St. Thomas

What can I say, the whole trip was great! We sat at the airport and tried to play what was your favorite moment but there were too many to choose from. I have to say laying in the sun was simply the best. It made me miss Las Vegas. So here are a few pics with commentary...enjoy.
So we went sailing and we all agreed, we are NOT sailors. The whole time we were waiting for Captain Doug to "hit it" so to speak. Kate got sick, and Mom was creeped out because the Captain kept accidental touching her leg while steering, but I got a killer tan so that was a plus. I am grateful to have had the experience but don't feel the need to go again. We sailed to St John, but didn't dock. We had lunch on the ship and went for a snorkel. We saw two sea turtles, two sting rays and a really big star fish. The sting rays made me nervous...thanks a lot Croc Hunter. It was good but according to everyone else our reef at the house was a million times better. I didn't snorkel at the house...being the sun goddess I am, I don't care for the cold water and spent my time basking ashore. They say that in the summer the water is like 80 but it is hit and miss with hurricane season. I could snorkel in 80 degrees but that is what it would take to get me in more than once.

The beach was totally private. One would have to know where they were going to get there. Some even took the liberty to skinny dip :) We did have one visitor though. Mom, Kate and Blaine were exploring down the shore a bit and a HuGe Rottweiler came out of no where. Mom and Kate were pretty scared at first. Blaine had a rock in his hand but called to the dog and he came right over. He was a big Teddy bear. He stayed with us the whole afternoon.

There were lots of critters around the house big and small. Lizards, frogs and even hermit crabs. One morning my dad moved a cereal box and the hermit crab was right underneath. The owner told us to shut the doors to keep them out but they were everywhere. The frogs were so cute. And fast. There was one in our bathroom that was no bigger than a pea. Funny, I am bothered by spiders and crawling things. But a lizard on my window seal, no biggie.


The house was amazing. It had a main house and then a "cottage". It belongs to a dentist who raised his 3 daughters there. In the main house is a master bedroom, living room, kitchen and 1 1/2 bath. The master bed faces french doors which open to the ocean. Imagine waking up to the ocean every day of your life. Side note, all three of his daughters were born in that room. I bet that would make a great visual for labor. We are on the balcony in front of the master bedroom in this picture. The cottage was next to the house and a few stairs up. It had two levels. Originally the nanny's room was down stairs and up stairs are two rooms with a jack and jill bath. My parents stayed here. Each room was decked out with the nicest furniture and flat screen TVs. It was beautiful.

Another picture on our private beach. How do the models strike a pose and look so comfortable. Do I look comfortable? Yeah, no! maybe that's why I am a hair dresser not a model. But look at the definition in my leg muscle! Nice.

To get to the bottom level of the house you go out side and down some wooden stairs. This is where Jeff and I slept. The toilet and sink were inside and the shower...outside. Jeff showered out there first and said how great it was. Later that night I decided to shower. The wind was blowing and the curtain was everywhere and I was freezing. I ran upstairs and got into the indoor shower screaming, "Whoever thinks showering outside is great, is nuts". Apparently you had to shower during the day when the winds were calmer, which I did and yes, it was great.


Leave it to Jeff to find a coconut and crack it open. There was milk inside and everything! :)

When it came time to come home I was sad and happy. I wish there was a way to stay a week alone and then get the kids there. I am so blessed to have such a great friend to watch my kids! If anyone is looking for a great get away I would TOTALLY recommend this house. It is a bit of a crazy goat trail to get to, but once you are there you don't need to leave. When I looked at all my pictures the only one taken outside of our little heaven was of us sailing. Really we didn't need to leave at all. We had the beach, the ocean, snorkeling, good friends and family. Truly a dream vacation. Thanks for coming Kate and Blaine, Mom and Dad. Hope to do it again soon. Luv Luv

Chatching up

So we have been really busy lately and I can't believe I haven't posted since November, but I am not going to beat myself up about it. I do that enough with other things. November came and went! Thanksgiving was great. We send the holidays with the Childs, Jeff's Aunt and Uncle and their children. We went to a great restaurant that has been around since the mid 1700's. It is one of the oldest lodges still running. It was originally set up for travelers that needed a place to stop and stay. Dinner was great and the company better. I have been busy getting ready for Christmas and have presents for everyone except my husband of course. He is so freaking hard to shop for. If anyone has any suggestions please respond. We are currently in St. Thomas!!! We are taking a break from the kids and chilling with my parents and friends of ours, Kate and Blaine, Vegas. We are staying in a killer house right on the ocean!!! I will post pictures either as the week goes on or when I get home. Today we went to town and did some shopping. We have eaten at two really nice restaurants so far. It is amazing that it is snowing in VA right now and 80 here. Tomorrow we are sailing to St. Johns, its a private boat for just the six of us. I can't wait. Much more to come. Luv Luv...
A shout out to Amy Holly! She's best friend a girl could have. She has my kids and is the only person I am sure I could leave them with who loves them as much as I do, aside from G Ma and G Pa Burns and Mimi and Papa who are with us. Thanks for letting us get away. We owe you!!!

I am a Dog!

One of Nolan's current favorite things to do is get water from the fridge all by himself. The other day I found him pouring the water from his cup into a bowl and lapping it up like a dog. He is so funny!

Halloween!

We were a family of bumble bees this year with our trusty bee keeper keeping us all in line! When Jeff and I were first married we did this same theme with our dog Chica, and yes, Chica did have a costume. So we only had to do the kids costumes and we were set. I love dressing up with a theme. I will be sad when the kids want to do their own thing. We had a great ward trunk or treat with the traditional chili cook off, cup cake walk, spook alley, and of course trunk or treating. I am the activities chair and I think next year I am going to try to find some new twists for the trunk or treat. Any ideas throw them my way.




We had fun carving our pumpkins. For some reason the one on the left was like carving a rock. It was so tough. The other however was like cutting butter so Ainslee got to do most of the work.

We ditched our own neighborhood this year and went to our friends who live in a town house. We met up with five other families. It was really fun. Nolan was totally into it. Ainslee still didn't get it at age two, but when it comes to food and Nolan it is a no brainer. He was so cute going door to door. He would say, "Tic Teet" and hold his bag out proudly. When it got to heavy he handed it over to dad.

Ainlsee had fun running with her bff Kassidy.


It was a really warm night, we couldn't have asked for a better evening. It was so warm in fact that we decided to take the buggie over to meet our friends, as its only a few miles.(so we don't look so warm, but the night before it was freezing) On the way home however we broke down between the Bacon Race light and Wade. For those that don't know this is a dark narrow part of the road. We only had our little flashlight from trick or treating and I was waving it back and forth while we were pushing our buggie to Wade. Good thing we live mostly down hill. We pushed...coasted...pushed...and coasted. It would have been fine if Ainslee wasn't screaming she was scared. We never realized how dark our road was until this little expierience.

The kids made a haul and were very cute checking out their candy when we got home. Ainslee was so giving...she gave Jeff and I our own bowl with all the candy she didn't like in it. Lol. We have thrown much of the candy away.

With Beautiful Leaves Comes....

One of the best things about the east is this time of year when the leaves are changing colors. It is absolutely beautiful. Just looking out the window of our house is amazing. But with all good things there must be a down side right. Well with the leaves looking beautifully they must fall and fall they do. All over the grass and the driveway. So add another project...getting them off the grass. Although the kids seem to enjoy this portion much more than their dad. Dad even gave jumping in the pile a try......maybe he is getting a little old for that as the leaves don't break his fall as well as Ainslee's.

Dad's helper

Now that summer is over and is done with his trips he has a serious list of to do's around the house. One of the major one was to replace the dishwasher that was making some seriously wrong noises while it tried to wash. Lately when ever dad starts a project he has help with in a couple of seconds, and if dad doesn't have any projects and his helper is board he will grab some tools himself and if nothing else leave them all over the yard. Dad is just hoping that the interest to help him continues when he is big enough to really help. For now it is great moral support!!

Civil War

This past weekend Jeff and I got to go to a Civil War re enactment with his Uncle Dave and Cousin Jason. It was only about an hour away and with the help of my loving girlfriend Amy, we didn't have the kids! Mary Ann, Jeff's aunt for those that don't know, outfitted me with period clothes from head to toe. It was so fun. Jeff, Dave and Jason went up Friday to set up camp. The men at the re enactment range from REALLY serious, to just havin' fun. I arrived Saturday night just in time for dinner and the ball. There was a big white tent, live band and a caller. We had so much fun. We didn't have the slightest idea what we were doing, but none the less we did it with flair! Katelyn, Jeff's cousin and her boyfriend Tyler came down from VT too. It was nice having some other "young ones" there to hang with. Lt. Col. David Childs, 1st Regiment, U.S. Volunteers

I am not sure if most of you know, I don't know myself what this title means exactly...but he is way up there in command! He is over a bunch of guys and Jason is pretty high up there too he is a Sgt. Major and over like 50 guys. They are both pretty amazing. There were a lot of people there. In the above picture Dave is the second one from the left. A sea of white canvas tents! I can see how they all get into it. It's like camping and playing dress up at the same time. Saturday night it got pretty cold, but we were warm as toast in our double sleeping bag and blankets. So cold in fact there was frost covering everything when we woke up! The dish water was frozen solid with a rag stuck in the middle of it.
Sunday I got to see the men in action. They had a small dress parade and marched into battle. There were spectaters and a man over a loud speaker giving details about what was going on.
K so funny side note...Jeff doesn't even know this, when I heard there was going to be a dress parade I totally imagined all the women putting on their dresses and parading around. I mean all the dresses are great and we took all the time to get ready, why not right! Yeah well its not! Then men get all suited up like they are going to go fight, but then don't. It was cool but not nearly as cool as a women's dress parade would have been. Maybe if we get involved I will start my own dress parade with Katelyn and other Lady's of the North. LOL! Needless to say we had a great time and look forward to going again. Thanks Mary Ann and Dave!!!

My Boy My Joy

I LOVE having a boy! Nolan is so content being outside in the dirt. The air is cooling and it is very pleasant outside. The past three days when I haven't been able to find him he has been outside chilling on the ground, digging in dirt, throwing rocks, or breaking sticks. He is so happy just being. It is such a nice break from the high energy we get from Ainslee. Today she had a mental health day. I came home from the gym and she and daddy were working in the yard. Well, dad was and Ainslee was in her swimming suit and rain coat with umbrella in hand running through the sprinklers. School was in 10 minutes and I knew stopping this activity was a melt down waiting to happen. So we called off school and have had a good day. Well, I have to go as Ainslee and her friend Catey are going to pretend to go trick or treating. If I don't play along they may try to go to the neighbors. Luv luv

Ainslee's First Goal

Fierce fighting #3 hanging back
Can you find her? (hands on head)

By goal I mean soccer goal. Let me start out we are seeing soccer may not be her thing. For example it is not uncommon for her to say, "I don't want to play soccer today, I don't like to sweat." She is always the first to want to get a water break or ride the bench for awhile. Nonetheless it is all for fun and we have told her she has to finish the season and if she doesn't want to play anymore after that, that is fine. Tonight we saw some promise. This time during a game when she happen to run into the ball she actually kicked it instead of just watching it bounce off of her shin guards. In fact she actually kicked a goal. She was so exited about it. And as soon as she kicked it in she looked at the sidelines and don't you worry we were cheering like it was the winning goal of a gold metal Olympic match. (FYI she tends to hang back from the herd of kids as they follow the ball around the field. So the coach dropped her her own ball and she took it in like a champ!) Good enough for us as she was happy and when we got in the car to leave instead of her saying that she doesn't want to play soccer any more she said she never wants to stop so we will see what the future has in store. An Olympic athlete or a professional twirler/dandy lion picker!!!

Three more short stories

NOT THE ACTUAL BEAR !!!
Picture just for affect :)

1. For those that don't know the Shenandoah's are well known for black bears. So the boys tied up their food, Jeff hung his pack and Ryan put his up on a rock. At 2:00 am and Jeff and Ryan were sleeping in their tent and they heard a LOUD thud followed by a distinct bear growl/cry. A few moments later there was another loud sound further in the distance. Jeff and Ryan were scared stiff. Jeff wasn't sure Ryan was awake and when he call his name Ryan told him to shut up because the bear would hear them. They sat still frozen for what seemed like forever and after 20 minutes started talking. They were sure the bear had gotten one of their packs. Then next morning they woke to find both packs were untouched. The tree Jeff's pack was tied to did have a large piece of bark missing so the only thing they figured was the bear was climbing the tree, fell and ran away. Jeff is sure that if it would have been he and I hiking, I would have packed up right then and headed for home.


Sorry Daddy- You thought wrong!

2. A few hours after Jeff came home from his trip Ainslee climbed on his lap and asked if he was going to go out of town again soon. He said yes, as he is going to Vegas the last weekend in October. He was expecting her to say something like, I miss you when your gone or I don't want you to leave again...but what she said was, "Good, I need more Mommy and Ainslee time without you here". Oh what a joy it is to be loved by my kids. Nolan is still in the "I love my mommy" phase, and says it at least 40 times a day. I will never get tired of his little voice. One day my kids wont want to hang out with me. I have to keep reminding myself of this when I am at my whits end.

3. We just went to our Aunt and Uncles house to visit and their son Jason had stopped by our house. Ainslee wanted to race so we pulled a head and were just joking around. At the stop light Jeff reved his engine and Jason cranked up his stereo. We were listening to Josh Groban and Jeff cranked up our stereo. The girl in the car on the other side looked over at Jeff and gave him a look of death. You could read her face like a book! "Look at that looser trying to race, listening to classical music with a wife and two kids in the back." We laughed so hard.

Presents from Mimi

The kids and I got a package from Mimi the other day with Halloween shirts in it. Well, Halloween for most people but daily attire for the Burns clan. With my love for cute skulls we wear "pirate paraphernalia" as my father in law once called it, on a regular basis. Nolan knew what a pirate said before he knew what a cow said. Humm...what does that say about us?

Anyway we have already worn the shirts, and with the weather cooling I will be wearing my Ed Hardy scarf soon. Thanks Mom!!!



Jeff was out of town this weekend hiking in the Furnace Mountain in Shenandoah National Park. He met a high school friend and had a good time. Him being gone for a week last month, made a weekend trip fly by. The kids and I had fun. We played outside, watched movies in mom's bed, and went to Dairy Queen. On the way home from Dairy Queen Ainslee announced that I didn't need to go to Lady of America anymore because they weren't paying me and it wasn't my job. For those that don't know, that is where I teach kick boxing. I asked her why they didn't pay me and she told me it was because I wasn't sitting behind the desk. Only people who sit behind desks get paid. So there you have it.

FYI

My loving husband just told me that my grammar and spelling in my last blog was in classic Gena fashion, so I thought I would let all those who don't know, know...I SUCK at grammar, and spelling so I am not going to worry about it anymore because my blog is a place for me to journal and to keep in touch with friends. So there you have it. Lots of love.

Best Weekend Ever!

Shame on us but we tend to go out of town every conference weekend. Jeff calls it our 6 month break. Lol. Neway, we were planning on going camping with the Holly's but the Pearson family called and asked us to go to the beach with them. We called Holly's and it was set. The three families were off to the beach. We left Saturday morning and 5 hours later were in Nags Head, North Carolina. Abby's parents own a to die for beech house there. It has nine bed rooms and a million bathrooms, a pool, hot tub, pool table and it is a stones throw from the ocean. Amy had never been to the beach and we couldn't have asked for a better weekend. The weather was in the low 80's and the wind was calm. We kept repeating over and over can you believe this...its October.
Our last trip to the beach was the complete opposite. Ainslee remembers it as the bug biting beach. There were wild horses eating our food and our tent and horse flies the size of Texas eating everyone. Nolan hated the sand and wanted to be held or sat perfectly still on a blanket. With this memory in mind we were not sure how the kids would do. Nolan loved the sand this time and was throwing it at everyone, and Ainslee was so brave. I am sure it was due to the fact her two closest friends were there but who cares why she was brave. She was in the ocean up to her bum letting the waves crash up against her. We buried all the kids in the sand and chased birds. I swear I could go on and on about the weekend.

Family Night

We have a local steak house that has family night on Wednesday nights. Kids eat free and there is a lady that does amazing face painting, also for free. Ainslee loves to go. We went this week and Nolan participated in the painting for the first time. He wanted Thomas, which she free handed from looking at a book we had. The only down side is she starts at 6 so the kids only get to enjoy the creations for a few hours before bed. Ainslee tries really hard to "sleep still" so it looks good the next day, but it never does.

The first test

One the way to school Ainslee was melting over lunch being wrong. We had to go and half way up the street I pulled over. She stopped crying instantly. I started driving and she said, "Tell me again why it is dangerous for you to drive when I cry" I told her it was distracting etc and she said no its not, its because the police will come and take you to jail. Whatever her logic. It totally worked!!! Thanks Dr. Schooner!

Advice from the Good Dr.

Ainslee has this doll named Kristi and it is more alive than you and I. She changes its clothes, feeds it, breast feeds it (thanks to all my friends currently breast feeding REAL babies) puts it in its car seat etc. If things with Kristi aren't just right she freaks out. Kristi is becoming the third child I didn't want. Yesterday I put all the kids in the car and Kristi's seat belt was not on right. We needed to go so I left it as is. Ainslee Freaked out! Yelling, kicking, telling me Kristi wasn't safe. I had enough and calmly took Kristi to the front seat and continued to drive. Needless to say Ainslee went through the roof. She was telling me Kristi was going to die if we got in an accident, and that she wouldn't stop yelling until I buckled her in. I stayed calm and said over and over...it's ok everything is ok (out loud, more advice from the Dr. Calming my self and hopefully the kids). Nolan started YELLING, "Mom, mom lee lee mad at you!" over and over. I wanted to drive off the road! This went on for the ENTIRE 20 minute drive to preschool. I had my appointment with the Good Dr. in the afternoon and she gave me some good car advice I wanted to share.
When I picked Ainslee up from school I told her I had been thinking and the situation we had earlier in the day was not safe. I told her we could get in an accident and mommy needed it calm to drive. Per the Dr. I told her that from now on if things get too loud, if she and Nolan are fighting or if there is too much whining I would have to pull over until it was safe to drive again. Dr. Schooner suggests being prepared with a book, cross word, nail polish, what ever you wish, and calmly with out word, pull over when the situation calls for it. The kids will quickly learn that they don't get to go unless they shape up. She said she did that with her kids until they were in Jr. high. Long road trips what ever. It is a logical consequence, not, "if you don't stop we will go home" or what have you. I am excited to try, as going anywhere from our house takes at least 15-20 min.

Take time to Make time

So I have really been working on taking time to make time. I am really good at doing it for aerobics and that's about it. So here I am making daily schedules and planning out every second of the day. Maybe this way I can blog and keep up. Ainslee is doing soccer and likes it except you have to run, its hot and she gets sweaty. So I am not sure we will be signing up next season. She is enjoying her second year of preschool and is getting really good at writing her letters. Nolan hit a new stage. The WHINING stage. UGH, Jeff is not happy! Nolan has a strong head like Ainslee and in the past has been passive if he didn't get his way. This is no longer the case. He knows what he wants and is very sad if he doesn't get it. He also loves everything. It is sooo cute. He says things like, "I love this my blankey mom" or "I love this my block". He loves all his toys, clothes, food, you name it he loves it. The season is starting to change and I am welcoming the cooler weather. I, yes me, am looking forward to putting on warmer clothes and starting the fire place. Jeff is home earlier and is free to help me get Ainslee from school on days I do hair. Halloween is just around the corner and yesterday we put up decorations. Each year I think, I should have done this myself instead of asking for the kids help. Ainslee and I decorate much differently and were both adamant as to where things should go. We both compromised and the house is very festive. I really like this time of year.

Who has the time.

So I have had my blog for over a week now and still haven't made it quite as cute as rachaels. Who has the time? Maybe if I wasn't at the gym 24/7 I could blog. LOL

Here we are

So the Burns Family is entering the world of bloging, with much pushing I might add. We are currently living in Vigina and are doing well there. The east coast is a total different world and I am looking forward to a west coast return. Anislee is 4 and finnishing her first year in preschool. With her late birthday she is excited to return to preschool for one more year. She is sooo smart and keeps me on my toes. She is truely my buddy and loves to do what ever mom is doing. Nolan is almost two and a joy to ALL who meet him. If I had a dollar for each person who told me, "Don't worry if he is missing, I will have him". I would be rich and completely lost as to who has him if he is missing. Jeff is working hard as usual. We are almost finnished updating our house after about a year and a half. New paint, base boards, carpet and furniture. It should be done in time to move LOL. The pest control branch out here is doing well and Jeff is ready for summer to be over, too bad it just started. I am keeping busy as ever doing hair, teaching aerobics and being mom. As Ainslee puts it my job is cleaning the house and I do the rest for fun.

So to all you bloggers. Am I doing this right. Do I just write about the fam and happenings? Rachel this is for you. I will get pictures posted when I get home. If you can't wait until then you can see my very high school myspace page at, www.myspace.com/ghburns I have been told I need to stop thinking I am 18 and enter the adult world. Maybe my move from myspace to a blog will help that. LOL luv luv to all.