Burdette's go Hiking

KINDA. Well, we let Ru walk so we didn't get very far. Maybe two miles. But it was fun to let her explore. She even walked across a little log bridge. So for the funny part.

Mom: (to get her to walk faster) Let's go on an adventure !!
Ru: Like Dora and Diego?
Mom: Yeah
Ru: Are we going to find treasure?
Mom: Yep (I am thinking a long stick or acorns!!)
Ru: You got the key mom
Mom:Sure
Ru: You know what the treasure is?
Mom: No, what?
Ru: (satisfied that I have taken the bate this far) A LOLLIPOP!!
Mom:Hmmm.. well we don't have a lollipop.

Ru at this point leaves it to rest UNTIL we get to the car then while riding in the car

Ru: mom, remember we go on an adventure like Dora and Diego. We look for treasure. And get a lollipop.
Mom: ok, Alan we better stop at a gas station for her treasure !! (Such a sucker !!)

Isaiah did great though! I was wondering what he would do but he was pretty chill. We stopped at a barbeque place for dinner called Famous Daves and he had quite the appetite. Corn, corn muffin, a WHOLE chicken tender and some green beans rounded out his meal. good thing I had given him some Summer Vegetables baby food for breakfast ! On his list of favorite foods include: Whole Milk Yogurt, black beans, chicken, sweet potatoes, cheese sticks,Pears and Mangoes and summer squash. The only food he refuses to eat so far is bannas.

I thought it was funny.

Ok, so on our way back home from Sam's (we had to get diapers for Isaiah) Ru goes, "Mom, my bottom is coming out of my underwear." Ok so I thought that was hilarious. Maybe it is just because she is my kid:)

*NOTE* She had a wedgie !! (Alan said I should clarify )

Ru's First sleepover guest

Well it was bound to happen !! Ru finally had her first sleepover guest. Ru and Mado did a great job. We took them to Chuck E Cheese for pizza and games and then came back to wind down for the night. Maddo did so much better than RU though. Maddo wanted to go to sleep while RU kept turning the lights on and went around playing with toys and trying to get Mado to join in. Finally I went upstairs and cuddled with Ru til she finally went to sleep. What time was that you ask?? Oh around 10:30 or so. Both woke up and came down to tell us around 7. Alan then bought some donuts and off to church we went.

My Snuggler !!

Isn't he adorable. I love this picture. I had to take it. He might hate it when he is older but he just loves to snuggle. He even sleeps longer when he has the baby doll next to him. Unfortunately, it doesn't take Ru long to snatch her baby dolls away from him. I have tried a blanket but to no avail.

Apple Orchard Time

So, one of our favorite things in the fall time is going to the apple orchards. This year we went with some friends from church. We had a blast and I fell in love with apple smores. It pretty much explains itself but basically it is a roasted marshmellow in between two slices of apple. For variety put in some peanut butter and you have one yummy snack. Also, a good healthy alternative to regualr smores. ( Ok, so I know marshmellows aren't healthy but at least you nix the chocolate and graham crackers (a.k.a. cookies)).
In this first picture is: Alan, Isaiah. Molly, Ru, Alex and Cory. Doesn't Alex look adorable with that piece of straw in his mouth !!

I hurt but I got a new pair of shoes !!!

We put in a cool 35 mile bike ride today and i am spent. Alan took the day off since he was out of town last week and we decided to go galivanting today. SO with the kiddos in tow we made our way through Minneapolis, Richfield, and Bloomington to the REI. What was my reward?? A cool new pair of Born brown leather shoes. So worth it !! The trip went well except for one mishap when I threw away Alan's wallet at Jimmy John's. He was a trooper and went back to salvage it from the garbage. Good thing or I wouldn't have gotten my cool new shoes. AHH . . . I love fall. Cool weather, Apple Orchards, and brown clothing is in. That's what I call one good season.

I decided to put in a pic of the cute kiddos for kicks. Oh and Ru has already learned her first thing at Preschool. I caught her shaking Isaiah's hand and saying " Nice to meet ya Isaiah. My name is Ru Carmichael Burdette." So cute. She won't say it to strangers but hey one day at a time. Maybe by the time Grandpa Dub and Grandma B get here she will be a pro !!

Thought for the day

So, Ru and I listen to a worship c.d. in the car alot. She has started singing some of the words. Her favorite phrase that she always sings at the top of her lung is " I am running. Running after you. You've become my souls delight. I am running running after you. Here with you I find my life." So one day I asked her who we were singing about. She didn't say anything so I said " are we talking about Jesus." In a very matter of fact tone she says "NOOOoooo".

So while I love hearing my daughter sing and even more so hearing her sing words about Jesus, I do pray it is a sign of what will actually happen in her heart one day. Sooner than later I hope.

This also brought up a good reminder from the Lord. While Ru sings these songs, she doesn't believe them with her heart. Jesus isn't real to her yet. It is good for me to remember that. It is good for me to remember that the words I sing are more than paying lip service to God. It is saying those things that I believe with my entire heart.

Ok that's it. Peace Out.

RU's First Day of Pre school

Ok, well here it is. Ru's first day of Pre school. She did a great job and so did I !! I stuck around for about fifteen minutes before telling myself I had to leave or I never would. Isaiah and I went to a coffee shop and read a little. We then went on a bike ride and then rode over to pick Ru up. She had lots of fun and came home with enough energy to play some more. I told her she gets to go two times a week and she was super excited. I don't think I will have a problem making good use of my time while she is at school. These kids grow up so fast. Crazy man crazy!

The GOOD, The BAD, and THE I am not even going to try it

That's right folks the state fair has come to Minnesota!! This was our second annual fair and though I don't have any pictures of us eating food- but food we did eat. And to make the money stretch farther we shared everything and could not go back for seconds. This was hard for Alan !! So while I am too ashamed to post everything we ate, I will post the tops in each category. And just to make us feel a little better about all the food we ate we parked in the free lot and walked two miles there and one mile back. SO on with the list

THE GOOD
1. The Pronto Pup (Alan's Favorite) What is the Pronto Pup you ask. It is basically a corn dog on a stick but the batter is wheat based instead. He wanted more but I convinced him we had way more experimenting to do.
2. Chocolate Dipped Cheesecake (Rachel's favorite)- That's right folks. It was delicious. Ru thought so too. Alan didn't even try it !!
3. Cheese Curds (Both of our favorites) What is a cheese curd you Texans might be asking?? IT is basically squares of cheese deep fried in a batter of sorts. IT is way better than cheesesticks so don't even try to compare. So, for all of you Minnesotans Alan and I have finally figured out that to get the best cheese curds you must go inside the food building. Any stand alone vendors WILL NOT be worth it.
4. Blue Rasberry Frozen Lemonade (Ru's favorite) She really did drink almost the whole thing by herself. I know we are horrible parents.

THE BAD
1. Soft Pretzel - that's right. You would figure you could get a good soft yummy pretzel. To Alan's dismay it way dry and yucky. One bite and I wasn't looking for any more. Alan on the other hand went ahead and ate it. I would have thrown it out. BLAH
2.Chocolate chip cookies- So here in Minnesota these cookies are RAVED about. Last year we passed on these treats and we should have again. They were good. Come on they are cookies. But the break and bake cookies you get at the store tasted just as good.

Not Even Going to Try It
1. Pig lickers. That's right folks I said Pig lickers. It consists of cooked bacon then dipped in chocolate and refrigeraterd. Let's all say it EWWWW GROSS
2. Fried Spam Balls. Need I say more??

All right so that sums up our lists for this year's State Fair Food O Rama. Stay tuned for pictures of Ru on the kiddie rides at the fair.

Happy 29th Mr. B

Well, I must make a tribute to my awesome hubby who turns a young cool 29 today !! I gotta say he still is a kid a heart. He (or you could say I) bought a toy remote control car and a fire pit for his birthday. And while we did go to best buy and he literally salivated over the the apple laptops and GPS systems, I was able to convince him that his new super cool bike which he hasn't had time to put together was quite special in and of itself!! Maybe next year Mr.B ...or the year after that !!!

But in all seriousness, I am quite blessed to have such a great guy in my life. He is a great provider for our family, a loving and super active in our kids life daddy and an awesome husband (proof of that would be in the post below this one). I was telling God last night that I am quite unworthy to be married to him but was also thankful for his grace in giving him to me. My next prayer request was that Alan would be around for a long long time!!

So hopefully Mr. B when you are 92 and I am well you know 90 we can look back over our days together and continue to bless the Lord. I love you !! Thanks for such a servant humble heart. I, Ru and Isaiah are blessed by it. Cheers to you - you deserve 20,000 super cool tricked out bikes!! Thanks for settling with two. -Mrs. B

My Faux Pas!!

Got a story for ya. So we had a couple over from church-Angie and Dave. Anyways, I always like for the house to be at the very least picked up when company comes-especially if I don't know them very well. I consider myself to be a decent entertainer when it comes to having people over. I usually put in time and effort. Anyways, I think I am officially losing my gift !! So back to the story!! I decided to not go anywhere that day with the kids. So the day goes by quickly of course and I have everything ready to go. I decide to take a quick shower before they arrived. So I do that and get dressed and everything is good so I think. Well, it looks like I overlooked one thing. At the end of the night after Angie and Dave leave-meaning after they both use the restroom, I go into the bathroom for the first time since I showered and to my horror I find that I left my stinky clothes lying on the bathroom floor. Not just my shirt and pants but my undies and nursing bra as well. My shirt was on the top which I am thinking meant Angie, being the sweet girl she is, probably put it on top so as to hide my dirty unmentionables!! OH the horror. Really I can't get this out of my head. Everytime I think about it I just cringe. Really!! Will they ever think about coming over here again? Would I go over to someones house again if I saw their unmentionables lying unabashedly on the floor? Ok well I would but not everyone is a mess I like me. Which brings up my next thought. Does any mom actually have a clean house? I mean do you really vacuum the floor after EVERY meal and wash the table cloth after EVERY meal. Clean up the kids toys or better yet make them clean them up EVERY time they finish playing with them, meaning like ten times a day. I can not get a handle on this house keeping thing. I really want to have people over lots but that would mean them seeing a not even close to perfect house. I think I need to be like the Proverbs 31 wife and get some MAIDS !!!! WHo's with me!! All the wives needing maids throw your comments at me !!!

HECK YES !!

OF COURSE I LEFT HER THERE!!! She slept for 2 whole hours before she came tumbling down the stairs. Here is her reaction. Good thing she won't remember any of this. She is okay. No bumps or bruises. When I told my friend Nancy she asked why I didn't put pillows at the end of the stairs. I didn't even think about that. Smart !! If it ever happens again I will. But did you see the comment section. Four whole comments!! More than I have ever gotten before

To Sleep or not to sleep

So Ru has been not wanting to take naps now. So this was what happened yesterday when I went to check on her. She fell asleep on the second to top stair to her room. So wanting to try and boost the comment section of this blog. Tell me friends and family- What did Rachel do?? Did she go up stairs and get her and put her in bed and risk ruining the nap OR did she leave her there at the top of the stairs?? Check back tomorrow for the results!!!

Isaiah's doctors appointment

Ok, well Isaiah weighs in at 17 pounds 4 ounces which is in the 10th percentile. He is 28 1/2 inches tall which puts him into the 50th percentile on height. He had to get three shots and they pricked his finger to test his blood for lead. The guy who pricked his finger must not have had kids cuz he put a bandaid on Isaiah's finger to stop the bleeding and told me to keep it on for thirty minutes to an hour!! I just gave him a smirk and told him that there was no way a nine month old was not going to keep a foreign object on his finger for that long. He then insisted that Isiaiah's finger was really bleeding and it would take a while for it to stop. So needless to say about a minute into the car ride Ru tells me the bandaid is off-Was there any more bleeding- NO. How can smart people be so dumb !?!

Electric Bill

Our Electric bill was 75 bucks. How much was yours?:)>?

Ru's Update

Well, summer has been a blast for Ru. She has been a little fish in the "puddles" as our friend Ashley would put it. All the Minneapolis parks have wading pools for the kids to play in but you have to search a lot harder to find a regular sized pool. The second picture is Ru with her friend Maddo. They are in the same class at Sunday school. Ru loves all the kiddos in her class. She is always asking to go to church so she can play with them- my little socialite. Which is why I have officially enrolled her in PRESCHOOL !! YEAH. One of our friends at church told us about a preschool that is only four block from my house. It is out of a home with two moms from our sister church Hope Community. They both have early education degrees. I think Ru will absolutely love it. Besides water, Ru is enjoying playing with play dough,going to the children's museum, the Minnesota zoo, parks and her swing set.

An update on Isaiah

Well, It has been a while since I did an update so I figured I would put up some cute pics of the kiddos. Isaiah is now experimenting with lots of food. He loves bannanas, carrots, mixed veggies and well apparently chocolate bread-which his sister gave him. The next sweet thing he will get will be on his birthday. As you can tell he has gotten in his bottom two teeth and his top two teeth. He loves to crawl and has stood on his own for a whole two seconds!! He still loves his mommy lots but can be distracted with toys!! Still hasn't gotten down the sippy cup but I know we are on our way!!

So Sweet

So the other day Ru and I were sitting on the couch waiting for our friends to come so we could go to the zoo and Ru says "Mom I value you". I said "Do you mean you love me". She goes"NO, I mean I value You." I asked her who taught her that word/phrase and with a big grin on her face she says "DADDY"!! Does that melt your heart or what!!

Isaiah's had a big month too !!

Well, Isaiah had finally started to crawl. It is still pretty minimal but he can push his feet forward to get him to what he wants. I am sure the real crawling is soon to come because he rocks back and forth. His favorite food so far is Cheerios.. HE loves them. He always wants to eat when we are eating. In fact, when we sit down with our food he starts to make this horrendous grunting/squealing noise along with starting to kick his feet vigorously. It is so funny for about the first 2 seconds. Whenever he is done with his cheerio or whatever I can find to give him, he kicks those legs again and starts the routine all over.

A big two months for Ru

Ru is finally off the CHUPIE !!! YEAH. IT wasn't nearly as painful as what I thought it would be. Over the fourth, Alan just decided not to give Ru her Chupie at night. She cried for a little while but not that long. She adamantly told us that "She was not a big girl". I think that the first night she found a chupie that she had stashed somewhere where we couldn't see it, but before her nap the next day I saw it and confiscated it. But after that- I checked to make sure she didn't have any more hidden away and she has done great !!

Also, just in case anyone missed it, Ru is also potty trained. When we went to Texas, the efforts of both Alan and I along with the rest of the extended family sealed the deal. No more money on those training pants. She seems to wake up dry from her naps and at night too. HOORAY !!

Preschool here we come !!!(WOO HOO) (Well, actually we have to wait until October since she isn't three yet. They said they would take her eight weeks before her third birthday.)