4th of July Fun

We celebrated the 4th of July this year with Mom and Dad Burningham as well as Andy and Kimra and their three cute boys. We picked up Mom and Dad B. near the Louisville airport on Thursday morning. After a trip to Costco and the drive home, we hung out and talked about Ethan until Jason could leave work. :) We ate dinner and played games until Andy and Kimra arrived a little after 9:00pm. That's when the party really got started! :)

Friday we drove East of Cincinnati to the Winton Woods park. We had a picnic lunch and the kids played on a wet and dry playground. We also took a stroll part way around the small lake there and found some turtles. We planned our activities for really hot humid weather, but the weather cooled down for the weekend so it was really nice outside. We headed back to our condo for pulled-pork sandwiches, corn on the cob, and watermelon.

Winton Woods Park

Ethan and Daddy

Super yummy dessert!

Ethan celebrated his 11 mo. mark on the 4th of July

Saturday morning we drove to Newport on the Levee and took a "Ride the Ducks" tour of Cincinnati. Our driver and tour guide did a good job of making it fun, especially for the kids. We were a little disappointed that our tour time conflicted with a parade in Cincinnati so we didn't get to drive around Cincinnati and see where Jason works. After the tour we ate lunch at a nearby restaurant where the sports fans could watch one of the World Cup games. Then we walked across the purple people bridge (a pedestrian bridge) from Newport, Kentucky across the Ohio River to Cincinnati before heading home. It was interesting to see all the locks that people put on the chain link fences along the bridge. I guess when people get engaged, married, or for other things, they put a lock on the fence and throw the key away to symbolize "forever." Kind of a cool way to create a memory that you can re-visit.

Ride the Ducks tour

Cincinnati in the background

Purple People Bridge

Jason is pointing to the building where he works on the 11th floor

When we got home, everyone else went swimming at our pool while Ethan, Jason, and I all took a nap. Apparently everyone else had a really fun time though and the boys didn't want to come back in. We had pizza for dinner and played games with the kids until it was time to drive to Independence, KY for a fireworks show. We arrived close to the time the fireworks were going to start and the place was packed! We got separated from Andy and Kimra's mini-van, but Jason and I ended up finding a great spot where we could see the whole sky from our windshield. I played "God Bless America" and other great tunes on my iPhone, so we had our own personalized fireworks show from our CR-V.

I love fireworks! :)

Sunday morning Andy and Kimra left to drive back to Illinois and rest of us got ready for church meetings at 1:00. It was our first day to attend the Union Presbyterian Church. The chapel where we usually meet in Hebron is being expanded to accommodate our growing numbers, so the leaders arranged with this Presbyterian Church to rent their building to us on Sundays. It is a nice building and we're happy to cut our commute time from 17 minutes to 7 minutes on Sundays. I played the piano for Sacrament Meeting since our organist was out of town. It's always a little nerve-wracking to play, but I think it turned out well. Jason had meetings and errands most of the day, but we had some time together in the evening.

Cute Burningham Boys (Mack, Ethan, Drew, and Grant) Mack would only be in the picture if he could hold Ethan. :)

Monday we took a walk at South Forth Park, ate lunch at Skyline Chili, and played games in the afternoon. That night we watched the movie Courageous, one of Jason's favorites, and all enjoyed it. Tuesday Jason and Dad B worked from our condo and I took Mom and Dad B. back to the airport that afternoon to fly back to Las Vegas. We had a great time with everyone and were glad that we could spend time with family for the first time this year.

South Fork Park

Skyline Chili

Ethan with Grandma and Grandpa B

First Father's Day

So since recovering from our Washington DC vacation, we haven't been up to too much. I have spent a lot of time experimenting with foods that Ethan can and will eat. The whole transition from pureed food to table food is pretty tricky if you ask me! Ethan has now tried a lot of new foods, but one of his favorite, for now, is wheat toast with butter. I'm sure it would probably be ice cream if we let him try it. :)

Now that Ethan is 10 months he's been trying out a few new tricks like clapping his hands, pointing, and doing squats. He likes to try to make other people smile and laugh when we're at the stores, and when he heard the congregation laugh at church the other day, he chimed in his own laugh afterwards. He still won't crawl; he won't even get up on his hands and knees. Now that he can stand, that's all he wants to do. Fortunately he can balance on his fisher price toy and that's where we leave him, so he can stand to his heart's content.

We had a nice Father's Day. We went to stake conference for our church meetings, which made the day nice and long since Jason didn't have as many other meetings as normal. Ethan wore a onesie that says, "Awesome like Daddy," for the occasion and he gave Jason a cute plate with his footprints on it. Both Ethan and I feel pretty blessed to have Jason. He is such a great dad and husband. Even after a long day of work he is always trying to help out at home with Ethan or dinner or dishes. Ethan and I are both so glad when daddy comes home!

Washington DC

For Memorial Day we took a family vacation to Washington DC. It wasn't long into the trip before I realized that vacationing with a baby takes a lot of the "vacation" out of the trip. So it wasn't a surprise that I was exhausted at the end of every day and was happy to return home to normal schedules and naps. Overall, it was a great adventure and we're glad we got to experience DC.

Cheryl and Wayne

While visiting DC, we stayed with Jason's aunt and uncle. They were so good to us and fed us well. That was the one true part of the vacation, a break from making meals. :) I enjoyed visiting the Janzens and getting to know them better, and it didn't take Ethan long to warm up to them either! Thanks, Cheryl and Wayne!

Since you would all get bored of a full recap, here are the favorites and highlights.

Jason's favorites: listening to 1776 by David McCullough on the 11-12 hr. drive there and back, listening to and asking questions of a superb Lady Washington actress at Mount Vernon, talking to Cheryl and Wayne

Julie's favorites: visiting the Washington DC Temple Visitor's Center, walking around the beautiful monuments and memorials, watching the Mount Vernon 4D movie "The Revolutionary War" where it actually snowed on us in the theater

Least Favorites: Ethan throwing up all over Jason in the Air and Space Museum (fortunately, we brought a change of clothes for Ethan--unfortunately, we did not for Jason), cold and rainy weather when visiting the memorials (thanks for the extra umbrella, Cheryl), trying to find a private place anywhere to nurse (we ended up being creative and loosening our definition of "private"), going to the Air and Space Museum twice and never really seeing an exhibit, trying to decide what to do when and constantly revising our plans once we decided what to do.

Washington DC temple

Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, WWII Memorial, Jefferson Memorial

Korean War Memorial, FDR Memorial, the White House, Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial

Memorial Day at Arlington Cemetery - apparently the place to be since Pres. Obama was there too - Merlon's (Grandpa R.'s brother's) grave, and the tomb of the unknown soldier

Mount Vernon

Ford's Theatre, the Metro, the Capitol Building (including Brigham Young)

Some of the Smithsonians: Air and Space Museum, Natural History, & American History (including a Sunstone Capital from the Nauvoo Temple)

How we traveled on our trip - we also rode a hop on/hop off bus the last day which helped us stay out of the rain somewhat

We learned a lot from this trip and would change a lot if we were to go back and do it again. But, we did it, and that's what counts! I can finally cross this off my bucket list. If anyone wants any Do's and Don'ts of visiting Washington DC with a 10-month-old, let me know!

May update

The view driving into Cincinnati, Ohio from Kentucky

I keep meaning to get this update written, but life keeps getting in the way. I just wanted to write about a few interesting happenings.

Our Easter basket

Our celebration of Easter was pretty low-key, although I really like the LDS Church's social media campaign #BecauseofHim. All the video messages, etc. helped us focus much more on Christ's life this year. I enjoyed my favorite Easter candy, Cadbury eggs and jellybeans, and Ethan has been enjoying sucking, biting, and throwing Easter eggs for the last several weeks. :)

Colsen being silly in the rain

Mother's Day included even more mothering than usual. Jason and I stayed with 3 children in our ward for about 24 hours while their parents were on a trip. Ages 8, 6, and 2, the kids were well behaved and fun to be around. Ethan enjoyed having different scenery and different toys to play with. He took naps and slept well at night, so we're crossing our fingers for the same results on our trip to D.C.

I had an interesting "first" experience a couple weeks ago. I bought some fresh salmon, and for the first time in my life, I cooked fish for dinner! I'm not generally a seafood lover and I really dislike the smell of seafood, but this salmon was amazing with no fishy smell! It tasted so yummy, I may have to try it again sometime.

One change that has made things a little easier lately is that Jason was released from the Young Men's and called as the Ward Clerk. Although this means more meetings for him, it also means Jason can take Ethan on Wednesday nights and during class on Sundays when I teach in Young Women's, which will be super helpful!

Happy Mother's Day!

Other than that, we're busy with the usual things...shopping, laundry, library visits, cooking, feeding and going out with missionaries, fellowshipping, visiting teaching, home teaching, book clubs, and doctor's appointments. Fortunately the weather has been really great, so we've also been able to go for walks at the park near our condo. Walking in the park is probably one of my favorite things to do. It's so quiet and beautiful in the mornings. I love it!

I love these two guys!!

Finally, if you're still reading, here's a neat experience I had a few weeks ago...

Saturday morning I felt prompted to write a note to a beehive, Lucy, in our YW that has been struggling. It was a little less busy today and I found some time to write a letter on a card for her. While I was writing the note, I felt prompted to give her a copy of one of my favorite picture books. I just happened to have an extra copy of it on my bookshelf in my room. I quickly wrapped up the book and put the card on the front.

I considered mailing it, but I wanted her to have it as soon as possible and I didn't want to bother with the post office since I was now including the book. I had the feeling that I needed to get it to her that day. I told Jason about it and suggested that we stop by her house on the way back from our big grocery trip in Cincinnati. He agreed. So after our 2 1/2 hour grocery trip, we took an extra 20 minutes to drive to Lucy’s house to deliver the package. Lucy's mom happened to be out in the front yard with their dog and approached us as we pulled into the driveway. I got out of the car and handed her mom the package and told her it was for Lucy. She immediately started crying and thanking me. I told her I just felt inspired to bring it.

A few minutes later as we were driving home I received a text message from Lucy's mom. It said: "Wow. Lucy squealed in delight at the book. I had never heard of it but Lucy said, 'no way. I have always wanted this book but I didn't know how to describe it to you!!' I am thrilled. So we have a date to read it together tonight before bed. Just can't thank you enough for caring. The letter was so beautiful and spot on too Julie. You really were inspired."

It was difficult to hold back tears as I read that text message and knew that the Lord knew and loved Lucy and let me be his messenger to deliver His love. I'm so grateful that I followed the prompting and could be part of that little love note from heaven for Lucy.

Happy Mother's Day!

I love this quote from Rachel Jankovic, quoted by Elder Neil L. Anderson in a recent General Conference.

 

http://www.brassyapple.com/2013/05/joy-of-motherhood-happy-mothers-day.html

It's pretty much how I feel about motherhood. I feel like I waited a LONG time to be a mother -- although not as long as some. Waiting was a very difficult trial for me. It's hard to describe the difficulty of it unless you've had to wait for something you wanted very much and didn't know if you'd ever get. I learned many lessons while I waited, some too personal to share on a blog. But I know the Lord did not leave me alone while I waited, and I know there was a purpose for why I was being asked to wait. Knowing those two things got me through many tough days, including Mother's Day.
 
Each mother has unique gifts and talents. One of my mother's gifts is music, and I'm so grateful that she shared that gift with me. She taught me to love and appreciate music. Because of my mom's patience and encouragement, I can sing and play the piano. I've come to appreciate that gift more and more the older I get.

I'm also very grateful to my mother for teaching me the true value of women. She has always loved and nurtured me, and I'm so grateful for her lifetime of service and sacrifice. I hope that I can live up to that example and teach my children to do the same. 

Another one of my favorite quotes is from Margaret D. Nadauld:

http://weseeitandmakeit.blogspot.com/2012/05/women-of-god.html

 I'm grateful that I personally know so many "Women of God," including my mom, mother-in-law, sisters, sisters-in-law, and close friends. Thanks to all of you for showing me what this looks like!

Ethan's 9 Month Milestone

Ethan is 9-months old today. It's hard to believe that it's already been that long! We had our well check visit and here are the stats:

Weight     20.2 lbs     47%
Height      29 in.        76%
Head Cir.  18 in.        64%

He is very happy generally, except when he's teething....which seems like a lot recently. He has 5 teeth now and two on the way. From personal experience I can testify that they are nice and sharp! He has also discovered the joys of rolling around. He doesn't do it constantly, but a couple times a day he'll happily roll all around the room. He hasn't made an attempt at scooting or crawling yet, but he's starting to get more frustrated when his toys are out of reach (usually because he threw them there) so we'll see if he has more motivation to get them. Ethan can also be quite the talker. He can say mamamamama and dadadadada along with several other sounds. He'll also usually respond to his name when called. His favorite food are those fruit puffs. I just introduced them yesterday and he gets really excited when I pull out the canister. Another favorite is being upside down, even just tilting his head back so it seems like he's upside down puts a smile on his face.

It's fun to see Jason interact and play with Ethan. We had everyone's attention at Costco the other day as Jason was making Ethan laugh and laugh. I think Jason and I will need to start talking about our discipline philosophies though. For example, Ethan started throwing his toys at the pews during the sacrament and started distracting everyone around us. Jason didn't even hesitate, he just poked Ethan right in the eye! It must have worked because Ethan stopped throwing the toys and started screaming really loud instead. They both made a speedy exit. Maybe we'll have to hold off on the poking punishment until Ethan gets a little older. : ) (Actually, Jason was trying to intercept a throw mid arm-swing and accidentally got Ethan's eye along the way. Ethan didn't cry nearly as long as I would have if someone poked me in the eye.)

One night last week Ethan must have been really bad because Jason fed him lemon juice with his oatmeal instead of a pineapple juice/apple sauce mixture. When I got home and discovered what happened I asked what Ethan's face looked like when he tasted it. Jason said he just took it like a man and ate a few more bites. I tried the lemon oatmeal concoction the next day and, boy, was it sour! I guess this just proves that a hungry boy will eat anything! I guess it also proves that I need to label my baby food jars a little better. :)

April Update

We love just watching General Conference. The whole weekend is dedicated to it. This was great timing since Jason still wasn't feeling well after a week of the flu. I made cinnamon rolls and we just sat and watched all the sessions of conference. It was a little weird having the sessions shifted so that they were at 12, 4, and 8. I'm so used to 10, 2, and 6 that it made my whole day seem off. :)

Jason and I have made it a tradition lately of always signing two verses of "Follow the Prophet" to Ethan before he goes to bed. He loves it and now recognizes the song as soon as we start singing it. This is Ethan "meeting" the Prophet for the first time. :)

Ethan and the Prophet, President Thomas S. Monson

Watching Conference together

8 month photo shoot -- I tried to be a little more creative with my pictures :)

We love this book!

South Fork Trail

We took our first walk on South Fork Trail near our house. It's so close that we walked to the trail head. This was the first time Ethan wore these bright blue socks and he kept noticing the socks and playing with his feet all day. :) Soon these trees in the background will be covered in leaves.

Louisville Temple

We went to the temple again on Saturday. I got to see one of my ward friends sealed to her family. It was so beautiful!!! I was so glad I got to be there. Jason watched Ethan and then we switched so he could go on a session.

Just wanted to show how close the temple is to the stake center. We watch Ethan in the stake center when it's cold.

Quick family picture near the temple parking lot. It's surrounded by woods. It was a perfect day outside!