The Best Grandparents

So, who can I call at the last minute when I find out I am having surgery in a week and won't be able to pick up Mason for a few weeks and need some help? Sean's parents!!! They are the best! Not only did Shar drop everything and fly out, but Jer came too. They played with the kids, cleaned our home and folded more laundry than anyone should ever be exposed to. My children adore them, and Mason was calling Shar "ma" within a day. I was replaced a little too easily. Shar not only would walk Mason all over the neighborhood and swing on the swings with him, she even bounced with him on the trampoline. How cool a grandma is that? We love you Sharshe and Gramps!Thank you!!




Mason LOVES the trampoline!



What talent! He can even catch a football while bouncing. Where are the talent scounts when you need them?



We finally got to the beach with Shar and Jer right before they left. Our favorite beach is Ko'Olina. We went there on a Friday evening for a picnic and to watch the sun set. Mason, who used to despise the beach, has started warming up to the idea of sand between his toes. He still thinks the bath is the bomb when it comes to water experiences, but the sand and a few toys is getting to be a lot of fun too.


Three generations of Burke boys enjoying the beach.


Jaxon loves the water and is quite amphibious, happy in the water or on land.


Colton is all about digging. It is amazing how deep he can dig in a short amount of time. Ever heard that expression about digging a path to China? My money is on Colton to do it.


Ella started off the afternoon in the water doing some tricks, but the beach and some sand toys quickly called to her.

Cool Dad Award

And this year's Cool Dad Award goes to Sean Burke for allowing his two youngest children to have the time of their lives in a huge mud puddle left behind from a recent rain storm. Isn't that Ella's new dress she just got? Yup. And Mason's nice shoes? Again, uh-huh. Oh well. The conversation went something like this. Sean calls Angela, who thought he had taken the kids to the library to return movies. "What are you doing?" Angela: "Listening to thumping," (We just got Dance Dance Revolution for Christmas and Jaxon and his friends were upstairs playing it). Sean: "Come outside and turn right." Angela, "Sure." Well, this is the sight I saw when I came outside:



Look at the dirty but adorable 'pot of gold' at the end of this rainbow:

Christmas Morning

We told the kids, (really, Jaxon) that they had to sleep until 6 am. Jaxon has a history of waking up multiple times during the night in hopes of getting a few early presents. At 6, the bedroom doors flew open and the happy pitter patter of big and little feet could be heard coming down the stairs to see if presents or lumps of coal were left for them. Jaxon was easy to please with a new Lego set and an Ipod shuffle that kept him busy for 6 straight hours. Colton was happy to see that Santa got the note about the Star Wars toys that he really wanted. Ella was enthralled with a life size Barbie friend to play with, and Mason couldn't have been happier with a new plush chair to sit in while reading some new puppy books. Everyone was happy and there was joy in the Burke household for just about the whole day. Now that's what I call a Christmas miracle!

Christmas Eve

On Christmas Eve, we had the Wonderful Walker family over for food and fun. The kids wanted to battle with their new Nerf guns most of the night, but we tried to throw in a little spiritual moment by trying to act out the Nativity while reading the account of the Savior's birth from the scriptures. Ella, who is already looking through bridal magazines to find a dress for her 'big day' with AJ, wasn't hard to convince to play the role of Mary while AJ was Joseph. We had a few wise men, shephards, and the part of Baby Jesus went to a fun loving 11 year old. Mason wanted to spend the time running around wrapped up in the scarfs.

Jaxon in Jeans

Jaxon has been telling us for the past five years that he has been 'allergic' to jeans. He has refused to wear them since he was three. I forced a pair on him for a few hours back in 2003. Seriously, he hasn't worn them since. He didn't like pants with buttons or zippers. He is 'king of the elastic waist' shorts and pants. We have been keeping Old Navy in business by buying all of their athletic style shorts for the past six years. Well, low and behold, a few weeks ago, a good neighbor brought over some jeans for Jaxon to wear so we could take a family picture. We had a huge rain storm so the picture never got taken, but Jaxon tried on the jeans and not only did they fit, but he liked them! I almost broke down in tears as I saw my son wearing real pants for the first time in almost seven years. I am a HUGE fan of jeans, so I just couldn't relate to the idea that jeans aren't comfortable. So, Jaxon ended up keeping the jeans, and actually wore a pair to school this week. I had to snap this picture as soon as he put them on because I was afraid it might be another decade before I saw him in jeans again.

Claiming our Christmas Tree

The day after Thanksgiving we went to pick out a Christmas tree. I LOVE real Christmas trees. It all goes way back to when I was a little girl and we had a four foot artificial tree every year that we had to put on table to make it look bigger. We nick named it Charlie Brown. Ever since then, I swore when I grew up that we would have real trees. Sean has been wonderful and indulged me every year in getting a big real one, even though it can be a hassle. The kids love to go and pick one out, and they smell wonderful. Well, this year we thought we found one right away, and asked Jaxon and Colton to stay with it while we looked quickly down the last aisle. Colton took his job of "claiming" the tree as ours very seriously. He offered to pee on it, thus insuring that no one else would want it after that. We quickly told him no. Then he suggested licking it, and we said, sure. So, this is a picture of Colton licking our tree, to make sure that no one else would take it after his saliva was all over it. The kids were happy with the tree we chose and we had fun decorating it. Since the initial decorating event, we have had to move all the decorations about three feet from the bottom of the tree. It seems a certain 15 month old derives great pleasure from pulling ornaments off of the tree and watching his mom calmly try to grab them from him before they break.


Ella and Colton were so excited to start decorating the tree once we got it home!

My Four Favorite Reasons to be Thankful

These guys are the reason I am most thankful this Thanksgiving. Even though Sean had to work, we had a great Thanksgiving. Our neighborhood had a huge pot luck with tons of fun friends and delicious food. There was eating, talking, chasing kids, more eating, football watching, a little more eating, and then serious strategizing for the next day's early morning shopping spree. The kids had a great time playing with their friends, and my great neighbors adopted me as one of their own while Sean was busy giving epidurals at the hospital.

We celebrated as a family on Saturday, and although my waistline wasn't too happy about two big feasts in less than 72 hours, it was wonderful to sit together and be grateful for each other. Mason, unfortunately, slept through the big meal, but he isn't a huge turkey fan, so he wasn't mad about missing out on the food the first time around. He was awake in time for dessert though, the most important part of the meal!