Cousins

There is nothing better than cousins. There's a closeness there that just doesn't happen with a best friend. Besides sharing dress-up clothes and paper dolls, the blood lines that connect us create a lasting bond that can not be broken. I had a similar relationship with my cousins Colleen Sorensen (now Chipman) and Rodney Clayville. Colleen still lives in Salt Lake City, married with children of her own, and Rodney in the Bountiful area, getting married again the 16th of this month. I have very fond memories of summer fun with both Rodney and Colleen. We swam most of the summers at our Aunt Afton's pool there in Bountiful, climbed trees in the cemetery (of all places), and seemed to never tire of each others company. To this day, we smile when remembering the fun times we've had, and are always excited to run into each other at a family function. 

What is Eddie and Angela doing in this picture of cousins?

At present, I have (16) sixteen grandchildren.  11 girls and 5 boys.  By September we'll add two (2) more boys to the mix. These beautiful grandkids all love each other and squeal with delight when they see each other. They are close enough in age that they pair off in age groups, i.e. Madison and Kelli Jo, Zoey and Jacquelynn, Brooklyn and Ava.  They had so much fun with each other this last visit (I got home late last night), that I had to snap a few pictures of them. The captions and smiles speak for themselves.  What fun. And...we missed Joshua and his family, and Ben and his family. But we look forward to the next time all (18) eighteen of them can be together in one location ... probably at the cabin, again in Utah~!

Ava, Brooklyn, Kelli Jo, Madison, Jacquelynn, Zoey, Sutton

Ice Cream Truck!

Lucky Chris' home is large enough to house the cousins!

Jacquelynn and Zoey

Beckham is wondering where more boy cousins are. (Pennsylvania perhaps?)

Good idea...keep them eating dinner outside on the deck, then hose it down.

Nothing better than a play room and lots of dress-up clothes to put on.

Jacquelynn and Zoey

Brooklyn and Ava (Jacquelynn get out of the picture)

Jessica

Jessica would be 28 years old right now had she lived. She would be tall, with long dark brown hair, big brown eyes and a smile and personality that would light up the room. She would be a singer, a great loving sister to her brothers and sister, and always an ideal daughter. And, she would probably be married with children right now. I miss her.

On Memorial Day Joshua and his family, along with Ken and I, went to Jessica's grave there in Newport Beach, California. There was a quiet reverence felt as we drove up to where she was buried. We took some beautiful pink flowers to lay across the top of her grave, and Ashleigh lovingly laid them across the top so that her name and epitaph were still visible to passers by. 


I'm glad we went this year, and that Josh and his family were with us. I don't often go to Jessica's grave because it has always made me very, very sad. And although we are extremely blessed to have the knowledge of the truth the gospel brings our lives, an eternal perspective, with knowing our family will all be together again, I still miss her every day, but especially around September 15th (her birthday), and on days we have visited her grave.  

Baby David, Jessic and Marva

Jessica had such a loving way about her. As a little 11-month old, she would run quickly around the house, always barefoot, giggling and smiling. She would come and lie her head on my knee there in my office and smile saying, 'momma." My comment to a visiting friend was, "if anything happened to her I would die." it was shortly after that that she near-drowned in our backyard pool. An accident that left her severely brain damaged, requiring full-time nursing. Her favorite nurse being Marva (pictured to the left.) 

She lived until she was four years old, then with those pleading eyes begging me to let her return home, I released her emotionally to Heavenly Father. It took me that long to let her go. The details are sort of blurred of those four years she lived and struggled physically, but I know that her presence today is still felt by all of her siblings. At her memorial our bishop said that she was a ministering angel, and I know that she watches over all of the children - Ben, Angela, Chris, Joshua and David. I have felt her presence in my life, and I love her. Thank you, David, for sharing these pictures with me. 


Wordsworth describes this life beautifully... 

Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting:

The Soul that rises with us, our life’s Star,

Hath had elsewhere its setting,

And cometh from afar:

Not in entire forgetfulness,

And not in utter nakedness,

But trailing clouds of glory do we come

From God, who is our home:

Heaven lies about us in our infancy! ²

She Rode a Horse

Madison Villa

We are again in Utah juggling spending time with the kids, seeing my mom and conducting a bit of business. Time flies by way to quickly, especially with these visits. We finished up with mom's trust, then took her to shop for new kitchen counters at Lowe's. Ken loves that nitty gritty stuff with picking out marble, matching up patterns for back splashes, etc. I, on the other hand, really don't like doing that. I know what I like and don't like, but hate the process of looking and deciding. So, I turn that stuff over to Ken. We also were able to spend time with Chris, fresh home from somewhere near Bahrain. He's moved his wonderful family back into their beautiful Bountiful home, and it was great seeing (and hugging) his beautiful three girls and chunky monkey boy, Beckham. The girls and I prepared two types of salads, then waited patiently for Eddie to bring up his four beautiful girls. Chris' girls were so excited about seeing Angela and Eddie's girls (all close in age), that they kept having me call and text Eddie to see when he would be arriving. Of course, the squeals of pure delight rang thru the air as Eddie's car pulled up and all seven girls collided, hugged, and walked into the house with their arms wrapped around each other, chattering as fast as they could. It was fantastic. And it reminded me of my cousin Colleen when we were young.

Then today Ken and I drove down to Orem, Utah to spend time with Angela and her family. Angela had been on the road doing networking meetings, but had just arrived home. After we hit an Ihop for dinner (perfect place for little girls to order a fancy pancake decorated with whip cream and fruit), I took Madison shopping. She's 8, will be entering 4th grade in the fall, and has outgrown most of her clothing. And of all the girls, Madison loves to shop with grandma Burgess. And I love taking her shopping. 


With our Target bags in hand, as we hopped into the car Madison was so excited to tell me about riding a horse. "I rode a horse today, grandma!" Then she proceeded to tell me all about it. She was so excited about her horse riding experience, and couldn't wait to share the details with me. I smiled as I listened. Then tonight, after answering all of the biz emails, scheduling and posting meetings and training calls, I looked at a picture of Madison with her horse. It made me smile remembering how excited she was about it, and it took me back to my elementary and junior high days when my sister, brother and I would rent horses for $1 an hour at our cabin there in Pines Ranch.


What a beautiful time that was. And although horribly allergic to animals, I still loved learning to ride and riding those horses every summer. There was one man in particular, Brother Smith, a member of the Tab Choir, who died a long time ago, who had a cabin there in Pines Ranch up the road from us. He was always more than happy to not only saddle up the horses for us to ride, but on many occasions he would ride along with us. He loved taking us on trails we hadn't taken time to explore, and telling us names of the wild flowers along the path, and how the spring was blessed by a General Authority. I loved it. And, I will always treasure the times I had there on those trails with Brother Smith riding the horses, sneezing the entire time, and feeling saddle sore for a day or two after. It was great!


In the morning I will ask Madison more about her horse riding experience. I will take time to do that, and I will listen more closely. You see, it's just so easy to get caught up in daily life and business "stuff". Too many emails, text messaging, and event planning these past few years. It's time to stop, listen, and remember. And, of course, write down these experiences before they slip so far away that we forget the wonderful things we did as we grew up, and the people that added so much to our life. Thank you Madison for helping me stop and remember riding those horses. You made my day.

Our Beach Visits

Josh and Ashleigh and their two adorable kids, Chamberlain (5) and Siri (2) came to spend the Memorial weekend with us, and we are thrilled. Before coming we used Facetime on our iPads to touch base about their visit and Chamberlain made it very clear that we were going to spend everyday at the beach - Newport Beach that is. So, anytime I can head down to the beach and take a break from the overload of business projects, I'm there in a heartbeat - no matter the weather or time of year. It is always wonderful, peaceful and renewing to the soul.

Memories of years spent on 15th Street, Newport Beach are priceless to me. As I sat there with the sun feeling very warm on my forehead and nose (the first two places I usually get a little sunburned), I turned to Ashleigh, referring to being on the beach, and said, "I've missed this." 

You see, for years as the kids were growing up and living here in Irvine, the kids and I spent every Thursday at the beach where we met up with the other ladies and their families from the Irvine 4th ward. It was a tradition that both my kids and I loved. I was known for bringing my "house" which was a sturdy beach canopy that took three of us to set up, but was appreciated by all because of the shade it provided. Besides the hard-to-put-togehter canopy, we all came over-loaded with beach pull wagons loaded with towels, frisbies, sand toys, change of clothing, sweatshirts, and a jam-packed beach bag. The beachbag had novels, glamour magazines, sun screens, food and water items, and work projects. We all looked like pack mules pulling and pushing our way to our "spot" where all of the ladies met up. Of course the kids were strapped down with the beach chairs, umbrellas, coolers loaded with bottled water, snacks and lunch. And although it was a major project to get ready, get there - packed and seated in our "spot," it was worth it just to be there "basking in the sun!" We loved it.

Our beach trips took in the entire day. We came home sun burned, exhausted and had sand in every crevice of our bodies. As we would pack up and drag ourselves back towards our van, we would shower off as much sand as possible, then load up the van, trying to knock off the excess sand from boogie boards, wagons, toys, cooler, hair, shoes, and bags. But as soon as we'd get into the house and head to our rooms and shower, it was amazing to see how much sand we still drug into the house. But no matter how much effort it took to go to the beach, we looked forward to the next week to repeat this action, and after today's brief beach visit, we are planning to start up the weekly tradition again. Just hope that old irvine 4th ward would regroup and duplicate the fun beach of years past.

SHOPPING

Girls love to shop. And shopping with grand daughters is the most fun ever! Our last visit to Utah was four-fold, to see Chris and his family before he left for Puerto Rico to play basketball, to see Josh and Angela and their families, to meet on the condo situation with the Clayton's, and to meet up with our biz friends, Steve and Melyn Campbell on a fun MLM venture. Mission accomplished on all four accounts.

Kelli Jo loved shopping!

It was great getting together at the Gateway Mall area for dinner with everyone, meeting at Chris' for games where I couldn't keep all of my added gestures straight (Cursed), being with the kids and grandkids, and then spending a day in a $20 million dollar home that I had no idea existed in the Salt Lake area! 

Zoey

The most fun day was spent shopping for clothes with Zoey and Kelli Jo. They loved it as much as I did. The chatted non-stop, giggled, tried everything on in the store, and wanted to buy everything they actually tried on! What a fun, fun trip. 


As little girls move from baby to elementary school, they start realize too soon how much fun shopping for clothes really is. They say things like, "I look good in this, grandma," or "can I get this one too?" Because I'm grandma, I can say, "of course, anything you want!" Where as a mother, I couldn't say that because I had to answer to their father. 

I have loved shopping with Adelaide when I was in VA and PA. She requested going to Justice for Girls. Angela's Madison is a definite Fashionista and only wants to shop (like grandma) at Nordstroms. Jacquelynn usually is more fascinated with the little purses and jewelry. But this last trip was more about taking Chris and Lesa's girls shopping because normally they are out of the country with their daddy and his international basketball adventures. So this was their time. And I'm so glad we were able to bond a bit more. This time...over fashion!

When I Am Baptized

On January 7, 2012, darling Madison was baptized. What a special day that was for all of us. She chose the song, "When I Am Baptized" to sing as a solo, and I was blessed to accompany her on the piano. She also asked me to speak about the Gift of the Holy Ghost on that day and her daddy, Eddie, spoke on baptism. The spirit of the Lord was very strong with us that day. Madison was ready to be baptized, and she was excited. I took her shopping at Nordstrom's the night before to pick out two dresses - one for her baptism day, and the second one to wear on Sunday as she sat next to the bishop on the stand. There's nothing better than a day like this.

My mom, me and Madison

Madison's special baptism day brought back memories of my own children's baptism - and even my own. I was baptized in the Salt Lake City historic Tabernacle. I can still remember turning 8, wearing white and being baptized and confirmed by my dad. That special feeling I had that day, I can still remember.  I have reflected upon my own children's being baptized, where, when and who performed those sacred ordinances. How beautiful are those memories.  Here are a few pictures on baptism day of Adelaide, Nolan and Calvin. We were able to be at all of them in Virginia and Pennsylvania. I sang and spoke and Adelaide's and Nolan's. And due to a bronchitis, I couldn't sing at Calvin's, so he volunteered and walk right up front and sang "I Am a Child of God" A'Capella. It was beautiful and very, very special.

Adelaide's Special Day

Nolan's Baptism Day

Calvin's Baptism Day

Those Yummy Blue Cookies

It's been an exciting two months since the new year began, and I wasn't sure which event to blog on first. But then I decided to hold off on talking about Madison's wonderful baptism day on January 7th until I can round up my "memory lane" of baptism pictures of the five grandchildren who have already been blessed with that event. So, let's talk about those blue heart-shaped cookies. :-)


It's no secret that I absolutely adore my sixteen grandchildren - beyond words. They are my heart, and thanking Heavenly Father everyday for the joy they have brought us happens both morning and night - and sometimes when blessing the food before eating. Yes, if I did nothing but visit those fabulous kids in Utah, Pennsylvania or Puerto Rico (latest place Chris is playing basketball), I would be content. I love watching them sing, play, scream (little girls do non-stop screaming), playing the piano (we won't talk about the piano in PA that needs to be tuned or burned), do puzzles, play with Barbies, paper dolls, and terrorize Scooter non-stop while they are visiting, and feeding those coy fish, duck, geese and turtles off of my deck. Pure heaven for me. So when I am told that I have another grandbaby coming - boy or girl - I'm ecstatic!


This past week was spent in Utah with most of the family. Chris left for Puerto Rico to play basketball on February 10th, so we wanted to fly up there to see he and his family before he left. We, of course, all met up at CPK there at the Gateway Mall in Salt Lake City, laughed, ate, and hugged. The cousins also adore each other, and can't wait to sit next to each other, chat and giggle non-stop. It's a beautiful thing, and warms my heart. After eating we all headed to Chris' home to continue the family fun. 

As soon as we got there handsome 5 year old Chamberlain snuggled close to me on the couch downstairs and said casually, "I'm going to have a baby brother." I inquired, "when?" He answered, "as soon as Siri is bigger." Ok ... well maybe mom and dad have been discussing the possibility of another baby with him, I thought. He then repeated it, so I asked Josh and he shrugged and said, "he's imagining things," and blew it off. Ok, so that was that. 


Then once we started playing the nutty game called Curses in the kitchen, (that's another post entirely, but needs pictures of those involved for visual impact), Ashleigh came to us at the table with a large box. As she began to open the box, Joshua announced that they were expecting a new baby in June! And to give us a hint as to what they were having, the box was opened, and the cookies were blue = a boy. Exciting! So...Chamberlain was telling the truth here and not just imagining. How cute was he, and how special the time always is when announcing to the world that you are expecting another baby!


Takes me back to all of the kids and their unique ways of telling me about the new baby coming. Some have done it with a wrapped framed announcement, others have called me at 4am from Poland saying just, "it's a boy! But don't say anything to anybody...even dad." While others just blurt it out when I'm least expecting to hear such incredible news. I love it. So...June we will once again (yea) be blessed with a special gift from Heavenly Father, and he'll carry his father's name of Joshua. We aren't sure yet what the first name will be, but that middle name carries on the Burgess name. And that is incredible. (I'm smiling from ear to ear as I write this post.)