Catch up. . . again

I feel like I'm starting each new blog post with 'it's been a while.' Oh well. It has. I seem to be spending my Addy nap time either napping, cleaning or cooking. Nothing else seems to get done.

We have had a fairly eventful couple of weeks, though, since our last post. We had house guests. . . Grandma and Grandpa Bursch, celebrated valentine's (with a real date!), celebrated my 31st birthday, survived Brad being out of town for a week, and have had dinner guests, play dates, outings and lots of naps.

I'm 32 weeks along in my pregnancy and sometimes it seems like we have no time left (like when I think about the life change, lack of sleep, and needing to get prepped for Baby) and sometimes it seems like forever (like when I look down and see my ever growing belly!). Things are still going smoothly and while I've got plenty of the typical pregnancy woes, in the scheme of things, everything is great.

I mentioned a visit from Grandma and Grandpa Bursch. . . their visit was timed right around my birthday and valentine's so Brad and I did get to go out on a nice date night (we forgot the camera!). We enjoyed good food and great conversation while Addy and Mom and Dad visited with my Aunt Deb and Uncle Scott for dinner. Apparently they all had a great time and Addy loved seeing Duncan dog (and getting to eat ice cream!). During their visit we got to go snow shoeing (whoa, it's getting a bit tough to do that!), out to eat a few times, we took lots of naps and enjoyed great conversation. Addy loved the extra attention and I loved the extra help! My back got a bit of a recovery just in time for Brad to leave town.

Here's a video of G &G's visit.

Brad spent almost a week in Oklahoma City for work (leaving the same day my parents left!). He enjoyed the experience and got to make some good connections with people who support his work out here. His job continues to be stressful but he's doing a great job!

Brad has also been meeting with a grad student from the U named Daniel. Daniel is from Beijing and since they share a love for coffee, they meet each Saturday morning over a cup of joe. They're exploring as many coffee shops around town as they can find while talking about Daniel's walk and how to live with Christ. Brad has really enjoyed these meetings and it's been neat to see how teachable Daniel is.

I just started a new Bible study (that I probably won't be able to finish because of Baby Slease) by Kay Arthur on God's Covenant. A bunch of women from our church meet each Tuesday to talk about the homework and what we've learned (and to get a break from our kiddos). Kay's studies are pretty work intensive but it is neat to learn straight from God's Word instead of being led to certain truths by books or questions. Addy loves playing with the big kids during that time (since all the kids are together in one room) and she is always up for a big nap afterward.

Addy has recently started running (and pumping her arms as hard as she can), playing kitchen and tea party (thanks Grandma Bursch!), and she continues to add 'friends' to her essential collection. She now has Colorado Bear (Roaaar), Boomer the horse (Phh), Elephant (Brrr), Lamby (Baa Baa), Tiger (Meow) and Wocket. The only one she can't call by name is Wocket because we don't know what sound a wocket makes. Any ideas? All the others she asks for by the sound they make. It's so cute. She wants them in her bed when he sleeps, in the living room or playpen when she plays and on her tray when she waits for a meal. She dresses them, has tea parties with them and reads them stories. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. . . I recall having quite a collection of stuffed animals myself.

Anyway, we're all doing well here as we start to see signs of spring in the air and on the ground. We're enjoying a few more hours of sunshine, walks without all the snow gear and being able to see puppies and kitties out for walks when we go. Yeah! Hope you all are doing well!

17 Months!

Addy is 17 months old now and is changing so fast. She's now into playing with play dough, coloring (or just arranging the crayons in the box), 'running,' dressing up her 'friends,' creating her own sign language and words and of course, cleaning up. She loves to wipe her nose, her tray, her shirt and anything else that looks dirty. She has also discovered how fun it is to wash her hands. :) She likes things to be neat and orderly just like her Mama.

(Yes, that is a knife in Addy's hand but it's a butter knife!)

This is Addy dressing up her 'friend' Colorado Bear. It's been handy to have a basket of winter clothes available at all times for her to dress up her stuffed animals in.

This is me at 29 weeks with Addy at 17 months.

Grandma Lynn gave Addy some really neat inner tube sleds for Christmas and we finally got out to use them. Really, we just used one because oh yeah, I'm pregnant. :) Addy wasn't so sure about the sledding thing at first but then she caught on and kept saying 'mo.' We headed up Big Cottonwood Canyon and got to go sledding just 20 minutes from our house. Don't worry, we stuck to the bunny slope.
Here's Addy stuffed in her tube. She didn't look very comfy like this. . .

She liked riding with Daddy best.

Here's Addy going sledding and making her first snow angel.

Addy's first snow angel made with a little help from Dad.

Ok, this pregnancy has been so weird. Some friends and my midwife have told me it's because my 2 pregnancies are so close together but my stomach muscles and uterus are really thin. What that means is that I feel everything that I didn't feel with Addy's pregnancy and you can really see the baby through from the outside. So. . . here's a weird video of the baby moving in my belly. This happens constantly and sometimes it makes me feel kind of sick to my stomach. This baby is taking full advantage of my flexible middle and getting lots of moves in. If watching a big prego belly jump around weirds you out, skip this one. :) Otherwise, welcome to my life.

Addy gets really goofy and laughs a lot. Here's a video of her goofing with Dad (she loves this game) and of her after she woke up from her nap last week. Lately she goofs around in her crib for several minutes once I go in to get her. She's pretty entertaining.

In case you're wondering what Brad and I are doing outside of just being entertained by Addy, here it goes. . .

Brad's work has gotten tricky in the last few weeks and he's had to work a bit more hours that he was previously. We started hosting a parenting class at our house last week as Addy's heading into the crazy toddler life-stage. We've had great discussions about our parenting beliefs and why we're doing what we're doing with Addy. I feel so blessed to be able to spend time and energy really thinking about this stuff now before #2 arrives and it gets more complicated.

We've also started some more routines in our house as we try to make better use of our time together. The winter has necessitated being a little better planned as we've been stuck inside a lot. We've started 'couch time' where Addy plays by herself in the living room after dinner while we spend 15-20 minutes talking. It's funny because she gets over the fact that we're ignoring her but she often deposits various toys on our laps while we try to stay focused on our conversation.

We've also started family devotions where we read a bit of the Bible (and insert animal noises where appropriate for Addy's benefit!), pray for others and sing praise songs. Addy likes playing her instruments (or ours) and often requests itsy-bitsy spider. We figure that counts as a joyful noise to the Lord. :)

I've been swimming a few times a week (I'm almost up to a mile!) to try to relieve my back pain. It really makes a difference and I enjoy the time to myself. I've been enjoying MOPS and Bible study at church and getting to know other moms (mostly recent transplants to UT as well) during playdates. It sure is easier to get to know people when you're not working! (however, sometimes hard to have conversations with toddlers running around!!)

We've started to see signs of springtime in SLC. While the rest of the country was freezing, we were enjoying smog-free skies, mild temps and sunshine. It has been really refreshing. We've gotten to go for walks and go kitty cat/puppy dog 'hunting' in our neighborhood. Don't worry, our weapon is just Addy. She's really into looking for our neighbors animals on walks.

Anyway, I'm a bit long winded so I'll stop. . . off to finish Valentine's dinner for tonight.

Addy 16 mo, Baby #2 26 weeks

I haven't done a post in a while to update on what Addy Paddy's been up to so here it goes. . .

I'd always heard that parents like to watch their kids sleep. I thought that was pretty lame until Addy came along. Seriously, how cute is it to watch your little one being so peaceful (and still!) with her butt up in the air?! I know, I know, I'm lame. Addy really is a great sleeper (until about 5am where she'll wake up at the slightest noise!). She takes great naps and goes down around 7 after family devotions and bath time with Daa.

This is Addy helping to undecorate for Christmas. She is really a strong little stringbean and knows everything has it's proper place. She loves to help clean up and often puts things away that I didn't see. It's really nice that she likes clean-up time!

Addy is really into her stuffed animals. She likes to cuddle them, hug them, give them kisses and sleep with them. She also likes to 'talk on the phone.' While she's not allowed to play with real phones, she makes anything (puzzle pieces, blocks, eatible goldfish. . . ) into phones and will walk around talking on them. She's really entertaining.

So. . . I thought I would post a few videos of some of the cute things she's doing these days.

In this video, she inspects Boomer's (OU's mascot) teeth and talks up a storm. Right off the bat she says her really cute version of 'noo' and I think she's wondering why Boomer doesn't have top teeth or a tongue.

Here's Addy talking on the phone. :)

Here's Addy showing off some of the words/signs she knows. She also was quite talkative in her playpen and I tried to catch some of that but she saw me when she turned around. :) Besides eating, diaper changes and outings, this pretty much sums up our days together.

As far as Baby #2 goes, we're 26 weeks and doing well. This baby has a lot more wiggle room since my stomach is so pliable and he/she really takes advantage of it! It's weird to watch my belly bouncing all over the place. Seriously alien. I've been swimming a few times a week and that has really eased my lower back pain so really, as long as Addy gets a good nap in the afternoon so I can rest a bit, everything is great. I still can't imagine managing 2 kids under 20 months but I guess it's a bit late for that now. :)

Christmas in Texas

This year we spent 12 days in Texas for Christmas with Brad's family. For most of them, this was their first time meeting Addy and she was quite the attraction!


We flew to Dallas early Wednesday morning via Denver and Addy did really well. She read books, flirted with the people around us on the plane and kept us busy trying to contain her squirming. It was an exhausting trip and she was great! I can't imagine traveling with a grumpy kid (or two!). Anyway, we spent one night in Dallas with Brad's Dad & 'Bonus' Mother before driving to Houston to meet up with the whole family.

While on the way we did stop at the famous 'Woody's' for some TX BBQ. I'm telling you, it was the first time I had real Texas BBQ and it was good but Woody's is a gas station! And it was packed out! Addy got her first taste (and loved it) and then we headed down the road.

We had a blast in Houston with all the family and Brad and I hardly saw Addy (except to change diapers and put her to sleep). She was totally entertained by all the cousins and they did a great job of feeding her and keeping her out of trouble. She had a great time but by about Christmas Eve, she started showing signs of being super tired and started this 'Mama Mama' thing where the only thing that was ok was for me to hold her. Whew.

On Christmas Eve we visited Don & Susie's church and we chose the 'kid friendly' service given that there were so many little ones. Good thing, Addy enjoyed getting to go down front to hear the Christmas story and eating Cheerios and singing. We had our annual Tamale contest and while we did win the 'story' category, our tamales did not win the overall prize again this year. We bought our tamales at Victor's Tires (an auto shop on the West side of SLC that sells the best tamales in town) and now I know why the Texans voted for our story. . . they are used to eating out of auto places. :)

Anyway, Christmas morning started early for us (thanks Addy) and we actually had to wake the big kids up this year to get them moving. That was a first. Addy didn't open her presents until the chaos of all the other kids opening presents was over and they were all sent up stairs. In fact, she only lasted for about 1/2 the chaotic time and then she had her alone time reading books in her playpen. I think that saved our day from major over stimulation! When that was over, she opened presents with the adults and got lots of puzzles, books and monogrammed items. :) She had so much fun and then, it was nap time.

We enjoyed the sunshine in Houston and relaxing with family for a few days and then Monday, we headed back to Dallas. On the way, we stopped at yet another gas station turned eating joint called Buckey's. Again, there were tons of people eager to pay for food from a gas station. :)

Back in Dallas Brad and I did a trip down memory lane and drove around all his old stomping grounds in Lewisville. We saw the places he lived, played and went to school. We even drove past the barber who cut his hair as a kid on main street in Lewisville. Much of it had changed but it was neat to see anyway.

We also had the opportunity to go to a Dallas Stars game when they played the Red Wings. We got to sit in a box (thanks Cowans) and rotate one period into the seats on the ice! The period Brad and I sat there the Stars scored a bunch and we were even on TV when a fight broke out between players right in front of us. I had a horrible expression on my face. . . so much for my 5 seconds of fame.

After some down time in Dallas we headed to Oklahoma to Brad's sister's ranch house for New Years. We got to shoot bow/arrows, go for ATV rides (not me, of course) and walk the property. It was nice to be outside. However, there were quite a few of us and 2 dogs and when the wind/storm showed up, we bailed. We all ended up leaving on New Years Eve to head back to Dallas.

We flew home on Sunday and Addy was so tired that she fell asleep at the end of our leg to Denver. She also slept on Brad's chest during almost our entire layover. So much for getting out our wiggles. But, it was nice to have a break from trying to entertain her.

We got home to a lot more snow and really cold temps again and we have successfully made it through the laundry and putting the Christmas decorations away. Whew, almost back to normal. Actually, I got a bug to 'nest' this week and started re-arranging furniture and cleaning out closets to make room for the new baby. Now that I'm almost 25 weeks I really do look/feel pregnant and the baby is moving around like crazy so this baby's arrival has been on my mind a lot lately. I think we're almost ready for baby Slease to come. It is SO much easier to get ready the second time.

Anyway, Happy New Year. I hope you enjoyed your Christmas season and didn't gain as much weight as I did! :) Pool, here I come!

All characters mentioned in the song are fictitious. Any resemblance to our family members, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Christmas Party!

We decided at the last minute to host a Christmas party at our house this year. We had a going away/Christmas/birthday party in Denver before we moved and we really had fun. Having just moved here, we were a little hesitant (would anyone really come? we don't know that many people. it's really last minute. etc.) We decided 2 weeks ago to send out an evite to our neighbors and new friends from church.

We got the house cleaned, asked people to bring desserts and appetizers and set the time for 4-6 (after Addy's nap and before Addy's bedtime).

Little did we know that so many people would be able to come! We had 30 adults and 26 kids, lots of desserts and lots of chaos! Our new house isn't that big, and of those 26 kids, all but 1 were under 10! Oh boy. The kids found every toy Addy owns, every sweet treat available and made themselves right at home while their parents attempted conversation while keeping an eye on the sugar loaded kids.

A PhD student Brad has been meeting with weekly from Beijing named Daniel, was able to come and he likened the scene to the Beijing subway. Have you ever seen those UTube videos?! Well, he wasn't far off. It was hot, crowded and loud!

We we really did have a great time and it was nice to briefly connect to each person that came. What an answer to prayer that we already have made friends with so many neighbors and couples from church. Addy had a ball with all the 'big kids' and she did a great job sharing all her toys. Of course, it was so busy that I forgot to take pictures so use your imagination. . .

This was the living room before the party. Now fit 50+ people here, in our little kitchen and (luckily!) in our basement!

Most people stayed the whole time and when 6 rolled around, they all cleared out for other parties, concerts or dinner. Our house looked like a bomb of cake, brownies, sweets and treats had gone off! (thankfully most of the toys got picked up by the kids/parents!) Brad took Daniel home (and took Addy with him) and I got to work cleaning. After a good floor scrubbing, everything looked ship shape.

After putting Addy to bed, Brad and I sat down with hot chocolate and opened some Christmas presents. We opened all our gifts and realized that most of the presents weren't for us but for Addy Paddy. We saved those for her to open today.

Today after church, Addy got to open her presents. The first one she spent a long time playing with and after the 2nd or 3rd present she just started going back for more. It didn't take long for her to figure out there was something cool in each of those pretty packages. Hopefully she'll figure out that not every pretty package is for her. :) Thank you to all of you who sent gifts! Addy loves them!

Addy with her rainbow glockenspiel from Great Grandpa Hulsbos. She loves music and the instruments he sent were a big hit!

Addy opening her new puzzles. Thanks Aunt Bev & Uncle Tom!

Merry Christmas to everyone and thanks to those of you who came to our Christmas party! We'll be back at at it next year!

When we returned from Gunnison for Thanksgiving, we found our house quite covered in snow. Fortunately a neighbor used his snow blower on our driveway to clear a way to the garage, but it was a lot of snow. When we were gone SLC had record cold temperatures along with a few crazy snow storms.

The day after we arrived home, it snowed all day and night and these photos are from that storm. Addy did get to go out and play again but it was much colder and the snow was a bit wetter. She didn't last very long before she just looked cold and on the verge of miserable. Brad wondered if it was worth bundling up for 20 minutes to stay outside for 10. :)

20 week ultrasound. . . it's a

Baby! :) The Dr. assured Addy that it isn't a puppy. I think she was a bit disappointed. Baby Slease looked great on the ultrasound and is growing right on track with the expected due date (April 26). I've been feeling the baby move for over a month now (over a month earlier than with Addy) and Brad has also been able to feel our little gymnast lately too. This little one is quite a mover, just like Addy was. Addy likes 'baby in the tummy' and she really likes poking my bellybutton back in. It's really sticking out already. Strange. I did go back and look, though, and I'm about the same measurements with this baby as I was with Addy. I feel so much more comfortable with this pregnancy though. I think my stomach muscles aren't protesting the stretch quite as much. :)

I've been more sporadic doing postings because I'm busy chasing a toddler around these days. We've been battling colds since September (every time I take Addy to the Kids Club at 24HourFitness, she gets a cold and passes it to us) and so going outside has not really been an option. That's been annoying to say the least. I've learned my lesson though and I'm cancelling our Kids Club membership. I'm not paying $15 a month anymore to get colds.

Addy and her favorite past time.

Addy has changed quite a bit since Thanksgiving. When we got home, she started playing with her 2 teddy bears like they were babies. She puts them to bed, tucks them in with a little pink blanket she has and she rocks, hugs, cuddles and kisses them. It is so cute! She has also gotten a lot more outgoing and she waves to everyone and wants to explore anyplace she can get her feet on the ground. She loves books and wants to read them all the time, even during diaper changes. She also developed a fear recently. . . the printer! She freaks out when it prints something and even when we show it to her, she's really upset about it. Weired

Here is Addy with 'Colorado Bear.' Thanks Anneliese, she loves this bear!

Addy still doesn't really have any words yet, but she has mutated some signs for things like milk, please, all done, up, banana, water and food. We recognize what she's trying to tell us but they're Addy speak so no one else would. She doesn't seem to mind that they're not right because she knows we understand her. I guess she figures that's the point. :)

We did decorate for Christmas when we got home from Gunnison after Thanksgiving (although something got messed up with our photos!) and we're really enjoying the lights and decorations. So far Addy is doing really well with 'no touch, just look' at the Christmas tree and decorations. She has a few she can play with but mostly she just points to the angel on top and waves. :) I'm hoping she maintains her manners at Aunt Susu's house at Christmas time!

We hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and safe travels to where ever you are celebrating!