rushed Randy out the door set for Dairy Queen.  While they were out, she made a comment many times, "This is SO fun."  When Randy asked what was fun about it, her response with a shrug was, "Just being with my Dad."  And that was when Randy got wrapped even more around her little finger.  Randy loves having his boys, but when asked, he always says that a Dad should have at least one little girl.  They are just a different kind of special.  These are the times that Randy will remember when a special young man comes to steal his Cinderella.

Merry Christmas 2012

Merry Christmas!!!  Too tired to write anything else.  Mostly because Caden woke us at 2:00, then 3:00, then 3:30.  It was then that I went into his room and made him sleep on the floor so I could manage his excitement.  We ended up waking at 5:40 because he was convinced that someone was already downstairs.  Good night... I mean morning.  Whatever, I'm going to bed!

Gray

While sitting in the tire store for yet another hour this month (with three kids who want to touch everything they see) I got talking with a man that noticed our Wyoming licence plates.  He started talking to me, telling me places to go, things to see, restaurants to eat at, where to steer clear of, and many fun stories about his time here in the tri-cities.  It was pretty fun hearing how his dad owned a plane so their "road trips" were never on the road.  Can you imagine that as a kid?  He told me that he went to school to be able to fix and restore refrigeration systems, so he decided to move somewhere that was a little warmer in the summers than Seattle.  So, he came here.  He told me that it go pretty hot in the summer, but the rest of the time was nice.  He said that it was going to be gray until around February, but then it'd clear up and be nice and sunny.  He looked at me kind of funny when I told him I didn't mind the gray.  He said, "Just you wait, there will come a time when you'll get downright depressed with the gray."  I thought about that a lot last night.  I wondered why I like it so much.  Then it hit me, it's my eyes.  For the past couple of years I've seen much change with my eyes.  Although I can still see 20/20, I've had flashes and floaters in my eyes 24/7.  I can only explain it like this- if you get water spots on your glasses/sunglasses, you can still see out of them, but you notice something blocking your clear view.  You can choose to see the spots or look around them, however, you still notice that they're there.  I have also had an increased sensitivity to light.  I can't watch TV with the lights off, I can't go to a movie without wearing sunglasses.  It's getting more and more difficult to even have my curtains open in my own house when it's sunny.  So, this gray is just fine with me.  I LOVE it actually.  I can drive without my sunglasses.  I can have my windows open and let in the natural "light."  With the new supplements I am taking, I've actually not had any eye symptoms for more than a week.  I have not seen a difference in the sensitivity, but there may come a time when my eyes are better than they have ever been.  When that time comes, I may wish for more sun, but for now, I'm in heaven with all of this gray!

Another Present

We got the house!!!

Move in date is February 15, 2013!!!

 

Our 2012 Ornament this year is an old fashioned key with a tag that reads...

 

2364 Chateau Dr.

2363 Chateau Dr.

2701 Jason Loop

 

These are all of the rentals that we purchased this year.  Seems appropriate that this would be the big item that commemorates our year.

Thanks for nothing, Martha Stewart

On any type of cooking show, they show you all of the ingredients measured out in cute little glass bowls, mixing with the best bowls, spoons, etc, and after the commercial break, out pops the project already cooked and ready to serve.  To an adult, it's obvious that they made one before the show and then would make another after the show.  But, to a child, it's magic.  Here they are making something on TV and in no time at all out pops a good meal.  So, when Shelby came home from school yesterday all gassed up about making cookies from pretend, I didn't really know what was coming.  She bugged and bugged me all night to make pretend cookies.  I kept putting her off, trying to get Caden to do his homework.  Not the easiest of tasks these days.  So, right before I was to get them into the bath, I sat down with Shelby and had her explain all about the pretend cookies we were going to make.  She told me how they had done the project in class.  They made pretend cookies, placed them on a real cookie sheet, and then went to the principals office to give him the cookies.  I was all for the little game.  I called all of the kids in to participate.  We pretended to put flour, sugar, eggs, molasses, and a sprinkling of ginger in a bowl, mixed, rolled out the dough, cut out the gingerbread men, and placed them on a real cookie sheet.  Then we placed them in the oven for ten minutes, "not a minute more" and let them cool for 5 minutes.  Shelby, however, had actually received real cookies after their game.  She was convinced that we were going to get real cookies.  No amount of talk, explanation, or demonstration was going to convince her that we wouldn't get real cookies.  If it worked at school, it could work at home.  Never have I been so frustrated with Shelby's enthusiasm for school or learning.  She is very literal and can recite many interesting facts.  She is so much fun to watch as she inhales anything and everything she looks at and learns.  It was useless telling her that pretend didn't produce real.  She finally came up with her own reason we didn't get real cookies.  "Well, I guess Mrs. W is just a better cook than you."  I guess so!

Change

When all of this "Washington" stuff started happening, we knew we had a few decisions to make.  Where to live, how fast to move, what to sell our house for, who to sell our house to (remember we had two solid offers), if we should keep Bella or give her away, which city within the tri-cites we should move to, whether we should rent or buy, which schools would our kids go to.  It was a lot of decisions in a short amount of time.  Things have worked out perfectly.  I know we've been guided to where we are right now.  The kids are in the best schools in all of Richland, we are in a great neighborhood, we have all necessities around the corner, we are in a great ward with brand new callings, we love our rental, we now have great renters on either side of us.  Things are just going so great.  The one hiccup in all of our plans is our house.  We, at one point, found a house plan and a lot that we wanted to buy and build on.  Since Randy can do most of the work himself, we wanted to sub-contract out the house so that we could save money and gain equity.  However, this plan is another one that has changed.  Since Randy does not have a contractors license, we are not able to get financing here in Washington.  We were sad at first, but happy with the next plan we have in the works.  As you know, Randy is an investor.  He wants to invest in anything that will give him an income or make him money.  We've had a few businesses, lost some money in a ponzi scheme, and rebounded back to have some money in the bank now that is burning a hole in his pockets.  So, this is what we're going to do.  We've put in an offer into one of the townhomes on the block.  We will move into it and pay it off.  Then, when we have a better idea of just where we'd like to live here in Richland, then we'll build or buy or whatever our Heavenly Father has in store for us.  So, although plans have changed, things have not worked out how we originally thought, we are still exactly where we want to be.  The seller of the townhome has until tomorrow night to accept or decline our offer.  I hope he says yes.  It would have four bedrooms, which we love.  Three hasn't been hard at all, but I know Caden really wants his own room.  That he shares with the computer, of course!  There are a few minor adjustments that we're going to make, but for the most part, it's perfect for our investment needs.  Our plan is to have our three condos paid off in six years.  After that, then we give ourselves permission to start looking for something more long-term for our family.  Life couldn't be better.  Not looking forward to, but am excited for the upcoming move I hope is in our future.  I mean, who doesn't want to move twice in three months?  Nice thing about this one, it's right around the corner!

Healed

While eating lunch today, Shelby and Brennon were playing around (surprise, surprise.)  Shelby was "teaching" him that if you stop breathing, you die.  I told her that sometimes you don't always die if you stop breathing, sometimes people are at a place where there are tools used to bring you back to life.  I told her that her Grandpa Burrell had stopped breathing once (really it was three times) and the doctors were able to make him breathe again.  She made a joke that only she and Brennon laughed at and the conversation was over.  Or so I thought.  Tonight while tucking her into her covers, she looked at me and said, "Mom, I know who really healed Grandpa Burrell.  It was Jesus."  My heart burned from her simple little statement.  How lucky I am that she's mine!

My Cowboy

Notice the Woody jammies.  This horse is now known as "My Bullseye!"

 Notice the "gun" in his left hand.

 Notice that smile I can't get enough of.

We're really enjoying the warmer weather in Washington.  This was where I found Tyson two morning's ago.  At 7:30 AM.  In December.  With no coat, socks, shoes, or regrets.  He was so happy.  He'd "ride" along, stop, hold up his gun to his "enemies" and shoot.  Then he'd ride off into the sunset after a hard day's work.  My hero!

 

p.s. after seeing this, I'm a teensy bit happy Randy made such an effort to bring it.  Don't tell him though!  I wouldn't hear enough "I told you so's!"

Brace Yourselves

December 11, 2012

A day in Caden's history

 Handsome without braces.

And handsome with braces.

No surprise there.  He'll always be handsome!

Generous

My first neighborhood visitor was Janette, a widow from two houses down.  She brought us some yummy jam that she'd made with her grand kids with fruit from her garden.  Caden made the comment that he wished she'd brought us a bigger jar, it only lasted for one breakfast- they loved it so much!  She commented that she'd watched the Elders bring in our life from the truck.  She didn't realize that we had such a large family because she didn't notice much furniture.  I told her that we'd never really had much to begin with.  I explained that we have only ever had one chest of drawers in our marriage and have only the furniture that we use.  Before she let me explain that we like it this way, that we could afford one if we wanted one, she offered her own for us to have.  This woman had only known me for 5 minutes and was already offering me a chest of drawers from her own home.  I was struck in that instance by the generosity that I'd already seen in Richland.  Our first night here, a woman catered Olive Garden for 9 people so that we wouldn't have to worry about food.  Randy had 9 men show up to help us unload our truck.  We had a girl bring over seriously good Chocolate Chip Cookies to welcome us to the wonderful neighborhood offering to help me find doctors, dentists, optometrists, etc.  Randy had a man drive him around to show him the town and our ward boundaries.  We are also, as a ward, helping a family that lost their home to a fire to week before we moved here.  When signing up for things to give them to help them out this Christmas, there was only one place for me to sign.  This is a generous place!  And I couldn't be happier to live here!

Cars, Cars, Cars

Tyson's Cars

 

We can't get enough of Tyson with his cars.  He has about 50 of them from past birthdays, Christmases, and from the other boys.  He doesn't play with them all at once, although you will see many around the house at any given moment, but he loves to have lots.  This is his favorite thing to do in this house.  Usually I like to have him put them away when he goes to bed, but with this being tucked away, I don't mind so much.  It's just so cute!  I hope he never grows out of cars!

Teeth

December 4, 2012

Shelby bit into an apple and loosened this tooth.  She complained that it wasn't loose, just "hurty."

 She grabbed the pliers and asked Randy to pull in out.  And sat there with her mouth wide open while he did!!!  My girls are simply amazing, brave little girls.  She was super excited to be the only one so far that has lost their first tooth in Kindergarten.  Mostly because the other kids let their teeth get loose naturally, not with an apple:)

This was the paper she got from Gold Gym Kids' Club.  She walked around the entire day with her mouth in a huge smile pointing out her missing tooth.  It was pretty cute. 

 

On a side note, Caden also lost two teeth on the 4th and one on the 5th.  Count them, that's four teeth lost in 24 hours!  Keilie also had to have one pulled on the 6th.  We had an appointment in Casper, but couldn't get in to have it filled before we moved to Washington.  With insurance ending with one company and starting a month later with another company, her tooth got infected and had to come out.  We later found out it was because our previous dentist hadn't done a good job with the filling.  Man, that's frustrating!!!  Especially since Shelby has three teeth that need to be RE-filled on the 19th!  We should have just traveled down to Denver to have Randy's Best Friend, Nate, do the work.  We would have saved some money, had a fun vacation, and saved Keilie the stress of having a tooth pulled!!  Aren't my children so thoughtful, though?  The tooth fairy had to make only one trip.  Mostly because she forgot to come the first night.  But, not to worry, she made up for it in the end.  And promises to do better the next time!

Tubes

The other day while the kids were having breakfast, Tyson turned to laugh at Brennon's joke.  I noticed then that he had something in his ear.  It looked black, which disgusted me, so I hurried to get it out.  This is what I found.  His tube from 2 years ago.  Look at how small it is.  I was just sitting in the crook of his right ear.  One quick movement and I would have never seen it.  It would have fallen out for sure.  I'm still not quite sure how it didn't fall out when he turned to look at Brennon.  Shelby had tubes as well, but this is the first time I've been able to see one, hold one, or really realize how incredibly tiny they are.  It's crazy how something so small helped my kids out so much.  This is truly a miracle gadget for me and my family.

Recycling

I've never thought of myself as a "tree-hugger" although I do love to do things to help the earth and to keep the community clean.  So, when I was signing up for garbage and they asked if I'd like a can for recycling, I jumped at the chance.  I recycled in Bar Nunn which involved me taking up garage space, then loading the entire "trunk" of my Yukon XL, driving around the block and unloading it into various marked bins.  I loved it just the same.  Now, I have a can.  There is no sorting involved, I just throw it all in the can and they take it every other week.  Heaven.  The thing that strikes me as crazy is that for the last three weeks my "normal" can has only had one bag.  That is how much is non-recyclable.  ONE bag for a family of 7.  It makes me feel so good to be helping out.  So, the new term of endearment from my family, my new title if you will, is Trash Nazi.  It suits me just fine!

Gingerbread House 2012

Gingerbread House Tradition

 Man, I love these kids!!!

Merry Christmas to all!!!

Cookies

*Wink, Wink*

 Today the boys and I made cookies.  Brennon was in charge of putting the Pretzels on the baking sheet.  I didn't know he was going to be such a perfectionist.  This job took us more time than I thought it would.  He had such a fun time, though.

 Tyson was in charge of putting the Hershey's Kisses or Rolo on the Pretzles.  He was getting impatient with Brennon.  It was kind of funny watching him wait.  You could feel the rushing just bursting to come from Ty.

I was in charge of placing the M&M on the warmed chocolate.  They turned out yummy.

These were our neighbor gifts.  We took them around and yelled, "Merry Christmas!"

It was cold, but not Casper cold.  I don't think we'll ever forget our frigid years there!

Happy Holidays, From the Dirks Family!!! 

O Holy Night

My favorite Christmas Song put to the most beautiful Christmas Movie.  We hope you have a wonderful Christmas Season!  Keep Christ in Christmas.