My Boys

I love these guys

Yeah...I'm Southern

I moved to the south almost 8 years ago. Since arriving I've noticed a few of the quirky phrases they use down here have slowly been creeping into my vocabulary. In honor of my brother Vinnie moving to Texas (psshhh, whatever!) I thought I'd share a few with all of you to better prepare him for what he is about to encounter. In short these are some "translations" that may come in handy.

Y'all - "You guys"..."people"..."dudes"..."YO!"

This is by far the most used phrase and the one I adapted to rather quickly. People in the south, particularly women, do not respond well to dudes or you guys. They either ignore you completely or look at you like your nuts. Some of them will humor you but it is mildly offensive to your typical southern belle to be referred to as a dude or guy.

Fixin' to - (verb) "I'm going to..."

Abruptly after I arrived, my Aunt forbid me from using this one and for the most part I've successfully avoided it, my boys, Kolby in particular, will occasionally whip this one out. It makes me giggle every time.

Bless her heart - There really is no English translation for this one, it is pretty exclusively... southern. It is a phrase your typical southerner will whip out during a gossip session to make themselves not look quite so nasty. For example: "Did you see what she was wearin' in church last week? Bless her heart!"
Sometimes no explanation or gossip is even present at the time, they may just see someone in the distance who has had a found themselves in an unfortunate predicament and the "sweet" southern women will just let a "Bless their heart" fly.

Fussin' - "bugging me"..."whining"..."yelling or complaining" "Why are you fussin' at me?"

I'm guilty of this using this one a lot simply because I'm a Mom and that is part of the job description. My kids are always fussin' at me.

I'm gonna wear you out! - "I'm going to kick your butt!"..."Your about to get a spankin'"
Typically this one follows the previous statement. Again, as a mother this one flies around my house quite a bit.

I'll tell you what - "In my opinion"..."I think"
Steve uses this one more than me, it is usually used to add emphasis before a heavily opinionated statement is about to be made.

Whoop around - U-turn.
Simple enough, but still good to know. We don't make U-turns in the south we do a "whoop around". Also when getting directions from a southerner you need to know that they don't use street names or distances "You go up this here road for about 2 minutes and then yer gonna wanna make a left at the Waffle House", they use landmarks, not street names and distance is measured in minutes.

High - "expensive" "That restaurant is high."
Never heard that one until I moved here.

I've slept since then - "I forgot"..."You can't honestly expect me to remember"
This one makes me laugh because it exemplifies how transparent southerners can be.

Ink Pen - "pen"
The reason they put the 'ink' first is because they say pen like pin. They have to have a way to differentiate between the two.

Buggy - "shopping cart"
I have no idea where this came from but it is kinda cute.

I hate to pull the tick off yer dog - "I hate to disappoint you"
My good friend Deb whipped this one out. I laughed SO hard because she is the least likely person for that phrase to be heard from.

Dumber than a box of rocks - self-explanatory.
Usually followed by a "bless her heart".

Want in one hand…spit in the other…see which one fills up first - "Not likely"..."Keep wishing"
I've never used this one but I'm eager to give it a try.

Yankee Biscuit - That would be a bagel.

Wally-World - Wal-Mart
That's where you go on a Friday night when there is nothin' else ta do.

Coke - "carbonated soft drink"
Regardless of the flavor it's a coke. Southerners drink it at 8:00 in the morning!

Sweet Tea - Iced tea with a ridiculous amount of sugar added, seriously...A LOT of sugar!! It is the main beverage here in the south, it is appropriate any time of day and they start drinking it when they're about two years old.

Baby Bella

This week I've been blessed with the opportunity to take care of this precious little peanut for my friend. It has been about 5 years since I've had a baby this age around and I was worried about wether or not I'd lost my touch. Before I go any further I need to take into account that 'Bella' is and exceptionally pleasant and easy baby to take care of, none the less I felt pretty good about my experience today. Some highlights...

1. I'd completely forgotten the DEEP satisfaction in getting a baby to nap. Seriously, I felt quite accomplished each time she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. I did it! Then I felt compelled to do some housework....that's the weirdest part because I rarely feel compelled to do housework.

2. Changing diapers is like riding a bike. I am happy to report that I can still change a diaper in about 9 seconds flat. Please take into account that I've had about 8 years of experience in this area so don't beat yourself up too badly.

3. There is no sweeter sound than a baby giggle, again deep sense of pride and satisfaction each time I cracked her up. Granted, had I seen a video of myself as I made goofy faces and danced around like a dork I'm sure I might feel a little bit differently about that.

4. I love to watch my sons go all gooey each time she smiled at them. Weslee could barely tear himself away from her.

5. Being spit-up on still doesn't alarm or disgust me, I'm still wearing the same stinky, spit-up sweatshirt and I have no intention of changing it anytime soon.

6. Driving with a baby in the car makes me a more cautious and defensive driver. Why is that? My kids are just as fragile but somehow I was more nervous with an infant in the vehicle.

I can't wait until Bella gets here tomorrow! I'm sure I'll have a few more revelations to share with y'all as the week progresses.

Spring Break

A ridiculous excuse for a bridge!

Some of the locals

For spring break this year Grandpa Bob decided to kidnap all our kids and take them down to Gulf Shores for a little beach time leaving Steve and I to PART-AY! We were immediately overwhelmed by the possibilities. After much debating we decided to not stray too far from home. So, we headed for the Smokey Mountains for some hiking.

It snowed the first day so we hung out in the hot tub in our little chalet and headed down into the cute little town of Gatlinburg and had dinner at Bubba Gump's. Day two was sunny and gorgeous so after we discussed the possibilities we decided to hit the trails. When we were loading up in the car to head out I noticed that the passenger side door was covered in muddy paw prints. Upon closer examination we determined that they were from a bear or bears who were jonesin for some of our fig newtons on the front seat. Yikes!

Ramsey Cascades is where we headed. It is an 8 mile round trip hike that climbs over 2,000 feet...the entire hike is literally uphill...in the snow. We had to cross two teeny-weeny "bridges" (I use that term loosely because it was a tree trunk cut in half with some sticks nailed to ONE side to give you something to hold onto as you crossed...did I mention said "bridge" was also covered in ice and hovering about 12 feet over a rushing river filled with jagged rocks) as we climbed higher the snow got higher too. Needless to say we were exhausted by the time we got back to our car and made good use of the hot tub upon our return. On our way to dinner we saw a black bear walking up the neighbors driveway! Steve jumped out to take some pictures while I waited and prayed in the car that they didn't eat him.

The next day we did a 5 mile hike that lead to a beautiful waterfall that you could walk behind. We encountered 3 more bears on this hike who were foraging for some goodies in the woods. They ignored all of us as we snapped some pictures. They were very cute! It was an awesome week and so good to reconnect without our kids. Thanks Grandpa Bob!

Burtnett's Across America

Yosemite

The Redwoods

Mount Rushmore

San Francisco

After talking about it for the last few years we've decided that this is the year that we will trek across the U.S. to check out this great country we live in. The kids all seem to be an appropriate age and we're not getting any younger. We'll be making our first stops in St. Louis and then onto Mt Rushmore. We plan to hit as many major National Parks as we can and them home to Sac. and down the West Coast taking the southern route back by way of Vegas and the Grand Canyon. We are all super excited! We will stop in Sacramento to visit family for a few days and we'd love it if some of you wanted to join us if we come near y'all.

My People

I love these women!

They are my people. When I find myself saying "Where am I going, and why am I in this handbasket?" They are the ones I call on. When I want to laugh so hard coke comes out of my nose...they are the ones I call on. When I'm considering homicide...they are the ones I call on. When I want to behave like a 10 year old...they are the ones I call on. When I am feeling small and insignificant...thank God I can call on them!

I LOVE these women.

Happy Birthday Bailee!

Our BIG 5 year old Bailee!

Opening her presents

Even baby Bella got dressed up....sooo cute, she even did the hula!

Make a wish

Bailee, Carragan and Kaylea

It happened. Despite all our best efforts...Bailee turned 5 last Thursday. It was a week of celebrating for her and a week of grieving for Steve and I. Why does 5 seem so big? It has been more difficult than we anticipated watching our youngest reach this milestone. I'm not sure if it's just because she's the youngest or because she's at the sweet, girly finale of years of testosterone or because she's simply, Bailee our sweet loving baby girl. I imagine it's a combination of the three. In a few weeks I will be registering her for kindergarten!

If you've spent anytime around us you know how besotted we are with our little Bailee. She is so loving and sweet it is almost impossible to discipline her when she misbehaves. Her big brothers cater to her every whim and her Daddy is completely and admittedly wrapped around her tiny, little, pinkie finger. It has been a huge blessing to parent her as with all my children but when Bailee joined our crew she altered us all so completely with her distinct femininity it took us all by surprise. It's impossible to imagine what this family would have been like without her influence. She's tickled us pink and we are all better because of her...God is so good.

Weekend Getaway

Ruby Falls (1100 feet underground!)

Entertaining the cave dwellers

No paparazzi please

Last weekend we loaded up the peeps and headed outta town with our friends the Kimmel's. We headed to Chattanooga to check out Ruby Falls and the Children's Museum. We had a good time playing with our kids and generally goofing off. Winding through the cave on our way to see the falls was pretty cool. I see more cave exploring ahead for the Burtnett clan. Honestly, I think I just really want a head lamp.

Performing

Weslee had his first opportunity to perform last night at school. When he first learned of the upcoming program a couple of months ago he was less than thrilled. He was even more horrified when he was given a speaking and a dancing role and he begged Steve and I to let him bow out. After a few rehearsals and some encouragement from us he was actally excited. The program was about Tennessee's musical history. Minnie Pearl, Johnny Cash, Taylor Swift, Elvis and Hannah Montana all made appearances along with W.C. Handey and Davey Crockett. Weslee got to dance with Miss Minnie Pearl herself to the Tennessee Waltz, it was the one and only time he actually cracked a smile. It was alot of fun. Here's some pics and videos...

Training

I'm super excited. Today I start training for the Hendersonville Classic. Steve, Wes and I are all going to participate. This will be my first race, it is something I've always wanted to do. It benefits a cause that is near and dear to Steve and I's heart. The Cumberland Crisis Pregnancy Center. I'm going to run the 5K. If your interested in participating click on the link and register. You can choose between a 1 mile walk/run, a 5K or a 10K.

Happy March!

Sorry about the lack of posting lately. I've been uninspired for some reason. I think it's the effects of the end of winter blues or spring fever. I'm ready for spring and ready to get out of my house and feel the warm sunshine on my face again.

To celebrate the fact that February is finally over I decorated my blog to celebrate my Irish heritage, as some of you may have noticed. Apparently, my great-grandmother, Theresa Reagan immigrated directly from the emerald isle. It is rumored that Ronald Reagan is actually a distant cousin of mine. Unless my parents are full of crap which I've been suspicious of since I was about 13 years old. We always celebrated St. Patty's day every year when I was a kid by munching on corned beef and cabbage and potatoes. Good stuff! If you ever get the opportunity to try some you won't regret it. Especially if my Mom made it.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Check it Out...Now.

I just checked on Brother David's blog. For those of you who don't know who he is he is the Pastor of my church, Long Hollow Baptist. LOVED his recent post. Check it out...
http://blogs.longhollow.com/david/

Just What I Needed to Hear, Just When I Needed to Hear It.

Flipped on the Fish the other day. I'd heard this song before but never really stopped and payed attention to the lyrics. I was very thoughtful about a lot of things that day. Struggling with "worldly" worries. Feeling inadequate, Satan was on my back and it was getting the best of me. God always comes through to protect me when I need it most and this was no exception...thank you Father.

By Your Side
Tenth Avenue North

Why are you striving these days?
Why are you trying to earn grace?
Why are you crying?
Let me lift up your face...Just don't turn away

Why are you looking for love?
Why are you still searching as if I'm not enough?
To where will you go child?
Tell me where will you run?
To where will you run?

And I'll be by your side
Wherever you fall
In the dead of night
Whenever you call
And please don't fight
These hands that are holding you
My hands are holding you

Look at these hands and my side
They swallowed the grave on that night
When I drank the world's sin
So I could carry you in
And give you life
I want to give you life

Cause I, I love you!
I want you to know
That I, I love you
I'll never let you go!

Tea Party

On Saturday, Bailee hosted a Valentine's Tea Party for all her best girlfriends. It was a chance for Bailee to do what she does best, which of course is to dress-up and be as girly as possible. As the youngest of four with most of the people in the house being of the male persuasion she rarely gets the opportunity to cover everything in pink without catching flack from her three big brothers. All the princesses had a wonderful time dining on heart shaped tea sandwiches, strawberries, wildberry italian soda and chocolate cupcakes with pink icing. Mmmmm.

Welcome Bella Grace

I just wanted to take a moment to introduce the newest member of the Lynch family.

Isabella Grace

She came into this world on January 12, 2009

That blessed little princess was adopted by my darling friend Stephanie and her husband Brian. They had waited and prayed for a long, looooonnnng time for a baby and we had been praying as well. God chose to bring them their child in a very special way and we are all so thankful and are praising Him for the incredible way He chose to do bring it about.

As a February 2, 2009 it all became official. God is SO good and we have been so blessed to know Bella and her sweet Mommy and Daddy.

Ephesians 3:20

Now to Him is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine...