Christmas Tree express 2011

So bare with me one more post that I can't see the pictures while I write. I have got to get someone to show me what I am doing wrong here so I can get caught up and do this blogging thing right. Ha ha. Anyway we had our annual Burrows Christmas tree express. Every year we venture up to the wilds with my brother and his family and we find and cut down the most perfect Christmas trees we can find. Then we bring them home and spend 2-3 days putting on the lights and decorating the things because at our house my husband thinks that the bigger the better. So we usually end up with at least a 15 ft. tree. If he could find a spot in our house at all taller he would put the tree there. But this is as big as it gets. He and Parker were joking the other day that next year dad ought to put a whole in the ceiling and out the roof and let the tree stick out of the house. Just so he can say that his tree is taller than "Dave Anderson's" tree. He is a guy in our ward and every year Richard is in a secret competition to get a bigger tree than him. Dave doesn't even know he is competing with him.

Anyway after the trees are all decorated we love to go around and see everyone's tree. So this year we started with Dixie and Arts house. They are always so wonderful to come to be part of the night with us. They had the appetizers this year and boy were we spoiled. Shrimp cocktail...a total favorite of mine. With fruit cocktails, crackers and more. Then we headed over to our house for salad from Brinkley and Richy. They had to head back up to Idaho because of the bad weather but we ate their salad and then some yummy lasgana and bread sticks. We had a Christmas toast and then Parker turned into our holiday whino. We took a family photo and then it was off to Cody and Robyn's house for the sugar cookie decorating contest. If you decorate your cookie's well you get them for dessert. Dixie and Art are really pretty good at decorating cookies.

It was so fun. Thank you wonderful children for being part of the Tree express night. I know it is a rush to put up the tree and it is such a busy time of year. But I love how willing you are to always do this with your dad and I. You know how he loves to show off the "BIG" tree.

Turkey Time...

So this is how bad it is that I have forgotten how to blog. My sweet daughter in law Robyn put these pictures of thanksgiving on here for me and all I was suppose to do was just write about them. Well for some reason I can't even see them when I am writing and I can't move anything around so here is the scoop. Thanksgiving was wonderful as always thanks to my wonderful children and their families. It was only our own little family this year, which don't get me wrong I so love it that they were all able to come. I just love thanksgivings when the house is over flowing with family and you see loved ones that you don't see as much as you would like. But this year was kind of a off year for that. My brother was busy having his wife's family up to their house this year so they couldn't come and my sisters family all went to her house this year and this year was the first year my sweet mom wasn't with us so kind of sad in that way but thank goodness for my wonderful little family. We ate wonderful food and as you can see had fun as always. My kids are great, they are doing their share of filling our house to the brim with all these new wonderful grand babies we have...and love!!! Another great turkey day.

Labor Day...

This labor day was so fun. We were able to rent a house with Becky, Richards sister and their whole family and go to Bear Lake. I have said this before that I love this place. And it is especially fun when you are able to go and spend your time with wonderful people. Years ago Becky's family would invite us to come with them to Bear Lake on Labor day...just for the day and we always had a great time. Then one Labor day the wea

ther was terrible and so we had to do something else. Our family went to the zoo and that was the beginning of us not going to Bear Lake with the Kogers for a few years. But then we were so excited when they invited us again and this time the invite came with a house. It was so much fun and we are so glad they invited us again. Dixie and Art were even able to come. (Note Debbie and Mikes family have a family reunion over Labor day that they have done for years thus that is why they are not here.)

We each took a meal to do and the food was awesome.
This is Paige and I one morning while we watched the sun come up and as we waited for everyone to get moving in the morning. I can't believe the boys out on the deck could sleep at all with this bright sunny shining on them.

This was poor Briley sleeping finally in her car seat. She had to make a trip to the St. Charles hospital because she didn't sleep at all the first night and so Brinkley and Grandpa Richy ran her to see the doctor and found out that she had a double ear infection. Poor thing but after getting some meds in her she did feel a lot better. Brinkley saw Bear Lake by night as she had to spend most of the night driving around the lake a couple of times.
We were able to get such a great place on the beach since we traveled with the Koger police. Thanks so much Perry for going down and getting our spot every day for us. That was awesome.

Back to school.... Well it has happened again. All the kids are back in school. Paige and Parker are up at Weber State University and Kenzie is a in high school. This is killing me. I think she loves it!!! Already she is doing lots of home work and spending a lot of time in the gym with the volleyball team.

She has already played in a lot of tournaments with the team and they have done really well. She has played with a lot of these girls for a lot of years so when they are seniors I think they will have a really good team. The varsity team this year seems like it is going to be really good too.

OH MY....I never posted this blog and now Paige and Parker have both finished their 1st semester at Weber and Kenzie is not so new to high school anymore and is done with volleyball and now right in the thick of things with basketball. Oh I am terrible at this blogging thing. Sorry no pictures with this one I have so forgotten again how to even get around in the blogging world

Behind again

I swear I have such high hopes that I will be better at blogging and keeping up on our lives. But then life happens and it happens so quickly that I don't have time to even make the long walk up my stairs to the computer and type.

Again so many things have happened since I last wrote. But most recently we just got back from Bear Lake. I LOVE this place. I have always loved Bear Lake. Though I have experienced many things there that should make me not like it such as burns that have blister and about killed me and the sinking of the jet ski and near drowning and having to swim across the lake in the worst storm I have seen. But I can't help it I love it. Especially when we are there with family. I feel bad that Cody, Brinkley and Paige couldn't be there but so glad that Rich, Parker, Kenzie, Robyn and the two girls were able to come. Art and Dixie even made it up for the day. We were so glad when they did show up. I worried that Robyn may back out on us because her hubby couldn't come and Paige and Brinkley wouldn't be there either but she was a trooper and came tired and all and we are so glad that she did.

It is always so fun to just relax and soak up the sun. Except as you all know I don't love to soak up the rays as much as I use to because of what Richard has gone through. We just relax and lather up the sun screen now but that is ok too.

I have pictures but I can't find my cord to put them on my computer so I will have to look for that and then add them later.

Graduation?

Hurray for graduation...

So McKenzie has finally graduated from junior high. Way to go McKenzie I am just so glad that you still have 3 years left in high school. I really don't know what dad and I would do with out our little surprise we brought home with us from Austrailia 15 years ago. Best suvieniour we ever got. And your such a good kid too. You make it so fun to watch you grow up. Your so easy to raise. McKenzie received so many awards at the awards assembly the other day. Not only is she brilliant but she is so athletic too. And the great thing is, is that we don't have to push her at all. She is a self motivator. We never have to ask if she has her homework done. She is always so on top of that. She keeps us right on schedule with all of her basketball and volleyball schedules too. She is so dedicated. A coach couldn't ask for anything better. She is so willing to do whatever is asked of her. And we couldn't ask for anything better in a daughter. She has a kind heart too. If anyone needs a friend she is there. Even if it means that she gets a stocker or too out of it. So way to go McKenzie we love you and you truly are so very awesome.

Well on a sadder note. Parker graduated from High School. Oh don't get me wrong I am so thankful that he has done so well in school. His grades are wonderful and he is able to be the most social kid I have ever seen. But it is sad to think that he is getting so old. The older he gets the closer he gets to leaving on the mission. Oh don't get me wrong on this either. I want him to go more than anything and know that he will, I just wish so horribly that it could not come so quickly.

If any of you know Parker you probably know what a fun personality he has. He is so totally involved with his family. If someone needs help doing anything he is right there. Parker has been so fun to raise! He is so social and then he is so great to come home and tell you all about his night. He keeps you so updated with what is going on in his life and that it is so fun as a parent. Believe me plenty of nights we have had to say "Parker tell us about it tomorrow." He loves to stay up late and talk, ask his sister Paige. He is so funny too. Get him and Paige together and they can quote every funny thing said in any movie. When Brinkley was moving back home, while Richy was away, she said that that was one of the things she looked forward too was hearing the funny things Parker says and does. He is so willing to jump in and learn new things and always willing to tear something apart and try to put it back together again. He isn't afraid of hard work. He has such a great attitude that if he has to rack the whole yard (an acre of ground) he doesn't complain he looks at it as a great time to build those amazing muscles he has. No matter where he goes or whoever he is with he always comes home and says he had a great time. I can count on one hand the times that Parker has been in a bad mood. I wish I could say the same for me.

So Parker I hate to let you do it....And if I thought that it would work I would beg and plead with the high school to please let you stay just another 5 of so years. I know how those boys that go on missions grow up and don't always come home to the same relationships with their moms. But I am holding out that you will be different. I hope you'll always be my little boy, Parker. Ok you can grow up a little but please don't change that fun, loving personality that you have. Anyway I can't get this upset yet. He only turns 18 in June. I still have him for another year. It really could be worse.

So to both of you graduates WAY TO GO!!!! We are so proud of you.

Oh hold on we can't forget Addi....She graduated from her first year of preschool. She has another year of preschool before kindergarten so we will celebrate bigger and better next year. But I must mention that Addi is the Smartest 3 year old I have ever seen. And way sweet too.

So way to go Addi. You are awesome!!!!

Spring happenings

What an exciting last couple of weeks.... And I have not written about any of them. So I am doing a quick caught up.

First I can't believe this weather. It is sunny one day and a complete down pour the next but I must say that it sure gives the grandkids some great places to play and get dirty.

Speaking of playing I love it when my kids all play together. The other day McKenzie wanted someone to come out and hit the volleyball with her. It was awesome to look out and see Brinkley, Paige and Parker come out and join the fun. (Sorry Cody and Robyn were not around.)

Speaking of playing with friends...Parker went to the dance with Aubrey Scott. She is a darling girl and the theme for them was the 80's. They look so cute... Well she looked so cute I am not so sure if you could say Parker looked cute.

I know Briley wasn't so sure about him.

We also got to go to Texas to see Richy's basic training graduation. I went with Brinkley and Briley and Richy's mother, Valeen. It was way fun and Richy of course, graduated in the top 10%! I never doubted you Richy!

It was fun to see Briley riding the air plane for the first time and she did so great.

When we got there people had some really professionally signs made for the "airmen" but we were new to this and didn't know so we hurried and made up a sign "Burrows" style and had Briley hold it up as he ran by in the Airman run.

We had a hard time finding him but never fail we did it on the second time around.

It was fun to see their cute little family be united after being away for so long. Briley wasn't quite sure about him for a minute. But it only took a second and she was glad to be back with her dad.

It didn't take long for the excitment to wear off for Briley. You can only be the hit of the show for so long.

Richy and I celebrated our birthdays while we were down there together. We ate lunch on the river walk for his birthday at the Rain Forest Cafe and Valeen made my birthday a hit by decorating our hotel room with whatever she could find....lip stick... and what more could I ask for than a Texas shaped waffle for my birthday. Thanks Valeen.

Valeen and I did get to go to the Alamo with Briley. We had a good time and learned a lot about this historic place. And we ate yummy ice cream.
We had a great time. Thanks Brinkley for letting me come with you.

Who wouldn't want to spend time with this adorable sweet baby. Good times.