Christmas

The girls loved to play with the Nativity. Who knew that Stawberry Shortcake and Belle were there with the wisemen.

On Christmas Eve we went to the Green's house to Celebrate our friends Birthday. The girls ate all the treats they could possibly want! Lucky for us they crashed pretty hard by the time we got the home!

Before opening presents the girls put on their new slippers! That was the first thing... get comfy and warm then open gifts.

The girls were excited to see what was in their stockings. Daphnee pulled out the orange and looked at it then chucked it. She had that look like... Are you kidding me? Really? An Orange? We got a pretty good laugh out of that.

Daphnee is obsessed with chapstick so we got some lipsmackers. I think she has already gone through one tube. She puts it on every 5 seconds.

The girls liked the gifts from Aunt Susie and Uncle Ken! Thanks so much~

Russ's stash

McKaylee's Stash

Daphnee's Stash

My stash!

Daphnee got some awesome dress up clothes. Doesn't she look like a fashionista!

The girls were being very quiet and this is what we found! Aren't they gorgeous? Doesn't the purple really bring out their eyes? Kaylee was "putting on Make- up" like mommy. Some of her markers look like my eyeliner! We love non- washable markers at our house! It only took 2 times in the tub to get it all off.

Next, It was my turn to get beautified! McKaylee is really getting good at making us all look presentable.

Daddy's turn!

Our Christmas day was so fun. We loved spending the time just lounging around and having no plans!

We were very blessed this year. We wish all of you the best New Year to come!

Graduate!

Millions of tears shed ( mostly mine)

1000 pages read

1000 hours spent on reading,homework, projects, midterms, Finals.

$$$$ spent on Books

Too many headaches

39 credit hours

26+ Papers Written

20 power points put together

13 Professors

4.0 GPA maintained throughout program

3 professional conferences attended

3 scholarships awarded

2 forgettful minds

1 lost assignment( never has been found)

1 internship

1 practicum

1 parking ticket ( received 2 weeks before end of school)

1 Masters Degree..... Priceless!

Now bring on the next challenge.... being parents of 3 little girls!

Please Click the link below the view Russ walking across the stage!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtJUGPSDcVQ

Liar Liar

Saturday Russ and I had to sit McKaylee down and talk to her about lying. I stepped out of the room for a minute and this is the conversation that took place.

R: McKaylee it isn't nice to lie you should always tell the truth.

M: Ok, Dad you are not beautiful

R: McKaylee that isn't nice to say

M: You told me not to lie!

What a little smartie pants! I just laughed. I told Russ it was about time she said something about him because apparently I am the one with the big bum. What will McKaylee come up with next?

Crazy!

I have never really thought that Mckaylee resembled me.... until I found this picture of me when I was the same age as her. Isn't that crazy! We have the same nose, smile, and hair! What cute little girlies!

What I LOVE about the fall

What I love the most about Autumn.......





Pumpkin decorating or carving!

Pumkin Patches.

Taking the girls Trick or Treating!

Cute Costumes!

Sweaters! Sweaters! Sweaters! Did I mention Sweaters yet?

The color of the changing leaves.

The smell of Halloween ( Russ says that he has no idea what I am talking about, but I know there are those out there that know exactly what I am talking about)

Colder Weather

Knowing that I get to see my family in Approx. 18 days!

Everything about Thanksgiving Day.

Pumkin pie, Pumkin Chocolate Chip Cookies, Pumkin Roll.... Umm almost anything Pumpkin.

The thought of Russ's Graduation in a month and a half!

This Day in History

2007 - Marion Jones gives up 5 olympic medals after admitting to using performance enhancing drugs
2003- Arnold Schwarzenegger elected Governor of California
2001- SAS Flight 686 crashes near Milao-Linate, 114 Killed
1998- House of Representatives approges impeachment inquiry of President Clinton
1995- Dolphins Dan Marino breaks Tarkenton's NFL career completions
1992-Nobel Prize for literature is given to West Indies poet Derek Walcott
1989- Oakland beats Toronto, 4-3 in games to advance to World Series
1988- Fire in Seattles Space Needles causes evacuations, $2000 in damages
1986- Keilie Fran Burrell passed away
1983- Ashlee Burrell is Born
1981- President Reagan greeded predecessor Jimmy Carter, Gerald R. Ford, and Richared Nixon before sending them to Egypt for Anwar Sadat's funeral
1980- Bob Marley collapses on Stage
1978- Ken Warby set world waterspeed record at 319.627 MPH
1971- John Lennon releases his mega hit " Imagine"
1961 - U.S. Constellation crashes at Richmond ,Va 74 Die
1961- Whitey Ford breaks Babe Ruth's world series record of 29 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings, running his streak to 32
1960- Bobby Richardson hit a world series grand slammer
1958- Dr. Ake Senning installs 1st pacemaker in Stockholm
1935- Ozzie Nelson marries Harriet Hilliard ( Ozzie and Harriet)
1934- Bruno Hauptmann is indicted for muder of Lindbergh's son
1927- NY Yankees sweep Pirates in 24th world series
1906- Karl Hessler demonstrates 1st "permanent wave" for hair in London
1886- Start of Sherlock Holmes adventure "Noble Bachelor"
1873- 1st woman prison run by women opens ar Indiana Reformatory Institute
1860- telegraph line between L.A. and San Fransisco opens
1835 HMS Beagle and Charles Darwin reach james inland, Galapagos Archipelago
1818- 2 English boxers are 1st of use padded gloves
1775- Officers devide to bar slaves and free blacks from Contintental Army
1604- SuperNova "Keplers Nova" 1st sighted
1492- Columbus' fleet about 400 sea miles from Puerto Rico.

Thanks to Katie for this idea!

Ode to the Netti Pot

For the past week I have had a cold with a wicked stuffy nose. I thought that I was getting over it because I could finally blow my nose and the nasal passage would be clear for about 2 min and then it would clog up again. Last night I had had it so I used the Netti Pot. I saw it used on Oprah and we bought it a while ago. If you don't know how it work you fill it up with warm water and add a salt mixture to it. Then you stick the spout up one nostril lean forward and the water fills up for sinus cavity and drains out the other nostril. It stung just a little bit at first but it was nice to feel the salt working it's magic. When the water runs out you pretty much blow your nose and you should feel relief, and man did I feel it. I totally recommend this product to anyone with allergies or non stuffy noses. It works wonders! I love my Netti Pot!

Daphnee's Birthday

Picture collage created with Smilebox

When you hit the play button and the collage come up you need to click on the boxes at the bottom to bring up the next picture... Just FYI

So the story about the cake.... You know the people that were born with the talents of being creative and everything they touch turns out perfectly.... You know who you are Katie, Stephanie! Anyhow I saw this cake and thought that looks easy enough so I will make it.... As you can see from the collage it didn't turn out like I wanted. I had to cry about it but then what can you do... buy a cake from walmart and call it good.

For shizzle?

As many of you know I was pretty much 99.9% sure I was having a boy. I was so excited thinking of having a cute little boy around that looks just like Russ. Everything told me that I was having a boy. All the morning sickness was completely different than with the girls. It was even more intense. I got migraines and all in all I just knew it was a boy. I even had a feeling of what the name should be but I don't want to say because I don't want anyone to steal it in case by some miracle I have a boy. Anyhow I was convinced it was a boy. I would imagine that I was in getting the sonogram and I would hear that I was having a girl and the sadness that I would feel. I would get anxiety and I had to tell myself to knock it off I was just freaking myself out. I took the intelligender test just for fun( Don't do it). I didn't think it was 100% right but I just wanted to say that I have tried it. When I took it twice I got the same answer twice. It was a BOY! I couldn't believe it. I took the chinese Baby Gender Test and it told me that I was having a girl and I just totally disregarded that, what do they know right! Anyhow the day of the sonogram comes. We get into the room and I told the Tech that we wanted to hear that this kids had some boy parts and we wouldn't take anything less. He went through the motions of checking the head, heart and placenta. All was fine and then..... " Sorry guys... It's a girl". I was floored " Are you serious" I can say that I was distraught for about 2 days. I know this is something that will probably come back to bite me in the butt, but I thought that I knew for a fact that I was having a boy. I was so ready. I felt so deflated. I felt like I had the felt the spirit confirm to me the name that we had chosen for him but I guess it wasn't meant to be. I went to the temple and felt the spirit so strongly and I know that this little girl is meant to be in our family. I love sisters and I am so glad that my girls will get to experience life with sisters the way that I did. So I would like to introduce all of you to the 10 oz little girl Austen Paige Wilsterman. We can't wait until she is here!

What a bum!

The other day I was wearing some Aeropostal workout pants. On the bum of the pants it says AERO. McKaylee comes up behind me and starts poking me and reciting the ABC's.

Me: McKaylee there isn't the whole alphabet on my bum

Kaylee: Yes there is.. ABCD.....

Me: McKaylee if there was the whole alphabet on my bum then my bum would be big

Kaylee: But mommy your bum is big!

Oh the honesty! Don't you just love it~!

What's Happening!

Here are the first pics of my ever growing stomach. Only 175 more days to go!

Dallas Zoo!

Okay you see how cute she looks and her huge grin! Scroll down until she is on the elephant! She doesn't look as happy!

When we were looking at the turtles they weren't moving at all and McKaylee said, " Let's go they aren't on." We had to tell her that they were real and the turtles are very slow.

Here is the picture that I mentioned above. She looks half asleep. This was towards the end of the zoo and we were all hot, tired and hungry! She chooses not to hide her emotions.

I am pretty lucky. I have been a part of a new beauty secret. This helps your legs look even more beautiful than they were before!

I taught McKaylee the I love you sign. When you ask her what it means she says, " I love my daddy"

McKaylee turned 3 at the end of June. She got a birthday card in the mail from Grandpa and Grandma Burrell. When she opened the envelope she screamed, " A picture" then she had to put it in a place where everyone would be sure to see it! She was so proud of it.

We caught a burglar in our house! Doesn't she look scary?

Basketball anyone?

Last but not least I took the intelligender test and it said that I was having a boy! I hope it is right I will get to find out when my sister is here visiting from Utah! I will keep y'all updated!