Busy Having Fun!

The Burgess Bunch has been having a great summer---they have gone through 15 cans of sunscreen, devoured at least $800 worth of groceries, swam for hours on end, and added almost 1,500 miles on my car. Phew....and I am tired! We have spent a lot of time in the lowcountry...fishing, swimming and going to the beach. Although I must say, I am not sure these kids are related to me because they don't like the beach that much. What? Ian says, "When you go to the beach you get sand in your britches and that isn't any fun at all!" Whatever. I would rather sit at the beach with a book & beverage than be at the pool any day. So, against their will, I forced them to go to the beach and get sand in their britches more than they thought was fun!

Ian  & Uncle Lee shooting a Roman candle

We had a fun 4th of July--celebrating with food and fireworks with the Newton clan. Most of my pyromaniac cousins were missing from the celebration this year--which did make it a little less exciting and lot less dangerous--but we had a wonderful time! They also spent a lot of time fishing at my grandparent's place. The boys like to get up early to fish while Maggie and I were smart and slept in! Like all good southern belles, she doesn't like to be "hawt" and sweat. Me either. So we let them fish and sweat and get stinky while we played with Aunt Munkey. A much better way to spend our time, I think

Because it would be too difficult to catch you up on all of the things we have been doing this summer (because my blogging has been totally negligent), here is a list of some funny stuff:

As I dressed for work, Ian: Wow, Mom! You look pretty. Are you going to work? Me: Yes. How did you know? Ian: Because you only get dressed up nice when you go to work. The rest of the time, you just wear those black yoga pants and a t-shirt. Me: Well Ian, I don't really see a point in getting dressed up to just stay around the house and clean up. Ian: I guess. It is just really sad that you are only 30 and you are just letting yourself go.

 And when Ian viewed my pictures from my trip to Kentucky for ZTA Convention: Wow, Mom, you look really pretty in these pictures. And you don't have those black yoga pants on the first time. I am real proud of you. (Thanks. I guess?)

On the way to Adventure camp, I am lecturing Ian about the need to drink plenty of water. "Okay Mom. I got it. Don't go all Romeo and Juliet on me!"


Maggie: Sometimes. Sometimes, I just. Sometimes I just got to pee.

Will: Why does this tea taste so bad? Me: Because it is unsweet tea. Will: Yuck! Why are you drinking that? We live in the South and we only drink sweet tea. Ian: That's right. Otherwise you are just a poser.

Will: Life is full of moments that just take your breath away. And there are other moments when you realize, your belly is just fat and ain't nothing gonna change that.   (What? Where does he come up with this stuff?)

Ian while shooting fireworks on the 4th of July: Fire in the hole. Fire in the Hole. Fire in the Hole. This is gonna make you happy, happy, happy. (Too much Duck Dynasty!)

Will: Wanna see me jump in the deep end without my swimmies on? Me: No I don't. Will promptly jumps into the deep end--minus his swimmies--and swims to the side of the pool. Me: Wow, Will that was great! Will: I know right? And I didn't even drown one time!

Will: Wanna see me act like a monkey? Me: You already look like a monkey... Will then jumps from the bar stool about 2.5 feet where he grabs onto the top of the refrigerator, hanging on for dear life. Me: William Truman Burgess! Have you lost your mind? Will: No but I have a feeling that I am in big trouble.

Maggie: Look at my piggies, Will! Don't they look pwetty? Will: Yep. From now on, instead of calling you Fat Belly, we'll just call you Ms. Piggy!

A Family is Built on Love

I have a wonderful family. Josh and I are blessed to have our grandparents, parents that have been married more than 35 years, beautiful sisters and brother-in-laws, nieces & nephews, and of course, we have our children. It is traditional family overload. However, there is a part of our family that is different--Ian's maternal birth family. In the 7 years since Ian's biological mother's death, we have had to navigate our way through a legal and emotional nightmare while balancing Ian's best interest and his need to know his family.

In all honesty, our relationship with Ian's family has been wracked with anger, hurt, grief, distrust, and all of the other emotions you feel when a situation isn't an ideal to either side. Despite that, from the first day, I have prayed for God to keep my heart open and for me to always seek Ian's best interest. And while there have been times when my patience and sanity have been pushed to the brink, I have never doubted that God was going to do amazing things with our journey.

From the beginning, I liked Ian's PawPaw Mike. He is Ian's mom's biological father (who is divorced from Ian's grandmother). Mike is kind and loving--he adores Ian from the top of his head to the tips of his toes. It was apparent to me that his love for Ian was genuine and he wanted Ian's best interest to be put above everything else. He supported Josh getting custody of Ian and for me to adopt him. All Mike wanted was to have a place in Ian's life. After Ian's Mom died, Ian was all he had left.

Over the last 7 years, Mike has become a part of our family. He visited with Ian regularly when he lived in NC, went out of his way to get to know Josh and I, and to extend his love and his heart to Will and Maggie. Two years ago, Mike rekindled a relationship with a high school sweetheart and moved to Oklahoma to be closer to her. While we were thrilled with him finding love, we were all devastated not to have him close by. Ian visited Oklahoma 2 summers ago when Mike first moved out there but until today, he hadn't seen his PawPaw other than via Skype.

Before bed on Friday, I overheard Ian explaining to Will that I was not Ian's real mom, that his real Mom was in heaven and that PawPaw was not Will's grandfather. Ian wasn't being mean about it. He was simply being factual. While we have always been honest with Ian about his history, it never occurred to me that Ian might tell Will his history when Will was just 4 with no real ability to understand what in the world Ian was talking about. I told Will that while God didn't put Ian in my tummy like he did he and Maggie, he wrote Ian's name on my heart the day that he was born and then sent me on a journey to find Ian and his Daddy so we could all be a family. I told Will that a family isn't made of the blood in your veins but out of the love that is in your heart. I told him because I loved Ian with all my heart, he was my family just like because he loved PawPaw Mike with all his heart, he was his family.Will smiled from ear to ear.

The kids have been anxiously marking down the days for over a month for the arrival of PawPaw Mike and Nana Kay. When his truck pulled in the driveway, the kids rushed him, overwhelming him with hugs and kisses. They soon did the same to Nana Kay. PawPaw and Nana spoiled the kids with a trip to the zoo, lunch, and bowling. While the kids played in the yard with Mike this afternoon, Kay made a point to tell me how grateful Mike was for the mother I was to Ian, for giving him the love that I did, and grateful that Josh and I had granted the two of them a place in our family. After watching PawPaw and Nana with my children today, I know that God had His hand in every part of this. While Mike can't have his daughter back, he did make a place in his heart for three grandchildren, and for Josh and me. Love created a family.

First Week Fun!

"Snapping" green beans!

This week has been a good first week of summer vacation. I had to put up the vegetables I brought back from the garden on Edisto. I had two bushels of green beans to snap and can---in the end, that equaled 32 quarts of beans. That is a lot of work.April came over and helped me for a couple of hours and her help was invaluable. The Burgess Bunch love to eat those green beans but they were pretty worthless when it came to putting them up! Ian and Will would wander in and out to help snap for a few minutes and then would disappear to other parts of the house for long stretches. Ian helped me for a whole 20 minutes at one point and I was excited that he was going to stick around and help me knock out the snapping. Boy was I mistaken. He left for the bathroom and never came back. And hour later, he came back thru the kitchen on his way to the playroom. I said, "What happened to you helping me snap the beans?" With a straight face, he responded, "I'm on a break." For an hour? Boy do I wish I lived in his universe!

The train at the Spartanburg Library

I took the kids to the library on Thursday. It is probably my favorite place to visit in Spartanburg--or any town for that matter. My parents instilled in me a great love for reading and I very much want my children to share that love of books. So far, I have been fairly successful. Will seems to be the only one that isn't crazy about reading--imagine that. He likes to read as long as it is about motorcycles or snakes or flame-throwing. My very own Evel Knievel in the making. The kids were excited about visiting but I quickly realized that taking all three of them at once was an error in judgement. All three read on different levels and all three of those sections are in different locations of the basement level. When all three started to head to their locations, I felt like I needed to have some sort of magic to multiply myself. So I decided to help Will and Maggie pick out their books first and then park them at a table next to Ian's section so I could help him. It was a great theory.

And yes, she is naked under that towel!

Maggie wanted to pull every book off the shelf or run down the aisle. She was in total show-off mode and while she wanted to collect books, she wanted to collect 30 of them at once, instead of the 3 at a time rate that I prefer. While I was helping Will select some books, I made the error of not keeping my eye on Maggie the entire time. I glance up to find her attempting a strip tease--her shirt was off and she was headed for her skirt. Whispering loudly, "Stop Maggie!" enticed her not to actually stop vacating her clothes but rather to take off running. I have gotten good at anticipating her moves on the run so I caught her before any real damage was done but it was awkward having to quietly YELL at her that the library was not a condoned location for naked time. I seriously hope this stage of disrobing ends soon.

Mixing up zucchini bread

Friday we had play dates with two different friends--I left my house at 9am and returned at 9:30pm. The kids came in and wanted to watch a movie--I wanted to watch the back of my eyelids. They played in water most of the day and for whatever reason, they weren't drop dead tired. Saturday I enjoyed some Mommy time. I had a pedicure and spent most of the afternoon reading Pat Conroy's South of Broad. It was a great read if you like Conroy or Charleston or both. Sunday, we enjoyed a visit with MeeMaw & Poppi and the Jackson cousins. Will caught at least 15 granddaddy long leg spiders and a lizard. He is fascinated with critters! Sunday evening, Will helped me make a couple of loaves of Zucchini bread. The child might not be crazy about reading but he has a real passion for cooking. I plan to make it my personal mission to teach him to cook well. It will help make him a real catch some day---even if he races motorcycles and collects lizards for fun!

Let's Get This Summer Started!

SUMMER!! Longer days, lots of water, fresh food, bottomless glasses...and hopefully, more blog posts!

 The Burgess Bunch hasn't stopped being fun kids to hang around nor do they lack entertaining blog material.  However, their packed schedules have kept their Mom very busy...and very tired! So to catch you up...

Everyone finished the school year alive---Ian ended the year with all As and Bs and is promoted to 3rd grade! Will will go to 4K and Maggie will go to the 2year old class in August! During the last month, I spent most days at award programs, class parties, field trips, and music programs. Add in church and baseball and I am pretty sure my car never stopped driving around Spartanburg.

We started summer off on the right foot by spending Memorial Day weekend as a family in the lowcountry.It really doesn't get much better than that! The kids were anxious to see Hana & Poppa--and so was I!

We started our trip to Edisto Beach with a stop at King's Market. The King family is my second family and the kids go in like they own the place. I am pretty sure Ms. Bonnie & Mr. Rett have a hard time making a profit with freeloaders like mine! The kids went right in and got an orange soda and a large bag of Mr. Rett's boiled peanuts (in case you don't know, they are the BEST peanuts in the entire world!). Aunt Munkey caught up with us there and after a quick visit, we were off to the Beach!

The weather & water were perfect. The kids saw lots of jelly balls that had washed up on the shore. We saw 3 live horse shoe crabs and found 2 skeletons. They had a blast and we were able to relax & enjoy them ---except for when a wind gust blew our umbrella down the beach and nearly impaled a lady...I was running & screaming for her to look out. She was so busy reading Fifty Shades of Grey that she nearly was speared to death! Oh Fifty! :)

The boys went fishing 2 days of our trip. They went to my Papa's pond and caught about 35 fish, and because Josh took them, there were no decent pictures! Will learned to cast the rod&reel and managed to pull in a "Daddy" fish that was about 8 pounds. He was so proud! He also threw his entire rod in the pond, which Josh had to wade in to get! Maggie & I spent time with my Nanny the first day they fished because she was "Hawt" (hot) and didn't want to "do dat fish."

She instead wanted her scheduled "naked time." I told you before that she is a major streaker---during Spring Break, she got naked in the Chick-Fil-A play area. Aunt Munkey & I had taken her there for her birthday and while the kids were playing, Chrissy & I were chatting with a friend of our family who is a Baptist preacher. To my horror, I look over the preacher's shoulder to see Maggie's naked butt cheeks pressed up against the glass. "Oh shit!" fell from my mouth before I could remember my manners (in front of a preacher, no less!) and I spent 20 minutes chasing her around the play area, up & down the slide, trying to dress her. After that, I begged the pediatrician for advice on keeping her clothed. The solution was scheduled times of nakedness. I usually let her have two 30 minute birthday suit options per day with times that are absolute no naked time---public places, the front yard, on the trampoline, etc. And I thought Will's schedule from last summer was brutal!! However, total props to our Pediatrician--this scheduled time is magic!

However, I digress....Sunday, we went to my sister's house and grilled out & played cornhole. And Monday, we worked in my Dad's garden harvesting veggies to bring home. Ian and Will were supposed to help pick green beans. Will did well wandering between Josh& I at the green beans and my Dad cutting okra. Ian complained over every. single. green. bean. he. picked. I finally told him,"If you picked beans as much as you complained, we would be finished already!" He liked that comment less than picking beans. But he hung in there and helped us get the work done--and he and Will slept all the way back to Spartanburg!

It was a trip that was too short but there will be many more! Tomorrow is my first full day of all three kids home for summer break since I worked at the office today. I have green beans to can tomorrow so they will be busy helping me snap beans but I dust off that schedule on Thursday and we get down to the work of living peacefully together for 3 months until school starts back...of course, I will have to pencil in Maggie's naked time!

Stay tuned for a summer full of Burgess Bunch Adventures!

Streaker

There are a lot of places I don't like to take my kids. That list includes pretty much any place one would go. Grocery store, Wal-Mart or Target, the DMV, eating establishments, the doctor, etc. etc. The more children in my possession, the less likely I am to leave the confines of my house. It it just too much effort and the reality is that they make any simple errand or task take twice as long, I lose my mind and forget half of what I went for, and 7 out of 10 trips, someone melts down, there is a fight or they embarrass me in some way. Just. Not. Worth. It.

However, if I never left the house, I would A. Be a weird Hermit and B. We would starve and stink. Thursday morning is the only day I have where I am child-less. But I can't get everything done in 3 hours. So this morning, Will BEGGED me to go buy him new crocs. Being the awesome Mom that I am, I decided I would make the 15 mile journey to Gaffney where there is a Crocs outlet. But it is Monday, not Thursday and that meant that Maggie had to come with. Now, some days, Maggie is a good shopper. She likes Sam's (because they serve food) and she does OK for short run-in-to-pick-stuff-up trips. However, she is about to turn two next week and her temperament is as predictable as a woman going through menopause. She is one tantrum laced, meltdown city just waiting to explode.

But off we went and to my surprise she was being very good. She got a little ancy at the Crocs store when I was taking too long to make a selection but for the most part, she was happy and excited to shop. So when we finished there, we ventured over to The Children's place, Carter's, Oshkosh...no meltdowns. I was feeling really good and started to feel confident that this was going to be a really productive trip to the outlets. As I passed Ann Taylor, I decided to go check out a cute turquoise dress that I thought would be great for ZTA Convention this summer. Dress was awesome but it was $109.00 and well, I am too cheap to pay that price for one dress. Maggie seemed a little miffed about our stop in AnnTaylor but she was still OK. So I went into a store because I wanted to buy a new bra. In we went, and of course, they didn't have my size of the particular one I wanted so I asked the lady to check in the back. As I was waiting for her, I had my back to Maggie. BIG mistake. In just a minute, she had wiggled herself out of the stroller and grabbed a package of little girl panties from the wall. Hearing the sound of ripping, I turned around to find Maggie buck naked. She was going to try on these cute little panties but when she saw me turn around, she knew she was in trouble....and she takes off running....through the store....as naked as she came into this world. And lately, let Mommy chase me around naked is her newest and most favorite game. She is squealing with delight at the top of her lungs, running around the store with me in hot pursuit behind her. She would run around the racks and just as soon as I would lunge to grab her, she would dart under the rack and out the other side. Everyone in the store was watching me chase her. Some I am sure thought it was cute. The sales ladies didn't find it amusing at all.

I eventually was able to corner her after she took a wrong turn and hit a dead end. When I finally got my hands on her, she squealed with delight and laughed so hard that she proceeded to pee all over me. She laughed harder. Fabulous. I quickly dressed her and walked out, forgetting completely that I wanted to purchase a bra. It was the least of my wardrobe requirements at the moment. And after that little taste of freedom, she refused to get back in the stroller and the meltdown came, fast and furious. So over my shoulder she went as I dragged the 2 kid stroller behind me all the way out to the car. Embarrassed, pee soaked and exhausted, I made the 15 mile journey back to Spartanburg, pondering the thought that becoming a hermit may not be such a bad option after all.

My Kid is Terrific....

Ian being recognized by the Asst Principal
at the Terrific Kid Breakfast at School

Well, actually, all of them are terrific in my eyes. But I am their Mom and I am supposed to feel that way. However, in all honesty and without a smidgen of bias, Ian really is terrific. Anderson Mill Elementary School and the Kiwanis Club of Spartanburg said so. Ian was recognized this week for being a kid of high moral character, full of kind acts and generosity.

That pretty much sums him up. Kind, generous, the kid who always does the right thing. He is wise beyond his years. Just like today...On the way home, we pass by a do-it-yourself car wash. As we are driving past, there were some young girls in way-too-small bikinis washing their cars. I mean, I know the weather was nice today, but it is still March for goodness sake! Anyway, Ian looks at those bikini-clad girls and then looks at me. If this had been Will, he would have likely made a comment about how nice they looked in those skimpy pieces or asked if we could go wash our car. Not Ian. Ian looks at me with a perturbed look on his face that I am sure mirrored my own and said "What is wrong with those girls? Why on Earth would they wear their bathing suits to wash their cars? People are supposed to wash their cars at the car wash, not go swimming. I mean, they barely had any clothes on. I swear, I don't know what is wrong with people!" My sentiments exactly, Ian!

He is so much like me, but I think far more sensitive and compassionate. Just this past weekend, he and I attended our first conference on Mission work. He is completely intrigued by the opportunity to work as a missionary and at the conference, he met missionaries who serve all over the globe. He spent a good bit of time with a woman who serves in Brazil and Ian just fell in love with the work she is doing there with children. We have also been reading about the work of Doctors Without Borders. He is a helper, a doer. He is anxious to go on a mission trip himself. I keep reminding him that he is only about to turn 9. I also keep pointing out that while serving others around the globe is noble work, there are plenty of people in our own community who he can help. So he is researching places in Spartanburg to see what might interest him.

On the 21st, he turns NINE. I cannot believe it. Where did all the time go? I could not be more proud of the person he is growing up to be. It makes my heart so happy to know what he endured in his life as an infant and to see how he has transformed into this truly terrific child. I know that there are many great things ahead of him and I cannot wait to see all of the incredible things he will accomplish. It will be Terrific....just like him!

Drive-Thru Recap...

Why haven't I been blogging? I have failed to include so many great stories in the blog. After all, I created this blog just to record all of the things that the kids do. But no matter how much I try, I can't seem to find the time or the energy to write. Why? THE KIDS! In the hustle and bustle of trying to run the back and forth to school, work and keep our house from being condemned, I am just exhausted.

So to recap...

Ian played Upward Basketball at Cudd Memorial Baptist this winter. He turned out to be a pretty scrappy and aggressive player. He had decent ball control and could shoot but most of all, his little, scrawny hiney could rebound the ball! It makes his former-center on the court--Momma very proud. We spent a lot of time practicing in the drive way. I gave him the full Bobby Savage coaching experience, without as much Marine Corps hollering. At first, he hated the dribble and passing drills. Especially since we went entire practice days without shooting the ball in the basket. But I promised that if he would buy into the Bobby Savage method of coaching, it would make him a better player. I was right. After all, Papa's methods helped me learn to do everything but be a decent free-throw shooter. Probably because Mom wouldn't let him Duct tape my hands together...but that is a whole other blog post.

At any rate, Ian had a great season and he was fortunate to have two wonderful coaches in Clay Houchins and Joe Pepper. Now, without even taking a breath, we start baseball season for Ian and soccer season for Will. How much are gas prices, again?

Will celebrated his fourth birthday. I simply can't believe it. Time went by in a flash. He had a pirate theme party at school. I was terrified about his cake because he had changed his mind about 10 times on the theme and I just knew that when I showed up a school with cake in hand, he would tell me I got the wrong one and tell me I ruined his life. But to my surprise, he loved it! A rare compliment from Will.

The night of his birthday, we went to eat Mexicans (the food, not the people). Will loves to eat Mexican food so he was thrilled that Josh's parents & grandmother were able to join us for dinner. Days before his birthday, I asked Will what he wanted for a present. He sat for a while, really pondering his options. Finally, he looked at me and said, "I can't think of anything that I need, Mom. If I do, I will let you know. For now, though, I am good." Deep down, the kid has the heart of an angel. You just have to peel back a lot of layers to get there!

Maggie has pretty much mastered potty training. She has been using the potty since 15 months old but these days, we are pretty much accident free! I am certainly happy about that! She is talking up a storm, singing a lot and recognizing most of the alphabet. She is big tattle-tale and the boys can't seem to get away with anything anymore. She loves to report to "Will's Mom" all the naughty things he is trying to accomplish.  I don't discourage her....I need all the help I can get! She is really into baby dolls at the moment. In fact, not only do I have to compete for bed space and covers with her, but now her dolls Ella, Susie and Annie. All of them have to come to bed with us and if you dare move them at any point during the night, she wakes up and chides you for it. It is definitely time for her to get her own bed!

This is it for now. We have upcoming birthdays and the big Burgess Bunch Birthday Bash! That's right....we are having one large birthday party for the kids this year. They will probably feel robbed of 2,4 & 9 and need therapy because we robbed them of individualism, but as Will always likes to tell me, "You get what you get, and you don't pitch a fit." So there!