Burton Family

Happy New Year!!

2012-01-11T13:37:00.000-08:00

I hope you'll get a chance to browse through the last year of pictures and notes. We've had a busy, fun year and are looking forward to great things in 2012. May it all be done to the glory of God!! Be sure to go to "older posts" at the bottom of the page to get the details about Chloe's birth!

Lydia and Chloe

2012-01-11T13:35:00.000-08:00

Christmas Play

2012-01-11T13:33:00.000-08:00

Another performance! Johanna played a Dove in the church's Christmas play. All the kids did a great job!!

Fall in Raleigh

2012-01-11T13:30:00.001-08:00

Cute Chloe's getting bigger!

2012-01-11T13:26:00.000-08:00

Halloween

2012-01-11T13:22:00.000-08:00

Bryce's Man in the Yellow Hat costume was a finalist in a contest from a sewing pattern company. I find out in a couple weeks if I won!!

Beach Retreat

2012-01-11T13:17:00.000-08:00

In October we got to get away to the beach. It was a wonderful, relaxing, fun time as a family!

American Girl Play

2012-01-11T13:09:00.000-08:00

Johanna was in a theater camp for a week based on the American Girl, Kirsten.

Trip to the Farm

2012-01-11T13:06:00.001-08:00

Earlier this year we took a trip to the Newby's farm (a family in our church) and Bryce and Johanna got to take their first horse ride. Lydi wasn't quite ready yet, but had fun watching and playing!!

Peace and Strength

2011-09-03T19:10:00.000-07:00

I mentioned in a previous post how God was faithful to his Word through my pregnancy and through labor and delivery of the baby. Here are some links to some of the verses that I prayed and meditated over for the weeks leading up to Chloe's birth. My biggest prayer was that God would give me the faith to trust in his Word.

Verses on: Peace
For example, I would pray Isaiah 41:10: "I will not fear for I know you are with me. I will not be dismayed. You will strengthen me and help me. You will uphold me with your righteous right hand."

Verses on: Strength
Praying and reading through verses that described Christ's sacrifice for us gave me great strength and courage. Hebrews 12 says that it was the joy set before him that gave him endurance. And to think that WE are his joy! That we would be part of his kingdom because of what he endured. He also had his future glory awaiting him and now he sits with God and is due all our praise and glory. "Consider him who endured such opposition so that you will not grow weary and lose heart" Heb. 12:3.
It also struck me how even while he suffered he showed grace and love to those around him. To the man hanging next to him, to his mother, to John. It helped me be much more aware and grateful for those who helped me in the hours leading up to Chloe's birth and after: Greg, our nurses, midwife, etc.

I hope that these verses will perhaps be of encouragement as you seek the strength and peace of God in your own lives.

Yet More Pics of Chloe and Family

2011-09-03T18:35:00.000-07:00

More Pictures of Chloe

2011-09-03T18:33:00.000-07:00

Welcome Baby Chloe!!!!

2011-09-03T18:14:00.000-07:00

Chloe Ruth Burton was born August 30th, 8:59pm.

8 lbs. 13oz, 19 inches long.

Britt went in for an appt. that morning (it was my due date) and although I was willing to wait, the doctor said that she didn't want me waiting any longer since I was already dilated about 5 cm. And since my body was "working" even though I wasn't laboring, the pressure on my previous c-section incision wasn't something she wanted me to continue to walk around with. So we went in about 2:15 and waited till about 5:15 before my midwife came in to break my water. After that, contractions started pretty much right away. About 3 1/2 hours later I felt a VERY sudden and strong urge to push and about 30 seconds later, Chloe was born! Our midwife barely had time to put her gloves on and we made quite a mess, but Chloe came out healthy despite the cord being wrapped around her neck and body.
I give God all the glory for his faithfulness in being true to his Word. He was my strength and my peace through the whole process and so many friends and family were also praying for me and it carried me through! Greg has always been amazing through each of our kids' births, but his words of encouragement through each contractions kept me focused and hopeful.
Now we are at home and it's been fun to watch the other kids be so excited about their baby sister!!

It's a girl!!

2011-04-14T17:47:00.001-07:00

We found out last week that we're having another girl!!! We're all very excited and the girls have had fun thinking of some pretty creative names. We have no idea yet what the name will be.

Playground at Camp

2011-03-21T19:03:00.000-07:00

The kids LOVE walking up to camp and playing at the playground, in the gym and visiting with everyone there. I tried to get a good picture of all three of them (about 30 attempts) but it never quite worked out :-)

Bryce is really walking around around now and loves to climb all over everything. He joined Lydia in her mom and me gymnastics class and loves it!

Baby # 4 on the way!

2011-03-21T18:57:00.000-07:00

It's starting to feel like springtime here in Raleigh! The biggest news is that we're expecting another baby! I'm about 17 weeks today which puts the due date at around Aug. 30th. I've had all of my kids early and I'm really hoping this is no exception, especially considering the heat factor and that I'll probably have to be wearing compression hose due to my vericose vein issues later in pregnancy. It's definitely been the toughest pregnancy. I'm still throwing up about twice a week and I've been pretty tired, although lately I've had some nice spurts of energy (maybe it's the refreshing change of weather!).

Let it snow!

2011-01-01T11:17:00.000-08:00

It started snowing Christmas night and we proceeded to get quite a dumping!! The view of our lamppost out front reminded me of Narnia!
Snow Angels!!

No snow action for Bryce this time. We had a great view from inside!Greg and I pulled Lydia and Jo in the sled. They also tried out some of the nice, big hills around the house!

Some of our favorite Pics from 2010

2010-12-24T13:13:00.000-08:00

Check out the slideshow (left) to see some of our favorite pictures of 2010!
Bryce turned 1 on October 4th. Johanna is a proud 4 and a half! Lydia is 2 and has quite a personality! They are all so different and so special. I look at them and wonder, how did I do life without kids? What makes it so much more meaningful is having the best husband in the world. I told him just the other day that I wish I could just keep spitting out the kids so that there would be as many children as possible to have him as their dad! I could not do it without him-it would be impossible and just no fun.

Merry Christmas!!

2010-12-24T09:20:00.000-08:00

We hope that everyone full of joy and peace this Christmas! We'll be in Raleigh for Christmas visiting with Greg's family. Jo is now 4, Lydia 2 and Bryce turned 1 on Oct. 4th. The transition into our new job at New Life Camp (www.newlifecamp.com) has been a great one. We hope that everyone will be able to come out and visit!

Duck Duck Goose with Nonnie

2010-06-25T07:06:00.000-07:00

Here's a fun video of the girls (and Bryce) playing their favorite game with Nonnie!
Click here for the link.

Britt and Jo

2010-06-25T07:03:00.000-07:00

Jo's haircut reminded me of this picture of me when I was about 4.

Lydia's Baby

2010-06-25T07:00:00.001-07:00

This is so funny! Lydia has adopted this push toy as her "baby". She carries it around, changes its diaper, pushes it in the stroller, nurses it, reads book to it. She's got a great imagination!!

New 'do for Jo!!

2010-06-25T06:44:00.000-07:00

Jo got her hair cut!! Meme took Jo for a girl's day out and treated her to a haircut, new outfit, sandals, and McDonald's. Doesn't get any better than that!! She looks so grown up. No more tangles!! Everyone's happy!! We got the idea from Jo's cousin Riley to donate her hair to Locks of Love. She had just enough to chop off!! I gave Lydia a little trim too.

Beach with the Burtons

2010-06-25T06:33:00.000-07:00

We met Meme, Grandad, Aunt Alli, Uncle Christopher (or Uncle "Christmas" as Lydi calls him), Brooks and Riley at the beach. The girls could have stayed out on the beach all day long! Bryce got some beach action too!

Trip to the Zoo!!!

2010-06-25T05:56:00.000-07:00

We loved our time at the zoo for Lydi's b-day!! The Lemurs were our favorite!

Lydia Turns 2!

2010-06-25T05:51:00.001-07:00

Inch by Inch

2010-05-20T18:18:00.001-07:00

Jo's ballet dance was to the song, "Inch by Inch" so they were all supposed to be flowers.

Click here to see Jo's dance!!

Splish Splash!

2010-05-20T18:12:00.000-07:00

Jo's Tap/Ballet rehearsal was today. The big show is on Saturday!! Here's a sneak peak! Click here to see the video.

Bryce loves hot sauce!

2010-05-19T10:47:00.001-07:00

Greg was putting the hot sauce away the other day and Bryce grabbed it! He's finally starting to eat some food (not hot sauce) and I think he's starting to grow out of his allergic reaction to milk/rice!!! So maybe that will equal more SLEEP!! He's such a happy baby. We can go anywhere during the day and he's so patient and playful.

Kids growing up!

2010-05-19T10:44:00.000-07:00

Here are some cute pics of the kiddos!!

Greg Graduates!!

2010-05-19T10:38:00.000-07:00

We celebrate with Greg who last Friday graduated from Shepherd's Theological Seminary with a Master's in Church Ministry! His last day of work at Colonial was Saturday so we're full time with New Life Camp now! Thanks for all your support! Here's the clip of Greg getting his diploma and hood: Greg graduating

Bryce starting to sit up

2010-03-11T06:01:00.001-08:00

Here's Bryce in the Bumbo. Next week I think we'll be trying to give him some solid food. I can't believe he's already over 5 months old. When do moms find time to feed their babies solid food? Hopefully that will be the key in getting him to sleep through the night!

A mom's dream come true

2010-03-11T05:59:00.000-08:00

I walked into the girl's room a couple mornings ago and saw THIS!!! They were both sitting in their chairs that my aunt barbara sent them when they were born, reading books!

"Playing" with Bryce

2010-03-11T05:46:00.000-08:00

One of Lydia's favorite things to do is to "play" with Bryce on his mat. She squeezes herself underneath the toys and they just look at each other (between lydi trying to touch him, hug him, squeeze his cheeks, etc.) It's cute, but nerve racking at times :-)

Welcome Lucy Pearson!!!

2010-03-11T05:42:00.000-08:00

Lucy Pearson Lopez was born March 7th REALLY early morning. We can't wait to visit her and the rest of the family over Easter when we all drive to Texas!! Check out justin and sally's blog: salandj.blogspot.com

Tea Party Tradition

2010-03-11T05:38:00.000-08:00

On snow days, the girls and greg go outside to play and I prepare a tea party lunch for us. Jo and Lydia LOVE it. Jo's favorite part is pouring the tea!!!

Snow day!!

2010-03-11T05:32:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple pics of one of our snow days here. We made great use of our diaper box!!

I'm not sure about these girls!

2009-12-19T09:46:00.000-08:00

Bryce:
"I don't know what to think about these 2, mommy."

"I'm really not sure about these girls."

"AAAHHH get away!!"

That's What Christmas is all about...

2009-12-19T08:24:00.001-08:00

"And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said the them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:8-12

I'm reading a book called, "The Reason for God" by Tim Keller that attempts to answer a lot of tough questions about the existence of God and how there could possibly be just one true religion. Check out the book's website or pick up a copy! www.thereasonforgod.com

Celebrating Advent!

2009-12-19T07:51:00.000-08:00

We got this great advent calendar that is made up of mini-books of the Christmas story to be read each day that are also ornaments to hang on the tree. Mom and I also made this other advent calendar that we've been using to do an activity each day to remind us Christ's purpose in coming to earth and to celebrate his birth! We've done things like make ornaments, Christmas cookies, a board game called "journey to Bethlehem", a dance to "jingle bell rock" (hilarious), read special Christmas stories, etc. Lots of fun and keeps us focused on what Christmas is all about. I was a little worried about the girls not being as "excited" about Christmas since we decided not to play up the whole santa thing, but I think they are even more excited about the big birthday celebration that we are leading up to!

Bryce is 2 months old!

2009-12-19T07:42:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe that Bryce is already 2 1/2 months old! He is a pretty mellow little guy who giggles in his sleep! The girls just adore him (and so do we!).

Gingerbread Fun!

2009-12-19T07:37:00.000-08:00

We made a gingerbread house and reenacted the "Gingerbread Man" with Jo in the starring role!

Gymnastics Fun!

2009-12-19T07:27:00.000-08:00

Both the girls have a blast at open gym at Artistic Gymnastics right down the street from us. Bryce still sleeps a lot when we're out which is very convenient!!

Home

2009-10-06T18:26:00.001-07:00

Here's Greg getting ready to put Bryce in his carseat for the ride home and a pic of Bryce enjoying his pacifier while laying on daddy's lap.

2009-10-06T18:18:00.000-07:00

Bryce Richard Born Sunday, October 4th, 2009! He came about 2 weeks before his due date, but I was definitely feeling like the time was soon! And it's a good thing he didn't have any more time to grow in there because he came out 8lbs. 15 oz.! We're back at home and recovering well. Nonnie (britt's mom) was on a plane within hours of finding out that I was in labor and Greg's parents and sister were a tremendous help watching the girls.

Princess Lydia

2009-10-01T15:01:00.000-07:00

Jo scores her first goal!!

2009-10-01T14:57:00.000-07:00

Sisters

2009-09-16T11:12:00.000-07:00

It's been really neat to watch Jo and Lydia start to bond more as sisters. They do a great job of entertaining each other which has been a huge help to me since I'm not doing a lot of 'playing' these days- 4 weeks to go till baby!! Lydia will back herself up onto Jo's lap (which is hilarious because she's almost as big) to have Jo 'read' a book to her.

Activities

2009-09-16T10:34:00.000-07:00

Jo started dance (tap and ballet combo. class) and gymnastics and Lydia has been a very patient little sister! She loves it and picks out her leotards the night before so they can be ready to put on in the morning. I wish I could take some pics/video footage of her in action, but they have that one way mirror as the only way to look in. I might have to sneak in for a few minutes next time.

Worm Cake

2009-09-16T10:33:00.000-07:00

I had checked out a book called Max's Worm Cake from the library and it lead to making our own worm cake. Check out the slideshow to the left for some footage of digging for worms (even Lydia helped) and eating our worm cake. Pretty fun!

Misc. Projects

2009-09-16T10:10:00.000-07:00

Here's a picture of the quilt that I've almost finished. The "quilting" part of quilting isn't as fun as the putting together of the quilt so I've been kind of dragging it out. The little lamb is an amigurumi animal from the book Tiny Yarn Animals by Tamie Snow. So cute and so easy!!

Dora project

2009-09-16T10:01:00.000-07:00

Jo was excited about finally using her Dora fabric to help make this twirly skirt!
(Not sure why the picture rotated itself sideways)

Little dresses for Jo

2009-09-16T09:52:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of refashion dresses I made for Jo. The pin-striped dress was a men's dress shirt that granddad was getting rid of. The back of the shirt became the front of the dress and the dress buttons down the back. I got a pink flower sheet at the thrift store and made it into a little peasant dress.
Check out the following sites for tutorials on how to transform dress shirts into cute girl dresses!
The Idea Room
My Mama Made It
Liliash
Koala Brains
Made
Luv in the Mommyhood
Crafster

Overdue update!!

2009-09-16T09:46:00.000-07:00

Baby #3 coming in October around the 18th!! Big sisters are growing up fast!