The Burrill Diaries

Swim Team

2011-07-02T15:25:00.000-07:00

Although the temperatures are slowly climbing to an unpleasant status, we are loving summer. The girls have truly enjoyed swim team and are already looking forward to more swimming in the future. They are serious little fish. Our life has become busier than normal with weekday practices and Saturday meets, but it is so worth it. We have all made some great friends and simply enjoy the atmosphere.

One of the dads on the team is an amazing photographer. He seems to capture great pictures of all the kids. Here are some of our favorites from the season so far...

Danyka on the starting block

Whitney, Danyka and Avery cheering for their friend Bella

Our social butterfly chatting it up in the pool.

Once again socializing (this time on the ready bench)

Avery and Danyka picking out their Piranha beads for beating their best times.

Whit diving in her 100 yd. free relay

The actual Piranha beads...these things are seriously coveted.

Sweet Girl Danyka

I love this picture of Whit racing backstroke.

We only have one swim meet left before finals. I figured I'd be so sick of swim by now, but I will actually miss our Saturday meets. GO PIRANHAS!

Education

2011-06-10T07:12:00.000-07:00

When God allowed Scott and me to have children, we had no idea how much we'd be blessed or the challenges we would face. It has been a journey and I am so thankful for the opportunity. God has blessed us with two precious little girls and we love them indescribably.

Since early on, education has been a huge topic of debate and discussion in our home. Initially we were pro home schooling and thought we may pursue that route of education. As time carried on and we prayed and got to know our children better, we felt that was not a viable option for our family, at least not now. Both girls have excelled academically; it has been so fun to watch. Danyka loves her public school and has made friends. She loves to read and especially enjoys her math homework.

When Whit was three, she decided on her own to start reading. At first we thought she was making it up. We quickly realized she wasn't. This past year we looked at placing her in kindergarten rather than the 4 year old preschool class at school. Unfortunately, the extended cut-off date was February 2nd and her birthday is March 4th. With this declaration from the school district we carried on with preschool and Whit had a great year.

Last month we talked to the school principal again. We asked how Whitney would be challenged next year. Our intent wasn't necessarily to skip but to make sure her academic desires would be met. He and one of the lead kindergarten teachers, also the school GATE teacher, decided to have her come in for the week of year end assessments. Whit LOVED going to kindergarten. At the end of day 1 she had proven academically capable of completion. I picked her up and she was asking for play dates with the friends she had made. She thoroughly enjoyed her week. She read books to her classmates and was given all sorts of fun tests.

On the last day, the kinder teacher said he was going to talk to the principal and make his recommendation. With her social and academic skills both meeting and exceeding kinder standards, he recommended that she start 1st grade in the fall. Scott and I had been praying about this decision throughout the week, knowing we would have to figure out what we thought was best for her. After watching her that week, we were confident that the move to 1st grade was the right choice for her. With the principal, teacher and us in agreement, the board approved this move.

It's crazy to think that our baby will be starting 1st grade next year. At some level it is bittersweet, but we are excited for her. It's easy to be concerned with the future and wonder if everything is going to be OK, but through this process we have acknowledged that we serve a great God who loves us perfectly. He will take care of Whitney and our family.

Kid Quote of the Day...

2011-05-12T12:19:00.000-07:00

While listening to some upbeat music on the ipod today, Whitney asked if the song we were listening to was a "nice" song. After telling her it was, she asked if they, the singers, had a membership with God and Jesus. Too cute. (Note: We recently renewed our gym membership, hence the word blooper.)

Happy Birthday Jesus

2010-12-19T20:52:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday night our family attended our last preschool Christmas performance. It was bittersweet. Whitney was quite animated throughout the entire show. I ate up every moment. Earlier in the day she kept commenting on how excited she was about her talent show. That girl loves the stage. More importantly, she loves Jesus. I feel blessed to know that both of our girls already have a personal relationship with our savior. We wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas! God bless.

Merry Christmas 2010

2010-12-11T21:41:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends and Family,

Merry CHRISTmas! We’re excited to once again celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Our hope for this upcoming year is that your hearts will be filled with hope, peace and joy
as you bask in the love of our savior.

Here are some of our 2010 highlights - Fill in the blank with our
family members’ names: (Some blanks require more than one name.) Scott, Debbie, Danyka and Whitney

On a weekend getaway to Tahoe, for Grandma Burrills 65^th birthday, __________________ was a superstar on the sledding slopes. She giggled the entire afternoon.

______________________ got to spend Valentine’s Day weekend with Grandma and Grandpa in San Jose.

Later in February, _________________ had to come up with a creative delay plan to keep the future bride, our friend Carrie, from finding out about the surprise engagement party we were throwing. It was a success!

Grandma and Granddad joined us for a trip to Disneyland in March. _______________ was obsessed with the ride Soaring Over California.

With a bit of persuasion, ______________ was sold on the idea of having solar panels placed on the roof to heat our pool. The entire family enjoyed a wonderful season of heated swimming.

The girls both enjoyed dancing in their Broadway themed recital in June. _____________ did a jazz routine to “You Can’t Stop the Beat” and _______________ tapped to “Just a
Spoonful of Sugar”.

___________________ celebrated turning 30 this year.

Bike rides have become a new family affair. _______________ learned how to ride a bike without
training wheels and __________________ has been enjoying the new bicycle that was received as a birthday gift.

A swim test, to have access to the deep end, was completed by ___________________ at the indoor pool we visited in Colorado. The complex was amazing. There was an indoor
sprayground, several waterslides and two diving boards.

Grandma and Granddad hosted a family reunion this past summer. ____________ and Dan stayed up late every night playing Monopoly Deal and Mario Kart on the Wii.

________________ was thrilled with the random pool relays that were made up during the Burrill
family reunion in July.

______________________ enjoyed being in Paul and Carrie’s wedding in August. It was beautiful.

In August the girls headed back to school. ______________ is in her second year of preschool and
_______________ started 1^st grade. It’s been a fun year so far.

__________________lead a college Bible study on Job during fall semester. (A fascinating story!)

__________________ spent the day after Thanksgiving celebrating with family in San Jose.

The day after __________ sister’s family and _________ brother’s family (a total of 10 + our family of 4) spent the night at our house, _____________ asked why people never come over. Extravert?

We are looking forward to our trip to Colorado for Christmas. Both girls have dinner dates planned with Granddad. ______________ came up with the idea.

This past year has been filled with good times and great memories. We are thankful for our friends and family who continually love and invest in us. We are looking forward to how God
will continue to grow and stretch us in 2011. “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” 1 Chronicles 16:34

Love,

Scott, Debbie, Danyka and Whitney

Answers: 1. Danyka 2. Danyka and Whitney 3. Scott 4. Danyka 5. Scott 6. Danyka/Whitney

7. Scott and Debbie 8. Danyka/Debbie 9. Danyka and Whitney 10. Scott 11. Debbie 12. Scott, Debbie, Danyka and Whitney 13. Whitney/Danyka 14. Scott 15. Scott, Debbie, Danyka and Whitney 16. Scott's/Debbie's/Whitney 17. Danyka

Assembly

2010-09-30T13:13:00.000-07:00

Danyka was ecstatic when she found out she was Student of the Month. This morning I enjoyed watching her receive her award during a mini assembly. We are so proud of her. She is a hard worker and a great student. Way to go kiddo!

1st and 2nd Grade Awards

Danyka with her teacher, Mrs. Pierce, and her buddy Roman.

Something Old becomes Something New

2010-09-02T10:33:00.001-07:00

New all over again!

Our beautiful Miss Danyka keeps growing. What are we going to do with her? We have had a hard time finding pants that fit around the waist and are the right length, even with the adjustable waistbands. After shopping, shopping and more shopping, it was time to get creative. Here are her jeans from last year with a ruffle addition. They came out pretty cute and now they'll fit her all over again.

Minnie Mouse

2010-09-01T08:52:00.001-07:00

This morning after finishing Danyka's hair, I told her she looked like Minnie Mouse. She thought that was pretty funny. We are still in the process of growing bangs out, which challenges my creativity on a daily basis. Fortunately she liked the look. I'm wondering what "new" look she will have by the time I pick her up from school.

Space Creature

2010-08-31T16:54:00.000-07:00

Whitney had fun at preschool today. The kids all made space masks and sang an outer space song together. Here is the mask she made...full of glitter. Oh boy. =)

Soft Pretzels

2010-08-31T14:39:00.000-07:00

The Pretzel Creators

Last Friday I was feeling creative. I thought about doing a craft with the girls but I've been tired of the endless paper projects that seem to exist in our home. Rather than a craft, we made soft pretzels. The girls had a blast making the dough and thoroughly enjoyed playing with it. They each created several of their own original shapes. We baked them and then test tasted. Although they didn't end up super soft, they were still yummy. The experience was a success!

Back 2 School

2010-08-28T21:02:00.000-07:00

First Day of 1st Grade

I can't believe the school year has already begun! Both Danyka and Whitney love their new classes. The girls are both fortunate to have friends from last year in their classes again.

Danyka thoroughly enjoys the academic side of school. She has already informed me that much of her work is too easy, but she has fun anyway. Fortunately she has a seasoned teacher who will adapt assignments for every child. At home we are enjoying the "American Girl" books together and she is also intrigued by the "Ramona" series. Like almost every kid I've ever met, one of her favorite parts of the school day is recess. She spends most of her time playing on the bars trying to build up her calluses. It's been so much fun watching her grow and become confident. She is such a sweet little girl.

First Day of 4 Year Old Preschool

Whitney is a Bear at preschool this year. She is already reading and writing and loves having her very own homework. We often make up packets at home so she can have assignments that challenge her. Although Whitney enjoys playing with most kids, she usually only tells me about the boys she plays with at school. I hope we're not in for it. hehe. Whit has a natural sense of humor; she says and does the funniest things. I can't believe we've only got a year until both girls are in elementary school. Crazy!

With the start of school it's time again to adjust to a new schedule. Hopefully by the end of month one I will have adapted. The girls keep us busy with school, dance and gymnastics. I can surely say we've officially left toddler zone. Four and six are such fun ages.

Popcorn

2010-06-22T15:45:00.000-07:00

The girls and I love popcorn. It's a delicious treat that we particularly enjoy while snuggled up watching a movie. Although Daddy isn't a fan of the air-filled, buttery goodness, he enjoys seeing his girls happy.

Maybe I'm just hungry as I'm writing this blog, but the analogy seemed to fit. June has struck our home like a bag of popcorn. The days started out fairly slowly but as of recent they have been picking up their pace rather quickly. Besides the frequency of events, our days have been filled with ups and downs, both mouth watering kernels and the unedible.

Even though we come to expect burnt or unpopped kernels, they are still a disappointment. Sadly, Scott and I both faced disappointments in our families this month. Scott's 94 year old Grandma who has been battling cancer for quite sometime, passed away. She was an amazing woman. Scott has always had a deep respect and appreciation for both of his grandparents. Ever since Scott attended his Grandpa's funeral last year, he has enjoyed reflecting on the memories he built with his grandparents. They will be missed.

Ironically, the same night Scott's grandma passed away, my dad's brother also passed. His diabetes had previously caused him to lose a foot and his conditions were only getting worse. I always enjoyed spending time with my Uncle Blair. The last time I saw him, he visited Scott and me in college with my parents. We had a great time together. He was so easy going and fun to be around. Out of the 5 kids in my dad's family, only 2 remain.

The best part about a bag of popcorn is that most of the kernels turn out great. This month truly has been filled with an abundance of joyful events. For the second year now, the girls fully enjoyed swim lessons with Miss Tamara. Both of them can swim and are quite proud of themselves. I love watching them dive for toys and jump off the side of the pool yelling, "Cannon Ball".

Both girls also participated in the dance recital at their studio. Scott's parents were able to come watch, which obviously made it way more fun. Danyka did a jazz routine to "You Can't Stop the Beat," from Hairspray. Whitney sang and tapped to "A Spoonful of Sugar," from Mary Poppins. The girls had great stage presence and truly seemed to enjoy themselves. Danyka has already asked if she can do it again next year. It's been wonderful watching her come out of her shell. Whitney was the leader of the pack in her group. She sang her heart out and loved being on stage.

Among many other events, Danyka and Whitney both finished their school years out strong. Whitney will continue on to the 4 year olds preschool class next year as a Bear. She is looking forward to reconnecting with some of her friends, especially Michael. Danyka graduated from Kindergarten. CRAZY! She is so excited to be in 1st Grade. We are proud of both girls.

If I spent the time writing about every perfectly popped kernel, this blog would go on for way too long. It's nearing that point anyway. June is not quite over and we are hoping that our bag will continue to fill. This weekend we will be heading to the beach to celebrate Danyka's 6th birthday and to spend some quality family time together. We can't wait. Maybe someday I'll blog pictures from that trip. No guarentees.

July is right around the corner and I'm wondering what will be in store. Summer is here! Hip Hip Hooray!

Easter Bliss

2010-04-04T12:01:00.000-07:00

Last night we attended one of the seven Easter services at our church. It felt a little odd going to church on Saturday night, but it was wonderful. The girls played and watched the Veggie Tales Easter movie in their class while Scott and I enjoyed festive worship and a message about Heaven. The sermon was great and the best part was watching people from the congregation make a life decision to follow Jesus. If you died today, are you confident you would go to heaven?

We had a simple and relaxing morning around here. Daddy and the girls let me sleep in while they had breakfast together and built a blanket tent. After I awoke, our first family activity was retelling the Easter story with the Resurrection Eggs. The girls did a great job helping and impressed both Scott and me with how much they knew.

The rest of our morning was spent in a sugar high state of existence. After we all got dressed, we gave the girls their Easter baskets and then had an indoor egg hunt. The weather didn't permit an outdoor hunt. The girls' baskets were filled with candy and other fun toys. Some of the eggs were filled with candy and others had money in them. I can only imagine what God feels like when he sees his children excited because watching our children filled with joy was one of the morning's greatest treasures. I loved hearing them say "thank you" each time they opened one of their eggs.

Jesus gave us the best gift of all by dying on the cross for us and giving us eternal life. I am blessed to know that both of my children have a relationship with him and want to follow him. As a mom, I couldn't ask for any better earthly gift. Happy Easter! I hope your celebration has been special as well.

Funny Kid Comment

2009-11-10T12:22:00.000-08:00

I'm horrible at keeping this blog current but I thought I'd post a funny comment Danyka made yesterday.

Sitting at the dinner table last night, I had a horrible headache. Danyka looked at me and said, "Mommy, I know why you have a headache?" When I asked her why, she responded, "because we drained your energy." Luckily I was able to compose myself without laughing and told her that wasn't the reason.

Today, she still wanted to help and told me I probably had a headache from my allergies. She's so cute. I love that girl.

Summer Fun

2009-07-10T08:29:00.000-07:00

Summer time is always fun. Our family has been busy with plenty of fun events. The girls are both having a great time at FBC's preschool summer camp. They are getting so big.

Since I haven't posted a blog in quite some time, I figured I would post some recent pictures.

Our first summer event was visiting my parents in Colorado. We were there from June 9th through the 16th. The weather was interesting because we had tornado warnings most days. Fortunately we were still able to get out and play. The best trips were to Water World and the Butterfly Pavillion. Traveling is getting much easier now that the girls are getting older.

On June 27th we celebrated Danyka's 5th birthday with a small swim party. The theme was butterflies. There were butterfly decorations, cupcakes and hairbows for favors. Danyka was definitely spoiled. This seemed to be the year of the Barbie. She even received some fun accessories, including a toilet. You'd be surprised how frequently Barbie's need to go potty.

July 3rd was spent hanging out with the Burrill side of the family. It was a wonderful day to swim. We ate yummy food and enjoyed good company. The adults even played a few games of PIG in the pool.

The 4th of July was a spectacular day as well. Mid afternoon we joined our friends, the Albrights, along with some of their neighbors and families for a celebration. We ate hamburgers and hot dogs, swam and watched fireworks. This was the first year the girls have seen fireworks. They loved them and especially enjoyed playing with the sparklers.

Scott and I are still actively involved with the college group at FBC. The students are wondeful and we feel blessed to be a part of their lives. This summer we have been leading a Monday night Bible Study at our house. There are generally around 2o students that attend. Bringing with us an intervarsity background, we try to engage the kids in a community activity each week. This past week we played "the bubble gum game". It was very entertaining...at least for Scott and me.

Yesterday the girls finished 2 weeks of swim lessons. We are amazed at what they were able to accomplish in 8 days and we LOVE their swim teacher. In fact, we signed the girls up for a semi-private session at the beginning of August. Prior to swim lessons, neither one of the girls would put their faces in the water. Now they are swimming, jumping off the diving board, floating and diving for toys. Of course none of these skills are perfected but they are doing awesome.

So that's our summer in a nutshell. Leave it to me to have a mega blog post. It's hard to find the time to post anything so I figured I'd just go for it this morning. Life is good and we are incredibly blessed.

Little Girls...

2009-05-04T16:17:00.000-07:00

This afternoon Isabelle and Calista came over for a quick visit. It was fun having a house full of four little girls. You could just feel the "pinkness" of the moment. They had a fabulous time playing. I simply sat, obsersed and folded laundry. Truly it was entertaining. Isabelle was busy cooking for us and made it perfectly clear that everything she did was pretend. My favorite was, "I am pretend cooking, so don't touch the pretend stove because it is pretend hot." Only out of the mouths of babes, right? Too cute.

Danyka was very busy trying to mother Calista. I'll admit that was the most exhausting part. I had to remind her over and over and over....did I say over and over...to give Calista some space and that she was happy with the toys she already had. It really was sweet and I know she was trying to be helpful. Danyka and Whitney could barely hold their excitement today when I told them that we were going to watch Calista this afternoon. They had both forewarned me that they would be big helpers. Whitney particularly enjoyed making the June doll dance for Calista. Fortunately that was a big hit.

Life is definitely easier now with a 3 year old and almost 5 year old. It's amazing to watch them interact with other children and usually it's enjoyable for them and me. Today was one of those days. Girls are so much fun!

Sneaky!

2009-05-01T20:16:00.000-07:00

About 5 minutes ago Scott announced that it was bedtime for the girls. They know that they can get a quick sip of water and then it's time to head upstairs for the usual routine.
After finishing her water, Danyka came to me and asked if she could put pajamas on her doll that is going to sleep with her tonight. I said no because it was time to go to bed right now. She should have thought about that earlier. So little miss sneaky pants went over to her daddy, who was putting some stuff away in the closet and said, "Daddy, I have to tell you a secret." She then proceeded to whisper in his ear, "Can I go put pajamas on my doll real quick?" Fortunately he was there to hear our conversation and he responded, "Didn't you and Mommy just have this discussion?" She slyly remarked, "Yes, but I was hoping you would make the decision."
Scott then explained to Danyka why this behavior was unacceptable and that Mommy and Daddy have the same rules. So if this is her thought process at four, I can only imagine life 10 years from now. She's one bright little girl.

Experimenting...

2009-04-22T19:32:00.000-07:00

The past few weeks have been marked with busyness, like most days around here, but I've been fortunate enough to find a few blips of time here and there to create. I'll admit that the urge to create has not yet escaped me, but at least I got my fill for a while.

Although I have no background in sewing, I thought it would be fun to try my hand at dress making. I found a simple pattern for a pillowcase dress online and bought fabric at JoAnns to make the girls a different dress. I don't think I would really enjoy being a seamstress but it was at least a fun experiment. And please don't forget...but in the Burrill house, where there is a dress, there is a matching or coordinating bow.

I also had to come up with a brilliant plan to adorn Whitney with her class animal for preschool next year. The animal is terribly cute yet incredibly difficult to find on children's clothing or really in much of anything. So I decided that if I couldn't find fabric to make a dress or a some other article of clothing, I would at least have to come up with an idea for a hair bow...hence the sculpey clay Orca. Whitney will be a Little Orca next year. She is so excited. (I must admit that I found a similar clay Orca online that I tried to reproduce.)

The most recent craft of late didn't come with great inspiration. I simply thought it turned out cute. A friend of a friend called me last night and asked me if I could make a hair bow for her daughter's cheer try-outs this weekend. This is what I came up with. I love fancy bows. Hopefully she will like it.

I'm looking forward to my next crafting adventure. I'm sure it's lurking just around the corner. Finding or coming up with craft ideas is simple; finding the time to create is a bit more challenging.

Sisters

2009-03-14T21:04:00.000-07:00

In our house you will find many pairs of toys. They don't always look identical, but they are basically the same. Frequently Danyka has the pink version (her favorite color) and Whit's is blue (her favorite color). I thought it was pretty cute this last week when Whitney concluded that she wanted her hair to look just like her sister's. Danyka had hers cut short on Sunday. I knew that Whit's needed a trim as well but I wasn't sure exactly what I wanted done. Although, like the toys, they aren't identical...they are basically the same.

I love these little girls and it's a blessing to watch them grow up together. I see many years of laughter and silliness in our future.

Thanks to DeAnna who took this darling picture along with many others. You've got to love the fancy holiday dresses...and of course they must have a bow to match.

Where has the time gone?

2009-02-20T08:00:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's already the middle of February. I remember telling people in December that we should try to get together in January when things slowed down. Hmmm....that hasn't happened yet. Fortunately I think we've all enjoyed being busy. Every now and then we need a break, but overall life has been really good.

The girls are doing great and continue to enjoy spending most of their time together. Danyka is now enrolled for Kindergarten at the public school down the street. What a crazy thought! We won't find out what track she will be on until the end of May or early June. We also signed Whitney up for Preschool next year. Both Danyka and Whitney are still enjoying their dance classes. They will participate in their first recital in July. We're looking forward to it.

Scott and I have been keeping busy with lots of extracurricular activities. We still attend a couples Bible study on Tuesday nights and have been blessed with great friendships and fellowship. Just over a month ago, we committed to helping out with the college group. It is a great group of students. We meet on Thursday nights and often find ourselves spontaneously getting together with students at other times during the week.

I am also kept busy with my Heart 2 Heart commitments and my gym membership. My favorite class at the gym is Zumba. It's especially fun when friends are there to laugh with.

Unfortunately I haven't been great about getting the camera out lately. I have snapped a few random shots and then I took quite a few pictures on Valentine's Day. Scott and I had a blast taking the girls to see High School Musical on Ice. The best part was the girls' reactions. "Wow!" "Awesome!"

January and February have been fun and busy. No longer will I tell people, "Let's get together next month when things slow down." I don't see things slowing down for a while. Now when we want to hang out, we just have to find a date and mark it on the calendar.

It's the Most Wonderful and Craziest Time of the Year...

2008-12-19T13:06:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas friends and family!

I can hardly believe that Christmas is only 6 days away. This has definitely been our busiest holiday season since kids. My classic comment over the past two months is that it looks like someone threw up on our calendar. It seems like every little square has been filled in. Despite being somewhat overbooked, we have enjoyed a number of memory making events.

For Thanksgiving, we visited the Burrill side of the family in San Jose. We even snapped a bunch of family photos, which I will say went much more smoothly than I had anticipated. The cousins had fun playing together and the weather was beautiful. Of course we ate more than our fair share of food, but who didn't?

Normally I wouldn't post picture of the girls' artwork, but the turkeys were sentimental. After Thanksgiving we put out our Christmas decorations, which logically meant putting the Thanksgiving ones away. I know I'm a horrible mother, but I told the girls we had to get rid of the turkeys and that we could make new ones next year. Danyka was devastated. I think she's mostly over it now, but I informed Scott that we were not going to create Future Pack Rats of America. Yes, I am a bit of a minimalist.

Last week had a fabulous time visiting my parents in Colorado. Since we are staying home for Christmas this year, we decided to visit in mid December and help my dad celebrate his 60th birthday. Since our birthdays are only three days apart, we got to celebrate mine as well. It was great spending time with the family.

While we were in Colorado Whitney had her ears pierced. She cried briefly, but she's been excited to show off her ears ever since. We let her pick out her earrings and we were quite happy with her choice. You never know what is brewing in a 2 1/2 year old's mind.

For Granddad's birthday we visited the North Pole amusement park in Colorado springs. Danyka and Whitney loved wearing Grandma's scarves. We had to wear lots of layers because it was VERY cold.

Whitney loved visiting Santa and even asked if he could join us on the rides. She would have sat with him all day long. Danyka thought she wanted to see Santa but she was overcome with fear when given the opportunity to sit with him. As you can see, there is no picture of Dany and Santa.

Most of the rides were geared toward small children but Granddad was glad he had the opportunity to sit with Whitney on the carousel and Danyka on the old fashioned cars. We all had a great day.

On Sunday, the day before we left, a storm hit. By the time we went outside to play, there was plenty of fresh snow and it was a whopping -8 degrees outside. As you can imagine, we didn't last very long. I'm glad there was a little snow because both girls stood in awe of the crystalized snowflakes that fell from the sky.

As soon as we arrived back home, life's reality set in once again. The next morning Scott and I joined Whitney for her last Mommy and Me dance class. She is such a ham. Although she won't be 3 until March, she will start in the 3 year old class come January. She is little miss independent and she is ready to move on without mommy.

The following night we packed up the family and headed to the church for Danyka's preschool Christmas performance. It was precious. This year she stood on risers and was particularly careful not to fall. Our favorite part was when Whitney yelled hi to her sister who then responded by saying, "Hi Whitney, I'm on the stage." So cute!

Last night Danyka had her final dance class for the fall session. She is learning a lot and it is a joy to watch her doing something she loves. She did not participate in the fall recital but we are hoping both she and Whitney will in the spring. I have to admit that I like watching the tap more than the ballet. It's so amusing.

Although this blog has been long, it is only a glimpse of what has taken place over the past few weeks. We are looking forward to a less busy calendar next month but we are anxiously awaiting Christmas morning. The girls are so excited and that makes the holidays so much fun. Danyka is really beginning to understand the true meaning of Christmas. It is so tender to see Jesus from a Child's perspective.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. I'm sure I won't get around to blogging again for a while.

PURE Entertainment!

2008-11-08T20:03:00.000-08:00

As stated in earlier blogs, our house seems to be all things princess. When my mom came to visit several months ago, she was fully entertained by the girls dancing to the music from one of the Barbie movies. The funniest part is how particular they are about their dance moves and who gets to sing what. I have to admit that you don't get the full effect from this video, but we still think it's pretty cute.

I also thought since I hadn't posted in a while that I would include some pictures from Halloween. They seem to suit this post just fine because the girls wore the same costumes for Halloween as they did in this video. Our evening was a blast. We spent about 30 minutes at our church Harvest festival, ate a quick meal at On the Border and then we went trick-or-treating in our court. Whitney kept saying, "Look at all my trick or treats." So cute!

Biker Babes

2008-10-19T20:01:00.001-07:00

Over the weekend Scott and I purchased bicycles for the girls. We had thought about getting them for Christmas, but we decided it would be more fun to get them now while they could enjoy riding in the nice fall weather rather than rain.

Today was a perfect day to play outside. We promised the girls they could ride their bikes after lunch and then again after dinner. The first time we walked (ran) around our court with them while they rode. Whitney was a speed demon; Danyka was slow and cautious. Both of them were frequently reminded to pay attention to where they were going. We ran over a few of our neighbors' lawns and even fell on at least two of them. Hopefully they won't mind. The girls had a blast and Scott and I were all smiles. We are loving this stage of life.

After dinner we traveled to a local elementary school where the girls enjoyed free reign of an entire parking lot. Danyka's confidence began building and she pedaled herself all over the place. Whitney seemed a little tired. She often demanded help starting her bike. Fortunately, even after she took a spill to the asphalt, she still wanted to ride. We're wondering how sore their little legs will be tomorrow.

After our lessons today, I informed Scott that he will be teaching them to drive. Bike riding makes me anxious enough.

We had a fabulous weekend and according to the forecast, we should have great weather this week. If you are trying to find us, just search the great outdoors. We will be busy practicing.

Best Friends Forever

2008-10-14T13:53:00.000-07:00

I think every parent hopes their children will be close. Scott and I have been truly blessed to have two little girls that call each other "Best Friend". Like all siblings, they have their moments, but most of the time they are inseperable.

(Proud to wear their baby rings)

Beyond the enjoyment of playing together, you can tell that they have a deep concern for the needs of the other. If one of them is hurt, the other will try to comfort them and make sure an adult is present. If Scott and I don't hear a comment, it will be repeated by sister until it has surely been made known.

Recently they have been so sweet about sharing their food. Whitney often shares her potty rewards (two candy corns) with Danyka and Danyka usually saves something from her school lunch for Whit. The best part is that these actions are not prompted by anyone.

Our hope is that they will stay Best Friends Forever. Scott and I are so proud of them and anxious to see what God has for them in the future.

Mommy Fix It!

2008-10-03T10:36:00.001-07:00

(The Culprit)

This morning Danyka was using scissors to cut some shapes out for her homework. I was busy finishing last minute details for the craft show. Whitney was coloring.

When Danyka was done with the scissors I told Whitney she could use them. She's used them quite a few times so I wasn't particularly worried. I continued to work and I heard the oh so common words, "uh oh".

I turned around and saw Whitney holding Dora's head that she had just cut out of her flannel pj's. It was funny and frustrating at the same time. There was about a quarter sized hole where Dora's head had previously been.

Fortunately, Mommy came to the rescue. I stitched Dora's head back on and there is no longer a hole. I have to admit I was proud of my workmanship, although it's very obvious where the hole was.

Needless to say, we had a discussion about only cutting paper in the future. This just felt like such a classic mom story. I'm sure all of you moms out there can relate.

Getting Ready...

2008-09-28T15:53:00.000-07:00

This Friday I will be selling hair bows in my first craft/vendor fair. I am really excited. With my license in hand and lots of inventory, I am hoping for a fun and fruitful evening. The girls have been picking out their favorites. Danyka requested a pink sparkly bow and Whitney asked for a blue one. Of course, their wishes were granted. We are running out of room for bows in this house, but I'm sure we'll scrounge up some space for a few more.

The show on Friday is at an elementary school in Elk Grove. I am also participating in a craft show at the end of the month at the Elks Lodge. I love the holidays. It's fun making festive crafts and seeing all of the creative ideas that other people come up with.

If you are local and interested in checking out one of the shows, let me know.

Addicted!

2008-09-19T18:21:00.000-07:00

I believe there is an addiction in the Burrill house. Our girls, like many others, are fully enthralled by all things princess. The favorites right now are Princess Anneliese and Princess Erika from Barbie's Princess and the Pauper movie. We own the movie and the soundtrack, which we have all seen and heard countless times. The girls love to role play these characters and we recently bought them the dress-up gowns as a gift. Danyka is ALWAYS Anneliese and Whitney is not allowed to say any of Anneliese's lines or sing any of her songs. Can you tell who is boss? It's really cute to watch them dance to the music. My mom witnessed one of their most recent performances and was completely amused.

Scott and I are loving this sweet phase and we're pretty sure it's here to stay for a while. Danyka has been eyeing up the newest Barbie movie. The Disney princesses are very popular as well. Cinderella is ranked #1 on Danyka's list and for today Belle is Whitney's favorite. It wouldn't take much guessing to figure out what they want to be for Halloween.

Maybe someday I'll post a video of them reenacting their favorite scenes, but for now I must curtsy and say farewell. Be like a princess and live Happily Ever After.

Binky Boxes

2008-09-13T19:11:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we finally faced one of our biggest challenges thus far in child rearing. We said our tragic goodbyes to the girls' dearly loved binkies. It took a lot of creative thought to figure out how we could make the process go smoothly.

My mom came up with the creative idea to have Princess Anneliese, the girl's favorite princess, send a letter with ribbons to attach to the girls' blankets. The girls were ecstatic when they received their letter in the mail and they loved rubbing their ribbons.

We also let the girls pick new jammies to wear and a toy to sleep with. Of course they picked Belle and Cinderella dolls. Are you getting the princess theme in our house?

The last thing we did was pack baby boxes that we will keep and give to our grandchildren someday. Danyka is very sentimental and was excited to pack a box for her "Real" baby. (We haven't discussed the possibility that she might have a boy.) We put some outfits from when the girls were first born into the boxes along with some baby shoes and their binkies. After the boxes were packed we prayed together. It was so sweet.

Whitney cried off and on for an hour during naptime. She continually asked for her binky. Danyka didn't cry but she also didn't sleep. Without sleep, they were pretty crabby for the rest of the day.

Bedtime was better. Neither one of them cried but it took between 1 1/2 and 2 hours for them fo fall asleep. Whitney thought it was joke cracking time. She kept telling Danyka to laugh. Danyka did her best to keep quiet, but it's pretty hard when your little sister keeps saying, "Daddy has a stinky bum bum". I think she's a natural comedian because we have never said that.

Both girls slept through the night, which was a shock and a blessing. Since they both slept so well we decided to meet the Musni's and Uncle Kevin at Apple Hill. We had a fun day.

Pray for us during this transition time. Hopefully tonight will run as smoothly as last night.

**A note from our previous blog... the computer didn't make it and we lost most of our pictures from the summer. It's really sad, but the hard lesson has been learned. We still have a lot of software updating to do on our new computer.

CRASH!

2008-08-30T23:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I woke up to a very unpleasant message on our computer. It read Operating System cannot be Found. Unfortunately my futile efforts to restore the computer failed. The saddest part is that our pictures from the last few months, including Danyka's 4th Birthday, family get togethers, Marine World and other fun summer pictures are all on the system. It would have been wise to back them up or upload them, but I didn't that, nor do I have hard copies. Lesson Learned...that's for sure. The system is at Circuit City and they are hopeful that they will be able to retrieve my files, but there is no guarentee. We're pretty sure the hard drive failed.

The fun part today was getting a new computer. We knew that the other was drawing near it's end but you never want to shell out the money for a new one. We replaced our old HP with another HP and we are pretty excited. There is a lot of work to do to get it up and running like we want it to, but we'll get there.

You can say a quick prayer for us that our important files will be saved. We would appreciate it. Thanks for reading my sob story. I promise more happy stories to come.

Danyka's Video

2008-08-27T15:09:00.000-07:00

Pure Innocence

2008-08-27T14:54:00.000-07:00

Last Friday Danyka had her first tap/ballet open house class. It was so precious. She had a hard time adjusting to a new class and new teacher but she loved learning little routines.

Although she was the youngest in her class, I thought she did a great job. It will be fun to watch her improve over the next year. We will start a new session next week that will end in mid-December. I'm still deciding whether I want to put her in the recital or not. December is a really busy month and I'm a little nervous she won't perform. I've got a few weeks before the final decision.

Whitney has her own dance tutor. Danyka comes home and teaches her what she's learned. They are so sweet. Shuffle step. Shuffle step. Plie'. Plie' These are the moments I treasure.

Goodbye Summer!

2008-08-20T15:14:00.000-07:00

Summer is rapidly disappearing. It's still warm but the fall activities are already beginning to fill up our calendar. Where do the days go?

Danyka started her 4 year old Preschool class on Tuesday. She is a frog this year. Even though she was a bit tentative on the first day, my exit was much easier than on the first day last year. She is ecstatic about the computer station in her class and she loves craft time. Several of her friends from last year are in her class again this year. That definitely makes the transition easier.

This past weekend the girls had a wonderful time visiting with extended family. Granddad stayed on Friday and Saturday night. Danyka loved reading "The Boo Boo Book" with him. She is overly obsessed with even the slightest little injuries. This book has already helped her understand more about boo boos and she's been sure to point out casts, bandaids and rashes on just about everyone she sees.

Uncle Dan, Aunt Desi and Jacob also joined us on Saturday. I think the adults had as much fun as the kids did. We spent several hours in the pool playing horse. Poor Granddad had a couple of rough games. As always we had to try to make the most obscure shots. That's what keeps the game entertaining.

We are looking forward to some fun upcoming events. On Saturday we are going to spend some time with college friends and their 9 month old son. We haven't seen them since their son has been born. We are also gearing up for the start of Heart 2 Heart, a Golf trip with Scott's work and a craft show at the end of October. Our lives have become much busier over the past year. I think that's due to the fact that we are able to do more now that our girls are getting a little older. For the most part it's fun being busy but I've got to admit that I love the down time and peace and quiet just as much.

Super Dad!

2008-08-12T14:18:00.000-07:00

Without a doubt, Scott has won the "Super Dad" award. The picture below was actually taken last week, but it just goes to show how much he cares about his family.

After an awesome weekend, we started the week with a rough day. Mid-morning I came down with a nasty bug. I won't go into details, but I could barely walk and was unable to take care of the girls. Scott took the rest of the day off to take care of the girls...and me. He is so amazing!

By midnight I had a few sips of water, several saltines and half of a Jello cup. Fortunately I was able to keep a couple of Tylenol pills in my tummy so I was able to sleep. I am getting better now but I am pretty weak. This wasn't the weight loss plan I was looking for.

Scott took the morning off and took Danyka and Whitney to Dany's 4 year old preschool orientation. He fed them, put them down for naps and headed back to work.

I know that missing work is hard. Scott stayed up late last night working from home. He will probably do the same tonight. I am incredibly blessed to have such a wonderful husband!

Family Fun

2008-08-11T07:30:00.001-07:00

This past weekend was a first for our family. I was supposed to go on a retreat for church but it was cancelled. Since our weekend was free, we decided to take a family vacation. We were nervous about sleeping with our kids at a hotel, since we've never done it before. Fortunately they did great.

Early Friday afternoon we headed to Monterey. We arrived there in time for dinner. Our meal was nothing to brag about but it gave us the energy we needed to play miniature golf. The course was indoors and everything glowed in the dark. It was fascinating and the girls were hilarious to watch.

On Saturday we went to Dennis the Menace Park. What a great place for kids! The girls particularly liked the green bumpy slides. To be honest, they were pretty fun for adults too. After the park we headed to the aquarium. It was extremely crowded and the girls only lasted about an hour; we decided to get our hands stamped and come back later.

For lunch we had Willy's BBQ. It was delicious. After lunch we reenergized with naps at the hotel. The rest really helped the girls. We were able to return to the aquarium Saturday evening and truly enjoy our experience. Barely anyone was there the second time.

Dinner on Saturday was a hodge podge from Walmart. We were tired of greasy food so we picked up the fixings for sandwiches and sides. We ate pretty late since we had stopped at a local cinnamon roll shop on the way out of the aquarium.

Before we left on Sunday it was absolutely necessary to visit the beach. This was the one request Danyka consistently made. For those of you who know her, you understand what "consistently" means. Both girls thought it was pretty but neither one of them was interested in staying long. Each of them picked a rock to bring home and then they were done. Our beach days will come in the future.

Our final activity in Monterey was a biking adventure. Scott and I pedaled a funny looking bike along a beach path. It was quite amusing and a pretty good workout. Whitney didn't like wearing her helmet but she forgot about it once we gave her some food to snack on.

We couldn't have asked for a nicer weekend. We're looking forward to a return trip sometime in the future. Now that we know our girls will sleep in a hotel we are beginning to consider a Disneyland trip. I can't wait. Danyka has been telling us for months that she wants to go. That trip will be quite the adventure and I'm sure it will be a blast.

Room Renovation

2008-08-02T12:28:00.000-07:00

After spending lots of time thinking, analyzing, praying and researching, we decided to put Whitney back in her crib. The girls are still sharing a room but we took out the twin sized mattress that Whit was sleeping on. We turned the bottom part of Danyka's loft bed into a dolly play area.

Both Scott and I were a little nervous that Whitney would be upset about not sleeping in a big girl bed, but to our surprise she almost seemed relieved. We haven't had any problems except a few that we were already dealing with. It is still a mystery to us how many days our kids need to nap and what their consistent bed time should be. With a nap the girls will not fall asleep until after 10, but at least they stay in their beds and just play.

So far our weekend has been relaxing. Scott took the girls to Home Depot to do a project this morning and they had a ball. Tomorrow we will spend the afternoon at a BBQ/swim party with some friends from church. Who knows what else we will come up with.

Chores Chores Chores!

2008-07-28T15:51:00.000-07:00

This weekend we spent quite a bit of time cleaning and organizing. Once I start I always seem to find another task that "should" be done. Scott and I both went through all of our clothes and some of the kids toys. On Sunday he took four garbage bags to Goodwill. Of course the house cleaning is never done, but it felt great to get so much accomplished.

Fortunately the entire weekend wasn't devoted to cleaning. We also spent a bit of time playing. The girls entertained us by dancing and playing dress-up. Scott even played a game of Pretty Pretty Princess with them. It was adorable to watch.

Late Sunday afternoon Scott's parents came to hang out and see the girls. Uncle Kevin joined us for swimming and a BBQ. The evening was fun and relaxing. We even convinced Rod to play the Wii with us after the girls went to bed. He is a natural bowler. =)

This morning Rod and Ginny took the girls to the park while I ran a quick errand. After lunch they headed back home and the girls took their naps. I worked on my newest craft, which is making ruffled ribbon socks. I definitely have a thing for ribbon. Now my girls can having matching hair bows and socks. I'm so excited.

Although our cleaning left us somewhat tired, our weekend was very nice. On the downside, Whitney got a cold. We're hoping it will be short lived and that the rest of us can avoid it. Happy Monday. Let's rejoice in the Lord for He is good!

We've Made it!

2008-07-25T15:07:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it? The Burrill Family has made it's way into the blogging world. No promises that we will keep this page updated, but I thought we would make an attempt.

After a fun trip to Colorado, to visit with my parents and sister's family, we are trying to get back into our daily routine. Our trip was great. We spent time swimming, playing at a local amusement park and soaking in the rays at Waterworld. The girls were well behaved and they made lots of memories with the family. Whitney constantly informed us that she was "hungray" and Danyka's recurring question was "When are we going to do something fun?" Dany's expectations are high now that we spent a week engaging in so many fun activities.

Now that we are home, Whitney has made a new discovery. She figured out how to get out of her bed. We thought Scott's fix would give us a little more time, but we were wrong. With her in a big girl bed, she won't nap. Hopefully we'll figure things out before too long.

We are looking forward to the weekend! I've got quite a bit of laundry to do from our trip and some cleaning, but otherwise, it should be relaxing. Thanks for taking the time to read our first post. God Bless!