The Burress Family

2010-09-11T19:31:00.000-07:00

Back to School!

2010-09-11T19:20:00.000-07:00

Both girls started school this year...Brinkley is in kindergarten now and Ally is in preschool. They love it and are finally starting to embrace Kansas. Both have made really great new friends and have amazing teachers.

Here we go again...

2010-08-01T07:54:00.000-07:00

So for what I am praying will be the last move for at least a year, will be happening on Saturday. This is one move though that I can't wait for. One more day in this house and dealing with this property manager will most likely put me six feet under! I have so many cute pictures and lots of fun little KS adventures to share but alas they will have to be postponed until we get settled once again in about a week or so. Hope everyone is doing great and enjoying the weekend. Love ya all!

Finally a house that looks like a house!

2010-07-13T11:16:00.000-07:00

After many exhausting hours I have finally made parts of our house looks like a home and not a storage unit. I think unpacking is even worse then packing! The house looks a lot better with our stuff organized, but it is still too old for my taste. The fact that I have to mentally tell myself that there are no monsters or freaky creatures in the unfinished basement is almost too much! What makes it even worse is that is where the washer and dryer hook up is so I have to go down there every day! And apparently Weston has had some silent fear of unfinished basements for the 6 years we have been married and so I have to go down there alone! Our stinkin dog even refuses to go down there :)

Do we run to the basement or do we go to church?

2010-07-13T10:57:00.000-07:00

When we woke up on Sunday morning we awoke to black skies and thunder like I have never heard! The rain was coming down so hard it knocked our cable out halfway through breakfast leaving us with no weather channel! The thunder started out pretty mild but then it started booming so loud I thought our house was going to crumble. As we were sitting on the couch Weston says "Are we supposed to go to church in this?" Without having a weather channel available we decided to brave it and hope that maybe our lives would be spared since we were on our way to church if it really was a tornado :) As we were headed out the door Weston says "I heard the skies are supposed to turn green when it is a real tornado..someone from work told me that." So,we looked up at the sky made sure it wasn't green and ran to the car :)

Day 2 of Kansas!

2010-07-10T19:28:00.001-07:00

Day 2 of Kansas!

2010-07-10T19:08:00.000-07:00

Thank goodness for Saturday! I felt like we needed to get out of the house and do something so Weston and I found this really cool farm to take the girls too. The best part about it was that it only cost $2 to get in! That's my kind of farm :) Anyway, they had all kinds of cool little things to do like fishing, cow milking, craft making and a few different petting zoo's among other things. We would have stayed longer but it was pretty warm today with somewhat uncomfortable humidity. The next three days are supposed to be cloudy and thunder storms again so I didn't mind the sunshine. Even got a little tan out on the deck today :) We found our ward building today which I thought was pretty far but turned out to litterally be like 6 minutes away. It was behind our house all along but I never saw it nestled in the trees..I swear you can hide anything in these Kansas trees! Good thing for GPS or we'd still be looking. We also discovered an amazing mall in Overland Park. I can't wait to do some serious shopping :) It's like a combination of Chandler mall, Scottsdale Fashion and little bit of Superstition :) Well..that's it for tonight, it has been a long day. Ready to hit the couch and throw in a redbox :) Yes..I finally found a redbox in KS! Just took a few days :)

Day 1 of Kansas (with internet :) )

2010-07-09T08:40:00.000-07:00

After traveling what feels like halfway around the world (California, Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas) in a course of a week and a half we have landed in Kansas! For those of you that are wondering why in the world we would pick up and move to Kansas of all places, Weston was offered a really good job at Wadell and Reed, a mutual fund company and so here we are. Things are still crazy, boxes are everywhere but at least we have tv and internet! If any of you Arizonians are reading..it is beautiful weather today. Only about 85 degrees with finally no rain and beautiful sunshine! Humidity is not bad at all and so now if only we had some friends other then the squirrels and fire flies to go out and play with. I guess I am an Arizona girl at heart because when there was no sun for the past however many days we have been here I started feeling all doom and gloomy and blah. But when I woke up and the sun was pouring through my window I felt so much better! The house we moved into is pretty cute with lots of "charming" features...I used that term as a nice way to say "oldy moldy" :) I guess it's not too bad just not the brand new features and upgrades we are used to in Arizona. And we didn't find out until we moved in that the city of Merriam is more historical and home of the elderly. Yes my family and our beast of a dog will have this quiet little neighborhood rockin in no time. We are probably going to re evaluate our living situation in 6 months to a year depending on our lease. The guy's Weston works with said that all the young families live in Shawnee or Overland Park. Both have really nice suburbs that remind me of gilbert. That is where all the new development and young familes are :( Oh well we can make due for now. We still have yet to visit our new ward on Sunday so hopefully we will meet some younger people there. Well...I miss you all and have a great day! I will check in later. As for now, the girls are begging me for otter pops and I can here them downstairs busting into them....goodbye!

The Two Crazies!

2009-12-05T19:57:00.000-08:00

2009-07-13T14:02:00.000-07:00

We love Summer Vacation!

2009-07-13T13:55:00.000-07:00

4th of July in Balboa Island

2009-07-13T13:48:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Cali around 3:00 on the 4th of July so we were able to sit back and watch the fireworks from the pier on the island. By the way, I found a new love while I was on the island... anyone ever tried a chocolate covered banana covered in heath bar? Amazing! I do believe I had one every day :)

Balboa Island Beach House Vacation

2009-07-13T13:40:00.000-07:00

There is nothing better than spending a week in the sun and sand with the whole family! The weather in Cali was gorgeous! 75 during the day and 60 at night, beautiful! We were in for a rude awakening though when we returned home and it was 118 degrees. That is no lie. 118 degrees folks.

Check out these cute bags/purses just in time for mother's day!

2009-04-27T09:10:00.000-07:00

Go to http://www.thefunkyzebra.org/ and check out the website

5 years, 2 kids and 1 dog later...

2009-03-03T20:47:00.000-08:00

Weston and I's 5 year anniversary is coming up on the 13th, (woohoo 5 years down, eternity to go) but I know I will probably forget to blog so this is like a little pre anniversary post if you will. It seems like just yesterday we were living the dating life and how I must say I do miss those days . And than there was the married with no children days... oh wait, we didn't have much of those. It was more like married for 1 week and than pregnant with psycho hormones the next! I do have to say we have had our fair share of ups and downs, but I would not trade them for the world. I am so grateful to be blessed with such a wonderful husband. It feels like these past 5 years have totally flown by. Brinkley is 4 years old for crying out loud. Geeze I am going to be saggy and gray before I know it! Oh wait, I already am saggy... ahh the joys of motherhood. Just waiting for the grays now!

Ok, I need some serious motivation here folks...

2009-02-26T19:46:00.000-08:00

So I feel like i'm freaking pregnant. Maybe I shouldn't have used that sentance as my headliner b/c now all of you are going to think im prego. NO! I am not pregnant, but what is the deal, I am eating for two! I swear I cannot stay away from eating crap! I know I have always had a sweet tooth, but now it's like way out of control. I'm sure anyone who is reading this is probably wondering why i'm posting such a stupid post, but it's mainly to motivate myself and to get me to see the path of destruction that I am on! Did you know that today alone I ate 2 cream filled churros with strawberries and cool whip(thank you Mattas) 1 very big chocolate marshmallow cookie(thank you mom's pantry) 2 slices of delicious lemon cake(thank you Costco) and a handful of girl scout cookies. I need to get a grip. If anyone has any advice on self motivation or how to lose 10 lbs in a week let me know please! By the way... any long distance family members that may be reading this, the picture posted is not me, just the way I feel at the moment.

Rainy Days...

2009-02-10T21:09:00.000-08:00

I love that we have been getting rain again! Everytime there is the slightest hint of a rain drop, Brinkley has to run inside and grab her umbrella. Lol, sily girl :)

The Loves of my Life!

2009-01-27T22:28:00.000-08:00

Life comes at you fast...almost too fast

2009-01-25T20:27:00.000-08:00

I have been sitting here staring at my computer for about 30 minutes now, and I think I am having a mini meltdown. First of all, I don't know what even brought me into my office let alone gave me the wild hair to actually sit down for more than 2 minutes at a time. So, somehow I ended up on my blog, which is as you all know a rare thing these days. Obviously, since my last post was almost a year ago. As I am sitting here in the quiet of the night, I am fighting tears and kind of dumbfounded at the same time. I know most of you bloggers out there probably stopped reading my blog months ago, so this post will mostly be for me in a moment of much needed self reflection. As I have been sitting here starring at my outdated blog, I decided to check out the blogs of those of you I used to be in contact with quite frequently. To much of my surprise, my friends are having babies! Husbands are getting new jobs, kids are having birthdays, some marriages are just beginning, and for others, some are coming to a close. I sit here in amazement at how much I have missed out on since oh about last July. The worst part about it is, not only have I missed out on friends, but my own little family as well. September of 08 we were blessed with the oppertunity to move into a new house. A beautiful house that would hold all 4 of us and the dog. Since we moved I have also started working again. Since I have started working I have also taken on the roll of trying to become super mom and have failed miserably. I realize that I have become so concerned with the big things in life that I have left out the time to treasure the small things. A few weeks ago Brinkley turned 4. In a about 2 months Ally will be turning 2. I can't even post a recent picture of anything my family has done lately, because I haven't even taken the time to grab my camera on the way out the door. Everyday has a schedule these days with no time for anything extra. Suddenly, mopping the floor and cleaning my bathroom at 10 pm doesn't seem so important anymore. Unfortunately, come tomorrow the dirty footprints, and lint balls will still be around, but the moment to spend an hour hanging out with my husband, or taking a minute to watch my girls as they are peacefully sleeping will have passed. I have already let way too much of my life pass me by these past few months. It's time to start calling a time out and really living and loving life. I am so blessed to have a such a beautiful family. Now I understand why my husband is constantly calling me nuerotic and telling me to "come sit down". It's time to start taking the time to smell the flowers. Litterally. :)

To D.C. and back in 48 hours!

2008-06-19T20:42:00.000-07:00

So Weston was gone for 3 WEEKS and I almost went crazy being a single mom, and lonely wife. He had to go to Virginia for training for work, for a rediculous amount of time, but I was lucky enough to be able to fly out for the first weekend he was gone. Thank you mom and grandma for a great weekend without the babies. I was able to sleep in! Woohoo! and eat a whole meal before it got cold! and go to the bathroom by myself! and take a shower with the door closed! Ahh, all the little luxuries that somehow disapear when the kids come! Anyway, Weston and I decided to bike around D.C. because we heard there was no where to park, which there wasn't. But, the day we rented the bikes, was also the HOTTEST day of the year, and the humidity was at a record high. So, after biking over 30 miles from Georgetown to D.C. to a part of Virginia, we were lost, dead exhausted, and DRENCHED in sweat! Bit it was an adventure and we had so much fun. Accept when we were personally escorted by two very official secret service agents, off of the white house property. How was I supposed to know we were trespassing? I just wanted to get a good shot of the old prez. I guess it was 10:00 at night, and we were sneaking around in the brush a bit.
Anywhow, we didn't get the best of pics but here are a few...

Little Pink Bowtique officially opens!

2008-05-27T22:15:00.000-07:00

Come check us out! www.littlepinkbowtique.com -The one stop shop for all your infant and toddler accessories. You know you love my cheesy slogans!

I'm back and ready to blog!

2008-05-27T21:58:00.000-07:00

Holy Moley! It has been two months to date, since my last post! I know all of you are thinking that I am number one slacker, but i'm NOT! I promise I have been very productive with my time away from blogging. I do have to admit though, it's been so long, I almost forgot how to create a post! Anyway, Krista and I have decided to take a plunge into the home business world. What started out as a fun hobby will hopefully turn us into some money makin mammas! Haha, we'll see. So we have decided to open an online boutique, or bowtique rather. Feel free to check us out- www.littlepinkbowtique.com No comments from the peanut gallery on the website design. You think blog layouts are rough, try designing a whole freaking website. I wanted to shoot myself. Numerous times. Anyway, if you, or anyone you know, has a cute little girly, you need to stick a Little Pink Bowtique bow on her head!

"March Madness", Burress Style

2008-03-27T21:49:00.000-07:00

So this month has been totally crazy. I don't think we have had a busier month. Oops, and I just realized I forgot to squeeze in a post for Weston and I's 4 year anniversary. It was March 13th, 3 days before Ally's birthday. I guess from here on out, March will be a crazy month for the rest of my life. Hopefully Easter won't be in March again for a long time. I can't believe it is already almost April. I feel like I went to bed in January and when I woke up the next day, it was March. In between all the fun day trips and and holidays, my kids caught every virus in the book this month. From pink eye to diarheah (spell check?) we had everything. Hopefully the illnesses are winding down, because I cannot handle any more sick kids. One more month like March, and I will be in a looney bin. Here's to April. Please be a sane month!

Mesa Youth Museum

2008-03-27T21:36:00.000-07:00

Today Weston and I took the girls to the Mesa museum. I had no idea how fun it was, the girls had a blast! There was so much to do, it kept the girls entertained for hours, which is rare.

Happy Easter!

2008-03-27T21:20:00.000-07:00

This Easter we were able to spend time with both my family and on Weston's side. Between all the grandparents, great grandparents and cousins, there were enough chocolate eggs to feed an army. I thought I finally had most of the candy under control, and about 5 minutes ago our neighbor from down the street just brought over a huge bag of candy. Her ex husband works for Hershey so every holiday we get tons of full size candy bars by the truck loads. So much for swimsuit season!

A Day at the Ranch!

2008-03-27T20:47:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we went with our friends Graham and Beckie to their family ranch. It was so fun, but we all got so sunburned. The kids were able to ride quads, and there was also a small, very cold, creek that the kids splashed around in. Max also enjoyed the creek as well!

Happy Birthday little Al!

2008-03-27T20:34:00.000-07:00

On March 16th Ally turned 1! I was a little bit nervous because Ally hadn't even shown an interest in walking yet, and here Brinkley was full on sprinting at 9 months, and then a week before Ally's birthday she just decided to walk, and now there is NO stopping her! We just had a small party with family this year, because unfortunatly the birthday girl and Brinkley had been sick the whole week.

Ostrich Burger Anyone?

2008-03-27T20:20:00.000-07:00

We had the chance to go the Ostrich Festival with our good friends Mike and Kayla and there little boy Landen. Other than the fact that I had massive blisters on my feet from wearing close toed platforms ( don't ask why I chose to wear these particular shoes on this particular day, I was just having a moment I guess) we had a super fun and exhausting day. And yes, I did have to have a little bit of embarassing first aid performed by a local fireman becacuse my feet hurt SO bad! Oh yeah, they do sell Ostrich Burgers there, if any of you out there are brave enough to try it.

You Belong In The Zoo!

2008-02-22T13:52:00.001-08:00

Brinkley LOVES going to the zoo, so we go quite often. Ally is now starting to enjoy looking at the animals as well. You should have seen her face when she was looking at the giraffe! Here are a few shots from our last trip.

Silly Sundays...

2008-02-22T13:29:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday Brinkley and Ally were being extremely goofy. I think nursery makes Brinkley go crazy. Here a few pics. It started with both girls leaping off the couch, well Brinkley leaping, and Ally rolling off. Then Brinkley, Ally and Weston started there own Wrestling league.

We Love Sunny Days!

2008-02-13T14:31:00.000-08:00

Today we went to the park, and the weather was gorgeous. Too bad we can't have this year round. Brinkley had fun on the slide, Ally enjoyed the swing, and Max... well I guess he enjoyed getting filthy in the dry grass.

So Close!

2008-02-13T14:23:00.000-08:00

Ally is trying so hard to walk, and she is SO close! She won't try though if anyone is watching. I managed to sneak in a few shots before she realized it.

Better Late Than Never!

2008-02-04T08:26:00.000-08:00

At church on Sunday, someone in our ward gave me these pictures. At our ward christmas party we tried to have Brink take a picture with Santa. She wasn't too keen on the whole idea. Look at her facial expressions, they kill me!

LOVE IN A BOTTLE

2008-02-02T16:00:00.000-08:00

So, I am a huge fan of diet dr pepper, and I LOVE chocolate covered cherries. When Dr. Pepper announced it's new limited Edition of DIET DR PEPPER, CHOCOLATE COVERED CHERRIES, I about died. I ran to the store immedietly, and let me tell you, this drink is AMAZING. It's like drinking dessert with dinner. What could be better than that! Oh yeah, if you are feeling extremely fanatical, Safeway is offering buy 2 get three free on 12 packs! This is limited edition, you gotta stock up!

President Gordon B. Hinckley

2008-01-27T19:36:00.000-08:00

Tonight Sweet President Hinckley passed away quietly in his home. We love him and we will greatly miss his sweet spirit, and wonderful teachings.

2008-01-25T09:51:00.000-08:00

So the other day, I walk into Brinkley's room while she is supposed to be taking a nap. I see that she has single handedly taken off the mattress to her her little toddler bed. In addition to that, she has somehow, and I say somehow, because I can't even do this, but she has kicked out two of the wooden slats that are supposed to keep the matress from fallling through. Plus she ripped out a third smaller slat that belongs to the headboard. Anyways, I come in and she is standing on the matress that is on the floor, frantically waving one of the bigger slats in the air. I am so mad at her at this point, but manage to ask her what the heck she is doing, and she says "I'm waving my sword mom, I gotta get these guys" as she is waving toward some imaginary foe! I think she has been hanging around her little boy friends too much. This morning she was watching some show on tv, and a commercial came on for some big roller coaster at Disney Land, and she goes " I gotta call Kale, we need to go on this ride!" She was talking about her little friend Kale Poulsen, the one she plays swords with! So anyway, we figured she was ready for a bigger bed, since her long little legs were hanging off her toddler bed anyway, so this is her new bed. When she first got it, she says "Mom, get the camera, quick!" Hahaha, I guess we have a little blogger in the making. :)

Family Walk

2008-01-10T22:08:00.000-08:00

The weather was so nice this afternoon, we decided to take the girls, and dog, out for a walk. Brinkley rode her new pink bike, which she LOVES, Baby Al lounged in the stroller, and Max... well let's just say this was his first walk on a leash. If you have a dog, you know how that goes. Thank goodness the little guy has recovered though. He caught a really severe case of pnemonia after we first bought him. I didn't think he was going to survive, but after a weekend at the hospital, daily breathing treatments, (yes for the dog, rediculous, I know) and a boatload of antibiotics, he is doing MUCH better. He has even put on a few pounds, he is quite the little porker these days.

2008-01-10T14:11:00.001-08:00

Make a scrapbook - it's easy!

Pictures

2008-01-08T20:24:00.000-08:00

Bet You Didn't Know We Were Jewish...

2008-01-06T19:28:00.000-08:00

Here is little baby Al in her um yamicah. Is that how you spell it? Anyway, her little Jewish hat. Hahaha, she found one of my old bra pads, and loved to put it on her head!

Happy Birthday Brinkley!

2008-01-06T19:18:00.000-08:00

So Brinkley turned three on January 2. I thought that this would be a monumental day, a day of new beginnings. Well, she must have known that last Wednesday was going to be her last day in the terrible two stage, because MAN! was she on one that day. And let me tell you, every day since has been full of pure sass a frass. This little fire ball of energy never skips a beat let me tell ya! We love her though, life would be very boring without her. Speaking of boring, the other night, her and Weston were getting ready to say prayers and she turns to him with her hands on her hips, and her eyes rolled up in her head and says " huhhhh, I don't wanna say my prayers dad, it's sooooo boring. Yep, that's my little Brinkley for you.

Puppy Love

2008-01-04T14:06:00.000-08:00

On the 28th we bought Brinkley a puppy for her birthday. This wasn't exactly planned, but once we saw him it all went downhill from there! His name is Max, and he is a 10 week old American Bulldog. He is such a little sweetheart. He is going to be a big boy though. The breeder said he will probably be between 90-110 lbs. YIKES. He is so sweet with the girls though, and they love him so much!

Christmas Morning!

2008-01-04T13:51:00.000-08:00

This year the girls had a great Christmas. Brinkley got a brand new pink bike, and a pink helmet, which she was very excited about. Ally was happy chewing on all the ripped up wrapping paper and ribbons, but also loved her toys too.

I need a miracle...

2008-01-04T13:30:00.000-08:00

On the 22nd of December we had our ward Christmas party. Food, fun, and games you think? Not when you get called to be the Activity Commitee chairman two weeks before
Christmas, and surprise! You have to plan the whole ward party by yourself! Thank you very much. Nothing better than a huge plate of stress and a side of holiday nog.
But yes, I did make it through alive, and the party was ok I guess.

Cause tonight i'm gonna party like it's 1999...

2008-01-04T13:21:00.000-08:00

I know I am way behind on all of my posts, but what can I say, this holiday season hit me like a ton of bricks. I may have come out looking like hell, but I think I am going to survive. On Dec. 13th Weston graduated from ASU. We are so excited that he is done, and Weston, I am SO proud of you! Brinkley and Ally wore the cutest little ASU cheerleader costumes the night of graduation.

Oh yeah, I would have liked to post pics of Weston on his big night, but of course my camera batteries died as soon as we got there. Grrrrrrr.

Out on the Town

2007-12-08T22:05:00.000-08:00

Weston and I went to a Christmas Party on Friday night. Yes, the night that it was POURING RAIN! The party was supposed to be outside at the botanical gardens. You can guess how well that party went!

Ally Cat

2007-12-07T12:06:00.000-08:00

Two Little Chums

2007-12-06T20:03:00.000-08:00

I believe the pictures speak for themselves, but if you can't tell, Ally and Brinkley were playing in Brink's little doll strollers the other day. It was quite hilarious because once I finally stuffed Ally's chub into the stroller, she was too heavy for Brinkley to push! And then the stroller buckled under her weight! Then later on that night, they were both just being silly in there jam jams.

Bring on the Rump Roast

2007-12-06T19:44:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday I made my first roast, and it was actually edible! Weston even said it was delicious, yea!

Winter At Last!

2007-11-27T19:08:00.000-08:00

On Saturday we went to Payson to see Weston's dad. Holy cow, it was freezing!

I am Grateful for...

2007-11-16T22:31:00.000-08:00

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I have decided to list a few of the things that I am grateful for. With the craziness of life, I tend to get caught up with whatever chaotic thing is happening at the moment, and sometimes I think I take for granted all of the wonderful blessings in my life. Tonight at Bunko a sad story was told about a thirteen month old boy who had recently died within 1 or 2 weeks after being diagnosed with a tumor. It really made me stop and think about how precious life really is, and how life is too short to take it for granted. When I got home from Bunko I snuck in to give my sleeping babies a kiss. How often do we take the time for small and simple things? Probably not enough.

1. My Family
2. The Gospel
3. Good Health
4. Good friends
5. Bunko and all of the girls who make bunko so special
6. Overcast days and rain like we had on Thursday
7. Freedom
8. chocolate
9. Red Bull (How can you make it through the day without it?)
10. Soft blankies (Yes, I still love blankies)
11. holidays
12. lazy days

Like Father Like Daughter

2007-11-14T23:03:00.000-08:00

I don't know what it is about my girls loving to wear Weston's hat. The same night I took this picture, Brinkley was sporting one of Weston's other hats backwards while our home teacher was here. She put in on backwards and to the side, just like dad, and then pranced around the room sayin "nook at me duy's, nook at me!" Translation, "Look at me guy's!"while poor brother Arnita tried to give the lesson.

SiLlY gIrLs

2007-11-14T22:56:00.000-08:00

Little Rambo and Brink. It is so sweet how much they already love each other, and at times get annoyed with one another. Like when Brink swipes Ally's binky and hides it in her tent.

Little Rambo Burress

2007-11-14T22:50:00.000-08:00

ALLY discovered the ribbon to close my bathroom curtains the other day. She decided that she wanted to go as RAMBO for the evening!

Backyard Camping continued

2007-11-10T22:07:00.000-08:00

Here are the rest of the pics from our little "campout"

Backyard Camping!

2007-11-10T21:59:00.000-08:00

Brinkley has been begging us to go camping but we have not had a chance to go on a big camping trip yet. Tonight Weston came home and suprised her with a little camping in the backyard! It was so fun, and Brinkley LOVED it. We made foil dinners, roasted marshmellows, and even made a tent to sleep under upstairs. All night Brink kept saying "Wow dad, you're amazin!" It was so cute :)

Words To Live By...

2007-11-09T14:59:00.000-08:00

FlyLady's Eleven Commandments

1. Keep your sink clean and shiny.

2. Get dressed every morning, even if you don’t feel like it.

3. Do your morning and before bedtime routine everyday.

4. Don’t allow yourself to be sidetracked by the computer.

5. Pick up after yourself. If you get it out, put it away.

6. Don’t try to do two projects at once. ONE JOB AT A TIME.

7. Don’t pull out more than you can put back in one hour.

8. Do something for yourself everyday, maybe every morning and night.

9. Work as fast as you can to get the job done. This will give

you more time to play later.

10. Smile even when you don’t feel like it. It is contagious. Make your mind up
to be happy and you will be.

11. Don’t forget to laugh everyday. Pamper yourself, you deserve it.

An Answer To My Woes!

2007-11-09T14:38:00.000-08:00

Ever since I have been married I have battled with my domestic skills. Let's be honest here. My laundry is so high in the hamper it almost reaches heaven. My bathrooms are less than, well... not the cleanest. My bedroom, that is a frightening subject, and I have unopened mail that has been sitting in my "to do" file since July. Now don't be mistaken, I TRY with all of my might to get organized, to clean, to cook, to spend time with my children and husband, but I can NEVER get on top of things! It seems to be a vicious circle of life that I am trapped in. It makes since to get everything done and clean so that you can just maintain your house. However, everyday is like a major project, and I never have time for the little fun projects. Either that or I just choose to do the fun projects, and then the work projects don't ever get done, and it never ends. Well if you are like me, hopefully I am NOT the only one or I will be truly embarassed, then worry no more! I have found the coolest website that will teach you how to become organized and stay organized in a REASONABLE matter. The lady that writes on this site has the best ideas, and they are practical as well. She has truly saved my life. My hamper pile has already shrunk like 3 feet! Down below is a little bit from her site that I thought was kind of cute. Check this site out it is called www.flylady.com

Trick or Treat, More Doodies Please!

2007-11-02T23:48:00.000-07:00

Now that Brinkley is almost three, she was very excited about Halloween this year, and was able to more or less comprehend the concept of trick or treating. We went to a few costume parties this year, and also a few trunk or treats. By the end of it all, Brinkley had trick or treating down to an art. It was funny because Brinkley has a hard time saying words that begin with a "G", instead she pronounces those words with a "D" so she would say "Let's do det more doodies!" It was hilarious, because all night long she kept asking for more "doodies", meaning goodies :)

As you can see, Brinkley was Cinderella one night, and Snow White another.
Ally was a bunmble bee. By the way, I had a severe cold on Halloween night which is why my eyes are watering, and why I look so frightening in that last picture!

Little Thug

2007-11-02T23:32:00.001-07:00

The other day I was folding clothes, and I looked over at Ally who was playing with the bandanna that I had worn to the gym that morning. She had so much fun with that little piece of fabric, and it was actually quite hilarious.

A hint is in the air...

2007-10-24T22:13:00.000-07:00

October has always been my favorite month for as long as I can remember. And while yes, it is the month that I was born, that's not why I love it so much. Whenever October comes, it starts to be a little cooler. You know, like 95 degrees instead of 97 degrees. Also, the smell in the air changes, and it start's to feel like fall. People start putting up all the fall decor, at least I do, because by this time of year, I am pleading with the weather to turn cool, and if I pretend hard enough like it's fall, then it will be fall! The leaves are changing, the air is crisp, time to start dusting off the old turtlenecks, alright...so even in the dead of winter you can't wear a freaking turtleneck in AZ, but I like to pretend ok. So anyway, as soon as I start to feel these "magical" changes in the weather, even if the temp. only drops a degree and a half, I always get so excited and yell "It's coming, a hint is in the air! It's time for fall!" This is usually followed by my husband rolling his eyes, and telling me that I am rediculous, and no, it is not fall, put your furry boots back in the closet. Hey, a girl can hope can't she? One day it WILL be fall, and I can wear that cute, little black turtle neck I just bought. So that's my little hoorah about fall. Now let me tell you about the not so pleasant things about the season. A week and a half ago, Ally was sick with what we later found out was "the croupe" and she was having a really hard time breathing, sleeping, eating, just about everything. She kept running super high fevers, and one night she was really wheezing, and then stopped breathing all together. This happened to us once before when she was two weeks old, and had RSV. So after we were able to get her to breathe again, we took her to the ER where they admitted us for a day and a half. After it was all said and done, we brought her home with the croupe and an ear infection. No fun. Then of course, a few days later Brinkley starts running a super high fever, and she ends up with the croupe and strep throat. Lovely, I know. So no, nobody in the house has slept for 2 weeks, and the poor girls were just miserable. Thankfully, they are doing so much better, and we are almost back to normal. Hmm, I see that is way past my bed time, and I will never be able to drag my butt to my 6:00 am gym session, if I don't get some sleep. Until next time, goodnight.

My Little stuffed sausage!

2007-10-24T22:07:00.000-07:00

Taking the term feeling like a stuffed sausage to a whole new level! At least baby Ally can pull it off though! I thought this suit was actually rather slimming :)

America's Next Top Toddler

2007-10-24T21:50:00.000-07:00

Look at this little Diva. She must take after her mom. Haha, just kidding.

Now look at the second picture. Can you tell who she resembles here? Hint, it's totally her dad!

Happy Birthday to Me!

2007-10-24T21:36:00.000-07:00

Weston took me out for my birthday, and every year I take a picture of us together, because I think it's funny to look back at how we used to look. let me tell ya, some years are better than others, like when we used to be in our "prime" as we like call it. This year wasn't too bad I guess :)

A Blogger's Worst Nightmare

2007-09-25T09:44:00.000-07:00

I realize that it has been many moons since my last "blog worthy" post. Well, yesterday I was so excited because this past weekend I had a lot of stuff to post, and some really great pictures. We took a mini trip up to Flagstaff and had a really fun time playing in the rain and hanging out with the Poulsen's. Well, I had finally got my kids to bed last night, my husband was well occupied with the Xbox, and I was in a bloggin mood. So I grab some nourishment, because this could be a 3 hour blog session, and head upstairs. I sit down, put on some tunes and start to download all my wonderful pictures. Well, 2 minutes later I realize that my camera isn't doing anything. I then proceed to rearrange some wires, jiggle the USB cord around a bit, turn my camera on and off about 30 times, and still nothing. By this point, I am getting frantic. I stare at my camera, willing it with all my might to download, and still nothing. I then realize that the situation is no longer in my hands, so I start praying "Please please Heavenly Father let this work, I promise I won't complain about our church time anymore." Well, still nothing. So then with a heavy heart I start unplugging the USB, turn off my camera and realize the problem. The slot where the USB plugs into my camera has somehow gotten all bent, and the cord doesn't fit into the camera anymore. Just my rotten luck. So, I guess I have to figure some other way to get my pics on here, but who knows how long that will be. If you happen to be a regular blog stalker on my blog, I apologize. Hopefully we will be up and running soon.

The Irresponsible Blog Keeper

2007-09-14T09:31:00.000-07:00

Hey Bunko ladies... Do any of you remember the username and passwrd I sent out for the bunko blog? I have been trying to update it because it still says "June", how embarassing, but I can't remember any of the sign in info. Ash- I know I sent it to you one time, do you by chance remember it? Man, i've been slacking in that department. Sorry guys. See you all on Saturday!

My LiTtLe AlLy BuG

2007-09-12T22:51:00.001-07:00

I was cleaning up the upstairs this morning and I came across Brinkley's Halloween costume from two years ago. It was 6-9 months so I thought it would be perfect for Ally to wear this year. Well... let's just say I could barely stuff her little sausage links in the thing, and I almost choked her out when I tried to zip it up! She looked very cute though. I guess I will have to find something else for her, because there is no way that costume will fit her by the end of next month!

FaMiLy NiGhT fUn!

2007-09-12T22:27:00.000-07:00

On Monday night, Weston showed Brinkley how to skateboard. She LOVED it of course, and has found a new hobby. She was actually really good at it.

Happy Birthday Little Baby!

2007-09-09T21:32:00.000-07:00

Little Mckennley has finally arrived! Phew, we thought Krista was going to be prego forever! I am not exact on all of the stats, but I think she was 8 lbs and 21 inches. All I know is she is so cute! The poor little sweetheart was born with pneumonia though, so she won't get to come home just yet. Krista...you did a great job, you are going to be an awesome little mamma. And kudos to you Sean for not fainting. Weston never would have made it through a c-section!

This kid is a riot...

2007-09-09T20:47:00.000-07:00

So the other day, I am working on some stuff at my desk. I look over and Brinkley is dressed up in this getup. Her favorite thing to do is pull all of her clothes out of her dresser, and then put on random outfits. She used to totally ransack her dresser, so I moved all of her clothes to the top two drawers which are pretty high up. Well, she has this play horse that is like the same height as she is, so what does she do? She drags the horse over to her dresser and then throws all the clothes around. So anyway, I look over from my desk and see her watching tv looking like this...!

Little Miss Sassafrass

2007-09-04T23:23:00.000-07:00

Talk about the sassiest kid on the block. Brinkley is such a riot these days. She is always dancing/singing or striking a pose. Her new thing is, whenever a song she likes comes on the radio she says " Jam Mom." Meaning, she wants me to start dancing. Her favorite song of the year is Gwen Stefani - The Sweet Escape, aka the "woo hoo song", her favorite song of the month is Natasha Beddingfield - Unwritten, yes we've all heard it on the radio like a million times, and her favorite song of the week is... Fergie - Big girl's don't cry.

She posed herself for these pictures by the way!

Labor Day Fun!

2007-09-03T22:40:00.001-07:00

It's always so nice to have a three day weekend to relax, and BE LAZY! The past couple of days were much needed. It's always fun to have a little extra time to
hang out. Of course Brinkley was as crazy as ever. The child was born fearless, and loves to leap from random items. Stairwells, couches, pretty much anything that will make her airborne, you can bet she'll be trying to fly from it. Here are a few pics from our little pool party...

September in Shade

2007-08-30T21:29:00.000-07:00

For everyone out there that cannot live without Shade clothing in there wardrobe...
We have some VERY cute, brand new clothing styles for Fall, and all new fall colors in the basic styles. The new styles will be launching September first, and they will go FAST! Let me know if you would like a fall catalog, or if you would like to place an order. Remember, I always offer FREE shipping, regardless of who you are, who you know and what you are buying! If you don't check out the new styles, you are missing out, because they are so dang cute. Let me know if you have any questions.

Bald and Beautiful!

2007-08-05T23:00:00.000-07:00

Many of you are probably wondering where all of Ally's hair went... Well, needless to say it is gone. She got cradel cap really bad, and she started to scratch and pull at her head, and the hair just started falling out. I ended up shaving it, but it is so cute!

My little girlies

2007-08-05T22:34:00.000-07:00

Here a few updated shots of the girls. I took Ally to the doctor the other day, and
she was 15 lbs. The funny thing is, Brinkley only weighs 11 more pounds than Ally does!

And you call yourself an Arizona Native!

2007-08-05T22:11:00.001-07:00

So not too long ago, I found out that my own husband has never been to the Grand Canyon. How is this even possible I ask myself? I've seen that big whole in the ground like 1000 times. (Sorry folks, when you've seen it as many times as I have, it pretty much is "a big whole in the ground") Anyway, I decided that we must take a mini family vaca to the good ol Grand Canyon, so that Weston could marvel in it's beauty! Here are a few pics, Enjoy! Oh yeah, we also stopped at a deer farm in Williams on the way. It was funny because there was like no joke, 100 deer galavanting around and they were all very attracted to Weston.

Congratulations!

2007-07-27T08:46:00.000-07:00

Elder Hafen has been with us for over a year, and he gets to go home on Monday!
Congratulations! Hope you have a great time on your cruise, I am very jealous!

Grandkids and great grandkids

2007-07-25T19:02:00.000-07:00

So after take 3, we realized it was impossible to get everyone to stop moving let alone smile at the same time. But hey, this picture shows us in our true form anyway!

The Cardsten temple in Canada

2007-07-25T18:22:00.000-07:00

We had the opportunity to attend the Cardsten temple while we were at the reunion. The temple was so beautiful, and it was so great to be there as a family for Grandma and Grandpa's 50th. This is the temple that they were married in.

Ride em' cowboy!

2007-07-25T12:55:00.000-07:00

From Left to Right: Donny, Bridget, Dustin, Calli, Aaron, Kensie, Emily, Weston, Amy, Amber and Nick

For one of the activities, all of the older grandchildren/spouses decided to go horseback riding. Never again, will you find me atop a horse. I was sore in places I didn't even know I could be sore! It was really fun though, because the horse guy actually let us really RIDE the horses, not just walk them. He even let us heard cattle if you can believe that. This picture is so funny, it looks like we're all ready for battle or something.

Oh Canada!

2007-07-25T10:05:00.000-07:00

Talk about a trek! I feel like I have been across the world in 9 days. So we had a family reunion in Canada, and Weston and I decided it would be best if we drove. Is the money you save by driving really worth 3 days in the car with a 2 and half year old and a 4 month old you ask? No way in Hades. There were times when I had to literally refrain from flinging myself out in front of the car. We had two dvd monitors installed into the back of the headrests for Brinkley on the trip. Well, Brinkley insisted on watching the same two movies over and over and over. I now can recite every single line of Finding Nemo and Max and Ruby. With only 1 ipod in the car, things got a little hairy. Oh, and right before the trip Brinkley discovered the word WHY? Her new thing is why mommy why? (usually when I had just fallen asleep after finding a strategic way of resting my head against the window, and stretching my legs out into a corner to avoid cramping)then after I would explain to her whatever she was asking me about, she would then say BUT WHY? Followed by yet another WHY? And of course at this point I had to surrender the ipod, because Weston claims the driver can't be distracted. (Ha, nice excuse! Doesn't the passenger have any rights?) Other than the car trip though, the vacation was a blast. It was so great to see family that we haven't seen in so long. Canada itself was beautiful, you just have to watch out for the mosquito's, they're lethal! Squeetos as Brinkley calls them.

Mini Getaway

2007-06-24T10:49:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we spent the day in Payson with Weston's dad. It was so nice to take a break from everyday craziness, and just be able to hang. His dad has a huge deck that surrounds the whole back part of the house, and we could just sit in the recliners and enjoy the breeze. (It was a small breeze, but a breeze none the less.)
In the afternoon, we took Brinkley down to this little creek where she could play in the water. Of course she wanted to go full on swimming, but that wasn't happening! We were also able to get some really great family pictures. (Finally!) It's so hard to get a good pic with squirrely kids!

June, almost over already?

2007-06-22T14:10:00.000-07:00

Wow, this has been a busy month. Weston is already almost done with his first session of summer school. We will be leaving for Canada soon. I think it will be a really fun trip, so long as we survive the car ride with 2 children. Don't worry, I will take pictures every mile along the way. Maybe not every mile, that's a lot of pics.

So my goal for the week was to get all of the laundry washed, put away and organized. Todays is Friday, and I am still at square one. Anyone out there have any suggestions on how to conquer the great laundry beast? I swear my room/bathroom looks like a chinese laundromat.

I think i've decided that Phoenix weather is ridiculous, and the people that live here including myself, are insane. I think yesterday was like one hundred and eleven degrees. Every time I step outside, I feel like I am tied to a shishkabob, slowly roasting over a fire pit. If it wasn't for all of the close family, i'm telling you right now, we would be living the life in California. Surf and sand or cacti and dust? Hmm... you tell me.

The past couple of weeks Brinkley has become the bug Nazi. Her favorite is the "tato" bug, also known as the potato bug. It's ok if the bugs are outside, however if she sees anything in the house that remotely resembles a bug (small lint balls, odd shaped strings you name it) she has to get a napkin and dispose of it properly. She's actually a lot braver than I am. This morning she came in and said
"Mom, it's HUGE, a bug. I need napkin" and then proceeded to squish an overly large Earwig looking bug. Who needs the bug man, when you've got Brinkley?

Ally is sleeping through the night now. Those are the most beautiful words i've spoken in a long time. Now that I don't feel like a zombie anymore, we can finally go out and play! After the sun goes down of course, thanks to the heat.

This is totally random, but has really been bothering me. I have been waiting for Weston to turn 25 for months, so we can get the little discount thing on our insurance. Well, he turned 25, and I excitedly called our insurance agent to give em a little reminder. Well, he said we don't get that discount because we are married. WHAT? I say. He totally shattered my day. I think he is trying to pull the wool over my eyes...

Wild Child

2007-06-22T14:05:00.000-07:00

This little baby is growing so fAST! We took her to the doctors office a few weeks ago, and she weighed over 11 pounds. Big Mamma!

Such a Sweetpea!

2007-06-13T12:17:00.000-07:00

I love this picture.

So stylish

2007-06-13T12:06:00.000-07:00

Brinkley was very excited to have her first haircut the other day.
She actually did surprisingly well. We didn't even have to tie her to
the chair!

Hmm... After I posted this,
I realized this wasn't the best of pictures.
I promise she did get a super cute haircut,
it just looks a little, well...
I'm not sure what it looks like!

Lake Powell

2007-06-13T10:13:00.000-07:00

It is a sad, sad summer. We will not be able to join my parents on the houseboat this year, because Weston has summer school finals. How I will miss that
gourmet Lake Powell food. But, we are so excited to see all
of the family in Canada for the family reunion! Woohoo, Party!

Who let the monkeys out?

2007-06-13T09:26:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we went to the zoo with some friends. All of Brinkley's little friends are boys, and she's taller than all of them! Someone, please have a girl soon!

YIKES!

2007-06-13T09:17:00.000-07:00

Brinkley is SO
not a morning person.
Just like her mom!

Ally's Newborn Pics

2007-06-12T17:12:00.000-07:00

I never got a chance
to send out a birth
announcement for Ally,
so I am going to go ahead
and blog the stats.
She was born March 16, 2007,
and was 4 weeks early.
She weighed 5lbs, 8 ounces
and was 19 inches long

About Us

2007-06-08T13:34:00.000-07:00

Our fun, little family consists of Weston and I, and our two little girls. Brinkley is 2 and a half, and VERY curious. If you know her, you know exactly what I mean! She also loves her new baby sister very much. So much, that I found her laying completely on top of Ally in attempts to give her a nice sisterly hug. (This was when Ally was only 2 weeks old. Yikes! Look out for big sisters!) Ally is almost three months old, and does pretty much all the things three month old babies do. Eat, sleep, and eat some more. Once she get's a little older though, she and her sister will be prowling the nursery! Weston just turned 25, and is currently attending ASU full time. He will be graduating in December, Yahoo! This will be a very exciting time for us. As for me, I pretty much do all the things that stay at home moms do... what that is exactly, i'm still trying to figure out! But hey, now I can add blogging to the list! So, that is pretty much the Burress Family in a nutshell.