Life as a family of 4!

We are now into month 3 as a family of 4. I have to admit that the first 6 weeks I seriously wondered how I was going to make it through! Nixon being the HUGE baby that he is, ate every 2 HOURS and only wanted to sleep in my arms!! I am happy to report his feedings have tapered off and he is sleeping on his own more as well:) So far Nixon is a very happy baby and obviously got his fathers appetite. At 9 weeks he weighed in at 14.4lbs! Ellsie was 3 months before she even weighed 12lbs. Ellsie continues to try and figure out her little brother. So far she loves laying her head on his lap and and loading her toys on top of him. I love getting to watch the brief moments when they get to interact with each other. Heading into month 2, Nixon started to respond to our affection and every once in a while he flashes us a little smile:) Nothing excites me more right now. It makes all those 

chaotic days and sleepless nights worth it:)

A few weeks after Nixon was born we took his newborn/family photos:) These are just a few. I am saving the others for our Christmas card. I have to say getting all 4 of us to look semi decent at the same time is a rather tricky thing. Our friend Tiffany had to work extra hard to get Ellsie to smile on cue while she was 8 months pregnant. Poor thing. But she did and we got some really cute pictures.

Notes from a CRAZY mom :

So I guess you could say that life as I knew it has changed DRAMATICALLY! With Ellsie I had so much time to agonize over her every move and read every book or article on what she was going through at that current time. I knew my time with Nixon would be less but I didn't expect it to be so hard on me. I kind of enjoyed agonizing over Ellsie's every move and wish I had a little more time to do that with Nixon. Everyone with I know with 2 kids gave me plenty of warning that splitting your attention between 2 kids wasn't always easy but of course kids survive. And obviously Nixon will survive too.

My latest realization on motherhood, is that with each kid comes fewer and fewer brain cells! The amount of ridiculous things I do in a day has just gotten out of control. Keys, cell phone,  and shoes are ALWAYS misplaced and I can never remember what I am suppose to pick up at the store (even if I have a list). I also forgot what is was like to be peed, pooped, and puked on, all in the same day. When Ellsie was born I remember Chris came home one day and I was sitting on the couch. He bent over to kiss me and said "you smell like puke." He has yet to comment on my latest baby scent which makes me think he has become use to the smell. 

Nixon and I get a lot of special time together (like at 3am). He truly is my little snuggler. If he is asleep in my arms I am convinced that he would sleep through the night. However, I do try and give him some crib time. But he is just perfectly content in bed with me. With each day that passes I begin to see Nixon looking more and more like Ellsie. I am still having a hard time placing all his features but he for sure has the Bury eyes:) 

Nixon Charles Bury 9/10/2010

Our little guy has finally arrived. Nixon graced us with is presence on Friday September 10th at 1:08pm, weighing 8lbs 8oz and 19.5 inches long. Early Friday morning I began feeling contractions but not sure if they were going to lead to labor. I waited about and hour and noticed they were only getting worse. From there my labor came rather quick. We got to the hospital just before 10am and Nixon came just 3 hours later. Even though Nixon was round 2 for me, this experience has been entirely different. With Ellsie I never really felt contractions and clearly she was a much smaller baby:) With Nixon, I felt the CONTRACTIONS! And I am now feeling the toll on my body.

As for Ellsie's reaction, she seems to fine with having a little brother around. She is attached to her dad at the hip and hasn't wanted him to be away from him for even a SECOND. When Ellsie was brought to the hospital she noticed Nixon in bed with me immediately and started crawling in the bed. Right away she recognized that he was a baby and she began patting him ( as gentle as an 18 month old can) and laying her head on his body. It was a very sweet first meeting and then poof she was gone...off to climb on the hospital furniture, opening drawers, and shoving food in her mouth:) And that seems to be her routine, she is quick to LOVE Nixon and quick to move on:)

Nixon had a lot of visitors his first week:) He had a very special weekend with BOTH sets of grandparents around. David and Debby came out and spent some "special"with Ellsie, spoiled me, and got to meet Nixon. This is a picture of the grandparents with Ellsie and Nixon. We had a fun afternoon watching Ellsie show off her swimming skills. 

Chris and I are enjoying our growing family and so excited to see where this journey takes us. Life with 2 kids is entirely different but filled with so many more BLESSINGS! We have yet to hear about the house in Laguna Niguel. We continue to ask for your prayers as we wait patiently!!!! Until then, grandma and grandpa are taking very good care of us. XOXO

Endless Summer- Part 3

A Bury Vacation- Del Mar Beach

In July we Bury’s all met up in San Diego for a week long vacation. We had so much fun and filled our week with the beach, the San Deigo Zoo, walks, a trampoline, and lots of FOOD! We stayed in an incredible house that had a yard perfect for 6 kids to run around in. It was so fun to see Ellsie with all her cousins. She tried to steal airplanes from the boys, took Jewels sippy cup over and over again and was carefully taken care of by her older cousin Abby. It was good for her to be around other kids and learn a few things about sharing:) Chris and I are continuously thankful for not just 1 great family but 2 great families. We have been so blessed by the time spent on these family vacations. Most of the Bury clan lives in a different state so the time we get with each other is so wonderful. I have beautiful sister-in laws, smart and charming nieces and nephews, and VERY loving in-laws!

The Beach

The weather at the beginning of the week was great so of course we spent those days at the beach. Ellsie being the little dare devil that she is wasted NO time heading straight for the water. No matter how deep we took her she wanted go even further. Ellsie has 3 older boy cousins and I think she taught them a thing or 2 about how to dive right in:) One day we decided to put Ellsie on the boogie board. She wasn't scared but she didn't really know what to make of it. However, Brandon seemed to like it a lot. The kids ran up and down the shore line from the "waves" for hours and had so much fun playing in the sand. 

San Diego Zoo

We were lucky enough to have a cooler day when we ventured off to the Zoo. The older kids headed to the zoo in the morning and the babies (Ellsie and Jewel) met up after first naps. I always knew the San Deigo Zoo was big but big takes on a whole new meaning when you are carting around a baby in your belly and trying to keep 13 people together. We got to see the Pandas, a few different bears, flamingos, so many other animals too and we rode on the sky tram which had amazing views of the entire zoo:)  

A Bury Photo Session

My girlfriend Courtney came down and took some family photos for us. It was so great! She got some great pics of the entire family and then some of our individual families. The hard part was keeping the kids out of the water long enough to take a few pictures:) Ellsie just about died! She saw the water and wanted nothing to do with POSING! She charged it right away and by the time we left her dress was drenched. 

An extended stay!

Chris' brother and his family were able to stay a few extra days after we left Del Mar. They live in Portland and we do not get to spend too much time with them so it was so nice to have a little extra time. They have 2 kids, Silas (age 3) and Jewel (almost 1). We mostly hung out at my parents pool and had a full day at the beach. One night we had a bon fire and ate hot dogs and SMORES! Sommer and I share a mutual LOVE for fire pits and smores, so we particularly loved that evening. 

Ellsie and Jewel   

Ellsie and Jewel are 6 months apart. Jewel is just the sweetest baby you ever did meet. She is very easy going and rarely fusses. She has her mothers photogenic gene and always gives the camera a smile:) Ellsie on the other hand is a little more feisty and is just into everything. Ellsie sees a camera and runs the other direction. Even at their young ages I can see their different personalities. Even so it was amazing to see the attachment Ellsie took on for Jewel after being with her for 10 days.  At first Ellsie was taking things from her and grabbing her clothes to try and pull her along. We worked on how to touch a baby and to be gentle. The last few days we were together Ellsie would wake up from her nap and pull me into Jewels room and she would go up to her and pat her on the back. The day they left, Ellsie woke up from her nap and pointed to Jewels room and started crying when she couldn't find her. Jewel also learned a few things from her big cousin Ellsie... "Uh Oh." Ellsie is only saying a few words and "Uh Oh" is her main one:) By the end of the week I couldn't believe my ears JEWEL WAS SAYING "UH OH." It seemed like the babies grew up so much just by spending time with their older cousins!!!

CR's Baby Shower

The last weekend in July, my sister and cousin in law (Grace and Kellie) gave me a fabulous baby shower! It was so adorable. They planned an owl theme shower, where we had a taco bar and make your own ice cream sundae's! So much has been going on during this pregnancy that this little guy lost a lot of my attention. I was very focused on the move and now on finding a home for us. So much of experiencing your pregnancy is the preparation and due to our situation, no preparation has been going on. It was so nice to be surrounded by friends and family to celebrate this new little life. All the clothes and toys and books really got me excited! I am now in the home stretch and I am so anxious for him to be here! 

I just can't get over these AMAZING cookies. A family friend as her own business and she free-handed each cookie! They were also very YUMMY:) 

A pic with my cousins in front of the owl tree

I was so happy that Natalie just happened to be home the same weekend as the shower. It was such a treat:) 

These 3 were probably cheating at this point to win baby boggle:) 

My cousin Kayla winning the dirty diaper game

So many cute clothes!

Our son's life would not be complete without Kobe Bryant jammies. Too bad he wont be wearing them for another 4 years:) 

The wonderful host's of the party, Kellie and Grace:) Love you guy's!!!! 


A Family Update:

Well, we have officially been in California for almost 4 months now! We thought we would be in our own place by now but alas, no such luck:( We are currently going through the process of buying a short sale in Laguna Niguel. I have been told not to get my hopes up as short sales frequently don't work out. However, if it does we are really excited about the place! So please keep us in your prayers as we are anxious to be in our own home. Since returning to California, Chris has actually traveled a lot less. So much of his travel this past year was to California and yes, this makes me very happy:) I have a few more weeks to go until our newest addition arrives and it is as they say, the last month is the WORST! But overall I feel really good. It has been so nice having my parents help with Ellsie while I am pregnant. The further I go, the less "fun" I am so it great having so many playmates for Ellsie:) Hopefully next time you hear from me I will be blogging about our little guy. Until then, keep us in your prayers...we need a house and a safe delivery:) 

Endless Summer- Part 2

So I know my blogging has been a little out of control this summer but we have just been doing SO MUCH! That plus the fact that my work load has seriously decreased, leaving me with a little more time on my hands. I am just going to enjoy it while I can:) Ellsie is also at the age where she does something new DAILY! I LOVE having a toddler because everything is just a little funnier:) She can be throwing a fit or laughing or eating and it is so entertaining. She has so many different expressions and makes so many different noises... we just have so much fun (well, I guess I should say MOST days). 
Ellsie, like most kids I'm sure, gets obsessed over one object for a while. It could be a toy, straw, blanket, shoes, etc. It changes frequently. RIght now she is on an UGG kick..I know perfect timing, right in the middle of summer. She likes to carry them around, makes me put them on and off, bla bla bla:) Well today Ellsie has her UGGS on and we are playing in her room before nap time. She has them on while we play and throughout reading a few books and then it was time to nap so I took her uggs off, I didn't think sleeping with Uggs on in the middle summer was appropriate so when she got upset I let her cry:) I put E in her crib and she is crying standing up in her crib signing "please, please , please!" Meaning she wanted me to put her uggs back on her. I felt so bad but couldn't help but to laugh at her.  Anyways, she is a very determined little girl and it is always fun to see what she'll do next.


Disneyland
It is every parents dream to take their kid to DISNEYLAND and watch them explore the Magic Kingdom! We were going to wait until Ellsie was a little older but we had a great opportunity to go this summer. It was such a great day and we can't wait to do it again. Ellsie had a lot of fun but had a hard time knowing where to focus her attention. Everywhere she looked there was something exciting:) Here is a little video I put together. It is the 1st video I have made so it is a little rocky:) Enjoy! 


 

4th of July Weekend

As to be expected we had GREAT weather over the 4th. It was perfect for BBQ's, pool parties, parades, and fireworks! Below are pictures of all the grand and great grand kids participating in the parade at my grandma's senior community. They do a parade every year but this was Ellsie's first appearance:) My Aunt Kathi decorated Ellsie's wagon and I tied cans to the back . They are led by decorated golf cart blasting patriotic music:) My mom pulled Ellsie in the wagon and Chris raced ahead of us to get pictures. 

My parent's had a BBQ at their house where we ate all traditional "4th" food... BBQ chicken, corn on the cob, potato salad, and a flag cake for dessert! Ellsie was all decked out in pool gear! She had goggles and floaties on but her favorite part is when Chris puts her up in the air and then drops her in the water. I'm not really surprised because this kid likes anything dangerous! 

Unfortunately Ellsie did not stay up for fireworks this year (maybe next year). So Chris and I drove to the Back Bay where they do the most amazing firework show. It was GREAT! There are a ton of boats out on the water and we sat high up on the bluff (with like a billion other people) and watched the show. I just LOVE fireworks so it was the perfect way to end the day.

Tanaka Farms: Strawberry Picking

Since the 4th fell on a Sunday, Chris was lucky to get Monday off as well. In the morning he enjoyed what he called some of the BEST surf ever (for him). Then we headed to Tanaka Farms with the McKee family. Tanaka Farms in an entirely organic farm where you can purchase produce and take different tours depending on the season. We were luck enough to catch the end of STRAWBERRY PICKING season! The property is beautiful and it turned out to be such a fun afternoon. 

There is about 30 acres of land and half of the land is devoted to strawberries. They also have a variety of vegetables and other fruits right now and in the fall the place turns into a pumpkin patch:) To get to the fields they load you up in big wagons pulled by a tractor. Along the way you stop off and get to taste different things. Pictured is Ellsie eating a tomato and we also got to eat raw corn. I couldn't believe they just picked the corn right in front of us and then served it. And it was actually GOOD!

Because Tanaka Farms is an organic farm, no pesticides or hormones are used to grow their crops. Which means other than some dirt the produce is completely safe to eat right after being picked. While you are picking strawberries they have no problem with you eating them as you pick some for yourself. Right away Ellsie LIKED this:) The picture below is Ellsie's first bite into a strawberry. She is nice and clean but that doesn't last long. Not too sure why I put her in WHITE!

As you can see Ellsie had her FILL of strawberries. She would pick them and we let her eat as many as she wanted. I'm not gonna lie we almost had a strawberry melt down towards the end. On the way home, Ellsie was in some kind of strawberry stuffed trance. She was so full she just slouched in the car seat with her leg dangling over the side and a blank stare on her face. It was HILARIOUS! I guess you could say she got her daily dose of vitamin C and fiber easily.