Happy New Year 2012

We spent the new years with the Burchwin group (Bucharts, Burns & Irwins) + Ryan and Ann.  All of us were in Hawaii together.  I made these balloons with money, smartees, and jokes and fortunes in them for the kids to pop and celebrate the new year.

Thank you to Michelle

Michelle,

Here is a big thank you from our family.  Timon helped select some of the items in this basket.

Bread & jam: in honor of all the peanut butter sandwiches you helped him eat

Sparkling grape juice: in celebration of your new job and freedom

Rosemary salt dough bread: because it is Timon’s favorite (mine too – best warm)

smartees: Timon’s pick and for helping him become a smartee

erasers, crayons, & bits of paper: you’ll never look at these the same way again – who knew they were food items????

note from Timon on the back of a Math minute – now there are some things you can gladly say goodbye to!

Agry birds cupcakes: again Timon’s pick!

We love you and will miss you!

The Burns

Christmas Eve

Timon & Ninjago Dude

Jed explains Kristi's Phone to her - thank heavens for the tech savy

Grandkids watch the church nativity video

 Musical Program

Timon sang "Was He a Boy Like Me" and Duncan sang "Up on the rooftop"

Nativity Pageant

Spencer & Duncan as Shepherds

Grant as Joseph and Timon as the Star

                                                            The trusted Donkey

From Jed & Steve - glow in the dark tubes

Family Composite Photo

 White elephant gifts

Pickle Bandaides

 Reaction to the overall winner

Service Letter 2011

Every year my dad asks for a Christmas present of a letter describing the service we participated in.  Here are a few things that we can remember.  Hopefully there are many more that we cannot remember.

Duncan: cleaned Timon’s room (a lot), helped take food to the Utah Food Bank Drive & participated in the Penny War for the Salvation Army

Timon: participated in the Penny War, took his friend Kazden to a BYU game & gave him Pokemon cards. He helped out in the ward garden and forgave a bully by taking cookies to him.

Kristi: being good friends with the compassionate service leader got me involved in many ways including making dinner every week for an elderly woman in our ward.  Michael says that taking care of the family while he was at basic training was my service.

Michael: joined the military, delivered dinner every Wednesday to our neighbor, served as Sunday School President, and as a 6^th grade teacher.

Christmas Letter 2011

In True Cheesy Christmas Letter Fashion…

Catch up with us & sing along!

Proud to Be an American . . . I am now married to a military man.  Michael joined the National Guard and spent 75 long days in the heat at Basic Training in Fort Jackson, South Carolina. He leaves for Officer Candidate School in January for 8 weeks. I have a whole new perspective on freedom. I know you’re not supposed to brag – but my husband is in awesome shape & looks great! We joined him for graduation in August.

Cruel, Cruel Summer… leavin’ me here all alone. This was the summer of camps, camps, and more camps. Timon says his favorites were military kids camp and Lego camp.  Duncan loved sports and art camps. Many of you helped out – thank you so much, esp. our nephew Travis!

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun . . . craft morning, pool trips, Time Out for Women, & cooking blog with my sisters. How to fill a sleepless night? I finished my first quilt and repainted the condo. Thank you to all of my girl friends who have kept me sane.

If I Could Turn Back Time . . . Duncan started 1^st grade.  Is there a song called “All Grown Up”??  I know – those of you with teens are making fun of us now. Still kind-of crazy to see them go off together.  All three boys are at Early Light Academy – Timon’s in 4^th grade and Michael is teaching 6^th grade.

Kombayah… According to ethnomusicologist Thomas Miller, this song began as a Gullah spiritual. People might have thought the Gullahs talked funny, but we owe them a vote of thanks. Can you imagine sitting around the campfire singing, "Oh, Lord, come by here" (translation)?  Anyway, this tid-bit is thrown in here as a tribute to the Burchwin Reunion.  We have dear friends from Hawaii who all happen to live in the SL Valley right now.  Our three families enjoyed Labor Day up Hobble Creek Canyon at a Cabin.  Where, yep, we kombayahed around the fire pit. We’ve also been sighted experimenting with various fondue recipes and playing games.

Rise and Shout . . . 2 cougar football games with Grandpa Mac.  One for the whole fam & one with me and fourth grader Timon & his bud Kazden.  The whole funny story is here: http://burnsboys1.blogspot.com/2011/11/byu-vs-id-game.html

If I Were a Rich Man . . . then things like gas prices, doctor bills, and rising grocery costs, wouldn't bother me! I try to tell the boys we are "rich" in other ways . . . love, laughter, fun, faith, family, friends but they don't always see it my way.

Oh Holy Night . . . is my favorite Christmas song.  We are so grateful for

this season where we get to deeply remember our blessings and the Savior

and we get to reconnect with all of you!

It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas

DECORATING BURN'S STYLE

  This is our Harry Potter Christmas Tree

Acceptance to Hogwarts letters with wands

 Quiditch brooms

Maurader's Map

Hogwarts Express

DUNCAN'S CLASS DECORATED THE TREE FOR ZION'S BANK 

LIVE NATIVITY 

MARTIN'S 40th BIRTHDAY CAROLING PARTY

HOMEMADE GIFTS

How did you "over the river & through the woods"?

                                                                                        Michael Driving us off the cliff!

 Unita National Forest                                            

Becca & Kristi

 Nicole, Kim (in back) & Arielle

 Arielle, Kim, & Nicole

 Kristi and that Hottie Husband of Hers!

 Grandpa Mac, Bec & Cole??

 Kristi Driving - Wahoo!

Aunt Alice & Cousin Laura Carlisle

From Grandpa Mac's Letter to Missionary Jonathan:

Thanksgiving was spent at the Snake Creek Cabin which has about a foot of snow.  We had 28 of us there, including Dad and Dorothy and Alice and Laurel.  We missed Joe and family, Jed and Jonathan.  The cabin activities included riding rented “side by sides” (4 passenger ATV’s), getting Alice’s Sequoia back to the paved street from the driveway of the cabin below us, eating and game playing.  It was a very noisy happy time.  I pondered how to get gratitude for the Divine into Thanksgiving.  The noise level was too much for me to try an organized gratitude sharing or to tell my favorite, B. H. Roberts/Psalm 100 Thanksgiving story.  I determined that the joy that all were experiencing was in fact a celebration of our thanks.  Religious discussion was occurring as a matter of everyday conversation.  18 of us slept Thursday night at the cabin. 

Getting things ready and organized for Thanksgiving was a project.  Family members all did quite a lot.  I spent a lot of time, and feel that this is a good way for me to spend time!  I particularly appreciate Shawn’s idea to rent the side by sides,  Kristi and family going to the cabin early and warming it up and feeding me and Shawn’s family on Wednesday, Chad with his super great turkey cooking, Mom for organizing Thanksgiving dinner and  Arielle for joining the outlaws in playing games past midnight and Alice and Laura for joining us and providing the rescue the Sequoia entertainment (probably two hours’ worth for the men).  It was fun to see 8 adult women take the ATV’s and go out for the women’s ride. Everyone for making the effort to go over the hill and through the woods to the cabin.

Duncan, Cara & Caroline IPad it!

Becca wanted proof she was being domestic!  Ha!