WE heart TAYLOR SWIFT...but we don't heart the flu bug!!!

Soooo...tomorrow night is the big night my family has been waiting for...tickets to Taylor Swift and Kelli Pickler concert in OKC. We are going with some great friends...actually a Mom and two daughters event. We have had our tickets since December and the girls are soooo excited...even Mommy's are excited. Yet....last night, the flu bug hit our home and my two excited girls are now laying in bed in hopes that they are better! Prayin' for a quick recovery with the Burnett girls....Daddy stayed at home with them because Mommy had ESL testing and health night tonight at the middle school. Thinkin' positive thoughts...Taylor and Kelli.....here we come!!!!!

May you live your Life in the eyes of a five year old

"And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea."

Another one of Sofey's inventions....or part of the costume of her daily life. I read somewhere that five year olds are less fearful of the world than toddlers because they understand the world better. This five year old has no fear in her bones. She is so carefree in her world and goes where the wind takes her. Just wanted to share this picture of her and thank God for giving us such diversity in our daughters. Happy Sunday...may it be a blessed day full of laughter from our home to yours!

Emotional Exhaustion

“This is my wish for you: Comfort on difficult days, smiles when sadness intrudes, rainbows to follow the clouds, laughter to kiss your lips, sunsets to warm your heart, hugs when spirits sag, beauty for your eyes to see, friendships to brighten your being, faith so that you can believe, confidence for when you doubt, courage to know yourself, patience to accept the truth, Love to complete your life.” I am really hoping to see some rainbows soon because I have only been seeing and dealing with clouds lately in my line of work. It seems that as I get older I know more and more people that are stricken by the "C" word.....students with family members, friends, community acquaintances.....maybe this is common, but I don't necessarily like it. I am a worry wart and I find myself just wondering when I am going to be that person affected by someone close that I love dearly. I hope I don't...but my heart goes out to those people that I know right now going through a hard time because of this ugly "C" word. I try to be a good listener and give good advice to these 10 and 11 year olds/or colleagues...but some days I just want to break down and cry.........sometimes because I know there is not a happy ending ahead...I can't just put a bandaid on it and fix the pain. Sometimes I want to cry because these children can't help the situation they are in....I think its time that I "wring" out this sponge(aka me) and do something to heal my heart and all of the sad stories I have heard lately and been witness to. My heart is really feeling heavy lately and in order for me to remain a strong listener and feelings healer for my students, I need to take time to heal the words that have entered my heart from colleagues or students I care about.....so pray for me and that I am refreshed soon....

Love Happens

Watched this show last night with Jennifer Aniston...I just love her...and it was "A-OK"(if you have watched the show...you know what I mean when I say this). It was a good rental. Made me want to share the story of how my hubby and I met....how our Love happened...at the greatest place in the world...Stilly, Oklahoma....aka Oklahoma State University. It started with a sorority party the Kappa Delta's have every year called Luau. See picture below of my lil' and g-lil....I have the best family and are still in touch with these amazing girls on fb.

(PS....notice the bandana shirt I am wearing.....where I found it I don't even want to remember...but to this day, my husband still loves this bandana shirt! I think it reminds him of when we met..so back to the story)

Anyhoo....senior girls in Kappa Delta ville are what we call "luau" girls and wear our bikini tops and grass skirts when we go to serenade the fraternities before luau. It was my senior year and I was a luau girl having fun when we visited the Sigma Nu fraternity where my future husband would be watching the serenade. At this point, I had no idea who Taylor Burnett was or even cared because I was dating an ag teacher at the time(whole other story that is not important). But Taylor sees me and asks his good friend, Triplett, who I was. Triplett, at that point, had set Taylor Burnett up with lots of her KD friends and told him "don't even think about it." However, Love Happens...as the movie says...and later on.....we do eventually cross paths...and meet....start dating....and to make a long story short.....I move to Texas to teach while he is still in Stilly working to finish his degree and finally something sinks in and Taylor proposose to me at Christmas in front of his family and my family.....such a sweet story. Another time. Heres a pic:

PS...notice my Mom on the right and his Mom on the left....so sweet that we captured or someone captured this great memory.

We got married on July 19th, 1997 and it will be 13 years......a cat named Lola and three beautiful girls later. Heres the invite...notice how my middle name is spelled "Ann" WRONG...it is Anne...somehow missed that in the proofing and had to send out all 500 invites that way....

AND it rained on July 19th, 1997 so if Taylor would have bought my ring at BC Clark's....it would have been FREE...right? Heres a wedding pic......one that was easily available to scan in...we look sooo young.....

PS...we also have a very professional(ha) wedding video that the girls watch and laugh so hard at how different their family looks.....Abbey even loved it that her former teacher, Mrs. Rowley, was at our wedding and how funny that was...

I love you, Clinton Taylor Burnett...thank you for loving me through these past many years...ups and downs...always believing in me and us.......you are my rock......and such an amazing Daddy to our sweet girls.....thank you for loving me through all those "blonde" moments too....see pic below!

Im so glad our LOVE HAPPENED!!!!

Updated pics of the girls

OH MY....yes, this look is soooo her Daddy's look and does she have him twisted around her finger...actually, she has all of us twisted around her finger. She is the center of attention all the time! She will be eight months on the 28th of this month and she is the love of the Burnett's lives. Her older sisters are smitten with her and she is smitten with them. I can't wait to witness the bond between three sisters as they get older. An amazing gift from God. When Taylor found out he was having his third girl.....it was a moment to remember. But I think his sister said it best to him and told him that "Daddy's of three girls are made in heaven!!!"

Oh Lord...won't you buy me....a vacay far away...as in Tulum, Mexico!!!!

Happy St. Patty's Day!

"May you always walk in sunshine.May you never want for more. May Irish angels rest their wings right beside your door."

NINE IS SOOOO DEVINE!

My first baby girl, Abbey Sue, is nine today!!! Nine years ago, I was teaching fifth grade and was so looking forward to spring break as all teachers do! But to my surprise, at my last drs visit with Dr. Evans..we found out he thought you were a breech baby. And then the xrays proved that! So a c-section was scheduled for March 14th, Wednesday, 2001. You are so special to us in so many ways. A lot of what you do reminds me of myself. I was the oldest born too. You love fashion like your Mommy. And I am amazed at you each day and how cautious you are, loving, a great friend to many and your great sense of humor. Right now in your life, you want to be a dentist and a fashion designer and ballet dancer on the side. I hope you follow your inspirations! I know that your visions may change between now and high school graduation...oh and of course, you want to be on the OSU dance team! I can't wait to see what you become! We love you Abbey Sue......just think...in nine more years, you will be graduating high school and your Mommy will be crying....tears of sadness and of joy. I know you will grow into a beautiful woman!!

***We celebrated Abbey's birthday with a swimming party at a local hotel and then rented a room. *** The cake was a peace cake made of cupcakes and the theme was with owls...."Whoo's turning nine!"

I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me. --Proverbs 8:17

Dear palazzo pant...Oh how I love thee!!!

Ok...seriously...I spent a fortune on these pants...but they have been with me over the past year through thick and thin....literally "thick" because I wore them pre-pregnancy....during pregnancy......and now....post pregnancy. I found them on zappos and they are the best investment piece I have profited from(not financially speaking....but emotionally speaking). I love, love them sooo much that I am afraid people at my work are tired of seeing me wear them...seriously! I love them because they are black and black is the slimming color. But hopefully even after my goal of losing twenty pounds before my lovely state FFA officer reunion at the end of april...we will still fit and we will still have a love relationship with these pants. They are the best. I am now in search of them in the color of white for spring and summer....just had to share my love of these stick with me through the "thick and thin" of the past year or so.