MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas filled with lots of family, friends and fun! I don't have everyone's addresses so I figured I'd put out letter up on our blog for all to see. We miss all those who live away from Utah and hope to see everyone soon. Good luck in your endeavors with the upcoming year! May the Lord be with you all with the new and exciting challenges this new year has to offer!
We love you all!
The Burtons

My Funny Boy, Reid

Reid is so cute, he is learning so much and comes up with things that his little brain understands and thinks is real. Here are a couple things he has done...

Reid and William were playing together with a box that was completely open so it was like a tunnel. They were laughing and giggling and then I hear, "Come out, Come out little buddy!" it made me tear up when i heard it. They are such good buddies and i hope will always be. (Jed calls them his little buddy, so thats where Reid picked it up from).

Just today while Reid was going potty, he noticed something on his leg...

"My owie pooped!"
For those who don't think like a 2 year old, I provided an explanation...He had a owie on his leg but now there is a brown scab.

May you always remember the cute little things your children discover!

Families Are Forever

For Thanksgiving we took family pictures. Here's on of the whole family on the Gentry side!

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse!

Reid's favorite cartoon is Mickey Mouse Club House. Mickey solves problems for his friends and whenever he gets stuck and needs a tool, he calls for Toodles who carries the different tools.


One day Reid was trying to go upstairs but I had a gate in his way that he wasn't able to move. After a few attempts to get past it, he calls out..."Ohhh Toodles" he called out a couple times, then I explained it only works on the cartoon.

Ohh the imagination and faith little ones have!

Let it Snow!!!

It finally snowed!!! Last week was the first snowfall of the year and it was a good one. Reid wanted to play in it so I bundled him up and let him loose. The kids upstairs joined him. Reid enjoyed throwing snowballs and them (an me) and at the tree, realizing that the snow sticks to the tree win it hits it. We have a little hill that they slide down on with our sled, luckily the trampoline blocks the way of going off the hill!



William wasn't exactly sure of the snow. But we'll get him used to it!


Eventually Reid got tired and cold and decided he was finished. And what better way to warm up then with some yummy hot chocolate, a nice warm beanbag and a big silky blanket!


Yesterday it snowed again. I don't care too much for the cold but when the snow sticks and blankets everything, I can't help but be greatful for the beauty it brings. These are pictures from out backyard. And our view (we're nearly beside the mountain so we have an amazing view).

Happy Birthday William!

William's 1st birthday was November 28th and now I finally have a time to post about it...

On his birthday he opened presents in the morning. It took him awhile to realize what he was able to do. Reid of course helped. Jed was running the camera and every time he would take a picture, William would stop, look up at Jed and give him a big cheesy grin. Eventually he didn't care about opening his presents and would just look at Jed, waiting for another picture to be taken!

We waited to do his birthday dinner and cake until the following Sunday, that way Jed was able to be there also. We had a yummy dinner with just our family, then came the cake! William was a little tired and didn't attack it as much as we thought he would. But he enjoyed it, and we all had a lot of fun.

It's amazing how much they grow up and how fast. I love being a mom and being able to be home with my boys all the time. I am so greatful for Jed and his desire for me to stay home with our boys as well. He works so hard for me to be able to do it. It's always fun to be able to watch their growth and to see what each day brings.

Lot's of Presents!

Earlier today we went to RC Willey to see Santa (pix to come later). When Jed came home tonight he asked Reid who was at Daddy's work...

Reid: Santa, I saw Santa.

Jed: Is he going to bring you presents?

Reid: Uh huh! Lot's of presents, on the tree!!! On the Christmas Tree!

Hope you all have a Merry Christmas!!!!

And we hope this will brighten your day. Just follow the link below (you may have to copy and paste it).

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1122436684

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!!

Thanksgiving was too short, but also was a lot of fun. We were so blessed to be able to leave Tuesday night to Mesquite, Nevada. My family took family pictures on Wednesday. It actually went quite smoothly, even with 6 little ones. But at the end of it all, it was a success!



Thursday was a lot of fun too. Between target shooting, dirt bikes and 4 wheelers, we managed to get all the food made. In total there were 38 people (including the babies). We had a lot of fun, luckily it wasn't as crazy as we all thought it would be.
Unfortunately we had to leave Thursday night, Jed had to be at work for Black Friday.



Thank you to Lance and Celeste for allowing us to use your home and turn it into a crazy place for a couple of days!

Potty Training...

Reid is officially potty trained! It was quite easy too. We spent about a week and a half with my sister and her boy, Jace, who already goes potty in the toilet. On our way home we stopped at a gas station because I needed to use the restroom and Reid said, "Mommy, me go potty in toilet." So I sat him down and he went potty in the toilet! Ever since then he would go! I never had to bribe him with any toys. All we did was sing the potty song and do the potty dance every time he would go..."Reid went potty in the toilet, potty in the toilet, potty in the toilet! Yeah!!!" He loved it. I have a feeling though that William won't be as easy though because he has always been more difficult than Reid. We'll see when it happens!


Isn't he so cute in his Thomas the Train Underwear!?

All About Reid!

I wish we could live so close to everyone so you can all see and hear what Reid comes up with. He is the funniest little ball of energy that never stops moving and talking. He has such an amazing memory it amazes me. Most of the things he remembers makes me wonder where in the world he heard them. Like the other day we were walking in Walmart to get a present for TJ (Happy Birthday) and he saw Mario (from Mario Brothers) hanging up, and he says with much excitement..."Mario, Mario!" I have absolutely no idea where he saw Mario and how he knows of him.



He also comes up with actions from animals...Once he tumbled down a chair and his pants got caught and he was hanging. He just laughed and said he's like a monkey! Just today, he said he wanted to 'squeeeeeze' like a mouse! (Like how they can squeeze through tiny places). I don't know how he knows it but he does.

My favorite though is when he brings something up he's learned in nursery. I am definitely going to miss his teacher. She knew how to teach them. Whenever we would drive by a church building he would always say, "Nook Mommy, a Temple." The other day we drove by the Mt. Timpanogos Temple and I showed him it. He said, 'Let's go in.' He is so cute!

He is my little helper, he loves to help me with William. He always wants to help feed him and does a pretty good job with it.


He is always on the go. Sometimes I wish I could bottle up some of his energy to save for later. I love my boys so much and am sooo happy to be their mommy.

How to Have a Successful Move

If you are planning a move soon, follow this advice and hopefully you will have a smooth move...
1. A couple months in advance start de-junking your house. Get rid of unnecessary items. Have a yard sale to earn more money for the move. Pack up items not used all the time.
2. The week of your move, have grandma, aunt, sister or anyone babysit your kids for 3 days (it doesn't have to be over night, but you'll need them gone during the day).
3. The first day do laundry and clean your house and prepare meals for that week and the following week.
4. The second day, pack your bags like you are going on vacation 1 week. Also start packing up your house. (When packing your boxes. Write on the top which room they go in and then on the side what is in them).
5. The third day keep packing up your house. Get as much done as you can without your kids.
6. The night (or morning) of your move have everything taken down (beds, cribs, etc.)
7. The day of your move you might want your kids babysat again, but if everything is ready it shouldn't be too difficult with them.
8. Move the bigger items first so you can set them up in it's place right away.
9. Place each box in the correct room.
10. Be sure to keep your "packed bags" separate, so you still have clothes to wear and toothbrushes and such.

Hopefully your move will go smoother and less hectic than ours did. We were no where near prepared (as I thought we were) to move. It took us longer and our place now is probably the size of the downstairs level of our old place. After storing a lot of things at Nancy and Nelson's house and making a few purchases, we are finally in our new place. We still have boxes to be emptied and our bedroom still isn't set up, but by the end of this week we will be completely settled.

Cute or Scary?!

So...Reid was playing with his friend Jonas and we told them to give each other a kiss. Jonas usually kisses people on the lips so he turned....while Reid turned and....well...you get the picture!!!!

Fresno, Santa Barbara, Oxnard; California!!!

Finally I am able to post on our trip to California.
We left on the 20th and got home on the 26th, drove all night both nights. I don't know if we'll ever do that again because our boys don't just sleep in one spot in their beds. So all night they both were trying to change positions, but couldn't because of the car seats, needless to say they cried a lot. Also the day we would arrive Jed and I were so tired we didn't really do much but try to sleep. However, it was a lot of fun. And I don't regret leaving when we had to move. (There wasn't much packing we could have done because we were still using it all).

We arrived at my parents house on Sunday morning, slept and visited. Monday I played with my mom while Jed stayed home and played with the boys! Then we played with our friend Melissa and her baby Braxton (sorry we missed you Matthew).

Tuesday Jed and I left for Santa Barbara. We were very lucky to leave the boys with Grandma and Grandpa, and Josh and Candi. Jed had learned how to go crabbing, so we bought 2 crab nets. (Each of us could have had two but they aren't very cheap). Plus we later learned (after we bought fishing licenses for the week) that it's completely free if you're doing it on the pier. It was a lot of fun surprisingly. I'm not one to sit around and wait, so we did some fishing as well. The fishing was lousy, we did catch some bait fish and the crabbing wasn't as good as Jed's friend said it would be, but we still caught some! That night we stayed out till 3 AM!!!




We stayed at the Hampton Inn (right on the pier). It was the comfiest bed I have ever slept in. I don't know if it was just because I was soooo tired, but I loved it. We usually stay at a place more inland. But for the comfort, location and the newness, it's worth paying the little extra.



Wednesday, we had a lazy and late start. We ate out at a nice seafood restaurant, 'Moby Dick', then did some more crabbing. We only stayed out until 11pm because we were going deep sea fishing the next day.



Thursday, bright and early (4:30AM), we got up and made our way to the boat. It wasn't a very good fishing day. We all caught some, but not a lot. So far it's been Jed's lousiest fishing trip on the sea. Yet it was still a lot of fun.



Right after we got off the boat we met mom and josh in Bakersfield and picked up our boys, ate dinner then headed home! Jed drove most of the way because I took Dramamine so I wouldn't get sick. I didn't feel drowsy all day until after I drove a couple hours.

Thank you Grandma and Grandpa Gentry and Josh and Candi. It was wonderful for Jed and I to finally be able to spend some time together alone! And I know the boys loved it.