Bus

I just took Henry out of the bath and put on his Cars sleepers. I showed him the shirt first, and said, "Look, Henry, it's a car!" He looked at it and said, "Dih bus." (I believe that to mean, "This is a bus.") Cute little fella. He is great.

Funny video of the year (beginning of January) (Updated)

We have watched this one over and over and over and laughed so hard! Poor Timmy. He doesn't really like it, but as we watch it he hears us laugh, and laughs along too. Let me know if it works or not!

Update: Here's a link to the video.  Hopefully this will work better!

PS  Just so you know what's going on, Timmy was picking up mud and making balls with it to throw.  He called them mud rocks.  Maybe you guys will think this video is horrible and be horrified that we laugh at it.  It's not that we condone the rock-throwing.  We made sure to tell Bubby several times afterwards that we don't throw rocks.  It's just funny.  If we don't laugh we cry, right?  How can you parent without laughing at your kids once it a while? ;)

Two things

Last school year Henry woke up while I was getting kiddos out the door several times. So he saw us wave bye as the kiddos got on the bus several times. So now whenever we go in the van he babbles about going on the bus. It's so cute!
Also, he babbles like Hyrum did when he was a baby. He has a few words he definitely says, but he also babbles on and on with words that aren't real words. So when he's telling us he wants to go in the bus he babbles a bunch of things with the word bus thrown in now and then. :)
Also, we've never been able to get the four younger kiddos in swimming lessons. They've been picking up bits and pieces here and there, though. We taught her to kick her legs. Hyrum taught her to tread water. And Jeremy gave her some lessons the other day. Then yesterday she was swimming like a pro! She went in the deep end for the first time and did great! She was able to jump off the side and swim to her Papa and then swim back. Then she even went off the diving board! She is so excited! She went off several times yesterday, and today she is determined to go off the high dive. Yea, Jill! Timmy still uses a floaty, but he went off the diving board last night too. Wahoo! :)
Well, maybe it's more than two things. I'm getting tired of Facebook. It sucks my life away.
Also, check out this cute boy today. He's coloring more thoroughly than I've ever seen him do, all over the front and back of my school shopping list.

More July Pictures

I'm not quite ready for summer to be winding down.  The children go back to school on August 9.  I think Jill will go to public school this year, but I think we need a little more time because we are going to try to get her in third grade like she wants.  I'm a little worried about Timmy going all day for kindergarten.  Keeping my fingers crossed and hoping that I feel more peaceful about all of this after school blessings!  I'm a little worried about Joshua too.  He really struggled last semester and didn't pass any of his classes.  It wasn't that he couldn't do that work.  It was well within his abilities.  He just didn't do it.  I think I need to help him come up with a schedule.  I've been praying about it.  He's going to redo English 101 this semester, and then he has graphic design, and that's it.  We'll see how it goes.  And I'll keep praying.  I'm not exactly sure how to help him, so...

One day I went in my bedroom for a little quiet time, and meanwhile, this guy took himself back to his bed and took a nap!  With blocks!

We got Timmy this backpack.  His little Mario one was getting all worn out.  I do worry that it's a little too busy for him.  He likes it, though, so...  He is worried about not using his little one, though.  But the bottom is getting so worn out you can see light through it.

Timmy made this fancy robot costume.  I think that's what it is.  He's upped his usage of paper in the last few weeks, and its' been fun seeing what he makes.  But it is kind of a mess.

He also drew this ninja.

And he cut a hole in the diaper box and asked me to take a picture.

We've had Aaron and Kenzie's kids over to play a couple of times this summer.  They say it's helpful because Aaron's working on another Master's degree so he can make more money teaching microbiology, and he's had lots of stuff coming due.  Also, I think we helped Kenzie get a nap one Saturday, so hooray for that!  I think we'll probably have them over once more.  The first time, I was a cool aunt because we made Kimberly's pretzels.  The second time, we went swimming, and then I made them all ramen.  Cuz I'm cool like that.  They were all so happy!  It took like 14 or 15 packages to feed all 14 of us, and they still wanted more!

Jeremy loves to pop zits.  I don't get it.  His children HATE it.

Isn't this horrible?  Ha ha!  Michael was playing with my phone at church, and I didn't realize he was taking any pictures until I found this later.  Yes, we did have a talk about we don't take pictures in the chapel!

Henry loves his stroller!  He hops in at random moments and is ready to go!

He also loves playing with the little kids' computer at the library.

One day as we were walking for Pokemon Go we came across this bat hanging from the letters on the tech building.  So cute!

After a while he gets tired of his stroller.

I installed Where's My Perry on my little tablet that I let the kiddos use, and these guys have really enjoyed it.  And that floatie that Timmy is wearing: Aaron gave that to him about a week and a half ago, but he hasn't been able to use it because we've had lightning every day since!  Yea for the rain we've had!  Boo for no going to the pool!

One Sunday Bubby said he wanted to go to the Temple, so two days later we went and walked around the Temple grounds for a belated Home Evening.  It was lovely.

Michael will not give me a smile for pictures anymore!

I asked him to smile nice and this is what I got.

So Joshua tried to help. XD

Timmy and Bubby decided to walk off together.  I thought it was so cute how Timmy has his arm around Bubby!  Too bad it came out fuzzy.

Henry decided to follow them, so Joshua grabbed him while I ran after the other two.

Hyrum's driving skills and confidence have improved a lot since I started making him drive us to meals.  I keep forgetting to lately, but this time he actually volunteered!  Also, Henry loves his Hyrum.  He goes to him like he's a parent sometimes.

Timmy made a fancy helmet.  He also had me take a picture of his shadow while he was wearing it.  But I bet you don't need to see it to imagine how it looks. Ha!

I've been going through clothes, trying to find a good pile of them to take to the clothing exchange that's happening this Saturday, and I found this in my top drawer.  I thought it was cute.  I forgot I had it.  :) It's been hiding out in a little jewelry box.

I don't remember if I mentioned it, but Joe and BreAnna were expecting baby boy #2, and the baby died.  He was stillborn at 5 months along.  He was born July 29.  This last Saturday, July 22, they had a funeral service for him at the cemetery.  They named him Cameron River Burk.  The service was really nice.  That casket was so little.  It was white and fuzzy and had embossed flowers on it.  It was quite pretty.  

I wondered what BreAnna's family must have thought of it.  Most of them are Catholic, so I'm sure it was a different kind of service for them.  And I'm sure they didn't know the songs.  But I hope they found some goodness in it.  Their bishop, an old family friend, was the only speaker.  He gave some good quotes from conference talks and things like that.  The thing that stood out to me is that he basically told them that their goal now needs to be to get to the Temple and be sealed.  Joe kind of nodded at that.  He told us when they were getting married that that's what they were planning on, but they hadn't been going to church or anything for pretty much their whole marriage.  I feel hopeful for them, though.

Aaron gave one of the most beautiful grave dedications I've ever heard.  It was so touching.

I do want to say here that I feel bad for the bad opinions I've had about Joe and BreAnna.  I didn't think their marriage would last even this long.  It's been impressive to watch them, though, as they have kept on.  Joe has a good job at one of the local mines.  BreAnna went back to school and got her high school diploma.  They love their babies, and they take good care of Jesse.  I think they're going to be OK.  They also bought a house a few months ago.  It's a nice little one with two or three bedrooms.  They have two dogs that just had some puppies about a week ago.  They are still just kids, but they're making the best of it, and I do think they'll come through this fine.

Katie came down from Utah with her new little Ephraim, who was born May 26.  He's such a cute little guy!  He's just starting to smile, too. :) It was fun to see Katie, even under these circumstances.

This was touching to me.  Jeremy, Joe, and Dad covered the grave themselves.

Grandpa stopped to pull a weed, and Jesse wondered what he was doing. :)

Silly peoples!

We had a little family lunch at the church in Globe afterwards.  I think that Jeremy's mom provided most of the food.  We brought some cookies and chips to go with it.

Benji and Teancum have both been growing like weeds!

Ryan and Evelynn

Bubby was sad, so we sat in the kitchen and took selfies.

And then he took the phone and took a bunch of pictures of the people around the church.

Grandma and Celeste

Aaron

I can't figure out what he's holding there.

You can't take a normal picture of Rob either.  He always makes a face.

Here's Rachel!  She just got engaged to some guy she met at BYU Idaho.  Also, she just graduated!  I think the fiance's name is Alex.  I know she's dated several people over the last few years, but I didn't know she was serious with anyone!  His family is from Colombia.  She says the wedding will probably be December 1 in Mesa.

Susie has been living with Anne and Rob in Gilbert and working at a salon.  She and Rachel were going to get a house together, but now they aren't since Rachel's getting married.

Jeremy, Anne and Gideon, Rob

These are still the photos that Bubby took.  Here are Joe and BreAnna with Jesse's legs.

Celeste

BreAnna

Joe

Hoe's this for skillz? Ha ha!  Katie and Kenzie with their babies.

Kenzie pretty much sat in this corner and fed one baby and the other the whole time.  I bet that's pretty much how her day goes!  

Aaron?!  Ha ha!

Here we were trying to have a serious discussion about a Burk campout.  I think we still don't have it figured out.  We were going to shoot for Labor Day, but we've got something going on.  So maybe October?

This is Anne's little Gideon.  He is such a smiley baby!

After the church we went to Grandma's house to get something from Dad and ended up staying for a few hours!  Henry and Jesse were asleep, so we put them on this bed.  They slept good!  Aaron and Kenzie came too.  It was a nice visit.

Joshua insisted that he was tired, but didn't want a nap.  XD

I got to hold Ephraim. :)

Michael had to hold him too. :)

Here's the funeral program.  BreAnna drew that picture of the elephant.  It's so sweet.  And those little hand and footprints are actual size.  (The paper was a computer paper folded in half.)  So tiny!

Timmy drew this on Benji's door.  No Benji allowed in his own room.  Ha ha!  Benji doesn't think it's funny at all. XD

Here's a silly little fact: Henry likes to eat off the floor. I don't understand it. He's not a scavenger like Bubby. He just likes to eat his food off the floor. If I give him a sandwich he'll break it in pieces on the kitchen floor and then eat the pieces. I need to figure out how to discourage this.

Also, Becca had a baby too. They named him Peter. He was born on Jill's birthday. Austin just graduated with a master's degree in media communication or some weird thing like that. And he is transferring to BYU in Provo for another master's degree. They moved to Provo a few weeks ago. I don't know what he's going to do with all these degrees. He just collects them I guess. He's pretty determined to make it as an artist, but so far it's not working out. He doesn't seem really willing to try other work. But OK then.