Brazenly Burton

Aly's Talk

2012-02-19T09:06:00.005-07:00

Aly is giving a talk in church today.
He will be discussing the topic "When I Choose the Right I Am Blessed."
He will talk about keeping the commandments as a way to choose the right, and illustrate with 3 of his very own examples (well... he chose the commandments and I helped him with the blessings)...

#1. Don't Litter! When we don't litter we are blessed with a clean and beautiful world.

#2. Be Nice To Your Family! When we are nice to our family we are blessed with a happy home and love.

#3. Go To Church. When we go to church we are blessed to learn the gospel, feel the spirit and draw closer to Heavenly Father and Jesus.

He will do a fabulous job I'm sure. He happens to love being in front with the microphone. Doesn't fit his personality at all does it?!?
What will I do with these shy, shy boys of mine?

In other news: Jack has now memorized Articles of Faith #1, 2, and 12. I know he has passed off #1, but I think he still needs to pass the others off to his leaders. Great Job Jack!

From Corey

2012-02-17T08:01:00.001-07:00

A Box of Zingers and a Valentine Love Note complete with envelope which he designed and made himself.
I'm telling you I married the perfect man.

I am not about to spill the entire contents of the love note to you, but I did feel it appropriate to share the first part as it is just silly. Anybody notice whose voice he is mimicking? One Barbara Park ala Junie B. Jones? Yep! You are right!
He knows how much I love her. The boys think she is hilarious (me too!) so we read her a lot.
Corey had to laugh at me a while back because we read her so much that I am unconsciously starting to sound like her. For evidence see the last three sentences of THIS post. Pretty embarrassing!

I loved my Valentine Corey! You are the only man I know that would make a Valentine like that for me, and I love you for it!

For complete coverage of Burton Valentine's Day 2012 please scroll down...

V Day 2012

2012-02-17T08:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Valentine's Day One and All!
As previously noted on the blog... V Day is my favorite of the non-huge holidays, and I am happy to show you how we spent it!
It started the night before with a FHE about love (thank you daddy for a wonderful lesson), followed by class Valentine exchange preparation:

Jack and Aly also made Gram, Grampa and Tyler Valentines. They did the designing, cutting, gluing, and writing all themselves:

Aly made Grams to look just like her only in heart form. See the sweet face and the ribbon arms and legs? Jack took control of Grampa's and Tylers. They turned out great as well!

I spent V-Day Eve watching Downton Abbey with my friend Alysa and her friend Katie. It was not the smartest move ever as I still hadn't done any of my prep for the next day, but I figure staying up till 1:30 am one day of the year won't kill ya, AND Alysa wrote some funny poems for the boys Valentines from me ... soooo... worth it... totally.

I hung my handmade decor from the past 2 years and added a heart attack on our sliding glass windows. Hearts, hearts everywhere! I wasn't planning on doing any new decorations until Jack declared that it was "10,000 times more important than our house!" that I do so. That sounded pretty serious to me, so I did it:

It was fun to watch Truman staring up at them all day:

The boys were so cute in the morning. Jack ran into my room and gave me a Valentine he had made the night before. He asked if he could go look on the kitchen table at his Valentine and apparently he just wanted to stay there for a while. Aly joined him:

Alysa's poems were a hit, and they liked the notes from me too. I loved watching them!

The funny thing was that they laughed the hardest when I read Truman his note. I didn't find anything funny about it, but they did apparently. It read:

"Dear Truman, You can't read this note, but I love you anyway. More than you know- squishy boy! You are my darling face, my little spot of love, my baby boy. Love- Mom."

I thought Alysa's poems were much more clever. And they did laugh at them too! To Jack...

I love you little
I love you big
I love you like a chubby pig.

and to Aly...

Penguins are white
Penguins are black
If you kiss me... I'll kiss you back!
or
If you pinch me... I'll pinch you back!

Also featured in this next collage is the interactive Valentine Jack made for me, and one of the Valentines that Aly gave to our family (I think this one was Daddy's). His primary teacher brought a bunch for the class to give to their family and I wanted to kiss her for it! I get teary just thinking about it. He was so proud and happy to have something to give. Those boys of mine are heart melters I tell you!

Year 3 of our special Valentine's Day Strawberry Breakfast. This year's breakfast was Strawberry Breakfast Parfaits:

I let Truman have his "treat," while the boys ate. How cute is that mouth and those hands?!?

The rest of the day was great too. From these pictures you would never know that Truman has RSV, but he does... so we mostly took it easy. We didn't venture out, but we were visited by Gram and Grampa who brought us all Valentine Goodies! I am mad I didn't take a picture, but things were a little busy. Jack had just gotten home from school and he and Aly had spilled all of their Valentines from school parties all over the table. Know that we love you Gram and Grampa! The boys have had so much fun with their gifts!

I did get some pictures of Alaster and his Valentines' box after Preschool. What a cute boy! He got a little noisemaker in one and had Truman laughing pretty good!

All in all a great day!

A Dream Come True

2012-02-16T08:39:00.000-07:00

Last Friday I went to a dance with my husband.
It was a dream come true, and I don't care if you think that I'm cheesy or dramatic for saying so.
For nearly 8 years I have wanted to go to a dance with Corey!

(I still don't know how to pose for pictures apparently... I think it's hilarious that our best is the one we did to mimic High School Dance pictures. PS- I was wearing the pearls my Grandma and PaPa bought me in Russia. I'm sad they fell beneath the fabric in these shots!)

We had such a blast. For just a little church dance I was seriously impressed! The room was so cute... we were there with some of our very favorite friends... the music was great... it was: Perfect!

Along one wall they set up "Lovers Lane," with engagement and wedding pictures of couples in the ward. I was having a grand time looking until one of our good friends said he didn't even recognize me in ours! What?!? Have I changed that much?!? Do I really look that much older? I was a little put out until Corey told me not to worry about it and said "If anything... you are even more beautiful."
Good Husband. Very, very good husband.

I absolutely loved dancing with Corey. Most of the time we were goof balls and he was making me laugh, but I have to say: even when he was just being funny... he was still so handsome.

Having fun dancing and being together brought back all of the feelings that made me fall in love with him in the first place. He is good. He is strong. And being in his arms feels so right.

**And a special thank you to Gram and Grampa Burton for taking the boys!**

ANOTHER Book Review Revision-- Ashlee

2012-02-10T14:29:00.004-07:00

I also read 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne.

Apparently I need to keep better records?

Here's how I felt about 20,000. Well... I liked it. I wasn't blown away, but I liked it. The underwater descriptions are rich... plenty of beautiful and interesting images to fill your mind. However, the plot was seriously lacking. He builds this great mystique surrounding Captain Nemo, but it all kind of leads to... nothing, and I hate a flat ending! There was so much potential in the idea of the book and parts were well written and carried out, but I couldn't help feeling that so much more could have been done.

Could it be that modern adventures in print and film spoil these older works? Perhaps if I had read it back in 1870 I would have felt differently. Plausible. Very plausible indeed.

Corey's 2011 Book Review

2012-02-08T02:28:00.002-07:00

Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
Call of the Wild - Jack London
War of the Worlds
All These Things Shall Give Thee Experience- Neal A Maxwell
The Travelers Gift
The Art of War
Fellowship of the Ring

The Hunger Games

The Great Gatsby

So my list from 2011 is pathetic. Between classes and a feeling no motivation to read anything at all for fun, I just didn’t read that much this year. But, things are looking up already this year, so I should have some more variety.

Anne of Green Gables- I grew up loving the miniseries. I still love the miniseries, but only the Anne of Green Gables one. I cannot get into Anne of Avonlea or any of the other subsequent installments. I loved the book. I am just assuming that the same rule will apply with the books though, so I’m not even going to attempt to read any of the other ones. I’d recommend Anne of Green Gables to anyone, male and female alike.

Call of the Wild- A new favorite. I don’t even like dogs and this book had me from the beginning. I haven’t read any more London yet, but I plan on it. If the rest of his work is as good as this he will be moving toward the top of my author list.

War of the Worlds- You know, for a sci-fi book written in 1898, it’s pretty cool. It wasn’t my favorite book ever, but it was pretty good. I guess I’m spoiled by modern sci-fi, with non-stop explosions, gun fire, and guts-n-gore flying everywhere. If you want to read an early 20^th century story that is borderline prophetic, read “The Machine Stops” by E.M. Forster. It’s a short story, and it is nothing like A Room with a View (Katie).

All These Things Shall Give Thee Experience- Neal A. Maxwell is such an awesome person. This book affected me a lot. I will just say, “Read it.” I am actually reading his biography by Bruce C. Hafen. The great thing about Elder Maxwell is that he is a relatable figure in church history. Though in his adult life he was obviously raised to a whole different level spiritually and intellectually, as a youth he was normal and flawed. Ashlee read President Hinckley’s bio this year and it seems like he was extraordinary in every way from birth, but Elder Maxwell is someone that I can look at and think to an extent that he reminds me of myself in some ways, and then he excels and turns into the extraordinary leader and disciple (a key word for him) we all recognize him to be.

The Traveler’s Gift- This in one of those cheesy inspirational/self-help kind of books. The author puts the main character (himself) in a time travel situation where he gets to talk to inspirational figures in history. It teaches good things, but it is not really well written and is laughably self-serving. The author really must think a lot of himself.

The Art of War- Meh.

The Fellowship of the Ring- Always a great read. Boromir is still my favorite character in the whole Lord of the Rings story. Flawed, misguided, ultimately repentant and gives his life for his comrades.

The Great Gatsby- I read this after Ashlee had. This is also one of my repent-for-not-doing-any-work-in-high-school books. I liked it. I should have read it when I was 16. I think Ashlee said what needed to be said, and linked to a good resource in that YouTube video, so I won’t take up any more of your time with it.

The Hunger Games- Ok, Ashlee had been recommending this to me for a couple of years, but based on the awful failure of some past recommendations (one infamous series which shall remain nameless, and Jane Eyre) I put off reading The Hunger Games for a long time. I was pleasantly surprised. I went into it thinking that it was going to be a stinker, but I found it quite entertaining. I know that sounds bad, saying that children killing children is entertaining, but it REALLY was. I ended up getting sucked into the story and reading the entire series. Sometimes I will finish a book just to finish what I started, but with these I wanted to find out what happened to the characters. I would recommend this for some fun recreational reading for sure.

Good Night Jack and Alaster!

2012-02-07T10:00:00.000-07:00

Oh wow! Today's discovery from my drafts folder is a collection of quotes and stories from bedtime.
We went through a period where bedtime was basically comedy hour. The boys are to the point now that they are down between 7 and 7:30 and we basically don't hear much from them after that. It's nice of course, but much less entertaining :)
Hope these stories make you giggle as much as they did for us!

#1- One night Aly called out from bed: "The wrist of my foot hurts." Sure we had heard him wrong we hollered back "What?!?" ... "The wrist of my foot!" Corey goes to his bed to see what this is all about and I hear him explain "Oh. That's your ankle Aly."

#2- Aly calls out: "Something is wrong with my bed! The blanket keeps going back and forsse, back and forsse, back and forsse." One wiggly child subdued (Jack sleeps like me- hardly any movement at all. Aly has the amazing talent of rolling and wiggling and bouncing himself to sleep every night) and a few blanket adjustments later and we were fine.

#3- A common occurrence: We hear tons of whispering, giggling, and banging... We walk in and magically the boys are "asleep." We try and tell them to be quiet and we know they are awake... so to really convince us we hear snores...

#4- Jack comes out of bed when he knows I am alone and Corey is elsewhere..."I asked Dad if I could have something to eat because I'm really, really hungry, and he said 'no.' **insert big long pause**.... I just wanted you to know." (we have a rule that if one parent says "no," you are not allowed to ask the other one!) **insert another long pause** "You don't even know how hungry I am."

#5- Jack comes out of bed and Alaster follows... Jack: "Mom, we just have to tell you something." Aly: "Yeah. We have to tell you somesing." Jack: "Do you remember that book Flat Stanley? And he **giggle, giggle** dresses like a girl?!?" From Both: ***Hahahaha!*** Alaster: "Yeah **giggle, giggle** and you remember Spongebob? The one where he was throwing somesing in that well?!?" Both: Hahahha!

I feel like these stories are a bit incomplete without funny bedtime prayers that they were also saying at that time, but it looks like I didn't record any. Woops!

Remembering these stories makes me so excited for when Truman gets older. We can't wait to see what funny things he will say!

Brothers -- Archive

2012-02-06T06:44:00.001-07:00

These are from back in our apartment... Aly might have been 2 in these pictures!

I remember they were being particularly cute playing with each other that day.
I came home from work and Aly ran up to me and shouted "WE HAVE A ROCKET IN HERE!!!!" then burst into a fit of laughter before running off with Jack again.
The bed was the rocket:

They were also playing the classic "run in to one another," game (the first picture). They would go to opposite ends of our apartment, someone would declare "GO!" and like a pair of bumper cars they sped with all their might, neither backing down prior to impact.

I'm so glad these boys are friends.

As a child I didn't care much for this phrase but as a parent it is one of my favorite mantras:

"Friends will come and go... but Family is Forever."

It is true that I have a few dear friends that I love so thoroughly that they are basically family to me (and therefore are as permanent in my life). But it is also true that so very many of the friendships I thought would be in that category (I'm thinking especially from my youth here)... are not.

I hope these two will be as close as they are now (and closer even!) for the rest of their lives.

What Brothers Are Good For no 23

2012-02-01T09:35:00.002-07:00

Reading Time:

How old do you think this collage is?!?
I have been going through my drafts in blogger and realizing I have quite a few posts with prepared pictures that I somehow forgot to put words with and publish.
Woops!
You may see a few more blast-from-the-past posts from me in the coming days.
What will posterity think of their scatterbrained great, great, great grandmother years from now I wonder?
Why couldn't that woman just get it together?!? This blog is all over the place!
Answer: She has no idea! and... YES, it is!
Sorry!

Ward Christmas Party 2011

2012-01-31T06:00:00.000-07:00

We met Santa...

We ate delicious food and talked with dear friends (who aren't pictured- we were there early)...

The boys sang in the program...

It was a good time!
We love our Ward Family so much!

Truman

2012-01-30T11:00:00.005-07:00

I haven't done proper updates on the boys in literally months. Shame on me! So these pictures and stories are quite a smathering... but there you have it. I am what I am.
You ready for Truman's update?
On your marks.
Get set.
Go!

How I know he is a genius. GENIUS I tell you! :

He shakes his head "no, no, no." And it is 100% intentional. He is communicating his needs (or rather at least what he does not want.) It's awesome. All babies should at least be able to do this. It is incredibly helpful and so, SO cute. We loooove it. He's been doing it for a couple of weeks now. Darling.

His best baby trick:

Twirling on command in his Johnny Jump Up. I have always said "a jumpa, jumpa, jumpa, jump..." when he's jumping. Then when he would spin I say "A twiiiiirl." So he finally put it together and one day I said "Truman? A twiiirl?" he looked intently at me... and then? what do you know!?! He twirled! It was not good when Aly found this out. "Twirl baby! Twirl! Twirl! Twirl!" He was twirling so much that the chord got all wound up and his feet barely touched the ground.

Reasons to Believe that He is Truly Corey's Son:

He hates peas with a passion. I have succeeded in getting him to eat all other foods that he originally stuck his nose up at... but peas are the exception. He hates 'em. Also, he sleeps exactly like Corey. I lay him down and he rolls right over to his side, pulls one leg up, one arm above his head... snuggles with the blanket the same way Corey does... cute. Very cute.

One Thing I Have Never Told You About Him:

Okay so you all know he is easily startled (And that continues by the way... one day recently Corey pulled up Little Einstein's on the computer to see if he might like it. Stony faced he watched the sock puppet... until it said "Bleh!"which sent a shock wave through his whole body and scared him half to death! He cried and cried and cried, poor babe!) So anywho, did I ever tell you that he was easily startled in my tummy? My favorite was very first thing in the morning. I looked forward to it every day. My little phone alarm would go off to wake me up, and as I leaned over to turn it off I felt him do that same startled jumpy movement that we have seem him do a thousand times now. Isn't that cute? I never would have imagined that he would still do it outside of me too. I thought he was probably just sleeping so well that when I leaned over it genuinely startled him. But who knows? Maybe he was wide awake like he is now when he gets startled!

Someone He Really Really Loves:

Uncle Tyler

Someone He Doesn't Cry as He Comes Around Anymore (it may have been a problem at one point):

Grampa Burton

His Absolutely Favorite Place to Be:

In the Johnny Jump Up. Oh he loves it so! He is all smiles and happy squeals and adorable jumps. He jumps differently than Jack and Aly did and I don't know how to describe it except to say that he looks very light, and it is pretty much the cutest thing ever.

His Favorite Thing To Do with His Hands:

Bang! On tables, on windows, on his legs, on my hands. All day long. Banga... Banga... Bang! He is also good at clapping his fists together, sticking things in his mouth, and shaking things.

How he felt about his first few bites of baby food:

It freaked him out so badly it sent shivers down his spine. Quite literally. Pretty. Darn. Funny.

Does he feel that way now?

Oh Heavens No. He eats more than Jack and Aly did combined. Okay that's probably not fair, but I am always surprised at how much he eats. He loves all fruits and veggies (except peas), his oatmeal/mixed grain type foods, and likes to try a bit of what we are eating on occasion. Still no teeth so we can't do toooooo much, but that's alright. He's a great eater. Hardly ever messy (Don't ask my why these pictures below he didn't have a bib on. I was thinking about the pictures... hence the food on his face too, typically he is very clean!) and just very, very cute.

I think I took these pictures during his second feeding (hence the freaked out face). His first official baby food was... SQUASH!

What he weighed on Dec 2, 2011 (he would have been 6 and 1/2 mo.):

20 Pounds 13 Ounces

How He's Doing Movement-Wise:

Well. He's an interesting case. He can sit up independently very well, but he still flops back so we have to have the pillow behind him. He can't crawl but he rolls all over very well. He is happier to play on his tummy than he used to be, and he loves to stand up with your fingers to help him. He honestly seems more interested in walking than crawling, although he hasn't pulled himself up on anything yet. We are working on showing him how awesome crawling would be!

One Way He Frequently Surprises Us:

By the things he laughs at. He will get the giggles over something and you can do it 50 billion times with the same response... the kicker is that you never really know what will make him laugh! Most often when he laughs it's not because we are trying to get one out of him. It just happens with regular every day things that tickle his fancy. Most recent example: Aly drinking water from a water bottle. He was near Truman and that silly baby just laughed and laughed and laughed. So Aly came over and just took drinks for him. Funniest thing that baby ever saw! Seriously. I haven't ever heard him laugh so hard!

Is He More Snuggly Now?

No. But he really loves to be held a lot. He's just not the 'lay your head on my shoulder,' type. And he loves kisses from mom. I'm pretty sure.

Something the Boys Love Truman to Do:

Boss them around. I grab his arms from behind and make Truman give them orders like "Hey You! Stop being lazy bums and clean your room! Right now! Do it! Do it or I will get you! Go! Go! Go!" Truman likes to do it too, and the boys think it's hilarious. They even request it. They'll say "Mom, I'll do it if Truman tells me to."

Something I love Truman to Do:

Dance, dance, dance with me. His body goes all loosey goosey and he lets me move him however I want, smiling all the while. His favorite dance move is is when I put his arms straight out in front of them and make him do shoulder wiggles. So cute!

Something I Love that Maybe I Shouldn't:

His "I am so heartbroken right now," cry. It's so sad that it's pretty much the cutest cry I've ever heard. It's hard to describe, but I guess I would say it sounds like an over the top adult kind of cry... it comes out in one deep prolonged sound until he is totally out of breath. It's funny and so sad. Don't worry, while I think it's cute, my heart breaks right along with him when it happens and I will do anything to comfort him and help him be happy again. Anything!

Something Corey Loves About Him:

This one really dopey smile he makes. Very funny and so, so sweet.

What We Just Absolutely Can't Imagine:

Our home and our life without him. We love his baby sounds, his baby cheeks, his baby body. We love him mad. We love him silly. We love his sweet smile and his innocent presence. We love his unmistakeable Truman-ness... it's hard to describe but impossible to mistake. He is sweet, smart, happy, funny, large, and 100% loved by his family. We love you Truman Boy!

Christmas Countdown... the Advent Calendar

2012-01-29T06:00:00.000-07:00

Okay. I have determined it is too late to post about Thanksgiving, but Christmas is another story.
We started a new tradition this year! A Christ-centered advent calendar! It was how we accomplished family scripture study during the month of Dec.

Here's how it worked:
First: We sang a Christmas song or hymn and had family prayer. Our first day we sang 'We Three Kings,' as Jack played.
Second: One of the boys opened up the day. The box had a piece of paper in it with something we could learn about the Savior. They included things like scripture references to stories about His life, principles of the atonement, etc... a quote from a prophet, instructions to a video on LDS.org, or words to a hymn.

If the paper was white (except for the first day... I thought of this later!) then it was a normal day. If the paper was red, then there was some kind of Christmas tradition that went along with the scripture. Either way there was also a little piece of candy inside to eat.

I had many more red slips of paper planned than we actually accomplished... but I am happy with what we did. The boys were so stinkin' cute too!

Day No. 1 (before the calendar found a permanent home):

Inside was a quote from President Monson about the true meaning of Christmas. On the back it said "Let's go get Hot Chocolate and Cinnamon Rolls." The boys were thrilled!

Isaiah 1:18
Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

After reading this scripture and not commenting at all Corey asked the boys what it was about. Jack said kind of timidly: "repentance?" Wow! I don't think at 6 I would have known!

For this scripture we had a wonderful time teaching the boys about the color symbolism of Christmas... ie... why all that red and white? The boys were so interested in it and had several "ah-hah!" moments. The exciting thing was that it stayed with them. They noticed the colors other places and would tell me and others what they meant. Very, very cool. What smart, sweet boys we have!

In celebration of red and white specifically and as a hanging reminder of the Savior's sacrifice we made a popcorn/cranberry decoration. Aly would tell everyone who commented about it "It's for Jesus.":

John 12:46
I am come a light into the world, that whosoever should believe on me should not abide in darkness.

We talked about how Jesus is the light of the world and also the light of our life. We talked about how He lights our path and then we literally lit the one leading to our doorstep!

Making luminaries is fun! Unfortunately not all of the pictures the boys drew could actually be cut out, but we still had fun in the process. I don't think Aly even noticed to tell you the truth (the one he is holding up in the picture is a snowman)!

Can you see Jack's sled? Corey made the star. I made the fancy B, and yes I was proud of it because Corey said a B couldn't be done:

John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

We talked about how the atonement was not just a gift from Jesus, but it was also a gift from our Heavenly Father and why we should be grateful to both of them. Then we talked about how because they loved us... we ought to love each other. To remind us we hung mistletoe! It was actually what served as mistletoe in my house growing up. I loved thinking about it in my old house, and seeing it in our current one.

I let the boys choose where to hang it, and they chose smack dab in the middle of the living room. We explained the tradition associated with mistletoe, and from there the fun began! Oh dear. We had many hugs and kisses... much laughing and wrestling... much teasing and tricking...

I think my favorite were the frequent calls that would come when I was doing dishes or making dinner in the kitchen "hey mooooom! guess where I am!" If I could, I would drop everything and try to catch them under it. If I was successful I would either tackle them to the floor or bring them up way high and go crazy with my kisses! Do you think they will still do that when they are... 13?

I was especially grateful that Jack was willing to let Aly show some affection. :)

Another favorite advent calendar moment was when we talked about what it means to rejoice. We even practiced our rejoicing faces :)

Later that week as we drove to school Jack said "If I have P.E. today?... I'm going to REJOICE!"

I was so grateful that we did the Calendar. It ensured that not a day of the Christmas season went by (or pretty darn close anyway... we aren't perfect!) without thinking and learning more about the Savior. I'd love to know your Christ Centered Christmas Traditions! Please... do tell!

Oh No!

2012-01-28T18:53:00.004-07:00

The book that I accidentally left off of my 2011 list -- which is such a shame because this book was certainly one worth mentioning:

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald... my first Fitzgerald and I was not disappointed.

I liked Gatsby (the book not the character). It was a great "what not to do," story and I find those useful on occasion. (And this one is pretty short- which is how I like my tragedies.) Can't call it a favorite, but certainly well worth reading. Excellent writing. Excellent. The themes and moral lessons found in the book are well worth thinking about and discussing as they relate to both society at large and individual families and people. Good stuff. I hope the movie coming out this year HERE will be good. I am betting it will be rated R though :( Boo. So instead you can watch THIS (thanks Alysa!) and read the book! Then call me and we'll talk about it, okay?

2011 Year End Book Review

2012-01-26T06:00:00.006-07:00

My list is pathetic this year. Seriously. But considering that for half of the year I was a pregnant, part time working, mother of two, wife of one who was never home, relief society president... and that in 2011 we also experienced a move, job and school changes and a darling new addition to our clan... I am okay with it. I am sure my list will be bigger in 2012.

I am happy about my reading in 2011 because: I read a couple of non-fiction titles! Being a girl that typically reads for escape and entertainment I am proud of myself for growing up a bit and being satisfied with relaxing at night while learning at the same time. Kudos to me. (Are you allowed to give yourself kudos?!?) I am also happy to report that my list of "Classic Author's Read," expanded to add: Elizabeth Gaskell, Jack London and E. M. Forster. Additionally, I kept up with one goal of last year and read a well known children's book: Holes by Louis Sachar.

The List:

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom
Holes by Louis Sachar
All These Things Shall Give Thee Experience by Neal A. Maxwell
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling
Eat to Live by Joel Fuhrman, M.D.
Disease Proof Your Child, Feeding Kids Right by Joel Fuhrman, M.D.
Truman by David McCullough
A Room With a View by E. M. Forster
Call of the Wild by Jack London
North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
Matched by Ally Condie
Crossed by Ally Condie
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Forward With Faith, the Biography of President Gordon B. Hinckley by Sheri Dew

The book I really enjoyed at the time but apparently lacked in staying power because I don't remember much about it now:

A Room With a View

The book I would confidently quote in a church talk it was so moving and chocked full of life's most important lessons. Specifically if I am ever asked to give a talk about gratitude or forgiveness you can bet I will be using it!:

The Hiding Place

The biography that had me laughing out loud, crying, pondering, respecting, appreciating, determining, and marveling... and therefore not caring that it was... So. Stinking. Long. :

Truman (ps: I read this because I figured I ought to know something about the man with whom my son's name will be forever associated with. I was not terribly interested in his politics (which were fascinating, but besides the point.) I wanted to know about his character. Was he honorable? Was he kind? I may not have agreed with all of his political choices but did he make them with good intent? Because surely that matters more. I am happy to report that I like him quite thoroughly. If we ever drive back to UT we will be stopping at his presidential library in good ol' Jackson County, MO.

The biography that I loved so completely because of the person it was about, but secretly wished that David McCullough had authored (I am afraid he has spoiled me forever! No other biographer will do!):

Forward With Faith, the Biography of President Gordon B. Hinckley

The book that ought to be handed to everyone who ever steps foot in a hospital for a preventable illness or disease... or who desires to never step foot in a hospital for a preventable illness or disease... Or the book I wish all would read before they judge how I choose to eat:

Eat to Live

The book that ought to be handed to every mother and father the day after delivery:

Disease Proof Your Child, Feeding Kids Right

The book that caught me off guard by how much I enjoyed it. Weird. Totally weird... that I would identify with it as strongly as I did and that I would feel as drawn to it as I was. I would love to talk to any other females out there who have read it!:

Call of the Wild

The last of her's that I needed to read. (except for Lady Susan, but does anyone really count that one?) It was funny... just like Corey promised it would be:

Northanger Abbey

The book that made me swoon. Hardcore. But beware! I had been warned prior to reading of it's ridiculously awful ending and yet I still was caught off guard at just how bad it really was! To me it trivialized the story, and I was hugely disappointed. Thank Heavens the movie ending was much more satisfactory!

North and South

Well that's it for me! Corey... Shayla... Katie... I'm looking forward to reading yours! Hint, hint, nudge, nudge, wink, wink!

Good News

2012-01-25T10:05:00.011-07:00

Yesterday we ran the following errands:

Take Jack to school.
Pick up Aly from Krogels.
Go to Aldi.
Go to Meijer.
Go Home.
Take Corey to work.
Go Home.
Pick up Jack From School.
Go Home.
Pick up Daddy from Work.
Go Home.
Take Jack to Piano Lessons.
Home Again.

That's too many comings and goings if you ask me.
Getting the kids in and out of the car that many times in a day is bad for my health.

I was a bundle of stressed out knots by the end of the day because somewhere in all that driving there were also children to care for, dishes to do, groceries to put away, laundry to fold, dinner to prepare, and life to live.

Just ask Corey (who found out the hard way not to tease me on days like this) how grumpy all this driving made me.

Later that night when we had calmed down a bit Aly was playing with trains in his room and I was watching. I realized that today would be much more laid back and that we could stay home the entire day if we so pleased... so I whispered urgently "Aly! Come here! I have something to tell you!"

He literally dropped everything... walked over to me with the cutest smile and said "I hope it's good news!"
At that point I was worried I was going to disappoint him. Perhaps he thought I had a cookie?
I decided to press forward anyway.
"Aly, tomorrow we have no where to go. You and me and Truman can stay home all day to clean and play and just be here together! Is that good news?" I whispered... hoping...
He paused. A big grin spread across his whole face. He leaned in and whispered:
"Mom... That is very good news."

So here we are today! With time to do mohawks and take rock star pictures. What more could a girl ask for?

PS- Yes, I cut my hair. Here's a shot that Aly took of me doing the dishes that shows the new look:

Here's to lovely and uneventful days!

A New Holiday Tradition

2012-01-13T06:00:00.001-07:00

Some of you may know I have a LONG STANDING TRADITION of watching my favorite movie every winter, alone. Well... as much fun as I have doing it by myself, this year I decided to invite some near and dear ones to join me, and I fear a fabulous new holiday tradition has been initiated.

I made THIS homemade slow cooker hot chocolate (it was WAY too sweet/rich for me. I would cut the sweetened condensed milk in half and only use milk) and THESE favorite rolls. I also served clementines because what is a holiday party without clementines, I ask you?
Add mini marshmallows, whipped cream, butter, jam and voila! You have the perfect treats for watching Little Women. (Plus it was low-stress. Look at me! I am growing right before your very eyes!)

Oh those rolls! I could eat them every day...

To make it a truly special night, even more important than the food was the company:

I had originally invited quite a large gaggle of girls, but due to a date change and other complications it ended up being a small gathering. I was joined in the end by my very dear friends Emily, JaNae, Alysa, Rachel and Catherine.
I told everyone to come with the intention of being comfortable not cute... so we were mostly in pj's and mostly make-upless. Guess what? They were still gorgeous, because they have the kind of beauty that lasts. Don't you agree?

I absolutely love these girls. We had such a fun time watching the movie and staying up talking. We ended at about midnight when we figured we absolutely had to call it quits.
We talked about the movie... we talked about life and families... but mostly we talked about our husbands.

We each told our love story. How we met... our first handholds and kisses... how we knew he was the one... the qualities that stood out... etc. etc. etc.
Each story was totally unique and special, but there were some definite similarities as well.

I absolutely loved hearing my friends share their stories. They talked about things like "finally feeling that fire..." "knowing I would be taken care of..." and receiving a surprising "deep spiritual confirmation he was the one..." after an unexpectedly short time.

It was like a teenage sleepover on the flip side. Instead of talking about our hopes and dreams... we were talking about how they came true.

I got to share with them what it was about Corey too, and after they left I called him (all kinds of swooney... can you imagine after a night like that?!?) and asked what stood out to him about me too. I am thinking those stories deserve their own post... maybe a series of posts that documents our early love? I am pretty sure they aren't recorded anywhere. Sound fun? Let's start tomorrow!

Anyway, Thank you my dear friends for coming to my night. And more importantly: Thank you for being in my life! I think you are each beautiful, intelligent, talented, lovely ladies and I loved getting to know you even better!

Nakey Boy

2012-01-12T09:00:00.000-07:00

Jack wanted to hold him while I went and got his pajamas. They were being so cute I needed to take some pictures. They had fun right up until the very end... Sorry baby!

A Story About Stories

2012-01-11T07:24:00.017-07:00

This morning I awoke with a sore throat and a cantankerous spirit.
Grumbling through our typical morning routine I went to Jack's backpack to depost his lunch for the day inside. I noticed some papers that I hadn't taken out the day before...
Jack had written some stories! Yes! Could this be the antidote for my current case of crabby?
Read them and tell me what you think...

#1- A Christmas Story

I came home from school (that's him knock-knocking on our front door to be let in) we put up the Christmas tree!! With bells and ribbons

I was filled with joy and we put it up super quickedy quick

It was so fun so I shot my rockets I was so happy

#2 The Class Exchange Party

Mrs. Roundtree got ready for ... the exchange party! I could not

wait for the party. Before we left school my brain was nuts. (In case you can't make it out... that circle in the picture is noted as his brain and you can tell what the contents are I am pretty sure!)

In the evening we had our ... party I got ... 3 things a jack a dragon a nerf gun
(don't you love the use of ...'s for emphasis?!?)

#3 The Snowman

I made a snow man. I went in doors and got my light saber and ... whacked the

my snowman. He crushed he splatters he lost his snow...

I played snow balls. I threw one at my dad and mom. How much fun do you think we had? (the last part got cut off in the picture... sorry!)

#4 The One That Really Cheered Me Up :)

I woke up. I went to my mom's room.

She asked me if I wanted a cough drop.

I said yes. I sucked it. It helped me.

Well. I best be off. There is a day to get going here after all!
I hope yours is off to a good start.
Mine is now!

Talmage Trip Day Six

2012-01-04T14:30:00.001-07:00

Day Six was purely about getting home.
It was a long day but I missed the other men in my life a great deal so I didn't mind.
I put Truman in this jacket so people would warm up to him faster.
It worked.

And that was that. We were home.

Things I don't want to forget about little niece and nephew from this trip:

Ada sticking things in her ears and then pointing to them "Earsss.... earsss..." Gum... mints... hair clippies...

Running and chasing and spinning with Ada "Run! Run!" I have never seen anything quite like how that girl runs!

Talmage trying repeatedly to eat Truman's toes.

The way Ada loved Truman and slowed down to hold his cheeks in her hands sooooo sweetly and soooo softly.

Ada getting sad and saying "Ohhhhhhh maaa maa!" and covering her face with her hands. Breaks your heart! The bear... Sam's... "Bears." So cute and so sad!

Talmage being totally okay with Ada rolling all over him... choke holding him... picking at him... (All with love of course! She loves her "waggers.")

The way Ada asked me "doing?"

Seeing first hand just how much Ada loves her mama and daddy.

Talmage's abundant and easy smiles!

Getting a few choke hold hugs. Makes you feel like a million bucks!

The way Ada called things "Cute!"

Talmage's way of demanding your attention just by being so dang sweet and cute and content playing on the floor.

How Ada thought it was so funny when I blew my nose. "Nose!" Haha!

The way Talmage scooted around. I have never seen a 6 mo. old do anything like that! What in the world? How did he figure that out?!?

Dear Cal and Whit: I love you. I love your babies. I am so happy that I got to be there to celebrate and participate with you at Talmage's Sealing. I think you are the best parents in town.
So Much Love- Ashlee

Talmage Trip Day Five

2012-01-03T09:45:00.000-07:00

Day five was the most important day of all, and it was also the day I took the fewest pictures. What is wrong with me?!?
Although... I did get this awesome one of Ada girl:

What can I say about the sealing/blessing?

Well... I guess I should start by saying I had the wonderful privilege of staying with Ada and Talmage in the little nursery prior to them being taken up to the sealing room. I got to watch them, play with them, comfort them, feed them, get them in their clothes, and walk them in to the room. I felt very lucky indeed since I don't actually get much one on one time with them on a regular basis :)
I love my niece and nephew so much. They are the cutest, funniest, sweetest little niece and nephew that ever were. What a neat thing to be there in the temple with them that day. They both were little angels in the sealing room and we were so proud of them!

We are all so grateful that this important ordinance has been done and that Talmage and Ada are both now - signed, sealed, and delivered! (in the order of delivered, signed and then sealed :) ... )
Thank you Calvin and Whitney for letting me be a part of it!

Talmage was so sweet. The blessing got off to a bit of a rocky start... Truman had his one and only huge meltdown for the trip while we were locked out of the building.
But when we got in things went great! It was a little funny that Talmage, who is the sweetest, easiest going little guy EVER was a bit unhappy during his blessing. It was so out of character, but we sure do ask a lot of these little babies, and I am not surprised it finally caught up with him!
The luncheon was great. Good food. Wonderful company... I got to meet Joshua's wife Bailey! ... and catch up with lots of other family too. My dad came, and I got to introduce him to Truman.
Thank you to everyone for being so nice to him.

The evening of the sealing/blessing day was the most relaxy of all.
We ate a ridiculous amount of cookies... we wore pajamas... we recovered.
Days like this are so wonderful, but they are also kind of draining.
It was good to just chill after it all.
Have you ever seen Calvin when he's really tired? It's pretty funny.
The only bummer of the day was having to go to bed.
Cause guess what?
The next day was say goodbye and go home day, that's what.

Talmage Trip Day Four

2012-01-02T10:00:00.001-07:00

This collage is a little random... just cute shots of us all holding our babies that didn't really fit anywhere else... I love the one of Whit with Truman.

Playin' on the floor before we headed out for lots of errands...

Whit once did a post of Ada called "25 seconds with Ada." Well here's my collage of the same title. Busy, BUSY girl:

Another one of those "Yay we're doing this in person and not on the phone!" moments... a Trip to Sam's! I usually am talking to Whit while I walk around ours. Isn't Whit the cutest mommy?

We had fun shopping and running all the errands to get ready for the luncheon following Talmage's sealing and blessing. The kiddos did a pretty darn good job too!

After our errands we hurried home quick to meet Grandma Carmen and PaPa. I was so excited they finally got to meet Truman! They loved him of course...

That night was a bit of a whirlwind. Cal had to work... Whitney and I had some adventures getting the church all set up for the next day... but all is well that ends well... and our night ended with Cafe Rio and a sweet little naked baby boy so I don't know how it could be much better than that!

Plus then Cal came home and we were able to play some more which I loved of course.
I loved the time I spent with Cal and Whit. Just doing pretty normal things... like running errands and taking care of babies and hanging out at home all felt like a dream come true to me. We could have stayed home completely and I would have been happy :)

Talmage Trip Day Three

2011-12-31T12:30:00.000-07:00

The big item on our agenda for day 2 was the finalization of Talmage's adoption.
Here are the boys all gussied up and ready to go:

Ada was pretty darn adorable to watch going all over the place at the courthouse. She held on to Audrey's hand (most of the time) and off she went! She kept saying "Run! Run!" and then back and forth, back and forth we watched her traipse that hallway again and again.

The only time she stopped was to watch "You Gabba Gabba," for a second on Hillary's lap, which really made me laugh because going from so busy, to so still in a split second like that was pretty funny!

I loved being able to attend finalization. What a neat thing! I was pretty surprised at how very officially official it all was... I mean... I knew it would be I guess, but they used such specific and proper language, the judges demeanor was very serious... it was pretty neat.

I also loved hearing Cal and Whit talk to the judge about Talmage. So sweet.
And it was pretty entertaining to see Ada do flips on Audrey for about 20 minutes straight. :)
After the official proceedings, the judge was very personable and sweet too.
What a neat experience!

And what better way to celebrate than by a trip to Paradise? (Bakery and Cafe). Thanks for the yummy breakfast bro!

Okay... now the pictures might not all make sense here. The top left is of Calvin carrying Ada girl- who is not in trouble or anything, she is just remarkably wiggly... then the bottom left is of her running laps around the joint again. :) She makes me excited to have a toddler again.

After breakfast we made a couple of special trips. I didn't get to see my mom's grave the last few trips, nor did I get to say goodbye when we originally left to UT because of Aly's unfortunate hospital stay. Sooooo... after breakfast we went to the one and only Macey's in Orem for a "short trip," to the Deli Counter where I have at least a hundred happy, silly, wonderful memories of shopping with my mom.

It's a good thing that you are guaranteed to run in to people at Macey's or I may have turned in to a sobby mess. I love going there and remembering her. As it happened- I did see people! We saw 3 actually. One of which was my good friend Stephanie that I grew up dancing with/went to high school with.
After a few visits with friends and a quick pic at the deli counter (ps- I don't know how to pose in pictures do I?!? I need some advice on how to be tall so that pictures like this don't happen...)

Visiting the cemetery was very tender... too tender to really talk about on a public blog, but I will just say this: I love my brother a lot. I am so grateful that we have each other. And Whitney too of course! We all miss my mom like crazy, and I am grateful that we had some time to go and visit, and that I could have a moment to myself to pray.

Thursday afternoon was the most laid back of any that we had. I was so grateful Cal didn't have to go to work and that he could relax with us!

We got some good pictures that afternoon.
This collage is called "sibling love."
Do you love the diaper shots? Too funny! and guess what? that is NOT a picture of Truman Ada is holding. It's JACK!!! Look close! Can you believe it?

More namesake pics. Yay! He sure loved his uncle lots and lots!

What an awesome guy to be named after. Don't you think? I personally can't think of anyone better.

Last but not least... Ada Girl in a rare moment of being posey for the camera:

Thursday night I was supposed to see my Katie but it didn't work out :( So instead I spent the evening home with Whit's mom while C&W went to a work party.
We had ourselves a grand ol' time! We ate pizza, watched the babies, talked and watched some shows.
I probably drove her crazy with all my questions, but I felt like it was a rare opportunity to have someone I admire all to myself... so I asked her about falling in love with her husband... why she chose to be a teacher... what Whit was like as a little girl... all kinds of things! I enjoyed every minute with her, and felt really lucky to have the time to get to know her better. Her stories were beautiful, and I will remember what she told me.
I have always had a soft spot in my heart for the Lewis Clan. They are truly wonderful people.

Then more talking and hanging out with Cal and Whit when they came home!
All in all a wonderful day!

Talmage Trip Day One and Two

2011-12-30T06:30:00.001-07:00

At the end of November Truman and I headed to UT courtesy of my very, very generous brother.
We said goodbye to the fam (Jack was at school):

And then it was just the two of us.

Doesn't Truman look cute taking in the hustle and bustle of the airport?
Most of the flying went extremely well. Flying with a 5 mo. old can be intimidating, but it went as well as can be expected, and I was SO grateful to have him with me.
The last trip to UT I went alone, and I felt weird pretty much the whole time.
It was good to have at least one of my men with me. Plus I was pretty dang excited to show this darling face off:

Cal came and picked me up at the Provo Airport (which is pretty much the BEST in case you are wondering...) and then after a wonderful dinner of salad and bread (which is perfect after a day of flying!) that night we hit the sack.

The next morning... Hurrah Hurrah... we woke up to meet Ada and Talmage! At last, at last!
I have pretty much the cutest niece and nephew on the planet. Did you know?
Here's Ada eating breakfast and being a "blur." I am proud of each and every shot I have that she is not blurry. That girl goes a mile a minute I tell you!

And here is their sweetest thing:

It was so fun to finally get to compare our boys!

Whit and I chat... what... 3 times a week Whit... on average? And of course we have loved having boys just one month apart.
We have been itching and itching to get to hold each others babies, and do all the proper comparisons. They are both incredibly sweet, but both very different in terms of development (Did you know Talmage was basically crawling at 6 mo?!?) and body types (Cal's first comment was "Woah! Look at him! He is huge! He is totally so much bigger than Talmage!" or something to that effect.)
They loved playing with each other:

Later that morning my Aunt Dee came to say hello!
She got to meet True and I got to hear the updates and see pictures of her Grandbabies! So fun! And it was so nice of her to come all the way down to see us!
After that we got a very special treat, and it's called: I got to go to Wednesday Lunch!
Whit and I frequently talk while she is on her drive there, and it was so fun to be in the car this time.
Wednesday lunch was such a treat. Whitney's Grandma Mooney is just so, so sweet. I loved every minute of getting to be at her house and listen to their cute family. I even learned the long-standing history of Wednesday Lunch... and daily Pepsi Parties. Pretty cute!

After Wednesday Lunch we headed to Nat and Kyles!
We got to see Michael (the MAN... when the heck did that happen?!?), Aimee (who sang us a delightful song that she was going to be performing in a neat interfaith program), T, Aunt Shir and Uncle John, Katelyn, Ashley Kayleen, and of course... Auntie and Uncle.

It was so, so good to see everyone. I love my family like crazy. All of them.

It may have felt like a "mean trick," as Whit would say... to only get to see Uncle for about 10 minutes before they had to leave for the airport on a trip to see Alise.
I may have cried. Hard. But at least we got to see them for a little while!
I love you guys!
And now Truman has met most of his name sakes :)
He got "Larsen," in Truman Matthew Larsen Burton from their whole clan. It was too bad we couldn't see Aerika and Alise. But alas... families get bigger and children grow up. Gathering altogether gets harder and harder to do.
Thank you so much to Aunt Shir/Uncle John/Ashley especially for coming all the way out! So nice! And to Auntie and Uncle for hosting all of us!

While at the Larsen's I got to play animals with Ada for a minute. Pretty cute! And this collage shows her infamous "choke hold," pretty well:

Katelyn and Mike started throwing a ball around and they got a few laughs out of Truman:

More cute pictures of the boys.
I love the one with them on Shir and John's laps:

Then we went back to Cal and Whit's house with three very tired babies.
We needed to stop and break up the trip a little (and we may have had some secret business in that place too). So Ada got some chips and a "Succckkkaaa."
Cutest little girl... ever!

That night Cal came home and we got to hang out a bit. Whit made us a yummy dinner, and I think it may have been the first night we watched Sister Wives? Maybe? Or maybe we just talked? Cause believe me we always have plenty to say... I'm not sure :) All in all a jam packed fun first real day!

To You and Yours

2011-12-24T18:42:00.002-07:00

We have had the best day.
The best.

(Don't let Truman's face fool you, he had fun too.)

We are so very grateful to be a family. Did you know that?
The little goofballs and darling-face are now tucked in bed all warm and cozy... sleeping quite soundly after such a full and exciting day.
Corey and I are looking forward to continuing the night with just each other.
We are hoping your Christmas Eve was Merry and Bright too, and that tomorrow will be all that you hoped...
How wonderfully perfect to have Christmas on Sunday!
We are quite looking forward to it.
Much Love to You and Yours-
Corey and Ashlee

PS- Please consider this your official Christmas Card as we didn't actually get around to sending those this year! Sorry!

Sing America

2011-12-21T06:00:00.000-07:00

A few months (?) ago... (good golly this blog is behind) we attended a Music Night at Jack's School. As you can see, it was themed "Sing America."

Jack had a handful of adoring fans (yes that is what Alaster looked like pretty much the entire time... don't you love his hands on his lap?!?):

Jack had been looking forward to this night for months and months. He talked about it nearly every day after school.
During the actual performance (For which I forgot to take off his jacket when they herded him into the little holding station! Rats!) he acted exactly like I thought he would. So JACK.
He was obviously excited and proud and happy we were there. He wanted so badly to show us, but he was determined to hold it all in... a little embarrassed... not wanting to show too much.
He would look over at us, smile, quickly pull the smile back in, and focus on the task at hand.
At first he just sang and didn't do the movements to the songs like the rest of his class:

Then when the instruments came out:
(for which he kept telling me he was "an alternate,"... I think he was secretly wishing someone would get sick and not show...)

He loosened up and started doing the actions (again in such a JACK way):

And then came his FAVORITE part. He was the head ant for "The Ants Go Marching." Meaning he lead out all the other kids as the ants-went-marching one-by-one Hurrah! Hurrah! More and more kids followed with each verse:

His other favorite moment of the night was when they sang in Spanish. Pretty cool.
All in all we thought it was a very nice program and we were thankful for his great music teacher. She is obviously very talented and works well with the children.

Now for our absolute favorite photo of the night. Jack was doing the actions at this point, but again, didn't want to be too happy about the whole thing. Two little fingers suffice for him instead of arms wide up and open:

Is that cute or what?!?

Here's The Thing...

2011-12-20T06:00:00.001-07:00

I am certain in Heaven my children knew that if they came to our family they would be teased as babies.
Corey and I can't help it... it's too fun! Jack for sure got the worst of it. We were downright merciless to that poor baby.
(We draw the line at tears though. We never intentionally make our babies cry. That would be too, too much.)
Anywho here's our current favorite with Baby Boy:

He starts out all unsuspecting and sweet. Happy in his chair... doesn't even notice the spatula... looks at the lights above...

A few whap, whap, whaps of the spatula later and...

Here's his "That wasn't very nice guys..." face:

A few moments later and all is forgiven:

In other news... Aly has been puking for 2 days straight. He's pretty miserable, and we are all heartbroken for him... Jack is celebrating his last day of school before Winter Break today... And we are up to our ears in Christmas preparations and celebrations and whatnots!
Loves and Hoping your season is going well too...

Awesome Things C&A Have Said as Parents no. 2

2011-11-28T15:31:00.003-07:00

"I want a happy penguin or no penguin at all."

I suppressed my giggles as I attempted to wrestle the costume off of his screaming, writhing, surprisingly strong little body.
I wouldn't have got it off at all except that I threatened "If you don't let me take it off, I will go get Daddy to do it!" (classic mom move)
Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would have reason to wrestle a penguin in my lifetime.
It was really NOT a funny situation... but come on... that's hilarious, right?
I am tempted to tell you the penguin's crimes, but I think I had better resist.

Another Awesome Recently Said Thing:

"Jack... Aly's arms are the perfect length. Leave him alone." -Corey

That's all for now.
Hope your Thanksgiving was Warm and Fuzzy!
Toodles!

Datey Date Daterson

2011-11-19T07:00:00.001-07:00

Since the beginning of the school year Corey and I have had the pleasure of going out on a weekly date.
We leave all but one child behind (He's a cute third wheel, and he doesn't distract too much.)
and go off on exciting and romantic adventures...

Okay the truth is that we do the same boring things that we love and have always done...
We stroll through Barnes and Noble.
We stay home and play games.
But you know what?
It's still completely and totally wonderful!

We have never gone on regular dates, and we wouldn't be doing it now except that a friend with children similar ages proposed a weekly swap. We plan weekly so in actuality it happens about every 3 times in 4.

It. Is. Delightful.
Especially since Corey now has a full time job, a part time job, and is doing more than full time school. 2 hours of alone time feels heaven sent!
We will still know each other when this phase of life is over!

I like Corey.
He's fun.
I'd rather be doing nothing with him than something fancy with anyone else.

Please leave comments of cheap dates. Our date budget is about $2.50/week!

Aly's Baby

2011-11-18T07:00:00.000-07:00

Meet Aly's Baby:

"Baby."

Baby ate breakfast with Aly. Baby sat next to Aly when they watched a movie.
And all day Aly prayed "Thank thee for penguins."
The end.

Another New Trick

2011-11-17T07:00:00.000-07:00

He can't do it consistently or for very long.
But he was able to do it long enough for me to take these:

Good Job baby!

PS- Yes I do realize that Truman is hoggin' up the blog.

1-He lets me take pictures so much easier than J and A.
2-He also is in a phase of life with lots of easily documented milestones.
3-And frankly, everyone in this house is a little baby obsessed, it's true. Jack and Aly would rather me show them posts about him on the computer than themselves. So don't think it's just me!

Don't worry. BIG J and A posts with lots of stories, coming your way soon!

What Brothers Are Good For no. 22

2011-11-16T07:00:00.000-07:00

Lazy Saturday Morning Snuggles.

Toes

2011-11-15T07:00:00.000-07:00

He found them!
He loves them!

Here he is pre-bath... passing the time...

And here he is in said bath, saying an enthusiastic "hello!" to all of you:

He's cute.

Jack's Most Recent Obsession

2011-11-14T07:00:00.000-07:00

Paper Hats!

We had to impose a limit to the amount of paper he is allowed to blow through in a day because it was getting seriously out of hand.
Pretty cute though huh?!?
He also loves paper airplanes, and THESE. Although he has no idea what you are supposed to do with them. He calls them his "puppets."

***Fun Side Note: See how Jack is sitting with his legs crossed in the upper left photo? Is that my DAD or what?!? And that photo doesn't even really do the similarity justice. Sometimes I look at him sitting and the likeness is striking! It's not just his legs being folded, but the way his upper body is bent, and the fact that he has my dad's body type too. Crazy!***

Flippy McFlipperson

2011-11-13T12:30:00.001-07:00

Little Mr. can flip!
(Tummy to Back. It started Nov 8th. I'm trying to be better at recording dates and doing things in order. Have you noticed the boys hair length is all-over-the-place?!? That's because I don't blog in order these days. I let it pile up and then I spew it out all willy-nilly like. No order at all!)
Anyway... here's what it looks like.
It starts like this:

Then goes like this:

Darling! No?!?

Filling Out

2011-11-12T08:00:00.001-07:00

Remember THIS?
Well... today's collage is an update.
It's entitled: Chicken Legs No More.

Haha!
A few weeks ago he decided to chub up.
He has always been a big boy... we get comments about it constantly... but he was always just big, not chubby.
Not so much the last 2 weeks or so. He is chubbifying and we love it!
My friend Rachel wondered if maybe he could get that crease on his upper thigh to go all the way around his leg?
Now wouldn't that be an accomplishment!

Wonky

2011-11-12T07:55:00.000-07:00

He's 6.
His teeth are wonky.

And he has no idea how cute he is.
I have some serious updates on this boy... actually on all of our boys... headed your way.
I write myself little emails as often as I can with little stories as a reminder that they need to get on the blog at some point...
My "Blog Notes," folder is overflowing.
Rats!

Halloween '11- The Baby

2011-11-11T06:35:00.000-07:00

Last Halloween Post I promise!
Just thought you'd like to see baby boy in his Halloween PJ's:

And more shots of the costume:

Okay, now for all of you who think he is the spittin' image of Alaster... do you not remember when Jack was this same frog? Can you see some similarities here?!?
I need to do a collage of Jack in his costume so you can compare them side by side. Plus... wouldn't it be nice to have some Jack baby pictures on the blog? He was 2 when we started blogging, and that always makes me sad. He was such a darling baby!
Ah well. I'm grateful for what we DO have.
Happy Halloween, and Happy 11/11/11!

Halloween '11- The Pumpkins

2011-11-11T06:30:00.000-07:00

Halloween Eve we carved our pumpkins.
The boys drew the plans (Alaster's little hand and face drawing is so cute huh?!? And Jack was pretty darn cute being excited about his happy vampire pumpkin!)

Daddy drew it on the pumpkin and carved.

Everyone helped with the seeds (Aly not very much!)

All that was left was to light 'em up!

Halloween '11- Festive Dinner and Trick or Treating!

2011-11-10T06:39:00.000-07:00

Our Halloween tradition of homemade pizzas lives on!
This year I made salads for the boys which complimented their costumes.
Jack got a light saber salad to go with being Darth Vader. Aly had a Fish Salad because penguins eat fish of course!
The boys had skull head pizzas, Corey and I had pesto-Frankensteins.
Top it all off with Bones and Blood (breadsticks and marinara... the concept of this one was seriously disturbing to Jack), and you have yourself a Halloween Feast!

It was a success!

Corey took the penguin and Darth out trick or treating alone. Baby boy was not up for it so he and I stayed home being lazy, enjoying each others company and an occasional trick or treater.

They had a great time and came home loaded with goodies which I finally tossed the remainder of just yesterday :)

Halloween '11- Crazy Candies and Trunk or Treat

2011-11-10T06:38:00.001-07:00

The day of our ward trunk or treat the boys got a super-cool package from Uncle Travis.
I kid you not, those are REAL scorpions in those suckers.
The boys were pretty hesitant to try them, but thought they were pretty much the coolest things ever. We ended up soaking them in water and getting the scorpions out for the boys to inspect.
They also loved the Prickly Pear Suckers and Badges!

That night we headed to the ward trunk or treat all decked out in costume. I kind of wish we had done a family theme. We are kind of a mismatched Halloween mess, but we still had fun! Can you guess what Corey and I were?

Corey was Tron, and I was... Festive :) Never again will I go to a Halloween Party with just the intent of wearing Halloween colors and nothing more. Everyone was so confused... "What ARE you?!?" I wasn't being anything. I just wanted to be festive. Ah well. I got to spray paint my hair purple which I had always wanted to do :)

I was having a seriously hard time getting good pictures of the boys. But here's what we got:

Jack was Darth for Halloween using THIS costume, which was much too small, but he didn't care :) He was so sweet, that boy of ours. He has a mask that goes with the costume, but he remembered that the Primary leaders said no mask, so he told me he couldn't wear it. What a good boy!

After the ward trunk or treat we headed to Gram and Grampa's. Gram had super fun treat packages for the boys:

The ward Trunk or Treat was so fun!
We absolutely love our ward so very, very much. It is easily the ward we have been closest to in our married life.
I am bummed that I didn't take any pictures of our friends!
And thanks to the Primary Leaders for giving us all such a nice event! You guys did great!

Go Illini! Ohio Stinks!

2011-11-04T19:25:00.002-06:00

Our boys have been introduced to the Big Ten!
And the chant around the house ever since has been:
"Go Illini! Illini Rocks! Ohio Stinks!"
Jack has even denounced his favorite color: Red... because that is an Ohio State color. "Boo!"

The day after the covered bridge festival the same gang: Gram and Grampa, Tyler, Casey, Kristine, Corey, Jack and Aly (Minus me and Truman... can you picture my baby at a big ten football game?!?) made their way to the stadium.

Gram had graciously decked the whole family out in U of I gear... even me and Truman who didn't actually go! THEN... she found out that their section was supposed to wear blue, so they got all new things! From the pictures they took the stripes from what people wore turned out pretty cool!

The boys... all of them... had a rip-roarin' good time. The boys lasted the entire game with style.
Apparently they were sitting by Ohio fans... and Jack and Aly won even them over.
They seriously had such a great time!

After the game Truman and I met up with the group at our favorite local Pizza place.
Thank you again Gram and Grampa!
And now for the last collage I lovingly entitled the "Worst Pictures EVAH," Collage:

The end.
What a fun weekend!
Thanks again Gram and Grampa!

Halloween '11 - The School Parties

2011-11-03T15:00:00.000-06:00

School Parties were the beginning of the Halloween Extravaganza for our family.
Jack's was technically a "Fall Party." Very PC. No costumes or anything. I felt a little gypt at no costume parade! Still, he had a great time.
Jack's teachers told me a funny story about the spider on his cheek.
Apparently he was requesting fangs with blood from the face painter. She kept telling him "no," so he kept coming at her from different angles, trying to argue his way into it.
When she finally agreed to a spider on his cheek he argued
"Well how about I AM the spider... and spiders have fangs. You already said yes to the color red, so maybe the fangs have a bit of red on them...?"

Jack and Alaster were both very generous in sharing the goods from their parties with each other. Jack snagged Aly a pair of cool glasses.

And of course they wanted baby boy to have a try...

Alaster's party was much more Halloween-ey. He got to dress up and even go trick or treating. Huzzah! If I may say so... I think he was a class favorite in his penguin get-up:

And yes, he does have a darling waddle to accompany that costume.

I was so grateful Alaster chose to be a penguin! I figure it's probably the last year he'll want to be something cute. Next year he'll be 5! What in the what?!?
If anyone asked him what he was going to be he answered them with clues...
"It eats fish.... and waddles...."
If you got stuck he added:
"It has a beak... and lives where it's cold..."
"It's black and white.... and loves to swim..."
Cute boy.
Can't wait to show you all 3 of our darlings in their costumes. Stay tuned!

Wiolde Boys

2011-10-29T07:30:00.000-06:00

Alaster Morgan Burton and Jack Edward Robert Burton, the little boys that are wild.

(Written on the side of a map of Indiana)

I absolutely love stumbling upon little things like this when I am cleaning up or just going about my day. Remember when I found THIS?

Good times!

Covered Bridge Festival - 2011

2011-10-29T06:45:00.002-06:00

It's Fall... and that means it's time for the Covered Bridge Festival!
Two weeks ago we packed up and headed out.
I struggled taking pictures this year because I have posted about this for 2 years now, and have already shown you many of the sites and sounds of the festival...
When I came home and went through pictures it really was a very odd assortment... I apologize in advance. And you know what? I never got a picture of the 5 of us all together. Rats!
Anyway....
Here we are enjoying all the lovely driving time:

The drive was just beautiful as always. Look really carefully at the cloud picture and you will see a Hawk. The fields were being harvested, and the Hawks were out to get their field mice! Over one field we counted over 10 Hawks circling. Very fun! We also took a picture of a dream house. It's set in the most gorgeous location, and every year Corey and I say a big fat "If Only!" when we pass it.

This collage is entitled: "Interesting Folk at the Festival,"
Pictured is the Gourd Lady. (Notice her awesome hat!) The Corn Fritter Grannies (I think they are so cute!) The Singing Auctioneer (Corey's absolute FAVORITE... can you hear the sarcasm?... just ask him about it!) And Honest Abe:

I think we did better with food this year. No one overdid it, and I got to try a few things that I had always wanted to: Kristine and I shared persimmon ice cream, and I also got corn fritters from the cute ladies. Jack is pictured with pumpkin ice cream, and baby boy in the small picture is pictured screaming and crying- which is what he did the entire first stop of the trip. He was not a fan of the wind or the noise. Sorry baby boy! But as you can in his picture with Uncle Tyler... he acclimated eventually at one of the next stops.

The boys each brought home one souvenir. Alaster got a darling bobble head penguin, and Jack got a bear claw necklace. Both of them couldn't have been happier with their pics. Also pictured in this collage... some interesting items for sale and fun things to do. Corey is pictured at some kind of gun place that he just had to stop at. I'm not sure what it was called, I didn't go.

After bottle time in the car:

Hangin' out and havin' fun:

Aly was in a funny mood all day. He spotted these gnomes and just started posing, instructing me to take his picture. I happily obliged. If you want a giant gnome... the covered bridge is the place to get them! Or any kind of carved lawn ornament or furniture for that matter:

A few pictures at Bridgeton:

The last stop, wherein some of us were already checked out for the day:

We love the Covered Bridge Festival. SO much. We look forward to it each year with much anticipation. Thank you Gram and Grandpa for taking us and showing us a fantastic time as always!

**** Lovely Side Note: Baby Boy rolled from tummy to back for the first time last night! Hip Hip Hooray Little Baby! ****

King True

2011-10-25T06:45:00.001-06:00

Behold! King Truman Sits in his royal throne:

(Wearing an adorable onesie from Aunt Dee! Thanks Aunty!)

Every King needs a crown to sit atop his regal head. See what King Truman's loyal subject Jack bestowed him with:

King Truman looks most dignified as he presides over meals. He is wise and kind, exacting yet fair:

Hehe.
Yes, we really do call it his throne.
Corey wants to get a stuffed Jaguar to sit next to him so he can be a proper King Noah:
And wouldn't it be cool if we could make him a crown like that?!?

Sewing Machines and Crossbows

2011-10-21T13:20:00.010-06:00

It is with permission that I share the content of two recently received emails from my man that made me happy. They were oozing so much Corey-ness that I decided they just simply must be included on our blog for the sake of future posterity who might like to get to know him better.

Email #1 Was a Christmas Wish List... all of which he was dead serious about wanting although he recognized that price would exclude some of them as being actual possibilities for this Christmas given our current life circumstances. :) His list was links that took me to the following:

#1 A U of U Hat: (The one and only run-of-the-mill item on his list)
#2 A Mini Sewing Machine: (Corey does the darning, button fastening, and small item making at our house. He recently hand sewed the boys little totes for church from a pair of his old pants. I absolutely love that he likes to create and sew! He also does the ironing! Did I get me the perfect man or what?!?)
#3 Really Cool Binoculars: (Which I imagine he would use standing atop a grand mountain peak to watch a bald eagle or something flying in the distance.)

#4: A Crossbow: (Seriously. A Crossbow. Weapons are a part of his manly desires, which I don't particularly care for but which make me smile in spite of myself. He would use it for target practice and not much more. He doesn't have the desire to kill animals... except in cases of survival of course. He keeps insisting to me that this need (killing animals for our survival) is going to actually arise at some point. "And won't every one else feel foolish for not also having one?!?" So far he hasn't asked for gas masks, but I figure it's the next logical step in his mind. Is this reality to him or merely manly daydreaming?)

#5 L.L. Bean Rucksack: (The man has good taste, and an appreciation for items of quality.)
Email #2 Was the result of asking him to help create a 'family update,' type blog post. I asked him to jot down a few thoughts of things in our life that have recently changed, and things that have remained the same. Keep in mind he was writing this for me as reminders of things to include. He was not writing the post. Therefore, for some things we have one word instead of a well written Corey sentence. Know what I mean? Anyway here it is. Read it and then I will tell you why I loved it so:

Corey: School, New job, YM sec. and loving scouts, wrestled a grizzly bear and almost won (if you see a one-testicled grizzly bear, tell him I said Hi),

Ashlee: severely injured her calves during an unfortunate aerobics accident, subsequently recovered from said calf injury, still as sexy as ever, still RS presidente,

Jack: First grader, may have slightly broken his nose (not really), finished soccer, started piano, reading books to us like a champ, got his own scriptures

Alaster: Pre-schooler and loving it, learning to read and doing so well at it, still as funny and as cute as ever (maybe even cuter and funnier), doesn't like being cute but loves being funny, loves woody woodpecker, obsessed with penguins (real penguins, not the stupid fake penguins with bow-ties)

Truman: seems to be slowly and steadily inflating, is laughing, loves his new throne and bouncy toy, Looks a little like King Noah when he is sitting in his chair, sleeping on his side in order to reshape his flat head,

Family: still in Illinois, still pluggin' along, loving each other more and more, Everyone is getting older, no longer in the young new family category in the ward, soon moving into the has-a-kid-in-senior-primary category.

Why I loved this email: "loving each other more and more," um, yes. I love him. I also love that he always has a sense of humor in everything he does (Although in the spirit of total honesty I admit that I am embarrassed on occasion because of this. I'm sure you can guess which parts of the email that applies to). I love that he knows his kids so well and is so invested in their happiness. He is proud of them. He is sweet and affectionate with them... in the email and in real life. I love that he is honest about and happy with our life. I am happy too. I love that he did what I asked. He always does anything I ask him to, and many things I don't have to ask... he just does.

Well. Corey is in the room and he is becoming concerned about how much I have typed. I will end. I love you Corey, and I hope everyone reading learned something new about him today!

Awesome Things C and A Have Said As Parents no.1

2011-10-20T11:00:00.001-06:00

Welcome! To a New Series of Posts on our Brazenly Burton Blog!
These posts shall be dedicated to all parents everywhere... Especially to those who can relate to our "did I seriously just say that?!?" moments of parenting life.
Keep reading for some awesome real-life quotes from Corey and yours truly...

"Aly, we are not throwing fits about stupid things anymore, remember?" - Ashlee

"Stop talking about poop and eat your dinner." - Corey

"I would love to come and shoot you, honey." - Ashlee

"What does freakin' mean?... It means 'really, really,' like: I freakin' like this pizza." - Corey

"Jack we do not whack people with cows on Sunday." - Ashlee

"Jack! You do not have to whine and puke about everything!" - Corey

"I'm sorry Jack, I just don't want to light anything on fire right now." - Ashlee

"Alaster, Scriptures are NOT a weapon!" - Ashlee

Stay tuned for more. We say some pretty ridiculous things around here.
And feel free to leave a quote from yourself in the comments!

What Brothers Are Good For no. 21

2011-10-19T10:00:00.000-06:00

Being MAJOR distractions.

A few weeks ago I bought this saucer for Truman.
And for several days afterward... any time he was in it I couldn't get the boys to focus on me for anything!
Breakfast time was a struggle... and scripture study? Forget about it!
During scripture study that first night we had it I pulled him out and set him on my lap thinking it would help...
but apparently Truman was liking the attention and didn't want to give it up despite the seating change. He talked, smiled, stared and cute-ed (I think cute should be a verb it is so active sometimes!) himself at the boys so much that it was pretty much useless to continue.
That night we heard his very first real-live laugh!
It was so magical that I'm just sure somewhere a fairy really was born! (Thank you J.M Barrie for that lovely thought!)
Do you want to know who drew said first laugh?

Jack.
And Jack is still the consistently best at getting them from him.
One night Truman was so loopy that he couldn't stop laughing at anything Jack did.
It didn't require any kind of effort even... Jack moved slightly and Truman would just bust up!
He stared and stared at Jack getting ready for bed laughing all the way till it was time for me to lay him down in his crib.
He just loves that Jack! Maybe he's thinking of good times they used to have together in Heaven before coming here?!?
I am sure one day he will love Alaster as much, but if you want to know the truth I think he is a tad scared of him right now. Aly is pretty loud, and he sure loves and smothers Truman. Sometimes it's a bit much for baby boy to handle. One time I saw Truman start to shake as Aly drew near...
Ah well!
One thing is for sure: Our baby is a lovely distraction. In fact I think I will go snuggle him right now instead of cleaning up the living room.
Have a lovely day!

Primary Program

2011-10-16T20:30:00.004-06:00

Primary Program October 16th, 2011
Theme: I Know The Scriptures Are True

Jack's Line: The Priesthood power has been restored to this earth. I am blessed by this power when my father gives me a blessing when I am sick.

Alaster's Line: The scriptures are written by God's Prophets.

What we would like to remember about today years from now:

How Alaster sang my "I Love To See The Baby," version of "I Love To See The Temple," instead of the real words. (Woops! Maybe I need to stop changing the words to songs around here!)

How Jack and Alaster memorized their lines and delivered them beautifully! (And how Alaster didn't say "under God's Prophets," instead of "by God's Prophets," like he kept doing every time we practiced it.) And how reverent and sweet they were through the whole program!

How I could tell Jack needed to go potty towards the end, and I when I mouthed it and asked him from the audience, he mouthed back an anxious "I can't until the program is done!" It was so sweet :) He was swaying back and forth through the rest of the program, but I don't think anyone but me knew what was up.

How Alaster nearly knocked himself out with his copy of the scriptures as he enthusiastically hoisted them into the air, or rather when they descended from said hoisting, as the children sang the chorus of "Scripture Power." Thank heavens for his teacher, who intervened and gave him her case-less scriptures to hold up, rather than letting him continue to sling his encased ones. (which really was the cause of the problem)

How Jack looked right at me during much of the singing and how I couldn't keep a smile off my face. My mouth hurt by the end because I was just so proud and I wanted him to know it, and to know that I thought he was doing just beautifully!

Thinking about how Jack really does love the scriptures, and how I am so grateful that the Primary and his leaders/teachers have reinforced their importance to him this year. Jack has an innate spirituality, and he genuinely enjoys reading from the actual scriptures. He follows along so well when Corey and I read aloud at family scripture study, and sometimes he likes to read on his own at night time.

Watching Aly bob his head all over, lead the music with the chorister, pump his fists excitedly, and also make his hands beautifully-twirly-whirly with different parts of the songs. What is a 4 year old boy to do? One can't hold perfectly still the entire time, and we think he did pretty darn well!

Being grateful and feeling spoiled that the boys had Gram and Grandpa Burton/Casey and Kristine in the audience to support them. Jack and Aly were so excited that they came! And it was fun to have them there to laugh with us at how cute and how funny they were being.

Thinking about the Primary Leader's challenge to the parents to send the children with scriptures every week. We hadn't bought Jack and Aly their own copies yet (shame on us). But we accepted the challenge, and our family is better for it. You should have seen the boys anxiously awaiting their scriptures to come in the mail. Darling! You've never seen such excited faces as the day they arrived! They proudly and faithfully take their scriptures with them to church each week. (excepting one short stint when Aly lost his, but never-fear, they have returned!)

Feeling the Spirit strongly as the children sang "Scripture Power."
In addition to the traditional verses they also sang:

I want to be like Noah, Obedient to the Lord, Courageous like Queen Esther And Ammon with his sword. Like Ruth, I would be faithful. Like Moses, I'd be true. Examples in the scriptures Can teach me what to do.

I want to be like Daniel and stand up for the right; Like Joseph Smith, seek wisdom in prayer for heaven's light. Sariah's strength on journeys And Alma's change of heart Inspire me to choose wisely, Repent, and do my part.

I want to be like Mary, Rejoicing in the truth; Like Samuel and Moroni, Who listened in their youth. Examples in the scriptures Can help me to become Obedient, brave and holy - More like God's perfect Son.

So neat! We Love Primary!
And thank you Jack and Aly! We are so very proud of you!

It Has Reached Illinois...

2011-10-15T07:00:00.000-06:00

Picturesque... Crispy... Aromatic... Autumn.

Mmmmmmmm.
Aly and I went on a walk to gather a bit of it inside for our very own.
Yesterday the Burton clan headed to Indiana for the Covered Bridge Festival and fall was out in all it's glory.
Corey said it was still a bit too warm, but I thought it was perfect.
Can't wait to show it to you!

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-13T08:00:00.000-06:00

Living in the Midwest does have some serious advantages.
Among them... killer pumpkin patches.

Remember how much fun we had at The Great Pumpkin Patch?
It's the crazy fancy, oober-huge patch in Amish Land that Martha Stewart went to once on her show. They have varieties of gourds from all over the world... It's massive... expensive... and frankly just quite a production! We had so much fun, and think if you live here, it's a "must experience at least once," kind of place.

The pumpkin patch we went to this year is on the total opposite end of the spectrum. It was small, family operated, and the prices were insanely good!

They basically just sold the necessities- pumpkins, hay bales, corn stalks, and a few winter squash varieties... no gift shop... no activities... and yet? We still had a fantastic time, just in a totally different way! The boys were so cute and excited!

To give you an idea of the prices... we got 31 gourds in total. We are loaded up on fresh, healthy, locally grown and harvested spaghetti, acorn, and butternut squash. We have a plethora of pumpkins to decorate with, carve, and generally delight us... and all this for the low, low, price of $13.50.
That's right people I said $13.50!!!
2 wagon loads full of gourds!!! What in the WHAT?!?
I think it would be fun to try a new pumpkin patch every year that we live here, but I am thinking this patch will be a staple. Plus it's like only 15 minutes away. Score!

Last but not least... a few darling pictures of our littlest pumpkin... atop a rather large pumpkin:

Properly

2011-10-13T07:00:00.001-06:00

Look who has decided to cooperate and do tummy time properly:

Yay Truman!
Also, he has started to be a teeny bit more verbal. He is still pretty content to watch, and smile, and be very quiet most of the time, but here and there we get some attempts at verbal conversation.
It's pretty sweet. Most of the time it comes out in very growly sounds, and occasionally he finds the typical "coo," type sound.
It's like he really has to focus when he wants to talk. Sometimes he will be staring at me SO hard, and I KNOW he is wanting to say something. His arms and legs pump... his eyes are practically screaming at me... but no sound! Then I will try to show him how... and his mouth will do the exact same thing as mine did...opening and closing... but no sound! It's like if he thinks about it too hard he just can't do it!
But I don't know, because he can do it just fine when he's expressing a need.
Whatever is going on, it's very cute, and we love every single precious sound he can make!

And as you can see...

He still loves his fingers, and I still love him!

A Hugie Truman Update

2011-09-28T10:00:00.003-06:00

Mostly this will be lots of pictures, but I do have a few little details to share about our smallest boy.

Something you wouldn't know unless you were around him lots:

Truman is the most easily startled baby on the planet... And that he was like this even in my tummy! I would move to turn off my alarm in the morning, and apparently after laying so still (I am a crazy still sleeper!) it would jar him right awake and I could feel his startled movement. It was hilarious and I looked forward to it each morning :)
Apparently he's not much better now. I can be holding him...talking to someone... and if there is a brief pause in the flow of conversation... and someone breaks that momentary silence... I have a startled, crying baby on my hands.
He frequently startles at laughter... crinkling paper... oh anything really. And I know what some of you are thinking (Aunt Nat!)... this is something Ashlee would take advantage of and get evil pleasure in exploiting. Well... you're wrong! I don't have to make him do it because it happens so frequently without my effort that I am satisfied. I even try to not scare him, so what do you think of that?!? Poor kiddo!

A New Song We Are Singing To Him... to the tune of "This is My Country,": (patriotic songs are so easy to turn into baby songs!)
This is OOOUR Baby! Ever Since His BIIIIIRRRTH!
This is OOOOUR Baby! Grandest on EEEAAARTH!
I pledge thee my allegiance ... oh Baby Boy! The BOOOOLD!
For you are MY Baby! To Have and To HOOOOLD!

A Physical Feature He Possess:

Eternally clammy hands and feet

The Jobs Truman Was Assigned After Jack Complained that "Baby doesn't have any chores!":
Eat.
Be Cute.
Smile Lots and Lots.
Love Us.
Sleep.

He is doing swimmingly in all of the above! What a good helper!

A Big Step He Has Recently Taken:
Sleeping in his crib.

A Cheer He Likes:
Clap Your Hands! (Clap, Clap, Clap)
Stomp your Feet! (Stomp, Stomp, Stomp)
Little Baby Truman Can't Be Beat!

Something he still only does a teeny, tiny, bit of:
Talking

Oh How We Love Our Truman Boy!

Cutest. Preschooler. Ever.

2011-09-26T13:00:00.001-06:00

Well, Aly started preschool last week.
It's only 3 days a week for a couple of hours which is really not that much time compared to some schools, but still. It felt pretty momentous. It's a big step that feels symbolic of something much bigger, and I'm not sure how I feel about that folks.
Actually, all leading up to the first day I was fine and I didn't think I'd have any problems. He was excited, I was excited, we were good!
Then I dropped off my freshly bathed, slicked-up, presentable boy. As we parted he put his little hands on my face, kissed both cheeks, my forehead, nose and mouth, gave me a big huge hug told me he loved me and walked right in as if he had been going there for years. He didn't even look back!
I am glad that he feels secure and confident enough for that, but as I watched him go my heart gave a little sob. I was so sad I didn't even want a cookie.
I got back to the car quickly and had a discreet little cry before setting off to the grocery store without my shopping buddy.
I had a good chat with Whit about it all as Truman boy and I walked around the store. I felt a little better when she was sad about us not being able to go out to breakfast that morning to distract my mind.
She said "Maybe when we hang up I'll need to go back to bed and sulk about that one."
:)
I am happy to report that preschool is a success. He is loving, loving it, and I feel like it's the best thing for him right now. We chose a more social pre-school and I am teaching him the essentials at home.
Cute little boy.
So here it is in all it's glory:

The "Aly's First Day of Pre-School," Collage.
That's huge huh?!?

Tummy Time Turned Sleepy Time

2011-09-24T12:00:00.001-06:00

Truman doesn't do much on his tummy yet.
Mostly we plop him down and he just gets comfy and submits. Yesterday we watched him for a solid 15 minutes be wide awake and as still as still can be. No effort to move what-so-ever. Sometimes he'll voice his displeasure towards the end, but that's about the most that happens.
Yesterday while watching baby boy's lack of movement in awe Corey (very affectionately mind you) called him a "useless baby."
Will he ever learn to roll over?
To scoot?
To crawl?

Probably.
But he's sure not in any kind of hurry!

Fast Becoming My Fave

2011-09-24T07:23:00.005-06:00

Who knew I would ever love mornings?!?
Okay... I don't love, love them yet... but there are three little people who are sure making me re-think my "I hate mornings," stance.
I mean I was pretty much gauranteed to wake up with a smile when the first thing I heard one morning was a boisterous 6 year old bursting through my bedroom door, landing with a jaunty plop next to my sleepy head and declaring:
"Mom! I just put on my new underpants... and they feel... ga-rate!"
Some mornings don't start off so instantly jolly.
Take for instance the morning that Aly crawled in next to me and fell asleep all cuddled up.
After a slow kind of waking up our conversation turned to babies.
"Mom? I love babies. When I'm a daddy... I want a house full of babies. Babies, babies everywhere! So many babies they reach up to the ceiling!"
After quizzing about his babies, I discovered the following:
He wants a baby girl, and he is going to name her: Fancy.
His first baby boy is going to be: Tooman (which is what he not so secretly wishes Truman's name was)
(Side story: Aly continues to love babies. Once when leaving my friend Rachel's house he asked her "Can we borrow your baby?!?" He had been playing with him on the floor and wasn't quite ready to be done apparently!)
Truman always wakes up happy. I love to watch him stretch and get my first bit of snuggles in for the day.
The boys love him too. Let's face it... baby boy is the real reason they come to my room.
On the weekends when we don't have school to rush off to we will sometimes spend a good 30-45 minutes snuggling... talking... oohing and ahhing at baby True.
It's little moments like these that help me remember my life is so good!
(And also? It makes me so excited for the day that Corey can join is!)

Homework

2011-09-23T20:05:00.000-06:00

It has begun.

Last year he didn't have any... this year... just a bit.

His homework is pretty low-key at this point as you can imagine. We both enjoy it most of the time. It's been a good bonding thing actually. After dinner he is more prone to talk about school than when he immediately gets home, so we'll sit and he talks to me about what is going on... most of which is just so darn cute and funny.

His little concerns (the very few that he's had) are so adorable. I am so grateful for his desire to do what is right and to please his parents! He is such a good boy!

We also end up being pretty silly together... he makes me giggle doing silly things like writing his name in squiggly letters instead of normal ones. It's just little things like that, but it gets us both laughing and we have a good time.

In the spirit of total honesty, he has had the "I don't want to do this!" attitude some nights... but usually when we get going he is fine.

Here's to... what?... 12 more years of this?

Onward and Upward!

Aly and True

2011-09-23T20:00:00.004-06:00

The most frequent comment we got for Jack as a baby was "Where did he get that gorgeous red hair?!?"

Aly: "Look at those big beautiful eyes! He is so alert and happy!"

Truman: "Well he's a Burton alright! He looks so much like Alaster!"

It was destined to happen of course... the comparison to his older brothers. I find myself wondering what people would have said if he had come to us first.

Corey and I still contend that Jack is in there too... and that he has many features that are very uniquely Truman... but the general population seems pretty decided that we have a mini-Aly on our hands.

Mr. Morgan and Mr. Matthew... pretty handsome boys!

And don't worry Sir Edward... we think you are one good-lookin' fella too!

I Hate Blogger

2011-09-22T23:30:00.001-06:00

Who knows why in the heck blogger does what it does. I have worked and worked and worked on my Aly post trying to get the formatting of it right. I am done. SO done.

This perfectionist is giving up and going to bed.

Good Night.

Grrrrrrrrrr.....

The Aly Update of the Century

2011-09-22T22:46:00.006-06:00

Alaster hasn't had a proper update in ages, so tonight you are in for one heck of an Aly post.

I mean look at this Collage:

I made that collage about Last-April. It is pathetic, but I am now prepared to tell you all about it.

So, I love my Mr. Morgan. He is the utlimate around-the-house buddy. Frankly I think everybody could use an Aly. They should sell Aly's in the grocery store as an essential household item. Who wouldn't want a darling brown eyed boy following them around, chit-chatting about this and that, making them smile and laugh as he helps them sort the laundry, put away dishes, and tidy up the house?I love that he always wants to help and that he does it with a smile.

I will also always treasure the time he and I spent alone together last year pre-Truman, while Jack was in school. Along with following me around the house helping, he sometimes would just be in my vicinity doing his own thing... but we still felt like we were hanging out together. Most of the time I would be working in the kitchen... washing the dishes or preparing meals... and he would be at the table playing. He enjoyed making me playdoh hearts, painting, or pulling in the tramp to do tricks. He is also very good at pretending and independent play, so sometimes he would bring in his "guys," and I would listen their constant dialougue. He also started doing some online preschool games and Corey and I would laugh and laugh watching his adorable little finger navigate the pages. Too cute!
And while I know I can't record every little thing that my darlings do, I always writing down little stories here and there hoping they eventually make it all the way to the blog. SO... for the rest of this post... along with some random pictures (some quite old) of Aly I will share a random smathering of those things.

A NickName Aly Recently Gave Himself:
"Alaster Picky-Toes McGee Cute Burton"
(He has an odd toe picking obession. Did you know? He'll pick his toes for lint and debris... pick yours... whomever really... he just likes to pick!)

A NickName We Recently Gave Him:
"The Bull" ... as in... "A Bull in A China Shop."
Poor kid says sorry to us at least 15 times a day. He's a bit clumsy, a little on the wild side, and sometimes just very, very non-observant. But you can't be mad because he doesn't mean to, and he is so very sweet and contrite!

A Cute Absent Minded-Habit He Has:
Singing whatever he is thinking about. I really think he mostly does this unconsciously. Like when Corey had his Hobbit and Lord of the Rings books in the backseat of our car and he started singing "Daddy haaas... da Hobby and Lord of da Raaangs... Hobby and Lord of the Rangs... Da Rangs... oh... da Hobby..." He does this all the time. Sometimes his words will fit well with the Spider-Man theme, but often he is singing to an all-original melody.

A Tradition He Ensures He and I Always Observe, No-Matter-What!:
Dancing our fool heads off together to Grace Potter at the end of Tangled.
(Jack won't join us)
A Few Things He Likes to Play:
Chef, Grocery Shopping, Guys (of all sorts), Trains, Reading Books

What He Used to Always Say to Whit on the Phone, and Occasionally While on the Potty:

"Innie-Minnie-Miney-Mo-Catch-A-Stire-Styits-Sto."

What He Said on the Way Down After His First Time Singing With the Primary During Sacrament Meeting:
"Was that fun Jack?!? That was fun!"

Things We Love to Hear Him Say:
"I sink so."
"Rememer?"
"A Sposed To."
"What?!?"

His Absolute Favorite Animal:
Penguins. He wants so desperately to have one as a pet, and it is a dear ambition of his to one day take a bath with one. Our friend Melanie knew of this love and recently gave him a little book-mark thing that has penguins that walk when you move it. He. Is. So. In. Love. The penguins go everywhere with us. At church on Sunday I had Aly on my lap and the Penguins in my hands. He insisted I hold them up so that they could watch the speakers too.

What He Said When I Asked Him Last Week "People want to know a little bit about Mommy... what should I tell them?!?"
"That you're beautiful!"
(I had to write a little blurb about myself for a Relief Society newsletter spotlight)

What He Said When I Inquired If He Was Done YET?!? In The Bathroom:
"I sink not! I ate a loooooot of grapes!"

His Favorite Number:
One-Pocka-Zillion!

A Dangerous Habit He Has That Makes Us Laugh:
Looking back while he is running to make sure we are watching him, or to see how fast he is going.

What He Said to Me After a Particularly Exciting Conversation With Jack about Dressing Up as Star-Wars Characters For Halloween (Jack ran into school and we were alone):
"Really... I just want to be a duck. Or Santa Claus. Then I would say 'Ho. Ho. Ho.' "

What Alaster Love, Love, Loves about Primary:

Singing Time, Participating in the Opening Excercizes andHandouts. This last Sunday he got a bunny that he colored blue and gave a cotton-ball tail. He lets me pet it and tells me that someday he will turn the bunny real. And you should ask me to tell you about the "Good-Samarian," handout and the way he tells the story. So. Darn. Cute!

What he "Whispered," (his whisper may as well be a scream) Up Close To My Face At Church One Morning As Soon as We Shuffled Into Our Seats (We were late and acting a bit frantic. Apparently he was completely untroubled...):

"Mom! What did you have for Breakfast today?... I had toast! And Apple Juice! Do you know what cup?!? The BUZZ one!"

Another Bit of Evidence That He is Always Thinking Of Others:

He saved the last teddy from his teddy graham cup for his sleeping Dad. He laid it right by the closed bedroom door, just perfect for when he woke up.

Who He Continues to Look to For Every Cue and Who He Would Walk to The Ends of the Earth For:

Jack.

Fingers

2011-09-22T11:30:00.003-06:00

Suck, suck.

Lick, lick, lick.

Smile and chew.

Grunt, coo, lick, suck.

Little man sure loves his fingers!

And I sure love his face!

(ps- see how gorgeous and long his eyelashes are getting?!? Beautiful, no?!?)

Dino PJ's

2011-09-22T11:21:00.003-06:00

Gram went shopping for the boys.
Don't they look cute in their Dino Pj's?!?
Thanks Gram!

Guess

2011-09-22T11:19:00.005-06:00

5 Points to anyone who can correctly guess what Jack was spelling out here.

It is not giberish at all. It's actually pretty impressive considering what he was attempting!

Bath Time!

2011-09-22T11:10:00.004-06:00

Step One:

And 3:

All Done!

First Day of First Grade!

2011-09-03T08:30:00.000-06:00

I'd like to tell you that I did something creative and memorable for Jack's first day... something fun like LAST YEAR for Jack to start the school year off right. I didn't. It really snuck up on me and all I could manage was smiley-faced pancakes. It's even the same plain-jane whole-wheat pancake recipe that we use on a regular basis.
Darn it!

I felt like a bit of a failure, but Jack seemed pretty enthused about them anyway:

He wanted to take his first day of school picture up a tree (he was super into climbing trees this summer):

And I asked him to do a few on our porch:

I admit... I liked his tree pictures better.
My favorite though was this one:

The token "brother," picture.

Jack and Aly both received priesthood blessings from Dad and so far Jack is off to a great start!
He is enjoying music more this year, and this week he did his very first ever homework assignment! Huzzah!

I hope things go as well for Aly. He starts preschool on the 20th. We'll let you know how it goes!

Corey is Cool

2011-09-03T07:58:00.000-06:00

He can do all kinds of manly things, and he's teaching the boys to do them too.
This summer I bought a pretty crummy old wood dresser for really cheap at a garage sale.
I brought it home and in one afternoon Corey cleaned it up, fixed all the broken parts, built it a new back, primed and painted it. By the time he left for work that evening Alaster and I were moving his clothes out of his plastic drawers into his nice, new dresser.

Also pictured in the collage up there: A rocket that he made with all leftover materials (from when he redid our kitchen table and chairs, and from when he built the boys bunkbeds). One afternoon I came home from work and all my little men were outside building it together. The boys helped cut, paint... all of it! And it was just a design Corey made up on the spot. I could never do something like that!
That incredibly crowded shelf full of little boy treasures is affectionately called Jack's "special shelf," Aly has one too. They are also a Corey original design, and match the boys bed perfectly as they were also made of leftover materials from that project.

This next one is my favorite. My boss gave us this old chair when she was getting rid of things at her house. I loved the shape of it, but obviously that hideous brown had to go. Corey made it a darling turquoise! I repainted my magnet board in the kitchen to match. For a while, during a period of many house projects (can you say "nesting," ?!?) that little chair housed a lot of project materials. Now it is frequently the home of a melon waiting to be cut:

When I asked Corey which summer project he was the most proud of he said our kitchen table:

I am sad I didn't get a before shot that included what the tabletop looked like. I got this one after he had already redone it. It was a miracle he worked on it! This was also an extremely good garage sale find, but it needed a lot of work. I am pleased with the result- the table especially, but I don't know about our chair color choices. We may end up changing them. This summer was really our first experience in doing things like this in our home and we still are learning!

The rocking chair was given to us by Cindy. She rocked her boys in it, and now I am rocking Truman. Corey fixed and painted it. Then another afternoon I came home to a surprise chair that Corey redid- the seat cushion and all- to match the curtain that Cindy made for Truman's room:

Last but not least (today anyway, I am sure there is something I have missed) the shed:

That was more of an assembly project than a creative one, but he did create that wonderful wood... thing... (what would you call it?!?) for it to sit on so that our things wouldn't get hurt in the rain.

Poor Corey is sick as sick can be in bed today. So do me a favor and give him some online love and tell him what a wonderful job he did on all those projects up there!
I sure am proud!

Before School Bucket List

2011-09-01T08:12:00.000-06:00

Anyone else sad that summer is coming to a close? The weather is still hot most days here, but with the beginning of school everything changes.

The week before school started the boys and I decided to make a list of things we wanted to do just one more time.

And thus one morning at the breakfast table, our Before-School-Bucket-List was born:

We had such a grand week I am thinking this shall be a tradition in our family.

I know what you are all wondering... did we accomplish it all?

See for yourself:

#1- Have a stay up WAY, WAY, WAY late night with movie, popcorn, treats and tent and games:

Substitute fort for tent and we have ourselves a "check!"

And I must say... our late night was probably my favorite. I have never let them stay up quite that late before, and I am happy to report that the boys take after Corey in that - the more tired they are- the sillier they become. We had ourselves a stupendous time! (Although I had to include that picture of Aly crying because it was actually a really funny moment of the evening.)

#2- Go Swimming. Check! This one they did with Dad and Gram... no pictures, but they did do it! And it wouldn't have been a complete week without going. We have had SO much fun in the pool this year. Jack let go of all his previous fears and embraced such joys as belly-flopping, diving, and swimming in the deep end alone. Huzzah! Alaster also made great strides and we will sure miss the pool this winter!

#3- Go Fishing with Dad:

Check!

#4: Go to Meadowbrook Park:
(A delightful spot in Urbana with walking/running trails - both nature and art, field, and a playground)

Check!

#5- Family Light Saber Fight:

Crazy, but we actually didn't get to that one! It's hard to imagine our family without light sabers, but somehow we missed it. Truly, it was a jam packed week.

#6- Soccer in the big backyard:

#7,8 and 9: Hide N Go Seek, Trouble and Playdate with Owen.

Also missed. Darn it! But, I will say that I did try to do them but the boys were pretty worn out. All week they were saying "let's work on our bucket list," and all week we did! I guess there just isn't time for everything.

Anyhow, we had a fun-filled last week of summer. Now on to fall and winter! I am going to try not to hate it, I promise!

What Brothers Are Good For no. 20

2011-09-01T07:56:00.002-06:00

A Sunday afternoon stroll.

Close Ups

2011-08-31T09:02:00.004-06:00

While rummaging through my millions of photos trying to prepare a couple of posts this morning I came across these close ups of the boys:

I love the ones of Truman because they show my vantage point of what his serious little face looks like right before I start pelting it all over with kisses.

I love the one of Alaster because it gave me my first full bellied laugh of the week and reminded me of THIS.

And I love the ones of Jack because he took them himself and they are just so JACK. (And they show his 6 year old crazy teeth!)

Good Morning to you all. More from our neck of the woods soon :)

Asking for Help- My Uncle Lester

2011-08-25T12:23:00.003-06:00

My Uncle Lester came to live with us for a while when I was little. I was young enough that I don't remember too much about it except for a few highlights:

-My Uncle was the coolest. Like THE COOLEST. I idolized him.

-He played with me and Calvin. I'm not sure how old he was... I think maybe 18 or 19?!? However old he was it was certainly old enough to have more important things to concern himself about than two energetic little kids. At the time I didn't think it was terribly out of the ordinary, but now I realize that it takes a special kind of guy to do that!

-He taught me how to properly shuffle cards.

-He was (and still is) really tall! And he played basketball.

-He loved and respected my parents.

I love my Uncle Les very much, and always have.

The past few days have taught me yet again about the importance of extended family. I have pondered and thanked Heaven for what an amazing one I am a part of. Best of the best people! Best of the best! We are there for each other in good times and bad.

My Uncle Les was in an accident at his home. It was very serious, but due to prayers and priesthood blessings things have gone much better than expected. Still, his family needs help. My little family will give what we can but that is... quite frankly... not much, so I would like to ask for your help as well.

You can read the story HERE, and if you feel so inclined there is a link on the side where donations can be made.

Thanks friends for reading. I love you all and hope that you are safe and sound!

A Wednesday FHE and a 2 Month Gift

2011-08-18T09:37:00.005-06:00

We're all a-buzz over here getting ready for school to begin.
Gram took the boys shopping for their school lists and shoes.

We are working on a before-school-bucket-list, trying to pack in as much last minute fun as possible.

And last night we held a special back-to-school FHE.

(Monday night didn't work out... at least we still did it even though it was the wrong night, right?!?)

Our lesson focused on 4 main points that the boys need to remember to have a successful school year. We played a game with objects that represented lessons that we need them to know.

It was a good time! The boys did a great job listening, and had wonderful ideas themselves. I can't tell you how pleased I was that when we got to the phone- Aly and Jack both remembered: their mom and dad's full names, both of our phone #'s, AND their complete address. We taught them those close to when we moved in, and I am so impressed that they still remember!

We also had the obligatory talk about bodies. It's not the funnest conversation because it makes us think of all the horrible things that can happen... BUT... it felt so good to prepare them and feel empowered as a parent to guide and protect them. (This wasn't the first time we have addressed this subject, and thankfully I can report it is getting easier each time.) As part of the conversation we even talked about how to avoid seeing inappropriate pictures of other peoples bodies. Yep, that's right. The sad truth is that pornography is in elementary schools these days whether we like it or not, and we must not send them to school unprepared!

(Lest you worry... Jack has not come up against anything even close to this yet, but we know the possibility is there, and we want to cover all of our bases. The worst thing he learned at school last year happened the last week of school. He came home and asked what "ass," was. It is actually a really sweet and funny story. Ask me sometime and I'll tell you about it!)

Thankfully, not the entire lesson was that heavy. We had lots of fun too, and I know it's going to be a great year!

In other news, Truman turned 2 months old yesterday! To celebrate he gave me a little gift: He made it through one entire bath and even getting out/lotioned/dressed etc. WITHOUT CRYING! This is front page news people!

And doesn't he look so sweet in his post-bath PJ's? That little smile in the middle picture was just for me. He gives them to me pretty much whenever I ask now. What a sweet little boy!

Robbed!

2011-08-18T09:29:00.004-06:00

What in the what?!?

Call me crazy but I was SURE they would be finalists at least!
I mean, just look at my mustachioed men...

Truthfully though, the competition was pretty fierce. While I don't like the guy who is currently in the lead, there were other ones that I thought totally deserved to be there. Funny stuff. You can see who made it HERE.

Next time, honey. Next time!

Truman... What We Know So Far

2011-08-10T20:14:00.017-06:00

This Friday will mark 8 weeks with our Truman Boy.

Here's the facts that you need to know:

He's already in 3 month clothing.

He loves music. He likes the Mormon Tablernacle Choir, and all of Corey's Classical stations on Pandora. He also likes the baby classics like "popcorn popping," and "give said the little stream." The first time I did "head, shoulders, knees and toes," though he cried, and we haven't tried it since really.

He has a somewhat sensitive tummy. At first we had a little freak-out thinking we might have another baby like Jack on our hands (Oh NOOOOOOO!) but a formula switch and a bit of time have resolved all issues. (Whew! Dodged a bullet there!)

At first he absolutely abhored the bath, but now he reluctantly tolerates it without fuss until the very end. He does not like to have his face washed. That goes for even wipes during the day. Makes him angry.

He likes the massage chair.

He is tolerant of his brothers shenanigans. He lets them poke and prod him much more than he lets me.

He loves to feel the breeze outside.

He is not patient when hungry and he gets a little frantic about waiting. The worst for him is when he knows it is right there but not quite in his mouth yet. He eats more than he "should," at this age, and it has always been that way.

He makes us laugh on a regular basis.

He makes a darling "I'm done," face after a bottle that compells me to kiss all over his cheeks giving him this "Oh alright... if you must," look on his face.

He likes to be changed after a messy diaper immediately. Pronto people, pronto!

He's not much of a snuggler, but that makes the times that he does want to snuggle oh-so-special.

He gets the hicups more than anyone I have ever met. It's crazy!

He has a pretty mild cry unless he's very, very angry. The first few weeks of life he literally said "waaaa, waaaa, waaaa," with the "w," sound at the beginning. Other times when he cries I feel like he is talking to me.

He still loves to be tightly swaddled.

He likes to be held, but has very specific ways that he prefers... same thing when it comes to comforting him... very specific positions and ways.

Much to my dismay he doesn't like to be messed with when he's sleeping. No kisses, no picking up for a squeeze, no poking or prodding... he's sleeping and he's quite serious about it. Bummer!

He is all smiles when he first wakes up in the morning.

Most people say he looks like Alaster, but Corey and I see characteristics of both, and some traits that are very uniquely Truman.

He's getting a stronger neck everyday, but let's face it... he has quite a melon up there so it's gonna take a while to be nice and solid.

He's not so keen on baby exercises.

He's very accomidating to our crazy life.
He has a sweet disposition the majority of the time.

He's not on a schedule yet, but that is totally not his fault.

We give him an A- in sleeping.

He can swallow air like a pro. It's very sad of course, but also quite impressive. You try and take a big gulp of air... it's not actually that easy.
He does baby things like this (Corey's Favorite):

and arching his back/sqwunching up his legs and putting his fists behind his head/elbows out to the side when we pull him out of the car seat (Ashlee's Favorite) so, SO well.

He's not the best burper in town, but when he does, he REALLY does.

I can count the number of times he has spit up or thrown up in his whole life on only one hand.

He is quiet. He is basically either silent or crying when awake. The only exception is when he is on his tummy. Then we hear a steady stream of sweet little "oooow,"s. While he licks and sucks on his fist.

He is quite content to sit and watch us all around him, but lights up like a light when we come over to his world for a little chat. He purses his lips together, opens his eyes wide, lifts up his eyebrows and pumps his little legs and fists like a mad man.

He brings sunshine and love into our home everyday, and we love every little thing about him. Good, bad, happy and sad, he is ours and we'll take it!

Blessing Day, Blessing Day Tra la la la la!

2011-08-08T20:37:00.009-06:00

For days leading up to Truman's Blessing I have been talking and singing to him about it.

When I woke him up Sunday morning I told him "Baby boy, it's here! It's Blessing Day, Honey!" He looked me right in the eyes and gave me a broad, winning smile.

As you can see by the pictures, he was sweet and happy as could be all day. It was like he knew he was the star of the show, and he wasn't going to let his audience down.

We were so grateful to have Casey and Kristine come from Chicago to be a part of our day, and of course Gram and Grampa, and recently returned Tyler too.

To our family in the West: I missed you. Like crazy. It felt so weird to me not to see your faces filling up a solid 3+ rows of benches. I know you all would have been there if circumstances had allowed it... I just hope you know that you were missed. Terribly.

To my Mom: I love you. I'm sure you were there, but I found myself missing you the most of all.

To David (JaNae) Tanner, Todd (Rachel) Freestone, Jeff (Emily) Savage and Mark (Amaris) Fletcher: Thanks for being part of the circle with Corey and Ed. We've never asked friends to be a part of our babies blessings before. With us missing the rest of our family it was really, really neat to have our closest brothers in our ward family step in. We have learned so much from you and your sweet wives. (Who I felt really ought to be mentioned in those parentheses up there. They are so important too!) Love you guys!

The only picture I have of the five of us all together is when the boys came to the hospital just after delivery. I am glad we now have one of us all looking a bit more presentable (and yes I did get my hair cut finally, before the big day):

Corey gave Truman a loving and beautiful blessing.

He's the best, you know that?

I need him.

The boys need him.

And he is always there for us.
I am a better person for being his wife, and I absolutely love our life together.

I am so very grateful for the choices he has made that have brought us to this point.

Blessing Day was a perfect example to me of all of those things, and only he will really know what I mean when I say that. Here's to you Honey: I love you.

When we came home I let Truman loose for a bit. He was so hot! Then I got him dressed in Corey's absolute favorite outfit:

(You wanna squeeze that nakey baby don't you? Check out that Belly! Just like a little frog.)

A little bit of love with my boy before we headed over to Gram and Grampas:
At Gram and Grampas we played... we ate... we enjoyed each other's company... we oohed and aaahed at the Blessing Boy and mostly just took it easy. It was just what we all needed.

Happy Blessing Day Truman-Boy. You're our darling darling, and now so very officially official.
We love you to the moon and back and wouldn't trade you for anything!

A Legacy of Manliness: A Guest Post

2011-08-06T15:36:00.000-06:00

Some time ago a friend recommended a website to me. I never went to it for some reason, but thankfully I stumbled upon it again a few months later.

artofmanliness.com

If you visit the site, your first impression will most likely be based primarily on the illustration of the 19^th century bare-knuckled boxer with the handlebar mustache at the top. Looking at that and the general design of the website you might conclude that it is all just a bit of silliness. Well, your conclusion would be premature.

In my perusal of the website I found many articles that addressed the nurturing of the “Mature Masculine” as opposed to the pre-adult/post-adolescent state that many young men find themselves in; a state in which they avoid the commitment of marriage, children, or the responsibility in general that comes along with being an adult—a man.

There is some good-natured silliness sprinkled in there too.

Reading these articles and some of the statistics about “men” in our modern society, I began, naturally, to worry about my own sons. Am I teaching them what they need to know to become responsible young men? Am I teaching them about the enjoyment that comes from putting in a hard day’s work? Actually creating something with your own hands? About the balance between work and recreation? (This one really worries me, what with video games and continuous media connectivity) Am I being a good example of these things?

My reading has resulted in constructive self-reflection and a determination to help my boys grow up into adulthood, and be good men.

Here are some of my favorite articles from their site. Some of these are the first post in a series. The subsequent entries in the series are included in my recommendation.

· The Cure for the Modern Male Malaise: The 5 Switches of Manliness (Intro to a five part series)

· Coming of Age: The Importance of Male Rites of Passage

· Craft the Life You Want: Creating a Blueprint for Your Future (First of a three part series)

· 3 Archetypes of American Manliness-Part I: The Genteel Patriarch

· Dance Like Zorba the Greek: Getting in Touch with Your Wild Man (Maybe my favorite post)

· Modern Maturity: Create More, Consume Less

There is plenty more to read there. These are just a few that stuck out to me.

Anywho, The Art of Manliness is having a photograph contest: The best bare-knuckle boxer pose. Here is our entry.

Teaser

2011-08-05T17:50:00.003-06:00

What in the world would we do this:

to our baby for?
Curious?
Stay tuned.

Dapper

2011-07-31T11:58:00.007-06:00

Truman wore his first official church outfit today. He has just gone in onesies till now.

He's our dapper darling:

Also of note at church today: Corey gave a wonderful talk in Sacrament meeting.
It was so good I asked him if he would email me a copy.
The talk was on the subject of Hope. He used a variety of sources including the scriptures, words from the prophets, ensign articles... you know... the usuals.
He also threw in this quote, which I thought really made the talk his own:

"It's like those great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were; and sometimes you didn't want to know the end, because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But, in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines, it'll shine out clearer. Those were the stories that stay with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances to turn back only they didn't. They kept going. Because they were holding on to something."

He tied it in beautifully, and his talk was certainly the high point of church for me today.
The low point? Probably when Jack hit Alaster, and then me right before the sacrament... and missing the sacrament when I had to force him to leave the room with me because he wouldn't get up of his own accord. It was embarrassing and definitely won't go down in history as one of my most stunning mommy moments.

But for the record... this was highly unusual behavior for Jack. Believe it or not, with all of their craziness... hitting each other or us has really not ever been an issue.
Corey and I hope that we can nip it in the bud. Let's just say there is some awesome parenting coming Jack and Alaster's way tonight. Or at least we hope it is awesome!
Wish us luck!

Aly's Special Day

2011-07-30T07:14:00.001-06:00

Our middle-man turned 4!

So of course that meant it was time to party!

Corey's work allows him free access to their awesome printer and he made those signs for us to hang around. Good thing, because I didn't do any other decorations!
Aly was so excited for his party. He talked about it for weeks before hand, and a couple of days before he started saying that on Friday night (party on saturday) he would be "So Asited I can't even sleep!" (so excited he wouldn't be able to sleep!)

This next collage is probably out of order... these are a few of the happy party-goers:

Mary and Spencer, the Birthday Boy, baby Theodore, Alice, Kenzi, Jack, Henry, Gram and Grampa.

But before the party began we had to do the prep. This year I decided to let Alaster do the main decorating. He helped create the sand for his beach and Corey laid it down on the ocean. I made the waves, and boom: the birthday boy had a blank canvas to work with.

Gram made a trip to Amish Land to get some pretty awesome gummies and sprinkles for the cake. Have you ever seen a gummy penguin before? They are called "peachy penguins," and taste like peach ring candies. Penguins are Alaster's absolute favorite! He was of course happy that there were sharks, fishies, and octopuses too.

He was gracious, and let Jack help decorate. At the beginning Aly was just laying them down, but towards the end he started to make up stories and play with them on the way to the cake... the two penguins on the bottom left of the collage are a mommy penguin and her boy. He was having the fish do cool tricks to jump into the water, and just playing the way that is so typical of Alaster. He has such a great imagination!

I thought the finished product was rather cute. I especially love the one spot of sprinkles that he dropped down. It actually made quite a perfect little school of fish :)

After creating the cake we set up for the activities. We laid out the supplies and made examples of the final product to show the kiddos:

Since we were ending the party at the pool I thought we should equip everyone with sunglasses. (Thank you Walmart! 8 packs of sunglasses for $2.00!)

And then when I found those little shell boats I thought the kids could take them to play with at the pool. They did try... but they sank. Darn it! I should have tried it out before hand! Oh-well. They still had fun with them, and most of the kids were still excited to take their creations home.

After crafts came cake and ice cream:

His face could not have been cuter as we sang to him.
I think he felt very special, and I am so, so glad!

I thought the crafts would take longer than they did, and I had promised the parents I would only have their darlings in the pool for about 45 minutes. (we were still in the middle of that crazy heat wave, and the party was at the hottest time of the day)

So to kill some time we played musical chairs:

And duck, duck, goose:

(which... was super entertaining)

Then nothing was left but to head to the pool:

Oh... we did open a few presents at the party (not all kids brought them... we said on the invites that they weren't necessary).
The COOLEST present at the party was a homemade cape with the letter "A," on it, and a homemade mask to go with it. Thank you Freestones!

After the party was over and all of the guests had left Aly opened presents from Gram and Grampa and Mom and Dad. One of which (the Captain America mask) is pictured here.
He was just darling at his party.
Did you know we love our Alaster Morgan? We can't imagine our life or our family without him!
Happy Birthday little man!
We hope your special day was all you hoped for and more!

What Brothers Are Good For no. 19

2011-07-29T06:19:00.002-06:00

Going Prehistoric.
Behold! Jack and Alaster the Cavemen:

It started one night when Alaster had something on his shorts and Corey told him to go change. He came back down in that over-sized yellow shirt with an absolutely wicked smile spread on his face... ever-so-barely holding back his laughter.
Corey knew what was up immediately.
"Alaster? Are you wearing shorts under there?"
"Noooooo." giggle, giggle, giggle... hand covering his mouth...
"Alaster? Are you wearing any underpants?"
"Nooo!"
Then the full blown belly laughing and jumping up and down commenced... he was so proud of his funny joke.
We couldn't help but laugh too as we sent him back upstairs to go get modest.

A little better...

Anyway... after this he put the shirt back on, and Jack went and got his.
They were both wildly silly by then and when they pulled the one shoulder down to be "cavemen" they were pretty much beyond-our-reach hyper.
It was pretty good Saturday Night entertainment for Corey and I.
I'm so glad my kids are not boring.

Good or Bad Mom?????

2011-07-27T07:07:00.004-06:00

Aly doesn't like to practice things.
One of his most used phrases (unfortunately) is "I can't do it!"
This has caused many conversations between Corey and I, and many different approaches to help our boy.
So what was I to do when he came to me with a piece of paper that he had WRITTEN LETTERS on?
The writing letters part? Wonderful! He tried something that he normally says he can't do!
The not so great part? He wrote the word "poop," and we are also very much discouraging potty humor.
So what do I do? Get after him for the word? Praise the effort? A combo of both?
I went with: praise-the-effort-with-all-my-might, point out each letter individually, and totally ignore the fact it says "poop," when you put all those individual letters together, approach.
I played stupid... or at least... non-observant.

And I can't help but wonder what people must think if they overhear me saying an energetic "So Long Stupid!" to Jack as I leave for work...
It started with an old timey cartoon of a bird who outwits a cat who is trying to eat him. The bird flies away and in the funniest voice says "So long Stupid!"
Jack and I watched it together and both cracked up at that part.
And an inside joke was born.
He says it to me... I say it to him... we laugh... you get the idea.
Now normally, the word "stupid," would not be allowed.
But I am totally allowing it.

So... does all this make me a horrible mother?
Maybe some of you would have handled these things differently because that's the kind of mother you are.
I guess this is just the kind of mother I am.

PS: Have you read THIS ? Corey and I studied it on Sunday night, with real intent... in every possible meaning of those words. We are trying so very hard to do our best for our boys, and I am incredibly grateful when we get such direct and applicable advice!
Here's to being better!

A Billion and One Pictures of...

2011-07-26T12:16:00.000-06:00

Jack Playing Soccer:

Tuesday Nights and Saturday Mornings you will find us all rallied to support our biggest boy.

He loves it. Like loves it, loves it.

The rest of us get pretty hot and sweaty watching him...

But sometimes they have it inside which helps.

The first Saturday he played he picked out an appropriate onesie for Truman to wear:

Uncle Tyler and Grampa have come to show their support too... no pictures of them though! Sorry!

The top left picture on this next collage is one of my favorites. At the first practice, he was so proud of always being the fastest one back to where the parents were sitting to get a drink during the breaks:

Doesn't he just look so good?

We love going to watch him, and look forward to many more years of it!

Go Jack! Woot, woot!

So Stinking Hot

2011-07-22T08:30:00.004-06:00

Yesterday we hit 101 Degrees with a Heat Index of 118, courtesy of the humidity.
Fun stuff huh?!?
I actually don't mind it, but Corey has declared he is ready for winter.
Boo.
Long Live Summer!
And doesn't Truman look cute staying cool in his tank-top onesie?
Thanks Uncle Casey and Aunt Kristine!

He was cool as a cucumber and oh-so-adorable, all the live-long day.

He is Bug Slayer Hear Him ROAR!

2011-07-22T06:45:00.004-06:00

Jack slays the bugs in our house, a job that I almost completely refuse to do.
For that reason, he is my hero, and I tell him so.
One night this week I called Corey in an absolute panic. There were two, count them TWO massive mosquito looking things in our living room. To me they looked like mini-lobsters with wings... or normal mosquitos on steroids.
Corey gave me five, count them FIVE, completely logical ways to rid myself of them, all of which were unacceptable because they required me to be close to them.
He kept saying "What do you expect they are going to do to you, exactly?" and the answer is: I don't know! I just know I couldn't stand them touching me, or the crunch that you feel when you squish one. It sends shivers up my spine!

I asked him if I could call our home teachers or a neighbor to come kill them.
His response: "You do whatever you are comfortable doing."
Okay calling home teachers was out. Maybe I would call Rachel? She's super nice, and she told me she kills the spiders at their house! But as it was 11:00 at night she probably wouldn't want to.
In the end all the screaming woke up Jack and he came to the rescue. My Hero! We had ourselves a fun little adventure and some good laughs over the bugs.
Jack has been so much fun lately.
I am seriously getting sad that the summer is nearly over and I have to send him back to school.

We are good buddies he and I. Very, very good buddies.

Harry

2011-07-22T06:23:00.001-06:00

The last Harry Potter movie.
Bummer.
We are Harry nerds Corey and I.
We absolutely love the books and don't care if that makes us lemmings.
Sometimes there is a darn good reason that something is so very popular.
The movies are of course no where near as good, but we have always enjoyed going to them together. This time we went courtesy of Casey and Kristine and a Christmas gift we had been holding on to for this very occasion. Thanks guys!
And because I know you are dying to see my outfit in it's entirety:

(My reflection in our sliding glass door when I got home)

Corey anxiously awaiting the show...

The boy who lived come to WHAAAAT?!?!?

A very fun date indeed... It's so nice to have a date post baby.
Thanks Gram and Grampa for watching the boys.
We loved spending some alone time together!
Well worth the hair fiasco.
Almost.
I still haven't got it fixed... how long do you think I can go?

Supported

2011-07-21T08:22:00.005-06:00

Bringing Truman home and adjusting to having one more darling boy around here has gone so smoothly. I expected it to be a lot harder considering my quick return to work and my demanding calling... and you know... maybe it would have been if we didn't have such wonderful family and friends.
Gram and Grampa have been the biggest help by far. Cindy has brought meals, groceries, and goodies. She has run errands. They have watched the boys and been so much fun to hang out with.
We are so grateful to have them!

But we haven't had just them... we have wonderful neighbors and friends too!
The Savages made that little chalk love note for us, and our next door Muslim neighbors who we have hardly said two words to brought us that lovely plate of goodies (yes that is authentic naan you see... yuuuuummmmmm!) and a blanket and outfit for Truman.
Friends have taken the boys to the pool or their home for playdates so Truman and I can rest.
They have brought goodies and presents.
They have made us dinner.
They have called to check in.
They have made us feel loved and taught us so much about how to serve.
Not all of them read this blog... but to those of you who do: THANK YOU! We love you all so much!

Popping Up

2011-07-20T06:51:00.005-06:00

Notes keep popping up in unlikely places around here.

These ones were on the bathroom floor when I got out of the shower a few days ago:

(Can you get something to eat for me please!/Answer)

I was supposed to write my answer and push it back under the door I am assuming. Actually, I know because as soon as Jack heard the water turn off I heard him say "Just a second mom, I'll go get you the blue marker."

These notes were the first thing I saw when I came home from work one afternoon:

(Truman the Cutie Baby/Truman the Darling Boy)

They were taped to Truman's bouncy chair where he was happily lounging.

These ones didn't just pop up, but I wanted to post them anyway. They are recent love notes given me from my boys, currently adorning my fridge:

(You are my Best Friend- from Jack/A more anatomically correct looking heart vs. the traditional heart shape- from Alaster. His way of saying he loves me.)

One morning Jack hid out in the closet underneath our stairs. Aly and I were in the kitchen when we heard a muffled voice say "Come look at the floor!" I sent Aly to look since my hands were wet washing the dishes.

An excited Alaster came back "It's a note!" Jack had shoved it under the door for us to find.

That note was followed by another. And another. And another. Aly was so excited to go get the notes and bring them to me to read. Occasionally there were pictures... most every note was a joke of some kind.

I kid you not, this note shoving, finding, reading and laughing kept us all occupied for over an hour. Jack went through an entire notebook. Then it only ended when I said we shouldn't use any more paper.

I wish I would have taken pictures of the notes too. They were pretty entertaining.

I remember writing note after note after note to my mom too. I would leave them on her pillow... fold and deliver them personally... or try other fun ways of surprising her.
It's fun that Jack has started to do the same thing.
He really is MY boy.

The Great Hair Curler Disaster of 2011

2011-07-18T07:13:00.005-06:00

I'll be headed to the salon sometime this week. Hopefully I don't have to go too short.
Thankfully I was able to hide the disaster on Saturday night and Sunday at church with a lovely french twist. The new, shorter pieces in front tucked behind my ear looked intentional that way.
Darn it! That'll teach me to be festive.
All I wanted was Hermione hair to go with the rest of my Hogwarts outfit for the last ever Harry Potter movie.
Don't tell me you were lame like Corey and went dressed normally.
How boring!
Although... I suppose if I had taken the boring route I would still have all of my hair this morning.
Hmmm... that is something to think about.

Another Song...

2011-07-17T16:03:00.005-06:00

To the tune of: My Little Buttercup.

My little Truman-Boy

Has the Sweetest Smiiiiiile!

Dear little Truman-Boy

Won't you stay a whiiiile?

You and I will settle down in a cottage built for twoooooo...oooooh!

Dear little Truman-Boy

My little Truman-Boy

I Loooove Yoooou!

Alaster is a huge fan of that one. He absent-mindedly sings it all the time, and requests to sing it to Truman frequently. The rhythm and accentuation he gives certain words is so cute!

It's true... we do love that Truman-Boy!

All pictures in this post were taken in the first two weeks of him being home.

What Brothers Are Good For no. 18

2011-07-17T15:27:00.003-06:00

Snuggles when tired.

Jack has learned how wonderfully comfortable snuggling with a squishy baby can be... especially when you are both such tired guys.

So Sweet.

A Tune To Start Your Morning With

2011-07-12T06:40:00.007-06:00

To the Tune of "Spider Man," the original cartoon version (missing a few parts of course because I'm not creative enough to make that long of a song up).

Altogether now!

Monkey Man, Monkey Man
Does whatever a Monkey Can
Where he goes? No one Knows.

Monkey, Monkey-Monk, Monkey Man.

Monkey Maaaaan!

Here comes the Monkey Maaaan.

Monkey Maaaaaan.

We love our Monkey Man!

A Joke I Can't Help but Laugh At

2011-07-12T06:35:00.006-06:00

They pull it at the most randon times... and it always catches me off guard and makes me laugh.

Pretty hard to convince them to stop when they can so clearly tell I find it entertaining.

Jack does it more often than Aly, and he usually gets me worse because he can do it without even cracking a smile. He'll do it and walk up to me with this "What?" look on his face.

Gets me every time.

Chicken Legs

2011-07-12T06:25:00.002-06:00

Truman has chicken legs just like Aly did when he was born:

I call them "chicken legs," Corey calls them "saggy knees," because of all the extra skin. SO fun to play with.
These pictures also show his long feet/toes and hands... possibly the only thing about him that resembles me.

These pictures were taken a week-ish ago. It's amazing how much they change so quickly. Those chicken legs are quickly disappearing. Today we go see Dr. for a well baby. I can't wait to see how much he weighs now!

Helpful

2011-07-12T06:22:00.002-06:00

Planning a trip to Pakistan anyone?

Jack said you could borrow his map if you want.

Happy 4th!

2011-07-07T10:48:00.010-06:00

Side Note Before I Even Start: This is the first of 4 posts today... scroll down to see Truman with Spiky Hair, a Boxing Match, and one Sweet, sweet little 3 Year old.

Happy 4th of July Everyone! We hope yours was stupendous! Ours was the busiest, most adventurous day we have had since Truman was born. We probably did too much, but we certainly had fun!

4th of July outfits for the day provided by Grama Burton. Jack was up for taking pictures, but wanted to make sure everyone knew what day it was- hence the signs for him and Aly to hold. Cute boy.

In the morning the boys and I went for a walk, and played some soccer in the lawn. It was a relaxed morning until Corey woke up. When he woke up we got ready for the Tri-Ward Picnic at the church. The boys had been looking forward to it so much, and it didn't disappoint!

We had yummy food and good conversation with our friends the Tanners. (Do you love the look on Alaster's face? I had one with a normal smile, but chose that one instead because I think it's so funny!)

After eating it was time for water games, face painting, making the rounds talking to lots of friends, and some good old fashioned tug-o-war! Go Elders Quorum! They killed the High Priests. True Story... although they did lose the second match. Jack and Aly participated in one too and Jack kept telling us "I was the reason we won. I pulled so hard!"

Aren't we cute? I love the picture with Corey and the boys. In case you are wondering, it's a spider on Aly's cheek to match his mustache.
After a quick trip to the store we headed home to make the boys their statue of liberty hats and cupcakes. Corey did the hats, I did the cupcakes. We also introduced the boys to Neil Diamond... Comin' to America, of course... an important part of my life history. Corey made fun of it. I got sulky. He appeased me by playing the Mo-Tab, BattleHymn. We looked for my dad in the recording. Didn't find him... but it brought back some fun memories.

Hanging out in the kitchen doing our crafts was probably my favorite part of the day. Don't they look so cute holding the books? That was Jack's idea. The bottom left picture is when one of Aly's spikes accidently got Jack in the eye. Woops!
We had a fun time making the cupcakes together. I thought they turned out rather cute!

We took the boys, hats and all, to see our friend Mildred in a nursing home that night for FHE. I had promised her that I would bring Truman once he was born. We had a lovely visit. I think she thought the boys were so cute and funny in their hats. They did a great job chatting with her and bringing some sunshine to her day.

And what would the 4th be without a bit of sparkle? We didn't feel up to fireworks, but we had poppers and sparklers. Our friends the Tanners came over too. We love those guys!

The evening came to an abrupt ending when Aly burned his finger on a sparkler. Darn it! Overall though... a fantastic fourth.

First Bath and Hairdo

2011-07-07T09:58:00.008-06:00

Pictures from the first bath at home- still not in the tub because the chord hadn't fallen off yet. Gram had made us a wonderfully delicious dinner, and we asked her to stay and eat with us since Ed was out of town. It worked out perfectly! She had enough time to stay and help bathe Truman. Yay!

(Please excuse my dishes in the background. Gram needed to leave so we left them for after the bath. We really wanted her there. Also... please excuse my non-make-uped, tired face... :)....)

I love the picture in the bottom left of that collage. VERY Truman.

This next collage is after his first real bath in the tubby (not pictured- too important to help him be happy than to get good pictures) after his chord had fallen off.
Corey provided the stylin' do afterwards.

I did manage to get two shots of him with just fluffy-after-bath-hair too.

I wanted you to see how cute the back of his head is. Silly. True.