I did it for Trevor, now it’s Taylor’s turn.
Just like Trevor was the little brother I never had, Taylor was the little sister I never had. Unlike Trevor, however, I spent a lot of time with Taylor as a baby. Both Bret and Melanie worked, so my mom (Grandma Burningham) babysat her nearly every weekday. And anytime I had a day off from school, and all through summer, I was there with her.
I remember spending a lot of time at Bret & Melanie’s townhouse, and also the drive to and from our house with “Tay-toe-bug” in the backseat, and we knew that “Love Potion #9” or “Goodbye Cruel World” were sure to play on Oldies 94.1. I also remember watching Pocahontas a bazillion times!
But the favorite memory I want to share of Taylor occurred when I was about 11, and she was less than a year old. She was standing against the back of the couch, and I was supposed to be watching her. Suddenly, she fell back, hit the couch, then flipped and landed on the floor. She was crying so hard, and I felt so bad, and everyone was upset at me for letting it happen.
I ran off to my room, where I started to cry. Moments later, my mom brought Taylor in my room to show me that she was okay, and that she had stopped crying. As I continued to cry, Taylor with a sweet look on her face, reached out and touched my tears with her tiny fingertips.
Taylor, it has been amazing watching you grow up and mature. You seem to have a lot more wisdom than I had at your age. I hope and pray for the best for you. And I know you’re at a difficult age right now, but I also know that you are strong enough to make it through.
I have so many things that I would like to say, advice I would like to give, but I’ll just say this: listen to you parents. I’ve known them longer than you have, and I promise you, they are some of the most caring, understanding, and forgiving people you will ever know. They only want what is best for you, and there is nothing you could do to make them love you less. So trust them! They’re not perfect. No one is. But learn from their mistakes and their triumphs. Believe me, it’s better to learn from others’ mistakes than your own.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Christmas Decor & Celebrations
December is a very crazy month with all of the decorating, shopping, wrapping, parties, programs, etc. But here is a condensed update of all the major events this month (so far).
We put up the tree and decorations. We’re still tweaking the decorations, but this is what it looks like currently.
My family did their annual candy houses. That mangled mess in front of my house represents the mangled mess that is our car (nicknamed “Plucky”).
McKenna and Taylor each had dance concerts that we went to. Jordan had a choir concert and Alex was in a performance of “The Nutcracker.” We sadly missed both of those. We wanted to go, but Jeremy failed to inform anyone of Jordan’s performance, and Alex’s was on the same day as Taylor’s, and it was too hard for us to do both. But we really did want to see them, and are very sorry that we didn’t. Taylor and McKenna’s were great though.
We invited Ty, Cami, and Ken over for dinner one night. We ate chicken and salad; discussed politics, religion, literature, and the arts; then played some Mario Kart Wii. (Ken and I won!) It was a whole lot of fun and already have our next get-together planned.
December is also full of birthdays. Jon turned 40, Kaytlin is turning 12, and Taylor is turning 16. Then after Christmas, my Grandma will be... I dunno. But because most of my family is off to Disneyland before Christmas, we’ve been celebrating some of them early. So we had three birthday parties this week.
Well, that’s our Christmas so far. Since we probably won’t post again until after Christmas, we hope you all have a wonderful holiday. Merry Christmas!
Update: Ty & Cami posted some pictures on Facebook that reminded us of something we forgot to mention. We went with my parents to Temple Square earlier this month. I recently found out that Jenn had never gone up to see the Christus (at least in Salt Lake), so we decided to go. It was very cold, but worth it.
We put up the tree and decorations. We’re still tweaking the decorations, but this is what it looks like currently.
My family did their annual candy houses. That mangled mess in front of my house represents the mangled mess that is our car (nicknamed “Plucky”).
McKenna and Taylor each had dance concerts that we went to. Jordan had a choir concert and Alex was in a performance of “The Nutcracker.” We sadly missed both of those. We wanted to go, but Jeremy failed to inform anyone of Jordan’s performance, and Alex’s was on the same day as Taylor’s, and it was too hard for us to do both. But we really did want to see them, and are very sorry that we didn’t. Taylor and McKenna’s were great though.
We invited Ty, Cami, and Ken over for dinner one night. We ate chicken and salad; discussed politics, religion, literature, and the arts; then played some Mario Kart Wii. (Ken and I won!) It was a whole lot of fun and already have our next get-together planned.
December is also full of birthdays. Jon turned 40, Kaytlin is turning 12, and Taylor is turning 16. Then after Christmas, my Grandma will be... I dunno. But because most of my family is off to Disneyland before Christmas, we’ve been celebrating some of them early. So we had three birthday parties this week.
Well, that’s our Christmas so far. Since we probably won’t post again until after Christmas, we hope you all have a wonderful holiday. Merry Christmas!
Update: Ty & Cami posted some pictures on Facebook that reminded us of something we forgot to mention. We went with my parents to Temple Square earlier this month. I recently found out that Jenn had never gone up to see the Christus (at least in Salt Lake), so we decided to go. It was very cold, but worth it.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Christmas Lights with Ken
I wanted to put lights up at the beginning of last month, but I got too sick, then too busy. But it’s finally done!
I was very mathematical about it this year. I measured all the various portions of the house, added up the lengths of each strand of lights, and I mapped out the perfect way to use the lights without having too much or too few at the end. It was all planned out.
As you may have guessed, it didn’t quite work out as smoothly as I had hoped. I got the first strand and a half up and found that the measurements on the box of lights were way off. They stretched a lot farther than I was expecting.
Then I climbed onto the roof... Now, I’m not afraid of heights. The Tower of Terror and the Maliboomer are some of my favorites at Disneyland. I also really like the drop tower ride at Knott’s Berry Farm. I’ve even been on all three rides at the top of the Stratosphere in Las Vegas and thought it was awesome. I don’t understand it. On the Insanity, I dangled 900 ft. off the ground, spinning in a circle, facing down, with nothing but a lapbar holding me. But on a roof, 14 ft. up, I freaked.
That’s when I joked to Jenn about Ken offering to help us with anything we needed while he’s back here in Utah. Maybe he would help with this, I snickered. That’s when she told me that Ken has no fear of rooftops. Perfect! We called him up, and he was happy to help!
Boy, am I glad he was. I still did some of the roof stuff, but he did most of it. And I refused to go near the corner of the house. He, on the other hand, was leaning over the edge, completely unfazed. That’s about the time I turned the lights on, and two sections of one strand didn’t work. (Yes, we tested them before we went up there, but you know how it is.) Ken fiddled with them and got one section working, but the other section would only flicker once in a while. So, he re-adjusted the lights and tucked the non-working section in the rain gutter.
With the hard part over with, we took a break and ordered pizza. Ken stuck around and helped with the rest of the house. And in the end, we had about a foot to spare. It was perfect, thanks to that non-working section.
Pictures...
And the finished product...
Now we just have to get our tree up. :/
I was very mathematical about it this year. I measured all the various portions of the house, added up the lengths of each strand of lights, and I mapped out the perfect way to use the lights without having too much or too few at the end. It was all planned out.
As you may have guessed, it didn’t quite work out as smoothly as I had hoped. I got the first strand and a half up and found that the measurements on the box of lights were way off. They stretched a lot farther than I was expecting.
Then I climbed onto the roof... Now, I’m not afraid of heights. The Tower of Terror and the Maliboomer are some of my favorites at Disneyland. I also really like the drop tower ride at Knott’s Berry Farm. I’ve even been on all three rides at the top of the Stratosphere in Las Vegas and thought it was awesome. I don’t understand it. On the Insanity, I dangled 900 ft. off the ground, spinning in a circle, facing down, with nothing but a lapbar holding me. But on a roof, 14 ft. up, I freaked.
That’s when I joked to Jenn about Ken offering to help us with anything we needed while he’s back here in Utah. Maybe he would help with this, I snickered. That’s when she told me that Ken has no fear of rooftops. Perfect! We called him up, and he was happy to help!
Boy, am I glad he was. I still did some of the roof stuff, but he did most of it. And I refused to go near the corner of the house. He, on the other hand, was leaning over the edge, completely unfazed. That’s about the time I turned the lights on, and two sections of one strand didn’t work. (Yes, we tested them before we went up there, but you know how it is.) Ken fiddled with them and got one section working, but the other section would only flicker once in a while. So, he re-adjusted the lights and tucked the non-working section in the rain gutter.
With the hard part over with, we took a break and ordered pizza. Ken stuck around and helped with the rest of the house. And in the end, we had about a foot to spare. It was perfect, thanks to that non-working section.
Pictures...
And the finished product...
Now we just have to get our tree up. :/
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Thankgiving 2009
Thanksgiving was a family event for us this year. We had missed our Family Thanksgiving last year on account that we were sooooo sick. This time, the whole Burningham clan was together in Park City for the Holiday.
There was only one oven available so far away from all of our houses, so most everyone cooked at home and drove it up while it was still warm. Adam and I brought a boysenberry pie, which we made the night before. No stresses for us!
We got up there a bit before noon. The women that were there already were cooking various dishes. Wanting to feel all “cook-ish” too, I watched the pots to make sure they boil.
Leaving the pots to themselves, I began to play my DS for a bit while Adam played with his nieces and nephews.
Meanwhile, I had chosen not to eat the night before, knowing that lunch was going to be a fantastic feast. The kids broke out the leftover Halloween candy and I resisted the urge to munch, but not for long. The appetizers were spread out and people were sampling, so I sampled too. I had to stop myself after a bit, because I was ruining my appetite.
Dinner (lunch) was finally announced to begin and we stood and blessed the food, carved the turkey, and proceeded to eat. I tried a little of everything. I enjoyed the variety of dishes available and may be recipe collecting soon.
I would like to mention a few of the things I am grateful for.
First, I am grateful for my husband. He takes care of all the yucky parts of living in the adult world. He lets me make him strange food and he will try it with a smile. He always has time for me, no matter how busy he is.
My fish. She’s still alive and I am grateful.
My parents (both sets). They are very supportive and understanding.
Money. We don’t have any, but I am grateful when we do.
The gospel. The reasons for this are obvious.
Now it’s my turn to say what I’m thankful for...
My wife. And not just her being in my life and being my best friend, but I’m grateful for everything she is and does (a great cook, for example, and the fact that she will make me anything if I ask her to).
My family. They are the best, hands down. Yours may be the best for you, but for me, you can’t beat my family. So don’t bother trying.
My Heavenly Father. He gave me everything on this list.
Those are just the big things. When you are as poor as Jenn and I are, you learn to be extra thankful for the little things. Everything we have is a gift. From every bookshelf to every book on it. Every wall and every working doorknob. And we don’t know what we would do without luxuries like video games, movies, and a working television.
This was a great Thanksgiving. Lots and lots of laughs and good food. But now that the day I like to refer to as “Christmas Lite” is over with, it’s time to move on to the real thing! Christmas is coming! Christmas is coming! Christmas is coming!
There was only one oven available so far away from all of our houses, so most everyone cooked at home and drove it up while it was still warm. Adam and I brought a boysenberry pie, which we made the night before. No stresses for us!
We got up there a bit before noon. The women that were there already were cooking various dishes. Wanting to feel all “cook-ish” too, I watched the pots to make sure they boil.
Leaving the pots to themselves, I began to play my DS for a bit while Adam played with his nieces and nephews.
Meanwhile, I had chosen not to eat the night before, knowing that lunch was going to be a fantastic feast. The kids broke out the leftover Halloween candy and I resisted the urge to munch, but not for long. The appetizers were spread out and people were sampling, so I sampled too. I had to stop myself after a bit, because I was ruining my appetite.
Dinner (lunch) was finally announced to begin and we stood and blessed the food, carved the turkey, and proceeded to eat. I tried a little of everything. I enjoyed the variety of dishes available and may be recipe collecting soon.
I would like to mention a few of the things I am grateful for.
First, I am grateful for my husband. He takes care of all the yucky parts of living in the adult world. He lets me make him strange food and he will try it with a smile. He always has time for me, no matter how busy he is.
My fish. She’s still alive and I am grateful.
My parents (both sets). They are very supportive and understanding.
Money. We don’t have any, but I am grateful when we do.
The gospel. The reasons for this are obvious.
Now it’s my turn to say what I’m thankful for...
My wife. And not just her being in my life and being my best friend, but I’m grateful for everything she is and does (a great cook, for example, and the fact that she will make me anything if I ask her to).
My family. They are the best, hands down. Yours may be the best for you, but for me, you can’t beat my family. So don’t bother trying.
My Heavenly Father. He gave me everything on this list.
Those are just the big things. When you are as poor as Jenn and I are, you learn to be extra thankful for the little things. Everything we have is a gift. From every bookshelf to every book on it. Every wall and every working doorknob. And we don’t know what we would do without luxuries like video games, movies, and a working television.
This was a great Thanksgiving. Lots and lots of laughs and good food. But now that the day I like to refer to as “Christmas Lite” is over with, it’s time to move on to the real thing! Christmas is coming! Christmas is coming! Christmas is coming!
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Jennifer Is...
Easygoing
Nice
Nurturing
Intelligent
Forgiving
Electric (inside joke)
Righteous
Musical
Artistic
Exceptional
Kind
Enchanting
Noble
Wonderful
Optimistic
Radiant
Talented
Hilarious
Youthful
Beautiful
Understanding
Random
Nutty
Imaginative
Nice, again
Gentle
Hot
Adorable
MINE!
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Halloween: Revenge of the Nerds
It’s a little late, but Jenn and I have the flu right now, so that’s our excuse.
Halloween started this year with Jenn making chili using her dad’s hellfire-hot recipe. She was telling me about his spicy chili, and I was very interested (as was my brother), so she decided to make it for the Halloween soup and chili gathering my family does every year.
At first, she was afraid of it being too hot and didn’t use as much of the ingredients as she should have. But when we tasted it and it wasn’t spicy enough, Jenn started to tweak it and added more and more. In the end, it tasted like... what I think eternal damnation would taste like. And I gladly went back for more. In fact, I ended up eating most of it. I’ve heard that Steve’s chili is incredibly hot, and I would be curious to find out if this chili was as hot as his, or hotter. But it was really good, and everyone who tried it liked it.
Creative little Jenn also made a warning sign to put next to the chili. She used picture of Donald and Daisy Duck and re-drew it, turning Daisy into a witch and giving Donald a spoon and chili pepper. She also attached a bio-hazardous waste symbol to the crock pot.
We’ve already posted pictures of me in my costume. I wore my dad’s pants and tie. Jenn dug some stuff out of the garage, but some of it came right out of the closet. My costume was pieced together with items from others. Jenn used her own stuff. Her shirt, her skirt, her glasses, her books about rocks, and her purse, which she filled with some of her rock collection to show off. She’s a geek and I love her!
As you can see, McKenna came dressed as a nerd as well. And here’s a compilation of everyone who dressed up. (In case you’re wondering, Shane was a BYU fan and Trevor was... a nearly 17 year old - Happy Birthday, Trevor!)
We went trick-or-treating with the nieces and nephews around my parents’ neighborhood. The best moment was when we went to one house (a non-member’s) and from the porch Brady shouted, “it smells like smoke and beer!” Thankfully, no one came to the door, and we all wondered how Brady knew what beer smells like.
So that was our Halloween.
Halloween started this year with Jenn making chili using her dad’s hellfire-hot recipe. She was telling me about his spicy chili, and I was very interested (as was my brother), so she decided to make it for the Halloween soup and chili gathering my family does every year.
At first, she was afraid of it being too hot and didn’t use as much of the ingredients as she should have. But when we tasted it and it wasn’t spicy enough, Jenn started to tweak it and added more and more. In the end, it tasted like... what I think eternal damnation would taste like. And I gladly went back for more. In fact, I ended up eating most of it. I’ve heard that Steve’s chili is incredibly hot, and I would be curious to find out if this chili was as hot as his, or hotter. But it was really good, and everyone who tried it liked it.
Creative little Jenn also made a warning sign to put next to the chili. She used picture of Donald and Daisy Duck and re-drew it, turning Daisy into a witch and giving Donald a spoon and chili pepper. She also attached a bio-hazardous waste symbol to the crock pot.
We’ve already posted pictures of me in my costume. I wore my dad’s pants and tie. Jenn dug some stuff out of the garage, but some of it came right out of the closet. My costume was pieced together with items from others. Jenn used her own stuff. Her shirt, her skirt, her glasses, her books about rocks, and her purse, which she filled with some of her rock collection to show off. She’s a geek and I love her!
As you can see, McKenna came dressed as a nerd as well. And here’s a compilation of everyone who dressed up. (In case you’re wondering, Shane was a BYU fan and Trevor was... a nearly 17 year old - Happy Birthday, Trevor!)
We went trick-or-treating with the nieces and nephews around my parents’ neighborhood. The best moment was when we went to one house (a non-member’s) and from the porch Brady shouted, “it smells like smoke and beer!” Thankfully, no one came to the door, and we all wondered how Brady knew what beer smells like.
So that was our Halloween.
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