December Happenings

Happy Christmas Eve Everyone,

I realize that I have not posted much about what we have done during the holiday season this year and thought I would share a little.

The end of November and beginning of December were full of practices for both Dusty and I. Our ward puts on a creche for the public to view. They include hundreds of nativities from all over the world and have different performers. There are rooms with beautiful artwork and a live nativity. The primary room hosts a children's nativity with dress-up clothes and a manger scene that the kids can go in and act out. This lasts three days and at the end there is a Messiah performance by choir and orchestra and a sing-in for the public. Dusty and I had the opportunity to participate; Dusty sang baas in the choir and I played violin in the orchestra. It was a beautiful and fulfilling event to participate in.

Dusty and I attended his work Christmas party near the middle of the month. It was held at a hotel this year. There was a raffle, dancing, and food. I was able to squeeze one slow dance out of Dusty and that was it. I hit the dance floor more with the ladies he works with and we had a blast dancing! It was great for me to finally meet Dusty's boss and other co-workers.

Emma had a special program at school this year. She sang Christmas songs for us and was way too cute. She also performed a nativity scene with dolls and a manger. Her part/doll was one of the stars. To top off the fun we had cookies and milk with our preschoolers.

Jacob and Alexis have been enjoying no school. They have been out for one week and have thoroughly enjoyed playing with friends, staying in pajamas until past lunch time, and eating way too many goodies (thanks to the goodies our neighbors continue to bring by).

Over the past month Dusty and I have also been participating in the ward choir. This last Sunday was our Christmas program for church. The music was beautiful! Dusty sang a solo of Silent Night. He brought tears to my eyes; actually I sobbed...couldn't even sing. The spirit that Dusty brought to the room when he opened his mouth was unbelievable. I love Christmas music and love the message and the way it can touch souls.

We got an early Christmas present this year. Athena has joined our family. She is a 10-month old torty cat. She has beautiful coloring and is on the smaller side. I went and picked her out at the shelter and came home and surprised the kids. She has adjusted well and has already found her favorite spot on the couch to lay in the sun and take her morning naps. Her favorite toys are strings and pretend mice. The kids love playing with her and have made toys out of empty wrapping paper rolls and Christmas string. We missed our cat, Angel, terribly and knew that we wanted to have another kitty in our family. We are so excited to have Athena join the Burke family!

This week we had the Gardner family over to watch the BYU game. Their kids are the same ages as our kids and they all get along really well. We really never even hear from them when we hang out because they are off playing. We ate beef and chicken kabobs and had salsa and bread and cupcakes. yum, yum. You will probably hear me talk more about this family because they have become very good friends to us. We are blessed to have met a family such as them and are truly grateful for their friendship.

Last night a group of us in our neighborhood got together and went caroling. We all made treats and met at my friend Kalyn's house. We put them on plates for people and headed out with our Santa hats on and our singing voices primed. We had sooooo much fun. Dusty and I were surprised how much the kids enjoyed it. They sang so loud and couldn't wait to go to the next house. And still this morning Emma was singing and asked me to write down the words to Christmas songs on a piece of paper so that she could go and pretend to carol in her bedroom. It was such a blessing to make people smile. Last night I felt the true meaning of the Christmas spirit beyond measure. I am so grateful for the opportunity we had to spend time this Christmas season brightening others lives with music and friendship.

Lastly, tonight we celebrated Christmas Eve as a family. This is our first Christmas in North Carolina. The weather was so beautiful today that at times I did not even wear a jacket as I was out delivering gifts. After we all returned home, we set out a big spread of food. We had ham, rolls, chips, salsa, crackers, dip, chocolate, fudge, cookies, carrots, hot chocolate and more. Weeks ago Dusty promised the kids that they could eat junk on Christmas eve and he made sure we fulfilled that promise. Jacob ate chips and fudge for dinner (gross to me, but he was happy). Any time people asked us what we were doing for x-mas eve the kids would tell them "we're eating JUNK!". Before we ate we sat down and read the Bible story of Jesus birth in Luke chapter 2. Afterwards we ate our junk and watched A Christmas Carol. This is one of Dusty's favorite Christmas movies. Emma fell asleep watching it (1 down, 2 to go). Dusty is watching Star Wars with the kids right now and I am having "Sherrie time". We are excited to be making memories with our children and beginning traditions. We have been blessed in so many ways and are humbled and grateful to be able to celebrate the birth of Christ, our Savior and Redeemer. We are grateful for His gift to us and pray that we can live worthily to return and live with him some day.

We miss our families and hope that they, like us, are having a Merry Christmas! We love all of you very much.

Love,

Dust, Sher, Lex, Jake, & Em

Oh, The Weather Outside is Frightful......

The past few months we have been enjoying beautiful weather. Most days have been mild temperatures, not much moisture, and very 'sunshiny'. To be honest, it really hasn't felt like "winter" or "Christmas" without snow. But today, Jack Frost has redeemed himself...well, kind of.


For days people here have been talking about the possibility of snow and fretting over it. This morning the temperature was very, very chilly. About noon, the "snow" began. Actually, it was more like little tiny ice crystals. Then the larger flakes began falling. That lasted about 15 minutes and then it was done. There was no accumulation on the ground at all. Well, they closed school early and acted like the world was ending.

I was going to go to the store tonight but people are acting crazy. They can't drive in this weather. They freak out. There are tons of accidents on the roads. When weather like this happens here people rush to the grocery store and start piling up on milk and bread. So, two reason why I am staying home tonight and not venturing out.

1. I don't want to drive amongst people who don't slow down and drive cautious on slippery roads. I am not unaccustomed to driving on such roads but I have no desire to deal with other drivers.

2. The stores are either empty because people think North Carolina is going to freeze over. Or, the stores are packed with people stocking up on "essentials" for the "storm". I don't know which one of these it is but I am not going to test my luck.

I hope you don't find my post negative as I am not trying to be at all. Rather, I find the behavior of people here in North Carolina very funny. I couldn't believe that they were letting school out early. Everyone at Dusty's work went home early except him and two other men who had all previously lived in cold-weather states. Funny people here. Funny. Funny.

Thanksgiving Vacation

We are having a great Thanksgiving this year. We drove to Dusty's brother's home in Ohio. Dusty's sister, Kristin, drove from NY and Dusty's parents flew in from Salt Lake. We have had a great time hanging out. The kids are loving hanging out with their cousins and grandma & grandpa.

Grandma & Grandpa planned a great 'family home morning' today and we learned about Heavenly Father and Jesus and that they have bodies. Then grandma gave us advent calendars and little journals for each child to log what the calendar says to do. Then at the end we have an envelope to open that we have to complete and send back to Grandma and Grandpa for their X-Mas gift. I wonder what is in the envelope??

Tonight is the UTAH game and we are watching it with some BYU fans. That should be fun!!

We drive home tomorrow. We'll probably leave early so that we can get home early.

We hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!

Happy Birthday Dusty

Tuesday was Dusty's birthday. He has finally moved on to the 30's and I am left behind as a twenty-something. We joke about this because we feel so old sometimes. Like when we go to Cold Stone for ice cream and the kid serving us looks like a baby. Then we realize that that is what we looked like when we met. Crazy.

Anyhow, it wasn't a super exciting birthday. I had to go to school that night. So, the kids and I waited in the dark for Dusty to come home and we surprised him with his birthday cake and cards. Then, it was off to school for me. The kids didn't have school the next day, so he let them stay up and they played Rock Band until way after I got home from school.

Happy birthday Dusty. I love you.

Back to School

Well, it's official. Last night was my first night back in college. I am getting my Bachelor's Degree in Business Management with an emphasis in Human Resources. I am still going to University of Phoenix, but I am going to the campus rather than online classes.

This first class is very general and is a lot of what I learned before, but it will be a good refresher.

So, wish me luck. I am going to have to be very organized while doing this. But, the end result will be well worth it.

Happy Anniversary~11 years

To my D.B.

The time has gone by so quickly.

We've had fun.

Laughed, tickled, joked, and laughed some more.

We've had tears.

Tears of joy. Tears of sadness.

Tears of happiness. And tears just because.

We have worked hard.

Been full time students, full time parents, and full time employees; all at the same time.

It hasn't been easy. Not one bit. But we have made it through it.

We have grown up (we weren't when we got married. We tried, but it took time).

We've been pregnant and had children.

We have lost children. And grown stronger because of it.

We have moved to new houses. But our home has always been together.

We have argued and disagreed but always worked it out.

We are eternal and will always be together.

The Lord has a plan. He planned for me and you to be together, right now, going through life.

It is our journey.

I love you. I always have.

~Your Bear

1996 Junior Prom

1999 Salt Lake Temple

2008

Responsibility Award

Jacob earned the Responsibility Award this past week in school. 2 kids from each class earn it for the quarter. He got a ribbon and award. He also got some coupons for a free ice cream and a free Chik-fil-A kids meal. Gotta love that!! He had his picture taken with the Vice Principal and they sent it home printed on regular paper. I would have tried to scan it but I didn't think it would turn out.

He also came home on Friday as the "Gotcha" winner. At our school, if the kids are caught doing something nice or being good they are given a "Gotcha". They put them in a drawing and draw out one from each grade. His name was drawn and he got to pick out a prize for his whole class. He picked pencil sharpeners. Later that night after we had tucked him in bed he came out to Dusty and I while we were watching t.v. and was crying. We asked him why and he said that he only picked out 20 sharpeners and he thought that he was supposed to get 21. He was so upset that he didn't get enough for all the kids. Too cute!

Jacob is doing great in school. He is reading like crazy and loving taking the AR Tests.

Good job Jacob!!

Baptism

Today we attended a baptism of our good friends son, who just turned 8. I played "I am a Child of God" on my violin for it. I was very nervous but I did just fine.

At the same time we were also able to be there to witness a new convert and her daughter get baptised. The daughter is in Alexis' school class and they have become friends. It was wonderful to feel the Spirit in the room today. There was such an aura of happiness and peace.

I just wanted to share my happiness tonight. I am so grateful to be a member of the true church. I am grateful for the Holy Ghost and its promptings. Today was very fulfilling. And I am truly blessed.

I wish, I wish.....

For a new camera. Mine broke on our beach trip. Luckily it lasted until we were done with our last tourist attraction, picture-taking opportunity. I have to say that I hated the camera that I had and am excited at the prospect of getting a new one. But knowing that the last two cameras had were mediocre, this time I am going to get a good one. So, I am welcoming suggestions. I want to be able to take good, quality pictures. I don't want to have to spend a year messing with the settings to figure out how to take a picture at night (I tried taking a picture of the temple at night with the lights all lit and none of the setting on the old camera would produce a good picture. I finally quit trying after Dusty had waited for me in the car for 15 minutes). I am willing to pay a little more for one than previously. I also think I might sign up for a photography class to learn a little bit more about how to take good pics (but I think I need a camera first). But all of this costs $$. So I will patiently save my pennies until I can get one. Maybe for Christmas. So, I will continue to post and I will take pictures with my cell phone. But just know that they won't be the best.

Send me your thoughts on different cameras. Likes? Dislikes? Favorites? Where to buy?

Labor Day Beach Trip

I know I am posting this way late, but here is what we did for Labor Day.

We decided to combine Emma's birthday and Labor Day and took a trip to the beach. We ended up staying in Wilmington, NC. When we arrived we had to find parking near the beach which was a huge chaotic event. It is very crowded and there are side streets that lead up to the beach. You have to search until you find a spot. They have a few public parking areas along the way, but there are lines of cars waiting to get in. So finally, the kids and I got out of the van with our beach gear in tow and started walking while Dusty waited in a line of cars for a parking spot. Eventually, he got a spot and joined us.

The kids loved the water. Alexis and Jacob spent most of their time battling the waves with Dusty, while Emma and I spent most of our time closer to the shore and digging in the sand. I was most surprised at the saltiness of the water (I have never been to the ocean before). People here laugh at me when I say this. But I really was surprised. We stayed at the beach until dinner time and then headed to our hotel to clean up for dinner.

The next day we packed up and headed to the Battleship North Carolina. The battleship has been decommissioned for some time now and is awesome to tour. We had the best time exploring under the deck and navigating the different passageways. There was so much history there and it was great to learn about life in the navy.

The battleship is even home to a alligator. I couldn't help taking a picture of this sign. Funny. But I guess there are people crazy enough to try and feed an alligator. Don't worry, I stayed far away from the water.

We took a ton of pictures of the battleship and there are so many to share.

Happy Birthday Emma

Miss Emma is 5!! It seems so weird to have my baby turning 5, such a milestone age. Most kids start kindergarten at this age, but she missed the deadline by 3 days and has to wait another year. She is in preschool and is loving it. Every day I ask the kids at dinner time what their favorite part of their day was. And Emma always says that preschool was her favorite part. I am glad that she is enjoying it.

I think back to when Emma was born. Her tiny 2 pound, 3 ounce body was a miracle to me. Laying in an isolette in the NICU at LDS Hospital she was a fighter. She never had to be put on a ventilator for her lungs. She gained weight steadily and after 2 long months we were able to bring her home. What a wonderful feeling to finally be able to bring your baby home. During those 2 months Dusty and I went to the hospital every day to see her. I pumped milk at home, going through the motions of having a newborn at home, but without the actual baby. So we were ecstatic to bring our little girl home.

Emma is such a blessing to our family. She is a spit-fire (don't know where she got that from). She loves to dance and shake her hips. She loves singing. She loves helping me around the house. Whether I am doing the dishes, the laundry, vacuuming, etc. she wants to help and it is so cute to watch her feel important while she does. She is very shy around anyone new and definitely has a small comfort zone. She is our cutie with long hair and glasses. We love her and are so blessed to have her in our family.

So, here are a few pics from her birthday this year. Since we just moved and haven't met many people yet we did a family party. But her friend next door did surprise us with a Happy Birthday sign on our front door. And she brought over a present for Emma later that night. We had pizza for dinner. Then we had cake and opened presents. Dusty brought home balloons for Emma, which she loved. We had a great time celebrating as a family this year.

Emma with all her presents and cake.

With her new princess clock.

Wearing her new pajamas and holding her new barbie.

Fast asleep in our bed after a long day of birthday fun.

Happy Birthday Emma. We love you.

Goofy Moments at the Burke House

Our kids were wrestling this past week and I snapped some pictures of them being goofy.




Here is Alexis tackling Jacob.

This is Emma and Alexis wrestling.

In this last one Jacob was supposed to be folding laundry and decided to put his boxers on his head.

Have a great Sunday night!

First Day of School

Today was the first day of school for Alexis and Jacob. Alexis is now in 4th grade and Dusty and I have decided that she is way too big. Jacob is in 2nd grade this year and is excited that he gets to walk to school. Our neighborhood is right across the street from the school and we live 4 houses in. So we are super close. Emma and I walked them over today. Then we picked them up at the corner later this afternoon. They were both excited to be in school and had great 1st days.

Museum of Natural History

On Saturday we visited the Museum of Natural History in downtown Raleigh. There were so many exhibits and things to look at. We learned about and saw so many cool things; dinosaurs, snakes, a live butterfly room, gemstones, turtles, a live bee hive, North Carolina history memorabilia and oh so much more.



They had a children's discovery room with interactive activities. This is where they had the bee hive. They were behind a glass wall and you could see them fly out the tunnel to the outside to get the pollen. Then the bees would come back in and do their thing. We even saw the queen bee. We held beetles in our hands and dressed up like bees and ladybugs. They had a puppet center and books about insects. Emma liked the book area and found a spot on the steps to read. We also saw spiders, really big ones!!

The museum was a great way to spend our Saturday. The kids enjoyed it and so did we. We promised the kids that we would go back again because there was so much to see that we didn't get to it all (there is a pirate exhibit that we missed that they are begging to go to). And Dusty made friends with the friendly guy below, so we will have to go back to visit him too.

Dance Classes Begin

Our girls started dance this week.

Emma is taking ballet & tap. She is in the "Opals" class and wears pink tights and leotard. Her teacher is Miss Kathryn, who has a really cute English accent and is so cute with the little girls.

Alexis is taking ballet with character dancing. She is in the "Ruby" class and wears pink tights with a ruby leotard. The character dancing requires character shoes. They look like clogging shoes to me. They also get to wear these fun, flowing skirts. There are a lot of girls in her class, 15 that I counted. When we showed up for class we found out that her teacher is a male. Alexis looked at me at said "Oh, great! Now everyone is going to make fun of me". I can't say that I didn't have some of the same thoughts I know most of you, as well as Alexis, are having. But when class was over she had enjoyed it. So all is fine.

Jordan Lake

This week I went to Jordan Lake with my new friends Carolina and Kalyn. The water is partitioned off so the kids can't go out too far. There is a sandy beach and we put up umbrellas, eat lunch and let the kids play. We were there for about 2 hours before it started to rain. We thought it might pass over and waited, but we decided it was time to pack up and head home when the thunder and lightening began. This is the second time the kids and I have been there. I really love going to this lake because it is 15 minutes from home and it only costs $5 per car.

This was our last outing before school starts. The kids had a great time and I was able to relax. Fun summer days!!

Harris Lake

Last Saturday we went to a barbecue at Harris Lake with some of Dusty's co-workers. It was absolutely beautiful with all of the trees and the water. The kids played on the playground and played soccer out on the grass. We strolled down to the water to skip rocks. I had forgotten my camera so I asked one of the other ladies to take a picture of our family. She just sent them over and I wanted to post them right away for you all to see.

Playing soccer as a family

Close-up of the family

The lake was so beautiful. I think we might go back and try fishing a bit.

Sisters Pictures

While I was in Utah my sisters and I got together and took some pictures to give to our mom for her birthday. The pictures turned out really cute. My sisters and I aren't together very often so it was good to capture some moments of us together.

Below is Amy.

Below is Becca.

Below is me.

Below is Julie.

For us just messing around and snapping pics with my sister's camera I think they turned out pretty good.

Durham Bulls Game

Last Friday we went to the Durham Bulls Game. They are a AAA baseball team. We were down close to the field by 3rd base. I liked seeing the pitcher practice. Man, they throw those balls fast!! The game was exciting to watch. At the top of the 9th we were winning. The other team hit a home run, which the entire crowd and our coach thought was a fowl ball, and they ended up beating us by 2 points. Even so, it was still a fun night.

The kids took in the whole experience and loved it. And what would a baseball game be without yummy stadium food? Lex got to have her Tiger's Blood Snow Cone. Emma opted for popcorn, but stole my nachos. And Jacob had popcorn. We ate a ton of junk food and had a great night.

When they hit a home run this bull's eyes light up red and his tail moves and he lets smoke out of his nostrils.

They did fireworks after the game which were fun to see. We haven't seen fireworks like that in years.

Where in the world have the Burke's been?

Yes. I am finally posting on our blog. We are finally home. The five of us arrived in North Carolina late Monday night. We had a long day of traveling with a stop in Denver for a few hours. This being the kids' first time on a plane we were interested to see how they would behave, but they did remarkably well. Both plane rides were extremely turbulant, so they think that flying is always like that. I guess they will be surprised next time we fly if it is smooth sailing.

What have we been up to???

Tuesday: Dusty headed back to work.. The kids and I stayed at home and unpacked all day.

Wednesday: The kids and I went grocery shopping. Lex loved hearing all of the "locals" talk with their accents and kept trying to imitate them.

Thursday: Took the kids to lunch and both Dust and I went to the DMV to get our North Carolina driver's licenses. They make you take the NC written driving test. It was hard and had a lot of questions specific to NC. Needless to say, we both failed a test that we waited 2 hours to take. I read the entire driver's manual that night.

Friday (today): I went back to the DMV alone with all 3 kids in tow. Passed with flying colors. Now I have to wait for them to mail me my driver's license. I hope my picture turned out good! We took the kids to see "G Force" tonight. This was their reward for helping me move the millions of moving boxes from the backyard to the garage so that they could be hauled off by the moving company on Monday.

Plans for Saturday: Nothing! We are so excited to be together in our new home that we are going to do nothing. Isn't that exciting!!

Plans for Sunday: We are going to introduce ourselves to our new ward and show them all what a good time they have been missing until we showed up.

On a side note, the reason the kids got rewarded for helping me haul boxes was because we had to battle some HUGE spiders and some lizards. That's right, lizards. I screamed and yelled for Jacob to come and help me. Then Emma wanted to see and left the back door open. Don't worry, the lizard didn't come inside. I called Dusty freaking out and he just laughed. He asked at work and they said that the lizards are common and they are not poisonous (phew). I guess they eat the bugs. The big spiders on the other hand have me freaked out. They had really long legs which made them look huge. And they ran really fast. I smashed them with my shoe but they were gross. It had rained on the boxes and I think that had just found a dark, wet spot to rest. I am going to call a pest control company to get the house sprayed though. I just can't handle things like that.

Dusty is leaving on Sunday for a business trip. He will be gone until Friday and most likely back on Saturday. This is something I am going to have to get used to. I knew this was part of the job but it is still an adjustment. That is why I am so excited to go to church and meet people. Most of you know I am social, so I guess I will try to convince some "sucker" in my new ward to be my friend.

I have to go now. Dusty and I are going to watch a movie together. I will post pics just as soon as Dusty gives me my camera back (he was using it for work until his came in).

Bye everyone,

I miss you.

Happy Father's Day

This Father's Day is a little different for us. We are in Nebraska and our Dad is in North Carolina. The kids didn't want to sing the Father's Day song during sacrament meeting today because their Dad wasn't there to hear it. I understood and let them just sit and watch the others kids sing.

We miss Dad terribly and can't wait until we are all in North Carolina together. But we still wanted to tell him how much we love him on this Father's Day. We love how our dad makes us laugh so hard that we cry. We love how he can calm us down when we are upset. We love that he takes the time to fun things with us. We appreciate and are grateful that he works so hard to provide for us. We love his goofy sense of humor. And we love his smile and happy face.

We miss you a lot and wish you a Happy Father's Day.

Love,

Mom, Alexis, Jacob, and Emma

Dusty's New Job

Dusty started his new job today. He has already switched hotels since the one he was at Saturday and Sunday night was horrible and in a really bad area. He has since switched to a hotel that is 1 mile from the company's new offices and where he does not need to be afraid to walk out of the room at night. Oh, and the new hotel actually has a phone in his room that works (imagine that!).

I need to make everyone aware of a few things. The company that Dusty now works for has a strict policy on using company email or company cell phones for personal reasons. If you have Dusty's work email please do not email him there. You can send emails to his personal account (dburke559362@yahoo.com) or to my email account (slburke7780@hotmail.com). As soon as we have our new phone number in North Carolina I will email it out to you. Thanks for understanding the policy.

When I talked to Dusty tonight he said he was very happy and that he was eating Boston Market for dinner (totally not fair). The time change thing is weird because I want to call him after I get the kids to bed, but it is already 10:30 PM there. Oh well, this is only for a short time and soon we will all be together in the same time zone.

'Imagine That'

I took the kids to see the movie 'Imagine That', starring Eddie Murphy, tonight. I really liked it and I think the kids liked it too. The show is about a dad figuring out that his daughter is more important than his job. He learns to listen to her and to play with her and to take time away from work and his stresses to be with her in her 'world'. It made me remember that I need to do the same. I know I can get caught up with cleaning the house and my routine. And I have been known to say "We'll do it later". The movie reminded me that I need to get down to my kids' levels and spend time with them; to let them know that they are important. I need to not put off playing with them or reading to them. Time is passing quickly and they will soon be adults. So however sappy this sounds, I want my children to know that I love them and I will try harder to remember the important things in life; THEM.

Tornado Warning

This afternoon proved to be eventful. The tornado siren went off. I didn't even hear it. I think I am so used to hearing them test it that I didn't realize that today is Tuesday and not Wednesday (they only test them on Wednesday @ 10 AM). I only realized it when one of my daycare moms came rushing over frantically to check on her baby (what can I say...1st time mom).


I headed downstairs with 4 kids, 2 babies, and the other mommy and hunkered down awaiting the unknown. Dusty, on the other hand, decided to be adventurous and jumped in his truck to head up to the golf course to get a better look at the 2 funnel clouds that were spotted west of town. Crazy!!


The National Weather Association, stated that a tornado had been spotted 10 miles west of town. The storm was headed our direction and was set to reach us, with the possibility of a tornado, at 3:05. Dusty is still out storm-chasing at this time. He came home right before the storm hit. The hail was pea sized (according to Dusty). No tornado hit and after that, we just had lots of rain.


So there's the excitement for the day. I have never been in a tornado warning atmosphere, and I can tell you that I DO NOT like it. Course there is danger in everything, but when a big siren is sounding off across the entire town telling you to get in your basement you know they mean business.


Oh, and please no comments about hurricanes in North Carolina. I am kinda sick of hearing people say that. Just so you know we will be far enough in-land that if there is a hurricane we will only get the wind portion, which if you don't know, is what we live with in Nebraska on a DAILY basis. Enough said.

Good Night.