Very, Very, Very Big News Flash!

Well, the time has finally come to let the whole world know...Baby Burley #4 is on the way and has a due date of November 20, 2007!
Mommy (me) is doing great, and on the internal ultrasound this morning, baby was doing extra great (actually doing acrobatics at the time) with a strong heart rate of 176/bpm, and a whopping length of 3 cm. The other Burley kids are thrilled, and Kaitlynn's question has finally been answered ("Mommy, are you pwegnut?"). Ironically, I had a checkup on March 8th (yearly), and talked with my OB about possibly having another child. I told her we had been debating (about the time one of us was ready the other wasn't), and she encouraged us to go for it. What we didn't know was that this child was already 3.5 weeks in the making! She certainly had a chuckle when I showed up at the office again today. So, that's the wrap-up on our news!

The Creamery...Mmm Mmm Mmm!!!

We drive 20 minutes each way, past countless "reputable" establishments to get to this little hole in the wall because...it's worth it! If you ever come to visit, make sure we take you to
"The Creamery". (My single dip cone had at least four dips in it, making me wonder...what would they do if I asked for a 1/2 dip?)


Greg enjoying his double dip (at least six dips) of Black Rasberry Fudge Swirl

Ryan with his usual, the "clown face" kids cup

Misc. Pics

The perfect solution for kids who wander off at IHC...and they even sell these things at IHC!

More Misc. Pics...It's About Time, Right?!

Olivia and Mama

My sweet little niece, Olivia

All Kaitlynn needs to stay busy is play dough and cookie cutters!

I had a great work space in the hotel, but it's hard to get anything done when you have to rush someone a trash can or quickly haul them to the toilet...the joys of the flu!

Everything in the room was just her size!

Chicken Pox!! Notice inside her ear.

A few of Kaitlynn's spots - most of them were in places I couldn't photograph :)

Greg is replacing Jared as the Subway frontman! (Actually, these were his suit pants before my mom altered them)

One More Class Down!!!

It's approximately 1:06 a.m. on Sunday. Greg is asleep on the couch, all the kids are tucked in bed, and I have just completed HSER 508 (Studies in Interpersonal Communications). I'm only 23 hours prior to the required submission time, but considering my week, this is success! Evidently Liberty finds it within themselves to give us a one week break every four months so next week is my week off - oh, except for teaching Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, a bridal shower Tuesday night, church Wednesday night, a revival near Columbus Greg and I are to sing for Thursday through Sunday, and my aunt's graduation in Circleville on Saturday morning. I'm quite certain someone else in the family will break out with chicken pox about this time, as well. Did I mention I have a week "off"? Ha!
So long, it's time to clear the books off of the bed and tuck in for the remainder of the night. Tomorrow morning will be a little earlier than usual due to the fact that our soloist for the a.m. service called off today due to sickness. Greg and I will have to "quickly" find the Lord's leading and put something together. I get sick of doing re-runs, but at the last minute, what else is there? :)

Our Week

This IHC week was unlike any I've ever experienced! On Sunday evening, Greg had me feel a knot in his neck, in the gland area. By Monday evening there were three more of them, all the way up to the top of his head. I told him to try to get in to the Dr. before we left on Tuesday, so we could get antibiotic, etc., before leaving. When the Dr. took a look at him, she said, "Why do you people come to me with these things? You should be in the ER!" She sent him straight for a CAT scan because she didn't see any infection in his ear or throat. Because he was taking so long, I finally called to see where he was, and he said he was getting ready for a CAT scan. Well, you know we mothers tend to be on the nervous side of things, and my stomach immediately went into knots. Dr. put him on strong medication and told him they would call if anything was abnormal. Due to the lateness of the afternoon, we decided not to go to IHC that evening, but head on to the hotel, be there by 8:30 or so, and just relax. We were about 10 minutes from our exit, and Kaitlynn coughed really suspiciously. I asked her if she was ok, and said, "That sounded like a pukey cough." Sure enough 2 minutes later, she started vomiting. We contained things as well as we could until we reached our destination, and when I went to check in, I knew this hotel had issues. I will skip the graphic details, but needless to say, the hotel was so bad we could not stay in it. I have never had such an experience, and because we purchased the reservation on Priceline, there wasn't much we could do in the way of a refund. I had also made reservations for my parents, and Eric & Megan. We ended up having to pack everything back into the van, and fortunately we were able to find a great place to stay for a very reasonable price. By this time Kaitlynn had both dreaded flu symptoms, and they continued for 24 hours straight. I was up with her all night Tuesday night, and had just fallen asleep about 8:15 Wednesday morning, when the Dr. called. My stomach once again went into knots because they had said they would call if something was wrong. I guess they just wanted Greg to know it was an acute sinus infection, and he needed to be seen again in a week. Whew! Fortunately, my parents were able to make sure the boys didn't miss any children's services, and mom and Grandma Yount stayed with Kaitlynn Wednesday evening while I went to service. By Thursday morning, my little lady was feeling much better, but still very weak. We stayed at the hotel as long as we could without paying for an extra night, and then wrapped her in her stroller and headed for IHC. Needless to say, I didn't see too many people! Some were gone by the time I finally arrived. It was fun to see Holly Emory, Dorcas Bishop, Dan and Angie Edwards (who were on their way out the door with a puking kid), Erin (Gibson) Enyart...and many more. Two highlights were the children's program (awesome job, Char!) and the patriotic rally. I was only able to get in on the tail end of Dr. Gibbs' message, but had a chance to thank him afterward for his part in making the LU scholarships available to all who teach A.C.E. Dr. Gibbs made the connection with Dr. Jerry Falwell, who actually showed up in person at our A.C.E. conventions to tell us how impressed he was with the program. Dr. Falwell gave some pretty amazing statistics in regard to college entrance exams. Students were broken into three classes: public school grads, Christian school (non-A.C.E.) grads, and A.C.E./Homeschool grads. A.C.E./Homeschool grads outscored the others by quite a bit (I don't remember his exact figures), and he announced that A.C.E. high school students and teachers would be eligible for undergrad./grad./doctoral classes with the cost of only books and fees. Speaking of which, I still have half of my paper to write, and since it is due tomorrow at midnight, I must commence. I look forward to hearing from you!
p.s. By the way, for all of you who told me at IHC that you read my blog, please post! I love seeing who is hanging around!

"Pox" Update...

Thanks to each of you who have commented with consolation in regard to Kaitlynn's condition. I think it's funny how most women who have been moms for a few years love the idea of pox parties. I was wishing my kids could have gone to one earlier! Believe it or not, there are still parents who try to shield their kids from the inevitable, and believe me, it just prolongs the agony! Anyway, I figure Kaitlynn broke out last Wednesday(approximately 5 days ago), everyone has a different idea on when she was/is contagious, and I have just resigned myself to the fact that every kid gets the pox at some point and it's not really my fault if she passes along the virus...it's life and it happens! I'm glad someone is this house has finally gotten them, and hopefully the boys can get it over with within the next 30 days or so, also. They say the older the child, the worse the virus. I agree. If Kaitlynn would have had these before she really knew how to scratch, pick, or whine about treatment, the process would have been a little easier! So, you all just come on over anytime, bring sleeping bags, plenty of baking soda, Niagara spray starch, calamine lotion, and Popsicles, and we'll get this ball rolling!
I'll try to post a couple of pics of her breakout later this evening. She has a pretty good case, which means she should never have to worry about the pox again. By the way, her new nickname is "chix". :)

I Spoke Too Soon...

As I was writing yesterday's post, Kaitlynn was breaking out with chicken pox! We opted out of the varicella vaccine for our kids because at the time of Ryan's infancy it was relatively new, and even to this day they don't know how effective it is. Anyway, I would rather them have them in childhood than end up with shingles at 35. Now the time has come. Hopefully she doesn't suffer too much. So far they are mostly from the neck down, and although they look uncomfortable, she doesn't seem to mind. The lesson I learned? Never say "everyone is healthy"!

Just A Quick Update...

For my faithful readers who tire of logging onto blogs and reading week-old news for the 3rd time, I'll leave a short post. Nothing new has happened this week, except that everyone is healthy in the Burley household! That, my friends, is something to be thankful for! The most excitement we have had around here was Tuesday evening when Greg and the boys were re-stacking our winter wood supply. They found a precious little reptile (around 15-20 in.). I think Scripture refers to this reptile as "Satan", and I agree with Scripture. Anyway, knowing boys will be boys and not wanting to "feminize" them in any way, shape, or form (Amen, anyone?), we still have the little vermin living in our garage. I allowed Evan to take him/her to school Wednesday, and most of the kids really enjoyed it. The Mediamobile (local library bus) happened to be stopping at school the same day, and Ryan was able to find a book about snakes because he didn't feel we were taking proper care of the poor little thing. I tried, in my most sympathetic voice, to convince them that our home was not a proper habitat, and that this little gift would be better served in his natural, underground home, or wherever snakes like to roam. Evan is convinced, so this evening we will probably have a going away party, and release the snake down by the creek in the woods. On the same evening, they found a salamander. It is outside in a bucket, but due to the rains that have fallen in the last couple of days, is probably already gone onto its eternal reward. We may have to have a funeral for that one. Anyway, I tried to explain to the boys that we have a beautiful golden retriever, which is a very acceptable, all-American pet, and they won't hardly give him the time of day, yet they attempt to adopt a very unacceptable (sorry, Carrie), creepy, nasty...well, you get the picture...I don't like snakes!

On to other news...My goal for this weekend is to complete my final project for the communications class which is set to end a week from Sunday. When the project is completed, it will probably run about 20 pages total, and although that doesn't seem like much, the research is pretty time-consuming. If I complete it this weekend, I will have all next week (Spring Break, IHC) free to enjoy. Greg works Monday and a short day on Tuesday, then he is off for the remainder of the week. Eric, Megan, and Olivia are coming in during the night Sunday night, and will get to be at IHC until Thursday afternoon, so that is pretty exciting. We have school Monday (a field trip to some kind of a COSI-like place in Dayton), then we are off for the week.
I'll try to post some pics of the field trip. I have never been to this particular place, so if any of you have, please post and let me know what its about. I can't even remember what it's called!
Till next time...

A Miracle Baby!

Noah Christopher - 1lb. 14oz. 14 in.

Congratulations to our good friends, Josh, Crissie, and Aaron Estes, and grandparents Dennis and Brenda Estes, on the addition of another baby boy to their family! Noah Christopher was born Saturday night at OSU Hospital in Columbus. He was born at 27 weeks, and was 1lb. 14 oz. and 14 in. Crissie is such a strong person, having Lupus and the struggles that she faces with that condition. She definitely beat the odds, and they now have two beautiful baby boys. Little Noah seems to be striving, even at his young entrance into the world. God has definitely answered prayer, and we are very thankful!

Family...

Isaiah loved the plastic eggs

He also enjoyed Kaitlynn's books

Evan and Isaiah

More fun with the eggs

Ryan and Isaiah

Saying goodbye (in the snow, of course!)

Last Saturday it was a lot of fun to spend some time with Mike and Beth Dickinson, and their baby, Isaiah. We had a great time, and really enjoyed seeing them again. Since they only live about 40 min. away, there isn't much excuse for our infrequent visits, but life gets busy for everyone. Thanks, Mike and Beth, for coming up and spending time with us! We'll do it again soon.

Happy Easter!

We waited until Monday morning to give them our baskets!

One happy gal with lots of sugar!

Kaitlynn enjoying her basket from mama and papa...my favorites were the toothbrush and toothpaste!

Evan opening mama and papa's bag

Ryan with his bag from mama and papa

Evan opening Adam and Valerie's basket

Kaitlynn opening her basket from Adam and Valerie

Ryan with his basket from Adam and Valerie

Shake those eggs!

Kaitlynn wearing her odd and unique hairpiece that I worked on until 11p.m. Saturday night

Tired out!

Kaitlynn with two of her little friends, Emilee and Karys

The smiles have now become a little fake...

There, that's much better!

Kaitlynn said, "I wanna look like an angel." I think she did!

What a sweetie!

Our home on Christmas, I mean, Easter Sunday :)

Easter Sunday was a wonderful day with friends and family, and way too much sugar for my kids. We had a wonderful dinner with two meats, spiral ham (closely resembling Honeybaked)and turkey with all of the trimmings. I tease my mom about serving so many dishes in one meal. I think their table extends to 12 feet, and every inch is usually full. Anyway, it was delicious, as usual. Friends, Clint Underwood and his daughter Kimberly, ate with us as well as my Grandma's Yount and Nichols, and Adam and Valerie. Our kids were abundantly blessed with way too much candy and other assorted necessary stuff from their grandparents, aunt, and uncle. One of their favorites were the chocolate straws, which turn your white milk into chocolate milk as you drink. They really work, and according to Greg, taste great. All in all, it was a blessed time of focusing on one blessed fact: He Is Risen!

Easter Egg Hunt

A couple of weeks ago, we attended the Annual Easter Egg Hunt at the U.M. church here in our little village. It is a pretty big event for such a small place, and due to recent heavy rain, had to be held indoors. The kids really enjoyed all the activities (icing sugar cookies, watching Veggie Tales, playing games), and the Lion's Club even fed us a nice little hot dog lunch! Kaitlynn wasn't too fond of the Easter Bunny at first, but she did finally allow them to take her picture sitting on my lap w/the bunny. It was a very un-photogenic moment for me, so I'll not post that pic!

Bad blogger, I know...

My apologies for the major lack of posts in the last few days! This week has been rather crazy (Easter usually stresses me out...the clothes, the baskets, the egg hunts...you name it) and I haven't had time to spend with my computer, other than those ungodly assignments I'm doing for school! Hopefully, tomorrow I will be able to update on our happenings and post some nice pics. At this rate, we may be snowed in and I will have plenty of time! This weather is CRAZY! I would have to admit, though, if it were December 24th, this would be the perfect snowfall...large, lazy flakes. Since it has been doing this for the last four days, I am rather tired of the whole snow bit, and more than ready to get on with spring. Imagine...mittens, coats, and hats at IHC..who knows, maybe sleds, too!