"Let it Snow"

Sunday morning we woke up to this...about a whole 2 inches of snow on the ground! Connor's first! Mac bundled him up and Connor had his first experience with real snow. I don't know if it was the snow pants making it hard for him to walk around or the mere experience of being cold and having all this "white stuff" around him, but Connor was definitely a little timid with the whole experience. We're looking forward for Mac's whole family to be together for this Christmas and to take Connor sledding in all this "white stuff." I don't know why I'm putting that in " " because Connor is not saying it, I just think I can read his mind. *wink* Well, I'd love to write more but my little boy is seeking my attention to say the least!*

Pilgrim Hats and way too much food!!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We started ours off with making these cute Pilgrim hats. It was actually quite funny because Mac came home from work on Wednesday to a frustrated wife because I couldn't get them to look quite right. Mr. Domestic came to my rescue once again and made them look perfect. I know it's a little late now, but in case you want to make them next year...all you need are mini Reese's Peanut Butter cups, ginger snap cookies, and the icing.

We had such a fun and relaxing Thanksgiving this year! We left Thursday morning to Talmage to stay with Mac's parents for the weekend. Everyone made it except for his brother Darrin and sister-in-law Emily. : ( We can't wait to see them at Christmas! I think we all gained a few pounds because we just ate, played games (King, Queen, Peasant!), and watched movies. Oh except Dian and I did a little scrapbooking and made some cute cards! We were sad to have to leave, but we're already looking forward to Christmas!

GO BYU!

This past weekend we made a visit to good 'ol Provo! We hadn't been back to Provo since we were first married, about 2 1/2 years ago. It was a great sunshiny day where we enjoyed watching the Cougars beat San Diego State and even got in a little Christmas shopping. Connor is not one of the sit in your laps for very long kind of boys, so we were extremely pleased when he happily sat on our laps throughout the entire game! Of course we let him stretch his legs over half time.

Dragons and Scarecrows

To start off our Halloween festivities we made scarecrow sugar cookies for friends and neighbors this year. Sorry the picture is a little blurry, but you get the idea. The night before Halloween the elementary school around the corner had a big Halloween carnival for the kids, so we had to take advantage of dressing Connor up in his costume...he's so cute! Connor's favorite part of the night was sliding down the huge blow-up slide (Mac and I took turns going down with him and yes we were the only adults! What cool parents our little boy has!) wink*

Connor did so good with his costume, no tugging or whining, he was a pro!

Jensen Annual Pumpkin Patch Festival

Some friends invited us along with them Friday night to see the 17th Annual Jensen Pumpkin Patch festival! There were pumpkins everywhere carved and decorated to themes and you vote on your favorites. With hot chocolate in hand we were off to see our favorites and trust me there were some very creative displays. Here is a picture of the kids' favorite display of an Easter egg theme.

Denver, CO

Last week Mac had a conference in Denver he had to go to and we decided it would be fun to take the whole family. It was a 5 1/2 hour drive and Connor did exceptionally well. A friend let us borrow their DVD player which saved us about the last 45 mins of the trip each way. To add to my excitement of our little vacation we were staying at the Ritz Carlton! After much anticipation and excitement for such luxury, I have to stay I was very disappointed. They should have a sign on their doors saying Families Not Welcome. Don't get me wrong it's great if you do not have any kids with you, but if you do let me warn you about a few things...no microwaves, the refrigerators are filled with liquor, no kids allowed in gym or pool facilities!! The first night we got there I had a Gerber meal you heat in the microwave for Connor and I had to call room service and have them come pick up his little gourmet meal and take it down to their industrial sized microwaves for a 30 sec sauna and then back up to my room. I was so irritated that it's not all the extra work it took them to make Connor's meal happen, but the fact that when they do that sort of thing you also have to tip them. Let's just say we made other arrangements for Connor's meals after that.

Some very fun highlights we had were visiting the Denver Aquarium, seeing the Denver Nuggets play the Utah Jazz, and strolling around downtown Denver everyday with Connor! Here are a few pics...

Bye Grandma!!

I just love when family comes to town because it means you get out and go see things you don't normally. This is over-looking the dam at Flaming Gorge.

This is right at the loading dock at the Green River's edge...Connor wasn't feeling well, but he loved the water!

We already miss you Mom (Grandma)!! Have fun with Sheila and Jim and the boys for the remainder of your trip!

WELCOME!

For those of you who are just dying to visit Vernal, Utah...please come visit and stay with us! We have lived here now for 4 months and I am just now getting pictures up of the inside of our home. My mom came to visit us this past week and helped me finish the decorating process--Thanks Mom! So here it is...we have a living room right as you come through the front door with the fire place in the corner (I can't wait to use it this winter!), and then the dining room and kitchen, and we have a family room right off the main dining area. It has 3 bedrooms and 2 bath, it has been just the perfect size for our little family and we'll definitely be able to grow into it! You'll have to wait a little while before we post pictures of the rooms (still have some work to do!) So, if you're ever driving through Dino Town please come say HI!!!!

Caramel apples, cookies, and more....

Last Thursday evening I hosted a Cabi Party for a friend here. Cabi is a clothing line that stands for Carol Anderson by invitation. We had such a good time trying on all the clothes and having our very own fashion show! My main contribution was the food, which I was told to keep simple. I get really excited to have people over and my husband seconds that, so I tend to do more than necessary. I think the hit of the party though was the caramel apples dipped in nuts, m&ms, and skor bars! Yum! It was a fun night for the girls!

It's never too late...

So, back when I was young my mom made me take piano lessons. By the time I got into Jr. High my mom said I could decide on whether or not to take lessons. She was tired of fighting me. Of course I quit at my first chance and I've always remembered what my mom said, "You're going to regret it." So this is one of those times where my mom can say, "I told you so!" Yes, I do regret it! I'm now 26 years old and taking lessons again because I want to play the piano well. This is my 2nd week at it and I love it! It makes such a difference when it's your decision to do something. I love to practice and wish sometimes I could practice more. I'm one of only two adults taking lessons from my teacher, but I don't care....I'm loving it! I just had to make it known I would not be appearing in her recitals. It's nice to know though that just because we're getting older it doesn't mean we can't pick up new hobbies anymore.

A little late....

Well, it's already been almost a month now since Connor's birthday, but I've been meaning to post his first steps for all his proud aunts and uncles out there! You'll see he's pretty wobbly, but he's gotten this walking thing down now. He's a pro! I'll have to get some new video of him soon!

"Firsts"

This past weekend included a lot of "firsts"(is that even a word?) for Connor. On Friday August 22, 2008 we celebrated Connor's real 1st Birthday camping! We were at the Burton family reunion and had a great time camping with Connor for the first time. We were a little spoiled though since we didn't have to sleep in a tent. Grandma and Grandpa Burton gave us the bed in the camper which made things so much nicer with our little guy. We had a herd of sheep around the campground and Connor loved listening to all the "Baaas!" On Saturday Aunt Cheryl helped us give Connor his first haircut, which went much smoother than I expected. It looks great, but definitely made him grow up a bit looking more and more like a little boy and less like my little baby. When we got home Saturday evening Connor decided to walk all by himself all around the house. He'd started taking his first steps about 2 weeks ago, but now he's walking with much more confidence and for longer periods of time. His world is certainly starting to change!

1st Birthday...in Alaska!

So, we cheated just a little bit. Connor had a Birthday Party a week early, so my parents could be a part of his special day. Connor loved it! You can see the cake I made him wasn't all that small and instead making a mess more than eating the cake....Connor ate most of it! My mom and her friend, Marine, and I went out to see Mamma Mia afterwards and gave my dad (Grandpa) the task of feeding Connor a bottle, play for a few minutes, and then put him down for bed. Easy right? Well, when we got home from our movie (9:45pm) Connor and Grandpa were still up having a good time. We failed to account for the sugar-high that left Connor with way too much energy to go to bed at his normal time (8:30pm). Thanks dad for being such a trooper and a great Grandpa!

Alaska

After a much anticipated trip to my hometown, Anchorage Alaska, we are finally back home. We had such a wonderful time spending time with family, friends, and the great outdoors! The first week we were there we enjoyed beautiful sunny days and celebrated by taking a little hike up Flat Top, biking the coastal trail (25 miles!), and overlooking the most gorgeous scenery in the entire world at Beluga Point. On top of all our outings we also celebrated my best friend, Hannah's, wedding on 8/8/08. I was her matron of honor and truly was honored to be at her side on such a momentous day for her and her hubby Jonathan.
Unfortunately, Mac had to leave early and get back to work, but Connor and I enjoyed another week with my parents. They were such wonderful hosts to us and we had a hard time leaving. Now, we're back doing the everyday enjoyable things we do as a family! Still getting used to living in Vernal, Utah.

Altamont Longhorn Days!

Every year Altamont (Where Mac is from) puts on a parade and other fun festivities celebrating Pioneer Day! This year we hit the tail end of it all. We started off early Saturday morning running in a 5k race. We even convinced Coy, Mac's youngest brother, to run with us. After our run we hurried home to get Connor and the grandparents to head off to the parade! Connor loved all the people watching, but he did get a little jumpy when the fire trucks hooted their horns. I think his favorite part was being carried in Grandma's arms though because they seemed to always be in the line of fire of candy being thrown at them from the floats! After a very hot couple of hours in the sun we headed home for a nap and then had a delicious picnic, courtesy of Grandma. We ended our day with picking fresh veggies from Uncle Lynn and Aunt Cheryl's flourishing garden to bring home with us! Thank you so much! It's amazing the quality difference picking fresh veggies from the garden opposed to picking them up at the grocery store. We had a fun-filled weekend and are now getting ready for our big vacation to Alaska coming up this weekend! We can't wait to see G'ma and G'pa Burgan!!!

Xango Echo Triathlon

What a beautiful perfect day we had for our first Triathlon! After months and months of training--oh wait, more like 3 weeks of good hard training we finished our first triathlon. It started off very cold when we arrived around 5:45am. Once we got in the water it had warmed up and the water felt great especially having wetsuits. Mac started 5 mins before I did in his heat @ 7:40am and then I went at 7:45am. We both had a rough swim not used to the open/murky water, but got through it around 21 minutes. Mac had a great bike at 43 mins and I took my sweet ole time in transition-not having a clue at how much time I had wasted,which ended up being 7 minutes! My bike took about 50 mins which I attribute to the constant up-climb at the end. Mac and I both took our time on the run portion and did it around 29 mins. It was great though because we passed each other 3 times throughout the race and were able to cheer each other on.
Grandma Burton, Uncle Jared, and Connor were there cheering us on! It really meant a lot to us. So, overall Mac finished in 1 hour and 40mins while I was 1 hour and 50 mins. We were really happy with how everything went and hope to do more in the future!
P.S. For those who saw the picture of Mac in his wetsuit, he made me take it off the blog. He didn't think it was the most attractive picture of him. I told him wetsuits aren't the most flattering piece of clothing.

8 seconds

This past weekend we had the PRCA Rodeo in town! This was only my second rodeo and I loved it! I think Connor liked it so much because of all the music they played...he was a dancing/head bopping machine! It was really cute to watch him. Our little family even got some air time when they showed us up on the big screen. Mac and I both agreed it was our cute little Con-man who stole the show! The announcer man who tells all the jokes with the clown got a kick out of Mac feeding Connor a bottle while I was relaxing and made a spectacle out of it. I think we both got a little red, but it was a fun time!

Happy 4th of July!

For not having any plans for the 4th we sure partied hard! Mac's family came into town, so we got a picnic together and drove up Dry Fork Canyon to eat at a park and then found some hiking trails that took us up to see some petroglyphs (sp?). We were so full from lunch that is was good the hike wasn't too long because otherwise I don't think we would've made it. As you can see Connor was pooped out sitting in his car seat on our way home. After a nice lunch and hike we all crashed out on the floor watching The Italian Job and took a little nap. Mac and I took Coy to see the new rec center and go swimming! We're down to just 1 week til Mac and I do the Xango Echo Triathlon here!! We went to lap swim earlier today and I asked the lifeguard if we looked okay or had any advice and she said we're looking good, so I guess we're on our way! We're pretty excited...we'll let you know how it goes.

Our Picnic

This past weekend we went to stay with Mac's parents in Talmage. Mac and Colton got up early Saturday morning to go fly fishing at Moon Lake and the rest of us met up with them for lunch and had a wonderful picnic. It was the perfect day-not too hot, not too cold! Connor's getting lots of practice walking with Grandma! Oh on a side note Mac and Colton didn't exactly provide us with fresh fish for lunch, but they did catch 4 fish (supposedly) but said they threw them back in.

Finally....

We are finally back on-line!!! As of this morning the internet guys came and hooked us up! I will have no more excuses for not keeping everyone updated and I couldn't be more happy. These are pictures from our first little hiking trip as a family here in Vernal, Utah! Red Fleet State Park was beautiful and you can see by the scenic picuture why it's called Red Fleet...the mountains look like big ships (can you see it?).

We Like It!!!

I'm trying to do my best with keeping everyone updated this past month, since we've had a lot going on and have left so many of our friends in Texas. Mac has just finished his first 2 weeks of work and really likes it. He gets every other Friday off, so it'll make for some great long weekend trips! Yesterday we went out to Talmage to visit with the grandparents and Uncle Coy. Connor loves it out there! After dinner it was still nice out so, Mac and I went to pound fence posts in for Uncle Lynn and Grandma came out with Connor to help us out! I felt like such a farmer out in the country doing my part! I kept telling Mac, "Wow, I'm really helping you huh? Seriously, you're going way faster with my help!" Obviously I was looking for some validation. I think I was just surprised at how I could be that helpful and useful out working on the farm.

Every Saturday we've been going to the Vernal City Pool and we all love that as well. Mac and I are trying to get in swimming shape for a triathlon this summer. It's amazing how much better we've gotten in a short amount of time. By no means are we great swimmers though...we've just had lots of room for improvement!

So far, we've met very nice people here in our neighborhood and church. We're looking forward to getting to know everyone better, but it just takes time. We're really looking forward to our trip to Alaska especially Mac because for his Birthday this year I surprised him with a Halibut Charter! He's so excited and was pretty surprised since I usually get him clothes. I thought this year I ought to try to give him something he'd actually get excited about!

We made it!

Well, we're here in Vernal Utah! It's been about 2 weeks now since we left our home in Austin, Texas. So much has happened it's hard to fill you all in. We haven't gotten our internet hooked up yet, so we're making trips to our county library often to feel connected to the rest of the world!! So far so good though...we love our home (that's really our perk). We have nice neighbors, but haven't been here for church yet, so haven't met too many people so far. Connor is adjusting well, he had a hard weekend with me gone for a couple of days to see my friend Hannah in Chicago. Grandma and Grandpa Burton took good care of him though. Yesterday we took a short drive up the mountains to Red Fleet lake and hiked around...Connor was in heaven!! He was strapped to Mac the entire time and would not stop grinning and kicking his little feet. We're really going to have to take advantage of the great weather here this summer and take lots of hikes day trips with him. We took some great pictures too, but again don't have our internet so we'll post as soon as we are connected to you all. Mac starts work on Monday so we'll be sad for the vacation to end. I'm sure our neighbors are wondering if he even works since we're outside during the day most days working on our lawn and garden. We're doing good, but missing our friends and family back in Austin. Mac keeps reminding me the first month is the hardest, so I'm hoping it goes by quickly.

My Baby Boy...

I just can't believe it! Connor is a crawling maniac...can't put him down anymore and expect him to be there for even one minute. Since he first figured the crawling thing out he's been non-stop! Now yesterday he figured out how to stand up by himself in his crib. I went in to get him up from his morning nap and there he was the biggest grin ever looking mighty proud of his accomplishments. He can now stand up along the couches and his pack n play. We also have gotten more scratches and bruises already, with all his practicing we were bound to have some falls. No big ones though. I feel bad because Mac has been gone all week in Pittsburgh for his final academic obligations!!! Whohoo!!! He feels like he's missing out on so much, but I remind him Connor will still be doing all his new tricks when he gets home. It really is amazing to me though to see how much Connor is learning on a daily basis. We're teaching him sign language with the series "Signing Time with Rachel" and he loves it and is getting so close to signing--"All Done and More." I love being a mom!

It's Official...

We are officially first time home-buyers! After the most difficult and stressful process ever we finally have our first house! In case some of you didn't know we are moving in about 2 weeks to Vernal Utah. We are very excited to be living within an hour of Mac's parents. Connor will get to learn how to ride horses, camp, go 4-wheeling, and I'm sure take rides with daddy on the motorbike. I've never lived out in the country, so this will be a new experience for me. Mac seems to think I'll fall in love with it and not want to leave....we'll see. We have a Walmart about 5 minutes from our house and as far as any other shopping goes it will be from online. Of course we'll have the occassional trips to Salt Lake or Provo for shopping, but for the most part....Walmart. It'll be an adjustment from now where Target, Costco, the mall, and pretty much everything else is all less than 10 minutes from our home.

We've had such a good time here being so close with Darrin and Emily and having the best babysitters in the world for Connor! We're going to miss them as well as the countless friends we've made here. I've been in denial about the move until today since we bought our home. I know it'll be great though and we're excited to meet new people and grow as a family.

Moving always seems to give you the opportunity to become better and make new goals for yourself especially since you're starting over with new surroundings and people. So far my goals are to find a piano teacher and continue to learn the piano, entertain more in our home, and be more outgoing (still a little on the shy side with new people). I am also looking into being a volunteer volleyball coach at the local high school, which is one street over from us! Mac and I are also planning on doing our first triathlon together sometime before summer ends. We'll let you know how it all goes!

Fun in the Sun!

The last couple of days have been beautiful here in Austin Texas! We've enjoyed taking Connor to the park and to our ward campout at Granger Lake. Connor loves to be outside...he's loved it since day one and we're so glad since we love it too! We're already getting sad seeing that we're down to 4 weeks til we leave this great state and trying to fit in as much as possible. We're going to miss the amazingly warm winters we've experienced here especially since I was able to run all year long without worrying about it being too cold. This weekend has been 75 and warmer, which is perfect weather for us to get out as a family and enjoy it! I hope wherever you all are, it's getting warmer by the day for you!! Summer is almost here!

Ticket To Ride

For those of you who are in need of a great game to play with your family and friends....I highly recommend "Ticket To Ride." We got this game as a gift from my parents for Christmas and love it! I'm reminded again by how much fun it is because last night it was about 9:30pm and Mac and I were heading to bed, but not exactly tired. So, I suggested we play the game in bed just the two of us. We had never played a board game in bed for one, but also never played with just two players either. It's fun sometimes to mix things up, rather than reading in bed every night, why not play a board game??

April Happenings...

Well, here it is the middle of April already and Connor has gone for his first swim! He LOVED it!! We already knew he would since he practically swims laps in the bath tub every night. He wasn't the least bit afraid, which makes me a little worried for the future. Like father...like son!

We also celebrated my 26th birthday!! Mac tried to throw a surprise party for me, but unfortunate for him I caught him in the act. It was great though to have all our friends and their kids come and visit and have my favorite...ice-cream cake with us! We're going to miss you all when we leave. I can't believe we're down to only 5 weeks left!

Amidst all these fun things I'm so excited to announce Mac has finished writing his thesis!!!! Yaye! He's down to making small revisions from professors, but basically the hard part is finally over. He leaves town this weekend for a conference in Oklahoma where he will give a presentation and then he'll be down to just one more conference in May!!! You're almost there sweetie! We're getting excited to move on past grad school!

Here is also a cute side profile of our bug-a-boo!! Isn't his tush so cute!!! \"/

Happy Anniversary!!

Last night Mac and I celebrated our 2nd Anniversary by going out to dinner ALONE! Uncle Darrin and Auntie Em were so kind to watch Connor for us for the evening so we could get some alone time. We enjoyed a yummy and very filling dinner at PF Chang's thanks to my best friend, Hannah, and her fiance, Jonathan's gift card. Thank you so much you guys we loved it! Afterward Mac suggested we pick up a movie to take home since we had some time before picking Connor up. Perfect...dinner and a movie...right? Well, the problem was it was the Biggest Loser night! Last week it got bumped to 1 am because of a Spurs basketball game, so I just couldn't miss 2 in a row! Ahh...what a sweet husband I have because he was more than happy to cuddle up on the couch with me and watch one of my favorite shows! I love you honey and it's been the best two years of my life! Mua*

Hi Todd

Rule #1-Never Wake a Sleeping Baby

So, this is what we found last night as we went to check on Connor one last time. Of course it's so cute, but he looked so uncomfortable, so I repositioned him like any good mother would do. Uh no, not again. He screamed about 20 minutes after that...must have been a good dream (endless supply of milk or something). Next time we'll just leave him alone.

Connor's finally getting more hair! Emily and I had a little fun with it and gave him a mohawk the other day.

Our Family

We took our first family pictures! Connor did great besides the fact that in between shots he mostly cried and then of course spit up over everything when we were half-way finished. Surprisingly though the pictures turned out well and you'd never guess the hassle it was. Whew...I hope his 9 month pictures go a little smoother!

Updates...

The Burton household has been very busy this past month! We were able to make a couple of trips; one to Dallas/Fort Worth for the cowtown half marathon and then Mac left to Denver for a work conference for a few days. Grandpa Dean came for a quick visit over the weekend and Connor had a great time bonding with him! Mac is down to less than 2 months of school!!! He's a busy bee these days trying to get his thesis finished. Connor had his 6 month check-up and weighs in at 18lbs. He's at 95% for height and 55% for weight...wonder where he gets it from! As far as our down time these days Mac and I are searching for a home in Vernal and will hopefully have one picked out in the next couple of weeks! Connor caught his first cold this past week, we're pretty lucky he's made it this far with no sicknesses. He's doing much better and today he arm crawled for the first time! Time has definitely flown by here this winter.

Cowtown Half Marathon!!!

Well, I finally did it...I ran in the half marathon in Forth Worth Texas! I made a goal before Connor was born to run in the Austin half marathon in February, but since it sold out quickly my sister-in-law, Emily, and I registered for the one in Forth Worth! It was one weekend after the Austin marathon, which was nice to get one extra training week in....the only draw back was the higher elevation brought a little colder weather. We ran at 7:30am Saturday morning and the temperature didn't rise above 38 degrees til much later after our race. Luckily, Emily and I were able to run together the entire race! It helps so much to have each other for constant motivation. Mac, Darrin, and Connor were right there with us, well more like with us at the 7mi, 10mi, and finish line cheering us on! They were so great! We felt so good afterwards that we're pretty determined to do it again sometime. Oh and in case you're wondering our chip time was 2:09:46 That is a 9:54 min/mile. Our goal was to do 10 min miles, so we met our goal!!! Whoohoo....way to go Em!!!

pics to come!