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!