Swim Team

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

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...

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

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

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

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


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



3. 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!



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



5. 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.



6. 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”.



7. ___________________ celebrated turning 30 this year.



8. 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.



9. 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.



10. 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.



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



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



13. 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.



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



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



16. 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?



17. 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

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

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.