11 years ago, our hearts were opened as we welcomed Baby Burley to our world. He really was "Baby Burley" for awhile, because we thought we had a few more days to decide a name! But when a routine checkup turned into, "I'm getting you a wheelchair to give you a ride over to the hospital cause you're having a baby TODAY!", names weren't really at the top of our priority list. Being young and naive, we didn't know the risks that the next 26 hours would bring (thank goodness), but we were so thankful that those traumatic moments ended in the joyful addition of

Nathaniel Ryan Burley!

Ryan is a special kid, one who cares about some things that most kids wouldn't even think about.

On November 18th, he told his dad and mom to be sure that the whole family was home by 4:05 p.m. the following day. Daddy didn't understand his request until Ryan reminded that 4:05 was his official time of birth, and that we should all be together. :)

So, this pic was taken at 4:05 p.m. on November 19, 2010.

Faithful (and maybe slightly jealous) observers at the party...

As Ryan opens this gift, his brother says, "You are what you eat!" Thanks, Ev...

This looks like some fun!

1st grandchild...

The big milestone...passing up momma...he's getting very close!

Happy 11th birthday, Ryan! We can't believe you are two years from being a teenager...love you so much, and hope your day was a special one!

And Baby is 3!

We find it pretty difficult to believe that it has been a whole 3 years since our baby Allison was born! She brings so much joy to us each day, and we are so thankful that God blessed us with #4!

Our own version of the 'princess and the frog'...

Her birthday, November 13th, was a little different than most. Daddy and the boys went hunting in the morning, so mommy took the girls to Bob Evans for a birthday brunch!Then we met with Eric's family at mama and papa's house to celebrate with Uncle Eric, who turned the big 30 on the same day!

Baby Will and his momma...

Enjoying some DQ ice cream cake...

Our angel...

Just in from the woods...

Classic Suzy!

Alli loves music, and will sing or try to play about anything. We weren't quite brave enough to get her a real instrument (although it is kind of pitiful when she randomly turns two objects into a violin and bow, then hums the tune - and her vibrato lately is hilarious)

Reality is, they are growing up...so quickly!

And she's off!

Happy Birthday, Allison! We love you, and we cherish

every moment that you grace our lives!

Nice, Quiet Day Off...or NOT!

October 26th was a much anticipated day at our house, at least for one exhausted momma! Since report cards were already completed, we were able to use our Records Day as a rest day, and it would be our first day off, at home, of the school year.
That Tuesday morning, the kids were watching videos and playing quietly, and momma was taking advantage of a rare moment to sleep in. Word came that there were heavy thunderstorms on the way, and we were under tornado watch. Knowing that at least two of the kiddos are intensely afraid of storms, we decided to ride it out at papa's house, just in case something wacky would happen. Within just a couple of hours we began to receive lots of calls and texts from people who were worried about us. Because we were about 8 minutes north of our house, we didn't realize that our town had experienced an EF2 tornado that had ripped through from one end to the other. Greg kept in touch with us, letting us know what he knew, and I called the neighbor to see if we had damage. Other than power outage, she said we were fine. Eric and Meg had been at dad's with us for awhile, and Eric was able to drive by our house to check things out, also. By the time he reached the other end of town, all the emergency vehicles were coming in and the roads were being closed. After another hour or so, we were ready to go exploring, and thanked God for His protection as we viewed the damage. These photos are just some of the minor damage. Roads were closed to the buildings that were demolished. The bulk of the damage was done one block south of Main Street. 3 families from our church live within 1-2 blocks north of Main Street, so you see how fortunate we were! Even though there were trees through windows, at least a dozen houses totally destroyed, two nursing homes and a school damaged, not one person was killed or even injured. It was pretty amazing, and we were thankful that our town acknowleged God's protection through this dangerous event.

Random Pic Update :)

Allison's first horse ride. She has always been scared, even of the tiny little ponies in Holmes County. Maybe she was just waiting for us to put her on a "real" horse!

Mama had a sleepover for Olivia and Kaitlynn, and they made beautiful fall cupcakes. Kaitlynn took hers to school to share with friends...

Playing in the straw in the barn...

Missing child alert...

Participating in an egg relay at the school picnic...

The camera cord is still evading me. Two more have been ordered from ebay. We shall never again be cordless...

Just noticed that is has been almost a month since we have posted an update! Unless you are completely thrilled by the ordinary, the last four weeks of our life have been less than glamorous. The first quarter of the school year is almost in the books (amazing), the kids are doing great in their music lessons, we've enjoyed some much-needed fall camping weekends, and our weekdays are too busy for words. That pretty much sums it up! :)
Last weekend we were able to take some time to visit in Cincinnati. Seems like we spent a little time here and a little time there, and ended up being able to have a lot of fun in a 48 hr. period! GBS Homecoming has turned into a much more "family friendly" event, and the kids had so much fun Saturday at the picnic. The jump house and slide were awesome entertainment for the little (and not so little) ones! Friday night's tribute to Garen Wolf was a really special time. His family is so deserving of the honors that they received! The days I spent in his choir provide me with memories that I will never forget, and my new "Wolfisms" mug will be a daily reminder of the man behind the baton. :) Sunday morning we took the kids to our "first church" as a married couple. The few Sundays that we spent in Cincinnati in the fall of 1997 we attended Burlington Bible Methodist, and it was great to see so many of our "old" friends, as well as former classmates who had also come in for the weekend!
Because our house is for sale, we have had to do some fast and furious tidying at very random times. My camera cord seems to evade me for the first several days following each showing, so hopefully I will have two seconds to look for it tonight. Having tons of kitchen cabinets isn't always a blessing. "I know it's in here somewhere!" So...pics will have to wait until it surfaces, which hopefully will be sooner than later.
Have a blessed day!