Maddie's First Day of Preschool

Tuesday, September 4th was Maddie's first day of preschool at Open Door. We were excited that she had the same teachers as Anna did last year, Mrs. Stacie and Mrs. Cherie. She also had 2 good friends in the class with her, Connor and Sidney.

With Ava arriving 2 weeks early, Maddie had a big first week with a new baby sister, playtime at friends' houses, a sleepover and an ear infection. Other memories of the first week include learning the chicken dance, swinging on the playground swings and keeping her worm on green.

Big Sisters

Anna and Maddie are super excited that their little sister is finally here. It's so fun to have them walk in the door from school or somewhere and immediately come look for Ava.

Ava Kathryn Burckart

Ava is here! She was born on Tuesday, September 4th at 10:03 p.m., 2 weeks and 2 days early. She weighed 6 lbs 5 ounces and was 20 1/4 inches long. She is absolutely adorable with her dark hair and petite features.


On Tuesday I dropped Maddie off for her first day of preschool (blog post to come)and headed to the doctor for my weekly appointment. I had had contractions the previous night to which the doc on call told me that if they weren't painful to "take a benadryl and go to bed". That night I slept very little but made it through. At my appointment, I had not progressed very far (2-3 centimeters) but my strep b test had come back positive which meant I needed at least 4 hours of penicillan via IV and since the contractions had been going on for awhile they sent me straight to the hospital. We then spent hours "just hanging out" and waiting for the penicillan to be done and the consistent contractions to begin. Here's my last picture with a baby belly:


Around 6:30 p.m. they considered me in labor. A few hours after that the pain began and so did the epidural. Unfortunately, the epidural didn't full take until it was time to push (which isn't the most convenient time). I pushed for 4 contractions and there she was! The proud parents:

Anna's 1st Day of Kindergarten!

The day is finally here, Anna had her first day at Kindergarten! I can remember when she was still in my womb praying for direction in Anna's schooling. There were many conversations that followed and books read and journals kept - - would we homeschool, would we send her to public or private or charter or magnet. So many options these days. But today as I dropped her off for her first day at North Raleigh Christian Academy, it just felt right. I had no second guesses and the Lord gave me peace.

Anna loves school; she loves learning, she loves structure and she loves being around friends. When her clock went off at 6:45 this morning she could hardly contain herself with excitement. How proud I am of that little girl who says she's "a little bit shy" but still finds joy in meeting new friends.

July 4th in Bedford

July 4th was a hot one! We started the morning with a neighborhood bike parade around the green followed by ice cream with red, white and blue sprinkles. A cookout followed with great friends and the girls' first sparklers. The evening ended with a big firework show by the alley neighbors.










What a great 4th!

Anna's Preschool Graduation

Today was Anna's preschool graduation. She was dressed in cap and gown (a cute tshirt that read "preskool graduit")and came into the room in procession; it was enough to bring a mom to tears :). Anna has come so far since her first day. I have loved hearing stories about her friends and seeing her excitement for school. Now on to Kindergarten...

Maddie's 4 Year Old Checkup

Today Maddie had her 4 year old checkup. She seemed so old telling them her address and doing the eye test. She weighed 37.5 pounds (75th percentile) and was 41.75 inches (88th percentile) putting her on track for being 5'7" which would be considerably taller than her mama.