Yours, Mine and Ours

Lunch with Braxton

2011-04-15T20:50:00.001-07:00

I got to go to Braxton's school today and eat lunch with him. It was a lot of fun. David got home from work early and we also had Ben this week because he had his Spring Break, so we all were able to show up and eat with him. On the menu: Cheeseburgers or Teriyaki Rice Bowl. Yep. All I have to say about that is ... I'm glad I send him with a cold lunch. Today was the first day he had hot lunch this whole year and I wasn't too impressed. In fact, I've heard that the same company's who do school lunches also do jail lunches. That's what it reminded me of ....

On the bright side of things, Braxton was so happy to have all of us there with him. It was really fun.

I love Brax so much. He is getting so big and I am having a hard time coming to grips with how big he is acting. I'm sure soon he won't want to give me kisses on the lips anymore ... or sign "I love you" to me, or blow kisses my way. So, I'm taking ALL that I can get now. Any day now he'll probably say, "Mom, can you drop me off at school a block away ..."

I'm so glad this boy is my son. I need to do better about cherishing the small, simple, but perfect moments.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

2011-04-12T20:03:00.000-07:00

My Mom's birthday was today! I love this lady. She has been so good to me and I'm so thankful that she's my Mom!

LOVE YOU, MOM!

It's a Girl!

2011-04-11T13:52:00.000-07:00

So, as many of you know, it is now official. We are having a baby Girl! We are so excited. (Especially me)

This is kind of how it all went down - with a little bit of history, too.

I had marginal placenta previa with Braxton. As I got bigger, the placenta pulled away from my cervix and it wasn't an issue. Then, with Malachi, when we had our ultrasound, the placenta was about 1 cm away from my cervix. So, with this baby, I wanted to be checked out, too.

You see, we are planning on having this baby at home, like we did Malachi, with my AWESOME midwife, Rebecca Williams. But, since she (Rebecca) is a midwife, she only has an older ultrasound machine, not the newer ones. She isn't trained in that field, so she doesn't measure any parts or anything like that. If we want that done (which some people don't) than we have to make an appointment elsewhere.

I had thought a lot about NOT finding out the sex of the baby. I figured I'd be a tad disappointed to hear "it's a boy" again. However, I knew that the moment I held him in my arms, I would be happy. So, why should I be slightly bummed for 19 weeks, when really I'd be happy with the outcome either way. I mean, I really do love my boys!

I also figured that with having a natural childbirth - maybe it would be the extra "oomph" that I needed during that last few minutes (that last a lifetime) to finally get to know whether it was a girl or boy.

On March 31st, I was getting Braxton ready for school. I had laid his clothes out and was gathering some schoolwork when he told me this: "Mom, I've been doing a lot of thinking lately." "Really? What's that?" "Well, I really hope that you have a girl. Because, I mean, you've already had two boys and I bet you'd really love a daughter. So, I hope you have a girl mom. For you." (Remember, this is coming from my seven year old!)

That made my heart kind of melt and I thought about how I really would LOVE to have a daughter! As the day passed, I kept thinking about what he said. Later that day I had to run to Costco to get some contacts. I walked past the baby section and saw an ADORABLE girl outfit. I hesitated buying it. I knew that if I did get it, I would just be jinxing myself. But, I knew that in three and a half months, I more than likely would not be able to find it anymore. So, I gave in and bought it.

As soon as I got home, I called to schedule me an ultrasound. I atleast had to know that we were in the clear with the placenta issue. And, I figured if by chance I "happened" to see that it was a boy or girl -- well, there isn't really anything you can do about that, right? =]

When I called in, I was surprised, but they said they could get me in that day. I wasn't sure I could get a hold of David in time, so I scheduled for the next day. Which just happened to be April Fool's day. But, I wasn't thinking about that at the time.

So, we went in. We told the sonographer about my hesitancy in finding out. She was SO adorable! Instead of looking at me like, "Lady! Make up your mind." She seemed so concerned and sat there thinking. She finally said, "I keep trying to think of ways that I could tell you ... but, they won't work" I said, "I know, I was thinking, 'well just tell us if it's a girl and don't tell us if it's a boy ... but then we'll know it's a boy if you don't say anything.'" She was like, "I know! I was thinking that for a while too." She then just said, "Well, let's begin. And everytime we get close to that area, we will have you look away."

To make a LONG story very short. The baby wasn't cooperating anyway. Legs crossed the ENTIRE time. She'd jiggle my belly, had me get up and use the restroom, had me stretch, switch positions, to get the baby to MOOOOVE, but to no avail. Nothing. She sincerely looked at me and said, "Well, to be honest, I don't know the gender of your baby. I haven't seen anything." I then mentioned I had to use the restroom again ... so she had me get up and go. At this point, I just wanted to know because the baby was being SO stubborn! In fact, it was about this time that she let out a sigh and said, "Oh boy ..." As in, "wow this baby is stubborn" But, it kind of startled me and she quickly exclaimed, "not as in, it's a boy ... as in 'oh boy! I just can't get a good look!" She felt awful, but it was actually pretty funny!

David and I had time to discuss a little bit, while the sonographer walked outside. David reminded me that if it was a boy, Malachi would have a little buddy to play with. That actually made me very happy. Part of me, wanted to really cry. I guess because this could be our last baby and I wouldn't know what it was like to have that girl. I mean, I don't know about you, but 5 kids is enough for me. I could call it good!

The sonographer came back in. I told her that we had decided that we wanted to know for sure if the baby would cooperate. Again, no cooperation on the baby's part! She had yet to get a really good measurement of the spine. So I got up, went to the bathroom again, and did some more jumping around to try and get the baby to MOOOOOVE!

However, little to my knowledge, while I was in the bathroom. The sonographer and David had a "little" discussion. I guess while I wasn't looking, they got very close to the gender area and saw no little boy parts. So, David whispered, "I have been looking VERY closely - and I can't see a penis." She added, "I know, me too. I think it's a girl, but I don't want to give her false hope. I will not call it until I am absolutely positive."

They wrapped up their little conversation as I walked out the bathroom door. I could tell she was drawing him a little diagram, but I thought it was just to help him know where to look. So, I didn't think anything of it.

I laid down ... AGAIN, and we began our last search. She mentioned she only had a few minutes left before she had other appointments. I began to think to myself, "I guess we really aren't supposed to find out." A few more seconds went by and I heard her make a noise. I immediately knew that she had seen. My heart raced and I tensed up. She quietly, but happily exclaimed, "It's a little girl!" Then she said it again a little louder and threw both hands up in the air, "IT'S A GIRL!" I looked up at her, and said, "Are you serious?" I also began to cry. She then said, "After ALL we've been through, do you think I'd do that to you?" I really got teary then and she started to get teary-eyed too! She was SOOOO sweet. David was in a state of shock a bit - and he gave me a big hug and kiss and said, "I'm so happy that you get your little girl."

The sonographer also mentioned that the picture was a great shot and that she was 100% sure that it was a girl. That made me feel even better.

It was such a moment! That's why I went into so much detail. I don't ever want to forget how wonderful it was.

Then of course, we had to play a joke on everyone since, after all, it was April Fool's day. My mom said she had a feeling it was another boy - then became so ecstatic when I said "April Fool." David's sister, Dawna, laughed and said, "haha ... you guys have the all boys curse, too!" But, boy did she NOT think it was funny when she found out we DO get a little girl and she is stuck with three boys. (Who's laughing now, Dawna! lol) And Ayla, well, Ayla was definitely upset that she was outnumbered 4 to 1! And, I don't blame her! However, she about died when she went up to her room, saw a little girl outfit and a note from her soon-to-be baby sister. She wanted to make sure that we weren't April Fooling her with it being a girl, though. Smart girl.

Really ... it was a wonderful day. I can't wait to meet our little baby girl ...

I love you little Brielle. We'll be seeing you soon!

(Oh yes, and as for the picture ... her little bum is in the upper left corner of the picture. Then, one leg is going out to the right and the other almost straight down. And, as you can see, there is nothing in-between her little legs!)

This and That

2011-04-10T13:57:00.000-07:00

So - your mouth may be on the floor right now. Being that it has been over 6 months since I have posted anything. Definitely NOT because nothing has happened. EVERYTHING has happened and then some.

I do want to apologize. Mainly to myself! There are a lot of things I'm sure I have forgotten - my problem, is I feel unless there are pictures to post, it isn't going to be fun for any of YOU. But honestly, this blog is for ME. I am pretty bummed - for some reason when we installed our new Microsoft Word program (the latest) it has screwed up our camera and our camera will not download pictures. So, we have over 6 months of pictures just waiting to be downloaded =[ Very sad!

So, I will make this quick and when I get pictures, I will post more about them later. But, just to recap:

Braxton turned 7 the end of September. We had a fun little family party with him. He loves the show WIPEOUT and so, I made him a "wipeout" birthday cake AND had made an obstacle course in the backyard. We timed each family member and the one with the shortest time got a prize. I'm pretty sure it was candy. Then every other family member got a prize (more candy) for being a participant. It was pretty fun!

November 5, 2010 was an AMAZING day. I'm not exaggerating. David, me and Malachi were able to be sealed in the Bountiful, Utah Temple. It was such a great day. I am so thankful that we are a family and that we will be together forever. It was so wonderful to experience the sweet spirit that our little boy brought to the ceremony. I'm not sure if he was just in awe of the pretty chandelier hanging from the ceiling or if he could see some family members are on the other side - but he kept point up toward the ceiling and smiling. It was such a great time for us and a wonderful memory. (Wish I could post pictures!!!)

A few months before we were sealed I had quite a few impressions that we should start thinking about adding to our family. David and I had talked and figured that, yes, the time was probably quickly approaching, but had no specific feeling on when exactly. Just that the time was near.

After our sealing we discussed it again and thought that the time was definitely approaching. I guess, our little one was anxious to get here, because November 29, 2010, I found out we were expecting again. Even though, we knew it was going to happen soon, we had no idea that it was going to happen THAT soon. We were quite surprised - but anxious and excited too.

We had a wonderful Christmas and told the kids about our new arrival on Christmas Eve. Oh yes, I also celebrated my 29th birthday in December as well. (Can't wait to be 30. I know, I'm weird!)

In February David celebrated his 35th birthday! He requested carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. It was delicious! I also made him homemade Cafe Rio chicken burritos and I just have to say that it was mighty swell food! Seriously, I'm so surprised that it turned out as good as it did. The salad dressing and the rice was my favorite part. My mom was able to stop and eat with us (she was headed through town) and she even like it too. So, I give myself a pat on the back for that one.

We found out in February that Braxton had Bronchitis. About a week or two later David went into the school doctor and found that he had a very severe sinus infection. Then, a few weeks later, Malachi and I were both told we had walking pneumonia. I had been feeling like crap for a VERY long time - but I had attributed it to being pregnant. We all got on some STRONG anitbiotics and felt better! It was amazing the difference once I felt better. Lucky for me, I had gotten over the "morning sickness" - so at least I didn't have that to deal with on top of everything else.

Ayla seemed to be the only one who escaped the "bug". She did feel sort of sick for a day or two - but it never turned into anything that we had. I'm glad for her because it really was awful!

It was either the end of February or beginning of March - but David was called to be the 2nd counselor in the Elder's Quorum. I don't want to complain too much for fear of being struck by lightning, but BOY is he busy! I can only imagine what the Bishop's wife must feel like. Between work, school, and his calling he is gone many nights. I miss him! However, I am thankful that I am married to someone who is willing to serve in the church. I have seen our family benefit greatly through the blessings we've been receiving. I am very proud of him for doing so much for our family and for others!

Ben turned 7 in March, too! Six months out of the year, we have two boys the same age. We got Ben for just a few hours on his birthday, since it was a school night. We just had a family dinner, really. We promised him we'd do something funner once we were together again. However, the flu bug then decided to hit our family! I honestly think it might have been the roto-virus. It was AWFUL. Nothing quite as fun as having "pukes and shoots" at the same time. Poor little Braxton. He was so sick. For 8 straight days he was having bathroom issues. We did get the throwing up under control on the second day - but man, alive! We (okay, I) did a lot of laundry that week. Then, on about day 5 or 6 for Braxton, Malachi out of nowhere "blew chunks". Who knew a little stomach could hold SO much? Wow! So, then Malachi was sick throwing up for about 3 days. Luckily it wasn't all day long. He'd only throw up two or three times during the day. But, he had bathroom issues as well. I think he was all cleared up in about 6 days though. So glad it didn't hit him quite as hard. I was worried sick that I would get it - but luckily, I avoided that as well! Whew!

So, that is our last six months in a VERY small nutshell.

OH WAIT! Forgot my favorite part. I won't go into a lot of detail here. I'll do a different post about it. But on April 1st we found out we are having a baby girl! I was so excited I almost couldn't make it out to the car. I felt light-headed and strange. I am so thrilled to have a baby girl! I can do her hair and dress her up! I dream about the day we go on a mommy/daughter date and get manicures and pierce her ears. (I'm thinking about 8 years old) Who knows! Who cares! It can just be done now.

David was a little shocked to say the least. He, of course wasn't sure, but felt pretty strongly that it was a boy. He was so happy for me though. It was really sweet.

We of course, played an April Fool on Ayla. He went and picked her up early from school. Told her in the car that we had gone to the ultrasound appointment (we didn't tell ANYONE we were going. We didn't know until the day before) and that we found out we were having another boy. Ayla was of course bummed. She is feeling quite out-numbered. He told her to get her feelings out while she was driving home. He told her I was also having a hard time and was quite disappointed and didn't want to make a big deal about it in front of me.

While they were gone, I went and got a "girl" outfit that I had bought just a few days earlier (just in case) and layed it on her bed. I then wrote a little note from the baby girl and told her that (the baby girl) appreciated her waiting patiently for her arrival, but that she couldn't come until her 3 older brothers had come first. Then she said I can't wait to see you in a few months!

Ayla flipped out! She was so confused. She came down the stairs with tears in her eyes and we said, "April Fool's." Her response, "Which is the joke? That it's a boy or a girl?" It was pretty sweet. When we finally told her it was definitely a girl she was so happy! It was fun.

Okay -- So THAT is the last 6 months in a nutshell. =] I will definitely post more soon ... but without pictures.

Wow, time flies. When you're having fun AND when you are sick!

2010-09-25T09:11:00.000-07:00

Well, it sure has been a while since I last posted, so I am going to try my hardest to do some cathching up. I will attempt to put them in order. Oh boy. Wish me luck!

Two years of marital bliss

2010-08-08T09:33:00.000-07:00

David and I had a really wonderful anniversary. Last year, we went out to eat at "The Roof" on temple square. It was beautiful! We picked the perfect time, right as the sun was starting to set. The Temple looked gorgeous and David said, "You know, we should do this every year." I liked the sound of that! Then he added, "only next year, let's go do a session at the temple first, and then come and eat here." So, that is what we did. Let me tell you folks, it was perfect!

David and I decided last month that we really needed to be better about attending the temple on a monthly basis. So, I had heard (when I got married the first time, to be exact) that some people try to be in the temple with their spouse every year on their anniversary at the same time they were married. I thought that that would be so cool to do. But, it never happened. So, as David and I were sitting there thinking how we are going to accomplish this goal, I said, "I know, let's try and go on the 8th of every month. That way, it feels like we are celebrating another month of marriage!" He thought that seemed pretty good so we gave it a shot. When the 8th falls on a Sunday or Monday, we will try to go the Saturday before. We've done it for 3 months and I have to say, it's made it easier going. Dunno why. It just has 8 )

Our anniversary did end up falling on a Sunday, so we went the night before. Thank you Ayla and Auntie Deb for watching Mr. Malachi for us!

Trying new things ...

2010-08-03T17:07:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! I am embarking on a new journey with blogging. I have decided that I want each of my kids to have their own blogs. It's a scrapbook for just them, basically. I have completely, entirely, without-a-doubt fallen off of the scrapbooking bandwagon! I don't have time, energy or money to do this. So, this is a less messy way of doing the journaling for me. I really need to get a Heritage Makers account so I can make their stuff super cute ... but until then, this is all I've got.

I'm struggling with Ayla and Ben's a little, because I do not have many younger pictures of them. Their's will more or less be from where I came into the picture ... but I'm excited.

So, this has become more of our "family" blog ... and accomplishments and things like that will be posted on the kids' blogs and maybe this one, too, depending on what it is.

So here you go ...

Ayla Storm Martin Burleigh

Braxton Jeffrey Cragun

Benjamin Karl Burleigh

Malachi Alexander Francis Burleigh

someday ...

2010-07-19T20:35:00.000-07:00

i would love to go here! Heidelberg, Germany. Yeah, maybe someday ...

our computer is hospitalized ....

2010-07-13T17:13:00.001-07:00

So, it has been a while since I have blogged. Malachi had his first birthday on the 26th of June. He is so much fun, I love that kid! Exactly a week later, he got sick for the first time (really sick) and was down and throwing up for 6 days! It was crazy.

As soon as we get our computer back I will upload pics of his birthday. For now, you can see them on facebook.

Here are some things about him at a year old:

*Has seven teeth. Four up top, three on the bottom :) hehe
*can sign, milk, light, dog, more
*could say: tiek (our dog's name), uh-oh, ight (light)
since his birthday now says Uh-oh, really well and ayla!

He is being a grump right now and stuck in his jumper, so ... I guess I'll leave, but I hope to catch up soon!

The Power of Positive Thinking

2010-05-19T14:40:00.001-07:00

I'll have what she is having. Thank you.

Family Pictures

2010-05-18T14:38:00.001-07:00

Easter and Conference Burleigh style

2010-05-18T14:14:00.000-07:00

once upon a time

2010-05-18T14:13:00.000-07:00

no title needed

2010-05-18T13:57:00.000-07:00

Best joke ever. Cost me a buck! The dollar store has pregnancy tests (and apparently I hear they work quite well -- for a lot less) so I copied my friend, Elise's idea, and wham-o! The best April Fool's joke EVER! David had to get up super early that morning and it totally caught him off guard.

The conversation went as follows:

D- what is this?

M- looks like a pregnancy test.

D- is it positive

M- what does the instructions say?

D- (frantically) where are the instructions? (goes off to find them - comes back)

D- YOU'RE PREGNANT? Oh my gosh! Babe! (big kiss) How did this happen?

M- I don't know ... I guess the IUD didn't work.

(silence)

D- Oh my heck, we have to move! We have to get a bigger place. Holy cow, I cannot believe this is happening. I guess it's meant to be ... holy cow! ..... Is this a joke?

M- Honey, it's a pregnancy test, how could this be a joke?

D- Oh my gosh, babe! I love you! I will try to help you out more ... OH MY GOSH!

He went and sat down at the computer. Still stammering over the big news. As he was getting up to leave, I said, "I love you, hun, have a good day ...." (walking away) "what is the date today?"

D- It's April fir...... YOU TARD!

It was classic!

Dumbest Easter egg hunt EVER!

2010-05-18T13:31:00.001-07:00

Well, we went to the dumbest freakin' easter egg hunt on the planet. I thought it was going to be so cool. I had heard about it on fm100 and it was supposed to be awesome. Over 10,000 easter eggs! Wow, exciting, hu?

Nope. Not at all!

We get there - although 10,00 eggs seem like a heckofa lot. It isn't when there is about 50,000 kids!

So, the good thing was, they didn't start the hunt until all of the kids got through the gates. (It was at "Heritage Park") However, we didn't realize the their were actually areas sectioned off for different age groups. We found that out right about when we heard the gun go off.

We then rushed over to the designated area and it had been maybe 15 seconds -- we couldn't see one egg left in that area.

We had the boys go in -- they both came out with

drum roll, please .......

ZERO EGGS!

Fun stuff, hu? So, we promised them we would stop and get them a big candy bar and a drink at the store.

Luckily, we made up for the dumb egg hunt when we stopped at the store.

There was a big firetruck parked in the parking lot and when we came out they must have seen the boys' eyes glisten so they waved them on over to the truck and gave them a personal tour.

Now that was what I call fun!

I decided to take another picture of my ankle, too. It hurts really bad ... I cannot begin to explain to you how badly it hurts up my calf. Those two purple lines you see above my ankle, SO TENDER!

Stay tuned ...

2010-05-17T14:33:00.000-07:00

more posts to follow! I still have like 20 more collages to make to catch up! I've decided on Sundays that I'm going to spend some time online "journaling" on my blog to catch up. Because, with my crazy little monkey crawling around now, I don't have time to just sit and waste away the day anymore!

Stay tuned....

Leave it to me to get hurt :)

2010-05-17T14:32:00.001-07:00

2nd annual Brian Regan show!

2010-05-17T14:31:00.000-07:00

Soccer Buddy's Baby Shower

2010-05-17T14:30:00.000-07:00

Ben's 6th Birthday!

2010-05-17T14:27:00.000-07:00

Malachi, 9 months

2010-05-17T14:26:00.000-07:00

Brax and Chi

2010-05-17T14:25:00.001-07:00

David's Birthday 02.12.10

2010-05-17T14:24:00.000-07:00

Valentines Day at Braxton's school

2010-05-17T14:23:00.000-07:00

Malachi's 9 month photos

2010-04-08T16:47:00.000-07:00

I know that ALL parents think that their children are absolutely gorgeous. I am definitely not any different. I love taking pictures of this baby! I wish I could be half as photogenic as he is. He looks just like his daddy ... but I promise, there is 50% of me in there somewhere, too!

I have to give credit where credit is due. My cousin, Jocelyn, had a baby about 2 months ago and she took pictures of him in a tie. SO. CUTE. So, I copied. I hardly ever come up with original ideas myself. I'm a copier.

Anyway ... we just headed outside today because it was so beautiful outside and this is what came of my baby, a tie, and a camera. I'm pretty lucky. Can I just say how much i LOVE outdoor photos.

clueless

2010-04-05T20:27:00.000-07:00

Here is an adorable video of my sweet Malachi playing with his Auntie Deb and brother Braxton. We had just gotten done decorating the easter eggs and Auntie and Malachi came up with this game. I thought it was pretty frickin' adorable!!!

I have been simply bored to death with blogging lately. I used to live and breathe it. Now, I have totally abandoned it. I need to find a HAPPY medium, because truly, it does help me remember the important times!!!

So, I will try my hardest to catch up this week and have a bunch of posts within a week or so .... :)

Do you love free stuff?

2010-03-22T13:03:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone,

I've been meaning to post this for a while. But, about a week ago, on "Good Things Utah" I found out about an amazing website, Bargain Divas. You can get a heckofa deal on a ton of things. They mentioned, that you probably would like to use an alternate email account just for this, because you will get spam. But, I think it is totally worth it! Check it out ... and get free stuff! YAY!

Does this happen to you?

2010-01-21T12:40:00.001-08:00

The following was not written by me :( However, I found it on my new favorite blog! Her name is Annie and she lives in Utah. And unlike, Tamn, who is also in Utah -- She is a real person who writes about real things. Surprisingly, I think I like her more than Tamn. Which, to me, was absolutely, down-right shocking.

Check out her blog Regarding Annie (and read the small print under the heading. that's when I knew I'd love her!)

Hope you enjoy!

January 14, 2010

I am thick in the trenches of potty training, and let me tell you, they’re mucky trenches.

Here’s the thing about being a stay-at-home mother, taking full-time charge of stay-at-home children. Most of your daily conversations go something like this:

“Mommy, I’m hungry!” followed closely by, “Mommy, I’m thirsty!” followed even more closely by “Mommy, she pee-peed!” Really, as far as stimulating conversation goes, it’s always the wrong kind of stimulation.

And even with the beautiful addition of the telephone, days still go by when the only calls I get come at the most inopportune moments imaginable. Like times when I’m crouched over the toilet with my daughter, smiling through the pain while singing songs about feces. Really motivating work.

In the midst of all the ruckus and muckus and lonely daily commotion, there’s one person who most wives and mothers really love to hear from. No, it’s not the Supernanny (although she’d be welcomed here with open arms); it’s The Man.

Because sometimes, sitting around all day, folding clothes and cleaning up pee and not talking to a single adult makes a girl wonder: Does he ever think about me?

I don’t care what you do for your day job, as a woman, we like to think that he has to fight the urge to call. Maybe just because he misses you, or because he cares about you. Or because he was thinking about how totally awesome you are and how humbled he is to own a phone.

And then when the phone finally rings, you break into that great old song, “Let it please be him, Oh Dear God, it must be him, it must be him, or I shall die,” (forgive the name of deity here, but that really is how the song goes).

Then low and behold, you check the caller ID and … yes! It’s him! He’s remembered, and he’s attentive. He asks about the kids and praises your (not really so great) mommy skills. He’s sweet and friendly and chatty, and all you can think about is how lucky you are that he loves you, misses you, wants to talk to you.

“Oh yeah,” he says right before the conversation finishes, “One last thing. Could you run downstairs and tape the game? It’s coming on in five minutes and I really want to rewatch it.”

And that, my friends, is how they work. Because in the end, isn’t it really all about The Game? And just that fast, you can’t say no, because as far as the score goes, he just spent ten minutes earning points. He’s ahead. What can you do?

Oh you tape the game all right, but remember: The ball is once again in your court. Game on, baby.

guess what?

2009-12-26T22:57:00.000-08:00

he's 1/2 a year old already! Remember to click on the picture to read ....

* ~ MERRY CHRISTMAS ~*

2009-12-25T10:13:00.000-08:00

December 2009

Dear Family & Friends,

David- working hard as the foreman for his company, All-Star Painting. He and his business partner have been together for almost 5 years now. Since the economy has taken a downturn, they have mainly been doing remodeling rather than new homes. They are just starting a job of President Eyring’s son. Pretty cool. David is continuing going to school down at UVU. He hopes to graduate with his Bachelors next fall. He is even considering Graduate school at this point.

Maria- trying very hard to keep the house running and in order, but is finding it difficult most days, as she seems to be occupied with a wee little one. The biggest accomplishment for Maria this year would have to be having a planned home birth. It was the BEST experience! It was a little scary at first. The midwife almost didn’t make it in time for the delivery because he wanted to come so quickly. But in the end, it couldn’t have ended any better.

Ayla- (13) Started 8^th grade this year and is loving it. She transferred to a new school a few weeks after the school year started. It was hard for her to leave her friends at Bonneville, but she is quickly making new friends at Butler. Ayla has a constant following of peers. The phone is always ringing off the hook for her and she can be found always making her friends and family laugh. Ayla just became the President of the Beehive class in our ward, too. She is so excited to turn 14 in April!

Braxton- (6) Lost his first tooth in September and started school. He is excelling in Kindergarten. He is the highest reader in his class and has to be on a totally different reading program than the other students. At parent teacher conferences his teacher said, “I’ve never seen a Kindergartner read like him. Not even just at the level, but the in fluctuations in his voice, too.” He is friends with everyone. When I pick him up from school, he is even getting high fives from the 5^th and 6^th graders. Braxton LOVES to dance and can be seen “busting a move” anywhere there is music. Grocery stores, church, school assemblies … you name it.

Benjamin- (5) Also started Kindergarten this year. This guy is doing so awesome. He started out having a bit of a hard time with letters and their sounds, but now he is sounding out everything!!! He has caught on so quickly. We are so proud of him. Ben still has more energy than all of us combined. He is constantly running everywhere he goes and constantly getting new bumps and bruises – but that doesn’t stop him. He is a natural at sports. He will give anything a try and 9 times out of 10, he’s a pro the first time! We miss having him around here every day and cherish the weekends when we get him.

Malachi- (6 months) Sweet baby, Malachi! Oh he is such a joy. He entered this world on June 26, 2009, in less than 2 hours! He came on a rainy day and immediately after he was born, there was a rainbow over our house. He is such a content little thing as long as he is not being ignored. He has a very serious temperament. You can tell by the way he looks at things that he is studying everything. Trying to figure out how and what makes things work. He is sensitive and shy at times, like Braxton, and energetic and determined, like Benjamin. He is adored by ALL of his older siblings. In fact, they are the only ones that can REALLY get him to laugh. He used his first sign in sign language for “milk” just a few days ago.

We wish all of you a Merry Christmas and may God bless you and your families in 2010.

Love,

The Burleighs

my poor mom

2009-12-08T11:32:00.000-08:00

Hello. Well, for those of you who have followed my blog for a while, you may remember a little over two years ago my mom fell and broke her tibia and wrist (right side). She has severe osteoporosis. Well, she's at it again.

She fell while trying to shovel the driveway. This time she broke her femur and wrist. Again it was her right side.

David and I want to talk to my parents about having her stay with us so that I can take care of her. Maybe just in the first few weeks when she needs so much attention. Greg is trying to work from home - plus, he is in bad health as well. He has been having severe fainting spells. I can only imagine him trying to help her with the walker and him fainting. NOT GOOD.

So, I'm apologizing in advance ... I may not be blogging or facebooking much.

Saturday date night

2009-11-21T22:37:00.000-08:00

I also want to wish my sweet parents a Happy Anniversary! They have been married 13 years!!! I was 14 when they were married. They have been married pretty much half of my life. I'm so glad they found one another. Love You Guys!

Funny Things that kids say

2009-11-20T21:19:00.001-08:00

Here are two funny things that two funny little boys have said recently :)

so here goes some online journaling ...

I had told Braxton to go and get his teeth brushed for school the other day. Later when I came in to do his hair, I thought I noticed some food in his teeth, so I bent down to look. At that time he said "what are you doing, Mom?" I responded with a gasp and said, "ew, Brax! Have you been eating garlic because your breath stinks!" He started laughing and said, "Is it REPULSIVE?" I laughed and said, "do you even know what repulsive means???" He said, "of course! It means awful." (silence) "So? Does it smell repulsive?" We just laughed and laughed. I had him rinse with some mouthwash and he smelled fresh again.

Found out later, "wordgirl" taught him all about the word: repulsive.

------------------------

Benjamin was here tonight and he, David and Ayla were eating. Ayla began talking about a friend at school and mentioned how she was Brazilian. Ben immediately piped up and said, "Brazilian .... NO WAY! That's even more than a Gazillion!"

We all had a really good laugh!

Christmas Pics and Family Fun Center

2009-11-20T17:51:00.000-08:00

11*14*09

We had all of the kids this weekend, so I wanted to try and get some pics taken for Christmas. As we were testing out the camera and lighting, David snapped this pic of Brax and Ben. It was totally not set up and unintentional. David just said, "I want to take a pic of you boys" and this is what the outcome was. I think it is so ADORABLE. They never smile this good for pics when we want them to. They love being BROTHERS!!!

After the pictures we went to the Family Fun Center out by 90th South. The boys had a blast and it was a great way for them to get all of their energy out. Plus the snack bar was so reasonable! I haven't paid $2 for Nachos at a place like that since who knows when. You should check it out if you have kids around their age!

Just some pics of us waiting while the boys were playing ...

tired ...

2009-11-20T11:46:00.001-08:00

Volleyball

2009-11-20T11:41:00.001-08:00

11-11-09

these were some of the girls on our stake volleyball team :)

we may have not won a whole lot of games ...

BUT

I double dog dare you to find a cuter team!

L-R: Whitney, Kara, Jessica and Moi! (and our mascot, Malachi, the monkey!)

my new nephew :)

2009-11-20T11:26:00.001-08:00

4 month checkup

2009-11-03T16:49:00.000-08:00

Halloween 2009

2009-11-03T15:43:00.000-08:00

Halloween and Kindergarten

2009-11-03T15:37:00.000-08:00

4 months and 2 days

2009-11-03T15:33:00.001-08:00

Chi's diary

2009-11-03T15:30:00.001-08:00

Grocery shopping can be fun

2009-11-03T15:20:00.001-08:00

We were on our way to our friends house and noticed a big party going on in the Macey's grocery store parking lot. We stopped and Braxton had fun on the bounce houses. Hot dogs were 10 cents, drinks were ten cents ... it was a lot of fun ... for not very much money. Just the way I like it :)

Thaifoon and Blueberries

2009-11-03T15:16:00.001-08:00

Red Ribbon week

2009-10-30T01:20:00.001-07:00

It's so funny that Braxton is doing the same stuff I did as a kid! I remember when we, "THE CLASS OF 2000" pledged to be DRUG FREE!!! Now he gets to experience that too .... I love it!

2009-10-30T00:36:00.000-07:00

a reason to make me smile

2009-10-30T00:25:00.001-07:00

A visit from Laera

2009-10-29T23:51:00.000-07:00

for any of you who may be confused, let me explain. Ayla and Laera are sister's. Hal- sisters. They have another half-sister, Kazeley who lives with her biological father. Laera was adopted by her uncle and aunt.

I have to give credit to all of the girls families now. Even though it is a challenge - each family tries their hardest to keep the girls in contact thru email, web-chats, texts, phone calls, and even once in a while, occasional visits. :)

Way to work together!

Later that day we headed over to the Miller's .....

it's a boy ... he's almost here!

2009-10-29T23:37:00.000-07:00

Ladies Night, ghoul style!

2009-10-29T23:14:00.000-07:00

2009 Family Pictures

2009-10-29T22:54:00.001-07:00

*** click on picture to enlarge ***

Let's Party

2009-10-29T21:58:00.000-07:00

So, this is the invitation Braxton's friends got for his party ....

(it was delivered in a small popcorn box full of popcorn and their was a ticket attached to the invite ... can't find the pic of it, but will post it when I do)

...cute...

2009-10-29T21:51:00.000-07:00

Braxton is 6

2009-10-29T21:45:00.000-07:00

Peach Days 2009

2009-10-29T18:20:00.000-07:00

Happy Grandparents Day!

2009-09-15T20:38:00.001-07:00

So, here are some pics of Chi that I took for Grandparents Day. His shirt says I Love Grandma .... He loves Grandpa, too -- it's just I couldn't find one that said that :)

MR. BRAXTON!!!

2009-09-03T16:41:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, the 2nd of September, I took Mr. Braxton on a Mommy/Son date to Gardner Village!

When David, Ben and I were there a few weeks ago, I knew that was the place I wanted to go to take Braxton's 6 year old pictures ... so away we went.

This is my favorite picture out of the bunch! (Don't worry, I'll post more later!)

Bedtime rolled around and Braxton told me that he really wished his loose tooth would fall out. So, I asked him if he wanted me to see if I could wiggle it out? He got way excited and said yes. He laid down across my lap and I sang to him his "bedtime songs" while I wiggled his teeth. I told him to tell me if it hurt or not. After about 15 minutes, I decided ... "this probably isn't going to happen" - about 10 seconds later, he jerked back because it hurt and his tooth was in my fingers!

He got really excited and I told him to go and spit in the sink! When I got to the bathroom (was grabbing the camera), he had spit probably 3 or 4 times, he turned around and said, "am I gonna die?" It was so sad yet funny at the same time.

Once we rinsed his mouth out and the blood stopped coming, he was HAPPY again!

(Sorry for the crappy pics in the bathroom - the lighting made the pics yellow)

And last but not least! TODAY WAS BRAXTON'S FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!!!! He was so adorable and I did really good up until him actually going into the school when the teacher walked them in. Ughhhh! I came home and missed him SO MUCH! I'm sure gonna miss him throughout the day!

Benjamin and Braxton

2009-09-02T19:09:00.000-07:00

Our little Malachi

2009-09-02T09:42:00.000-07:00

Malachi is starting to smile and talk like crazy! Especially in the morning and at night...

We love him SO much!

I took this video of him 2 nights ago. Mmmm, I love those cheeks. I just want to eat them!

*just a reminder, if I have music playing, pause it first before playing video*

Camping 2009 in Big Cottonwood Canyon

2009-08-30T22:15:00.000-07:00

MORE TO COME!

2009-08-29T22:06:00.001-07:00

I'm super tired right now ... but there is more to come, I promise!!! Check back soon!

LAGOON! (it's what fun is!)

2009-08-29T22:02:00.001-07:00

One of the last things I did before we left, was I bought a ticket for the catapult thing. DUMB! I was so excited to feel like I was blasting off into space - but it really was more RELAXING than anything.

I rode the Sky Coaster years ago with my dad -- now that was a rush. AND, it's CHEAPER. So, if any of you are daredevils out there ... my pick is SKY COASTER! (fyi)

Gardner Village

2009-08-29T22:01:00.000-07:00

cookout

2009-08-29T21:50:00.000-07:00

Anniversary

2009-08-29T21:49:00.000-07:00

silliness!

2009-08-29T21:48:00.000-07:00

Thanksgiving Point

2009-08-29T21:42:00.000-07:00

Here is the boys and girls at Thanksgiving Point. Click on the images if you want to see them bigger...

hiking

2009-08-29T20:52:00.000-07:00

No Excuse...

2009-08-28T12:23:00.000-07:00

Well, Well, WELL.

It has been quite a while since I've updated my blog. I apologize. It has been a very busy month! I am working on a few collages on picasa (as we speak) about all the goings on that happened the month of August :)

Be sure to check back!!!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

2009-08-09T20:55:00.000-07:00

Well, yesterday was David and my first anniversary!

It was WONDERFUL.

The day started off with him and Ben going hiking. They left about 10:30 in the morning. I was able to get Malachi back to sleep and slept until around 1:30. (I know!)

I awoke and heard someone walking up the steps. I wondered is it Ayla? Is it Ben? Then I saw the GIGANTIC flowers. It was my HUNNIE and he had the BIGGEST BOUQUET of flowers for me. And he even got Gerber Daisies :) My favorite. It actually looked a lot like my wedding bouquet only much, MUCH bigger!

We then headed to Provo to a wedding reception of one of the guys that used to work for him a few years ago.

Headed back to Salt Lake and ate at THE ROOF at the Joseph Smith Memorial building. Oh me. OH MY! That meal was to die for.

We've eaten there just one other time for Valentine's and I love it. It's pretty pricey - but we don't eat there everyday. We figured we could splurge a little. We are already planning on going there for our next anniversary too!

Anyway, I love you, David. Thank you for everything that you do. I'm so grateful for all that you do for me and the kids. I'm SO glad I found you!

Making an unforgettable entrance.

2009-07-28T17:14:00.000-07:00

Really ... why didn't I think of this? LOVE. IT.

CLICK HERE!

Pioneer Weekend

2009-07-27T15:30:00.000-07:00

We had a really good weekend.

Friday David only worked until noon. He came home and we got ready for a barbeque that we were hosting at our house with our friends, the Millers and the Poulsens.

David was finally able to use the new grill we got him for Father's day and he LOVED it.

Afterwards we went into our backyard and set off some small fireworks, pop-its and sparklers. Then we got ready to go to the BIG fireworks.

*****

On Saturday we went to the Days of '47 rodeo. It was supposed to be "free." We only ended up paying $75 to get in. Okay, $55 because we were reimbursed $20. LOL. How does that happen, you ask? Well, we supposedly had been given "free" tickets from the Schmerklefitt's. (name has been changed to protect identity) However, the Schmerklefitt's were then late and by the time we got to the ticket agents to hand them our "free" passes - all of the "free" seats had been taken. (It was a first come first serve basis.) So, in order to get in, we had to bu y a ticket for $15/person.

Then, upon entering ... there was a BUNCH of "free" seats still in the upper bowl. That's enough to REALLY tick me off!!!

RRRRrrrrrr. But, the boys had fun! Ben and Brax got a cowboy hat. YEEEE-HAW! And we had fun ... with the Schmerklefitt's :)

*****

We have no pics of these wonderful events. Our camera was busted! We have yet to figure out our new one.....

A little late, nevertheless...

2009-07-22T09:29:00.001-07:00

I love AMERICA! I remember how awesome it was to see our flag proudly waving from nearly every car and building after 9/11.

I sometimes wonder why it takes SUCH a tragedy for us to show our patriotism?

I believe most of us truly our proud to be an American -- yet, it seems for the most part, we only see red, white and blue on the 4th of July.

This is a bit late for the fourth - however, it's awesome enough to share 18 days later :) Get a load of these 5-8 year old girls singing the National Anthem at a Texas Tech basketball game. From what I've read, it was performed February 9th.

*****

Also, I am proud to inform ALL of you. I made it yesterday with no red light running. Therefore, no TICKETS. Yay!

YOU'VE GOT TO BE FRICKIN' KIDDING ME!

2009-07-21T09:45:00.000-07:00

MY LIFE IS OVER. I WANT TO CRAWL IN A HOLE AND DIE!!!

We had a barbeque with David's friends last night. I had no idea where they live, had to follow him. (He is the worse driver to follow ... EVER!)

We left at 5:00 and traffic was bad. Bet you'll never guess what happened???

Um... I ran another red light, following him. SAME RED LIGHT! Two straight days in a row.

Can we say, I'm TOAST!

Gosh darn it!

2009-07-20T06:27:00.000-07:00

We were invited to my Mom's house for dinner yesterday. We were supposed to leave here around 3:50 to make it there by 4:30. Well, David had an appointment with the bishop at 3:30. The bishop was running late and we didn't end up leaving our house until 4:35.

I was in a bit of a "hurry" to get there because we were so late and guess what happened?

I'm sure all of you know when you are driving, you look down, when you look back up the light is yellow. You think to yourself. Do I slam on my brakes or gun it? I gunned it! I TOTALLY ran a red light :) The cameras caught me! I saw them take my picture. Looking back I should have smiled and waved! (JK ...)

I believe that in a few days I will no longer be able to say, "I've never had a ticket!"

Ahhhhhh.crap!

~ I like to pretend I'm a Photographer ~

2009-07-13T13:59:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, July 12, 2009, was Malachi's first time to church. We woke up at 8:20 and church starts at 9:00. Surprisingly enough, we headed out the door at 8:57! I had even showered! However, didn't really get makeup on. While at church he slept most of the time in his Daddy's arms. Didn't cry once - he is such a good baby!

Anyway, after church I wanted to take some pictures of him. He is growing SO fast! I enlisted the help of David and we got a couple of pictures that I absolutely ADORE!!!

SO! My favorites are the first and last one...

2 week check-up

2009-07-10T20:50:00.001-07:00

Alright, went in to see the midwife today. I'm doing swell. I've recovered pretty darn quickly I'd say :)

I have lost 27 of my 28 lbs gained during pregnancy. :) That's enough to make any new mom happy, I think. Between, my little one being quite the OINKER, and it being 5 years and 9 months since I last had a baby, the weight just seemed to fall off. I know it took MUCH longer for me to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight with Brax.

So ... does anyone want to guess how much baby Malachi weighed today??? 9 lbs 1.8 oz! Oh My! And that's for his 2 week check up! I do believe I have another Braxton on my hands. (Braxton grew so quickly - in weight and height.)

Life is good though! David has been working like 14 and 16 hour days this whole week - so, I'm going to go for now ... we actually have an evening together and all the kids are gone but Chi.

11 days old ...

2009-07-08T08:55:00.000-07:00

We made it into Malachi's first Dr's visit yesterday. All I can say is. I'm sad!

So when Malachi was born - he was 8 lbs 6 oz; 21 inches long.

Then when Rebecca came to do her home visit, three days later, he had dropped down to 8 lbs 1 oz.

Well, yesterday, at his appointment these are his stats: 8 lbs 15 oz and 21 1/2 inches long!!! Are you kidding me? They truly grow up way too fast.

Oh well, he is happy, healthy, and obviously growing like a weed. That makes me happy - but boy, they sure do change mighty quick!

Freedom Festival

2009-07-05T21:38:00.000-07:00

Hello, ALL.

Well, Malachi had his first bath on July 3rd. He was 1 week old. Daddy and him started in the shower and then wound up in the tub ... he wasn't quite sure what to think -- but towards the end, he seemed to enjoy it.

I didn't know this, but babies float! David had his hands right behind his head and the rest of his body just floated on the water ... it was cool.

*****

So, we celebrated the 4th by going to our old ward's pancake breakfast Saturday morning. It was really good to see everyone again. It was a really great ward --

Then we (David, me, Ayla, her friend Bree, and Malachi) headed down to Provo (David's stompin' grounds) to the Freedom Festival.

I was SOOOOO glad I wasn't still pregnant. IT WAS BLISTERING!

While there, we found this AWESOME, contraption. We put one on layaway to purchase for Ayla :) But, first we had her test it out ...

Dada and Malachi

Momma and Malachi

I love this picture of us. However, afterwards when I was looking at the pics, I noticed a "blur" in a lot of them -- there was a smudge on the lens! Dangit. Oh well, still LOVE the pic, though.

THE GIRLS.

We headed up to Squaw Peak. It's really gorgeous up there. You can see all of Utah County from there. People were setting up there places to watch the fireworks from there. Next year we are going to try and do that.

One week old!

2009-07-03T21:17:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe it has been a week since Malachi was born. It is so crazy how when I was pregnant a week dragged on forever - but now that he is here .... it flew by so quickly.

I really don't want him to grow up. EVER! He has already changed so much and I just hope I cherish this time with him.

I fall more and more in love with him every second. He is the best baby in the world! He is very content and happy. He really only cries when he wants to be fed or changed. What more could a new mommy ask for?

*****

Olivia, the doula, came by today to check up on us. She was so sweet. She brought him an outfit, blanket and a sweet note that I will put in his keepsake book.

She is wonderful! This birth was the first birth where she has been the main doula. Her first birth where she attended that was natural and at home. SHE DID AWESOME! Especially given the situation. She told me today -- "I saw you and said, 'Oh shit! I'm gonna be delivering this baby!' "

However, she kept calm and cool and I had no idea that she was as freaked out as I was - if not more.

Don't you just love her dimples?

the first week through pictures ...

2009-07-03T12:25:00.000-07:00

Friday, June 26, 2009

Malachi's first picture. I couldn't believe how wide-eyed he was after he was born. He stayed awake for 3 1/2 hours after he was born!

*****

Ayla came home to see Malachi. She had been forced out of the home and over to her friend, Bree's home, once we realized the baby was coming...

*****

This is Olivia, the doula. She looked like an angel sent straight from Heaven when she arrived at our house that night! I am so grateful for her and her help.

*****

And... Rebecca! Another angel from up above. The top-dog of midwives, EVERYWHERE! She is awesome and handled the chaotic situation wonderfully! Seriously, had either of these ladies been panicky, I would have flipped out. I can't wait to birth with her again. To any of you who would ever be interested in a natural birth ... contact me and I'll get you her info. She gets booked fast because she is so amazing.

*****

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Mr. Braxton came home on the 27th after being with his daddy for 2 weeks. He had a new little brother :) He was a bit nervous, but we eventually got him to hold him.

*****

Monday, June 29, 2009

Ben met Malachi for the first time. He had been at his mom's over the weekend. He sure thought he was a cute little bugger.

*****

Rebecca also came over later that day to check on the baby. She always gets a family photo at these appointments. So, here we are :) Ayla wasn't home because she was at stake camp.

*****

My mom came over that day as well to meet Malachi. She brought a few presents. These were two blankets and when I read the card, it took me a while to get it. They were signed, "Love, Grandmother, Whiting" Well, that is my mom's mom. She has been gone since 2004. I immediately started to cry. She had made several blankets before she passed away to be given to more babies born after she was gone. :( It made me so sad, :) yet happy at the same time!

*****

Grandma Gregson and Malachi

*****

Grandma Gregson, Me and Malachi

*****

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

A few pictures of the wee one and his mommy.

*****

A few pictures of the wee one and his daddy.

*****

Trav meeting Malachi...

Auntie Deb meeting Malachi ...

Sisters! (and Malachi)

*****

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Malachi's first ride in the car was to Kaysville, Utah

*****

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Grandpa Gregson meeting baby Malachi

*****

Awwww. Comfy cozy on big sis, Ayla :)

Malachi's birth story (Maria's point of view)

2009-07-03T06:00:00.000-07:00

Okay. Friday, June 26, 2009. I had another pre-natal appointment scheduled at noon. The last two weeks I had had about 3 or 4 false labors. VERY annoying.

*****

So, here is a bit of the timeline for those of you who may not be interested in the detailed birth.

12:30 pm - Membranes stripped

3:30 pm- Woke up from nap and am having menstrual-like cramping. Not bad at all. David got home from work and got ready to go to school.

4:00 pm- David left for school.

4:30 pm- Got Ben ready to drop off to his Mom

4:45 pm - Contractions are starting to get painful. But definitely manageable ... However, it was at this moment that I knew ... I was in labor mode. Called and let David know. He said he was leaving to come home as soon as he told the Professor I was in labor.

5:00 pm - In a matter of 15 minutes, I went from still tolerable contractions to not being able to talk during contractions.

5:20 pm- Got to the house from dropping off Ben.

5:30 - David got home from school.

5:40 - David called the Doula and Midwife.

6:00 - Doula arrives about 10 minutes before Midwife.

6:33 - Malachi was born!

*****

I went to my midwife in the hopes of asking her to strip my membranes. But, wasn't sure if she was the type to make sure I was atleast 40 weeks before doing anything. Lucky for me, I go in, weigh myself (gained a total of 28 lbs ... hadn't gained any from my last appointment) and sit down. One of the first things she asks me is, "how are you feeling?" I answered, "very pregnant." Then she said, "Wanna look into having your membranes stripped?" I think my smile gave my answer away.

So, she checked me and the results weren't very appealing to me. I was only dilated to a 1. Malachi's head was at a -2 station. (For those of you who don't know, he hadn't moved down a whole lot - he had a lot more to go) She said, "if I strip your membranes, I really think you will only have a 10-20% chance of going into labor in the next 24 hours." (after 24 hours, if nothing happens - nothing probably will happen because of your membranes being stripped) She did say however that my cervix was very soft compared to most and she wasn't sure how that would play into it all.

I thought about it ... Braxton was with his dad. We didn't have Ben for the weekend. It actually would be a "perfect" weekend to have him because I wouldn't have to worry about the boys being around. I told her, "let's just go for it."

She then asked if I would like some black and blue kohosh to drink. One regulates contractions while the other intensifies them. Since it didn't sound like a good chance of me having him I said, "YES."

I now know, that was... THE. WRONG. ANSWER.

Basically she explained to me that I may start having contractions but that they could fizzle out if Malachi wasn't ready to be born. She said because of the Kohosh, they will probably start out close together - but simply take a shower and they would spread apart. She said once the contractions were progressing in intensity and they were lasting around a minute ... I was for sure going to have a baby :)

So, as you may see from my timeline. My contractions were close ... BUT, I was stuck on thinking I shouldn't be calling her until they were atleast a minute long. Even though, I wasn't physically able to talk during the contractions, I thought I was just being SUPER, SUPER wimpy. I had no idea what was in store obviously :)

I got home from dropping off Ben and immediately told Ayla I was getting in the shower to try and spread these contractions apart. However, I felt the need to use the bathroom very URGENTLY. (had to take a crap!)

So, I did what any normal person would do and proceeded to try and fix the problem that I was having. I sat on the toilet and this is when my contractions REALLY started to intensify. Everytime I would have a contraction I felt the urge to push and so that is what I would do. Then I would try and compose myself and say, "ok, once this contraction is over, I will go to the bathroom so that I can get off the toilet and into the tub." Then I began to notice a pattern. Another contraction would come, the urge to push would come and I'd say to myself, "dangit, I forgot to do my deed in-between the contractions .... next time." But, everytime the contractions was over, I would find myself resting my head on the wall. I would say that I only had about 15-20 seconds tops between contractions. It was at this point that I started wailing and screaming. I even started to get very shaky.

Then I thought I heard the door slam. This meant ... David was home! THANK GOODNESS. I waited and waited - but I never saw him. In reality it probably had only been 2 or 3 minutes. Maybe he wasn't home! I decided to give him a call. He answered. I said, "Where are you?" He said he could tell by my voice I was in pain. I heard a click and then him running up the stairs. (He had come home and went downstairs to talk to Ayla - he had no idea things were progressing like they were.) He busted through the door and he said he felt the blood drain from his head. He says I was shaking and out-of-control. I looked up at him and said, "I feel like I need to poo."

He looked down and ... um observed the situation :) and said, "um, you are bleeding and ... bulging! I don't think you need to poo, YOU ARE HAVING THE BABY!" However, I just kept insisting that I needed to use the restroom!

He ran downstairs called the doula and the midwife. While he was on the phone with the midwife he said, "she is on the toilet ... she says she has to poop!" I hear my midwife through the phone say, "GET HER OFF OF THAT TOILET!!! SHE IS GOING TO HAVE THE BABY IF YOU DON'T GET HER OFF!!!" I guess being in that position makes thing progress pretty darn quickly ....

So, he helped me over to the tub. We filled it with some water and he started rubbing my back. Slowly the contractions started spreading a little bit more apart.

The ONLY thing going through my head at this time was ... (pardon my french) "OH MY HE_L! I am just starting labor. I still have like 8 or 10 hours of this probably. I'm gonna die!" I had no idea that I was like 20 minutes from having a baby!

So the doula walks through the bathroom door and she just looked like an absolute ANGEL. I thought "Oh good, someone who knows what's going on!" However, the first words I utter out of my mouth are, "I have to go poo...." She smiles and says, "No, dear, you are having a baby!" (That was the first time I believed anyone about no needing to use the restroom. I don't know why...) She looked at David and said, "Is Rebecca on her way ....?" He said yes ... I could tell she was a little panicky, but I didn't know exactly why.

Rebecca, the midwife, then comes through the door. And Assesses the situation.

You see, I had been planning on having a waterbirth... I was pretty sure I couldn't make it to the big blown up tub ... but I was happy I was atleast in the tub.

At this point, Rebecca could already see that he was just about ready to crown, so she had no time to check me. She looks down and say, "She can't birth here ... the water isn't deep enough." There was no way that I could move though! I was in so much pain. So, she lifted up the drain to let the water out. Her response was, "If she can't move, we'll make the water move!"

She asked me if she thought I could move to the bed in-between contractions. I told her I would try. David came over and basically lifted me up, carried all of my weight, to get me over to the bed. I got up on the bed (never hated tall beds before ... now I do) and proceeded to push during my contractions. It only took about two of them and his head was crowning. (My explanation of what the "ring of fire" feels like = someone holding a blow torch down there. :) Rebecca said that I needed to breathe through my next few contractions because the skin wasn't ready to be stretched yet. In fact, I think her words were, "this is the time to be selfish, Maria. Unless you want a 'rock-through-the-windshield' type tear, don't push through the next few contractions." That was probably one of the hardest things -- to not push when your body is telling you, "PUSH!"

There were atleast 3 times during ALL of this that I honestly said to myself, "I wish I could get him here and then know I was going to DIE." I honestly didn't think I could make it through the pain. The worst part was knowing I had to feel all of this pain and then SURVIVE! C'mon, man -- are you kidding me???

However, an AMAZING thing happened. Once little Malachi's head popped out - the pain was relieved a ton - and then as soon as he came out and they placed him on my chest ... the pain is instantaneously gone! It's so crazy! (But of course, it does come back, once reality sets in.)

It was a REALLY fast birth. It just went from 0-120 in a split second, but overall, it was a WONDERFUL experience.

And... Just in case any of you are wondering --- YES, I would totally do it again! And... YES! David and I have already discussed what we want to do when we have another. The answer is: ANOTHER HOMEBIRTH! Overall, it was so much better than being at the hospital.

*****

So, there you have it. I am so sorry that it took so long for me to post this. I really thought I'd be more on top of things - but between my very limited naps and a baby that needs constant care 24/7 (I really have forgotten how much work a newbie is!) I'm actually impressed that I got it done in a week.

I love you all - thanks for all of your kind words, loves, and hugs! You all are wonderful!

*****

Oh yes, and the other GREAT news. I have totally been checking my weight everyday because it just seems to be melting off, literally. So, I gained a total of 28 lbs and it's been one week today since I had Chi, I've lost 24 lbs! Talk about sweet!!! It took me a lot longer to lose it with Braxton --- I'm so thankful!

A few more pictures ...

2009-06-28T18:49:00.000-07:00

... birth story to come tomorrow :)

So, here is Malachi the morning after he was born. He is about 14 hours old. Isn' t that insane??? It's really weird to think the day before he was kickin' it in my uterus. LOL.

Awww, I love baby feet!!! And his are so tiny compared to Braxton's.

He had his first sponge bath today to get the birth gunk out of his hair and chubby skin creases everywhere. He wasn't too thrilled.

And here is where I posed for all those pictures of me pregnant.

My handsome husband and adorable baby! I love my boys!!!

WE HAVE AN ANNOUNCEMENT!!!

2009-06-27T17:03:00.000-07:00

We would like to introduce someone special to ALL of you!

Malachi Alexander Burleigh

June 26, 2009

6:33 pm

8 lbs 6 oz and 21 inches

I would LOVE to be able to give all the details of the wondrous event ... (haha) but I'm pooped. I really planned on letting all of you know when I went into labor, BUT, given that everything happened so quickly (1 hour 45 minutes) I had NO time!

So, check back in a few days for details.

Here are just a few of my favorites. There was a storm yesterday and a beautiful rainbow came right after he was born. Rainbows have somewhat of a significant meaning to David and my relationship, so it was sweet that he came to us on an evening with a rainbow!

We love him!!!

38 weeks and 4 days :)

2009-06-20T20:40:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of me today. It's so weird because, sometimes I feel SO huge and then the next week I feel smaller than I did the week before.

I feel pretty much ginormous all the time now ... but, it all will end here pretty soon! :) Yay!

My friend, Ernie, made a comment about my photo on Facebook recently that said, I should ask the question, "Does this belly make my butt look small?" (and boobs I might add, DANG!) I thought that was pretty funny though, because in all actuality, this huge tummy does make my rear look quite a bit smaller!

So, here are a few pics that David snapped of me, then Ayla snapped a few of David and I, and then David snapped one of me and the kids. (Brax was with his dad for Father's day weekend)

This last picture is just proof that I can still button up my pre-pregnancy jeans at almost 39 weeks. I'm pretty proud of myself! There are two pairs of pants that I am still able to do this with. This either means:

a- All my weight gain was right in my tummy

b- I was fatter to begin with than I though

c- They must be made from super stretchy material

d- Now that I'm one week away from having a baby - why go buy maternity pants?

In all honesty, they are pretty tight. I'm not gonna lie. It feels a little bit like I've just eaten Thanksgiving Dinner and need to unbutton and unzip my pants. However, I didn't buy one pair of new jeans for this pregnancy. I have 3 stretchy pair that I had when I was pregnant with Braxton that I've started wearing the last two months. And then my two pairs of jeans from before I found out I was pregnant. So, needless to say, I'm pretty proud of myself.

As of my last appointment with my midwife, I had gained 28 lbs - so, I didn't make my 25 lbs and under goal. Ahhhh darn! Maybe next time!

I need ideas for F.H.E.

2009-06-18T08:44:00.000-07:00

I need help! We are making T-shirts for our family to wear once the baby is born (as a FHE activity). And, I'm a bit perplexed on what the baby's onesie should say. So, here are some of my ideas:

* I only cry when ugly people hold me
* Don't touch me! (My mom is paranoid!)
* I ripped my mommy a new one (I laugh everytime I hear that!)
* Sorry ladies, my daddy is taken!
* Boob Man
* Fat babies are harder to kidnap
* iPOO
* This end up ^
* TOTALLY available for playdates

I'm also wondering what David and my shirt should say. I found one for me that had "MOM" in the "Superman" logo. And then it said, "I make milk. What's your superpower?" I thought that was kinda funny.

So if any of you have any good ideas ... let me know.

STUPID, FALSE contractions!

2009-06-17T09:08:00.000-07:00

As you probably have guessed. I am still pregnant. Very much so! Believe me, it will be something to blog about when I go into labor. I will probably personally call everyone in the phone book just to let them know.

Okay. Maybe not.

Let's see, in the last week, I've had some good, false contractions. The other night, it was going on about 3 hours and then -- they just fizzled out. Um, hello? What is up with that? As Stephanie on Full House would say: "How RUDE!"

The last few days I have also started to feel kinda funny. Thought it was pregnancy related. But then last night I realized, I'm getting sick again. Another sinus/strep throat thing going on. I'm not excited to possibly be sicker than a DOG and have to give birth. Naturally.

SO... for FHE I wanted to make shirts for everyone in our family announcing the birth of our little one.

Well, Braxton left for 2 weeks with his dad last Sunday - so I helped him make his before everyone else's. Just in case I had the baby while he was gone.

I looked online at big brother t-shirt stores and he decided he liked the one that said, "Bodyguard for my new baby brother" He asked me though, "What does bodyguard mean, Mom?" I said, "well, if you're a bodyguard, that means you protect someone or something." "Oh." Then after about a 30 second silence he said, "... LIKE BUMBLEBEE???" (transformers) I said, "Exactly like Bumblebee." "Yeah, I want to make that one!" So, that's how that decision was made. If only decisions were that easy for me these days.

Last week I had to go meet Braxton's Dad for his visit with Brax. I stopped by my sister, Deb's house, and she took a couple pics of me. Also, Brax got to ride with Trav in his awesome car! Pretty sweet!

(37 weeks and 2 days)

Also, last Saturday, I got to go to my friend, Bridget's, baby shower! It was so much fun and the food was REALLY good, too :) She is exactly 2 weeks behind me in her pregnancy. Her sisters have a history of going early - so if she gets her baby before I get mine, I will be super pissed! Sorry Bridge! Super happy for her - super sorry for me!

Not motivated to do ANYTHING

2009-06-10T07:30:00.000-07:00

So ...

I'm way behind on blogging again. I hate to admit it - but my energy level is non-existent right now! It is so hard for me to make myself do anything. Seriously. All I want to do is be super lazy and watch TLC's, A BABY STORY, all day long. Yeah, I'm that UNcool.

David is leaving for California Thursday night. He'll be back Sunday. His brother, Isaac is getting married!!! I can't go :( I'm too pregnant to fly - and if I started labor somewhere between here and there, I would NOT be a happy camper. No-siree-bob! I'm gonna miss him and just PRAY that the baby doesn't come while he is gone.

My morning sickness has been back since about 31 weeks. It's progressively getting worse by the day! I did this with Braxton, too. I don't know what it is - but smells, the way things look, and textures are all starting to make me up-chuck again. YUCK! I complain about this ALL the time - but if I had to choose, I would much rather be throwing up with a teeny little kidney bean in my tummy than a FULL size baby in my tummy. It hurts SO much when my muscles contract and shoot the baby up into my abdomen. OW. IE!

So, that is pretty much what is going on with me.

Let's see .... Ayla is out of school now. She is one happy teenager. While she is is SO excited it's summertime ... the boys are gearing up to start school this year. So, they only have about 3 months left of playing together - which is kind of sad. They've had a lot of fun this past year getting to know each other and becoming pretty much best friends. However, I will admit - it will be so NICE to have a few hours alone to myself and the new baby while Braxton is in Kindergarten :) YAY!

Well, a while back (May 30th) David, Brax, Travis and I went to a BEE'S game. Ben was with his mom and Ayla was at Lagoon with her friends. But we had a great time! Braxton got to get a picture with the Grizz and Bumble :) Bumble also signed his shirt!

Trav also caught a moth on his hand ...

And, last but not least - this is a pic of me at 36 weeks and 1 day. Of course, today, I'm now 37 weeks and 1 day, so I need to get another pic of this week.

A week in review, part 2

2009-05-26T10:40:00.000-07:00

Okay. So.... here is the second week that I totally didn't blog about. Thanks for being patient with me and my laziness. I will "try" to do better. Because it sucks getting this far behind!

Tuesday, May 19th, 2009:

We took the boys to the indoor pool. It was fun. I actually felt like getting in. Braxton usually LOVES the slide, but was being hesitant this time for some reason. After he saw Ben go down (by himself, too!) he decided to give it a shot.

After that, all they wanted to do was the slide!

(Sorry, this pic is yellow - we forgot to use the flash. And the other pics didn't turn out as good as this one. So, there ya go!)

Wednesday, May 20th, 2009:

Had the R.S. call today and ask me if they could come over around 7:30. I said sure. Decided I should "get ready" for the day - afterall it was almost 6 o'clock! That's how my days have been going lately!

Had David take a few pics of the belly :) In these pics I'm 34 weeks and 2 days.

Saturday, May 23rd, 2009:

David found out that there was an Native American dedication going on today at This is the Place, Heritage Park today.

We decided to take the boys and go.

Here is Braxton and I on the train ride up to the new Indian Village at the park. Braxton was being teased by two older Indians we were sitting by. Braxton yelled out, "It says 'watch head' right there." (There was a sign on the inside of the train) so one of the Indians said, "I have to watch your head the whole way up there?" Braxton started laughing and said, "yeah!" Then they just kept teasing and playing with him. It was fun!

David and Ben on the train! We kind of got separated on the way up. It was such a beautiful day!

This is part of their dance. Braxton loved it! He loved the Indians dancing AND the drummers.

Look who we saw! Elder M. Russell Ballard :)

He spoke for just a few minutes. He's so cute. David said, maybe after we could hang around and shake his hand. Yipee! I've never shaken an Apostles hand before. Even though I'm related to one!

But we got even luckier. We were able to get a picture with him, too. The Indian standing next to me wanted one as well, and we figured since we were there for the Indian Village, we should have him in the picture too.

The boys wanted to ride the mini-train. I got "stuck" riding with them because David wanted to take pics! Um, yes, there were other moms on the train. However, they were all with babies. I felt so silly!

We then went and looked at some of the Indian buildings. This is a sweat-lodge. This is where young men around 12 years of age learn to become medicine men. They go in this lodge and build a fire near the entrance. It gets really hot and they stay in there for hours! From what I understand it has something also to do with getting in touch with Mother Earth and when they exit out, it kind of represents a "rebirth".

This "hogan" is a building representing the mother's womb. The top of the building is in a circle like ... my belly! There are 9 posts representing the 9 months of pregnancy. When you enter into the hogan, you are to walk in a clockwise position. The men stay on 1/2 of the hogan and the women on the other. But, you still have to be on their side entering or exiting the home.

There is a home also representing the males as well. It has a pointy roof. I will let your imagination wander and figure that one out for yourself :)

They did say though, that when a couple gets married. The man brings his saddle in and they get married by his saddle. The mother-in-law (Bride's mom) is covered by a blanket and doesn't see the ceremony. She and the groom are to never speak .... again! However, if the husband were to ever return home and the saddle is outside of the door - that basically means, "I'm through, we're done ... here is your saddle!" And that is ALL he gets. She keeps everything else inside their home because it is a matriarchal society.

*****

After Heritage Park, we went back home and got Ayla (she'd had a sleep-over the night before) and we headed down to Orem for a picnic. It was fun!

David and the boys down by the river.

We took a frisbee and soccer ball. I of course had to play some SOCCER! I started sprinting as fast as I possibly could trying to outrun David! I think I must have looked pretty dang funny out there with my belly. But, it was so much fun!!! Surprisingly it wasn't too hard to run, either. Pretty good, I'd say for 8 1/2 months pregnant!

I told him we had to get a pic of him with the ball under his shirt. I know he's not looking at the camera, but, the others were blurry -- so....

I know I say this all the time ... but I really am in love with this guy! He is so much fun to be married to!

Packing things up getting ready to head back home.

THE END!

A week in review, part 1

2009-05-26T06:00:00.000-07:00

Monday, May 11th:

Today was not a fun day! Late last night Ayla started feeling really sick. Well, to be honest, she's been feeling sick for a while. But, it finally came to a head.

She's had a temperature and been feeling like she's going to throw up. Along with not being able to swallow because her throat is so sore.

I've been feeling kind of the same way for a while and hope that I don't get it. Other than being pregnancy sick, I've been so healthy this time around. Which was not the case when I was pregnant with Braxton.

Here is poor Ayla just hanging out watching a show today.... :(

I know that when I'm sick, I just want to be left alone! So, I tried my best to keep the boys away and quiet. That of course meant we needed to spend some time outside - which they loved, playing in the sprinkler :)

Tuesday, May 12th:

Tonight Ayla went with Aunt Karen (David's Aunt) to a concert. Celtic Woman. Has anyone every heard of them? I have. I see them on their PBS specials. I think it's beautiful music.

Ayla asked me, "Am I going to like it?" I was like ... "You either will LOVE it. Or you will HATE it!"

By the time she got home, I was in bed trying to rest. I Can feel myself getting more sick each day. My sinuses are really starting to ache -- however, I could hear from the bedroom window that she had an awesome time. I'm glad she enjoyed it.

Wednesday, May 13th:

A LONG time ago I had bought some tootsie roll containers. Ya know, the kind that you can turn into a bank once all the candy is gone.

I had the best of intentions to come up with a FHE lesson on Tithing and then turn the containers into their tithing jars.

However, in this house, candy is frequently found and devoured by little monsters that must live in the closets, because no one ever seems to know how the candy came up missing. Very STRANGE. So, I hid the tootsie roll jars. And I hid them good!

But, lucky for me. Ayla found them and brought it to my attention that she may need some tootsie rolls.

So, we had a FHE lesson on tithing (thanks to my dear Hubby who gave the lesson) and then we decorated the containers. It was really quite fun! But, since I felt sick, I totally forgot to take pictures :(

I love doing projects like that together as a family though. It was so much fun!

I made a tithing container for Braxton's best friend in Ohio, Dallin. I had made a little poem that went with it. So, I put that on Brax's container too. It says:

My parents always taught me

My money would be well spent

If, before I bought anything with it,

I first paid God's ten percent!

*****

Saturday, May 16th:

David has been going to school on Saturday mornings ever since January. Today was the first Saturday that he didn't have school in ... 5 months and we wanted to get out because it was SUCH beautiful weather.

However, I being the party pooper, who still isn't feeling well, just didn't feel like getting out and doing much :(

So, last week sometime, I had boughten this slip 'n' slide for the boys. It was like $5 at Walmart. How can you go wrong?

We decided to pull it out and let Brax give it a test run. He was SO excited.

However, when he tried to make it down the first time, I think he became too anxious. He tried to slide a bit too early and ended up eating the grass. It was so cute. After that, though, he was a pro!

THEN, a bit later, my sister, Deb and her husband, Travis, came down. They had been borrowing my old washer and dryer. (When Deb and I had an apartment together we were using them and David and I didn't have room for them until we moved here. Where I have TWO, yes TWO, places in this house for a washer and dryer. :) I know, I'm so spoiled. I no longer have to hike up and down stairs to wash and put away clothes. A set upstairs. A set downstairs. Don't you hate me?

ANYWAY -- we decided to take some tummy snapshots because we are both pregnant. I never thought I'd be prego with her because we 13 years apart - but here we are. I'm just under 34 weeks and she is 15 weeks in this pic. So glad, I only have a few more weeks to go!!!

(I hadn't even gotten ready. Not even a shower -- so, I apologize for the way I look)

Sunday, May 17th:

I had been feeling pretty crummy ALL week - but Sunday I woke up and felt HORRIBLE. I tried to get ready for church, but while in the shower, began throwing up. David was like, "um, HELLO! You aren't going!"

I usually try to keep outdoor activities down to a minimum on Sunday - but it was SUCH a beautiful day and the kids (especially Brax) looked so bored. So, we pulled out the slip 'n' slide for Brax. And, Ayla, the sweetheart that she is - decided to play with him, too. I think they ended up having quite a bit of fun!

Then, Ayla and Brax decided they would wash the car. Um, Ayla did most of the washing while Braxton ran around with a towel on his head. Very helpful!

The BEST Mother's Day yet!!!

2009-05-11T11:45:00.001-07:00

{***WARNING***}: MAJOR PICTURE OVERLOAD! THERE IS A LOT! I swear, I cut out a TON, but there were just so many.

I had the most amazing MOTHER'S day ever! Seriously, the best one to date by FAR.

I mentioned in my earlier post that I was super grumpy and mean on the way home from St. George. Yet, David still treated me like a QUEEN on Sunday. I'm not sure if I even deserved it or not -- but, he is wonderful. I feel SO spoiled. Really, I do.

The day started off with his alarm going off around 7:15am. The first words out of his mouth were, "Happy Mother's Day, Beautiful!" Then he said, "It may not be a surprise but I want to make you breakfast."

WHAT THE? I've never had breakfast in bed, EVER. Um, what did he mean, "it may not be a surprise." I definitely wasn't expecting it. But, the sweetest thing was ... he had gotten a phone call on the way back home Saturday afternoon asking him if he'd substitute teach for Elder's Quorum the next day. So ... he always fasts for his lessons. HE COULDN'T EVEN EAT ANY OF THIS WONDERFUL BREAKFAST :(

Bringing me my breakfast ...

He got me Mt. Dew to drink! He hates this stuff with a passion - but goes to show how much he must LOVE me :) I even mentioned to him once how I love the "old" label. So he made sure to get me one of those, too. Awwwwwww. {You can stop being jealous now ... hehe}

*****

David also got me flowers :) When in doubt, buy flowers ... it works! (I had just woken up from a nap ... thus I look like I do.)

Church was wonderful! I got to see Braxton sing for the first time. I know. You are saying "first time?" Me, too!

Well, last year, his dad didn't let me have him until noon! Our church was at 10, so I missed it.

The year before that, he was sick -- and the year before that, he was too young. Crazy!

So, he went up there and I started bawling. He would wave and so I signed, "I LOVE YOU" to him. He got the BIGGEST smile on his face :) It was so sweet. It probably doesn't that I'm pregnant. My EMOTIONS are getting the best of me (and everyone else around me!)

*****

My Mother's Day presents. A flower from church, a card made by Braxton for me (at his dad's), a card from Ayla, and a "hand" flower and sheet about everything Braxton loves about me from his sunday school class:

*****

I really wanted to get some pictures of us. This was our attempt at getting everyone in the picture. Poor David had to be the one running from the camera to us to get in the picture ... I'd say they turned out pretty good!

THE FAM:

*****

Me and the kids:

*****

Me and my Prince Charming:

{whoa! that belly is getting in the way!}

*****

We decidedto drive down to Provo to visit David's parents grave. It was such a beautiful day, we decided to have a picnic, too. Since it was kind of a last minute idea, I asked David if he would be sad if I took the flowers he gave me to place on their grave. He seemed to like the idea ...

(Um, Braxton took this next pic, and he was having a hard time pushing the "take" button, so I'd kind of given up hope that he'd take a picture. Thats of course, when the camera "clicked." And yes, if you look close enough, my pants are unzipped. It's what we pregnant women do .... well, atleast me!)

*****

Then we headed to the Provo river to feed some ducks.

*****

Of course, we had to stop and play at the playground, too!

*****

Just swinging.

But, really. What's a swing without an .......

~UNDERDOG!~

Swingin' some more.

Poor kid, I look like I'm squeezin' him to death. Sorry, Bud!

It was tough sitting on this seat with my ever-expanding hips!

So adorable!

I tried to copy - but just ended up looking super huge AND squishing my poor hubby! Again, SORRY!

*****

After we got home, Ayla and Braxton made chocolate chip cookies. They seriously are the best at making them. They never turn out for me ...

So while they were baking, we found time to:

1) Dance on the ceiling

2)Play Transformers!

(In case you are wondering what David is doing in this next pic, let me explain. He is shooting Brax with his laser eyes!)

I don't think there is a winner when they both end up on the ground like this:

*****

TA~DA! The cookies!

I really had the best day, EVER! I couldn't imagine how it could have been any better. I LOVE MY FAMILY SO MUCH. Thank you for being you!

St. George, Day 1

2009-05-11T07:28:00.000-07:00

So, David and I got up early on Thursday and finished packing for our little mini-vaycay. We had a pre-natal appointment at 9am.

Things are going really well with the baby :) Last time I went in, I had gained a total of 17 lbs. This time, I had gained a pound and a half more ... so, a total of almost 19 lbs. Not too shabby compared to Braxton. I still might make my goal of only gaining 25 lbs or less. THAT would be awesome!

I can't believe it though -- We have one more appointment at her clinic on the 21st of May. Then two weeks after that (When I'm 36 weeks) she is making a home visit to bring all of the supplies that will be needed for the homebirth and to make sure everything is set up. THEN, one more week after that -- I CAN HAVE A BABY! :)

Baby Burleigh should be here in 4-7 weeks! CRAZY!!!

*****

I have to tell you - right before we headed out of town, we stopped in at a grocery store to get some ice for the cooler.

As we were checking out, the cashier (who had a pretty thick spanish accent) asked if we would like to donate a dollar to the National Heart Society. David paused for a minute and said, "Oh yes, we LOVE the National Heart Society." I guess his reaction took her off guard because she busted out laughing and said ... "Oh I love you. You are so funny to me." Then she laughed for about 30 seconds more and tried to compose herself. She handed me the paper to write his name on and busted out in laughter again and said, "You make me laugh so hard, I love you, I love you, I love you." About this time David started turning red. It was hilarious.

We grabbed the receipt and started walking out and I could hear her talking to the next person in line about how much she loved him. LOL. When we got out to the car I said, "I have to blog about this..."

*****

We then drove down to St. George. It only took us 3 hours and 48 minutes to get down there -- Not bad, if I do say so.

We checked in our hotel around 4 pm and had a few hours to relax before the show started at 8.

I have never been to Tuacahn before. Actually, I found out about it from my parents -- It is beautiful. The drive out there is absolutely gorgeous -- the stage itself is gorgeous too.

Anyway, the show started and it was wonderful. Brian had an opening act, Kermet Apio, and he was just as funny as Brian. He was up there for about 20 minutes and then Brian came out for about an hour and a half.

I have to tell you, part of the reason I love Brian, is because he stays away from the crude jokes. Sure, I hear a "hell or a damn" come out of his mouth once in a while - but to me, that's nothing compared to what most comedians are talking about these days.

However, THE WHOLE NIGHT, not one single swear word uttered by either comedian. IT WAS FABULOUS! I am so glad we went ... it was wonderful :)

David and I before the show

I want all of you to know, how much I am in LOVE with this man!!!

*****

This is the beautiful stage setup as the sun was setting

...and this is the stage after dark. It was so pretty.

*****

The opening act, Kermet Apio. (You should check him out on youtube, too!)

*****

The man of the hour, Mr. Brian Regan

Most of his material was stuff I hadn't heard before - but he did do about 3 or 4 jokes that I had previously heard. This was one of them ... "Nonsense Judges". I had to take a picture of his face on the big screen, because I knew what was coming. It's one of my favorite jokes.

Finishing up the "nonsense judge" joke. LOL. He looks ret arded ...

St. George, Day 2, Zion's Nat'l Park

2009-05-11T07:11:00.000-07:00

Friday after our continental breakfast we got up and headed to Zion's. There were some awesome people at the hotel that gave us their receipt for Zion's and it was good for two more days -- so we didn't have to pay! BONUS!

It was so much fun - I've never been to any of the Nat'l Parks in Utah. I know, I'm lame. Here are quite a few pics of the happenings going on that day.

A couple of really pretty pics of the view:

*****

David and I got out and planned on hiking just a short way. This was where we stopped ... then we saw another hill we wanted to try and hike up to ... didn't look too terribly far.

To the left of me, there are trees/shrubs ... notice the blacktop road to the left of that:

Now see if you can notice the blacktop road! It's almost halfway down the left side of the pic. If you can't tell, I'm proud of myself for hiking that far while pregnant. It wasn't really rough terrain as you can see. But, it was smooth and steep in places ... thus, I took of my shoes because I had a better grip with my bare feet than my crappy crocs! (Forgot hiking shoes. DUMB!)

*****

Once we got to the top of the hill (where I did the Rambo stance) David decided to go back down a different way. We then ran into these little holes in the mountain that had water pools in it. It was cooler to see in person.

These pools had baby t adpoles...

AND froggies, too!

Here is Mr. Burleigh trying to sneak up on them. They all hopped away but one.

He hopped, too. But right onto David. It was awesome. He just sat there for a minute and then decided to jump in too.

*****

We continued a bit further when we noticed, we were almost down. But one problem ... a pretty sheer cliff. It was just SUPER steep and I had lost my balance a few times with my belly earlier. I didn't feel comfortable trying to make it down being THAT pregnant. So, I just followed my man and he got me down safely :) I was never worried. THEN, we ran into the KEWLEST slot canyon. I'm so glad we came down the other way or we would have TOTALLY missed it!

Donde esta David? ... (he's soakin' up the sun)

And just like that (3 hours later) we were done with our short hike :) Sure glad we didn't start out thinking we would do a long hike. We might just barely be getting back ... to the car!

*****

On our way back to St. George, we stopped in at a small store in Virgin, Utah, to get some homemade ice cream. They had these cute little buildings outside. I couldn't help but think about the boys and how cool they would think it was.

*****

I kept seeing these cute cactus flowers. I don't know why I love these, but I do. Whenever I see these flowers I think to myself, "No matter how rough your surroundings are -- you can choose to stand out." (ya know, something to that effect)

St. George, Day 3, Kolob Canyon

2009-05-11T06:28:00.000-07:00

We left Friday morning around 11am to head back home. We wanted to stop by Kolob Canyon, which is part of Zion's, on the way back as we passed through it.

I was so worn out from the hike the day before - so we just planned on doing the scenic tour, not any hiking. Although, once I got there, I was really bummed that we couldn't get out. I just think it would have been too much for this little lady. The one that hasn't done any sort of exericising during her ENTIRE pregnancy. Yeah. Don't want the baby here .... just yet.

So, here are just some pretty pictures. It was really gorgeous.

David and his friends used to rock climb places like this without any gear. I basically told him that if he did that now and didn't die from a fall - I would kill him myself if I found about it. I'm sweet that way.

Poor him. I started getting really grumpy by the end of the trip ... as my friend Tamn would say, "{frownsmile} ."

*****

Today is the day we've been waiting for ...

2009-05-07T07:04:00.000-07:00

David and I are off this morning for our 32 week checkup. YAY!

After that fun appointment - we are headed out the door for our longer trip to ... St. George! Yesssssss!

It has finally arrived, May 7th, that is. Tonight we are going to see Brian Regan live at Tuacahn. Then, we will spend some quality time alone for a few days :) We are so excited to take a (short) break from our daily routine and spend some much needed quality time together before our baby arrives :)

So check back in on Sunday or Monday ... we should have lots of pics and stories of our adventure.

Over and Out!

A few reasons to make me smile :)

2009-05-06T09:35:00.000-07:00

So, despite my eternal mood swings -- (it seems I'm always complaining, I know. I do apologize.)

I want all of you to know there are things that do make me happy, too.

I decided that it was high time I did a happy post! So here I go. Prepare yourself :)

*****

I know a lot of you are sick of hearing my "888" stories. But, I love them!

For those of you who have not been following, David and I were married 08/08/08. And we've had a lot of triple 8 experiences since then.

Well, when David and I found our townhome that we just moved into we fell in love with it immediately. It really was "perfect" for our needs! As we got in the car the night we went to look at it, we looked at each other and smiled. We both knew ... this was where we were supposed to move! As he backed up, I said aloud, "OMIGOSH! Look at the house number!"

Yep, there was the "888" again. :) Whenever I see this number on our house, I have to smile and think of David. LOVE IT!

*****

The other morning I woke up and started going around the house opening the blinds and curtains to get in the natural light. (I hate being in the dark ... or even fake lighting if I can help it. It seriously gets me depressed easy ...)

When I went back to the sliding door and slid the curtains aside, this is what I saw.

Now, tell me, that just wouldn't make your day...

*****

Around the middle of April I decided since our new yard actually has a garden area -- I would take a stab at gardening. Now understand, my Grandmother Whiting, was an EXCELLENT gardener. But, somehow, that did NOT get past down to my mother. (No offense, Ma!) In her defense though, she really didn't have time to garden!!!

So, since my mom didn't garden, I didn't garden. The only time I gardened was when I'd go visit my grandma, which wasn't all too often. And half the time -- when she'd send me out to pick the weeds, I would realize 15 minutes into it (when I'd talk to my sister Malinda) I wasn't picking JUST the weeds! OOOOPS!

I knew I would just shoot for something small this year. Heck, with a new marriage, new family, new baby ... why not throw in something else "new" as well.

Braxton and I went out there and planted a few seeds -- It was so much fun and Braxton had a blast helping me. However, I wasn't too hopeful.

WELL, Ayla came home from school last week and was outside. She came in and said, "Maria, did you know your garden is growing?" I looked at her and said, "It's probably just weeds." She was like, "well, if it is, they are all in a perfect row!" My eyes got big and I shot outta there to run out to my garden.

Turns out ... SHE WAS RIGHT! My garden is growing. And for all of you people with green thumbs out there -- don't laugh. I know it isn't what normal gardens look like, but I'm so happy. This means, I can grow stuff!!! Yay.

My row of lettuce ^

^ and this would be zuchinni

my favorite ^ garden fresh tomatoes!

^one of the rows of corn. Mmmmmmmm.

There are even Watermelon and Strawberries out there, too. But they are just barely breaking through the ground :) yay. I've always wanted to garden.

*****

However, I saved my BEST story for last! It probably is NOT surprising that it involves my little man, Mr. Braxton!

Yesterday I had to go down to Kaysville to drop Brax off to his daddy. Before it was time to do that, I met up with my mom and my sister, Deb. I wanted to run into the mall and get a present for my step-dad, Greg. You see, I will be out of town on his birthday.

So, we go to the mall AND Braxton tells me he wants to go play in the kids area at Deseret Book. I walk him back there and he asks me to stay with him. I said, "sweetie, I have to find a present for Grandpa -- but you can stay here and I'll be back." He said, "you promise you won't forget me?" I was like, "Brax, I could NEVER forget you!" He was like, "okay. Come check on me though, ok Mom?" I said, "ok."

I would guess that about 10 minutes passed and I decided I should go check on him. So, I did. He was at the chalkboard writing his name and his ABC's, too! It was so adorable. I had forgotten to grab my camera and so I snapped a photo with my phone. I asked him if he was ok and told him it would be just a few more minutes.

Well, finally it was time to go -- As my mom was at the cash register, Deb decided she wanted to buy a book. So I waited in line with her again. Mom and Brax started to head to "Pretzelmaker" because it takes a while for them to get there. (Braxton is never in a rush and it just takes my mom longer with her bad leg.)

K, this is where I will start to tear up!

As we were standing there checking out -- An older lady from the back came up to the counter and looked at my sister Deb and said, "was that your little boy back there?" (I like to pretend that she didn't ask me, because I look to young to have a 5 year old! Ha! ;)

Debbie turned and pointed to me, I smiled, and she said, "um, nope, that would have been her little boy..."

She came over closer to me and in the most genuine, sincere voice said, "That little boy, was the most polite, kind, considerate child I've seen!" she continued, "he was so sweet to the other little children, was sharing and helping them with their toys, would help pick up after them when they left, cleaned up after himself, tucked all the chairs back under the table ... and there was NO ONE telling him to do those things. You don't see that anymore."

I smiled and said, "Well, thank you. He is a good little boy and with Mother's Day coming up, hearing that just makes it even better!"

OH I LOVE HIM!!!!

Seriously, people! I know all parents feel this way about their children. But, you cannot beat that feeling!!! Knowing that your child is behaving well even when there is no one around telling him to do those things was THE BEST feeling in the world!

This pic was taken last weekend when he and I went on our Mommy/Son date! :) I'm so grateful to be HIS mom!

I am making myself feel better

2009-04-30T14:34:00.000-07:00

by posting a better pic of me at 31 weeks.

Really nothing much happening today. Except that I get to drop off Braxton to his dad which means I get to spend time with my Mom. yay!

Seriously, how do people ever get a skinny stomach again after being stretched like this?

Yep, I'm definitely pregnant

2009-04-29T09:09:00.001-07:00

31 weeks and 1 day

The only reason I post these is because I know from experience of having a baby and then waiting 6 years to have another one -- I didn't take nearly enough pics of my first pregnancy. I wish I had taken more throughout, so with this one, I've been bound and determined to do better :)

This was this morning as I was dropping off a key to David for work.

As you can see - my tummy is growing like a madman. Wow. I don't feel this BIG, honestly. I can't believe how quickly it has gone. We are so excited for his arrival!

Um, whoops. My mistake!

2009-04-27T16:51:00.000-07:00

David has had a strong feeling from the beginning of my pregnancy that this little guy is going to come early. My fear has been that I'll be 43 weeks pregnant when he decides to make his arrival...

However, over the last few weeks, he (the baby) has been proving to me that he is a strong, active, anxious little guy and I've changed my mind a bit. Maybe he will come early.

Well, last week we sat down for dinner and right before we finished I felt a "gush...". Yeah, not good when you are only 30 weeks pregnant. I didn't say anything, I got up went to the restroom and did some investigating. Yep, it had gone clear through to my pants. Nice.

I came and told David, "um, I'm a little worried my water may have broke." His response, was, "well how much was it exactly?" I then turned around and showed him my proof that it was more than just a little bit.

He immediately tells me to get upstairs to our room and lay down while he calls my midwife.

I'll cut to the chase ... Um, turns out --

I JUST PEED MY PANTS! Who knew? Definitely, NOT me.

Please note, I have been potty-trained since 18 months and have had absolutely NO accidents... EVER! Well, apparently, 25 1/2 years later, I can no longer say that!!!

You would think I could tell that I had peed --- nope. Felt like something else to me. The real kicker is, I had just gone to the restroom too. But apparently, pregnant women don't always get out all that's in there because of the way the baby may be laying on your bladder.

I still have a hard time believing this happened -- BUT, it has to be right, because I never went into labor :)

Do me a favor, let's just keep this between you and me, K? Shhhhhhh. It happens. (and apparently, so does pee. haha)

Ayla's birthday ... (continued)

2009-04-27T07:08:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry --- I wrote this on the 18th, but didn't get around to actually posting it until 10 days after her birthday :) Pick me for "mother of the year" award!!!

*****

So Friday was a bit nuts! I got up and got breakfast ready -- straightened up the house somewhat for a few hours. Then I had to get Braxton and I ready because we were going to meet with Braxton's Guardian Ad Litem. (For those of you LUCKY enough to not have to deal with exes, that's an attorney for the child.) But, that is a WHOLE 'nother story......

I expected to be there for about an hour. Maybe two. Oh no, it was 4 1/2 hours long. By the time I got home it was 6'ish. I felt so bad because Ayla really didn't have much of a birthday on her birthday. We promised we were going to make it up for her the next day though.

*****

Ayla had a sleepover Friday night then her mom was coming Saturday to visit her in the afternoon for about 4 hours.

I got up at 6:30 ... and prepared some things, then I had to go to the store to get other things .... then I had to come home and make the cake.

I always invision and amazing cake. Then, I'm so bummed when they turn out ... just like any other cake. I think it was done one minute and about 5 minutes later, we had to start hacking into it. Danielle had to leave by 6:00 and we wanted her there for the cake and ice cream.

Anyway... it was a better birthday experience, for Ayla then her actual birthday, I think.

*****

Not really what I had envisioned, but .... atleast it turned out:

*****

Ayla and her cake:

*****

The tuckered out chef and the birthday girl. I seriously had flour in my hair:

*****

Dad and the Birthday Girl:

I love this pic. She acted embarassed, but I think she loved it. What do you think?:

*****

Ayla with her Mom:

Another kiss for the birthday girl:

*****

I plan on making all of the kids one of these signs with their names. BTW, these are her two fav colors:

*****

She had asked for a scrapbook for her so she could start keeping one of her and her friends:

*****

We then handed her a teeny bag and let Ben give it to her. We said it was from the boys. She didn't look to happy, but when she opened it up and saw it, she was ecstatic!:

*****

Don't think she was expecting her first digital camera:

I had also given her a makeup bag the morning of her birthday. She is now allowed to wear mascara and lip gloss.

I hope you had a good birthday, Ayla. We LOVE you!!!

Yours, Mine and Ours

Lunch with Braxton

Happy Birthday, Mom!

It's a Girl!

This and That

Wow, time flies. When you're having fun AND when you are sick!

Two years of marital bliss

Trying new things ...

someday ...

our computer is hospitalized ....

The Power of Positive Thinking

Family Pictures

Easter and Conference Burleigh style

once upon a time

no title needed

Dumbest Easter egg hunt EVER!

Stay tuned ...

Leave it to me to get hurt :)

2nd annual Brian Regan show!

Soccer Buddy's Baby Shower

Ben's 6th Birthday!

Malachi, 9 months

Brax and Chi

David's Birthday 02.12.10

Valentines Day at Braxton's school

Malachi's 9 month photos

clueless

Do you love free stuff?

Does this happen to you?

guess what?

* ~ MERRY CHRISTMAS ~*

my poor mom

Saturday date night

Funny Things that kids say

Christmas Pics and Family Fun Center

tired ...

Volleyball

my *new* nephew :)

4 month checkup

Halloween 2009

Halloween and Kindergarten

4 months and 2 days

Chi's diary

Grocery shopping can be fun

Thaifoon and Blueberries

Red Ribbon week

a reason to make me smile

A visit from Laera

it's a boy ... he's almost here!

Ladies Night, ghoul style!

2009 Family Pictures

Let's Party

...cute...

Braxton is 6

Peach Days 2009

Happy Grandparents Day!

MR. BRAXTON!!!

Benjamin and Braxton

Our little Malachi

Camping 2009 in Big Cottonwood Canyon

MORE TO COME!

LAGOON! (it's what fun is!)

Gardner Village

cookout

Anniversary

silliness!

Thanksgiving Point

hiking

No Excuse...

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

Making an unforgettable entrance.

Pioneer Weekend

A little late, nevertheless...

YOU'VE GOT TO BE FRICKIN' KIDDING ME!

Gosh darn it!

~ I like to pretend I'm a Photographer ~

2 week check-up

11 days old ...

Freedom Festival

One week old!

my new nephew :)