Anybody still out there?

Guess who's baaack!

Finally

Adios!

I'm here, I'm stressed, but I'm here. I leave for the Dominican Republic in less than 24 hrs. and boy do I have alot to do still! I won't bore you with all the fun details of what I have to do but I will just ask that you keep me in your prayers for the next week! Pray that all my flights are smooth and that maybe "Sulley the Hero" pilot decided this week to all of a sudden fly for AA and he will be my pilot! Pray for my intestinal fortitude so that most of my time is not spent in the bathroom! Pray for my kids and Bobby so that their week without mom is ok, not too great, I still want to be needed when I get home! And lastly, pray for those that I will be taking care of. I feel so blessed to be able to use my God given talents to help those in need! I'm going into this with a open mind as well as a open heart and I can't wait to get back and to share with you my experience! Love, peace and happiness to you all!
Erica

Help a sister out!

Happy New Year! Boy is this month a busy one for me! Now that the holiday's have passed and the Christmas tree has been packed away I can start focusing on my trip to the Dominican Republic! 18 days and counting! I am so excited as I begin to pack! I leave January 24th! As if I'm not busy enough and I have a hard enough time updating this blog, I'm starting another one! This one will be of my travel to the DR. I plan on journaling every day as way to reflect on my experiences and to be able to share with you and all those who have helped me achieve my dream of going on a medical mission. I know I won't be able to blog live from the DR but once I get back I will have a day by day recount!
Here is where you come in! I need a name for this new blog! Leave me your suggestions in my comment box! I would love to hear what you think! It can be a play on words, sentimental, whatever! Let's hear it!
One more thing, please keep me and my family in your prayers. I'm starting to get a little antsy about the plane ride. My kids have also been very vocal about their anxiety about me leaving for this long and Payton thinks my plane will crash! I've tried reasoning him but I can tell it upsets him. He can be a stinker sometimes but it just touches me so much that he worries like that! I just ask God for his love and protection and that my family will put their trust in him! Thanks!

Merry Christmas from the Burnsbrood!

Now I know I've been a bad blogger, I have excuses though, and they are very good. I will spare you the details but I will say life has been a little less than stellar around here. Life has handed me lemonades and of course I have tried to make lemonade even though I would have preferred to be handed limes in which I would have had a shot of tequila and salt and thrown a party which would have been so much better than what I'm really dealing with. Anyways, I just remain fervent in the belief that God is good and keep truckin on!

So Christmas is here, just seems like yesterday I was dancing to some fabulous eighties music in the Larkin kitchen at Thanksgiving with the ultra crazy and beautiful Kelly clan!(Shout out to Jennifer, love ya!) Ah, the memories and you tube videos that could be made from that night! Sorry, back to the point! Like I was saying, Christmas is here and I'm not in my whole "Joy to the World" kind of mood (see above mentioned lemonade/lime debate for reference.) Don't get me wrong, I've decorated, I've shopped(very little) and I have even gotten my holiday themed scrub tops out for work! You see, I'm not totally scrooge-like! I have even taken the kiddos pictures in front of the tree.

Every year for the last 5 or 6 years we have attempted to clean the kids up, throw on some clothes that are hopefully clean and not too wrinkly and smile(forcibly at times) for the camera. We have a couple of family pics thrown in there but for the most part they are of just the kids. This year was no different. I was destined to make a beautiful memory of the night. I was going to capture what a well behaved and good looking family I have and then share with all my family and friends. And of course I would hear the "Oh how big the Burns kids have gotten" or the "What blondies those kids are!" and "They look so precious!" My rose colored lenses soon cracked and my dream and reality would soon depart, in opposite directions!

There were fights about what shirt to wear or if the socks should be off or on and of course the "please don't slouch" or "don't do that to your sister!" There were tears. It was close to bedtime and that of course is prime meltdown time! There was even a temper tantrum and they stomped away from the photo shoot! But as soon I got over it (yes, it was me) I calmly walked back into the living room and found Bobby taking the kids' pictures. Everyone was smiling, behaving and listening to directions. What gives? Well of course, it was me. In my attempt to make a picture perfect family memory I had let my unrealistic expectations get in the way.

I was gently reminded that as unbelievable as it was, my family is not perfect! We are flawed, we make mistakes, we cry and we fight. We still love each other though. Just like Jesus still loves us no matter how much we try to push him away. We are human and that means we are flawed. We sin but no matter how much, His love is still there we just need to ask for it. How soon we forget in the season of CHRISTmas what we are really celebrating. Sometimes it takes those who love us the most to remind us no matter how much it may hurt!

So to show how unperfect my family is, here are some pictures from the 2008 Burnsbrood Christmas photo shoot!

Merry Christmas,Happy New Year and love to all from our crazy house to yours!
The Burnsbrood!

Unleashing kindness and love!

Proud to be apart of this church! Check out this link!

http://www.kansas.com/194/story/605978.html

NOOOOOO! NOT HIM!

I was going to post a wordless Wednesday post with some dramatic or endearing photo of one of my offspring but found this instead. I had to share, too funny! Enjoy!

Oh my the drama that is being a preteen!