Christmas Eve Eve Present

This is our Casper.
And little Daphne.
They love to sleep on each other.

We arrived at the grandparents today and the kids got their Christmas gifts in advanced, 2 kittens. They are so adorable and the kids love their gifts and all the cat toys that came with them. Casper and Daphne are so cute, cuddly and friendly. We are so blessed to have these rascals in our home. Thank you Grandma and Grandpa.

Before Christmas 2008

Eli and I go to Eli's company holiday party at the Spy Museum in Washington DC. It was awesome because we had the whole museum to ourselves and after the tour we had a private dinner with all you can eat and drink. The kids were literally next door, so that I could nurse Leah after the party and not have to worry about driving home. Plus, we went to the National American Museum earlier in the day. The next morning we went out to breakfast in DC with the kids and then we checked out and went home. We had our friends Christmas party later that day. So, a busy weekend, but loads of fun.
Avery and Zachary had their holiday parties the week before Christmas. Zachary's class had a couple of treats for their celebration. However, Avery's class the parents got a little out of hand and there was at least a treat (cake, candy, brownies) from each student. I brought in mini cupcakes and only about 5 got eaten. Some parents just get very excited about these events ;P Anyhow, their classes also had a song they sang and a little class project during it. The kids also handed out presents to the parents (so cute) and the teachers gave the kids presents. The parents gave the teachers gifts as well. It was really a very sweet treat and the teachers are great, I appreciate them so much.

Over the weekend we went to my parents to enjoy a Hanukkah celebration. We got to exchange gifts with my family and see the kids cousins and my siblings.

Leah Walks

While we were giving the boys a bath last night, Eli and I were impressed to see Leah standing and then walking. We knew she could do it, but she was very unsure of herself. If she knew she was standing, she'd sit down. So, I wasn't surprised when she took her first step, she did the same thing, at first. Then, as she realized she could walk she took more steps and took about 5 total before falling down. Walking back and forth between Mommy and Daddy was a fun game for her. She certainly found it very amusing and so did Avery and Zachary when the saw her walk too. We all got a good laugh in and much applause. Unfortunately no video because Miss Leah has severe diaper rash and she was naked during her first steps. We'll be sure to capture this skill soon.

Leah's One Year Stats

12 months of Leah. Here it is, a look back at her at each month. Enjoy.
Well it has been a year. Can you believe it? Leah started out in this world at 19 inches and 7 and a half pounds. Today she is 28 1/2 inches and 18 lbs 13 ounces. She's grown a lot over the year. Happy Birthday Leah!

UVA vs. VT

Leah started throwing up at around 12:30 am. She'd wake up only to puke again. She did nurse at around 5, but just threw it all up over me and the bed. To top it all off, we weren't even home, we were at my parents house. We stayed to watch the football game and we thought maybe Leah would be better, but she got sick again at 1pm. So, I washed everything while we watched Virginia Tech beat UVA. My parents weren't too happy, but Eli and I sure were. We left shortly after the game. To make sure Leah didn't throw up on herself in the car, we borrowed towels and the one in the picture had a convenient hole to put Leah's head through. Don't worry, she just had it on long enough for us to get a picture, then she took it off.

Leah at One and Candy Day

Leah is 1 today. We can't believe our daughter is one. Anyhow, today we went to Barbara's (aka Grandma) brother's house and made candy. This was our second time making the sweet hard candy, which is a tradition in Barbara's family. It took 6 hours to make what seemed about 20 lbs of candy. Grandma made Leah a birthday cake, which she unfortunately never got to blow the candles out for because she was asleep, but she did get to eat some later. After candy making we went to my parents to celebrate again. She got to blow out a candle on a cherry pie. However, since it was our second Thanksgiving, we didn't eat any pie, we were all too full. Leah was zonked and fell asleep early. We should have known she was sick then, but that's another story.

Thanksgiving 2008

Turkey, Stuffing, green beans, and cranberry sauce are just a few of the ingredients for a good Thanksgiving. For our Thanksgiving we added Grandma and Grandpa in West Virginia and had a wonderful Thanksgiving. In the morning we took pictures of the family by the Potomac. Then we had our meal at 2. After that we had a much needed walk on Terrapin Neck and enjoyed the beautiful day. Then we sampled Eli and Grandma's freshly baked apple pie. Leah got a really cool birthday gift from the grandparents. The Dora Rider not only entertained her, but the boys as well. After they pushed her around the house, Leah pushed them around the house. Needless to say, we had a very pleasant and fun Thanksgiving. Thank you Grandma and Grandpa.

Birthday Party and Thanksgiving

The cousins at my brother's house.

Eli and the kids at Avery's Thanksgiving in his classroom.
Okay, so it's been a while. Well, we've been pretty busy with Thanksgiving celebrations in the boys classrooms and traveling to PA for Brian and Nene's birthday party. We've also had birthday parties every weekend since Avery's birthday. So, if we aren't having fun, we are shopping for gifts. Okay, so that's fun too.

We're off to celebrate Thanksgiving in good old WV. We look forward to making candy and celebrating Leah's 1st birthday. Hopefully I'll post those pictures by next week. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Story of Nutmeg

One day in January 1997, Eli and I went to a pet store in West Virginia. We met this wonderfully friendly cat. She reminded me of a cat I had at home named Spicy and I thought for sure she was meant for me. Later that day I went home without that cat and found out that my cat Spicy was suffering from a stroke and would be put down the next day. I called up Eli and told him that I was sure that cat we met was meant for me, it was destiny. Sure enough, I had convinced him to get the cat and as a tribute to Spicy, he thought of the name Nutmeg. She was a perfect cat, a little crazy at times, hence the tail being amputated, but nevertheless a great friendly cat. She immediately inherited a brother named Pi from Eli's family. They grew to be friends. We lost Pi in Oct of 2002. Early on, we discovered she had a form of Feline Leukemia that was not fatal, but gave her a continuous cold, but she never stopped purring. Even to this day she purred. Eli took her this evening to be put down from the cancer in her jaw that we found 4 months ago. We said our goodbyes and she surely will be missed, especially by me. She was a very special cat.

Halloween

Halloween is our most celebrated holiday in our household. We had two Halloween parades, we visited the Air and Space museum, we went to the ASI Halloween party, and went around the block trick or treating. We also had Avery's Halloween birthday party twice. I almost forgot the two pumpkin farms we visited. Busy month for us Burkes.

Avery Turns Five

Happy Birthday Avery! Our big boy just got a little big bigger. Eli and I have been looking at each other and wondering what happened to the last five years.

Avery loves school, for the play time of course, but I think he is also learning by osmosis. He can write all his letters, and will write words if you force him to sit still and do it. Pushing him to do anything is a struggle; if you can trick him into thinking it is a game he will participate whole-heartedly.

Avery's favorite TV show / licensed character is Scooby Doo. He loves his nightly bedtime story, and pays very good attention despite distractions from Zach and Leah. He enjoys anything on the computer, or his Leapster game player. He has good eye / foot co-ordination and can dribble the soccer ball around. He's also speedy on his feet and in the pool, so we may try swim team in a year or two.

Before I forget, his favorite color is pink. Eli got him a Red Power Ranger costume and he was upset that it wasn't pink for a couple of days. I can't wait to see if it's still his favorite color in ten years...

On his birthday Eli took a half day. Per Avery's request we went to Chick-Fil-A and let them play in the gerbil maze for an hour. Back at home we had presents and video games, and then Eli surprised us with tickets to the Big Apple Circus. Then on Saturday we had a party for "older" kids, and on Sunday we had family over. The cake and cupcakes were commissioned from our friend Heidi.

Leah in her Tinkerbell costume.

10 Months in Hats

Yesterday, as Eli worked late and the boys took a bath, I played dress-up with Leah and every hat I could lay my hands on. She was not happy and tried really hard to get them off her head. Of course once they were off, she would try to put them back on, but doesn't have the coordination to get them on right. She will also try to put clothes on, but usually winds up dragging them over the top. Eli takes those opportunities to play peek-a-boo, so I guess it's possible she does it on purpose.

A Quiet House at 3pm

What do you do when it's 3pm and the house is quiet, the baby asleep, your boys out of town for the weekend? Well, you do what I'm doing, you blog all about it.

Eli took Avery and Zachary to Bryan's family cottage this weekend for what they called a "mancation". I don't know how long it will last since it is looking pretty gloomy outside and I'm sure the kids will be moaning about what to do. They will have Logan and Kaylee to play with, and all the Wii game time they can stomach, so it may come down to how long Eli and Bryan can hold out.

I'm going to try not to waste the whole weekend goofing around on the internet. There is so much to do to get ready for fall and cold weather: organize the house, switch out bedding and warmer clothes, etc. I'm not excited and motivated, but it needs to be done and there won't be any better time.

Photo Fun

Leah was playing with the pumpkins that I put in the foyer and I thought it'd be fun to take a couple of pictures. It turned out that all she wanted to do was destroy my display and knock the pumpkins down and play with the fabric. Zachary tried to help by holding her hostage, but she wouldn't have that either.

Then I thought maybe I could take some pictures of her in the dining room using the new drapes as a backdrop. That didn't work either; all she wanted to do was play with the sheers. The results turned out cute, but in a different way than I expected.

Avery and Zachary Start School Again

Avery and Zachary started their second year of preschool last week. Avery was very enthusiastic about going; Zachary a little less so. Last year he had some problems with one of the other kids in his class, and we think the negative emotions carried over. By his second day he was feeling better about it.

Avery is coming up on five and loves learning. This summer we worked on spelling and he kept up with his ABCs and 123s. But the skill he improved the most was his swimming. He had had such a dramatic change from May to September, and can swim fast and deep for as long as his breath lasts. When we go to my parent's house he loves to jump off the diving board and swim to the side.

Zachary is three and a half, knows his ABCs and 123s and can even spell a few words. Yesterday he spelled his name, which shocked us because normally he spells Avery's and says it is his name or he will say Z and a whole bunch of different letters and say it is his name. In fact, one of the boys' favorite game is to say a bunch of letters and ask me what they spell or what they mean. We can't understand why it's so hilarious. Zach's swimming has improved but he doesn't have the same confidence or buoyancy as Avery. He can push off walls and keep his head above water, but he doesn't kick his legs out behind him so he doesn't have any lateral movement.

This week I have back-to-school nights to learn what the boys will be doing in their classes and meet their teachers.

Steady Growth for Leah

Leah has hit nine months and had her latest checkup. The doctor says she is having steady, healthy growth. Her new stats are:
Height: 27.25 inches (50%)
Weight: 18 lbs 3 oz (50%)

Her personality has become pronounced. She is a happy happy girl. I probably sound like a broken record saying that all the time, but the difference re the boys is pronounced. Or, Eli and I have really just lost our minds; melted away under the stress of parenting.

But back to Leah: she can be mischievous, but smiles wide when caught. She throws little tantrums when something is taken away, but they are short lived and she can be distracted out of them. Eli says he hopes that never stops or we will be in trouble when she's a teenager.

Leah can also speak. She pretty distinctly says maaamaaamaaamaaamaa when she wants me or sees me, and says daaadaaaadaaadaaaadaa when Eli gets home from work, or enters or leaves the room.

At the end of our trip to San Francisco we realized she had cut her fifth tooth. That makes four out of five that came when we were traveling or on vacation. Thanks girlie!

Seth and Rob Wedding Aftermath

After the wedding Dad took us to the Waterfront Restaurant. We sat right on the water with an amazing view of the bay and Treasure Island. The food was incredible, and we polished off several bottles of really good wine along with it.

We finished up with a leisurely stroll back along the waterfront towards Fisherman's Wharf, stopping at Pier 39 to check out the Sea Lion colony living there. The smell was... a stench, really. It was like being surrounded by a thousand cans of rancid sardines.

Seth and Rob Get Married (again)

I mentioned in an earlier entry that we went to San Francisco to visit Nora. Our desire to visit dovetailed nicely with Seth and Rob's desire to get legally married. (For future readers, same-sex marriage was and is still illegal in most states; we hope that will change some day soon. And while I'm at it, please let Barak Obama get elected in November!)

So on Monday morning we all trooped over to City Hall. Seth and Rob had an appointment to fill out the paperwork, and then we waited for about a half hour. They were married by the city commissioner who told us he liked to do a couple of weddings each month to be a part of the joy.

The strangest part of the whole experience was running into Richard and Joan Blumberg. Eli grew up seeing them in Maine every year at Hiram Blake Camp. And then we randomly bumped into them 3000 miles away. They were visiting City Hall because their daughter had recently been married there as well.

A Walking Tour of San Francisco

Nora told us at the outset that San Francisco was a walking town. She was not kidding. We started the morning with a walk to her place, just over a mile from our hotel. We went through Chinatown, which I enjoyed. Yes I know it's all tourist trash and gee-gaws, but I liked it.





After we had a chance to check out her apartment, we walked across town (uuuuuuup, then dowwwwwwwwn) to one of Nora's favorite brunch spots, Perry's. After eating we started back, ducking into boutiques, then decided to shift course and walk to Ghirardelli Square by Fisherman's Wharf. At the time we figured we might take the trolley car back, but when we saw the hour long line Eli convinced me we could walk back to our hotel.



Now technically, he was right. It was not THAT far; we had walked a route that would look like a figure eight from above, and the return to the hotel would connect it up perfectly. But after already walking something like 5 or 6 miles, neither of us was prepared. It was a long slow walk. Oh and did I mention we were pushing Leah in the stroller? :-)

There was a silver lining. We got to look down Lombardi street from the top, and we had some amazing views of Alcatraz and the city. And when we finally got back, the hotel hot tub opened its arms wide and gave us a warm wet hug (as did the beers we picked up at a licquor store about a block away).

Going to San Francisco?

On our way to San Francisco... or are we? Our initial flight was repeatedly delayed for a total of six hours. Yes, six hours in Dulles airport, when we could have been at home relaxing, or napping. And when we did finally take off, it was to spend 5 more hours on the plane. We were at our wits end from entertaining Leah in a filthy airport lounge with just a few toys from our carry-on.

The bright spot in the experience was that we flew in first class, thanks to some frequent flyer award tickets Eli managed to score. The tasty meal, desert, snacks, and free booze helped take the edge off once we got into the air.

Getting Ready to Fly

We are getting ready again for another trip, this time to San Francisco. Nora has been there for two years and will be returning to the East Coast soon. Like the Nashville trip we are leaving Avery and Zachary behind, for several reasons. It's expensive, we aren't planning any kid-friendly activities, and honestly we need some alone time. They will be staying with Martin and Barbara who have a full slate of activities planned to keep them busy.

Since Leah is coming along to San Francisco with us, and we will be on the plane for more than five hours, I spent some time creating a new baby toy for her. It is a buckyball shaped ball with ribbons pulled through the holes. The ribbons are all different colors, textures, and widths. I let her play with it for a few minutes to verify that it would hold her interest, and then put it away for the flight.

Meanwhile, she is in love with our books. She crawls over to the rotating bookshelf at full speed and pulls them off the shelf to look at and gum with her teeth. She still tears and crumples the pages sometimes, but not nearly as much as she was.