Introducing...

Madelyn Grace Burns!

As most of you know by now, we are the soon-to-be proud parents of a baby girl! We couldn't be happier. Sorry this is coming so late, but I know all of you are more interested in pictures than anything coming out of my mouth. So, I'm shutting up. Please meet our little girl Madelyn Grace.

She is as healthy as can be. At the time of the ultrasound (11/11/10) all of her measurements put her right at 18 weeks just like we thought. That means we're at 20 weeks now - halfway there! She's got long legs (like her momma) and her mouth is constantly moving (like her daddy). Actually, she is constantly moving. All those, um, gastrointestinal movements I thought I was experiencing was actually Madelyn working on her tae-bo. We've got one healthy active baby.

I never knew how magical it is to feel your baby move. Being the worrier that I am, I sometimes worry that I might have done something to hurt her. You know, ate one piece of candy too many, stretched too far, lifted too much. And right about that time, I feel her move and all is well. Thanks for that God.

Oh yes, I registered this past weekend. Target and Babies R Us. Nothing subliminal here. Just passing on information. :-)

To wrap it up, here is the 20 week Baby Burns Bump update.

Happy Thanksgiving!





14 Weeks and Counting!

Well, we seem to have settled into some sort of a routine for the most part. The new church plant is going really well. Today was our official launch day and we had 120 people! Phillip is helping out on the sound team and I was able to help with the 4-6 year olds today. I have to be honest, when I heard that there were 11 in the nursery I was happy to be with an older group. I think one little munchkin is going to be plenty! Anyway, we're excited to be reaching this growing community that is just full of families and look forward to all that God has planned for this church. Pray for Phillip as he will be starting a new small group in the upcoming weeks. We have no idea who will be a part of this group but we know God will bring them!

As far as work goes, both of our jobs are going smoothly. Phillip has a boss who respects him and recognizes his efforts. I am meshing well with my new team and seem to be handling my cases just fine. I often think of how blessed we are that God provided us with these jobs at just the right time.

Now for the part everyone is truly interested in! We went for our 14 week check-up on Thursday and Baby Burns has a good strong heartbeat at 155. The "old wives" say that means a girl but we'll find that part out for sure in 4 weeks. For now, momma and baby are very healthy and that's all we need.

I made my first maternity clothing purchase today. I needed a pair of jeans. All my other regular clothes fit just fine, but the jeans...well, they were just getting a little tight. So, in honor of all the cute maternity clothes out there, this will be this blog's Baby Burns Bump update. I have to say, the little elastic belly is extremely comfortable!

I think Molly felt the picture needed a little character.

Finally, we're moving to a bigger apartment on Saturday and I am so excited! It's going to be the greatest move we've ever made. One, because we're only moving about 100 yards so it should go quickly. Two, because I am not allowed to lift anything. Being pregnant has some wonderful perks! Actually, the real reason I am excited is because I can start working on the nursery! Not to say that being in our little apartment has stopped us from getting started. Last weekend, for instance, we bought this. Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce Gorty.

Thank you again Molly for making the picture just a little more interesting.

Gorty is very comfortable.

We figure that all 9'8" of him will fill up the nursery so we won't have to buy another stuffed animal...ever!

We also figure that Gorty is multi-function toy. Not only does he operate as a boppy, a bed, and a cuddly toy, but he can also be used to teach colors and counting. Perfect!

But if Baby doesn't like Gorty, Phillip says he's sleeping with us. Hmmm.

Burns Lately...

Well, it's been a while and this blog will probably soon turn into all things baby, so it's time to get caught up. Since our kayaking trip, life stayed pretty much normal. Work, play with Jonas, hang out with friends, go to church.

Then, BAM! Changes!


Change #1

The first big event was Phillip getting baptized. He was saved when he was 16, but had just never followed through with baptism. I am so proud of him and his desire to obey God.

Change #2

Then, we both got new jobs right around the same time. I now work for Citigroup in anti money laundering and Phillip is driving school buses for Manatee County. We are so blessed to have these jobs and thank God for providing. It's nice to not only be able to meet our needs, but also have a little wiggle room at the end of the month.

Change #3

The day I found out that I was hired, Phillip got me a new puppy so Jonas now has a sister.  Dear world, meet Molly. 

Change #4

Our church, West Bradenton Baptist Church, has an awesome opportunity to serve our county and is launching a new campus in Parrish, a town just north of here. Phillip and I are privileged to be able to help with this new campus and are excited about getting plugged in. Services for North River Church start this Sunday!

Change #5

As if life wasn't already getting crazy enough, we also just found out that we'll be adding a new member to this family in April! Baby Burns is 12 weeks today and is due on April 12!

(Baby Burns at 8 weeks.)

Oh, by the way, I discovered today that I am starting to get a baby bump. It's little, but it's there!

Kayaking Expedition

This summer, we decided it might be fun to take up kayaking. We had tried a tandem kayak once before on our honeymoon, but, well, let's just say that didn't turn out well. I suppose we're gluttons for punishment, but we wanted to give it another go, so one day we visited Economy Tackle in Sarasota. The salesman there was extremely helpful. He explained the differences in the kayaks - turns out there all kinds of kayaks at all kinds of prices. It also turns out that kayakers like to call tandem kayaks "D-boats" - short for "divorce boats." Based on our honeymoon experience, I would say they're not far off.

Anyway, a few weeks ago, we rented a couple kayaks (notice I said two - NOT a tandem) and took a trip around Neville Marine Preserve in Sarasota. We started in a lagoon, made our way out to the Intracoastal Waterway, circled around the preserve, and came back. All in all, we went about 3 miles and it took about 2.5 hours...AND WE LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT.

There is something so calming, so freeing about being out in open waters like that. The fish jumping all around you. The total absence of civilization. Just you and God's creation. In all the craziness of our lives, it was nice to get away from the traffic and the noise and the crowds.

Notice that the only things you can see are the trees, the sky, the water, and us. Almost total isolation. No one else around except the occasional fellow kayaker. 

It. Was. Wonderful.

Not long into our trip, we decided to take a bit of a detour into what we knew would be a dead end. But hey, that's what you do when you're on an adventure.

Meet the Dead End. All that brush-looking growth is a maze of mangroves with little tunnels weaved throughout. In other parts of the county, these tunnels are big enough that you can actually go through them, but nothing bigger than a kayak will fit. I've been told that the groves seem like they are moving because of all the wildlife in them. Yes, we will definitely be trying that next.

As I said, just us and God's creation.

Another perk of this particular trail is this little sight. Small airport? No. Abandoned office space? Guess again. This terminal-esque building is the home of none other than the author Stephen King. Rather unimpressive and non-foreboding for a mystery writer, don't you agree?

Before I go, I must leave you with this little number.

For more pictures, check out my Facebook album.

By the way, in case you were wondering, it is perfectly acceptable for you to buy kayaks for us for Christmas.

Until next time,

Cyndi

Welcome...

...to our life and our blog and everything you didn't want to know about us. I have been pondering the idea of a blog for a while, but so far my husband is the only thing in my life to which I have successfully committed. Which means, I tend to start things and then quit. But, here goes.

My vision for this blog is to capture all the things we enjoy doing and share them here, along with the occasional rant. Since we're living so far away from everything we've ever known and aren't likely to move back "home" anytime in the near future, I also hope that it will be a way to keep family and friends involved in our life.

But let's be honest, this blog might attract a whopping 2 followers, so really it's just going to be my creative outlet. And that's OK with me.

Love,
Cyndi

P.S. Stay tuned for pictures of our recent kayaking adventure.