The Adam and Laurel Burch Family

Valentine for Hans

2012-02-15T12:56:00.000-08:00

Dear Uncle Hans,
I'm keeping "The Cheese" all warmed up for you and I'm playing your Civ4 game until we can play together again. I'll ask Mom if I can keep pajamas on until you come back (like I do almost every day). You're a popular uncle!
Love,
Care

(Original script: Hey Unka Hans! Thank you for visit me! I'm a mermaid in Oceana and I have a friend who's a robot...I was over there first..Sophie!...I need to play piano and where's my chocolate sandwich? Is it school yet? Why are you typing, Momma?)

Sophie's Growing Up

2012-02-15T12:23:00.000-08:00

Sophie is all ready for preschool with Claire's awesomely decorated V-day box--"May I go to the Valentine's Day party too?" (Which actually comes out, "Ma! Doe go go my?!" I think she might actually be Korean...)

Sophie came upstairs this morning wearing underwear. Yup. She was feeling pretty fine so she walked with her hinders popped out like this until I totally ruined her groove by dressing her for the day. I offered to let her wear underwear over her diapers and she bit my stomach. So...yeah I guess we're in the Terrible Two's now with major 'tude.

A Visit to Grandma Regular

2012-02-15T09:17:00.000-08:00

But first...a tantrum. Sophie styln'!

Dinglemowing! Grandma's rug had gotten WAY out of hand. Note Soapy's awesome pink boots.

Click to play (from the main blog only).

For those in the know, this is the handprint I made when I was Claire's age and Grandma got a new driveway paved. Claire's hand fits perfectly and she was delighted. She asked if she could print "Claire" next to the "Laurel" but I explained about hardened cement...

There are LOTS of fun dollies at Grandma's house. Claire is a good Mommy to everybody.

We went to the Dinosaur Museum with our good friends the Pursers. Sophie plays with Xander.

Chomping on a communal dinosaur--le ew!

Claire built lots of cool sand hills for her dinosaurs at the erosion table.

Sophie loves to play best friends with Claire (especially when it doesn't require getting punched).

Watching cartoons and eating breakfast in bed at the hotel in Salt Lake City.

Rapunzel Abides

2012-01-18T08:09:00.000-08:00

I made this wig for Claire for Christmas ($3!) and although she's pulled the top around, the part and braid are still holding up pretty well! She asked for a complete documentation the other night at bedtime so she would never forget her wig. I made the nightgown as well. She picked out the materials and we used my mom's awesome 1985 pattern. She refused to let me add heart buttons to the top at the last minute so it hangs pretty open. This makes me look a bit sorry as a crafter, but everything looked nice to begin with--Claire just has the energy of a photon and five hundred billion times the momentum!

(Click to play)

You can toss the braid to casually ensnare passing princes...

When lowered carefully you can tempt your sister to climb up to dangerous counter heights.

You can whip your Daddy in the face while shouting "Die, Mother Gofel!"

Claire's Grandpa Henry stylin' eye roll says "Duh!" to her Grandma's comment that she's lovely.

You can't handle this glamour.

Sing manically while brushing teeth for the win!

Whee!

2012-01-14T12:16:00.000-08:00

Sophie says "Whee!" for everything fun, like careening down the hall at high walking speeds, having rides on Daddy Bronco or spinning in Daddy's chair. It's her most consistent word (after pointing with "this" and "that") so we'll probably go with "Whee!" for her historical first word. Besides, it emphasizes nicely just what a fun girl she is.

Giant Walking Girl!

2011-12-21T13:55:00.000-08:00

Sophie broke our camera just after Halloween but luckily Hooma's was around...
I was talking a picture of Sophie trying to stand and wearing a headband (for once!) and she took off walking! She's only ever attempted two steps at a time before and always when near furniture for support. We all erupted into praise and applause, which infuriated Claire. Claire is now spinning and doing ballerina tricks to try to elicit some attention. In one of the clips, she actually pokes Sophie in the back of the head to knock her over--the term that comes to mind is Stink-Pot. Sophie's main word is "Cla", meaning Claire because she's the most awesome sister in the world. I'm sure Sophie's already forgiven her.

Trunk-or-Treat 2011

2011-10-27T18:08:00.000-07:00

Spooky Burch Family

Claire designed her costume and I helped her realize it :)

This pose was intended to show her tail, but it must have been too swishy.

Hannah was Athena, complete with Owl familiar

Sophie wasn't in a great humor, so she's only featured in group shots...

Hooma was mysterious and sparkly. We bought gold make-up for all the girls--complete with sticker earring jewels.

Fishing and Apple Picking

2011-10-27T17:53:00.000-07:00

Claire and Uncle Aaron with his big catch at Ryder Park in Idaho Falls

Sophie prepares to eat an apple she picked in Shelly, Idaho

We pose in an orchard that let us pick cider varieties for free!

Apple Buddies

The chomping is the best part...

First Snow of 2011

2011-10-06T13:09:00.000-07:00

Claire was delighted (after making sure this didn't mean foregoing Halloween and Thanksgiving) and asked to be fully suited up. It was a day off of school for her anyway but we called it her "Snow Day."

Making "Snow Worms"---I explained angels were more common but she thought that was too prosaic.

Sophie doesn't have snow pants yet so she followed Claire around the backyard by speeding from window to window, waving frantically and weeping with joy whenever Claire noticed her.

Happy First Birthday Sophie!

2011-09-21T14:06:00.000-07:00

A midnight portrait--hey we're always up anyway, right?

Chrysanthemum cake with colors picked by Sophie

We went to her favorite restaurant, Chuck-a-Rama. Food is VERY important to Soapy.

Showing off her new teeth--this little grin lets her get away with all kinds of stuff!

Enjoying the songs and attention.

"THIS!!!" (She can also say "That", "None", "Yeah", "Hi-bye" and everyone's names)

Claire is the coolest sister in the world.

Well if no one's gonna give me cake I'll fetch it myself...

Claire plays with Sophie's new toys so they won't get lonely while Sophie demolishes cake.

Claire and Sophie Love to Spin

2011-09-08T13:52:00.000-07:00

Sophie is a social laugher as well, and listen half-way through for Claire to shout, "You're my best friend Sophie!"

First Day of Pre-School

2011-08-23T11:54:00.000-07:00

Authentic ponytail and magical Hannah hand-me-down backpack for the school going girl.
Ready to go to school!
This is what Claire had planned for herself as a first day outfit.

Claire started school yesterday. She still likes the concept of school but has found it a bit frustrating to have extra authority figures introduced into her very independent life. Each day I pick up a very cross little customer who informs me, "Thunder wouldn't have frightened me on the playground if you had been with me!" or "A horrible dog wouldn't have bitten me if you had been with me!" Apparently they aren't to the anti-confabulation bit of a Montessori education...

Claire's 3rd Birthday

2011-08-23T11:40:00.000-07:00

We had a rainbow activity party with a playground parachute, bubble machine and all of Claire's favorite outside activities. After the initial obligatory tantrum, she had a great time!
Soap takes down a legion of cupcakes with her NEW TOOTH!
Claire opens her "Ultimate Sparkle Disney Princess Doll" collection and gives me a gratifying "Squee?! Gnrghh!" All the beauty after-Christmas sales can buy...
Claire wanted to go camping for her birthday and Uncle Hans accompanied us. We camped in Targhee/Caribou near our favorite mushroom and huckleberry spot.
Claire, excited for her first overnight camp-out.
Authentic campers
Soapy thought an activity where we basically sit around together and eat for nearly a day was an awesome idea.
Claire helps hunt for Russula xerampelina.
Daddy lights the special purple-with-mermaids-and-bubbles-and-also-my-name-please-mom cake.
Sophie was thrilled to be officially invited to the backyard party.
Tree top Sophie. Based on her current daily proportional caloric intake, she'll probably end up being about 20 feet tall.

July Yellowstone

2011-08-02T11:56:00.000-07:00

Artist's Point, Yellowstone Canyon
Fairy Falls
Paint Pots
Adam caught the first fish of the season at the cabin--a delicious Brook!

It's great that we hang out in Yellowstone Nat'l so much now that I have to note the month rather than the year! We are having a great time hiking, fishing and generally exploring this awesome part of the world. Did you know that if your baby daughter wakes you up at 5am anyway, you can slide your waders on and stand in Henry's Lake as the sun comes up and the mist on the water rolls over you? The next time you do that, make sure you turn around too--because a bald eagle is probably sitting a few yards away watching to see if you catch anything he might borrow.

Lagoon Trip

2011-07-24T21:08:00.000-07:00

Claire's favorite carousel steed--"Fluffy Cloud-but-not-rain-kind-of-cloud Cat'o Mine!"
Classic Hannah--Anthon and Daniel are in the car just behind us as well...
Nearing the end of the day.
Claire drives the coveted lead purple boat. She actually made a pair of sisters cry by insisting that she was first, it was her boat and they could go stand in line again if they really wanted to ride the purple one. I shamelessly cheered her on.

The serious, yet safe, little driver.
Claire's *first* roller coaster ride--look at her face as she realizes what she's gotten herself into at the crest of the first hill. Could be I'm evil, but that's dang funny! She spent the rest of the ride pasted to the floor of the car while Adam tried to reassure her. I suspect that's it for Old Puff for a few years.
This is actually a picture from Island Park, but taken at about the same time.
A date on "Turn of the Century"
The "Corn Ride"--Soapy's absolute favorite!

We had a meltingly hot day at Lagoon a few weeks ago. Thankfully, Claire's favorite ride is the carousel and spinning in a shaded circle makes for a nice cool break from the sun.

Sophie "Speaks"

2011-07-24T21:04:00.000-07:00

Sophie can now nod yes to request more food. She blows kisses to express affection and we're starting to get verbalizations like "Nun nun!" for "No" as well as an increasing repertoire of people's names.

Disneyland Trip 2011

2011-06-11T12:33:00.000-07:00

Claire and Hannah enjoy souveniers at Olvera Street in downtown L.A.
Taking pictures of Claire at Hermosa Beach.

Hooma on the Hermosa Beach Pier.
On the Candy Cane Inn shuttle to Disneyland for the first day.
About to enter the parks.
Disneyland California was mostly under construction (but still full price--jip!).

In line at Small World for Claire, Sophie and Adam's FIRST Disneyland ride ever!

Dinner at Rainforest Cafe in Downtown Disney.
Claire was sure we'd see Tianna eventually if we rode the steamboat a thousand times.
Sophie enjoyed the train ride best.

Pirate Sophie
The girls sang to beat the L.A. traffic blues.

The ocean is colder than it looks!

We had some fresh steamed baby octopi at King Harbor Pier.

Handsome Adam happy about Mexican candy at Olvera Street.

My view for most of the trip.
Serious churros are found at "Mister Churro" on Olvera Street.
Claire liked the L.A. Farmer's Market and so did Adam (he ate some excellent alligator there!).
Excited to leave the hotel in our homemade matching shirts.

Claire on Small World.

Claire asked to ride the carousel more times than anything else.
Hooma and Anthon.
Claire cuts in...
Sophie takes a break while we enjoy jambalaya and jazz in the French Quarter.
Even foodies are sometimes glad for macaroni.
Adam is delighted with lunch.
Jungle Cruise.
Claire got too excited and fell asleep waiting for Little Mermaid (we woke her up when we got on the ride).
Classic Eyeballs Burch.
Starstruck Claire continues to wave five minutes after meeting the REAL Ariel.
Adam and Laurel sneak off to ride the new Star Tours alone.
Claire bounces with joy at making friends with a goat at Big Thunder Ranch.

Brrr!

Late April and May 2011

2011-06-11T12:25:00.000-07:00

Claire is so cute even though she's never ever clear of bruising!
Claire "helps" Aunt Sam whip cream for our strawberry shortcake.
Uncle Aaron is a favorite with his nieces.
Adam and Laurel celebrate their 6th wedding anniversary at the temple.
Sophie enjoys the sun and lawn with Daddy.

Asparagus Tribute to Grandma Kay

2011-06-11T12:21:00.000-07:00

Muah ha ha ha! Sophie loves asparagus as much as Grandma Kay hates it!

Hallelujah Chorus

2011-06-11T12:18:00.000-07:00

Listen for Claire's sound effect as Sophie eats her first Milano dark chocolate cookie (Claire was actually just singing a little Handel to herself as she does while waiting in the restroom, lining up dinosaurs and swinging in the back yard...).

Spring has (finally) Sprung

2011-04-14T17:50:00.000-07:00

Claire and Hannah man the weather station in the backyard during a rain storm.

Sophie's first day at the park. We had nearly three lovely warm hours before a thunderstorm hit.
Claire dresses herself these days; ever erring on the side of awesome...

A Little Bit "Fabewlayse"!

2011-04-14T17:49:00.000-07:00

Every day, Hannah and Claire do dress-ups and take turns being the princess or the prince. The princess is in charge of singing while they dance. Claire takes a stab at the theme from Sleeping Beauty in this video. The dress is an old one of mine made by Hooma!

Sophie can use a walker

2011-04-14T17:48:00.000-07:00

Video of Sophie's first day being able to scoot in the walker--which we all call her "office."

Potpourri Catch-Up

2011-04-07T10:16:00.000-07:00

Claire photobombs a picture of Sophie chillin' in her wrap.
Claire took this picture after asking Hooma to put on a pirate hat from Claire's dress up chest, more on this day later...

Now that Sophie has made her recovery from the accident I hope to be more regular about keeping our adventures documented. Here's an account of Claire's activities yesterday (seriously, all in about 30 hours): Woke up and saw I wasn't up yet so she decided to help herself to breakfast by pouring milk and cereal on the table and sucking it up like a puppy, Drew on a white desk with markers while I cleaned, Helped me make a new potty reward chart and decided a big picture of Jesus was required along with Princess Tiana and Jesse the Yodeling Cowgirl, Sang Handel's Messiah chorus at the top of her lungs while waiting to be lucky on the potty so that she could earn a candy cane (her all time favorite treat)--adding "Momma, I like God better than Super Why!" (her favorite tv show), Stacked books on top of a counter and climbed the drawer pulls to get to the matches 12 feet off the ground, Lit one match and then squeezed it out to hide what she had done (but the smell of smoke as I came back upstairs from putting Sophie to bed gave her away as did the small blister on her thumb and forefinger), Announced, "I need to tell the 'liberry' I feel like I'm a gonna RIP that borin' book!!!" which thankfully gave me the heads up to hide the library books, Acquired scissors (from a stash possibly?) and cut nearly three precious inches of hair right from the top of her head, Climbed up to molest Hooma's tulips on the dining table and decided to try to leap from chair to chair but missed and bonked her nose and hip as gravity claimed her, Brought me a bottle of hand sanitizer and asked, "Momma, would this one be poison or could I try it some more?" ("SOME MORE?!!!"), Barged in on Hooma having a bath and promptly stripped and jumped in too, Noticed Aunt Hannah (who is green with the flu) was resting so she jumped on her bed to bounce her up a bit, Made funny faces at Sophie to make her giggle, Put on a backpack and told me, "I'm sorry but it's really time I went to school," and was thwarted by the difficult doorknob on the front door, When told her computer time was all used up she snuck into Papa's office to boot up his computer, log into Netflix and loaded up an episode of "Go Diego Go!" which has an unfortunately loud "gives you away" type theme song, Put on some lipstick and carried dishwasher soap up and down the stairs waving like a beauty queen, Lowered her head bull-style to charge Anthon the moment he returned from school, Chewed Anthon's beloved Wii cord closed, Called out "Come see me exercise like you!" so that I could see her leg stretched up onto the treadmill handle and then admitted "I stuck," Ran nearly 50 miles in the halls at the ward dinner and fellowshipped some less active nursery friends telling me, "Momma, I'm a super 'mish-i-yon-in-on-in-onery' you know," Was dragged first kicking and screaming from the party but then limp as Ghandi, Donned her favorite monkey pajamas but then ran back upstairs to steal Hooma's sewing floss instead of using her normal floss, Snuggled down after scriptures with her flashlight and "Pink Stripe" blanket and reached up to cradle my face saying, "Momma, I'm so pleased we are best friends. I'm in love with you." I'm in love with you too, Claire.

PS: If PBS wants to make a documentary about what it's like to be a gifted 2 year old, Claire would even write it and film it for them...

Claire Catches the Weinermobile

2011-04-07T10:12:00.000-07:00

Hooma says this one seems like Art Nouveau to her since no one is looking at the camera and the landscape is so bleak...

Thanks to a hot tip from a neighbor, Claire and I dashed to a nearby hotel to take pictures of the Weinermobile. We asked inside but they wouldn't give us a whistle before their official event--which they had foolishly scheduled right during LDS General Conference. Obviously these people don't know who they're dealing with... Claire thought the car was awesome though so we were happy!

Sophie's Accident

2011-04-07T09:32:00.001-07:00

One week after the accident and Sophie's head is already round again.

Photos at the time of her release from Primary Children's Medical Center, two days after the accident.

Sophie's tender torpedo head.

A Happy Ending---four weeks out and we're officially healed.

On March 12, 2011 I was helping Randy Hoffman with some Danish genealogy questions in my parent's front room. I had tried for an hour to put Sophie down to sleep and she was having trouble relaxing, so Papa took over when Randy arrived. At about 2pm, I saw Dad coming down the stairs with Sophie wrapped in her blue blanket and then all of a sudden I saw him tip forward and come crashing down. I could not see the impact because the coat rack was in the way. I heard Dad swear but I didn't hear Sophie cry. I thought for an instant that maybe she hadn't been in his arms. Maybe he had only been carrying the blanket. I ran to her and took her out of Dad's arms. She was purple and staring. Her body was rigid like she needed to cry but could not. Her head was horribly deformed, with two horn-like growing sacs of blood protruding from the back. I commanded “Breathe, Baby! Breathe, Baby!!!” and Sophie gasped and began to scream after about twenty seconds. I said to Dad, “What do I do?” and he said, “ER—now!” I slipped on my church shoes that were by the door and jumped in the truck with Adam and Dad. I didn't put a seat-belt on. Adam was nearly in tears and I told him to pray out loud over Sophie while I tried to comfort her in the front seat. We came in through the doctor's entrance straight to the CT room. Dad had called Juan and told him he was bringing in a head trauma emergency right then. I had to undress her and I didn't know how to get the sweater and onesie off over that head. The nurse helped me hold the shirt open so I could gently get it off her. The CT tech was too heavy to keep her apron on or to stand leaning forward, so I got an apron and was told to keep Sophie still. I rubbed her arm and chest and sang Princess songs to keep her still. She was whimpering and frightened so the nurses found a sucker for her, but it was one of those Soothies that are a weird shape and it made Sophie even more miserable. Dad and Adam watched the images come in and I saw them blanch. Dad pulled us into the hall so that we would not hear her scream while they intubated her (this involves sticking a tube down into her lungs, so that when she stopped breathing they could force air in). He explained that there was internal bleeding to a dangerous level along with the fractures. We went back to her and found that Dr. Cash had told the ER crew not to intubate her. She had another CT ten minutes after the first one to measure the bleeding's rate of expansion and it was high. The ER doctor said we needed to be life-flighted to Primary Children's Hospital. At this point Sophie's eyes were 'locked' to one side, a strong sign of a serious seizure. I asked Adam to find oil to bless Sophie. Adam anointed and Dad blessed her to slow her bleeding and to make a full recovery. Adam said, “If only one flies, Laurel, it's you.” I was grateful beyond words. I felt like I needed to be with her more than anything. They said only one of us could go, so Dad and Adam went home to pack for all of us and to meet me at the hospital in Utah. I stayed with Sophie and soothed her with songs while they put in IV's and took vitals. I hoped that Adam would think to get her regular sucker but I thought maybe we'd need to buy one in Salt Lake. He was extremely distressed. I felt like Sophie needed me to seem confident and composed. She wanted me to sing to her and would quiet down some when I did although she wasn't able to look at me with her eyes locked to one side. I thought there was a good possibility that she had been blinded. Dr. Scott Smith her pediatrician arrived and stood with me. When the life-flight crew decided they needed to put her in a car-seat for FAA regulations, Dr. Smith told the nurses to fetch gel pillows from the NICU to cushion Sophie's head. The team obviously didn't know how to handle a baby. I was the only one who knew how the car-seat buckled. We were going in a fixed wing propeller-driven airplane because it would get us there thirty minutes faster than the helicopter. It felt like it took them forever to get her strapped in. I was nervous that the delay might mean life or death although I was trying very hard to remain composed. I felt like if I started to cry I would never ever stop. The pilot asked me if I ever got motion sick and I lied and said I'd be fine because I just wanted to get Sophie down to Salt Lake. I knew I could over come any nausea—probably. The ambulance to the Idaho Falls airport did not use sirens and I felt like the guy was going a bit too leisurely. I was anxious to get to Primary's where I would feel more confident that they knew what they were doing. Sophie didn't like the life-flight nurse Tammy because she was brassy and had a perfume on—Sophie never likes scents. Seeing her annoyed at something so normal gave me hope. The plane was significantly smaller than I had imagined. I sat with some baggage and four other people were crammed in too (including the pilot). He took off super fast and Sophie did not respond to the pressure change. The nurses started scrambling to check her out because she seemed a bit non-responsive, but then she started whimpering again and it was fine. I couldn't see her beyond the IV stuff but the nurse told me she was watching the clouds go by and seemed to be resting well enough with a blanket she had been given on the plane. The nurse asked me how pale Sophie normally was and took a hematocrit (blood count) which was a bit low but still okay. They had forgotten to bring a measuring tape to keep track of the edema, so I said, “Why don't you use some string or something?” They cut a restraint band and measured with that. We made a very rapid descent into Salt Lake City, landing on the take-off runway with a medical priority clearance. We pulled up to where the flashy businessmen had their private planes and I noticed that nearly every plane had an expensive looking blonde woman waiting to climb up inside. I thought it was funny that they all had blonde daughters for a moment before I realized those were girlfriends. When the life-flight nurses tried to take a pink bear blanket back, Sophie scowled at them and clung tighter to it so they let her keep it. We were met by an ambulance and this time they used the siren and lights and they drove very fast. I was appalled at the number of people who didn't care and wouldn't move over. The ambulance driver almost hit a lady in a red Honda Civic that was just ignoring him and wouldn't clear the lane. I looked at her as we went by and saw that her passengers were all screaming at her and she looked dazed. For a moment I thought maybe she didn't know to move because there were different rules in South America but Adam told me later that he believes that moving over is the rule everywhere. The roads were in terrible condition and the ambulance driver kept having to swerve to try to miss the larger pot holes so that Sophie wouldn't be jostled. We arrived and entered Primary's through unmarked door to the trauma ER. They separated me from Sophie while a triage team of doctors and nurses swarmed her to figure out what was going on. I was put in a chair in the hallway outside the frosted glass sliding door blocking me from Sophie. A policeman with a silly young man's van dyke guarded the door and frowned at me. A social worker had me tell the story of the accident a few times, stopping me to ask for times and places and taking notes. I realized they thought this might be abuse and I felt a wave of panic that they might not let me back in to see Sophie if they didn't believe me. I started to feel very faint. The social worker said that a woman claiming to be my grandmother had arrived and wanted to see me. I asked if he meant Virginia Sargent and he said, “I didn't get her name, but she's a very austere woman—perhaps she was formerly a school principle?” I almost laughed then and confirmed that that was Grandma alright. She was escorted back to me and the social worker and policeman seemed unwilling to question me further with Grandma giving them the baleful glare. They let me back in with Sophie and I saw that she was in a blue and white cervical spine collar. They had started calling her ZZZ CstepMiami on her tags and charts as a child abuse code to protect her real identity. Sophie looked very bad. She was still not moving her eyes around much and her eyes looked pink. Her body was limp and very pale looking (even for her). The nurse saw me looking her over and joked that I'm a good indication that maybe she's always that pale. We had our third CT with me and Grandma in aprons and me standing and singing and rubbing again. We went back to the trauma bay to meet Dr. Bolo, he's on crutches from a skiing injury and says he's a pediatric neurosurgeon. Our head doctor was Dr. Downey from trauma, but we only saw him twice briefly in the whole visit. Dr. Bolo looked through the films with me and explained we needed the night to watch for seizures or further deterioration. He said that it looked like her dural venous sinuses were “compromised" in the injury and there were three or four skull fractures. He explained that he did not want to operate to relieve the pressure on her cerebellum because the likelihood was that she would bleed out and die, but if the bleeding kept putting pressure on her cerebellum, it would prevent her from breathing and she might die anyway. We'd just have to wait. From that point on no one is sure if the parietal fracture is on the left or right (not that it really matters) but she prefers to lie on her right side and I think I see a bruise for it on the left. I can't imagine why she would lie on the fracture. Since her eyes are still locked to the right, they think this might be a form of seizure but it's coming and going and she doesn't have any limb movement impairments so then again it might not be a seizure. Dr. Bolo left and Grandma insisted they give me cheese and crackers, she had some too. Then it was time to move Sophie to the PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit). I followed her up to the PICU where a crew of nurses explained they will be watching her and bugging her with flashlights all night to make sure she's okay and that she cannot nurse in case she aspirates any and gets pneumonia. They give me a pump and show me where I can use their machine to relieve the milk pressure. I say I don't want to leave her and hope I can just absorb the extra milk. The baby across the bay from us is failing, as is the one to our left who also has RSV. There are curtains, but the floor is mostly open so the nurses can move quickly. The only place without cords, plugs and the collar is her chest and the top of her head which I rub to help her fall asleep while I sing some more. I'm hoarse. Her oxygen level continues to drop as she pales even more so they give her a canula (nose tube) and I almost lose composure at how absolutely broken she looks. I try to remember that Dad blessed her to recover and that the Holy Spirit is telling me she will survive. I try not to worry that her development will be adversely impacted. Then it is seven o'clock and they make me and Grandma leave for the shift change. I wonder if it's the last time I will see her alive, as she is looking so broken and her lips are white. I can't believe they make parents leave for what might be the last minutes they will have with their children and I'm feeling angry. We run into Adam and Dad at the front desk and they've just arrived. Adam is upset that he can't see Sophie right away. Dad says he's been pleading with heaven for Sophie's life for the past three hours and he looks terribly haggard. I saw him land on his shoulder and I'm worried about whether he's hurt too but he says it's just his ankle and that his wounds are psychological. Mom called Uncle Richard Ferry to come and look at his shoulder later that night. It also turns out that Mom helped Adam pack and that she told him to put in Sophie's sucker as well as panty liners for me. Mom says the Spirit told her I wanted those things and she's very right. The stress makes me menstruate three times over the next two weeks. Grandma reminds us again that she's in charge of making sure we eat so we decide Hire's is the closest place to go. Hire's is usually happy for me and I don't want to wreck it, but I agree to go there. Hans calls and meets us at Hire's, he's just failed a dance competition performance after hearing about Sophie. Everyone talks about the people they've called and Grandma, Dad, Adam, and Hans all pull out cell phones to keep updating people. I get to speak with Claire briefly and she cheerfully assures me that she's having a great time with Hannah and that Hooma's taking good care of her. I go to the bathroom for the first time in the day and I struggle not to start crying because I'm worried I won't ever stop. Grandma is waiting for me when I come out to make sure I'm okay and I just want to finish our dinner so that I can be back with Sophie. We say goodnight to Grandma and go back to the hospital. It's past visiting hours but those don't apply to the PICU so Hans is able to see Sophie along with Adam, Dad and I. Adam gives Sophie the “right” sucker from home as soon as we see her. She looks extremely relieved and relaxes to sleep. Hans goes home to Provo and after a while Dad goes to Grandma's house to sleep. I take the nurses up on the offer of a breast pump as I'm in some amount of pain by then. I have to wait a long time for the pump room to be vacated. I can hear the mother in there trimming her nails and smacking gum. When she finally leaves, I express more than 12 ounces from my left side---Sophie stopped nursing on the right two months ago and it has all but stopped producing. The pump is the first one I've ever come across that hasn't hurt to use. I know I can't feed Sophie because if they need to do emergency surgery she might vomit into the breathing tube and develop pneumonia, but she's so scared and sad and I want to feed her more than anything. They do let me hold her even though she's attached to dual IV's, vitals electrodes, blood pressure cuff, O2 monitor, oxygen canula and still wearing the c-collar. They've also put a musical mobile on her crib that's playing a little Beethoven's 7^th riff again and again. Sophie likes that and eventually goes to sleep. I want to sleep in the chair next to her but Adam reminds me it will be a long day tomorrow and there's nothing I can do for her in the night. The nurse Melissa has a rolling desk that she's pushed up next to Sophie so that she can be watched for seizure activity at all times. Adam and I retire to the parents' PICU dorm. It is dim, even the cichlids have gone to bed, although there's one father watching a horror movie on the TV in the corner. The dorm is a sectioned hallway that acts as an alternate entrance to the PICU so people are coming and going all night. Some parents are sleeping on the ground, some on the couches. We're one of the lucky five couples to have a twin bed assigned. It's in a small room with a locking door and three black and white pictures of children in adults' clothes. The room is clean and warm and we stack our coats on the one chair. Adam goes to make more phone calls while I dry brush my teeth and take my make up off. I see that Mom has helped Adam pack everything we need, although I don't have pajamas. I don't want them anyway since I'm expecting a nurse to come and get me at any time. The bed is smaller than a twin, like a camp cot, but it's very soft and the blanket is warm. I roll up Adam's fluffy green parka for a pillow and kneel to pray for the night. I can hear people crying. Adam is still out calling, and here is where I break down. I try to give all the pain of the day to the Lord but I am having trouble letting go of my fear. The salt in my tears stings my tired eyes and my nose begins to bleed. I continue to beg for Sophie's survival and the easement of her pain, also that Claire will be comforted back in Idaho Falls while I can't be with her and that Adam can find peace. Pain and panic are just overwhelming me and the guilt of my frustration with the girls over the previous days as Claire has been potty-training is almost more than I can take. I am acutely aware that after a very long and difficult day in a moment of weakness three days before I had actually wished that I wasn't a mother, that I could go back to the easy rewards of being a highly paid, widely respected academic. I plead with Heavenly Father to supplement my being with the Holy Ghost because I know I'm not strong enough to navigate this alone. I feel angry at myself sometimes for feeling dramatic, sometimes for not being emotional enough. I'm feeling faint and drained by the time I close my prayer but the Spirit brings a strong remembrance of Dad's blessing to Sophie in the ER—that she would have her damage minimized and would experience a full recovery. It certainly did not look like that was possible when I left her, but I cling to my hope and fall asleep on my side so that Adam can fit on the bed when he comes in. We usually spread out on our bed, but that night we slept clinging to each other. He set the alarm on the cell phone to get us up at 7am so that we wouldn't miss the morning CT that would tell us where Sophie stood for surgery. I worry that since it's Daylight Saving Time we'll be off an hour, but the phone updates itself in the night. We wake up and hurry to get ready. Not many other parents are awake yet and I realize that it's finally quiet in the dorm. All night there was a haunting background noise of quiet sobbing from the rooms and corners. We try to give a hopeful smile to another pair of parents that are new and who look completely stricken. The father just stares at us while his wife cries into his shoulder. Maybe it is too late for them. When we get to the PICU, we can't go in because of a shift change, so we go to another floor for me to find a pump room. I bring out a glass of water for Adam and he's on the phone again but we walk to the PICU doors and try the phone that opens them. Adam tells me that while I was pumping, the nurses called him and said the CT was already done. In the night, Sophie's blood loss got to a very low level, a Hct 20, so they expedited the CT. I'm angry that they didn't call me but Adam points out they knew how exhausted we were. I wonder if she cried because I wasn't there to sing while she went into the tube. We see Sophie and she is limp and more pale than I've ever seen her, but she looks up at us and there's finally recognition there. The nurse tells us she's ordered a blood transfusion for Sophie and that Dr. Bolo is on his way to tell us the results of the CT. The nurse also says that Sophie smiled at her in the night, which I take as a tremendous sign that her personality might be intact. Dr. Bolo is smiling when he sees us. He says the CT is like looking at a different patient. The dural venous sinuses are now intact and the blood mass has decreased considerably. Sophie doesn't need the c-collar any more and there are no other injuries on her body. Dr. Bolo takes her collar off and says I am free to nurse her. The nurse asks if I want her to draw the curtain, but I'm already trying to snap Sophie on! Sophie's mouth is very dry and she's still weak from the blood loss. She feels very light and limp. She's also very sticky from the glucose they've been giving her to calm her down. The nurse starts some morphine for her now that she can have pain medicine and Sophie commences to nurse for an hour. They ask me to keep track of how much she eats so that they can make sure she stays hydrated but I can feel that she's getting plenty of milk and now I am certain that she's going to progress toward a good outcome. Dad shows up and hears the good news and says he needs to check on a patient of his that he ran into in the hall. When he comes back it's clear he's also been praying in gratitude. Adam has us kneel to thank the Lord out loud. Dad comes back with a roll and cup of water. Bishop Hafen gave him permission to give us the sacrament. We had missed the hospital sacrament because we were talking to the doctor. Sophie continues to nurse and doze and we wait for the blood to arrive to start her transfusion. We also find out that we don't need to be in the PICU anymore. Dad sent us to lunch in the cafeteria and told us that Grandma had offered to make dinner for us. The lunch tastes like food from Maxim's of Paris—probably out of relief. I saw a little guy hooked up to an IV tree having ice cream with his dad. When his dad went to throw away their garbage, a woman at a neighboring table with eyes red from crying went over to the boy and told him her iTouch could play cartoons if he wanted. He was delighted and thought it was totally magic. The woman felt better for helping and the boy's dad was grateful too. They wished her luck with her baby. I noticed parents all over the cafeteria sitting together, making friends, comforting one another. I also ran into two nurses whom I went to Sandcreek Middle School with. Even the decorations seemed friendlier and brighter once we knew Sophie was going to pull through nicely. We returned to Sophie and I felt grateful to the hero who donated blood to her. Once her transfusion was hooked up, we were transferred to the NICU, which later turned out to be a mistake owing to the overcrowding and RSV problems on the regular recovery floor. Nurse Laurel in the NICU suspects we are in the wrong place and calls the trauma nurse practitioners who are taking care of us. NP Amy fixes our nursing orders and we go to the Neuroscience Trauma Unit where Sophie has her own room with a door, a bed for Adam and I and a bathroom. She even has her own X-box! The nurses here are specialized for teaching us about Sophie's rehab and care. We're told by Nurse Jing that if she does well over night in the NTU we'll be sent home around noon tomorrow. After the transfusion, Sophie's lips and cheeks turn pink again. She sits up on Adam's knee and turns her head to look around. Her head is tremendously swollen with the IV fluids and misshapen with the skull fractures but it isn't discolored at all (that came a week and a half later). The NP explains that an edema that size sometimes never changes colors but it will change textures and it will go down in size over time. We are warned about Sophie's possible concussion and told that she should do everything possible to avoid ever getting another concussion as the effects are cumulative. No contact sports for Sophie. It seems unreal to have a limit placed on her life before she has even demonstrated preferences and talents, but I'd of course prefer this limit to what she potentially could have had. They also told us to keep her as calm and rested as possible for the next six weeks while the skull heals back up. Dad came to hold her while we went to dinner at Grandma's house. I was glad because I hadn't wanted to leave her because she was coming more awake and in the NTU there isn't a nurse always with her. We took Dad's truck to Grandma's house. I was so happy to see it raining and making the earth smell springy and fresh. Hyacinth and crocuses were growing in Grandma's yard. We met her new cat Lavender for the first time and were happy to see that she's a good companion cat for Grandma. Grandma made our college favorite, teriyaki lake trout with wild rice and garden salad. She said that earlier in the week she had randomly been with her friend at Costco and had seen the trout but wasn't going to buy it because it was too big for one person. Her friend Esther convinced her to buy it anyway and so she ended up having what she needed for making us dinner. She even made cookies for us and packed a little tin of them to take back with us to the hospital. I finally had relief from the faint dizziness after eating with her. I also checked on Chris' lizard Esmeralda and she looked good. I made a note to myself to let Elder Chris know in my next letter. With the disaster in Japan and Sophie's accident, I imagine he got quite the letters that Sunday night from every one. We returned to Sophie and settled in for the night, on our sides to share space again. I spent the majority of the night in the rocking chair with Sophie though since she was then alert enough to be hungry and to want comforting through the pains and the startling alarms on the vitals monitors. She kept cricketing her legs and knocking off the O2 monitor and the blood pressure cuff which would set the alarms going. She wanted me to bundle her in her blue lovey but the cords prevented it so I tried to tuck it around her. The doctors told us that the blue lovey that Hooma made was probably what protected her body from additional injury in the fall since she was wrapped in it for nap-time. By the nighttime I felt so much better about her condition that I was able to joke and laugh again. When yet another nurse came on duty and asked what Sophie's real name was, we told her it really was ZZZ and she was a rap star. She did well through the night, although she didn't sleep much. I knew her personality and learning were intact when she called me “Mama” and sang Ariel's Aria like she does in the grocery store with Claire. In the morning, her Hct was 38 and we were cleared to go home. Her head looked lots better too and Adam took some pictures with Dad's phone. Sophie was “talking” up a storm to the nurses and to us. We got instructions for caring for her at home and we were amazed that she only needed Tylenol by that point. We tried to find someone to give Sophie's Medicaid number to, but they told us that at Primary Children's Hospital, you don't need to worry about the bills and they work it out later. We were shocked in comparison with the way EIRMC always treats us like criminals. After loading up and thanking the nurses we stopped by Grandma's house to say goodbye and thank you. Grandma was getting over a cold so she couldn't touch or kiss Sophie and Grandma was sorry about that but she cooed and laughed with Sophie in the car-seat. Sophie smiled at Lavender and then we hopped in the truck to drive back home. Dad and Adam called people on their phones to let them know we had escaped from the hospital and Sophie and I slept most of the way home. As soon as we came in the door, Claire let me know that I was in big trouble for having left without telling her and she started jumping and screaming. I was worried that I'd have to take Sophie to Pocatello in order to comply with the concussion order to keep her calm and quiet, but over the next few hours Claire calmed back down. She was such a big girl and she still used the potty even though I was gone! She earned a Barbie with all of her work over the weekend. The next day, I took Sophie to the pediatrician, Dr. Smith who began to weep when he entered the room. He said he never thought he'd see her looking so well and certainly not so soon. He said he had another patient, a nine day old baby, who had also had a fall and was not doing as well as Sophie. We went back three times to have her head circumference measured and it stayed steady so on the last time (which was also Sophie's six month regular check up complete with shots) he said we didn't have to come back until June. I was so proud of her progress and grateful again for this miracle. A social worker from the Idaho Infant-Toddler Program called me and said Sophie needed to be evaluated in a home visit to make sure she was recovering correctly from her “traumatic brain injury.” I was surprised to hear it classified that way and I agreed to the visit. I realized that they were also once again checking to make sure this was not the result of child abuse. I was also willing to do whatever paperwork they wanted since they are connected to the Idaho Medicaid and they were paying all of the bills. The ambulance ride in Salt Lake alone was nearly $2,000. It would have been an astronomical financial burden. There was an avalanche of well wishes and promises for prayers and fasts waiting for me in my inbox and on Facebook when I got back to Idaho Falls. We kept Sophie home from church while the concussion healed but it was wonderful to have so many people wanting to know how she was and caring for her. The Vances brought over a lemon cake and made her a beautiful pink and purple quilt which she loved so much that I let her cheat on the doctor's orders by allowing her to crawl around on it. I also found out that Connie Brundage had made dinner for our family the Sunday we were at Primary's. She sent over enough so that on Monday night we still had a dinner we could easily pull out. Kristen Pearson and her family had tried to see us at Primary's on Monday but we were already released. Kristen bought Goldfish crackers for the girls and gave them to Mom the next Sunday which delighted Claire. All of that love and care was so wonderful. I feel like I need to testify that Heavenly Father spared my baby at every opportunity so that He will know I am eternally grateful. May I never forget His mercy; because there is nothing I could have done to have deserved such a miracle, this was purely a gift of love and grace.

Sophie's First Solid Foods

2011-04-07T09:32:00.000-07:00

Sophie and Daddy take in yet another Fangsgibbing (image courtesy of Claire).

Sophie LOVES food and has enjoyed everything she's tried (except carrots). Her favorites so far include pears, grapes and bananas. She's got a "Munchie" net that allows her to strain fresh, steamed and frozen foods through a net and she thinks that's totally boss because she can feed herself with minimal mess. Sophie likes to be tidy.

Claire Soothes Sophie Video

2011-04-07T09:31:00.000-07:00

Claire is a big helper. She is always willing to bring a toy or sing to Sophie to help her be happy while I'm busy cooking or cleaning. Claire is also very busy though, so she can only help for a minute until she informs Sophie, "Oop! I gotta go check on something..."

Sophie's Famous

2011-03-11T20:15:00.000-08:00

Sophie and I were featured on lds.org as members of the congregation at Pres. Julie B. Beck's Eastern Idaho Area Relief Society Conference in late February. That's Hooma's hair next to us...

February and March

2011-03-11T17:50:00.001-08:00

Claire has a perpetual milk moustache and has been consistently voted "Most Awesome" by Sophie.
Sophie is six months old!
Click on this for the full size please!

Claire wants to know why I'm still snapping photos when she'd like to inhale her sandwich.
Faboo stick-on lips, yup, that's how we roll.
Kiss the frogs, why-don-cha?
Sophie and Hannah enjoy reading together with a little finger chomping to lessen the stress.

Happy Valentine's Day--Fairy wings and tutus are ALWAYS appropriate.

I apologize for being tardy about these posts. We're currently in survival mode as Adam waits for med school interviews, Claire potty-trains and Sophie learns to crawl (I'm everybody's axis).

Claire's cooking show.Claire said she wanted to make a singing video.Sophie's words now include, "Anthon" "Hannah" and "Hi"--none of which are in this video! Ha!

Balance of Power

2011-01-29T07:55:00.000-08:00

We've had lots of Sophie heavy posts so I thought a little Claire action was in order...
Yee-haw! Look at what Claire's got! She was helping Daddy make a fire for marshmallows.
Beautimous stick on earrings from Hannah. It's an ongoing battle to get Claire to peel off this beloved Elmo pj shirt. I usually have to just let her wear it under a sweater.

She does A LOT of grooving to this $2 Barbie piano. She's choreographed different dances for each of the recorded rhythms, but is unwilling to do them for a camera. I snuck this snippet. My favorite dance is a pop-n-lock routine she developed for "Latin Hip-hop 2."

Fairy for a Day (Okay, MOST Days)

2011-01-29T07:54:00.000-08:00

Claire took this picture of one of her favorite toys, a painfully cute choking hazard bunny baby she named "Sophie."
This fairy suit was in the dress up box Hooma created for Claire. That makes it beautiful, magic and according to Claire, "Full of hugs."

Bouncing on cushions is something every responsible fairy takes care of each day.

Waiting for Hannah to Return

2011-01-29T07:52:00.000-08:00

Claire dances in the hallway while waiting to talk to Hannah on the phone (she was in Nashville with Papa). I could have stitched these clips together but Blogger's video cache needed a kick anyway.

Sophie Talks and Laughs

2011-01-17T12:46:00.001-08:00

Claire's view of Sophie.
Sophie chats up Daddy while Claire and Hannah run circles...Sophie's first laugh was for Hooma.

The Lost Christmas Footage

2011-01-17T12:45:00.000-08:00

Later on Christmas Day, as evidenced by the chocolate stains on Claire's

mouth.
Claire reacts with abject horror to Santa, who is apparently something like five hundred times the size he appears on tv! The second clip is Claire's reaction to her windfall.

Sunday Girls

2011-01-17T12:38:00.000-08:00

Sophie loves to test out anything she can get her hands on and barring that, the hands themselves!
Sharing a laugh. Claire has a repetoire of jokes that Sophie heartily obliges a chuckle to each time--even if she's already heard, "Hey Sophie! Did you see that weird bird in here?!" about fifty times already that day.

Claire doesn't have a cowlick per say, just Kewpie doll hair in combination with a general hatred for hair clips. The curls bounce on top of her head when she runs around. This makes her look a bit like a manic bunny!
Sophie's "surprise" face seems to be all-purpose--it is a pretty big world after all...

Later that day, Sophie was doing her opera singing and of course stopped when I turned the camera on, but this is at least a good idea of how interactive she is now. It's her four month birthday on Thursday!

Christmas and Sophie's Blessing

2011-01-03T10:00:00.000-08:00

Claire enjoyed her time with "Unk Hans"--he's impersonating her half moon eyes here.

Santa was very good to Princess Clarissa (what she demands to be called in this get-up).

Unk Hans does Sophie pocket duty.

Sophie was blessed at Grandma Regular's house in Salt Lake City just before New Year's.

Claire and Hannah at the SLC aquarium.

Sophie really dug the fish.

Sohpie pulls the double-barrel dimples on Grandma Susan.

Claire is a Christmas Monster...

2010-12-12T22:27:00.000-08:00

...and getting pretty good at using the camera too. This serious face and boots picture made milk come out of Daddy's nose. Good times :D

For Grandma Henry

2010-12-01T10:04:00.000-08:00

Dear Grandma, We hope you feel better soon! We took these pictures for you, but everyone else may enjoy them too :) Love, The Burch GirlsSometimes we laugh so hard it's impossible to focus.
Sophie is a beauty!
Sophia is 8 weeks old and very serious about being adorable.
Claire squirts herself in the eye to prove that it doesn't bother anyone to do that.
Claire is learning to take pictures all by herself.
Self portrait of the Ham as a young artist.

Tis the Season for Matching Shirts

2010-11-30T16:16:00.000-08:00

Sophie is two months old!

2010-11-10T06:59:00.000-08:00

Sophia continues to be a mild, sweet little girl. I feel badly about the eczema rash on her face but she never complains. She enslaves everyone with her dimple smile and "squeak-pop" laugh.

"Make Ups"

2010-11-08T08:35:00.000-08:00

Claire is really interested in make-up right now (more so than before if you can fathom that). She figured out how to undo the lock on Hooma's make-up box and put together this little facial ensemble. I think she looks like a domestic abuse victim but she felt very beautiful, as evidenced by the pirouette reaction to Daddy's instruction to "smile for the camera!".

Trunk or Treat 2010

2010-10-26T18:29:00.001-07:00

Check out the awesome tail.
Sophie's signature smile with a single dimple on the right cheek--this is the first time we've captured it!
Sophie stayed warm in the pea pod for the event.
Uncle Hans was "in disguise." Note the hair parted on the opposite side. For those in the know... WHOOO ARE YOU?!
Hooma was a lovely flower fairy.
Daddy was the official unwrapper for Claire's candy.

Anthon and his best friend dressed as "dorks."
Papa dressed as an "unsuccessful doctor" and Claire wasn't sure whether his candy was okay...
Cutest dinosaur ever!
Sophie was a flower pixie, although she wouldn't keep the hat on for the show.
Pixie Baby

Sophie Catch-Up

2010-10-26T18:20:00.000-07:00

This is the face Claire gives me whenever I try to nurse Sophie...
And this is what it quickly devolves into.
Sophie likes constant motion, so pictures in focus are sort of a rarity.
Claire's not sure about a "sister picture."
Claire tries to play nicely for my sake while Sophie demonstrates abject terror of the owner of the pink boots that often seek contact with her forehead...
Claire snuggles with Hooma for a little one-on-one attention.
Sophia thinks deep thoughts.

Sorry for the bumski style delay, but here are pictures, in order, from Sophia's first five weeks with us!

Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-26T18:15:00.001-07:00

We went to a patch just north of Pocatello the other day to officially prepare for Halloween.
Claire's final choice.

Claire wanted to pull the wagon by herself, but it was really heavy and difficult with the mud.
Sophie was really excited about pumpkins too, as you can see... (Note Claire and Daddy in back)

Welcome Sophie!

2010-09-21T15:16:00.000-07:00

Sophia Magdalena Burch, born 1:57pm on September 20, 2010. 8lbs 6oz and 21"!
Best sisters...

Tea Time

2010-09-19T17:50:00.001-07:00

Claire loves tea--no kidding! She asks for tisane when we go out to eat instead of soda or juice. She received this cute tea set for her birthday and after decorating it with Dora and Ariel stickers, she and her Aunt Hannah have been having daily (and sometimes hourly) tea parties. In this picture, Claire's mouth looks very pink because she's also now into "makeups" and she had applied a thorough coat of lipstick for this particular tea time.

Claire is 2!

2010-08-22T22:01:00.000-07:00

We had an awesome pool party with plenty of friends and a perfect Idaho afternoon.
Claire's two favorite things united in one Sam's Club cake--Hello Kitty and M&M's! I had planned an elaborate Ariel cake but the bed rest for Sophie sort of put a damper on that party path...
Claire loves the "waterfall" in Papa's pool and the color changing lights.
The cupcakes were apparently awesome--she had three of them.
They were made of pure sugar! What a pretty lady--thank you to Neighbor Chris for taking pictures for us.
Claire's reaction upon receiving her first Barbie, an original Ariel doll. Ariel was very very important to me at her age too, so I always took special care of this doll and she's in mint condition.

Claire sings along with an over-sized birthday card from Hooma. The song is "A Dream is a Wish" from Cinderella. She gets distracted by a new dinosaur puzzle (Momma and Daddy's love of edutainment strikes again!) but resumes singing at the end. Notice the awesome playhouse in the background sewn by Hooma! I'll give the Happy Hut it's own post in the coming days.

Welcome back to Idaho!

2010-07-08T13:07:00.000-07:00

Claire enjoyed a cowboy style 4th of July with new pink boots. Pony Rootbeer (who lives in the Schmutz Family's backyard) got a new coat of paint and a faboo new hairdo. Claire likes to wear Papa's cowboy hat and to march around squirting this squeeze bottle. She's a sharp shooter!
Claire LOVES to brush her teeth. This one goes out to Aunt Amy and Uncle Nelson!

Oreo tricks...

June Bug

2010-07-08T12:50:00.000-07:00

Claire's favorite place to hike is from the top of Daddy's shoulders. This is from the Siltcoos trail system on the Oregon coast.
Claire had to pose for the obligatory pig picture at Pike Place. She excitedly told me that someone had left money for candy inside the pig and when I said those were donations for the market only a Filipino plate lunch could fix the tears.
Claire dresses herself for Church...

Summer Adventures Commence

2010-07-08T12:43:00.000-07:00

Claire hunts for morel mushrooms in the Oregon wilderness (they are tricky to spot--there are well over 10 in this picture). We took in about $300 worth that day! Also, I am six months pregnant with Sophie in this picture and still tromping around the forest; a testimony to the "Chase Your Toddler" exercise program.
Claire earned these glasses for using the toilet. She told me this was her impersonation of me, "Hey! I'm Momma with glasses!" I wish I looked that cool!
Claire at a trail summit in Oregon.

Princess Pizza Parlor

2010-04-23T17:10:00.000-07:00

Claire has a new favorite game. She loves to make bark pizzas--at least four times a day. She stands at the door and knocks while shouting "Princess Pizza! Open!" to tell me that her pizza shop is opening and we need to hurry out to the slide. She's getting really good at counting too but usually freezes up in front of the camera--here for the first time on film is a capture of one to ten! She can count as high as twenty when there are marshmallows at stake. Maybe I'll try some hidden camera tricks coming up here...

Dancing DJ Video and Zoo

2010-04-18T16:54:00.000-07:00

Claire needs a DJ name I think--ideas? DJ Skittle?

This is old but good--she is telling the glass to "Open" so that she can get closer to the baby elephant at the Oregon Zoo.

April Exploits

2010-04-18T16:41:00.000-07:00

A timer and a post took this picture for us out in the Oregon Dunes by Takenitch Creek. Great hike, and way fun to fly kites on the beach. I'm feeling very grateful to be halfway through this pregnancy and still able to hike and chase Claire!
Claire put beads on her ears, gathered a whisk and a purse and went to the door the other day, matter-of-factly calling out over her shoulder, "Bye! I'm famous." She consented to pause and mug for a picture before going out into the wide world without me. Later that day, she informed me that she was running a pizza restaurant under the neighborhood slide. I ordered a macaroni pizza which was served in a form stunningly similar to wood chips, and then I paid with imaginary money. She grinned, put the "money" in her pocket and said, "Ooh! I'm going to Papa's house!" I think she thought selling a pizza should surely get her enough cash for a plane ticket to Idaho...
Claire is a tough little dame! She hiked most of the Takenitch trail herself--with plenty of stops for gathering little pine cones to stuff in her pockets. She claimed she had eighteen, but it looked like closer to six by the end of the trail.
CClaire looked so cute in another lovely Abby Vance dress this morning. Claire adores nursery and she doesn't mind looking mighty fine to get there.
Claire fancies herself a DJ. She makes sure to wear flamboyant clothes and a hat, then she runs the radio in her room and when she gets something good going (it was a tinny 1940s jitterbug rendition the other day), she busts a move down on the carpet. She likes to say, "Ok Momma, let's dance!" and if I try to take a break I get, "Hey, what are you--sleeping?"

Big Shoes to Fill

2010-03-07T17:08:00.000-08:00

Claire thinks all shoes are fabulous, even giant Momma shoes. She gets a little help from Daddy to traverse our vast kitchen before crossing her wires...

Turning 18 (months)

2010-03-07T17:06:00.000-08:00

Awesome thing: now Claire goes to Nursery at Church!

Downside: immunizations rolled around again. This is how she copes after being "Chot."

Eugene Fire Department

2010-03-07T17:04:00.000-08:00

"Um, it's a really big wheel--what do you want me to do about it Mom?"

Our playgroup took a fun tour of the station. The fire guys were really nice--they let us touch and climb on everything!

March Mushrooming

2010-03-07T17:01:00.000-08:00

Hey, it was a warm day! We dashed out to the coast for fresh crab, a great hike and some ocean time.

Dancing Queen

2010-02-06T18:19:00.000-08:00

Daddy's Girl

2010-02-06T18:16:00.000-08:00

Here's the face she uses to get out of trouble after breaking something (she put the headband on herself to make it harder to scowl when she presented the broken timer)...Adam thinks Claire's prune antics are hilarious, so here's a documented case...

The Little Kraut

2010-02-06T18:13:00.000-08:00

Here's a little German enjoying a traditional dish (listen for the "Yum!")...

We Heart Playgroup

2010-02-06T18:12:00.000-08:00

Here's Claire dancing with the rainbow stick we made for our activity at playgroup. It was our turn to do it, so we brought music, streamers, bamboo sticks and tape and danced like "rainbow bugs" to ring in spring! Claire was the activity's mastermind--this is what she likes to play at home with me.

Quick Trip to Seattle

2010-01-21T10:31:00.000-08:00

Claire and her trusty pal Emma cruise for trouble.
Claire swipes Grandma Kay's lemonade.
Just after Claire swiped Grandma Kay's marzipan pierogi at Pike Place--sense a trend?
Ready for urban adventures with Daddy
Claire really digs Great Grandma Henry and the feeling is mutual.

Sorry to make you twist your head, but this is a cute video in a famous crepe shop at Pike Place...

Claire's favorite pastime at Great Grandma Henry's house is playing "chase" with Emma the Yorkie.

Wallowing in Cuteness

2010-01-21T10:27:00.000-08:00

For any of you who knew me at Claire's age, you might recognize this beautiful dress and pinafore created by my mother.
If you ask Claire to smile for a picture, these are the mugs you get. I'm not sure where she would have ever seen the intro to Pokemon--do you happen to know, Uncle Anthon?
This one goes with mad whooping laughter (all fake for the camera's benefit)...

Claire's favorite drink

2010-01-19T11:38:00.000-08:00

Claire can't get enough of this Pakistani Rooh Afsa drink! It's rose and pine flavored sugar syrup that we add to milk and water. You can get it at Asian markets that carry Middle Eastern items.

My brother's mission blog

2010-01-19T11:15:00.000-08:00

I'm now also running a blog for Chris' mission. Check it out at http://chrisinkiev.blogspot.com. Any comments you post will be forwarded to Chris. It's a great way to keep track of him and to send him encouragement (without having to pay 98 cents)!

We've had requests for more dance videos...

2009-12-27T16:08:00.000-08:00

These are from the Woodruff 3rd ward's Christmas breakfast with a live cowboy band.

It was great!

Run-ins with Santa

2009-12-27T16:03:00.000-08:00

Claire trades her precious microphone to Hooma for a chance to take some holiday pictures.

Claire arrives on the Christmas scene at 7am. Notice the green ball--she picked it out as a present to herself and when we went to check out, the clerk politely informed us it was a dog's toy. We said we didn't care, it's beautiful and Claire can't destroy it. Plus--it squeaks!

Claire moving at high velocity. There was a whole lot of Christmassing to get done.

Claire leans perilously close to Santa.

Claire and Hannah have some playtime at the Parent-to-Parent Christmas party.

Claire was invited to a billion Christmas parties this season. She was really unsure about the fat dude in a red suit, but Aunt Hannah assured her that she needed to butter him up in order to get presents. Plus, he seemed to be at almost every party so Claire warmed up to him.

Claire's favorite gift turned out to be a $5 princess microphone that flashes and sings "Be Our Guest." Adam is a bit cross that I even found it as the tune is a bit grating. Claire is in seventh heaven with it though---totally worth it!

Claire and "Her" IPod

2009-12-27T15:59:00.000-08:00

Adam got this IPod for school data storage and podcast lessons, but if there are groovy tunes to be found anywhere you can bet Claire will discover them! We saw her rocking out to the IPod before but we assumed she was just imagining. Sure enough, she can turn it on and access the music files. She's listening to Black Eyed Peas here...

Greek Night with the Burches

2009-12-11T10:39:00.000-08:00

If you look carefully, you can see Claire's little teeth. She won't let us take pictures of them, this is a rare glimpse!
Claire helps us cook fantastic Greek food by making a mess in the living room. She'd like a crack at the camera too... Our very own Charybdis!
Laurel stuffs dolmathes while the spanikopeta cooks.
Just about done; these are like Greek eggrolls. They steam in broth for an hour and then they become grape leaf ricey beefy oniony spicy goodness! We felt very awesome after enjoying this dinner--Claire liked the spinach pies best.

Claire hugs my legs after I voiced disapproval at her using the squirt bottle on people.

Getting Ready for Christmas

2009-12-11T10:34:00.000-08:00

I made this lurpy wreath--at least it smells nice!
Claire shares her beautiful sparkle tree with the neighbor baby.
Claire is busy decorating the whole house for Christmas.
She gives a fierce Christmas Monster face.
Claire insisted on wearing her dog costume for this picture of the finished decorations. We're calling her the Christmas Dog which pleases her immensely.

Claire rides a plane for Thanksgiving

2009-12-11T10:27:00.000-08:00

Claire is stylin' in her duds from Aunt Sam and Uncle Aaron. The unicorn is courtesy of Aunt Hannah. This picture is from the return trip, which didn't go as well as the first plane ride. Claire was fussy and she made the guy in front of us purple with rage. I was terrified that he was going to strike her, but he threw biscuits at us instead. Weirdo!
Claire, much more chipper than her parents at 4am in the Portland Airport. She insisted on wearing her purple super boots (inherited from Abby Vance) to go see Hooma.

Claire Doesn't Care

2009-12-11T10:16:00.000-08:00

It's freezing here in Oregon, although everything's still green and growing. Claire loves to run and play outside though and she won't let a little sub-freezing weather stop her. She ran out of the house without her coat (that's our door in the background), so I chased her with a coat and camera.

Another Successful Foray

2009-11-18T11:06:00.000-08:00

These are the mushrooms we collected during a break in the storms at Siltcoos Lake on Saturday. The varieties include Blue Knight, Winter Chanterelle, Chanterelle, Yellow Chanterelle, Cone Chanterelle, Hedgehog, Candy Cap, Jelly, Cauliflower, and PORCINI. Oh yeah, check out the two giant porcini! Adam practically cried when he found those. We used them in our birthday dinner.

University Museum of Natural History

2009-11-14T22:40:00.000-08:00

Claire was big on the do-it yourself exhibits of course. We went there hoping for dinosaurs but were told they were fresh out at the museum. Well, I don't have a picture, but Claire found a forgotten Pterosaur hanging from the ceiling in one of the lecture halls. She can spot a dinosaur a mile a way and always has her growl ready to greet with. The museum is free for us as students, so we'll be spending more time there. They even have an accordion you can play with!

Every Grandma Needs a Webcam!

2009-11-14T22:36:00.001-08:00

Claire congratulates Hooma on her excellent hair growth during our at least weekly webcam chat. They are about tied for length now!
Claire kisses Hooma goodnight. Claire always adds in a "mmmuah!" sound effect when she gives kisses. It is totally invaluable to have this technology. We miss the Schmutzes very much!

Sweet Creek Falls

2009-11-14T22:32:00.000-08:00

At the beginning of November, we decided to try this hike in the Siuslaw National Forest after seeing it in our atlas. It was incredible! Almost the entire hike takes place on a catwalk built out over the Sweet Creek, with innumerable cascades right under your feet! We also found bunches of Candy Cap mushrooms which smell like maple and walnut and are good in cookies and buckwheat pancakes. There was an exciting rainstorm throughout the hike, so we did the whole thing under umbrellas. Claire thought the tatoo of the rain on the nylon was very giggle worthy.

Newt Hike: Enchanted Valley, Darlingtonia, Pacific Ocean

2009-11-14T09:00:00.000-08:00

We kept looking for unicorns to dash out of these mysterious looking woods but they never did...
Obligatory visit to the ocean after hiking. It's Claire's favorite place to "Run and run!" We go to Heceta Beach because it's the closest free access point. It never gets old! We are oceanphiles.
Adam holds a rough skinned newt, a native Oregon species. They were everywhere the day we hiked! We also saw beetles, hawks, slugs and snails.
This behemoth got Adam back for catching him by whizzing on his pant leg. Claire laughed herself silly.
A spider tree.
Claire's an old pro at hiking now. Thanks again to the Vance Family for their awesome hand-me-downs! The purple "super" boots really complete the outfit.
Munchie and Daddy play in the sand.
Notice Adam's cool mushroom collecting hip pack. We cut up a milk jug that we attach to a belt to make for easy collecting.
Claire's favorite place to eat in Florence is Bliss' Burgers. They have a 1950s theme, and as you can see in the background, they've got the Elders' Stamp of Approval.
Me with a tiny baby newt.

Claire loves this burger joint in Florence--she's offering to pray (in gratitude?) over the food again in this video.

Halloween Parade Videos

2009-10-31T16:45:00.000-07:00

Monster Mash

2009-10-29T23:05:00.000-07:00

Click for a hilarious Burch Family (plus Hannah and Anthon) Halloween Video!

Eugene "Trunk-or-Treat"

2009-10-29T11:20:00.000-07:00

Claire is wiggly and excited to get to the party. I made her stop for a picture with our Samhain tribute pumpkin (Samhain means Celtic New Year, which is what Halloween was before it was held hostage by invading religions...).
Claire checks out the fooky "Blood Toss" game. She thought it might be nice to tip over the decorations and start the clean up help early.
Happy puppy surveys the scene.
Thanks again to Hooma and Aunt Hannah for selecting this awesome puppy suit!
Claire with her good friend Josh. His parents were pirates too and they made a "Den of Iniquity" of their classroom in which they dared kids to steal their pirate treasure candy. Way cool!

While most LDS communities hold Trunk-or-Treat with car trunks, Eugene's fall weather is too wet and cold to facilitate such an attempt. We hold our parties inside the church and have people decorate classrooms so that kids can trick-or-treat door to door. We had music and carnival games in the gym. Claire thought that it was amazing to see a lit and crowded gym, since she often spends the majority of church dancing there in the dark.

Shaw or Shoe?

2009-10-29T11:13:00.000-07:00

Further Explorations of Eugene

2009-10-23T10:31:00.000-07:00

This is just outside our front door. A rainstorm took out the beautiful leaves last night so I am glad we took this picture. Notice Claire's cute "fish dress"--she loves to poke the pattern and (loudly) proclaim, "Fweeshh!" all through Church.
The sun peeks through the forest at the base of Spencer Butte in Eugene (our complex, Spencer View is named for Spencer Butte, the highest point in Eugene).
The trail gets steep at the end, but it's not a bad hike at all. We did it in two hours at a very leisurely pace and we all had colds. There wasn't any huffing and puffing, just lovely cool fresh air and awesome mushrooms (of course!).
Adam and Claire are kings of the hill.
This marker denotes the summit of Eugene City proper.
We were above the cloud layer, but you could view stunning fall colors through the breaks.
Adam and Claire look at our apartment from above.
Claire mugs for the camera.
An "Earth Star" mushroom. These are about the size of a silver half dollar. Adam read about them in one of our guidebooks and we were surprised and delighted to find a real one!