Bristol's getaway- The duck pond! And, other happenings around here..

Bristol is in love with the duck pond that is located on the medical school campus at ECU. It really is just a short walk across the street and it is a very quaint location. We love going there on nice, sunny days to enjoy all of the ducks and the nice walking trail that goes around the pond. She loves to feed the ducks and run around all of the gazebos. It really is just nice to get out of the house and enjoy the outdoors. This particular Fall day was amazing. Sam took the kids while I was working and the leaves were beautiful. There is one tree that had red leaves that almost looked hot pink! Just beautiful.

Bristol is growing up so fast, especially now with a new baby it seems like she is acting so much bigger now. She has learned how to climb a tree that is outside our town home. She wants to do it every chance she gets.

Burke is just as cute as ever. He is sucking on his toes all the time, riding around in his walkers and loving his sister like crazy! They really cannot get enough of each other, as long as she doesn't get too rough.

We are getting ready for the holidays around here and decided to make a thankful turkey. It turned out to be a really good activity to look at how much we really do have to be thankful for. Bristol loved making the colorful turkey!

Burke is 5 Months

October 31, 2013

Dear Burke,

Today you are 5 months old. It has been a wonderful, exhausting, busy and crazy 5 months but we are doing great! You are becoming an amazing little boy with a beautiful soul that exists inside. It is starting to shine through and your personality is inspiring. We have had so much fun with you, especially since you are able to appease us by smiling all of the time. Bristol is still all over you, now starting to tackle you and wanting to play with you. You take it will stride and smile and giggle. Some new things this month:

-You have 2 teeth now! Your two bottom teeth came in this month. You were a champ about the whole teething bit and was only a little fussy. 

-You are yelling very loudly, still. It is kind of your thing..

-You rolled back to front this month. Very exciting milestone!

-Your favorite thing to do is to roll around the living room when placed down there to play. We will put you in one spot and them turn around and you are all the way across the room. You have masters the rolling bit.

-I am trying to teach you a little sign language, like milk and all done, and you laugh and giggle at me every time. Especially when I do it when you are nursing. It is pretty cute!

-You love laying in your play mat and playing with all of the toys, but you especially are intrigued by the mobile that is above you and you try to pull it down every time. Everything has to go into your mouth, even if you can't get it..

-You have found  your feet  and you cannot get enough. You constantly have them in your mouth, sucking on those little toes

-This month you went to a babysitter for the first time. You did really well, slept well and ate well. You also make me so happy when I pick you up because you know who I am and get really excited when I hold you. You burrow your head into my shoulder and giggle. I love this!!

-You said Mama, well, that is what I heard, but it was probably you just making sounds! I loved it regardless. 

Being back to work for about a week now, I have missed being with you every second of the day. But, with that being said, I do cherish the time we do get together. Even though this sounds crazy, I love the sleepless nights that I am up with you nursing because that is the time for us to

bond. It is a very special time for me, especially since I know it won't last forever. Thank you for coming into our lives and being our son. We love you so very much.

Love always,

Mommy

Halloween 2013

One tradition that I started with our little family was a Halloween themed dinner. I have done it every year since Bristol was born and have loved it. During my high school days, I went to family home evening at one of my friends home who had 7 children. She did this every year for Halloween for her kids for the monday FHE before the holiday. I loved it! I knew that was something I wanted to do for my family and have enjoyed doing it. This year we really went above and beyond and bought dry ice to make a witches brew. It was a hit! Our menu included Jack-O-Lantern Quesadillas, Bug Salad, Pumpkin Soup, Mummy Hotdogs, Mummy Pizzas and capris (just cause we love it). It was very yummy and we had a lot of fun with Bristol who was very excited!

This year for Halloween we went trick-or-treating with our friends, the Smiths. It was a lot of fun to get out there with the kids and especially with Bristol because she loves everything about dressing up like anything (especially princesses, though) and getting free treats! She was Tinker Bell and Burke was Peter Pan. I was able to make his outfit in a jiffy and they were so perfect together! (Even though a lot of people thought he was Robin Hood.. grr..) Regardless, we had a great time out in the 70 degree weather going door to door in a really nice neighborhood here in Greenville.



Bristol also had a lot of fun participating in her preschool/daycare Fall Festival, which is really just a Halloween party for the kids. It was good to see her with her teachers and friends and to play the fun games and get more treats! Just what she needs. Either way, we enjoyed this holiday this year and it was really fun to see her enjoy it just as much!

Minor Kitchen disaster

On a sunny afternoon, while Sam was home from work with Burke (his sitter called out sick), water was boiling on the stove for Sam to make some Cream of Wheat. Burke made some noises upstairs and was waking up from his morning nap. Sam went upstairs and was distracted by Burke needing a diaper change and forgot all about the water. After about 30 minutes, Sam realized that he was boiling water and ran downstairs, leaving Burke upstairs, thank goodness. When he found the dry, extremely hot, pot on the stove, he went to take it off the burner without even thinking and melted metal poured out of the pot, onto the counter and to the floor. It was crazy, a freak accident that was unimaginable. Our kenmore pot had melted, and melted all over the place. Sam was barefoot, but thank goodness only had a minor burn. We were grateful the kids were not there, for if they were, it would probably had burned them. Bristol loves that corner of the kitchen when we are cooking and I just know that is right where she would have been. 

I write this because Bristol has been saying her prayers every night and praying for daddy and that his foot would be okay and that the kitchen would be okay. She will not walk into the kitchen because she is afraid it will burn her. She talks about it with everyone and is so worried and concerned. She keeps asking when we will fix it. Her concern is so sincere and sweet. We were very lucky that everyone is okay, just a new floor and counter will be in our near future!

Official RN status

I did it! Made it through the first year of my 3 year program! Yay, officially an RN after I passed the NCLEX on Tuesday. It was such a relief to get the results and to know that I accomplished this goal. With all the hectic stuff going on in our lives, I was still able to finish this year.

Also, I landed my first RN job at the local hospital here in Greenville. It's at Vidant Medical Center as a staff nurse I working in Mother Baby/Antepartum. This is where I spent my 5 week capstone clinical during my last semester of this year. It is a great unit with the ability to move to L&D in the near future to prepare me for the midwifery track, if that is what I end up choosing. I love women's health and really loved the time I have spent shadowing my midwife as well as my experience during my own labor. I also have had a few opportunities to work with the nurses in L&D and have really enjoyed that. We will have to see what the future holds. I feel that the Lords has a plan and that I just have to prepare myself and put myself in the position to allow it to unfold.

I couldn't have gotten through this first year without the amazing support of my husband. He has really stepped up this last year to not only provide for our family but also being a great dad and husband. He makes many meals per week, gets the kids ready for school and bedtime, helps me study and just all around helps out with whatever I or the kids need. It truly has been a year of challenges, but we had gotten through it. I know this is just the start of the program, but I think we have it down.

I am currently knee deep in my first semester of the graduate portion, MSN, taking general core classes. This semester I am taking pathophysiology, nursing theory and health assessment. It has been tough, but I am already learning so much. It is really nice to finally be in the classes and portion of the program that will lead me to my master's degree.

Bristol started Soccer

We decided that we would sign Bristol up for soccer this year. 3 is a bit young, but since they offered it we thought we would give it a try. So, after registering and going and getting all of the equipment, we took her outside and played around with the ball. She took to it so fast! It was amazing that she could actually kick the ball and follow it, let alone get it into the goal. We were pumped! And, the best part was that she actually enjoyed it and kept asking to play again and again. So, we did!

She had 2 practices and then the third week was their first game. During the practices she would be somewhat involved, but found herself running around and not really listening. It was weird to see her act like this with another adult because in all of her other structured activities, preschool and nursery, her teachers would rave about how great she is and what a great listener. We were then thinking it must be because we were there with her and are not with her in those other activities. Well when game time came, she didn't surprise us at all. She decided that she would rather run around crazy and play princess castle in the goal than go chase the ball and score a goal. Regardless, we really enjoyed watching her and her imagination run wild.

After the 3rd week of her doing this we decided we needed an incentive program. The pink soccer fairy visited her room while she was sleeping each night before a game and delivered her magical pink fairy pixy dust. She was to sprinkle the dust on her before each game so that she would play the best soccer she could! Well, it really didn't work that well, but we tried! We also made a trip to the "Cow Place" (aka chick-fil-a) after each game to get a treat and play in the slides. That didn't work either. Thirdly, Sam decided he was going to go out there with her and see if that helped. Each time their team scored a goal she would run toward him and he would throw her up in the air. That worked for about 2 goals, then she lost interest again.

All in all, we decided she was probably too young to play soccer this year, but that we exposed her and that was good enough. We received a lot of encouragement from other parents who said they had been in our shoes in the years past and that it is just a phase and she would grow out of it. We also got a pep-talk from the best player on her team's mom who said it is just as bad when you have the child on the field who hogs the ball and scores all of the goals. She is right, we both feel the same way!

Regardless of our efforts, we really loved seeing her play and learn a new skill. I am truly excited for the soccer seasons to come!

General Conference and more..

We have been enjoying our time off around this house. It has been really nice being an official stay at home mom, with the exception of online school work. I have loved having these 2 months off to spend with the kids and to really soak it in before I get back to the grind of full time work and full time school. I feel like I am cutting Burke short of much needed time to adjust to this world before he is thrown into the thralls of baby sitters, but I realize my life is not going to get any easier and that I need to get my schooling down now, rather than later. I was able to spend 11 months, baring 1-2 shifts per week about 6 hours each, home with Bristol when she was born. Burke doesn't get that. But, he does get all of me when I get home and when he isn't sleeping.

Anyway, we thoroughly enjoyed conference this October and I decided to make a tradition of making cinnamon rolls for the occasion. They are one thing I love, but hate to make. So, for a special occasion I can whip them out. They were delish!

Other pictures include our hilarious daughter making herself laugh, happens on the daily; our chunky monkey Burke and all of his rolls and cellulite (this pic is a must of our children, did the same with Bris); Burke is sitting with a wide base these days!!; Bristol making Burke laugh by tackling him in daddy's arms; Burke watching football with daddy (he's starting him early); Burke showing off his Nike's from Tio and Tia (Steve and Chris) and his cute pouty lip.