In a flash

I was discussing with a friend how time seems to go by slow and then all of a sudden it's gone! Some weeks seem to drag on, like when we're waiting for a class to end for Paul, or a vacation to start. Then other weeks seem to go by way too fast! And before you know it, another year has gone by! May has been one of those "in a flash" kind of months. The first couple weeks were pretty slow, waiting for Paul's class to end so we could get some things done. Now, it's almost over! We did a lot in May. Paul got through one more class (eight more to go). He turned 28! I know, he's getting so old ;-) I had my fourth Mother's Day. We did some Spring Cleaning and organizing. Wait, did I say we did a lot? Okay, we really haven't done too much, but the month is almost over. It seems like it was only a few weeks ago that we brought Elin home from the hospital! Anyway, we are looking forward to June. I love June! We finally get to see Uncle Joel. My younger brother, Joel has been serving a two year mission in Tokyo. He was there for the earthquake and everything. He's had quite a mission, and we are so excited for him to be home! He hasn't met Elin yet, and he left when Ewan was just little. If you can't tell, I'm pretty excited! We also get to go to a family reunion for my Mom's side in Salt Lake. It's always nice to get out of the house for a little while and spend some time outside...when it's not 7:30am because you're afraid of getting heatstroke if you're outdoors after 10am!

So, we'll do a little recap since it's been a month since my last post. Elin is a full-time walker and mischief maker! She climbs, hides, and manages to get her little one-year-old-self into as much trouble as everyone else! Her little personality is coming out more. She fake cries, tattles, throws herself on the floor, and begs for food. Elin also loves to dance, lead the music, eat, and play outside. My mom tells this story of me when I was little. I don't remember how old I was, but my dad was in the Young Men's and one of the boys came over with his car. I grabbed my shoes and said, "Willy, you've got your car. I've got my shoes!" I knew that I couldn't go anywhere without my shoes. That's Elin! She knows that if she has her shoes on, we're going somewhere. And, she's ready!

Ewan is now in a big-boy-bed. He never climbed out of the crib, but it was about time to move Elin from the pack-n-play to the crib. He does alright. He's a lot easier than the girls were, but he still likes to come out every-once-in-a-while. He likes to come into our bed a little too early (5am). Ewan needs his sleep or he's just not super pleasant. He likes the independence though. He also likes to show everyone HIS room when they come over. I threw away his pacifier a few days ago. I've been wanting to for a while, but I'm a bit of a pushover. It's gone now. I cut it so I wouldn't give in that night. He did alright. I think he just uses it to go to sleep. Once he figured out that it wasn't coming back, several tears later, he was okay. Next up, potty-training!

Aislee...energetic Aislee! She is a morning person. Well, they're ALL morning people. But, she seems to beat everyone! Aislee is excited about everything and everyone! She loves to sit and talk to whoever comes over about her life story. They usually start out, "When I was a baby, I was born..." She could spend all day outside, as long as there aren't any bugs nearby. She loves the swimming pool, and playing with the hose on the trampoline. Aislee is excited about seeing the Uncles and playing with cousins next week. She can't stop talking about "seeing everybodies".

Olivia is the make-believer at our house. She comes up with stories and games for everyone to play. Elin is usually a doggy, Olivia has taught Elin how to eat her snack out of Olivia's hand. She comes up with some pretty interesting games that always involve a Mommy and a doggy. She was trying to get Elin to obey and said, "Say, okay Olivia." When I'm trying to get them to listen and understand something I have them say, "Okay, Mom" when I'm done. A hear a lot of, "Say okay Olivia" when they're playing. Olivia is pretty sensitive. Anytime she thinks she might be in trouble, she makes a very sad face. If it's really bad, she runs to her room for a time-out. She's usually not in trouble. I don't know where she gets the self-punishing. She's very quick to say, "I'm sorry Mom", and take care of it.

 Paul had a birthday, as previously mentioned. He was really sick and went to Urgent Care after work to find out he had the flu. He spent most of the evening and the next day in bed. We tried to do cake and cheesecake, and sing for him. We've been waiting to get something or do  something for each other until after his class was over, but we've had one thing after another. Hopefully, this weekend we'll be able to celebrate our anniversary, his birthday, Mother's day, getting through our first semester of grad school, and probably Father's Day...! Here's hoping our babysitter doesn't cancel on us.

They dressed themselves. See how Ewan is matching. He picks out normal outfits!

At the park. It was like 8am and hovering in the mid 70s.

Paul's cake.

We had the fire extinguisher ready, just in case!

Plenty of helpers!

Elin had three super capes on. Sometimes, you just need three...

Aislee, the BLUR!

Happy Happy Birthday Elin, Dear!

Wow! A whole year has gone by since we've been blessed with Baby Elin! She has been such a joy in our home. She is sweet, and easy-going. She loves to follow everyone around, and is trying her hardest to keep up with the craziness of the Burkinshaw household. We are so lucky to have her with us! Things Elin has done in her short little life include walking, saying "uh-oh", shaking her head when she doesn't want something, drinking milk, eating almost everything and anything, playing "hide-and-seek", and climbing. She loves to climb the little table and the slide. She can almost get on the couch by herself. Elin is a busy little girl, but that's okay 'cause she fits right in! Well Elin, this is your life!

Getting ready to leave for the hospital (in between contractions)

8lbs and .04ounces

Family of 6!

Doing what she did best!

Not much has changed.

With the cousins. Owen is a month older than Landon. Landon is a month older than Elin.

The Bumbo

Walking at 9 months

Sisters

Climbing at 9 months

Big brother helper

After a few tumbles off the table, she's a little more cautious when standing.

Easy-going. Aislee is coloring on her with chalk

She's a Burkinshaw, and loves to vacuum!

"I see cupcakes!"

Happy birthday!

One year older and wiser, too!

Happy birthday to you!

And, Paul and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary on the 27th--Ice cream and a movie after the kids were asleep.

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...?