The world as we know it

Yesterday while digging for worms in the backyard, Keith mentioned that the worms probably needed to eat. I told him that worms ate the dirt. He laughed at me and said, "No...worms don't eat dirt! They eat chocolate milk." How did I not know that?






















While watching General Conference last Sunday (for more information, go to http://www.lds.org/conference/languages/0,6353,310-1,00.html ) Cole said, "I don't want to watch the Church movie. The Church movie is boring." Awesome. We're already instilling such strong religious respect in our young children.



























Ally's latest news is that she has some sort of allergy to gluten, wheat or grains in general--we're not quite sure. Since we've cut all grains from her diet, her cheeks, chin and neck have cleared up significantly. Poor girl. How will any girl survive life without carbs? Hopefully she will grow out of it.

















G and G Smart visited last week for Spring Break. They spoiled everyone as usual. We had a blast at the Zoo (including a ride on the choo-choo train) and just plain hanging out.






BTW: Several people in public mention how much Ally looks like her Grandma. Seriously, when the 3 of us are anywhere, someone ALWAYS comments on how much Ally looks like my mom. I'm beginning to agree with them.

Behind Every Successful Mom is...

1. A Really Great Husband
I don't post my feelings about Brent because I'm not a good enough writer to sound anything more than corny. But seriously, Brent is the best guy. (See what I mean?) So, anyway, a few weeks ago I got a wicked flu and didn't even roll over Monday morning until 9 am. He had already taken the day off, dressed and fed all the kids and was playing with them by the time I stumbled downstairs. He took them to the park and continued double-duty parenting until I recovered Tuesday morning.





















2. An Amazing Mom


My mom came to my rescue for the countless time again to help with the nasty illness plaguing our family. She chased the boys, fed Ally (which is no small task these days), did laundry, cleaned my kitchen and managed to spoil everyone rotten with a few shopping splurges.







3. An In-tune Mother-in-Law


Ellen is the perfect mother-in-law. She just rolls with anything and I couldn't feel more comfortable when she is at our house. She is basically the exact opposite of Marie from Everybody Loves Raymond, (if you ever watched that show--one of my favorites.)
She just digs in and helps out when she's here. Just like my own mom, she helps do the laundry, clean and most importantly is excellent with the grandkids.




4. A Debbie



Debbie is an angel posing as one of us "regular" people on earth--seriously. She is not related (at least not yet--her daughter is marrying Brent's little brother later this summer which is so cool I can hardly stand it, more on that another day), yet she is always showing up at my doorstep to pitch in. She watches the kids so I can go for a run or run errands, she calls from Costco to see if I need anything, she folds laundry (it's never done), vacuums, etc. Trust me, there is ALWAYS stuff to do around here. And she seems to always sense when I need some help. Keep in mind she works full time, still has children at home and is the Bishop's wife. I know, amazing, huh?

So, whenever strangers in public ask me, "Wow, You must be busy. How do you do it?" or "Wow, are they all yours? How do you manage?" I take little credit because I have A LOT of help and I couldn't do it without any of the aforementioned helpers. So, if by chance you ever come to my house and it looks remotely clean, or if you see me out and about and I even resemble looking "put-together", you can bet that one of these 4 people has been involved. Otherwise, if you see my usual baseball-capped, greasy head, non-showered-self and my laundry is piled high, my carpets are dirty, my bathrooms are smudgy, and my kitchen is stinky, you'll know that it's just me, myself and I taking it one day at a time.

Animal Haters Unite

OK. So, I'm not really an animal "hater" but what I really do hate is people who treat their pets like people. You know who I'm talking about. Those who dress their cats in Christmas sweaters and carry their dogs in their purses.
Well, I had a run-in (literally) with just that type yesterday.

I was out for a run when a woman and her two dogs were stopped on the path ahead of me. The dogs were taking care of business. As I ran by, the German Shepherd lunged at me and bit a chunk out of the back of my upper left leg. No joke.

First, I was shocked and then I was really scared and then the pain hit. I've been running for years and I've never had a dog bite me!
While I gripped the back of my leg in horror, the woman just stood there and proceeded to deny that her dog actually bit me. "He must have just given you a little 'love nip'", she insisted. "He wouldn't bite anybody. He's just a puppy. You must be mistaken, he just didn't bite you." Well, canine punctures in my upper thigh showed her otherwise. (Lucky for me, I was wearing thick pants and not shorts) Once I showed her the blood and the bruises, she pulled her dog close to her and said, "Oh, he's just so scared. You've scared him." Seriously. I am not lying. Her dog had just sunk his teeth into my leg and HE was petrified? Well, it was at this point that my anger overruled my pain and fear and I think I may have started yelling at her through gritted teeth and tears, "HE's scared? I'm terrified, lady!"
She backed off a little but just kept telling me how her dog was just a puppy and how her dogs are her life and they are her babies, etc. I wanted to explain to her that I had 3 real babies at home--three actual living and breathing HUMAN babies who would appreciate a mother with all limbs in tact. But I managed to compose myself, memorize her name and number and continue on my way. (She did offer to give me a ride home, but like I wanted to take a back seat to the doggy carseats she probably had waiting in her car for each of her mangy mutts.) I walked for a good mile, crying and cooling off my temper but I was still a solid 5 miles from home so I eventually picked up my pace and ran the rest of the way home. Running helped calm my mood until I relayed my experience to Brent which scared Ally pretty bad. I think I might have been yelling again...




My leg still hurts pretty bad, but it's nothing a little antiseptic and some duck tape can't fix. Brent was the hero and patched me up nicely First-Aid-Kit-style. He took some pictures just in case we needed to go to the doctor later. I don't think that will be necessary. The woman's "babies" are well-cared for and are up to date on all their shots. I do wonder how she would feel if I let Keith or Cole gnaw on HER leg. Some people. Newsflash: PETS. ARE. NOT. PEOPLE!!!

OK. Now that I blew off my steam, here are some recent pics of my true babies. I'm not really sure what happened to my mad blogging-skills in March but if I want my family to start talking to me again, I better start blogging.

Half a Year

I cannot believe Ally will be 6 months old this week. She is growing up even faster than the boys. Maybe it just feels like it because her first 6 months has been easier than the train-wreck that was the first 6 months with twins as a first-time mom. Regardless, I feel like I mostly post about Keith and Cole and am therefore dedicating this post to my little girl.
Ally is the happiest little baby. Whenever I go get her from her bed, she squeals with excitement and smiles a mile wide. She also kicks her arms and legs in a way that reminds me of a cross between Richard Simmons' jumping jacks and the "Running Man" retro dance move. I can't help but pick her up and kiss her to death.
What Ally lacks in coordination, she makes up for in personality. She is incredibly social. She cranes her neck to watch the action, wherever it may be. She absolutely will not sleep anywhere but her bed because she is so distracted by all the living around her. And if she knows there is a party going on, she will not sleep. Whether it be playgroup or the Super Bowl party, she is in on the action. But even if she doesn't sleep, she's still pleasant. She can be a little fiesty when she doesn't like something (ie: mom attacking her with a nasal aspirator) or when she really wants something (ie: food, attention), but I'd be lying if I said I didn't like it. I respect a girl with a bit of an attitude. Fortunately, it's rare that anything really ruffles her.

I realized this week that I have very few pictures of the two of us together and so I attempted to take some myself. It didn't turn out great, but at least I have proof that I am her mom.

Ally continues to take "steamrollers", punches, whacks and all other physical abuse remarkably well. She actually seems to enjoy the boys talking nose-to-nose with her and licking her head. Who knew? I have drawn the line at the new game of throwing toys at her head. Once Keith throws a toy and gets put in his room, wouldn't you know that Cole throws a toy at her head so he can get in trouble too? Awesome. Will I ever come out on top with these two?

I honestly will not bat a single eyelash the first time she takes revenge on her brothers. In fact, I'll probably be cheering her on.

Ally has a special spot for her dad. Whenever he is in the room, she turns every which way so she can get a visual on him. I came home from running last week to find them "jumping" together. Brent was jumping rope in the garage and had the door open so he could watch her jump in her bouncer. When he would jump, so would she. It was hysterical. I had to get a picture of their first training session together. She's going to have to get in shape if she's going to take on her older brothers.

Christmas Vacation

It's a Burnett family tradition to watch National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation every holiday season. Brent decided to go all out this year and spend Christmas Eve dressed up like Cousin Eddie.

It was a proud evening for me.

In case you've never seen this Christmas movie classic, here's a picture of "Clark" and "Cousin Eddie" in "the outfit." This is the best pic I could find, unfortunately.


In addition to Cousin Eddie gracing us with his presence, we had a great time in Sunriver with Brent's family.

Brent got in some skiing.

We went sledding. (The boys' enthusiasm is sadly accurately portrayed in these pics.)



The boys also found some new interests which include Foosball and "jumping parties". The jumping parties have continued at our house by way of Keith and Cole throwing our couch cushions on the floor and dive-bombing into them from the highest point possible.




Cousin Caden had the coveted toy of the season in his toy train. Said train was hidden several times to avoid child injury and conserve parental sanity. (You can just see the older cousins closing in on Caden's train.)

We had a fun time getting away for Christmas. Brent's parents spoiled us with a great place, delicious food and a "good old fashion family Christmas".

Fortunately, Cousin Eddie didn't wear his awesome outfit the entire vacation. :)