A Little Lady

Newport Beach Boardwalk

2012-01-20T05:00:00.000-08:00

While we were in California, we went to the Newport Beach boardwalk and rode bikes.

When we lived in California, we would always take our visitors to rent bikes and ride them around Newport.

It was fun to be the visitors this time. :)

It was such a beautiful day!

Short sleeved shirts and shorts for some and no jackets.

Millie liked the ride, but got bored towards the end.

Don't you just love her in the helmet?

I died when Cason put it on, and got plenty of pictures!

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day 2011

2012-01-18T05:05:00.000-08:00

This year for Christmas we headed to the 73° weather in California. It was nice to not have to wear coats outside to play and Cason enjoyed exercising everyday.

Christmas Eve:

-traveled during the day (Millie was great! Finally!)

-went to Cason's sister's house

-ate a yummy meal which included the traditional brisket

-Millie opened her jammies and was off to bed. The three hour time change wore her out.

-The kids told the story of Christ's birth and we sang songs

-white elephant gifts...large underwear, booty pop, fart book, brussell sprouts...just to name a few. Hilarious!

-then we were off to bed.

Christmas Day:

-opened presents

It was so fun this year because I felt like Millie knew what was going on. She would tear open those presents and was excited to see what was inside. She loved helping Cason and me open our presents too. Little did we know, the poor peanut had double ear infections. (hence the red under her eyes) But she was happy!

-went to church

-came home, hung out and then went to Cason's sister's house again for dinner.

We had a great Christmas enjoying family and reflecting on our Savior Jesus Christ.

Christmas Card

2011-12-26T05:00:00.000-08:00

Here's a peek at our Christmas card this year.

{picture taken and card designed by yours truly}

{front} {back}

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas!

Photography Tips for the CON-sumer

2011-12-20T21:09:00.000-08:00

I do not consider myself a professional photographer...therefore, I can only share info that I find helpful for the consumer (someone like myself) not the prosumer.

I have received a few emails regarding what camera I have and any advice I have about photography. As I mentioned above, I am no pro so I don't know everything. But I do know a few things.

What type of camera do you use? I use a Nikon D40x. This is a great consumer camera. And I recommend it to EVERYONE! I have known professional photographers who have had this camera and have taken amazing pictures with it. her and I'm pretty sure her. They both now have Nikon D700s. (jealous) I love/and have loved this camera. Cason got it for me for Christmas back in 2009. I opened all my gifts and then he came in with a Tamron camera case. At the time, I didn't know what Tamron was. In my mind, I thought, oh no...don't embarrass me. Are we going camping or something. Thinking it was a fannypack. He told me to open it...so I did. And I found my camera shining.

I pulled that bad boy out from the camera bag, and started snapping away on Auto. At first I thought to myself, wow these pictures are amazing...but really they weren't. They looked the exact same as the pictures from Cason's Canon point and shoot camera. I thought about taking the new camera back because it wasn't worth the money and the bulk. But then I looked into a few classes at the community college where I lived in California. I took multiple courses in digital photography-learned how to use my camera and it's Manual settings, and also took a few courses using film...developed my own photos in the wet room and edited them there too. It was fun! I also took a beginner photography workshop from Val Westover right after Millie was born and learned a lot there.

So with that being said about my photography background, here are a few tips I have for you. (remember, I am no professional photographer, nor do I think I am.)

Tip #1:

Do your research on cameras. Do you prefer Nikon or Canon or a no namer? Everyone will tell you what they think is the most user friendly {Nikon is PS :) }, etc. etc. but you need to figure out what is best for you.

Tip #2:

I tell everyone this..and pretty soon these companies are going to catch on to my secret, but it saves a little bit of money. Go to Best Buy or one of those types of stores that sells cameras. After you have done your research and know what type of camera you want, ask them if they have any "open box" cameras in the make and model you like. These cameras are usually on display, have been returned and are not damaged. They usually knock $50-$100 off the retail price. Great money saver.

Tip #3:

Learn how to use your Manual settings. You will see a difference in your photos if you do this. If you don't, you really won't see a difference. There is no real reason for you to purchase a DSLR camera if you aren't going to learn how to use the settings. Why lug around the huge thing if you don't have to? You can get just as great of pictures, if not better, on a small point and shoot camera on auto setting.

Tip #4:

Lenses make all the difference. Invest in lenses. Buy yourself a cheaper DSLR Camera and buy a more expensive lens. I used to use my kit lens (the lens that came with my camera) and only that lens, and my pictures were not that great. I wasn't happy with them...then it broke. I bought a 50mm f1.4 lens and LOVE it! I see a big difference in my photos and I can do things with it that I couldn't do with my kit lens. (this is the only lens I use at the moment.)

Tip #5:

Natural light (in my opinion) is your best friend!

You will get amazing photos if you take them in natural light. Artificial light is great too, but it gives you a different effect. All depends what look you are going for.

Tip #6:

There is always more to learn! Keep studying, learning practicing and getting inspiration from others. Practice makes perfect! Right?

Anyway, that's all I can think of right now..if you have any questions from a consumer level, please leave a comment and I will answer them below.

And because I can't leave a post without a picture of my troublemakingpeanut.
{top two taken with phone}

and because she's so darn cute with that goofy bow.

15/16 Months Old

2011-12-16T10:20:00.000-08:00

This was supposed to be for 15 months..but it works for 16 months too.

My sweet little Millie. Where has the time gone?? Seriously, I can't believe my little baby is growing up. I hate it, but also love it. Such a bittersweet thing.

15 month stats:

Height: 32 inches
(9oth percentile)

Weight: 24 pounds 14 ounces
(80th percentile)

Head: 19 inches
(96th percentile)

This little peanut is quite the smarty pants. She says buh bye, Dad, Mama, ha (hi), up, please, baby, chzz (cheese), stinky, poop, Elma (elmo), apple, hot, bath, blall (ball), duck, book (with the 'k' really pronounced), boots, hat, thrt (treat), milk, mac (mac and cheese), ernie, pass (pacifier). Anytime anyone burps she says "ew" in the highest sweetest voice. It's my favorite. And she says "nast" when she's poopy or after a burp. She also stands up in her highchair and wipes her shirt with her hands and says, "mess". She has a whole list of words that I can't think of. She shortens a few long words like buck (buckle), neck (necklace), and Mick (mickey). She is very good at communicating and will do things we ask.

She knows what a monkey says-"eee, eee"
A cow-"mmmmmmm"
a snake-"thhhhhhhhhhhh" (maybe she has a lisp?)
a horse-neigh
kitty cat-meee
lion-sometimes she'll whisper a growl
pig-sniffs her nose

Whenever she's with Cason and I'm not around, she says "mama?"
and whenever she's with me and Cason's not around she says "dada?"
She must love us both! :)

Anytime she sees our phones, camera or video camera she says "chzz!" And she loves to watch videos and look and pictures of herself and her cousins.

She likes to help clean up and put her toys back in her bucket. She also likes to take all of her clothes out of her drawers and put them back in. She dances when I sing, "clean up, clean up, everybody, everywhere..." and gets excited to help clean up.

She still loves the "vac" (vacuum). Runs from it with a big smile on her face.

She loves to brush her teeth with not her toothbrush, but mine or Cason's. Hey, we're all family right? (I know, that's disgusting, but what do you do?!) She is obsessed with the toothpaste. Of course, it's not her toothpaste, but our mint toothpaste. She would suck on that thing for hours if I let her.

She's obsessed with Elma (Elmo) and gets so excited when she sees him...even if it's on her diaper. and also Mick. She takes the remote and points it at the TV and says "Mick". She always wants a show. I'm trying to minimize it a little more, so she doesn't become addicted. It's cute though.

If you wink at her, she winks back with both eyes.

We cut her hair into a little bob. It was starting to look like a pretty sweet mullet. It is now so cute! Although it does make her look more grown up which neither of us like. I round brush it with the blow dryer every morning and she just sits and watches or plays while I do it.

She climbs up and down the stairs and will go up to get her blanket and pacifier and come back down.

She's down to one nap from 12-2 ish. And boy is it heaven. I sure get a LOT done in that 2 hour period. She has to have her blanket and pass with her...if she doesn't she won't go to bed. Makes washing that blanket really hard.

She loves oatmeal, nanas, cook (coke) shhh don't tell Cason, cereal, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, toast, still LOVES broccoli, carrots, any veggie, and some fruit, mac (mac and cheese), milk, noodles, blackberries, blueberries, and turkey. She goes through phases with meat...she only likes chicken if it has a marinade or sauce to take the chicken-y taste away, she loves ham, and sometimes likes turkey. She loves juice boxes (oh, I love those little lips) and drinking out of straws. and is obsessed with "ass" (ice). We laugh every time! Mature right?

If you ask her where something is and she doesn't know, she puts her hands up like "I don't know."

She blows kisses (sometimes), waves her hand back and forth and says "hi" and waves opening her hands and closing them to say "buh bye." Answers her pretend phone and says "hello?"

She likes the bath. And lays on her tummy and kicks her little legs. She loves to swim! :)

She loves flap books and will be entertained for a long time trying to get those flaps open herself. She really loves books, and still loves to turn the pages.

She is always on the go! She likes to stand in the cart, stroller, or anywhere she has to be buckled. It's quite a challenge. She also loves to push the cart or stroller. We went to Trader Joe's awhile ago, and they had mini carts. She pushed that thing all around the store and grabbed things off the shelf to put into her cart. We sure got lots of attention with that one. So funny!

Church is a challenge. Good thing Cason and I have each other because neither of us could do all three meetings alone. Lots of treats and crackers to keep her occupied. Thank heavens!

She loves to be chased and tickled, and giggles every time.

She always has her big toe up when she's busy doing something. (as pictured)
And she wears a size 5 shoe, which she is quickly outgrowing.

She loves little babies. Real and fake. Every time I say, "Millie, your baby is so sad." She looks at me and does this pouty face, scrunches up her nose and whimpers. It is my favorite!!

The other day, I about cried thinking about bringing another baby into our home. Made me sad to think that it won't be just us two anymore. She's my little buddy and I love everyday with just the two of us. Don't get me wrong, I am very excited to have another baby, but I am sad that she has to share her alone time with me with another little one. Hopefully that changes once the baby gets here. :)

We love this little peanut! She is getting too big. Every time I look at her, I think to myself, when did she ever get so big? I don't know where the time went...but we are enjoying everyday with her, and trying to write down and remember every little detail before it's too late.

Sparkly

2011-12-14T10:21:00.000-08:00

Have you seen all the new glitter headbands in the shop?

And a few other new headbands?

Run over and purchase yourself some for Christmas.

That little baby/toddler/child needs a sparkly headband to match her Christmas dress for Christmas Sunday.

Hurry, because Christmas is fast approacing, and I'm closing up shop for the holidays.

Get yours today!

Also, I will be in Orange County then Utah over the holidays.

Message me in the shop before December 24th, if you would like to do a pick up order to save on shipping.

Happy Shopping!

Reindeer

2011-12-12T19:28:00.000-08:00

While Cason's parents were in town, Beth and I took Millie to see a few of Santa's reindeer.

Millie cared for about .2 seconds...but I'm glad I got pictures! :)

She loved when Grandpa and Cason came home from their day fishing.

We had a great time with them and are excited to see them for Christmas!

bookworm

2011-12-08T05:00:00.001-08:00

Yesterday morning, as I was doing laundry and tidying up the house, Millie was enjoying a good book.

I sat her in the rocking chair, gave her books and she sat there "reading" for a good 10-15 minutes.

I couldn't help but snap some photos.

Her Dad would be proud that she is "reading" a book entitled "I Love Baseball."

He's taught her well!

I love my little bookworm.

Turkey Day

2011-12-05T05:00:00.000-08:00

This year for Thanksgiving, we stayed here in Michigan and Cason's parents came to visit us. We had a superb Thanksgiving feast for the five of us. Everything a Thanksgiving feast entails...we ate. (minus the green beans. We had too much food so I cut them out.)

It was my first time putting Thanksgiving on and I must say it turned out great! But everyone helped significantly. Dave made his famous mashed potatoes, Case made homemade cranberry sauce, and Beth helped me with everything else and made the gravy. Delish!

With a 19 pound turkey and only four (well five counting Millie) of us eating, we had plenty of leftovers. Lets just say we ate Thanksgiving dinner for five more meals after that.

It was tasty, but I am definitely sick of it for now!

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!

Hurry Quick!

2011-12-02T10:15:00.000-08:00

Just a reminder:

Times a slipping away!

Hurry and get your custom Christmas Cards done before it's too late!

I have been busy busy and things are picking up, so send over your family picture(s) and we can create your dream Christmas card today.

(I'd be good in sales, wouldn't I?!)

Last years cards

(I don't want to give any away for this years cards until they're out)

email me: marieburr{at}hotmail{dot}com

Utah Part 2: Provo Beach Resort

2011-12-01T05:00:00.000-08:00

One day, while we were in Utah, we went to the Provo Beach Resort.

{we rode the carousel and got dizzy}

{the babies pushed the stroller around with grandma}

{they played in the toddler area, and got knocked down one too many times by that ball}

{they climbed up the slide. and slid down the slide. repeat 200x}

{and we all enjoyed a little arcade games}

{we finished it off with sushi from Happy Sumo}

Fun time in Utah with family!

Utah Part 1: My Mom's Surprise 50th Birthday

2011-11-29T05:00:00.000-08:00

Millie and I flew to Utah to surprise my mom for her 50th birthday.

She had no idea.

We rang the doorbell, and she came to the door.

She was shocked!

She gave us big hugs, kisses and hellos.

Later that week, we surprised her with a big birthday party.

Many of her dear friends came and celebrated with us.

and the cake...

the cake was pulled off the table by one of the babies, so this is after the recovery.

Looks pretty good after the brutal fall right?!

We had such a great time celebrating our Mom's birthday.

She deserved this special party!

Happy 50th mama!

B or G?

2011-11-28T12:59:00.000-08:00

Never in a million years did I think I'd have little girls. I thought I'd only have boys...I nannied for all boy families, pretty much babysat only boys, and I felt like I knew how to do boys.

Apparently not!

Life never turns out like you think.

Last night, I asked Cason what he thought this baby was and he said his guess and then said, "I don't think I know how to father a boy."

He loves his little girls!

Even though he will be outnumbered, he is very excited for another little girl.

And so am I!

and I know Millie is too...or at least she will be when this baby girl is old enough to play!

Cyber Monday Sale!

2011-11-28T07:30:00.000-08:00

{Click image to be redirected to site}

Just Millie and Me

2011-11-11T04:00:00.000-08:00

My little Millie girl and I went out for a night on the town.

Dad went to a work dinner, so we thought we'd enjoy someone else making us food too.

Just her, me and our pizza.

this is her "cheese" smile.

Afterwards, we went and walked around the town.

She loved it and thought she was such a big girl walking like everyone else.

I loved it too.

Just her and I.

She's my little sidekick...my little buddy...my best friend.

Shop!!

2011-11-09T07:04:00.000-08:00

New items added daily.

Check back often!

Go here.

First Piggy Tails

2011-11-08T12:46:00.000-08:00

The other day, I put Millie's hair in piggy tails.

She looked like such a little girl.

It's still not long enough to do it on a regular basis, but it was fun to switch it up for a day.

Girls are so much fun!

(as I'm sure boys are too.)

{smarties and a little Mickey Mouse Clubhouse did the trick for these pictures}

Trick-Or-Treat

2011-11-04T20:36:00.000-07:00

Halloween rocked this year! :)

Everything is 10x better when you have kids. No, but seriously!

Ok, maybe it's just when you have Millie.

This girl was ready to go trick-or-treating.

We took a few pictures before, and waited until the tornado alarm went off at exactly 5:30pm to venture out to get some treats.

At first, she didn't really get it, but once that "tertth" (treat) hit the bottom of that bucket she wanted more.

She loved to shake her bucket and hear the five pieces of candy clank around.

Oh, it was fun!

{Here is the picture overload. We just think she is the cutest Minnie Mouse, so we couldn't pick a few.}

{She really wasn't grumpy like she looks in this picture. Just the only one we got and I guess she wasn't ready?}

{pure excitement!}

{eating a few of the goods}

{She loved to watch the kids come to the door all suited up to get their treat}

Hope you had a fun Halloween, trick-or-treating!

We sure did!

Girls Day at the Orchard

2011-11-01T06:59:00.000-07:00

{First off, thank you for all the sweet comments on baby #2.

It makes us even more excited to read all your comments.

Thanks for your love and support!}

Last Friday, we got together with some of Millie's girlfriends and headed to a local orchard.

The girls played in corn (Millie also ate it), fed goats, and pet bunnies.

We enjoyed donuts and apples.

I think our family has had our donut fix for the year. We've consumed way too many.

{Cute little Layla}

{The girls feeding and watching the goats}

It's always fun to have a girls day out with our friends and enjoy all that Michigan has to offer.

Come visit! I promise we'll have fun! :)

Baby #2

2011-10-27T10:39:00.000-07:00

We are pregnant!

I am 15 weeks along, due April 20th, 2012.

Millie and this baby will be just under 21 months apart...just how we planned it. :)

I think it's a boy...for some reason.

(maybe because we have a girl name that we love, and no boy names? It was the other way around with Millie.)

I have consumed two jars of kosher dill pickles by myself in the first 11 weeks.

Not because I crave them, but because they are so delicious!

Something about me, pickles and pregnancy.

We all go together so nicely! :)

We are thrilled to welcome this new addition to our family!

Ward Halloween Party

2011-10-26T14:09:00.000-07:00

This year for our ward Halloween party, Cason and I were party poopers. But Millie joined in on the fun of dressing up. She was our little Millie Minnie Mouse.

We filled up on chili, apple cider, homemade root beer and corn bread and chatted with friends.

Millie ran around with the big kids. She was in pure heaven! She kept trying to get Scooby-doo the dog, but he scared her and made her cry.

We didn't quite make it to trunk-or-treat, because it was way past someone's bedtime, so we left early.

All in all, it was a great night!

ps. If any of you have figured out how to take pictures in the cultural hall...please share your secrets!

A Little Lady {the shop}

2011-10-19T10:54:00.000-07:00

I have decided to sell some of my jersey knit headbands (and other fun headbands) for you to purchase.
(I know, I'm always making and selling something...but I just can't help myself!)

If you don't want to make them yourself, head over to my shop to purchase a few of your favorites.

Check back often for more styles and colors.

Today and tomorrow only, receive 20% off your order. Enter 20off in the promotion code box.

Tell all your friends!!!

Happy shopping!

Klackles Weekend

2011-10-17T12:09:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, we went to Klackle's Orchard with some friends (but of course no pictures of said friends).

It was a huge orchard with tons to do!

we didn't have much time (stake conference) so we just taste tested apples, enjoyed homemade donuts and cider.

It was a crazy windy day, and cold cold cold, but we still had fun!!

Millie loved the pumpkins.

Hope you had a great fallish weekend!

We sure did!

Learning from Children

2011-10-11T08:57:00.000-07:00

I have found it quite amazing what little kids catch onto and what they learn. There is a great deal we can learn from children if we just take the time and humble ourselves. Even my little 14 month old teaches me new things everyday. Whether it be patience, to enjoy the small things like every little leaf that has fallen on the ground, or remembering when to say a prayer.

Anytime I feed Millie something, whether it's just fruit snacks, apples, breakfast, lunch or dinner, she folds her arms ready to say a prayer. Often times, she is the one who reminds me that we to pray. I tend to forget when it's just us two. Sometimes, she'll even say "men" at the end of the prayer. And other times, she has moved on and has a mouth full of food before I finish the prayer.

It's the thought that counts right?!

Oh, how I love her!

Home Tour: Kitchen Photo Gallery Wall

2011-10-07T10:30:00.000-07:00

Finally! Finally! Finally!

In our kitchen there was a big empty wall.

We didn't want to purchase more furniture

(because who knows if it will fit in a future home down the road)

and we didn't want to leave it blank.

So, we filled it with these Ikea frames.

We (mostly Cason) hung them and the empty frames hung on our wall for a good six months.

We couldn't decide what to put in them. Family photos? Pattern designs? etc.

But I am so glad we decided to put some of our favorite family pictures in them.

It adds so much to the kitchen.

(Thanks to my brother.in.law Jeff who printed them for us!!)

Stayed tuned for more of our home tour.

(mostly for my fam, since they don't get to see it, but you can enjoy it too. :) )