Whatch out for Falling Acorns!

Uncle Michael has had training in Anaheim (30 min away from us) for the past month and then for another 3 weeks (and Alta has been staying with him). We see them almost every weekend and Alta came and stayed with us for 10 days while Michael went back home. We LOVED having Alta here and miss her so much! We have only 1 more weekend with them until they go back home :(

Here's a couple things we have done...

We went hiking one Saturday, the weather was overcast and I was afraid it might rain, but we got lucky. It was great hiking weather, not too hot or too cold. Although it wouldn't have mattered, there were so many trees that we were in the shade the majority of the time. It was a beautiful hike. There were certain places though that you had to watch out for falling acorns!
the boys cooling off at the stream
there were huge catface spiders everywhere!
the kids and I by the waterfall
my cute boys!

We also did A LOT of swimming. Reid has become quite the pro at it also. He had only 1 summer of lessons and then taught himself how to do the breathing part! We're still working on Lliam, he's my timid one when it comes to water.

isn't she adorable?!

yee haw!

Pretty much the boys wanted to be with Alta for her DS!

Naw, they love her for so much more than her DS, but it is a plus!

Reid!

All About the Burtons...

It is very difficult to be living so far away from family, we got used to being close and seeing family almost every couple weeks. I get jealous when I hear about various activities that we missed out on because we are not close enough to make a quick trip of it. However, we are grateful to be closer to my family, are making some amazing friends here and are enjoying our time we have together...we are especially LOVING the weather!
(BTW, the pictures are not in any specific order, just thought I'd add them to the post. I can't ever just read a post, I like to have pictures also!)

Jed would be the busiest one, there have been times when we see more of him than I thought we would. So far it hasn't been too bad but I keep hearing that the worst is yet to come, so we're trying to make the most of it while we have him home!



I was cutting his hair and the front curled up, definitely time for a haircut!


She's foaming at the mouth!!! Her shirts are typically drenched within a half hour!

Reid absolutely loves school and his teacher! Sometimes he'll have bad days but thankfully most days are great and he does so well. He loves to learn and says he wants to stay young so he can always go to kindergarten and have Mrs. Martin as a teacher! She is such a wonderful teacher and very understanding and experienced!




Lliam doesn't always take naps anymore because he is never home! Such a social bug! Every now and then I can sneak one in while he is watching a movie (he usually never lasts). This time he fell asleep while watching Reid play computer games!




Some of Jed's work! He's going to be a great Dentist!



Lliam falling asleep during dinner time! I think he just didn't want to eat his broccoli! (He has actually fallen asleep in the car while singing to Adaire!

Lliam is busy with his friends and preschool. He has really grown since Reid went off to Kindergarten and he was left to do things on his own. He loves to play at his friend's house and go to preschool. He is usually away from me for a couple hours every day but Friday, but when Friday comes around he complains about not being with his friends!




Our red-neck swimming pool! (the door is propping up a peach limb that has a lot of peaches on it, which is why it snapped in the first place, which is why we are propping it up so the peaches would continue to ripen...it worked!)

Adaire has grown so much way too fast! She is 4 1/2 months old now and is a talker! It's sometimes hard to keep her quiet when it is time to be quiet (Sacrament Mtg, Relief Society). She loves to gnaw on anything she can put in her mouth and is a drool machine!



She feel asleep on her changing table...unfortunately she doesn't fall asleep on her own much.

As for me, I am keeping busy. When I think I have a spare minute, something else pops in my head that needs to be done. I love preparing meals for Jed, walking Reid to school, teaching Lliam preschool (when it's my turn) and making my baby girl smile! All in all, I love being a wife and a mother.

PLEASE HELP MY FRIEND

If you don't feel like reading it all, all you have to do is click on the link at the bottom and vote for thesassysaver. PLEASE do this for my friend, she is amazing and truly deserves this!

Dear Friends and Family,

First I want to say thanks for reading this. Some of you know that I run a frugal living blog called The Sassy Saver. I write about coupons and living within your means. We have been so blessed to be able to live debt free our entire marriage and I am hoping to be able to continue that cycle.

With Matthew looking at going to Law School next year we may have to go into debt for that. I am hoping that I can make enough money by writing my blog that we can pay for living expenses while he is in Law School. This will cut our debt in half if we have to get into debt. I am needing to learn more about blogging and earning money through it so I can work from home and help our family in the process.

I have registered with Savings.com to become what is called a deal pro. This means that I am given the opportunity to go to the Savings.com blogging conference in Chicago where I will learn all about blogging and earning money. This will also give me a chance to share what I know through their website which will bring me a lot of traffic to my site and give me more of an opportunity to achieve my goal of earning enough money for our family.

If you could please take a moment to Vote for me in the contest. There will be 15 people chosen and they will choose it by the votes they receive, their website and the advice we give. The voting is very important because it tells them who the people trust and look to for the tips they need.

It only takes a moment just click and vote. Thank you so much!!!!
http://saveup.savings.com/?contestants=thesassysaver

Melissa

Finally...an Update!

I finally have a moment to sit down and update my blog! After spending 5 hours at the DMV yesterday (to register both vehicles and get California licenses-don't get me started, I still have to go back) I am ready for a break!

First on the updating...our house! Yes, we finally have a place of our own (sortof, we are renting). BUT we do not have to share a wall/ceiling/backyard with anyone! I can send my boys out back without worrying too much what they are getting into! (They are decedents of Jed however, so curiosity and mischievousness comes natural).
Here are some before, during and after pictures of our house...


The kitchen floor

The bathroom floor

The boarder in the kitchen (and Grandma scraping it off)

The dining room/office floor once the carpet was pulled up.

Daddy and Grandpa painting the room (they did the whole house ALL night Sunday night)

The new floor in the kitchen and bathroom

Our new carpet and walls

Mr. L helping grandma!

Daddy had his white coat ceremony (pictures to come). The boys were quite proud of their Daddy, when it was his turn they both stood up on their chairs and yelled "Yeah Dad! You're cool Dad!" (Video to come)


Daddy with his white coat and Loops

We've been able to go to the beach twice so far. These pictures are from last week after the first big test (he passed!)


Daddy and friend fishing and crabbing



Mr. L and Mr. R having fun at the beach

The boys have made some great friends. Luckily a great family we had met our first time coming down had two grandsons the same age as the boys! Mr. R started kindergarten, had a little bit of a rough start (class clown=trouble maker), but he quickly learned the rules and is doing GREAT!

Mr. L will be starting preschool soon (Mommy and some friends are doing a co-op) and both Mr. L and mommy are excited about it!



And last but not least...Squeaks! She now weighs about 10 lbs and loves to smile and talk to you! I think she's even starting to laugh! She is very alert, loves to look around and does not like the wind just yet!

As for how mommy is handling things...I'm doing quite well! I don't feel quite like a widow yet, but I'm sure that will change soon. Luckily the University also has some clubs for us widows to join to meet and support each other. Also Mr. L and his friend trade days playing at each other's houses so mommy and her friend get breaks also! It's quite nice only having 1 child at home!

On the Road Again!

Just dropping a quick post while my mother'S are loading up the last of the stuff in our 2nd trailer! Jed is already in California with Nelson (his dad) and are stressing about what to do with the floors...we may not be able to move in right away.

Nancy will leave tonight with the load and my mom and I will leave tomorrow with the boys...and my baby girl!

Took us a couple day longer to finish everything, but at least we got it done...I can officially say i do NOT enjoy packing up and moving.

NEXT STOP...ONTARIO, CALIFORNIA!

Adaire Clarice Burton

A.K.A. Squeaks, Baby Girl, Addie

Here's her first picture taken at the hospital. She was born on Saturday, June 12 at 6:18AM.
Weight: 6 lb 13 oz
Length: 19 inches

Details: Wednesday i started feeling contractions but nothing consistent. Friday I worked like crazy cleaning (unfortunately not my house so mine was a complete mess)! Alta, Jed's sister, was in town because she was going to pick up her hubby Saturday morning. All evening Friday I kept thinking this would be the perfect time for my baby to come, we had a babysitter and Jed wouldn't have to take any days off of work.

So onn Friday as i cleaned the contractions started becoming more and more frequent. Around 10:30-11 we decided to head on into the hospital. I was dilated to a 2 and after 2 1/2 hours later i was almost at a 3. So the nurse said we can either go home and wait or stay another hour. I chose to go home. 10 minutes after I laid down in my bed...my water broke! So we headed back to the hospital and I was at a 5. We had called Jed's mom and she took off (it takes her 2 hours to get to us). It was now about 2:30 and I was tired!

Once i was back in the hospital bed they instantly started sticking me with everything imaginable...plus the epidural! The boys had actually requested to be there when the baby was born. So once I was dilated to an 8 (at about 5:00AM) Jed called Alta and told her to bring the boys (Alta was excited too to be able to be there)! 10 minutes before Adaire made her appearance everyone arrived.

Reid and Lliam wanted to be right in front to watch everything unfold (we discussed the process of the birth prior to this day so they knew somewhat what to expect). Unfortunately there was maconium (baby's first poop) in my water and she had inhaled some as she came out (very common). However, right when she came out she let out a good cry, they did pump 10ccs out of her lungs though.

Nancy took the boys out home with her so I had a whole week to relax and recover with just my baby girl! Jed did stay home Monday and Tuesday and cleaned and waited on me hand and foot! He wouldn't let me do a thing but relax! What a great man :)

She has been a great baby! She took to nursing like a champ and sleeps well. Most nights she wakes up 2ce but falls right back to sleep after she eats. We are super excited to have our baby sister and the boys just absolutely adore her...especially Lliam!

Picture Overload!

I've noticed my blog has been lacking pictures recently and now that I have a 4 day weekend all to myself (Jed took the boys out to Grandma's house) so that I can clean and pack and rest...I've decided to use some of this time to update our blog. There will probably be 1 more post to come before we move (after the baby comes so you can all see her). Here are some recent happenings (aside from cleaning, working, and packing) in the Burton life...

Reid's last day of preschool was Wednesday 26th, Lliam and I were able to come and play the whole time. Lliam absolutely loves going to Reid's preschool and would ask every day if he could go too (and Reid would say Yes and that his teachers didn't mind him being there without me!)

They sang my favorite song, Tooty Ta! So although Reid looks like he's constipated or something...he isn't, he just has his 'thumbs up, elbows back, feet apart, knees together, bottoms up, tongue out and eyes shut!
He had some great teachers whom he loved so much!Ms. AnnaMs. Danielle (his favorite)

Ms. Maria (they had a lot of spanish speaking kids in the class, which is a good introduction to the world he'll be in come kindergarten)!

Recently, Jed has been taking advantage of the mountain we live next to and every chance the boys get they go with him! Reid is now a hiking fool and will keep up, if not outlast, anyone!

They always find interesting things on their hikes and usually come home with 'treasures' (thankfully only crushed lids or cool looking rocks).

The view from where they usually hike to.

REID TURNED 5!
So, I know this happened a couple months ago, but it is still crazy for me to think I have a 5 year old who will be going to kindergarten!!!We had a family party at my aunt Rachel's house. Reid wanted a Ninja Turtle cake!

He kept making goofy faces while we were singing to him!

And at the end he shouted for himself! (Spencer and Evie are next to him, they are the only friends he wanted at his party).

About 2 months ago we took some pictures at a golf course
near our friend's house.I was about 27 weeks pregnant

Find a place to live...CHECK!

We're here in sunny SoCal! Loving the weather and the amazing people around us (at least the ones that we have met and talked to!) We have found a place to rent and will possibly end up purchasing it. It's not a big, fancy place but it will work for us! We are super excited about it and will be moving in in July!

We have truely been blessed by the Lord and are grateful for all of the help and support we have received. This week we have been blessed by complete strangers, willing to take us in their home and allowing us to stay, sleep, shower and eat their food! They have gone above and beyond what they were asked to do and have been inspired many times on our behalf. We truely would not have found this home without them! If you are ever in the position where you can serve someone, please do not hesitate. Sometimes you are the recipient of an inspiration which will change the lives of others!

Next step...have a healthy, beautiful little girl! (Oh and pack up!)

Long overdue! A 'quick' update!

I am long overdue for a post and unfortunately am not able to add pictures to this one...our computer also decided to break down on us along with the others!

Here's our list of To Dos and what we have accomplished...(and still need to do)
1. Fix EVERYTHING that has broken down (or replace)
Jed has been wonderful at accomplishing this part! Our car is now fixed thanks mostly to our amazing friend, Adam, who repaired and replaced everything at no cost to him! The most recent item to break down is our computer and that is semi-fixed, hopefully enough so we can retrieve everything off of it (Thanks Austin)

2. Re-organize and de-junk EVERYTHING
Jed again has done mostly all of this! Thanks babe! We're just about done and ready to start packing! Beware though if you ever visit...there's not much space amongst our piles and boxes!

3. Visit SoCal and find a place to rent
This will happen next week...at least the visiting and looking part. I'm crossing my fingers I'll find a place. Yes I am talking about myself, I will be 6 weeks due and will be in Cali! Jed hopefully will have a job and will not be able to make it so his mom is coming with me! She has midwife experience so I trust her knowledge and judgment IF anything should happen!
WE ARE STILL IN NEED OF A PLACE TO STAY WHILE VISITING, IF ANYONE KNOWS ANYONE IN THE AREA (NEAR POMONA), PLEASE SEE IF WE CAN STAY WITH THEM (WE'LL EVEN SHARE A BED-NO PROBLEM)!

4 Figure out insurance, register Reid for Kindergarten, and finalize school stuff
Jed's doing the school stuff and is pretty much done, just needing a physical. He's had to get about 10 shots already! Hopefully when I'm in Cali I'll be able to figure out the insurance and Reid's schooling.

5. Figure out how to get everything to Cali
The biggest thing is having enough money to move...like I said earlier, hopefully Jed will have a job and that will cover moving expenses. We will be moving white-trash style...in a horse trailer and are blessed to have amazing friends who are lending us there's for 6 weeks (hopefully we don't need it THAT long!) Thanks Roger and Kellie!

6. Pack up, load up, and move!
That will come at the end of June and beginning of July. No specific dates yet and it's driving me crazy!!!

7. oh yeah...and have a baby!
Unless she chooses to come earlier, June 14th will be her birthday! I need something definite (or close to) in my life so I will be induced then! We will bless her on July 4th!

Things are slowly coming along and decisions and dates are finally being finalized! Although we still have A LOT to do before the baby comes! (And then more after she arrives). During this whole process I have come to realize that we truely have amazing friends! Thank you to all who have helped us and have offered to help, we really can't do it all without you!

I truely LOVE their imagination!

My boys have the biggest imaginations ever! Every day they tell me that they are something new, or they are playing a new game. Usually these games contain fighting bad guys, hotwheels, crazy fishies in the sea, super powers, and many more! This morning Lliam was a FIRE STATUE and just barely Reid told Jed,
"When I am naked you can see the hotwheels on me that make me go fast!"
Another thing Reid has told Jed is, "Because he loves both mommy and daddy the same, he can switch teams whenever he wants to." (FYI: We race a lot, to the car, to the house, etc. Reid usually chooses to be on the team that wins!)