A fun 2 weeks!

Having Faye and Sonya in town has been delightful! We've accomplished a few projects, made some excellent dinners, gotten in some great work-outs, and had lots and lots of laughs. We said goodbye to Sonya yesterday which was sad. :( But the good news is that Faye gets to stay with us for another 2 weeks! We really are loving having her here.

Here are a few, alright a lot, pictures from the past 2 weeks. Enjoy!

Stu taking Burke on a walk around the block with Sonya.

How cute is this picture? Dad and Burkey just palin' around.

Stu was the best and trimmed all of our pine trees, bringing them up a branch level. Now we can see the mountains from our back yard and it looks and feels so much roomier. We posed for pictures after he was done trimming and complaining. :)

Nerds

Sonya and I painted this bird house. This was the before.

And this is after. What a difference! Thanks Sonya! It was so fun doing this project with you, and listening Dr. Laura together.

Burke hadn't worn these overalls in a while and when we put them on him, he had grown out of them. It was so cute we had to take a picture.

Don and Grandma Faye

Adorable Jake on his bike. He is 3 and can ride his bike like a champ!

Jake LOVES baby Burke!

Don & Ruthie lent us this play gym and Burke totally digs it!

Stu and I next to the hot pools at Lava Hot Springs Inn.

I love this picture of Faye.

Brothers :)

What!!? How did you get in here Burke? :) This is how I carry Burke upstairs after I've done the laundry. He loves it.

Bumbo time. :)

Fun at the Sants. We went over for dinner at my Mom's house and had a wonderful time. From left to right: Abe, Vanessa, Calvin, Madelyn, Al, Faye, Dan, Sonya, me, Stu

Of course we had to do a 'silly face' photo. :)

I found a tickle spot on Burke, his neck. It's the best. This is him laughing when I tickle him.

Burke loves naked time! :) Too cute!!!

Stu and Faye reading at Sugar House Park.

View of Mt. Olympus from the park.

Some kids were having a shaving cream fight in the park and loved posing for the picture.

Look closely....ya, it's a fur jock! Sonya wanted to buy it for Paul, but changed her mind. Bummer!!! ;)

Burke in his golf hat.

And his ball cap.

More fun in Lava Hot Springs.

What a big boy!

Simon wanted to hang out at the hot pools with us, but got chilly and wanted a soft spot to lay. So of course, I made him a bed so he could spend time with us. :)

Burke is LOVING his first day at the park.

Sonya and Faye bought us matching dresses. This is us posing in our front yard.

Grandma Faye and Aunt Sonya Come to Visit

The three amigos ride again.

Grandma gets to meet her grandson!

Burke gets a bath by Grandma & Aunt Sonya

Burke is loving having his Grandma and Aunt here for a visit

Laundry Perch and Bumbo

After Burke stopped sleeping in his bassinet, we moved it to the laundry room so he can lay nearby me while I do laundry. As you can see, it also happens to be a perfect place to stash Stu's ironing pile. :) Lately, Burke is much happier sitting up. So...I stuck his Bumbo seat in there and he loves being able to sit upright and check out what Mom is doing.

Burke helping Mom do laundry. :)

Stu came home for lunch today - what a treat! - and we were playing with Burke in his Bumbo. Here are a few pictures. Burke smiles and chuckles all day long now. It is the best!!

Ya... this is the face we get to look at every day! :)

What cute chubby feet!

Simon hurt his back :(

Sad news...Simon is having pretty major back problems. Starting a few days ago he couldn't go up or down the stairs without whimpering. He seemed to get better, but then yesterday when we were playing ball, he couldn't move at all. When he would turn his head or roll over or if I tried to pick him up, he would yelp so loud! We took him to the Animal Hospital and after an exam and an x-ray, they determined that he has a swollen or a ruptured disk in his back. Sadly, this type of thing is typical in dachshunds. They kept him overnight to get him on an intravenous steroid therapy that will aggressively reduce the swelling of the disk, and so that they can make sure he doesn't get any worse. We get to pick him up tonight and he'll have to take it easy for a long while. Simon is the best dog in the world, and we've been having a really hard time knowing he is in pain and wondering how things will turn out. He is a champ and we can't wait for him to come home.

We love you Simon! And are rooting that you have a speedy recovery!!

Happy Mother's Day

This Mother's Day was very special for me. Having a baby has brought a new perspective on life and the way that my Mom raised me. I look at Burke and see his tiny little feet and hands and it's hard to believe that I was once that small, in my Mom's arms too. I love my Mom. And I LOVE being a Mom. I wake up every day and go to bed every night with the thought that I am the luckiest woman in the world, cause I get to spend all my time with our little monkey and making our house a home. Stu, you've made this possible and I want to shout how wonderful you are from a mountain top! But I'm not on a mountain and all I have is this blog. :) (that's from the movie Anchorman). So I'll say it now...Stu, I love you with all of my heart. You are the best thing that has every happened to me and I LOVE being married to you!!

Stu went out of his way to have Mother's Day be very special for me. He got me a bunch of beautiful flowers to fill our pots with, and while I planted and watered, he and Burke followed me around chatting. Then he got us a very delicious take-out dinner from the Outback Steakhouse. Yummy!

First time in a swing.

Burke's Drunken look

Mommy and Baby Boy on their first Mother's Day!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Our First Family Camping Trip!

We went camping in Moab last weekends with the Landies (Don, Ruthie, Jake and Dylan), their friends Jamie, Patrick and their 2 boys Dylan and Josh, and Ruthie's brother Joey and her Mom, Carol. Our first camping trip as a family of 3!! :) We pulled into camp around 10pm and I tried to settle Burke into bed. Well...he wouldn't have it! He had a meltdown and nothing would calm him down. Usually a good feeding will always relax him, but he wouldn't even eat. I think the new smells and sights and sleeping in the same bed as Mom and Dad (he sleeps in his own crib in his own room at home) were too much to handle. Plus, the campground we were in packed the patrons in there like sardines so when you opened the van door, there were 12 people around a campfire 3 feet away. No kidding. I was worried about Burke and worried about being annoying to our neighbors so I in turn was having a meltdown. Stu kept his cool (thanks babe!) and suggested that we get a hotel room for both nights and that's what we did. Burke immediately went to sleep when we were in a quieter place. We spent the next day in Arches National Park and he had a fun time playing around in the sun. That night he slept 11, yes 11, hours!!! I think the movement and sunshine tuckered him out! :) Overall, I'd say that he adjusted really well to all the new experiences. At 3 1/2 months old, Burke is the ultimate adventure baby! Way to go Burke!

All packed up on the van and headed out of town. We pulled over twice to feed Burke. He travels in the car very well. Thank goodness!!

Me, Stu and Burke in front of Delicate Arch (way in the background).

This infant carrier was a little too big for Burke to fit comfortably. We ended up facing him towards Stu's chest and he handled that much better. Dad and Burke look so cute!

Ruthie and I at Sand Dune Arch. It was pretty hot out, but Ruthie was freezing so she wore her down coat the entire time. :)

Our fam at Sand Dune Arch.

Burke and Stu enjoying the hike, and taking a time out in the shade.

Our little man in Arches! What a big boy!! I love the brimmed hat he has on.

Group photo at the trail head of Sand Dune Arch.
From left to right: Rachel, Stu, Burke, Dylan, Don, Ruthie, Jake.

Joey, Ruthie's brother, holding Simon.

Headed home. Burke and his pot belly are ready to go! :)