Best Little Buddies

These two little kids sure do love each other. After Hudson was born, I had a lot of people ask me if Brynlee was ever jealous of Hudson or unkind to him. I would have to say that she is the complete opposite. Bryn absolutely adores her little "Huddy Buddy" and certainly isn't bashful when it comes to showing it. Hudson is equally enamored with his sister and is constantly entertained by her crazy antics. Any time Hudson hears her voice, he is constantly looking around for her. Now, whether that is because he can't wait to see her, or because he wants to have a visual confirmation of her whereabouts at all times, has yet to be determined. 

       

And then there are times when Bryn "loves" on Hudson a little too much. I mean a guy can only take so many slobbery kisses and cheek squishes. On the rare occasion that Hudson is a little fussy, Bryn has two ways of diffusing the situation. The first is to say "Shhh. There, there baby. It's ok," in a very soft and soothing voice. Or she will shriek, "Hudson! Knock it off!" usually accompanied by the I-mean-business-finger-point. I seriously don't know how she comes up with this stuff. The only time I say "knock it off" is usually when she is flinging milk and cheerios across the kitchen. She not only remembers the phrase, but uses it in the proper context too. 

Bryn loves to play with Hudson although she is not fond of sharing any of her "good" toys. Whenever I ask her to give Hudson something to play with, more often or not, she will hand him a shoe or a burp cloth and expect him to be satisfied. Sharing is still a work in progress.

Bryn is really enjoying the "big sister role" aka being "miss bossy pants." A few weeks ago at church, we were getting ready to say the closing prayer and Bryn turns to Hudson and says, "Close your eyes!" She refused to close her eyes until she was satisfied that Hudson was being sufficiently reverent.

These two make me laugh, drive me crazy, and melt my heart all in the same day. I simply can't get enough of them. 

Hudson's Blessing

We blessed Hudson on July 15th at Nate's parents house. With both sets of our parents traveling so much this summer for business and pleasure, we kinda of just threw a date out there and hoped for the best. We caught Nate's parents in between one of Mark's conferences, so they were both in attendance. My Dad drove five hours, was only able to stay for a couple of hours, and then had to drive right back home. And as it turned out, my mom was in Phoenix with Clay and Heather. Sweet little Leila Clare made her debut on July 5th and my mom flew in for a week to help out. She was pretty distraught about missing the blessing and even considered flying in for the afternoon to attend it. I told her that was madness and convinced her that we would Skype during the blessing so she could be apart of it without forking over $400 for a plane ticket. We are fortunate to have such wonderful parents who are willing to go out of their ways to make sure they are apart of the big events in our children's lives. Nate gave Hudson a wonderful blessing filled with many great attributes and opportunities every mother would hope her son would possess. Needless to say, it was a great afternoon.

Here is the man of the hour, looking quite dapper in his little suit vest and tie

I still have a hard time believing we are a family of four. Sometimes I wonder 

who are all these little people and why are they calling me "mom?" : ) 

I have a feeling these three little hoodlums are going to get into a lot of trouble over the years. While their given names are different, I refer to them as Mr. Mischief, Ms. Mayhem, and Mr. Mellow. Seriously, trying to take pictures with these three was like herding cats. After about fifteen attempts, which is no exaggeration, we were finally able to get a shot where Hudson wasn't looking completely bored, Liam wasn't trying to escape the clutches of Brynlee, and Bryn wasn't acting like a hooligan.

And once all the pictures were over, Bryn gave a very vocal "hooray!"

Our Sixth Anniversary

Every year for our anniversary we like to celebrate by going on a trip or vacation. We alternate each year and this year it was Nate's responsibility, so he set about planning an amazing trip to a swanky joint in Park City. He had even arranged for his parents to watch our children so we could make a weekend out of it. And then at the last minute, I chickened out and didn't think it would be a good idea to leave my nursing baby overnight. Nate was quick to label me as "lame," but I thought I was being a good responsible parent. 

So with our original plans tossed out the window, Nate threw together an impromptu anniversary trip to Salt Lake City. We first stopped for lunch at an little Belgian restaurant called Bruges Waffles and Frites that somehow Nate stumbled upon. Apparently they are famous for two things: their waffles topped with fresh fruit and a concoction called a "machine gun" sandwich. I had the option of eating a delectable waffle smothering in sauce and topped with fruit, or lamb sausage sandwich topped with french fries and some type of "secret sauce." 

Guess which one I chose? Yup, I agreed to share a machine gun sandwich with Nate, and although it was interesting, I am still kicking myself for not getting a waffle. I suppose they only way to rectify the situation is to make another trip to the Bruges Waffles and Frites to try an authentic Belgian Waffle smothered in goodness and topped with heavenly fruits. 

Following lunch, we wandered into an Italian market and sampled a variety of cheeses and olive oils. After wandering through the shop, we headed to the local farmers market. I think farmers' markets are great. Not because I really buy into the whole "organic" way of life, but because there are so many interesting characters that you run into. We witnessed a vender selling "locally grown organic peaches" from a box that clearly said "California Peaches" on it. There were merchants hocking their wares, trying to convince people to buy their jewelry, knit hats, and beaded rugs. Hippies beating on their drums and playing their wooden flutes provided the perfect ambience as we explored the market. Then came perhaps the best part of the day. Some guy, who may or may not have been stoned, walked up to Nate and asked him, "Hey man! Do you have a minute for the environment?" He clearly wanted to discuss the finer points of recycling and global warming but didn't realize who exactly his audience was. No sooner had he gotten the sentence out of his mouth when Nate replied, "nope" and completely side stepped the guy without giving him a second thought. I could not stop snickering as I quickly followed him. Before law school Nate really couldn't tolerate stupid conversations and that has only grown exponentially since then. I still laugh when I think about it.

After the farmers market, we headed to the Gateway and did a little shopping. Our wardrobes have shrunk significantly over the last three years and are in desperate need of an complete overhaul. We made a few purchases while sipping on smoothies and when it started raining we called it a day and headed back to the house. 

Because Nate's brother was coming to town to celebrate his birthday, we went out to dinner with the family at Market Street Grill. After dinner, Nate and I went to the theatre and saw "The Hunger Games." Nothing spells romance like a bunch of teenagers pitted in a death match against each other right?

 A few days later we went out to dinner at Tucanos for our actual anniversary dinner where we took the only picture of our entire anniversary. I think that we were so caught up in not having kids around that the last thing on our mind was taking pictures. I know this anniversary wasn't exactly what Nate had in mind, but it turned out to be quite memorable nevertheless. After six years of marriage, Nate still has a way of keeping things interesting, and I find him extremely entertaining!

Fourth of July Festivities

This year to celebrate our nation's birthday, the entire Burk clan (minus Dr. Spence) headed to the local Kaysville parade. After collecting strollers, coolers, umbrellas, and other various parade paraphernalia, we headed out the door. I thought it was a bit unusual to pack so much food and water for an event that would last a mere twenty minutes. We got there and it quickly became apparent that my idea of parades was loosely based on the parades I went to growing up. You know, the kinda that are over in about fifteen minutes. Needless to say, these Davis county folks are pretty serious when it comes to their parades. We were there for over a hour and a half before the kids (and even some of the adults) got tired and cranky. When we left, the parade was still going on, and we actually had to walk through the middle of the parade to get back to the cars.

As you can see our normal happy go lucky little boy, was extremely annoyed with the whole thing and wanted to enjoy a nice bottle of cool milk while in the comfort of and air conditioned house. Bryn really did not know what to make of the whole event but was more than happy to eat treats and sip on her ice water. She received many compliments on her festive blue skirt with white stars that Grandma Steph bought specifically for the occasion. Of all the things that were tossed her way, Bryn's favorites were some Mardi Gras necklaces and a political voting sign which she insisted on carrying around for the rest of the morning. She liked the candy, but only if Grandma Charlene or I would pick it up for her. The thought of going out there and socializing with other children merely for the sake of candy was clearly beneath her. Little scamp. 

Immediately following the parade, a few of us decided to hit the nearest pool to cool off. Nate and Hudson relaxed in the air conditioned house along with Papa and Neal while everyone else went for a little swimming and sun bathing. Miss Bryn had the time of her life playing basketball with Grandma and practicing her swimming skills. At one point she decided that it would be a good idea to do a back flip off her floatation device. Grandma was right there and pulled the first thing she could grab which happened to be Bryn's leg. Bryn came out of the water wiping the water from her eyes with a surprised look on her face. She was about to cry until I said, "Yea Bryn!!!" Scott caught on and quickly added, "You were great!" Then a big smile broke out on her face you would think that she had just won the gold medal for synchronized swimming. 

The boys, who seem permanently stuck in adolescence, took it upon themselves to let of a few fireworks. I'm pretty sure there are still some parachute guys stuck on the neighbors' roofs. And of course the boys had to throw those little poppers at each others legs and backs. After a delicious BBQ and homemade ice-cream with raspberries, we went out to the golf course for the main event. We were only out there for about three minutes before mosquitos started feasting on me. I took the kids inside for baths and bedtime because I knew that once the loud booms started, Brynlee would want to leave anyways. Nate however got some great pictures and was able to enjoy the fireworks.

This is how Miss B looked the next morning. All bright-eyed and bushy-tailed ready for her next adventure!