A Birthday Dedication to my Momma

Thought of you with love today, but that is nothing new. I thought about you yesterday, and days before that too. I think of you in silence, I often speak your name. All I have are memories and a picture in a frame. Your memory is a keepsake, with which I'll never part. God has you in His keeping, I have you in my heart.

Happy 55th Birthday Mom...May you rest in peace, and know I will never forget the amazing woman, mother, and friend that you were! Love you always and forever!!!xoxoxo

Phoenix for the weekend!

So this weekend, I got to fly the Coop and head to sunny Arizona, with no kids and no husband, Just my sister, me and her husband Kenny! The weekend didn't quite turn out as planned, I had hoped to spend all day Friday and all day Saturday in Arizona, but due to some flight mishaps because of flying standby I didn't get there until late Friday night. None the less I still had a great time! The weather was perfect, and the company was great! Although I did find that I missed my traveling partner Ryan, I still managed to have a good time with out him! The Resort we stayed at had a nice water park so Saturday we just hung out at the pool all day and worked on our tans. We ended the evening doing some shopping at the mall! The trip ended quickly with what was supposed to be an early flight home on Sunday...but all in all, it was a nice little getaway vacation! I can't wait to celebrate my hubby's 30th birthday next month in Los Angelas!!!

Sweet & Sassy

Today we took Brooklyn to get her first haircut! I took her to a place called Sweet and Sassy....what a cute little place for little girls. They do mani and pedicures as well as a fashion show, and take the girls for a ride in a limo with red carpet service...and lets not forget they cut and style hair too! They had a great 1st haircut package, which included a haircut, style, glitter hairspray and face stamp, they also give you locks of their hair, take a picture and post it on stationary for the baby book and let your little one pick out a sucker...Brooklyn loved the experience, I thought she might get antsy but she really enjoyed the atmosphere and she patiently sat there while the stylist trimmed her hair. I was so proud of her, and her hair really turned out cute! Ryan and Blake came along for moral support but really I think Blake wanted to check out the girls in the fashion show, and Ryan wanted to make sure his baby girl's hair turned out just right...no pressure on the stylist! lol! we will definitely be back their for Brooklyn's next hair cut!

My 29th Birthday

This weekend I celebrated my Last Birthday before I hit 30! My Friends and Family made sure I had a great time! We started the celebration with a trip up to Evergreen... where we had planned to play some Broomball but once we got there we found out that you had to reserve a broomball ring, so we ended up just going Ice Skating on the lake! Talk about a beautiful scenery! We all did really well Ice Skating it was the first time for some of us, and for others it had been years...but I am happy to report no one fell down on the ice, Well except for Candee, but she wasn't exactly ice skating, she was however walking in the grass with her ice skates on and hit a small patch of ice, which caused her to fall in a small puddle of mud...I got to witness the whole thing and let me tell you, it was FUNNY! The only thing hurt was her pride so I made sure to laugh at her! After Ice Skating we headed over to Beaujo's pizza for lunch. The celebrating didn't end at that... My friends met me for Dinner at Ling and Louie's and then we all headed Downtown for some Clubbin. We found ourselves at a club called Suite 200 and although it was crowded we still had a great time tearing up the dance floor! The older I get the more I realize how lucky I am to have such wonderful friends and family... you kind of take them for granted but as you grow older and wiser you learn how important they really are to you...Spending my birthday with my Friends and Family this year was truly the best gift I could have had...but it sure didn't hurt that they showered me with money, and gift cards! I love you guys and thanks for making my day so special!

So as if all the above wasn't enough...Ryan continues the celebration of my birthday into the next day....He knew the kids wanted to celebrate my birthday with me so Blake and Brooklyn went to the store and he let Blake pick out a birthday present for me....Blake picked out a beautiful heart necklace that was engraved with "mom" on one side and on the other side it was engraved with "I will always remember every hug you gave me in my heart" It was absolutely beautiful, and Blake was so happy to have gotten it for me... Brooklyn surprised me with learning how to say "Happy Birday Mommy" it was so sweet, No mom could ask for anything more! Ryan got me the MP3 player I wanted for my long light rail rides to and from work, so I was pretty happy about that! To finish off the celebration, Ryan and the kids took me to dinner at my favorite Seafood Restuarant "Red Lobster" and then came home and they baked me a delicious cake...which I must mention, Ryan really surprised me with his baking capabilities. I'm such a lucky to girl to have such a wonderful Husband and great kids. I Love you guys and thanks for making my 29th Birthday so Special!

Happy New Year!

Year's end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us ~ Hal Borland

Not only is it a new year but also a new generation! There are only 10 generations in a Century of which many of us only live to see 8 of them, so it's a little crazy to think I have been alive for almost 3 generations!

We were fortunate to be able to ring in the new year with people who are very near and dear to our hearts! This year Kelli hosted the New Years bash at her house...we had delicious appetizers and played some good ol Flip Cup...I made a year end video which consisted of pictures that we had all taken through out all of 2009, and then we ended 2009 watching the ball drop and kissing the ones we love! The only thing that kept the evening from being perfect was that Ryan wasn't able to stay for the entire evening because he had to work...but not to fret...I got to talk to him on the phone at the stroke of midnight,and I kissed the next best man....Blake!!! I am excited to see what 2010 holds for us...I think wonderful things are in store! Happy New Year to my friends and Family....lets make great memories!!!

Christmas 2009

As usual the kiddos had yet another wonderful Christmas! This year Ryan and I celebrated a little differently with our families than we have in years past...we decided to celebrate Christmas Eve with his family and Christmas Day with my family. It really did work out better this way, we had much more time to enjoy our families and not have to worry about rushing off to the next house. We started Christmas Eve by picking up our Nephews Tyler & Caleb and taking them along with Blake and Granddad to the movies to see Alvin and the Chipmunks "the Squekqual" that was then followed by a visit to Nanny and Granddads house where we got a special visit from Santa. After that we headed over to Ryan's parents house where we ate and opened Xmas Presents. Ryan was super excited as his parents got him the GPS he really wanted! The kids and I made out as well! Ryan had to work Christmas Eve so the kids and I came home while he went to work and we made Cookies for Santa. The kids woke up at 6:00am on Xmas Day and saw that Santa had left presents for them so they got to open up their gifts from Santa and their Stockings too! I prepared the Xmas Dinner while Ryan caught some Zzzz's before the festivities began at our house with my family. My family arrived around 5:00 and we enjoyed a delicious dinner followed by presents. Ryan surprised me this year with the camera I really wanted...I was so happy I didn't think he would remember nor did I think he would get it for me! This Burke Family had a Wonderful Christmas, we all got what we really wanted and we got to spend it with the ones we love!!!

Blake's Ice Skating Date

On December 12th Suyzel and I made a lunch and Ice Skating date for the kiddos! Blake and Suyzel's daughter Isela are the best of friends and with the hussle and bussle of the holiday season Suyzel and I decided to stop and get the kids together for a play date! So we met up for Lunch on a Saturday at Old Chicago and then took the kids Ice Skating at the Pond in Southlands! The kids had a great time, and Suyzel and I had a blast laughing at them as they tried to ice skate... Isela was much more graceful than Blake but both had a wonderful time...and they are excited to get together again soon!!!

Friends Forever

This past weekend we got together with our best friends and did our annual group photos...here's what we came up with!!

I am Thankful for.............

One of the many things I love about Thanksgiving is the reminder of the many blessings I have to be thankful for! I have been blessed with an amazing husband... not a day goes by that I dont thank my lucky stars for giving me a wonderful partner and soul mate to take this long and crazy journey with...I can't imagine going through life with out him along side me. As if having a great man by my side wasn't enough, I've also been blessed with 2 of the most beautiful children...they have no idea how much they mean to me and how complete they have made my life...I can't even begin to explain how much I cherish them...from their little temper tantrums, to their goofy traits and their loving nurturing personalities, I love it all to the moon and back! I'm thankful to have been blessed with honest to goodness family/friends, I know that I can always count on them, and they will always be there for me!

We were fortunate this year to be able to celebrate Thanksgiving with both of our families...Ryan and I just don't have the heart to split the holiday with our families so we run all around town but it's really worth it to us to be with our families, which we are so thankful for. We started our celebration at his Grandparents house. We arrived around Noon and had delicious turkey with a few of the fixings...we had to save room for 2 other turkey dinners. After spending an hour there we headed over to his parents house and celebrated the day with the rest of his family minus one of his brothers & his family. This year it was particularly more fun than past years, because Ryan and I brought Rockband and insisted on his dad, Brother and sister in law playing..we had a blast laughing at each other! Our evening ended at my Sisters house where my entire immediate family got together along with my sisters Husband's entire family and we had a lovely Thanksgiving feast over there. The day was eventful and full of all of Blessings! Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Sleep tight in your new bed tonight!

One of the sure signs your baby isn't a baby anymore is when you move them out of their cribs and into a toddler bed! Brooklyn has learned about a month ago how to escape her crib, so Ryan and I decided for her safety that it was time to move her into a toddler bed! Although her crib converts into a toddler bed, we found a really good deal on Craigslist and decided to purchase a toddler bed from there, mostly because this new bed had rails on each side so we wouldn't have to worry about her falling out of her bed! after doing some re arraging in her room, we finally got her all set up! She really seemed to like her new bed, and the freedom it provided (yes I think we could be in trouble, because she knows how to open doors) I must admitt making this decision was a tough one for me, it meant I had to face the reality that my last baby wasn't a baby any more, and that can sometimes be hard to swallow... I wish I could bottle up time and open the lid whenever I pleased, but reality is, I can't so I have to accept things for what they are. Tonight is her first night in her new bed....We'll see after tonight how well the new bed works for her and for us!!!

Halloween Festivities

Halloween begins the many festivities of the Fall! This year we kicked it off with our annual pumpkin carving party (see prior post)That was followed by the Chatfield Pumpkin Patch, A scary walk or in some cases run through a couple of Haunted Houses, an Adult Only Halloween Costume Party and of course ended with some good old fashion trick or treating!

Ryan and I headed up to the Pumpkin Festival Sunday afternoon, They had face painting, tattoo stations, barrel rides, carnival rides, jumping castles, corn maze and of course who could forget The pumpkin patch! Brooklyn didn't appreciate it as much as Blake did, but we sort of suspected that would be the case, she's still a little too young to enjoy it the way Blake does, but she was able to participate in some of the activites geared to her age!


Blake & Brooklyn at the Pumpkin Festival

One of Ryan's co workers was able to get us some discounted tickets for 2 haunted houses, so we took advantage of the discount and invited a few friends along. We had a blast going through the haunted houses, and some of us learned that it's not safe to go with Jenny through a haunted house...just ask Kelli how her nose is and Makenzie how her face is!!! Although they weren't as scary as some of the ones we have been to in the past, they were still pretty good, and for some reason the Chain Saw always gets to me!!!

I'm not sure if Kelli is running from the chain saw or from Jenny!!

For Easter the kids had so much fun making the Easter Bunny house so when we saw WalMart had stuff to make a Cookie Haunted House we just couldnt resist! I must say the house did look pretty scary, thanks to the decorating skills of a Man, a 4 year old and a 17 month old! But they had fun and that's what counts!

Daddy, Blake and Brooklyn's Haunted Cookie House!

For the past 4 years friends of ours "The Hynes" host a Halloween Adult Costume Party...it truly is the Halloween Party of the year! We have yet to miss one, and each year is bigger and better than the year before! This year they spiced things up by adding flip cup and beer pong! This year Ryan went as a Breathalyzer, I went as a Detective, Jenny went as a French maid, Ken and Kelli were Gangsters, Mandy was a Indian and Silver was a Cowboy! Everyone had great costumes, and tons of fun! We are already thinking of ideas for costumes next year and can't wait to see what the Hynes will do next to trump this years awesome party!

Ryan the Breathalyzer and Me the Detective!!

I must admit this was the funnest year we have had taking the kids out trick or treating. Both kids were finally at a fun age to go door to door! Years past we had taken the kids to the Boo at the Zoo and the shopping malls to get candy but this year because the kids were older and the weather was nice we opted to visit the houses of relatives and friends that lived close by and then go door to door of the houses in our neighborhood! Blake had so much fun ringing the door bells, and Brooklyn made us laugh because she would just barge into peoples homes or when they would try to put candy in her bucket, she would pull it away in fear that they were trying to take her candy, so instead she would put her hand out and insist that they hand the candy to her piece by piece so that she could drop it into her own bucket. After trick or treating we came home, Ryan had to work so the kids and I made ghost sugar cookies and watched Scooby Doo Ghost stories...we had the Best Halloween yet!

The Burke Family...trick or treating

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Annual Pumpkin Carving Costume Party

Every year Ryan and I host a Pumpkin Carving Costume Party for all the kids. This tradition came about even before we had kids of our own, and has kept with us. We truly enjoy getting all of our friends and family together to carve pumpkins, snack on food and see the kids in their cute costumes. The older kids really got creative this year with their costumes, both Jeff and Rob made their own masks, which by the way scared the heck out of Brooklyn, yet she was so intrigued by them, she kept following them around and screaming (silly girl) The littler ones had some really cute costumes, Tyler was a pirate, Caleb was a clown (very fitting for his personality) Brayden was a little dragon, Blake was a Police Officer and Brooklyn was a candy corn princess. We hope to keep the tradition going for many years to come...or at least as long as the kids will appease us!!!

Wedded Bliss

Dinner at Del Friscos

On October 4th Ryan and I celebrated our 6th year Wedding Anniversary! Just when I think I couldn't love him any more than I already do,I find myself falling deeper and deeper in Love with him every day! Ryan and I made an agreement at the begining of our marriage that we would switch off every other who will make the plans for our anniversary. This year just so happened to be my turn (actually I think I pulled the short stick this year because I sort of remember planning our anniversary last year, but that's neither here nor there) Anyway My sister had given me a voucher for a free suite at a near by Hotel as well as free overnight babysitting and a good friend gave us a gift certificate for dinner at a really nice and rather expensive restuarant, so that made my planning really easy! Now I just needed to add my own little spin to the evening! On Saturday we had a kids birthday to attend earlier in the day so I sent Ryan and the kids to the birthday party, while he was gone I set out a suit for him to wear and attached a note that said "Wear Me" I put the gift card to Del Friscos Restuarant in his coat pocket along with a note telling him to meet me for dinner at 8:00 and don't be late! He arrived to the restuarant on time, with a dozen of long stem red roses! We had a great dinner followed by delicious dessert that the restuarant surprised us with and didn't charge us for! Dinner was followed by a couple games of bowling to which I must add, I beat Ryan the second game!!! Sunday morning which was our actual anniversary we woke up and had breakfast and then I took Ryan for my last surprise which was a couples massage at a great place called Spavia...I highly recommend it. We were so relaxed after our massages we were like limp noodles walking around! We ended our celebration by picking our kids up from my sisters house and going home to spend the rest of our evening with them. Because of Ryan's schedule and with our kids we don't get to spend much time alone just the two of us, I think that is what made this weekend even more special for the both of us, was getting to have some alone time together! I'm looking forward to spending the rest of my life with my wonderful Husband and Soulmate! Happy Anniversary Baby!

our delicious cheesecake


Ryan and I at the bowling alley



we were so relaxed after our massages