Time for an update - TONS of pictures

I thought these cotton bales looked all Christmasy. J

Jill standing in line to go in the auditorium with her class.  This was her school Christmas program at EAC.  It was the morning of the same day as Paul’s pinning (December 15).

We took the two little ones with us to the program.  Bubby is a squirrelly one, but it turned out ok.

Here's Jill with part of the 1st grade. I tried to zoom in on her, but it didn't work so great.  She's near the middle, second row down.  You can click to zoom in and see if you can see her.

And then we went for a walk afterwards. We went down and visited Aaron at his office, among other things.  It was nice, even if it did mean lots of Bubby-chasing. J

You didn't realize this is what those are for, did you? ;)

Aaron took the brain out of his head sculpture and put candy in it for his students to have for finals.  He called it brain food. Ha ha!  Henry loves a sucker, but he also had to share.

Can't pass the hill without rolling down. ;)

Henry LOVES to help me with the dishes. ;)

Henry tried on Great-Grandpa’s wig.

Joshua doesn’t like his picture taken. Did I mention that? ;)

Timmy found this picture of himself eating French fries way back in 2012, and he put it in one of his paintings on Microsoft Paint. He’s done more paintings than any of our kids, for sure!  Right now I’m helping him make a book.  He’s drawing pictures of Mario doing things, and I’m helping him put them in the book software and know how to spell the words.

And speaking of books, I finished my books about the summer of 2012 (the summer Jeremy went to Paris). I’m so relieved!  Of course you know how long that project has been waiting.  Now I can move on.  It was trickier than my other books because it had Jeremy’s writing in it, and some of his pictures weren’t captioned yet.  I learned a lot captioning them because Jeremy didn’t have time to do it.  A lot of work, but hooray!  That was my favorite Christmas present – getting them printed. J

Cute fella fell asleep on the stairs while I wasn’t looking.  These fuzzies were Joshua’s when he was a little guy.  They’re still a little big on Henry, so you can see he lost his right foot there. J

And sleeping again.  If I have one obsession it’s with sleeping babies, particularly mine.  And projects.  I don’t know what I’d do without them, even if they do drive Jeremy crazy.

Cute baby eating cereal. I put it in a little bowl for him without milk and sit him on the floor, and then he dumps it out and eats a few pieces and leaves the rest.  Time for a new plan. ;)

Happy birthday to this little fella!  Can you believe we’ve had him for a whole year?!  Crazy.  That blanket is the one I crocheted for him.  I was going to do a few more rows to make it square like I did for Bubby’s that’s the same pattern, but I took so long doing it I finally decided I’m just done.  I still need to weave in the ends, but I’ve been using it a lot lately as we go out.  And we have since upgraded Henry to a bigger car seat now.  I don’t think it’s ever taken me so long to do it.  I couldn’t bear the thought of him being big enough, so I put it off until a week or so after his birthday.

Still had to run errands on his birthday.

I crocheted this flower and attached it to a clip. We drew Rachel’s name for name presents this year and I was feeling broke.  I enjoy making little things like this that just take an hour or two.

For Henry’s birthday I made homemade chicken nuggets.  I’d been itching to try and it seemed like good food to have for a little guy’s birthday.  They came out so good!  I found the recipe in my real foods cookbook and altered it a bit.  They were tender and yummy.  I think next time I should bake them after frying so that they come out a little crispier.  Anyway, Jeremy got him a balloon too, and he was so, so happy about it. J

1 candle. J

Jill Henry and me.  I stripped Henry down so he could smash his smash cake.

It took him a minute, but he finally decided that he liked that cake and smooshed it good. J I made a simple square one for the rest of us.  Michael frosted them both.

Bubby helped Henry open his new little car.

Henry got this new shirt that says, “It’s hard being this handsome,” and he also got a buck of balls, because putting in and taking out is the funnest game ever. J

And some Dollar Tree plastic veggies to munch on.

Gotta eat everything. :)

 

We had a Burk Family Christmas Party a few days before Christmas.  Here are Bubby and Henry playing before it.  Hyrum hauled in a big box of toys from the nursery to play with, and these little guys were quite happy.  Hyrum drove all the way there in the rain.  It’s the longest he’s ever driven, and he did good.  He still needs some night driving time before he can get his license, but he’s been really a nervous driver!  We’ll get it sooner or later.

Speaking of nursery, Jeremy and I were called to be the nursery leaders in our ward.  They actually called us a week before Christmas, but we weren’t sustained until this last Sunday.  Jeremy is really sad to leave his Sunday School class, but I think this will be a fun calling for us.  It was the first calling we had as newlyweds, and it was in this very ward.  It’s fun to be back, and I like the other couple that we’re working with. 

A few of our boys needed haircuts really bad, and I just haven’t had time to do it, so we asked Rachel if she could cut it before our party.  She sat them down in the kitchen at the church, and away she went.  And then Susie showed up and she helped too.  It worked great. J Michael still needs his cut, but he wasn’t ready.  We’ll get that done soon I hope.  And Bubby was way too wiggly to get done.  They tried to blend in where he cut his bangs off, and it does look some better, but oh, well.

Doesn’t he look good?  I like his sideburns. J

I like these interlocking things.  I don’t know what they’re called, but they’re fun.  This is what Timmy made with them.

Hyrum and his cousin Teancum are good buddies.

Here’s Benji after his much-needed haircut. I’m glad he finally decided he was ready.  He was going to get a haircut either way, but it’s nicer when they agree to it. ;)

I feel quite silly, but I didn’t get a picture of this little guy with his Mama, Anne.  This is Gideon Gordon Thomas.  He was born December 2. He is their 8^th, and he was delivered via scheduled C-Section because he was in some crazy breech position.  Poor Anne was pretty scared.  She told me beforehand and asked what she could expect from it.  I used my Badgerly overly-wordy skills (Or is it Petersonly?  Probably.) and hopefully gave her a good overview.  I’m so glad it all came out good in the end.  And he’s so cute and tiny!  It kind of makes me ache that my little baby was just that tiny the other day and now he’s not!  Well, this little fella is pretty cute, and at least I got pictures of him with Grandma. J He is being blessed this weekend the same day that his sister Noel gets baptized, so that will be a fun day.

Cute baby :)

Susie curled Grandma’s hair, and the Jill needed a turn too.  I’m so glad she did that!  Jill was so happy! J It didn’t last, but it was worth it to see Jill feeling so pretty. J

The kiddos painted pinecones.  It’s pretty fun, but I always wish I had a heads-up to bring some clothing protection!  (Note to self: When I’m a grandma I need to remember to consider such things.) Still, probably worth it because it was something they got to do with Grandma, and he was happy with it. J

Craft table

Jeremy being tricky

Hyrum wowing his brothers and cousin with his amazing new laptop

Celeste made pumpkin pie for dessert, and Jeremy decided this one was his. ;) Pumpkin pie is his favorite.

These guys always have to put on a show.  For the first time, Celeste decided she was too old, and she helped clean up instead. Crazy!  She’ll 12 this coming September.

They sang Jingle Bells, and Timmy sat in the back and sang along. J

Benji and Michael practiced their wrestling skills.

Benji and Henry back at home.

We have a mismatched pile of stockings that we get out every year, and Bubby and Henry, I believe, didn’t even have one, so this year I got a bunch of $1 from Walmart, and we took some time on Christmas Eve to decorate them together.  The boys were upset to not use their old stockings, but they had fun anyway.  I may not do it every year, but I do want to do it again sometime.  I do want to make sure we have more scissors and glue next time so people don’t have to wait so long.  Fun times!

Michael was making Henry laugh by saying, “Grandpa!”

Jeremy carved this apple and hung it by the heater vent in the kitchen.  It’s been funny to watch it change as it shrivels.  Yes, it’s still hanging there. XD

Cute baby sleeping on Christmas Eve (Gotta love the scoop in his hand!)

Christmas exploded in the living room! Hyrum helped us again getting stuff put out this year.  I love that!  Great fun. :) We made gingerbread for Santa, but I didn't get a picture.  All 3 of us (Jeremy, Hyrum, and I) took turns taking bites for Santa before leaving a note.

We decided to dispense with the coming into the living room one at a time this year.  It was too much work containing wiggles, but coming down all at the same time was almost as bad because some of them couldn’t wait.  It worked out, though. J

Hyrum not quite awake

Michael and Jill both wanted scooters, and I happened to find some at a yard sale.  I cleaned them up and put on new handlebar grips.  Normally a Razor scooter is like $35 new.  I spent $1 each and then about $5.50 each for new grips.  Not bad, and they were thrilled. J Jeremy didn’t like the idea of scooters especially, but I’ve always wanted to get some.  And one thing I’m really happy about is the fact that scooter tires don’t go flat!  Almost all of our bike tires are currently flat.  I can change a flat, but it’s been more work than I anticipated.  Silly me!  Well, yea, new scooters!

Harry and me

Michael

Jill, Bubby, Benji, and Hyrum

Joshua

Jill got a little beluga whale.  It is fitting because in her spring school concert she sang about a baby beluga.  Her brothers got really tired of that song, but I loved hearing her sing! J

Henry got a big present!

Timmy

Benji, Hyrum, Timmy, and Papa

Joshua really wanted this hat.  I love surprising people with things they really want. J

Hyrum

Timmy got batteries (cue Paul: “I got an eraser!”)

I did a bad job of hiding a couple of presents, and Michael actually found this and begged me to let him play it for weeks before Christmas.  I said no, but I didn’t tell him why. Well, now he knows why. ;)

Joshua

Jill

Joshua

Benji and Hyrum

Bubby

Henry’s big one was a play table with buttons, lights, and sound. He loves it. J

Bubby and Henry both got new comforters for their beds

Joshua

Bubby with his new blanket

Cute baby 

Joshua got shoes and pants, among other things and was dissatisfied with the ratio of stuff to play with vs. clothes, but, apparently, he was still happy. :)

Henry enjoying whatever he could find

Hyrum got an empty tin to keep things in. (Does that remind you of Eyore's birthday?)

I loved how Joshua labeled the gift he got me. Ha ha!  I think it was chocolate

Happy baby

Bubby got a fish and crayons

Timmy got a mustache for Benji, and Benji got one for him. J

Joshua got new lighters. Happy Joshua. Hooray!

There was a good deal, so we got new phones for the three oldest.  They’ve liked them.  I’m a bit nervous.  I don’t want to replace more screens! It’s funny because my second screen replacement went so much better than the first, but I just don’t wanna. ;)

Harry got chocolate.

Not the most flattering, but here’s me, and I do like my eyes. J

Someone gave Michael a BB-8 hat, glove, and scarf set, and he’s worn it all almost every day since.

We made waffles with strawberries and whipped cream and bacon for breakfast. Tradition!

I love this! Jeremy insists on real whipped cream over Cool Whip, and it’s usually this squirty kind. And the squirty kind necessitates this action. ;)

Bubby

Papa napping – he wanted me to be sure to get his new socks in the picture.

Timmy and Bubby got white boards and markers, and they went straight back to them after church.  They colored on them for pretty much the rest of the day, along with Jill.

Speaking of colors, that reminds me that our neighbors got one of those shifting lights deals that you’re supposed to project on your house or whatever.  They projected it on their huge tree out front, and some of the light spilled over to the power lines too.  It was one of the most beautiful, fascinating things I’ve ever seen.  I stood there and just watched for a long time.  So cool!  It made the tree look like it was sparkling, and there were strips of light traveling down the power lines.

And that reminds me – we did do goody plates this year.  I made chocolate chip cookies and gingerbread, and we delivered 7 plates, I believe.  That was enough for me!  It was fun, though.  I forget how much I like gingerbread.  And I finally found Cousin Andrew and brought him cookies, so yea!

Timmy loves to pose and then tell me, “Mommy!  Take a vuddeo!”  Usually I just take a picture. This one is a gem. J

Here he is posing again, this time in the robot costume he made.

Katie came to visit just after Christmas, and we took a lot of the branches from that tree that got cut down in our backyard a while ago over to Aaron’s house for a bonfire.  We roasted hot dogs and made s’mores.  Joe and Grandma and those guys came too.  Rachel is home from school and will be graduating soon.  I think she has this semester off – you know how they do that at BYU.  She’s been at BYU-I, and is getting a degree in family therapy.  It’s fun to have her back in Arizona, and it was fun to have Katie and her family visiting too.  They came to our house last Wednesday for dinner, and we made little pizzas and had banana splits.  Jeremy got pictures, but I only got one, and it wasn't good.  I'll spare you.

I should mention, too, before I forget, that Anne’s new baby is #32 on the Burk side, and the only reason I remember is that I made a new wall-hanging for Grandma for Christmas because Henry was #31 and didn’t fit.  I put it off for a long time, but I finally got it done, and it’s a good thing I did!  Anne’s baby is #32, and we have some more babies coming next year.  Becca and Katie are expecting, and so is Kenzie, but she’s expecting twins!  That will be 3 for Becca, 6 for Katie, and 7 for Aaron and Kenzie.  Crazy!  I was talking to Kenzie, and she said that she was feeling ready to be done having babies, and then she found out she was expecting.  And then she went to the doctor and had an ultrasound and there were 2 and she couldn’t believe it.  I bet she’ll REALLY be done after this!  Ha ha!  They’re excited, though. J I think they’re all due this summer.

I had fun taking pictures and trying to get good ones in the firelight.  They say that the Google Pixel (my phone) should take good pictures in any light.  So far that’s mostly been true.  Here are some fun ones that I don’t wanna caption ‘cause this is getting long!

I’m sure you know the fire was Jeremy’s idea.  He was so excited!  He brought our wrapping paper and old pillows and boxes from Christmas to throw on the fire.  (Tradition dictates that we all get new pillows for Christmas.  Thank heavens!)

More pillows!

Timmy said this hot dog was his clarinet.

Speaking of the clarinet, Michael’s been enjoying the clarinet more than he thought he would and says he might decide to stick with it.  I guess we’ll see.  I kind of think that eventually he'll make his way to tuba, because then he'll be able to play 3 instruments, and I think he'll like that.

 

Here’s Henry at the doctor for his 1-year-old checkup.  He was so happy that day, and then they gave him five shots!  He didn’t get a fever or anything, and he was mostly just happy for the rest of the day too.  Then he was decidedly NOT happy the night before last.  But that’s been about it.  We gave him medicine before bed last night just in case (because he seemed fine before bed that horrible night, so you never know).  He was so cute and happy here, though. Oh, face-meltingly cute!

Jeremy took this one.  This is how he was greeted upon coming home one day. J <3

Henry found this oven mitt laying around and knew just what to do with it.  J

This is Jeremy with a good friend from Globe 1^st Ward, Sister Dempster.  She’s such a sweet lady!  She made dinner for Jeremy and his friends for Prom.  And she always remembers my name. J And just last week she called Jeremy’s mom and asked if we’d like a hide-a-bed couch that she didn’t need anymore.  Her husband just passed away, so she’s moving to a smaller house.  Jeremy stopped by and picked it up in the truck.  It’s definitely used, but the hide-a-bed has only been used twice.  It still had the plastic on it.  I can’t bear to sit on the couch because there’s plywood under the cushions.  I don’t know why it’s there for sure, but it’s there, and it hurts my back.  But couch!  And the kiddos can sit on it. J

Hyrum gave me a gingerbread house kit for Christmas.  Jill, Timmy, Bubby, and I decorated it a few days ago.  It turned into a screaming/scratching match between Timmy and Bubby at the end (you'll see the results on Timmy's face a few pictures later on), but it was fun for a minute. J Next time everyone needs their own house.

Cute baby found toys.

 

Bubby had to play with “his” (Papa’s) “chesses” before church. J

I might note here that the 9:00 schedule is brutal.  I have to get up too early to shower, and then dragging people out of bed takes too long and I end up yelling.  And then I’m groggy, and when I take a Sunday nap it gives me a headache.  Poopy.  I can’t wait to get back to the 1:00 schedule.  2 more years!

Henry likes to get bites. J We’re tyring to wean him bit by bit, and yogurt is quite helpful with that. 

Here are some cute boys.  I took this yesterday.  We took a trip up the mountain.  It was our last chance for a while to go somewhere together.  The teenagers fussed, but it was worth it. J We’d never been up to Frye Mesa, so that’s where we went.  We parked just off the road and hiked down to the reservoir, and that was about as far as we could go without 4-wheel-drive.  I think we found a place to go camping, though, that will be pretty close to home.  I’m glad!  So as soon as it warms up a bit – maybe in March… Joshua didn’t hike down with us.  The bum!  I think it was because he was hungry.  (He's a swell bum, but he should still have come down with us. ;) ) Well, next time…

Here’s the view as we were reaching the top of the mesa.  There was lots and lots of this prairie grass.

Look close and you might see the little creek/waterfall that flows down to the reservoir.  I think it’s Ash Creek.  Here’s the reservoir.  There’s a dam in the creek that makes it, and people go fishing there.  The water looks black.  Kind of crazy.

Papa helping Henry walk down.  I love this one!  I’m quite happy with my new camera and with the cute subjects I get to photograph.  See, that’s why we have so many kids. ;)

Hyrum and Bubby

Bubby

Jill found a stick to play in the water.

Reading the sign at the reservoir

Timmy

Jill and Bubby by the water

Hyrum and Henry

Walking back

Michael was worried that Jill was too close to the edge of the cliff, and here comes Timmy to throw a rock over the edge.

Bubby in the grass by where we parked

Views from up there – quite a worthwhile trip, if you ask me J

Timmy made mud balls.  He called them mud rocks and wanted me to take a video of him throwing them.  Then Bubby picked up a rock and threw it at his head.  That wasn’t as fun.

Michael

Michael, Joshua, and Benji

Jill (she asked me to take this one.  See that grin? ;) )

Henry and Jill

Here are some pictures I took after we got down from the mountain.  The mesa is all yellow with prairie grass.  I thought it looked cool how there were all those clouds and then snow.  On the mesa we could see the clouds, but not the snowy hills above them.

 

And here’s the progress that apple had made by yesterday.  It’s even more shriveled now.  Ha!