Keeping Up With The Burns Clan : February 2013

Yamboree/Ten Year Reunion

My hometown has a festival.

It's called the Yamboree.

No use in explaining it.

If you are born or live there, you somehow just get it.

It's almost bigger than Christmas. Almost.

Like I said, no use in explaining it.

I hadn't been in a few years and forgot just how important this time of year is to my small East Texas town.

It also happened to mark a new dawn of age. I got to attend my ten year reunion, and I can say that it was absolutely wonderful to catch up with so many people. A little awkward, but nice. I think it's always nice to take a trip down memory lane even if sometimes you don't want to. (I was kinda nerdy in High School.) Or at least felt that way. WHO DOESN'T?

Anyway, here's my mix of a great Yamboree celebration, shaken with a great Ten Years of freedom from High School!

Call me Crazy, but I'm proud to be from a small East Texas Town.
Things are just done differently there, and staying true to your roots doesn't seem too crazy when time runs slower.
I love the way no one is rushing around at rush hour.
I love the way men respect women.
I love the little country diners, and how at Yamboree time the whole town gets into it and draws amazing pictures all over the business windows.
I love the smell of corn dogs only because it reminds me of the Yamboree.
And I love seeing all the smiling faces walking around.
The High School students think they are king of the world. I love that too.
No other place is grander.
But, like I said, it's really hard to explain....
=)

Ellie our Elf

It took me long enough to jump on the band wagon with the Elf on the Shelf charades.

I kept thinking to myself, why am I adding one more tradition to our stack of traditions we sometimes fail to complete every year anyway.
I'm so glad I did though!

Miss Ellie Elf came to us by North Pole Express Postal Mail.
On a Sunday.

It fit right in with my plan of 'mysterious' things happening in December, esspecially since Jacee-Kay was learning about the post office during December, and well, the post man doesn't work on Sundays....strange fact number one you could say.

There she was sitting on our porch.
An Elf On The Shelf.

Our girls named her Ellie.
And boy, was Ellie mischievous.

They looked forward to the next crazy stunt she would pull every night as they were sleeping, and every morning became a hunt to try and find what Ellie got into.

She said goodbye to us on Christmas Eve morning, and my children were so disappointed to see her leave.

It probably would have been more of a melt down though if we weren't all sick on Christmas Eve & Christmas Day. I won't get into that story now, but I would never wish sickness during the holidays on my worst ENEMY. It was sincerely an awful experience to be sick on Christmas Day.

Back to Ellie though.

We took pictures of all the crazy things she pulled. I mean, this girl was into it all! =)

Skeeter is even confused! Who rang the doorbell???

Ellie hanging from the rafters....

On her last night here, she made us hot coa-coa and snow pancakes for breakfast. A goodbye letter that allowed her magic to be lifted momentarily for the girls to give her a hug goodbye. It was so sad, I almost cried!

Doug and I had so much fun deciding what we would do each night.
It was one of the highlights of our Christmas Season.
Of course Ellie had to snitch ideas from her facebook friends on what to do this year, but I can't wait till next year comes along to see what she will do!

Cotton Bowl 2013

Doug and I finally took a trip away from our children....

It was so fun.
It was only one night, and I missed them terribly.
But maybe we can make it a yearly thing. ;)

There are not many pictures because most of it was memory making.

Jacee-Kay Loses a Tooth!

Ok, this post is SOOO Overdue!
But, better late than never!

There is something grand to be said about a wiggly tooth.

Although, poor Miss Jacee-Kay has had a tough time with even losing one tooth.
A tough thing to deal with at six years of age, when the rest of your friends are losing them left and right.
Luckily, she lost one tooth and then turned around and lost the other a couple of weeks later.
Making for a very busy tooth fairy! =)

Now, when I say lost, what I really mean is I assisted in the tooth pulling adventure.
For whatever reason she lets me yank them out.

I'm actually kind of impressed with my ability to be so swift and quick.
I'm a tooth pulling ninja!

It was after 9:00 p.m. on a school night (she had cried and cried in preparation for the tooth pull) making for a red, puffy swollen eyes and swollen face.

But let me just tell you, that sucker HAD to come out.

There was another tooth growing in behind it, and well, it was time....

Yay for Jacee-Kay being so strong to let me pull it!

I know she was so nervous.

So Proud of My Big Girl!