The Day I learned about the 'Birds and the Bees'...

I think almost everyone has their "day I learned about the birds and the bees" stories. It's kind of like getting your first ticket or experiencing your first kiss; even after years and years, you still remember exactly where you were, and the details (some good, some not-so-good) are forever etched into the recesses of your mind.

Well, at least I do. Can't blame me and my nostalgic sensibilities..

When I was little, I had some pretty huge misconceptions about how babies were made. I remember being at my best friend, Brittany's house one night, and she asked me if I knew what "sex" was (she whispered it, because I think that it is an unspoken rule among all ages that the word has to be whispered or spelled out, kind of like Voldemort...In fact, I feel weird even typing it. Asterisks from here on out). I told her, matter-of-factly, that s** was when our parents go into a dark room, lock the door, and kiss a lot. That was it. However, if the light was on, or if the door was unlocked, then it wasn't s** and they wouldn't make a baby.

Oh, the innocence of the young...

Sadly, my naive bubble popped on a beautiful summer day in 1998. I was at Bridgette's house (remember her? From this post?) and we were playing in her family's doughboy pool; the kind of swimming pool that is above the ground, like this:

(I'm trying to help you visualize..)

Bridgette's brothers, Riley and Rhett (I'm changing their names for privacy's sake..you'll see why), were with us, and we were all having a grand ol' time playing pool games. I was especially having a wonderful time, because I had a huge crush on Riley, Bridgette's older brother. He had fire-red hair, freckles, and a perfectly curved bowl-cut.

...oh, how he melted my 8 year-old heart...

Basically, I thought he was the bees knees, and my journal was filled cover to cover with "Jena loves Riley 4EVER!!" and countless games of MASH. I was odd, I know, but it basically proves that I have been a hopeless romantic since birth...(or all the countless hours of watching Disney princess movies indoctrinated me to become one..whatever works, I guess)

Anyways, as we were playing in the pool, Bridgette had the idea to do chicken fights (if you don't know what that is, look it up). At first, Bridgette got on my shoulders and the two boys were against us, but we all quickly realized that the two boys were a lot bigger and stronger than Bridgette and I, and we had no chances of winning them. To even things out, Riley said something to the effect of, "Bridgette and Rhett can be against me and Jena." So with that, I got on Riley's shoulders and Bridgette got on Rhett's shoulders. The game began, and we had a ton of fun. After a few wins and losses, we decided to do a tie-breaker; winner takes all. As the final fight commenced, and Bridgette and I were trying our darndest to pull each other down, the worst thing that could have happened, happened. 

I can remember, with almost perfect clarity, the moment when Bridgette got a good hold of my shoulders and started to pull me down (to my right). Before sliding off Riley's shoulders, my right foot somehow went straight down and got caught on something. I was underwater at this point, flailing around trying to figure out what happened, and when I came up for air, it became apparent that my foot had slipped into the front of Riley's swim-trunks... 

And it it was still there, stuck underneath something foreign.

Without going into too much more detail, let me just say that there were screams of embarrassment, and screams of pain (from poor, prepubescent Riley) as we tried and failed over and over to get my blasted foot out of his swim-trunks. My little mind was in shock as to what was happening, and finally, after what seemed like an entire minute of splashing chaos, Riley finally put is hand down his shorts, grabbed my foot, and pulled it out.

We all stared at each other for a few seconds, and then suddenly, Riley jumped out of the pool and ran inside. Although a small part of me knew that my red-headed Romeo would never love me after this incident, I had bigger things to worry about....

WHAT IN THE WORLD WAS TOUCHING MY FOOT???

I got out of the pool, grabbed my clothes, and hopped on my bike before you could say "Princess Sophia".

That night, while driving to my Aunt Sue's house in Sandy to stay the weekend, my mom gave me 'the talk'. She explained the anatomy and the basics of how babies were made. She also explained why Riley had been in pain, and how embarrassing the whole ordeal must have been for him. Even though my mom tried to be careful about how she worded things, I thought the whole concept was disgusting, naturally. 

Bridgette and I continued to be friends, but Riley never really talked to me after that. I had unintentionally violated him, and from then on, the two of us were keenly aware of the awkwardness that accompanied every encounter. At first, I was sad to lose my bowl-cutted beau, but thankfully, Lance Bass and his pals became popular, and I decided to be in love with him, instead.

And that, my friends, is how I learned about the 'Birds and the Bees'

.......

Who cares, we have a house.

After we got married, we were so happy to be together that whenever something happened that was somewhat of a downer or even embarrassing (i.e. a sold out movie, mold in the window, Brooks doing a funny dance that I happened to capture on video, tripping in front of a class that I was teaching) we would always say, "Whatever, I'm married" or "Who cares, I'm married". Now that we are in a house, the same rule applies. Even though we are seemingly out in the middle of nowhere, away from family and friends, and have found some pretty quirky things about Roosevelt, we utter the phrase, "Who cares, we have a house." at least ten times a day. The fact that we got into this home is surreal to us, and we are so grateful to be here. Although I was trying to put on a brave face before, when our housing situation was precarious, I can honestly say now that the transition from our beloved Utah Valley to the unknown Uintah Basin has been so much easier because of getting this home. We have a yard, a garage, a DISHWASHER, and lots of space to enjoy. Our new ward is wonderful, and our neighborhood is great.

Brooks is really enjoying his job, which for me, is the greatest blessing of all. He was hired in the Vernal office which is about a 35 minute commute, but on Monday, he got transferred to the Roosevelt office, which is less than a mile from our house. Now he can wake up later, come home for lunch, and be home sooner. He is learning so much, and is helping children and families every day. I love him and am so proud of him.

Reagan was pretty fussy with all the moving around the last couple of weeks. Since Brooks left to Vernal on the 29th, I went and stayed at my parents' house in Covered Bridge for a week with Reagan (since we didn't have anywhere to live yet). We got the news on the 4th (Brooks' birthday) that we got the house, and then we moved in the next day (Saturday). Three days later, I had to come back to my parents' house for a couple of days to judge a film competition, with Reagan in tow -- but now that she and I have been here for a week straight, and have gotten back into her naptime routine and schedule, she is the happiest little thing around. Did I mention that she is six months old, now? I cannot believe how fast the last six months have passed. She is still sleeping through the night, and has started eating solids (mostly just pureed vegetables, bananas, and rice cereal) which she is pretty much obsessed with. She loves to suck and drool on anything and everything, loves to smile, laugh, squeal, and interact with us, and is trying SO HARD to learn how to crawl. She is still off the charts with height, and is wearing 9-12 month clothes. She is so precious to me, and she has the sweetest little personality that I adore. We are grateful for our little Reagan.

Since our camera has been packed away for quite a while, here are my favorite iPhone photos/videos from the last couple weeks:

Reagan, gettin' her move on 

This baby is a little odd sometimes...likes playing under the swing, rather than being in the swing

Last day as a family at Bickenstaff's

So funny! She wouldn't let go of the hanging toys of her play mat when it was time for a bath, haha

Waiting for the call to see if we got the house......Brooks' text made me laugh. Hook Lovers. 

Brooks' birthday!!!!!! And you better believe that I made this ice cream cake by myself. Boo yah.

Monte Cristo sandwich. Uhmazzzzzing. 

Attack of the baby!!! She is always trying to get the cell phone, haha I love it. 

My sleeping babe on her 6-month Birthday

New TV, new wall decor -- the collage is gonezo.

There might be a little DIY in me after all..

Well, that's all for now -- more posts to come soon!

Big FAT News

Today is my husband's birthday. We had to pack all day..but we got some good news.

For your birthday, honey, the Utah Housing Office got you a house. 

Roosevelt, we'll be there tomorrow. Details to come.

Quick Update

I think the Lord is teaching me patience.

This is probably a good thing, because I'm not the most patient person in the world.

Although we thought we would hear the 'final' word on the Crown Home yesterday, we didn't. Instead, they called us on Monday and said that they needed us to come out and prove that we're real people (by providing copies of check stubs, drivers licenses, birth certificates, bank statements, social security cards, etc.) At first, we were just going to fax all of the stuff, but we had a feeling that we should just go and do it in person. Ya know, to let them see us and Reagan and charm them with our cutesy tootsie personalities..j/k (but not really, because that was totally the plan). The drive there was great - Reagan was a champ, dressed in her little ruffle capris and wearing her new jelly shoes (which sadly, are not pictured). Melt me.

When we got there, we handed everything in, and just chatted with everyone in the office. They were all women, so Brooks was workin' it like nobody's business. Ow ow. The ladies were all very nice to us, and the director basically said that we were a shoe-in to get the house IF our income was low enough.

Dag-gummit, that income.

You see, in order to be picked for the Crown home, you need to make below a certain income. We are right at the limit -- which amazes my mind since we make barely anything. So yeah, who knows. I have done the math over and over, and it could go either way depending on what they count, and what they don't count. They told us that they need to do all the background checks, bank checks, reference checks, credit checks, etc. etc. over the next couple days, and once they're done, they will get the committee together (random members of the community) and will decide on an applicant. One of the ladies said it would be next week sometime, and then the director said, "Oh, no, I want to get this done and decide by Friday -- then, if you get picked, you could move in this weekend!" That sounds pretty good, huh? Buuuuut, as super-duper nice as this lady is, she is the most optimistic human being I've ever met, and she has given us 'final decision' projections at least 7 times over the last month....basically, her track record hasn't been the best -- so we're going with the first lady who said it would be sometime next week.

Did I mention that we actually got to walk through the house? Because we did, and it was awesome -- but I am not going to talk about it anymore because my hopes are already too high. Sigh.

Don't you worry though, because we DO have a Plan-B

We would rather have our plan-A, but we feel good about our plan-B. It is a duplex in Vernal, and we have already signed a special contract saying that we are moving in if the Crown home doesn't work out -- and if it does work out, then we will get our deposit back. It is an older duplex that has recently been renovated in some parts. It would be a great place to live. It was the only place we found out there that was safe, livable, and wouldn't murder us financially (it would only beat us til we were barely breathing, but at least we'd be alive). The regulations are pretty...um, different, but it will be fine.

Anyways, now we are packing away -- and I think Reagan can tell that something is up, because she screamed for two hours straight tonight, and she has neeeeeeever done that before. It broke our hearts. She was happy earlier though, and here is a picture to prove it.

Brooks will be heading up to Vernal on Sunday, and he will be staying in a camper (that a sweet, SWEET angel and her family has provided for him) until Friday. He'll come home that night, we'll pack up the U-Haul, then we'll head up to Vernal on Saturday. To where, we don't know yet. If by some miracle the Crowners say yes within the next two days, we'll move this weekend -- but that's about a 2% chance, so we're not counting on it.

Yay for moving!!!!!!!!

Goooooo DAD!

What a week, what a WEEK!

I survived finals...barely -- and no, I am not kidding when I say that. I had to take my last final on Thursday before 2pm (when the last test is handed out) -- and I almost didn't make it. I woke up on Thursday feeling fine, but when I went to take a shower, I had a weird stomach attack that turned into a full-fledged flu in about 2.5 seconds. It was so weird, and the nausea was terrible -- but I said a lot of prayers, took some medicine (thank you pregnancy anti-nausea pills!) and made it to the Wilkinson Center to take my test at 1:55pm. I wasn't able to study even HALF of the material that I needed to because of being so sick, but by some miracle, I aced the final. YAY!

Right after I was done, I went down to the CougerEat to see my sweet husband and baby waiting for me. It was graduation time, wahoo! Even though Brooks technically graduated in December, he walked this weekend. The Grad events have taken over our lives the past two days, but we have had a lot of fun. Reagan did not want to sit through Commencement, so this was my view from out in the halls of the Marriott Center on Thursday:

'Mom, I would much rather watch an apostle speak from this point of view'

When I graduate (which, by the way, I am only 3 classes away from doing...and now we're moving....don't even get me started on what I am going to do, because I'm not quite sure yet) we are definitely going to skip the Commencement unless, in Brooks' words, "the Prophet speaks" -- because it was SO packed, and with a baby (or two, or three, or four, like some of the moms who were out in the halls with me had) it is really difficult. Afterward, all of us couldn't find each other for almost 30 minutes because the cell-phone coverage in and around the Marriott Center was terrible. But alas, we finally found one another, and picture taking ensued!

We survived the madness for a second time today at Commencement. It was so cool to see Brooks walk across the stage and get his diploma from his dad. My sweet husband looked so good in those robes, and my heart skipped a beat when they announced his name! Ow, ow, hubba, hubba!! I am so proud of him, he has accomplished so much and I just feel so lucky to be his wife. I love my BYU grad!!

 My precious little family! (Today at Convocation)

Me and my man (yesterday at Commencement) 

 Lookin' good Dad!!

We love our Reagers!

The Graduate!

Supporters! ...I think Reagan looks like she's fake-sleeping in this, but I promise that she wasn't! All the speakers, sitting, standing, diaper changes, and HUGE spit-ups all over Mom really wore her out. 

I love this picture. It needs a caption like, "The one thing cooler than becoming a grad is becoming a dad"

(...becoming a mom has made the corny side of me come out like its nobody's business)

Sweet smile

We ate at the Trolley yesterday, and then at Olive Garden today. It was so fun and yummy! Everyone loved Reagan in her cute BYU cheerleader outfit. She looked adorable and I'm pretty sure she enjoyed all the attention!

It has been a great weekend -- which is awesome, because it's our last in Utah County! We are so grateful to our families who have supported Brooks, and who have been there for us whenever we needed it while trying to finish up work/classes/finals/etc. We will miss the close family-access once we're in Vern, but we're excited for the adventure!

Speaking of, if you read my previous post, you would know that we're in quite the unique situation when it comes to housing. Well, it just got a little more confusing today, haha. We have been notified that the pool of applicants for the Crown home has been narrowed down to two families, and we are one of them! Exciting as this is, it is also a little bit worrisome -- because they aren't making the final decision until Tuesday. Did I mention that we're supposed to move to Vernal on Thursday? Woweeeee. It is putting us in a bit of a time crunch, but we still have faith that things will work out the way Heavenly Father intends. If  we don't get the home, we will have two days to find alternate housing -- so pray for us!! And thank you for all the prayers that have already been said in our behalf, we are so grateful!

Until next time!

about being homeless..

I just looked at my stats and saw that someone was referred to my blog by typing 'girls peeing their pants' into Google search.

greeeeeeat.

Anyways, I want to send out a HUGE thank you to all of the people who have been helping us the past 5 days with all their wonderful Vernal/Roosevelt connections. There are three people in particular who have truly been angels. You know who you are :) I cannot say thank you enough. 

As far as our situation goes, we are in quite the little predicament. By some random luck, we found out about and applied for a housing program right before their application deadline. It's called CROWN homes, and their concept is pretty amazing. Basically, the Utah government has set up this system with contractors: the contractors build a darling 4-bedroom house, the government takes applications from low-income families, then pick one family to live in the house. The family pays a reduced rent, and do so until they can afford to buy the home. All the rent goes to the mortgage, so really, they are paying off their home month by month. Pretty fantastic, huh? Well, we applied, but we will not know if we get the house for at least 6-8 weeks. Therein lies our problem, because Brooks needs to start on the 23rd.

What to do, what to do?

We have looked at a lot of other places, and even though the prices are astronomically high out there (yeah, who'da thunk it? Vernal? really?) we have found a few apartments that wouldn't financially kill us...completely. Therein lies the other problem, the people who are leasing said apartments, really like us and want us to sign a lease now - buuuut, signing doesn't feel right because we want to wait and see what happens with the CROWN home. 

Can you see how confusing this is? Man, oh man... 

We don't know where we would live while we wait to see if we're picked for the CROWN home (which let's be honest, our chances are really low since we only have one kid). But, both Brooks and I had a very strong feeling that we should wait to see if we get the CROWN home, because if we did -- it would be amazing (really, a new 4-bedroom home with a yard -- and rent would be $400 lower than the old 700 sq. ft. apartment built in 1970) -- and if we didn't, we would at least have no regrets.

So, that is where we are at right now; in transition, and playing a waiting game that has no forseeable end at this point. People have been so kind though. We've heard of someone who will let us stay in their basement for a month for $400 -- but there is no kitchen, so that could possibly be weird since we are strangers and all. Another lovely soul has volunteered a camper for Brooks to stay in, and we even looked into the 'extended stay' hotel -- but $79 dollars a night would really add up.

Although we don't really know what's going to happen, or where we will stay -- we have decided to run on faith. The unknown scares us a little (okay, a lot!) but we know that if we have faith, things will work out. The Lord has us in mind and we've witnessed His hand already with all the people (some, complete strangers) who have been trying to help us. 

It is our faith in Jesus Christ that sustains us at the crossroads of life's journey.

"Wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you."

-Quentin L. Cook

Future Plans

On Thursday, Brooks got a call from the Division of Child and Family Services in Vernal, Utah. I wasn't with him, but after he ended the phone call, this is what he texted me:

Got the job.

I proceeded to squeal with joy. 

I never pictured myself moving anywhere outside of Utah County, but life has thrown us a curve ball -- a ball that we're supposed to catch in the Uintah Basin. Vernal is a very small town, in the middle of nowhere, (really, it's three hours to any city that has a population of 9,000) but I am feeling so much peace about this. I hate Brooks' current job. Brooks hates his current job. I hate the hours, I hate what he has to deal with, and I hate that he hates it. I'm grateful for the income it has provided, but I am grateful that his time there has come to an end. I would have moved to Zimbabwe for him to be done with this job, so Vernal will work out just fine. 

We drove out there about 3 weeks ago for his first interview. We even took Reagan with us, and she did great for her first road trip. Like I said, the city is small, but there are necessary things like a temple, Cafe Rio, Wal-Mart, Wingers, and Smiths...what more could you ask for, really? At first, I saw no life in the town, just as you would see little no life in any quick drive through a strange city, but as I waited in a local park for Brooks to get done with his interview, my eyes were opened. It was a warm day, so there were a ton of moms having picnics on blankets while their kids played on the playground. There were kind glances, and even a compliment or two about my cute baby girl. I felt welcomed, and I thought, "Hey, there are ladies here who are just like me. I could live in this town." 

And I will. 

We will miss the close proximity to our families, but we are excited for this new adventure. It's scary, but I know I can handle anything when I have the support and love of such a good man. 

So that's the story, the Burrs are moving. Here's where we need your help. If you are reading this, and you know of someone who lives in the Vernal or Roosevelt area, please oh please help us. We have no idea where to live. We have called apartment complexes, and there are no openings. We realize that finding an apartment will probably happen through word of mouth, so if you could give us any leads, we would appreciate it -- 2 weeks and 5 days til we need to be out there. We're hoping for a housing miracle.

a call for help...

I do not know Shawni personally, but I have read her blog over that past couple of years, and I just love this lady. She is an incredible example of motherhood, and her posts are always so uplifting. Her sweet little girl, Lucy, has been diagnosed with a rare syndrome that causes blindness, but the hope of a cure is in sight. Although Shawni is a stranger, I know that I would do anything for my daughter if she were in Lucy's situation. Help in any way you can by donating here. I know some of you live in the Phoenix/Mesa area, so if you can, please attend the Vision Walk on Saturday at the Steele Indian School Park. Let's help sweet Lucy by raising awareness -- just a click of a button is all it takes!

March Family Update

It has been a rough couple of weeks in the Burr home, with snotty noses and sore throats galore, but I think we are finally coming to the end of our little epidemic -- and thank goodness, because sick babies are some of the saddest sights ever! Amidst the long nights, nose spray, humidifiers, and the like, we have also been on the hunt for jobs. Brooks has had some interviews here and there...and wayyyyy in the heck out in boony land, (boony looks like booby, which makes me laugh...lack of sleep people, lack of sleep) so we are hopeful that something comes from all of his hard work. The unknown future makes me a wee bit uneasy at times, but I know that there is a divine plan for my small family, and that I have to be patient. 

On a side note, this month I learned how to boil an egg. I've never been a big egg person, but I love hard-boiled eggs. My current obsession is a hard-boiled egg on toast, with a little smidgen of ketchup and mayo. Yum.

In other news, the end of Winter Semester is fast approaching, and as scared as I am for my impending finals, I am so happy that it is coming to a close. 

I have been dreaming of giving motherhood and homemaking my undivided attention ever since Reagan was born. I love learning and teaching and the fulfillment that it gives me, but the fulfillment that comes from being a good wife and mother means so much more. 

This last Friday, we went up to Bountiful to say goodbye to Brooks' friend, James, and his sweet little family before they moved to Texas. Brooks and James were roommates as Freshmen at BYU, and their group of friends have stayed close over the last 8 years. Jeremy, their other roommate, and his wife Erin, were able to come up as well. It was a fun night, and I am really grateful that my husband's friends married such nice girls. James and Rebekah (and their two cute kids) will be missed! I'll post some pictures of our get-together when Rebekah posts some. 

On Saturday morning, we dropped Reagan off at Brooks' parents, and went to the Hunger Games at 10:00am. Even though a 12-YEAR-OLD boy was eating his boogers throughout the whole movie, Brooks and I had a fantastic time together. (12 years-old?!?!?!?!?!? Stop eating your boogers ya weirdy!)

I honestly don't care what anyone says. The Hunger Games was awesome. I have studied film for almost 3 years now, and I have learned how hard it is to successfully adapt a well-loved book into a well-loved film. This movie is the BEST adaption I've seen. It was wonderful, and I thought that the filmmakers did an amazing job. After the movie, we picked up Reagan and went to Joe Banditos. I am not a fan of Mexican food, but Joe's is amazing. Their chips and salsa kick all other chips and salsas' salty behinds. 

 Reagan is doing a lot better since her cold started to subside. She is sleeping through the night again, and (just today) started rolling allll the way over. Before, she would just go from her back to her stomach, and now, she can go from her stomach to her back again. Watch out, world -- she's mobile! We love her more than anything!

March was a great month, and we're even more excited for April. Big changes are happening!

Reagan Beth: 4 month update

She will be 4 months old on Saturday.

She still sleeps through the night.

She's gone from being in love with her thumb, to her hand, to both hands. 

She rubs her eyes when she gets tired.

She crosses her feet when she's eating.

She's learned how to squeal like a girl..when she's really happy as well as when she's mad.

She talks to us all the time.

What makes her giggle one day, will not work the next day. You have to try different things...like making awkward breathing noises...see below:

She is in love with milk.

She is not in love with prune juice, but she needs it to help with her constipation issues

She is most happy just chilling in her crib

She is a roller...If you lay her on her back, she will immediately roll to her belly.

She straightens her legs, and turns into a statue when she's pooping.

She explores all the time.

She loves her baths, and if you try to take her out when she's not ready, she'll get mad.

She tolerates the bumbo.

She likes the swing.

She loves the bouncer.

She is a daddy's girl,

But she loves her mommy too.

She is our special girl, and we cannot imagine life without her.