Pictures!

Aislee was taking pictures with my phone. Olivia was pretending to be a pillow.

Coloring. We color a lot.

Trying to figure out wedding outfits. We were getting ready for Church. She thought I was leaving her.

Ewan showing how to properly clean the table.

And, how to play soccer in the kitchen.

Arr!

With Grandpa Jeff, Spencer, and Daddy at Temple Square.

Baby Harrison (Jess' newest)

Making silly faces with Grace and Sabrina.

Grace's silly face. The kids have been making "Silly faces" ever since!

Getting ready to leave for Utah.

Another picture at Temple square. It was chillier than we had expected it to be. Hey, we're from AZ. Everyday is a shorts day!

This was their favorite part!

And this was our favorite part!

And this!

Especially this!

Not to mention, this!

Aislee's photo of Ewan with Grandpa Tim. My parents came up to watch kids while we got to attend the Sealing.

The cousins!

More pictures!

We were trying.

Walking with Grandpa back to the hotel.

Shopping at Nordstroms. (Olivia)

Aislee

Ewan

It's quiet

Paul is out for the evening for Elders Quorum stuff, and the kids are asleep. I haven't posted for a while for a lot of reasons. 1. Nothing terribly exciting has happened. 2.My camera gets confiscated anytime I get it out, as well as my phone. 3.The camera no longer takes pictures. I think it's because the button has been pressed too many times...(Aislee...grrhh) 4. We were out of town for about a week. I'd attempt to take the hundreds of pictures we took off my phone, but Paul takes it with him when he goes out. So, yeah...pictures to come. But, we'll do a recap.
Elin is weaned. It took me a while to decide whether or not I wanted to wean her. She's been walking for over 2 months, and pretty much doesn't need me for sustenance. She's also been getting a lot of teeth (8). She bit pretty hard one day and I decided that it was enough (11 months and 11 days). She was pretty mad at me the next few mornings. But, I've actually had none of the side-effects I've had before with weaning. I think it was about time. She eats well, and is drinking whole milk with everyone else. It was easier since she wouldn't take a bottle, and was stealing everyone's sippy cup anyway. Elin has started saying "uh-oh" when she drops things. She lets me know when she is done eating by throwing all of her food off of her tray piece-by-piece. She gets pretty frustrated when she can't pick every toy up in her arms and carry them around the house. I always think she's hurt when she wails. Really, she's just lying on the floor with her stuff piled around her. She gives me this look like, "I'm trying, but I just can't...!" She is cute, and sweet and always in the mood to cuddle. Elin is just like the rest with her severe separation anxiety. Some days, it takes her a few minutes to warm up to Paul. Other days, she can't wait for him to put his stuff down before she runs to his legs. We can't wait to celebrate her first birthday in a few weeks (as well as our 5th anniversary).

Ewan is...Ewan. Our attempts at getting rid of the darn pacifier were failures. Latex balloons work a ton better than the non-latex ones when trying to "send the pacifiers to babies who need them". Just FYI! So, we let him keep it for the trip. Upon our return, I'd find him sneaking fixes in his room. So, it's gonna be gone soon! Funny story...The girls call him "Ew-Ew" (like you-you). It was just him and me for a few minutes one day, and we were playing the Name Game. I had a family picture and he was telling me who everyone was. I asked him what his name was. He said, "Me-Me!" So, we've been working on "EWAN". He knows, now. We're also working on his L's so that he can say E-Lin, instead of E-Rin. Ewan is just fun. He loves cars, trucks, trains, and planes. He loved being able to go outside with the Uncles and jump on the trampoline. He's been talking about them and when he gets to see them next. Uncle Joel comes home in June, and we are all so excited for his return! Ewan is my cleaner. Anytime I'm vacuuming, sweeping, wiping, or picking up he is right behind me. He also likes to have a wipe by his plate so he can wipe his hands and mouth in between bites. OCD? Probably...a little bit. He gets it from both of us...sorry, kid!

Aislee is our little photographer. She's taken hundreds, maybe even thousand of pictures on the camera and phone. She has good days where they're not all of her head. And, that my friends is why our camera no longer works. We plan on getting a new one soon, but we don't have time to talk about getting one, let alone researching and then shopping for one! Aislee is also the little mother. She likes to take good care of Elin, and makes sure Elin is not left behind by carrying her around the house. It's a good thing that baby is so easy-going! Aislee is a sweetheart. She loves to sit on my lap while watching a show and snuggle with a blanket. She tells me that I'm the best mom ever when I refill her milk sippy. We are so glad she's in our family.

Whoever coined the phrase the "Terrible-Twos" did not have three-year olds! Not that I'm complaining, but my goodness! they can get into some trouble some days! Olivia seems to be the leader for most mischief. I was helping Aislee in the bathroom, Elin was playing with toys in the dry-tub, and Ewan was sitting on the counter "brushing" his teeth. I thought Olivia was coloring in the living room. She was coloring alright! I thought I heard her get on the counter in the kitchen, so I finished up in the bathroom, and ushered everyone out to find that Olivia had pushed a chair to the counter, climbed onto the counter, and somehow got into the cake decorating things. She had food coloring all over her pink and white striped shirt. I asked her what she was doing. Her reply, "I was helping you get ready for my birthday party, Mommy. I'm a big helper!" with a grin. Cold water, vinegar, laundry detergent, and a 20 minute soak got it all out. I think 3 year olds are harder because they CAN do things, but haven't quite grasped the SHOULD/SHOULDN'T aspect of agency. Olivia is very cute, quick to say Sorry, and give kisses. It's a good thing, too!

Paul is busy. Some days we see him for a few minutes before bed. Other days we see him the next morning for prayers. Yes, he's busy. He is now into his second course of a ten course program. I know I probably shouldn't be counting down this soon into the program, but I'm a numbers and dates person. For some reason it helps! We really enjoyed our trip to Utah because Paul was with us the whole time. He didn't have class, homework, or work. It was just nice to have him there. Another set of arms is always a plus! We're looking forward to the middle of May when his summer starts! We have some projects we want to get done before he starts back up in August. We may have already started training for a big race together come December.

I don't really consider myself "busy". It's a different type of busy. There's a lot of sweeping, mopping and pick up involved in my busy. I also get paid in hugs and kisses! Yes, the occasional (frequent) sticky smear, snotty nose, or soggy Goldfish may cause a wardrobe change mid-day (I should host an award show), but I am grateful for the opportunity to be at home. Paul has been good enough to give me some time to "fill the well" because motherhood can sometimes drain it. It's been nice to catch up with friends, run, read, sew, and yes, shop. Maybe, I should start blogging more also...! Other than using my new-found stain removing skills, we are all doing well.
Posts to come...Aunt Sarah's wedding...! YAY!

Mealtess February

Paul and I decided to try an experiment of going meatless for the month of February. We kept dairy and milk, because I don't think we could live without cheese. And, Bisquick needs milk and eggs...! It really wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be. We tried a few new recipes that were meatless. We ate a lot more vegetables and fruits. We already eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, I just added spinach to almost everything! Actually, we don't eat red meat to begin with. We have nothing against red meat, we just don't really like it. We use ground turkey for spaghetti, lasagna, and burgers, and chicken for everything else, but we don't eat meat at every meal. Sometimes, we have bacon, but I try to steer Paul towards turkey bacon. He says that it's just wrong to put turkey bacon on a turkey burger. Anyway, it really wasn't that hard, and I had a hard time going back to buying chicken at the grocery store at the first of March. I absolutely hate cutting raw chicken. I buy pre-trimmed chicken, but always have to trim it myself (to my own satisfaction). I really, really don't like doing it. I might go vegetarian just so I don't have to touch raw meat. Blah! We've only had chicken twice and turkey burgers once since we started eating meat again. We really like our turkey burgers. Maybe, we'll go meatless except for once a month when we have turkey burgers...Paul doesn't really like meat anyway. He just requested bacon every once in a while. We'll see if we do a meatless April. I've thought about trying to go Vegan, but it's a struggle to get kids to eat anything new sometimes. There are some really interesting recipes out there that I'd love to try! I think that if we were going to go completely vegetarian, we'd have to do it a little slower to get our kids used to the things that will be on their plate. I read studies in my nutrition classes in college that said that even if you don't "make" them eat the food, having it available will lead them to eventually trying it. I'm sure hoping for that. We try to eat pretty healthfully. We don't eat out very often, and we try not to buy a lot of processed things. I just wish they would try a bite of anything new! Anyone else have issues with their kids not eating? At what age do you have them try it, or they have to go to bed hungry? I really try not to make anything that's gross! Paul likes what I make. Elin and Ewan usually eat it...Maybe I just need to change my expectations...?

These are the days of our lives...

Okay, my life really isn't much of a soap opera. Actually it's not in the slightest! And, I have to admit that I write posts in my head while I'm cleaning the house during nap time and neglect to upload my thoughts. Sorry. I should write my thoughts down. Sometimes, I think of really good posts about Gospel Principles and potty-training. Or, projects I have going like curtains and pillows and quiet books. Or, my thoughts on exercise, nutrition and overall health. But really, things just aren't super interesting! But, February has been a little busy. We're still adjusting to life without Dad around much. The week of Valentine's he was in the lab until midnight. He had late meetings almost everyday that week until 6:30 or 7, and homework. Honestly, we are tired! We experienced our first cases of ear infections ever. Poor Olivia, Elin and Aislee. :-( Aislee is currently on antibiotics for double ear infections that left her extremely nauseated. Who knew you throw up when you have bad infection? Not this Mom! We've also tried to let Mommy play some soccer on Wednesday nights. I might be ready to hang up my cleats until the kids need a coach. There have been a few incidences that are causing me to rethink playing in a coed league with individuals who feel they need to prove something by knocking down a girl. I'm currently suffering from a shoulder injury after a referee gave the "play-on" signal from a foul that landed me on my shoulder with a 200+lb man on top. It was one of many bumps and bruises during a particular game. I came home with scraped knees, a bruised left hand and wrist, a suspected separation of my ac joint of my left shoulder, scraped up right thigh, not to mention recovering from a broken toe caused by running into the night stand in the middle of the night. I'm starting to think that I'll just stick with running! Which I haven't been able to do much because my body aches...bah! Ewan is talking about "big boy underpants", but whenever I mention that he has to go on the toilet if he wants to wear them, he says "no thanks, Mommy". I don't think we're quite ready for that. We've been getting stellar reports from Nursery. I think we're done with the biting! Olivia and Aislee are becoming more interested in letters. They like to tell me the sounds to the letters in their names. Hopefully, reading is on the horizon! They're active and curious! Elin is walking! She's been doing it for a little over 2 weeks. She's getting pretty good, and loves being able to go wherever she wants. She doesn't really get into anything she's "not-supposed-to". At this point, our house is more kid-friendly than adult-friendly! I'm trying to decide on weaning her. She's a good nurser and eater, she just seems to be so busy and ready to move on. Any suggestions?  Paul is wrapping up his first class. He gets a week break, and then another 9 week course before he's off for the summer. This time next year will be a lot busier when he's doing his "thesis" class. I may end up hanging out in Utah for some of it! Here are some pictures.

One-handed cooking.

I think Ewan was taking this picture and Aislee was trying to get in the shot.

She's getting so big!

The fort that Ewan built.

Coloring. We do a lot of coloring.

And she's so happy!

He likes to color too. Ewan no longer eats the crayons. If we could just get Elin to stop eating the crayons!

We got an infant swing for Elin. Now everyone has a swing!

Paul and the older kids painted the shelves for the pantry.

They enjoyed taking a bubble bath and picking the paint off.

Ewan likes to pull a chair upto the counter when I'm making rolls and "help". He decided to taste the flour...Not really a YUMMO experience.

More helpers.

As you can see, Ewan can get up on his own too.

Elin carrying around crayons. I stick her pacifier in her mouth when the crayons are out to keep her from chewing on them. Somedays it works...

Lunch at the Burkinshaw house. They all wanted to sit by each other.

I just love this picture of her!

Aislee suffering on the couch with her ear infections. Every time I gave her tylenol or something other than apple juice, she threw up. She got a shot yesterday at the drs, and is feeling so much better!

Handsome!

Olivia, my pretty girl.

January

 So, I've been trying to upload a video for the last couple days with no avail. I'll just give a little recap of the month, and slip in some pictures.

Paul started classes a few weeks ago. We're adjusting to his new four 10s, early mornings, late evenings, and absence of Daddy. We're okay. We love the Saturdays and playing at the park while Daddy is home. Paul is enjoying his new learning opportunities. Olivia is doing well. She's adjusting to Sunbeams more. She loves to be outside jumping, swinging, digging, and running. She's always the first to start a new game of pretend-something. Olivia loves to have Elin sit by her at every meal, and she makes sure that Elin is getting anything and everything that she needs! Lately she's been a little more emotional about things. If she thinks that she might be a little bit in trouble, she sends herself to her room crying. I usually give her a few minutes to herself. Aislee is also doing well in Sunbeams. People often tell me that I have "busy" little girls. I know all too well how "busy" they are. They're always moving, always asking questions, always telling me a new story, always playing pretend something...they're busy. Aislee isn't as obsessed with the backyard. She likes to play, but somedays, she'd rather be inside building towers or pushing a stroller full of stuffed animals around the kitchen. She really likes watching Bob The Builder. I think she may end up being an engineer like her Dad. Ewan is all boy. It seems that everyone comments on how much of a boy he is. We're sure glad! He's into cars, trucks, swords, and dirt. If there's mud, he'll find it! He waits for Olivia to initiate backyard time, and then just follows her around digging, jumping, swinging, and running. We need to teach him the importance of a tissue...! Elin is getting bigger and bigger. She is on the brink of walking. She takes steps here and there. She crawls until she can find something to pull herself on and then walks around with it. She stands without using anything, but isn't quite steady enough to hold her own when a sibling comes by to hug her. She's a really good eater. She likes all sorts of things, and since she has tasted big-people food, she no longer enjoys baby food. Elin is all about craisens, bananas, noodles, rice, oranges, and pretty much anything Ewan wants to share with her. As for me, I'm good. Life as a stay-at-home mom is sometimes exhausting, and trying to keep up on laundry, toys, dishes, and dinner can get a little overwhelming, but I have really cute kids and a really cute and helpful husband. I've been able to run a little bit more and hope to increase my miles over the next few months. I really like running!  We're trying a new vegetarian meal plan for the month of February. Neither one of us are big meat eaters, so we decided to just cut it out and see how it goes. Any suggestions on recipes would be greatly appreciated! There's January! Here's to more posts in February...!

The biggest tower ever! Maybe not, but it's pretty good for little ones.

This is one of my closest friends, Jenni. We ran a 10 mile trail together in December. I jut haven't blogged about it. It was pretty hilly! I was kinda sore for a few days after. I got 1st in my age group, and 9th in the women's division.

There's our soon-to-be walker. She's just so happy to be mobile!

I was trying to get Ewan to smile with his eyes open. I had to take it before he closed them. We'll keep working on it!

Ewan got the camera and took a picture of me.

And then I had to take the camera 'cause he dropped it. (there's a reason why I haven't blogged much...my camera is always hidden from children, and then I forget where it is!)

This was the 8.5 mile Pecan Grove run I did in November. I also have yet to blog about it. It was pretty good. Elin sure was happy to see me finish! She was starving!