Posts tagged with "family"
(Just imagine me saying/chanting that title in the spirit of "Weapon of Choice" by FatBoySlim.)
Now, on to the important stuff...and the not-so-important stuff. :) This is shaping up to be one of those rambly, train-of-thought types of posts. I'll try to start with the important things, so I don't lose you too soon. ;)
First up - I've been invited to go on a mission trip to Uruguay in March. In order for me to go, we'd need to have someone who could be responsible for Ruby and Burke the week of March 5 - March 9. (There's a high probability that Mike will be traveling a lot during the first quarter of the year, so we would need someone who would be able to keep Ruby and Burke overnight, if needed.) If you have any suggestions, let us know. (Obviously, we're looking for someone that we know and trust.) I'd really appreciate prayers for guidance about whether to go on the trip or not.
You can also pray specifically for Mike and me as parents. We seem to be dealing with a resurrection of sorts...the resurrection of the Terrible Twos and the Terrifying Threes all combined into some horrifyingly scary edition of the Frightening Fives. You may think I'm exaggerating wtih all the terrible and the terrifying and the scary and the frightening, but y'all. I've been reduced to tears on multiple occasions in the past three weeks. (Honest, gut-wrenching, I'm-failing-as-a-parent tears...) So if you'd pray for me, that'd be great. And parents of children who are five and older, if you've got similar experiences or any advice, bring it on!
In the "pros" column, we are seeing a lot of bright spots in Ruby's development, too. She can now spell and write several words other than her name without any help. She's recognizing a few sight words without prompting. She got a kid's camera for Christmas, and she's got quite an eye for a five year old. :) There are times when she makes incredibly mature decisions, and she's beginning to show a concrete understanding of faith in Jesus Christ.
Being a parent is a rollercoaster of emotions: insanely proud in one moment and crippled with doubt in the next. I wouldn't trade a second.
Burke is turning into quite the little talker. He's constantly making up some sort of pretend circumstances for playtime. He's Perry. Or he's Phineas. Or he's a baby. Or he's a cat who says, "Memow." He uses his blocks to make towers, monster trucks, guns, racetracks, or some other totally boyish contraption. He loves to wrestle and climb. He's been 100% potty-trained for many months now, and he just seems like such a big boy.
And now for the random:
Ruby and Burke get a little stopped up every now and then, if you know what I mean. It happens most often when we go to grandparents' houses...mostly because we're out of the norm and the kids get a lot of snacks that aren't necessarily fiber-filled. ;) Last week, my mom gave Ruby and Burke some "poop candy." Magic words for prunes. She refrigerated them and cut them up into quarters. Call something candy, and my kids are very willing to give it a try. Amazingly, they'll gladly eat two prunes and beg for more, if the prunes are chilled and cut up.
Let me just say that my kids are regular beyond regular now. We had to cut them back from 2 prunes/day to 1.5 prunes/day. They are now down to 1 prune/day in order to ward off panicked cries of, "I've gotta go NOW, Mom!!!" ;) If your kids get stopped up, try some chilled Sunsweet Prunes cut into quarters.
Just be careful if you call them poop candy. Because when you walk by prunes in the grocery store, your kids are very likely to scream at the top of their lungs, "POOP CANDY!!! Mom! Mom! Can we get some more?!?!?" ;)
Lastly, I ate a salad for dinner. I didn't want to, but I did. Baby steps, people. Baby steps.
Goodnight. :)
A little more than two years ago, my brother told me he was opening up a business. He had a vision to provide local area businesses with the signs and products they needed to stand out and leave an impression in the community.
Opening a business had been a dream for my brother since childhood. All of a sudden, the dream became reality.
He wasn't nervous at all, but that was okay, because I was worried enough for everyone involved! ;)
Next month, Eight38 Sign Co. will celebrate it's second anniversary. It has surpassed every single one of Kyle's expectations, and today, it is a successful, thriving business.
I could not be more proud of my brother.
For the past two weeks, I've been privvy to a behind-the-scenes view of the business as the newest part-time employee. And this is what I've got to say:
While I couldn't be any more proud of my brother, I am absolutely astounded when I stop and consider what God has done. :)
Eight38 started with two friends: one to make the signs and one to sell them. Within no time, the amount of work outpaced the number of employees. My sister-in-law joined the team as a graphic designer. Two friends joined the team: one as a part-time production assisstant and one as an office manager. Over the past year, six others have joined the team.
Now, Eight38 Sign Co. is a well-oiled machine, and it is really, really cool to watch them work. Each and every one of the key players are absolutely phenomenal. You can say I'm biased and all, but these people are really, really, really great at what they do.
Eight38's list of clients is already over 600 clients strong. That's more than one new client for every day the business has been open.
It is just incredible to stand still and look around at what God has built.
I'm so thankful. :)
Kyle,
Goodness, I'm just typing these words, and I'm crying. I am so incredibly proud of you, Bubba. The team you have allowed God to put together is mind-blowing. I love watching you all work together, laugh together, make decisions together.
You and your team consistently put out work that looks like it's been done by one of the best design firms in the nation. You and your team drive boring old pick-up trucks into that little garage of yours and when the trucks come back out again...
Well, they look like this:
Not to mention what you've done with my favorite piece of real estate in all of Lafayette:
Not a single day goes by that I don't see at least one piece of your work around town. (And I'm not including the times I intentionally drive by your business just to see your trucks, smile to myself, thank God for you, and pray for you.)
I'm just incredibly proud of you, and I wanted to take some time to let you know that. I don't think I tell you enough.
I love you, Bub. I love you a lot. :)
Always,
~Me
They use one of his old burp cloths as a dish rag.
They keep her Barbies packed in the same cooler so she knows exactly where to find them when she visits.
Sometimes we find two trees when we arrive. Other times, just one.
Maybe lighted garland is strung around the door frames, maybe not.
Either way, love floods out the door as soon as we open it...covering us in comfort and joy.
This year was one of my favorites...if not my favorite...and it's not even finished.
I have no idea what's made it so special.
Maybe it was helping Ruby feed and diaper Clara and Rose (Ruby's new Baby Alive dolls). Or maybe it was watching Burke fly to the moon in his 5' long cardboard color-your-own rocketship.
It could have been watching Burke sing "Getchie Getchie Goo" into his new Perry Karaoke or looking through the pictures Ruby has taken with her very own pink camera.
It might have been finding and placing the 1,000th piece of the puzzle at 2:00 a.m. on Christmas morning with Mike and Kevin. Or laughing hysterically about The Game of Things.
Hugging my mom or smiling at my brother across the lunch table. Loving on my children or kissing my husband. Laughter at a movie or a game of Farkle.
All of these things were wonderful...
But I think the most wonderful part of this Christmas was reading about Joseph with Ruby and getting overwhelmed by his faith, and lighting my candle and singing about that very holy, silent night, and singing with my husband and an old friend about a precious child. It was the way Christ and His Love permeated nearly every moment of this holiday for me.
I saw Him in my children's joy and my mother's love. I felt Him in my father's hug and my husband's kiss. I heard Him in my brother's laughter and my sister's giggles.
This Christmas, I thought of the Christ child more than ever before, and the deep, abiding joy I found certainly made this the most wonderful time of the year.
I hope you've had a wonderful Christmas, as well. What was your favorite part?
Every once in a while, Mike and I have the incredible opportunity to witness a specific moment that we will most likely remember forever.
Last night, as we celebrated the freedom of our country, we had one of those moments.
We spent most of the day traveling to visit our extended family, but we spent the evening getting prepared to watch fireworks.
Ruby and Burke visited one of our city's fountains...
Enjoyed their snacks...
and settled in to watch the show...
Before the fireworks began, however, we wanted to get a quick video to document the evening. We had no idea exactly how prepared Ruby was for this moment:
You can hear is giggling, because we couldn't believe what we were witnessing. After we turned off the camera, she told us that she really thinks she'd like to do "that live reporting thing" when she gets older. In an effort to encourage her budding interest in journalism, we gave her the chance to tape a recap of the evening.
Not bad for a four-year-old, huh?
This is Lindsay Goodwin, reporting live from the Goodwin household. See you tomorrow!
Yesterday I wrote a long post about how much I love and appreciate Lindsay, and somehow I lost it in the saving process. As such, I dont have much to say on our anniversary other than I love me wife with all of my heart, and she inspires me every day to follow closer to Christ.
I did want to recap our holiday shenanigans real quick for historical purposes. The Christmas festivities began on December 23rd, with the Burke family at our house. We had dinner at Cracker Barrel (with Pop in tow since he had met with Kyle for some loan paperwork). That night we opened presents, and Ruby and Burke thoroughly enjoyed themselves:
After the kids went to bed, we played a new game called "Quelf" and then headed to bed. The following morning (Christmas Eve) we had brunch at IHOP and got the house ready for the Goodwin family to arrive. We had an all-apetizer dinner per my suggestion, and I think that it was a success. The kids got some cookies ready for Santa and were off to bed:
The next morning (Christmas Day) we opened gifts with everyone, and got to watch Jordan propose to Megan (see Lindsay's earlier post).
Lindsay also made a wonderful breakfast for everyone, which we got to enjoy on our new-ish dining room table with snow all over over deck:
Later on we went to Indianapolis to visit the Goodwins more and Terre Haute to visit the Burkes more. Last night we rang in the new year here at home, and tonight we got to go to Texas Roadhouse to celebrate our 6th anniversary. Tomorrow we hope to watch the Colts make it to the playoffs. Then on Tuesday I'm back to work. It's been a great vacation and time with our families. We love them all very much, and it's been nice to have quality time with them.
My 2010 summer vacation is spinning down, and I thought that I would provide a recap of what we did...
It started on Friday evening. We drove down to Terre Haute to visit Lindsay's parents. We had dinner at the usual Olive Garden, and Lindsay and I went to watch Salt. It was a pretty decent movie for anyone that likes action and suspense. We spent Saturday in TH as well. That night Lindsay's father and I went to Lincoln Park Speedway in Putnamville to watch the races. It was actually a lot more interesting than I imagined. There was a USAC sprint car race that I would actually go back to watch again. Other than that it was mostly what I like to call "ghetto Nascar". On Sunday we went the Lindsay's childhood church.
That afternoon we drove to Indianapolis to see my family. After the kids went to bed, Lindsay and I went to see Inception. It was extremely complex, but it was actually one of my favorite movies I've seen in awhile. On Monday, we went with Gigi to swin at the Sahm Aquatic Center. The kids and us had a blast with Gigi. On Tuesday we decided at the last minute to take the kids to the Indianapolis Children's Museum. They had features on Barbie and dinosaurs, and Ruby absolutely loved both of them. Burke didn't seem to care as much, but he was pleasant nonetheless.
That night we headed back to Lafayette to have a day at home. We swam in the pool at the Faith Community Center and put the kids to bed afterwards. On Wednesday Lindsay and the kids went to swim again with Sarah and Addai. I relaxed by going to Best Buy, eating McDonalds and working on stuff for my web development business, Red Leaf Media. That night we headed back to Terre Haute because Lindsay's mom had arranged childcare for the kids on both Thursday and Friday.
We decided to go to Kings Island on Thursday, and we had a blast! The weather cooperated quite well, with it staying relatively cool most of the day. We got to ride all of the rides that we like, and more importantly we got to spend a whole day together without the kids. It was a nice getaway. That night we at dinner at Texas Roadhouse...something we enjoy doing when we're allowed to have peanuts!
Friday was a pretty relaxing day. We slept in really late at the hotel. Then we ate lunch at an great restaurant called Five Guys. It's like Penn Station for hamburgers. Apparently there is one here in West Lafayette. We'll definitely have to go there some time. The only downside is that they serve peanuts and use peanut oil. So it will have to be on our list of date restaurants. Later that day I got my hair cut back into my old "fade" style. I'm liking it so far. We closed off the day with dinner at Ruby Tuesday in Terre Haute, and helped Nana and Papa put the kids to sleep.
And that brings us to Saturday. We didn't really do much today other than watch movies. We watched Night at the Museum I and II both. Ruby seemed to get a kick out of them after visiting the Children's museum.
Tomorrow we plan to round out the vacation with good times at church. All in all it's been a great vacation!
Tomorrow will mark the "official" start of something new and exciting in the Burke family. Kyle and Kim Burke will be opening their brand new sign company, Eight38 Sign Company, here in Lafayette, IN along with their friends and business partners, Jarred and Shannon Mathis. They are having a ribbon cutting ceremony with the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce tomorrow. They all seem very excited to step out on this journey together, and we are all excited for them. Good luck guys! I hope that God blesses your business more than you can even imagine.
Happy New Year, everyone! We've had two full weeks of family, friendship, food, and fun. :) I hope your holidays have been wonderful, as well. I haven't uploaded all of our Christmas pictures, so I don't really have a recap, but it was good. :)
Yesterday was our fifth anniversary. We spent Thursday and Friday nights at the Downtown Marriot in Indianapolis. It was incredibly relaxing. The kids stayed with Pop and Gigi (and Aunt Megan), and I'm gathering that they had a great time. When we picked them up today, Ruby was absolutely not pleased that she had to come home with us. ;)
I don't have a lot to write about right now. I'm sure a Recap of 2009 will show up soon. Traditionally, Mike has done that post. We'll see if he does it again this year. :)
I don't have a lot to share, but I wanted to jump on here and let you all know that we got the results of Burke's EEG. Everything turned out to be completely normal, and we couldn't be more thankful. :) Burke has got a few more appointments and tests this month, and we'll keep you all updated. Thanks for your prayers and support!
See you soon!
Burke finally seems to have taken to talking. He said "DaDa" no less than 100 times today. It made me really proud to be his father. Needless to say...his affection for "MaMa" is much more apparent from his actions.
When I was a tweenager, I loved to look at keychains and imagine buying them. I especially loved the keychains with witty sayings. With all the experience of my 14 or 15 years, I was incredibly amused by phrases like, "Looking for your cat? Check under my tires." And my favorite, which I found on numerous different keychains, was, "You! Get out of the gene pool!"
By the time I actually reached the age where I needed a keychain, I had matured...obviously. I was ready for more civilized and refined keychains. At one point, I had a plastic red fish-shaped keychain. Another time, I carried around a Mitsubishi keychain to match my Mitsubishi Eclipse. For my 21st birthday, my mom and dad gave me a silver keychain in the shape of a heart. It was inlaid with faux red gemstones.
I still have all three of those keychains floating around here somewhere. Each one of them is tied to a specific memory (or set of memories), and, for some reason, I can't bear to let them go.
Today, I got a new keychain.
It's not pretty. It's not fancy. It doesn't have a witty saying, and it's certainly not silver.
It's just an old, plastic keychain with a generic logo on the front that says, "Auto Repair Service."
I doubt it's worth any money at all, but it's value is indescribable.
If you turn this keychain over, you will see that it is inscribed with the name of a business, an address, and a phone number. The location and contact information is out of date, and the name of the business has even changed a bit. However, this keychain was one of the first promotional materials distributed by my family's business.
Several years ago, my Grandma Ruby died, and my Aunt Judy became the new owner/occupant of her house. Since Grandma Ruby was a packrat, there are still remnants of her belongings in the house. Aunt Judy found two of these keychains recently.
When she brought them out today, my heart stood still. I know that my Grandma Ruby touched this keychain at some point. There is even a slight possiblity that my Grandpa Shorty (who died when my dad was 10) might have touched this keychain.
Maybe these were printed up during the opening week of the Burke Spring Shop. Maybe these were printed up for the 1st anniversary. Maybe they were printed up for the 5 or 10 year anniversary.
I'm not sure. But I know that my grandma thought these were worth keeping. She tucked them away, because they meant something to her.
Because of that, it means something to me.
I miss her so bad sometimes. I think of her every single day, when I look into the beautiful face of my own little Ruby.
Most days, it's a fond remembrance. Some days, it's a sad longing. And other days...
Well, other days it is a deep mourning. On days like today, when I walk into the shop and see her picture on the walls, I want so badly to hug my grandma. On days like today, when my dad stands behind the counter of the business that my grandmother saved and holds my precious little boy, I want so badly to drive down the road to Grandma's house and let Burke play with her. On days like today, when I hold something in my hand that I know she once held, I find my heart aching as if I'd just lost her yesterday.
Today, I miss my Grandma. I miss her so much. I wish she could see the woman I've become and the woman I'm still trying to become. I wish she could see my love for words...it has grown beyond a rousing game of Scrabble. I wish she could meet my husband, and I wish he could laugh and tell her thank you for introducing him to Yahtzee. I wish she could hold my daughter and have Little Debbie cakes waiting on the counter for her. I wish she could see Burke's big goofy smile and take joy in his existence.
Today, I'm longing for Heaven just a little bit. I'm longing to be Home with all of my family.
Because today...I miss my Grandma.
Do you like us? Well? Do ya? Do ya?
Love Mercy
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