10-10 trip!!!

Luke and I just celebrated "10 years of diapers...that came to an end in August of 2010". Or as we affectionately termed it...our 10-10 trip! We had always said that once all of our kids were out of diapers, we were going to get away and celebrate just the two of us. So, that day came this past August when Tag was completely potty-trained...pull-ups and all! What started in October of 2000...has finally come to a wonderful completion....and we celebrated in style!

This is the view from our balcony in beautiful Puerto Vallarta, Mexico!

Big iguanas just hung around the pool...literally under our pool chairs (that's my foot in the corner of the pic!!!). They were so big! Creeped me out a bit....but they were gorgeous.

One of the coolest parts of our trip was getting to watch a sea turtle come out of the ocean, bury her eggs up on the beach, and then go back on her merry way. Even the locals came out to watch this amazing phenomenon!

She was so big!

Look at the trail she made...

Back into the water!

Pretty mountains in the distance...

View of the pool and our resort.

The grounds were beautiful!

Wild peacocks roaming around....or peahen I guess in this case. :)

Another iguana. Notice I'm not on the lounge chair this time. :)

Found the male. Beautiful peacock...

Sunset from our balcony.

Dinner with my husband. He rocks.

Sunset boat ride to Las Caletas. It was an all candlelit beach where we had dinner and watched a show. Amazing!

View of some of the candlelit tables on the beach....and that's the moon going down behind the mountains. Pretty, huh?

The stage lit by torches and candles...

Massage on the beach, anyone? Isn't this amazing? And they had yoga right here on this jetty each morning at 8:15. Just my cup of tea!

Last day on the beach. Oh my gosh, we had so much fun. Relaxed, hung out, read, watched football, movies, slept late, had amazing meals, drinks by the pool, lots of good time together, talked, walked, and got to know each other all over again. Thanks to our parents who made these four days possible by keeping our diaperless peeps. :)

Fabulous 40!

My sweet sister-in-law turned 40 a few weeks ago...and my sisters, Mom, and I celebrated her in style!

We ate lunch at this cute little tearoom called The Chocolate Angel....had pictures of her "fashion sense" through the decades that her mom and sister helped supply us with, and our "top 40" things we love about Natalie. We put it all together in a keepsake book for her...it turned out great!

The ladies....me, Nat, Caroline, Mom, Jen, and Jes

Cupcakes from Sprinkles for dessert...

Nothing like a cupcake while getting a pedicure. :) Love you Nat!

So thankful

I am so thankful this time of year. So many blessings. How did I ever deserve all of this? Well, of course I didn't...but God saw fit to just pour love out on my family. Thank you, Lord! I am most thankful for God's love and grace....for forgiveness and second chances....and for this beautiful life and family He's given me. I am the luckiest girl in the world. :)

We finished up our "Metroplex Shuffle of Thankfulness" today....and are exhausted, but so grateful. We started the holiday off with time together, just Luke and I. Oh my gosh, did we ever have fun! ( More to come on that in the next few posts....our 10-10 trip!!!) Then, on Thursday we had the best day with Luke's mom, stepdad, and brother. Such a yummy, wonderful time. Chilly....cozy....perfect.

On Friday, Luke had to work....but the kids and I had a fun day chillin out. We went to my mom's and helped her cook a bit for Saturday. Faith Anna was a deviled-egg-makin-fool. Then that night we went to our dear friend, Jourdan's wedding. It was so much fun! Such a beautiful service....and we danced the night away at the reception. (The photographer was all over Faith Anna and Beth who stole the show bustin a move on the dance floor....)

Saturday Thanksgiving lunch was at my mom and dad's....with 27 people! We had our first reunion in many years with all of my dad's brothers and sister...and their families. It was wonderful to be with these dear folks...many of whom we hadn't seen since our wedding! We were there until about 6:30pm....when we hopped back in the car and drove to Luke's dad's and stepmom's for an elaborate 3-course dinner at 7pm! His parents have been taking culinary classes for a while and have definitely found their gift in cooking. The meal was excellent and we had the privilege of meeting Jacqueline, Luke's brother Jordan's girlfriend. She was a doll and fit right into the family without missing a beat. We hope she's around for a while! :)

Then this morning, back to my parents at 10am for breakfast where my brother and his sweet family joined us, since they'd been out of town for the other festivities. It was fun to see them and catch up.

So now it's only 7:30pm on Sunday night, and we are all ready for bed! 3 nights in a row up til midnight will really take it out of you....especially when the WHOLE fam including the 3 year-old is up that late!

Hope you and your family were able to celebrate with loved ones this weekend....and that it was a weekend filled with joy.

Time...

Are you laughing at how I just got caught up on several months of blogging in the past few days? That's what happens when you're given a little time! Luke and I just got back from our "10-10" trip (more on that next few posts...) where we got some much needed alone-time. We spent the last 4 days at the beach...soaking up the sun, and each other. I finished the book I was reading, The Red Tent, and got caught up on my blog....all while Luke napped beside me on his lounge chair and I relaxed by the pool watching the ocean lap up onto the beach. :) It was tough. Real tough. Thanks so much to Luke's Dad and Liz....and his mom and Chris....for loving on our little peeps while we were away. More to come!

Halloween

Halloween looked a little different around the Burton house this year. We still had fun, but Logan tore a tendon in his right 4th finger the day before, so he was in a lot of pain! He really didn't even feel like dressing up....or going trick-or-treating. But after some large doses of ibuprofen (!), he decided to throw on a Jedi robe and join us for a bit.

Unlike the boys, the girls had spent weeks pouring over their costumes and every little finishing detail. Sharpay and the Black Kitty Cat were the end results!

Some of our neighbors rented and decorated a golf cart to drive around for the weekend....and they came and gave our kids a lift to a party.

Faith Anna's "Sharpay" costume from High School Musical is accentuated by the last minute blue feather and sparkly head thing we found the day before at Hobby Lobby, some blue eye shadow that we borrowed from Gran, a silver purse that was once Caroline's, and my favorite part...the shiny silver high heels that we found at Payless (also the day before I think) that we had to get in a Women's size 5 because they don't make any "real high heels" for little girls. (Can you believe she fit into a ladies' shoe?? She thought that was just the coolest thing ever.)

Boys are just so stinkin easy. Tag wanted to be a football player again this year (please see last years Halloween blog entry and you will discover almost the same outfit! At least the same felt helmet and pants. Hey, it worked for him last year....why change a good thing?) He wanted to wear his new Cowboys jersey that Leonard and Liz gave him for his birthday, his helmet and pants from last year, and best part....he needed "real football cleats"....so Luke put Beth's soccer cleats on him (2 sizes too big) and he loved it! Thought it was the greatest thing since sliced bread.

Logan trying to entertain all my picture taking. He's really saying, "Cmon Mom! Can't we be done already? I'm hurting big time here!"

And sweet Beth the Black Kitty Cat. (I stress black because I originally came home with a cheetah-looking ears and tail....and she would have nothing of it. It had to be a black kitty cat.) So we found this cute ears, nose and tail set....coupled with a black leotard, skirt, and tights....and her black jazz shoes of course. See what I mean....girls think of every detail.

My sister Jennifer brought her boys over to trick-or-treat with us...

Noah the cute, cuddly lion...

...and Austin the fireman. We had fun!

And needless to say, 3 weeks later, Logan's finger is doing much better! He has to have it splinted until Christmas...but that's only a few more weeks now. Wow.