Belated Four Year Aniversary Post

Back on June 13th we celebrated our four year anniversary! Oh how time flys! We look so young in these pictures! The first one is our engagement picture and the rest are from our wedding day.

For our anniversary we went out to dinner at a place called Cap City Dinner and ate some really yummy food. The waiter even gave us two huge pieces of amazing chocolate cake at no cost. We were so full that we put them in the fridge for later and I think I ended up eating almost all of them (thanks sweetie). There's been a few times when I've eaten more than my share of sweets when chocolate is involved. Jake never lets me forget that one summer I ate an entire box of thin mints before he had a chance to eat one (he must have been out of town).

I am reminded daily of how lucky I am to be married to Jake! He is always doing kind thoughtful things for me and making sure I get a break from the business of motherhood. My last night in Utah this last trip I was really missing Jake. So... right before I went to bed I sent him a cute little romantic text. I knew Jake was driving back home after his flight from Guatemala and I knew he was alone (not that anyone else ever reads his texts anyway). However, little did I know, he had decided to take home three extra people from the airport. So... when I sent him my text, and he was driving, he had the guy sitting next to him read it out loud for him (reading texts while driving is a no no of course). Oh yes, there were quite a few chuckles as Jake's face blushed a few shades of red. Luckily for me, these people live a few hours away and I don't think I will ever meet them. However, Jake has learned his lesson never to let friends read his texts, especially when they are from your wife that you haven't seen in two weeks and it's really late at night;)

Jake, thanks for being such a wonderful husband and for helping me laugh through life's crazy and embarrassing moments!

Why is the sky blue?

A few weeks ago I was able to go out with a friend and take some fun pictures of the girls. Despite needing to learn my camera better I was still able to capture some cute shots. As I say in almost every post, the girls are just growing up so fast!
Madison loves to ask questions. The other day she asked the classic kid question, "Why is the sky blue?" I told her about how blue is a beautiful calm color and how Heavenly Father wanted they sky blue so we could feel peace when we looked at it. Jake told me that he would have talked about the atmosphere, nitrogen... and given a very scientific answer. Madison I am sure would have made up her own answer if she didn't like either one. When she was little she would ask what color something was but would already be determined to call it pink, even if I said blue. Madison absolutely loves to drink Ovaltine and she has decided that if milk comes from cows Ovaltine comes from horses. She says that mommy horses feed their baby horses Ovaltine. What a funny girl!

Emerie is Madison's little shadow these days and she is our little climber. I have walked into the kitchen to find her on top of the table, yikes! We don't want to pay any visits to the ER even though we might get a chance to see daddy:) This morning she saw Madison pull a chair over to help me make pancakes. She then grabbed another chair and pulled it over to the counter so she could climb up too. She is much too little to be trusted standing on anything. Chair scooting opens a whole new world of mischief. Let's hope she forgets the possibilities and new freedoms opened up to her by tomorrow! Whenever she climbs up on something or is proud of something she has done she yells,"I did it!" It's very cute! And... when you catch her in something she shouldn't be doing she gives a sly smile and says, "Hi!" as if to change the subject and distract us from what she is doing.
Both girls have loved being home with Jake again and not a day goes by that they don't run and climb on him yelling ,"Daddy, daddy, daddy, horsey ride!" When Jake is gone Emerie will often yell, "Daddy, where are you?" or "Where daddy go?" It's very cute! When I say I love my girlies! Madison reminds me that they're, "Daddy's girlies, not mommies!" Yep Jake has tagged that phrase for sure. We love our sweet little girls!

Utah Trip!

Last week I ventured out to Utah, flying by myself with both girls (ages 2 and 15 months) to surprise my older sister Becky. She was expecting her fourth and it was fun to be there with the family when little McKay arrived.

The girls did surprisingly well and we didn't have any major breakdowns! When the plane took off both girls yelled WEEEEEEEE, giving everyone a good laugh. Emerie was a little wiggly at first but once she realized getting off my lap wasn't an option then things went a lot better. And... amazingly enough all three of us fit in an airplane bathroom. Emerie of course had a messy diaper on the last leg of the flight when the fasten seatbelt sign was on. Whenever I askthe flight attendant if I can change the diaper they always say, "You gotta do what you gotta do." I think they don't mind us risking unknown turbulence rather than have everyone around me endure the smell.

We arrived in Utah late afternoon and went over to Becky's later in the day when she was out running an errand. We hid in my niece's room and when Becky got home Kensie told her mom she had a surprise for her. She was very excited to see us and very surprised!

On our trip we were able to celebrate not only the birth of baby McKay but four other family birthdays and my sister Emily got engaged while I was there. Emerie figured out how to sing Happy, happy, happy, and learned how to stuff chocolate cake up her nose. It was great to have an explanation to the brown stuff still coming out of her nose the next morning. Madison loved dancing, dressing up, reading stories and the pizza play place we went to for Kensie's b-day. She wanted to ride the carousel over, and over and over. She must not have my motion sickness gene because I got dizzy just watching her. They also had a great time at the glow in the dark golf course!

Both girls loved waking up at my moms house to find lots of friends and their cat to play with. Emerie chased the cat everywhere and learned how to climb on the couch yelling, "I did it!" as she grabbed the cat's tail in his favorite resting spot. Most of my siblings are still at home so the girls were completely spoiled with with lots of attention! The girls loved having tea parties with my mom and Madison loved reading the Nurse Nancy book with my dad. Emerie was pretty nervous about new people and grumpy to almost everyone. She warmed up the quickest to my dad and loved giving high fives to Jefferey.

Madison had her first sleepover with her cousins, slept through the night and didn't notice that I wasn't there when she woke up. Emerie stayed just for movie night and discovered how much fun it was to feed everyone Kix. You couldn't "fake eat" with Emmie, she made sure the Kix were all the way in your mouth.

And of course, summer in Utah wouldn't be complete without a few trips to grandma and grandpa Cumming's pool. We can never get enough of grandma's cookies, splashing in the pool, and spending time with grandma and grandpa "Pocco" (nick named after their dog). Madison loved relaxing after pool time in front of Mary Poppins and Emerie loved looking for pocco. Madison and Emerie were fearless in the water and loved jumping off the side of the pool. It definitely kept me on my toes.

Utah Trip with the Snows!

Jake's parents were up at Snowbird when we arrived in Utah so we were able to go up a few times and enjoy the beautiful mountain scenery. It is so nice to see mountains again and breath some beautiful mountain air! The girls loved the summer activities they had at Snowbird. Both Emerie and Madison spent lots of time in the bouncy house castle and Madison loved sliding down the big slide.

They had a great time running across bridges and playing at the playground with the Snow cousins.

Mana (Grandma Snow) played cards with the kids and read them lots of stories. Grandpa loved teasing them and making them laugh, even when the were grumpy from too much playing;) I was a very brave mother and let Madison go up the lift with Uncle Brian and down the Alpine slide with Grandpa. Madison of course loved it!

We all took a trip up the gondola (very scary for someone afraid of heights) to enjoy the very hight beautiful view on top. I did notice in the picture of us with the stroller that Madison is pulling Emerie's hair. What cute sisterly love:)

We were able to celebrate Mana's birthday and spend a day at Utah's zoo. Emerie loved the bird show and said whoa to everything she saw. Madison however had reached her over tired threshold at the beginning of the show so I quietly gave her a few contraband fun fruits that were illegal during such a show. Luckily none of the birds dove done for an extra treat and I was able to avoid a full on tantrum during a show where you must remain seated and can not leave.

Madison was able to show her full tiredness after the carousel ended and she didn't want to get off. You can see her sadness in the picture to the left. Emerie of course imitates everything Madison does and since Madison was crying, she started to cry too. Luckily crying kids at a zoo isn't too uncommon and I was able to calm them both after a few minutes.

Madison loved playing with her grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncle's and friends. She told me she didn't want to leave Utah and that she didn't miss her dad. However, when she saw Jake at the airport she ran as fast as she could yelling "Daddy, daddy!" and gave him the cutest tightest squeeze for a long time. We always miss everyone when we leave but it's always good to be back home. Thanks to everyone for spoiling us rotten and giving us so many fun memories!

Jake's Big Three Zero

A few weeks ago Jake turned 30! Now he can't tease that he is married to a 30 year old (since my b-day is a few months before his)! I painted some cornhole boards for him in the classic BYU and UofU rivalry. Cornhole is a game we came up since living in the mid west. It's a very popular game and it's lots of fun. Who knew a bean bag toss game with rules would provide so much entertainment! We also celebrated with a BBQ and of course Jake's favorite cheesecake. It's a recipe from his grandma and it is really good! There is nothing like a good piece of cheesecake for breakfast the day after a party:)
Happy Birthday Sweetie! You are a wonderful husband, dad, and you will always be young at heart. And don't worry, I still think that spot on your head, with less hair, is a cowlick;)

The World of Madison

Magic mirrors, fairy wands, crowns, and special wishes is the fun world Madison likes to live in. Everyday is an adventure, a song, a new story, and she loves to share that world with us and her friends. Madison is such a fun girl and I never know what will happen next. She will be silly with me and then she has her moments of deep thought as you can see in these pictures. She is always asking lots of questions and she has a memory that amazes me. Madison is full of mischeif and ready for adventure. Everyday she wakes up and asks, "Where are we going, what are we doing today?" When Madison gets excited, she gets very excited. She loves to play games. Especially, "Tag carrot!" (tag your it).
When we were in South Carolina she made up an imaginary friend (it's only a phone relationship). His name is Alironi Daddy! She likes to call him on the phone and ask him what he is doing. Alironi Daddy now has a friend named Alice. It's so funny to listen to her conversations.
Madison absolutely loves friends! It is such a good thing Emerie came when she did so Madison wouldn't be alone. Whenever we go some where she asks if her friends are going to be there. When we go to a park or any place that typically has a lot of kids she always yells, "My friends are here!" Even if all the kids are complete strangers she calls them her friends. The other day we were going to our neighborhood park and she said she didn't want to go there because there weren't any friends there. She was right, not a sould was at the park that day. I told her that Emmie and I were her friends but I guess that doesn't always cut it:)

Sister Love

I love these pictures of Madison and Emerie! Despite all of the head bops, pushing, and time outs for not sharing, these two girls really do love each other. Emerie usually calls Madison ,Mani, or Madi. She has said Madison a few times but not very often. Both girls love to run into each others room depending on who wakes up first. Madison makes sure Emerie doesn't get left out and she always knows she needs even before Emerie does:) What cuties!

Cute Little Emmie!

Emerie has been doing and saying so many new things everyday! She loves to dress up, dance, tease her sister and she can be so goofy! She will try out most words and phrases. She likes to say, "Daddy, where are you!" and then Madison keeps telling her, "Daddy is at work Emmie!" Both Emerie and Madison yell, "Daddy, daddy, daddy and run as fast as they can to Jake when he gets home. She loves to say "nack" for snack and eating is also one of her favorite things:)

Emerie has called Madison her full name once or twice but usually she says Mani or Maddie. She likes to splash Madison in the bath and likes to sit on the potty just like her older sister. She even went once but we are still far from potty trained:) She loves to look at books, she loves stickers and can actually stick them on the paper. Lately Emerie has been wanting to wear all of our shoes. She often will have us put on her shoes and then she says, outside, outside. She loves to play outside and is such a little climber. She is very daring and has no fear.

Emerie loves her baby dolls and stuffed animals. Madison has a row of stuffed animals on a shelf in her room. Everyday Emerie will run in Madison's room, point, jump up and down (without lifting off the floor), smile, giggle, and makes funny noises until we get down all of the animals. She grabs each one, hugs them, and says ohhhh. It is so adorable. Emerie also likes to snuggle and will give very cute hugs and baby kisses. We love to give her hugs and big kisses on her cute cheeks!

Best Friends Reunited!

Awhile back we traveled to Toledo (where we lived for med school) to support some friends the Philbricks in the Great Strides Cystic Fibrosis walk.

We of course took advantage to visit many old friends. When Madison was a little baby my friend Julie would watch her about every other week so I could work as a college advisor at a nearby high school. Madison and her little boy Cohen grew to be the cutest little friends and they were able to pick right up where they left off. It was so much fun to watch them play! Thanks to the Sacks for being such wonderful hosts and letting us stay at there house! It was great to stay up late, eat ice cream and laugh until tears came out at those funny comedy videos. Good times!

We were also able to visit our old home and wonderful neighbors Jenni and Steve! So many fun memories in that house. I loved the ten minute walk to the Zoo, Walbridge park, the river, Wixey Bakery, Lickety Split, the train shop.... and so many more things within a minutes walk. Sigh, good times in Toledo.

Letter from Madison

For the several months Madison has had the best nursery leaders imagineable. Well, rumor has it that they are being released so Madison wanted to write a note to them to say thank you. Below is Madison's letter as transcribed word for word.

Brothers and Sister Burnett,

Thank you for being my lovely teachers. Thank you for the nice long activities. Thank you for teaching about Heavenly Father, Jesus and heaven. Thank you loving friends coloring activity. Thank you loving kind, as pretty as rainbows, birthday parties, all around outside! Thank you for loving everyone at church. Thank you for being my wonderful teacher at church. Thank you for teaching us about Jesus, the animals and the pink hammer. Thank you for giving me the purple treat. Thank you for singing some songs. Thank you for giving me some crackers and snacks. Thank you for having a nice snack. Thank you for being my teacher. I love you!