Casa Burbank @ Christmas

Remember the first tour?

Of course, Karen’s decor did not disappoint this time around. It even smells like orange peel and cinnamon all day.

The girlies are enjoying the toys and Mike and I have been savoring our time with his family. Just this morning we all lost a game of Saved By Zero to Papa John.

More photos to follow, of course!

To those of you staying at our house while we’re gone… sorry about the tub. I tried. Also, don’t be alarmed by the rodeo cowboy. He was there when we moved in.

Readers, do the giant pictures bother you? I just can’t make up my mind.

Otra Vez

Yesterday I turned 26 again.

(Being a year older has obviously not made me more mature.)

I am in denial.

Leave me alone.

I’m trying to cope!

I pluck the silver hairs that glitter between my dark brown ones.

I find myself trying to smooth out my smile lines and forever furrowed brow.

I threaten to put Botox on my wish list.

These are things I do on a daily basis.

Still, yesterday was fun.

I got calls, texts, and emails from loved ones wishing me a happy birthday. My sister-in-law fed me a Godiva chocolate cheesecake that was in her words, “to g’die for.” She was right, by the way.

Here’s to another great year with my sweet husband and pretty little girlies.

Three

Three years ago today I gave birth to twin girls.

Twins.

It still blows my mind I carried two babies at the the same time.

That was the first peek we had at my uterus. I saw two little beans as soon as my doctor put that ultrasound thing on my belly. I thought he was joking and then I cried. I was terrified of not being able to carry the babies to term. I think at one point I asked the doctor for that procedure where the cervix gets stitched shut so the babies wouldn’t come out too soon. He said no. Yeah, so I guess you could say I was paranoid.

We told my mom about the babies that evening and she cried, too.

We waited until we were in Washington to tell Mike’s family the news. My sisters-in-law were so sweet. I remember lots of “awwws” (as in “we’re happy for you but feel a little sorry for you, too”) and hugs.

A month before the babies were born my mom and grandma threw me a huge baby shower. Our family, friends, and coworkers were so incredibly generous. We didn’t have to buy diapers for a year and didn’t have to buy wipes for two years. We had dozens of pairs of baby shoes, mountains of clothes. I get emotional just thinking about how wonderful people were to us.

The pregnancy was difficult and I was in the hospital three times for early contractions. I had a rash near the end of the pregnancy that was just AWFUL. I practically begged my doctor to take the babies out, I itched SO BAD. I’m grateful, though that except for a rash and contractions, my pregnancy was uneventful.

Friday, December 14th, we went to the hospital to have our babies. I cried (are you seeing a pattern?) when they gave me the spinal block as my mom held me and whispered “You are so amazing” in my ear. The delivery went by so quickly I remember only a little. I remember Mike sitting by my head. I remember when they took Aubrey out it felt like they’d taken out a ton of bricks. I could breathe! I was shocked to see how light her hair was. I don’t remember when they took Ayla out or what I was thinking when I saw her. Bummer.

Mike and I have discussed this many times. My labor with Brooklyn was so long and drawn out that we had time to adjust and ease into the whole “It’s no longer just the two of us” thing. With the twins, we crammed a day’s worth of emotions into a half an hour. It feels like being punched in the stomach. In a good way of course.

[sigh] My husband is so cute.

Anyway, so here we are three years later.

These girls bring so much to our lives. Although they’ve certainly scared us out of trying for just one more. (We were told that statistically we had very high chances of having multiples again.) Given all that, we adore them and look forward to watching them grow up to be awkward tweens, apathetic teenagers and then one day, amazing wives and mothers.

Thanks to those who came to the little party last night. The girlies had a blast.

Ayla & Aubrey, we love you to pieces!

Not Bad.

Especially for a little girl who takes such funny pictures. (See below for the montage that is sure to make her hate me. I’m a mean mother, aren’t I?)

Also, doesn’t her hair look like Andy Dwyer’s?

These are just within the last few months. You should see the newborn pictures I have of her. SUCH funny faces.

We Have Bad Luck

(particularly with home improvement projects like this one)

A few months ago I came up with a fabulous idea. Since our insurance company was giving us money to get a new shed (remember the hail storm?), we decided to not just get one but two. The concrete slab for the shed space is 10 x 14 so I got two 10 x 6 sheds: one for garden stuff, one for storage. We wanted to put them side by side so the doors would face the rest of the yard. Sears was having some great promotions and I ended up getting two free floor kits and free shipping which came out to about $450 in savings. Yeah, I was feelin’ pretty good about myself.

I should know by now that when things seem to be going perfectly, they’ll go horribly wrong.

On the Saturday before Thanksgiving, we tore down our old shed.

Yes, that’s my husband standing underneath the falling metal roof. Smart.

Two words come to mind when I look at the picture above. The dead grass, the junk in the yard…I can’t say them here because I don’t know who I would be offending. But really, you must know.

[Isn’t our neighbor’s yellowing pecan tree BRILLIANT?!]

Anyway, we got the shed disassembled and took it to the recycling place the following week. We got a whole $5 for it. WOO HOO.

The next day when Mike went to assemble the new sheds he realized the doors of the sheds were not on the 6 ft side, but the 10 ft side. This really bummed me out. So now instead of the two doors of the shed facing the rest of the yard, one would face the house, the other the giant pine tree at the back of the yard. Not exactly convenient.

When I called Sears about returning the sheds, they insisted I pay to ship them back because it wasn’t their fault that the product description was INCOMPLETE or that the picture on the website makes it look like the doors are on the shorter side of the shed. Our local Sears agreed to let us return them there--thank goodness--but now we have no shed because everything I’ve seen that might work is out of stock.

We packed our junk (which we pared down HUGE) together on the concrete slab and covered it with a blue tarp just in time for our dry little corner of Texas to get rain and snow. If junk under a blue tarp doesn’t scream those two words, I don’t know what does.

Thank You. Thank You. Thank You. (And Welcome!)

Just wanted to drop in and tell everyone thank you for leaving such sweet comments on this blog and on Lyndsay Johnson’s. It really means so much that you read all those words and that you cared enough to tell me you enjoyed them! It makes all that queasiness worth it.

Also, welcome to my new blogging buddies! So glad to meet you.

On a completely different subject and for some laughs--

Aubrey was sick a few weeks ago and sounded like a gremlin. She may not like that… so maybe like a cute lil frog. I must share. Please excuse her hair, her lack of pants, and the mess behind her. It was taken during the floor fiasco. You may need to turn your speakers up.

Froggy Aubrey from Christina Rushton on Vimeo.

Lashing Through The Snow

 

By the way, the title up there is how Aubrey starts “Jingle Bells.” Cracks us up. Oh, and she is wearing a nightgown over her pajamas.

 

P.S. I’m featured on Lyndsay’s blog today.