Monticello and Mr. Two Months Old!!!

After finally making it to Utah, and I'm talking about my Parents, not me and the kids, we took a trip down to the homeland. Now, a bit of back-story on my Parents' harrowing cross-country adventure is probably in order.

So my Dad foolishly offered his services to help with our move. Nate of course was only too happy to have someone make the 3,000 mile journey with him as it then meant that they could do it all in one shot. So, immediately following Nate's graduation and some delicious cheesecake, the boys set to packing the trailer and getting our apartment ready for our new renters. Steph ended up riding back with them when her work in Dallas was pushed back and spent the last two days in DC scrubbing and cleaning every nook and cranny she could find. Nate and Doug patched holes in walls and doors, painted, caulked, and hurried their way through it all. Even though they planned on leaving the Wednesday after graduation, they wrapped things up so quickly they were able to get out of there within 24 hours of dropping me and the kids off at the airport.

Spencer showed up early the next morning and the boys started carting boxes out the door and into the 12 foot trailer we purchased for our move to Texas, which as it turns out, ended up being for our move back to Utah instead. After literally cramming things into every imaginable corner, Nate having a near melt-down because someone had taken a bunch of bags out of the car and tied them to the roof, and taping, literally taping, our vacuum and a few boxes to the tongue of the trailer, Nate, Doug, and Steph set out for Utah. Even though they had planned to stop somewhere along the way, the group ended up driving straight through, swollen feet and all!! After that Doug and Steph have sworn to never get in a car with Nate again!!!

In the end the never-ending journey did bring these sweet children to Monticello, and almost any price is worth that!!! Hudson slept, Bryn ate treats, and everybody had a good old time!

 

I'd say Bryn enjoyed herself. Thoroughly!

Then there is Hudson. Mr. Two Months Old.

Apparently Mr. Hudson has decided he doesn't much like being a little baby and has decided to start growing as big as he can, as fast as he can. See that shirt he's wearing in those pictures below, the one with the football on it? Yeah. That's a nine month onesie. He's not even two months old in this picture!!!

His two month stats were off the charts, well at least nearly off the charts. 25.25 inches long and 13 pounds 6 ounces. Which puts him in the 95% for height and 75% for weight. Just a tall "skinny" boy!!

But, through it all, he's kept his smile and is just a sweet, happy "little" guy. We were spending some time with our friends the other day and he let out a little cry for about 10 seconds. No one there for the life of them could figure out where it came from. Turns out it was the first time they had heard him cry! Rather, he spent his first few months sleeping, eating, and napping. We'll take him out to dinner with us and put his car seat on the floor next to us. He would just sit there, quietly sleeping. He was such a good little guy that I swear we could have forgotten him there if we weren't constantly checking to make sure he was still breathing. Bryn was a quiet baby, but Hudson takes the cake.

So that's our little muscle man. He's two months old and we can't believe how lucky we are to have another adorable little one. One has to think that with kids this good, we're in for a world of hurt during their teenage years!!

Graduation

Who would've thought that we finally made it after three years!!!!! And while I'm sure those three years went by much slower for Nate, for the rest of us it seemed like the time just flew by. We made a lot of great friends, who we already miss dearly. But, as one last hurrah, we put on our fancy pants and watched Nate get his diploma.

The coolest part of the entire ceremony, other than the awesome red, blue, and purple robes (haha), was the Scottish bagpipe group that led the graduates into the arena. The pipes were loud, the drums were beating, and it was honestly one of the coolest things I've ever seen at any graduation, assembly, or whatever.

The student speaker did a great job. She was funny and respectful, and kept it relatively short. The main speaker however was a total dud. She had an impressive resume, and currently works in the White House, but her entire speech was essentially a stump speech for Obama. It was sickening, not because of the speech or the politics per se, but it was wildly inappropriate given that she was invited to address the graduates and offer them encouragement for the future.

What did I tell you about the robes. Awesome right?

Or not.

It's crazy to think that when we first moved to DC in '09 we didn't even know we were pregnant. Less than three years later we're toting around a sassy little princess and her bruiser of a brother.

All in all we would never trade these three years for anything. They may have prematurely aged us, but we sure had a lot of fun along the way. We spent our weekends exploring the East coast with trips to Canada, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and even a jaunt to Europe along the way.

We couldn't have done this without the support of our friends and family. We had a great support group in Virginia, led by our friends the Harris family. They were always there to try a new restaurant, take a short trip, or just get together for a Costco date -- which given our budget was about as fancy as we got back there. We're so sad to have to leave them, and Bryn is broken hearted about leaving Libby behind.

On the other side of things we had the Grandstaff's. Even though we lived several states apart, we always found time to get together in Myrtle Beach or even Paris.

Then there was our ward family. We'll always hold a special place in our hearts for everyone we met there. For the first time ever, we truly felt like we were part of a ward family. Though we can't accurately list everyone that played a role in our life, we can say that Bryn had a hard time leaving behind all of her little nursery friends. When we moved back to Utah she didn't want to make any new friends in our ward. She would crawl under the table in Nursery and quietly sob because she couldn't find her little friends. It took her a long time to get used to the idea that she wouldn't be seeing Penny, Liza, Clara, Rae, and the rest of the gang. It wasn't until we moved into a new house and a little neighbor girl came to say hi that Bryn finally started to adjust to life outside of DC.

Our families came out for graduation, we spent some time touring a few of our favorite spots and getting our house packed up. As Nate dropped us off the Airport, it was all I could do to not start shrieking uncontrollably at the thought of leaving our home behind.

Goodbye DC!!! And thanks for the memories!

The Hundred Acre Wood

For months leading up to her birthday, Brynlee could not decide what party theme she wanted. It was Winnie the Pooh one day and Elmo the next. Finally around February she started to tell everyone that "Pooh Bear" was coming to her birthday party and thus the idea for the Hundred Acre Wood was born.

Because Hudson's due date was on Bryn's actual birthday, we decided to hold the party the week before. Given our impeccable timing for these types of things, Jen had a reoccurring nightmare of going into labor during the party if we waited until the 21st. To assuage those fears, we set the birthday party for the 14th and Hudson's delivery date for the 17th. 

To bring the Hundred Acre Wood to life, we headed down the street to Woodstock park. The cherry blossoms had just finished opening and provided a gorgeous backdrop for the party. Bryn and her little posse of friends spent the afternoon swinging, playing on the slides, and doing what little girls do best, giggling.

                           

The Cohorts: Libby, Bryn, Penny, Clara, Rae, and Ainsley

(Christian, the only boy, was off doing manly things)

Like most Burk gatherings, the focus was on the food, and in typical fashion, Jen went above and beyond. Jen stayed up until nearly 3 AM Friday night decorating the cake and constructing the Piglet Pops. The kitchen was a war zone of food coloring, icing, and wafer cookies. If you have never seen a 9 month pregnant lady hunched over a bowl of frosting shrieking "Why won't you turn black?" around 2 AM, then you are definitely missing out. Nate was more than willing to offer his services but was advised to just sit back lest he suggest something contrary to the party planner's vision.

We served: Owl Droppings (chocolate covered raisins), Mini Winnies (gummy bears), Tigger Striped Strawberries (chocolate covered strawberries), Piglet Pops (sugar cookies with pink icing), Kanga Pouches with Roo Dip (Tostitos scoops with seven layer bean dip), and fresh veggies from Rabbit's garden.

The Spread

Amy and Libby enjoying some Mini Winnies

       Two in a swing = twice the fun!                                                 And no, the frosting never did turn black.

For some reason, Brynlee was being extremely shy and did not want to open her birthday presents. As it turned out, the child who brought Bryn the present actually ended up opening it for her as well. Brynlee made out like a bandit and received some puzzles, clothes, and even her very own personal computer which she uses to "send emails like Dad." When it was time to sing "Happy Birthday," Bryn had the biggest scowl on her face and refused to blow out her candles. Apparently, she was not a fan of our singing. She definitely fell into the "every party has a 'Pooh'per" category.

Following the birthday party, we went back to the house to open more gifts. Tara, being the thoughtful person that she is, wrapped Bryn's presents in Winnie the Pooh wrapping paper. That made all the difference, and Brynlee was more than happy to tear into the presents. For about three weeks following her birthday, we would find Brynlee sound asleep wearing nothing but her ladybug rain boots during nap time. Unfortunately, we have had to hide her umbrella lest Hudson should lose an eye. Overall she had a wonderful birthday filled with delicious food, lots of fun, and fabulous friends.

Baby Oh Baby!

This time around there was no "Thunder Cats A Go!" or any other catch phrase to indicate that my water had broken. Everything was a lot more relaxed and scheduled out this time around. I have to admit; it was a little weird knowing the exact date I would have the baby a few weeks in advance. Last time we were worrying about me going into labor right in the middle of one of Nate's finals, but this time we knew the baby would come a couple of days before Nate started taking his tests. The only down side is that I couldn't have anything to eat or drink after midnight. When I am pregnant, I drink water like a fish and can never seem to quench my thirst. I literally stayed up and had my last swig of water at 11:59 PM. (But to be perfectly honest, I had a little sip after I brushed my teeth around 12:15 but shhh, don't tell my doctor!) 

I had already been to the hospital the day before to receive my hospital bracelet complete with blood type and known allergies. The C-Section was scheduled for 10:00 AM, so I was wagering on having a baby at 10:15. Nate, being a little more practical, said the hospital would be running behind, and that I probably wouldn't have the baby until closer to 11:30. Chalk one up in the win column for Nate as Hudson made his debut shortly before noon. 

Nate had another 'deer in the head lights' experience in the delivery room. This time one of the delivery nurses asked Nate if he would like to watch the baby come out. Nate's face went pale and he vehemently shook his head no. He probably was envisioning a gremlin type creature clawing its way out of my stomach. Even with all the drugs in my system, or perhaps because of all the drugs in my system, I found this hilarious. When Hudson came out and gave that first little cry, my heart just melted and this tiny little guy will forever hold a piece of it. I can't describe how wonderful those first cries are and perhaps only other mothers can understand why. Hudson came out weighing 7 pounds 9 ounces just one ounce off of my guess. Nate predicted a baby over 8 pounds. Chalk one up for me.

The best advice we have every received, and have since passed it along to all my siblings, was from my nurse anesthesiologist who suggested that the new baby have a "gift" for their older sibling during their first meeting. We had a little Piglet stuffed animal doll in the closet that we had not gotten around to giving Brynlee yet, so I suggested that Nate bring that over when he brought Bryn and my mom over. Hudson and I were able to relax in our room while Nate went to get the family. After waiting in the hall while Nate brought Piglet in, Brynlee ventured into the room tightly grasping her grandma's hand. When she got inside the room I said, "Brynlee, this is baby Hudson. He brought you a present because he loves you." She took one look at the stuffed animal and with wide eyes said, "Love Piglet! Oh thank you, Hudson!" From that moment on, she has been completely and undeniably in love with her little brother. She still feels it necessary to remind us that "Hudson gave Piglet to Brinnie."

We stayed in the hospital for three days where I began a torrid love affair with their cinnamon rolls. The hospital I stayed in had a room service menu allowing you to choose your meals. I seriously ordered a cinnamon roll with every meal. During one dinner, the room service worker called me back and apologized because my meal would be fifteen minutes late. They were waiting for the cinnamon rolls to come out of the oven. I graciously told her that was no problem at all and to bring a second cinnamon roll! When it was time to leave the hospital, I had them bring me a cinnamon roll for the road. They didn't have to know that I only lived two miles up the road. It was great to be home and in my own bed even though I was going through cinnamon roll withdrawals.