Thursday Thoughts

Is it really only Thursday? This week sure has dragged along...not sure why, but we are all exhausted!

At least the work week is almost over...that is good news for us in the Burgess Clan, as we are looking forward to some much needed rest and relaxation this weekend.

We had an interesting night last night, as Sacramento was trying to do its best imitation of Tucson, with thunder and lightning storms, as well as some serious rain. It was really quite amazing, as it was sort of a rolling thunder that never let up, and the lightning was very consistent and lit up our whole house, even with all the lights off. Unfortunately it didn't roll in until after Landon's bedtime, so he missed the whole thing....we're not sure if he would have liked it or been a little scared by it, but we'll have to wait to find out next time.

As for the week itself, thing have been running like clockwork...except for the fact that we have elected to push Landon's bedtime back a little for the summer months. It just seems that he really wants to fight it when we put him down, and we are guessing it's because it doesn't get dark until after 9pm now. So Landon gets to stay up a little later than he's used to, which is I guess a preview of things to come in those summer months when school is out and the routines change a bit. We have noticed that his naps during the day are longer than normal, so this could be due to his later bedtime....then again, it could also just be due to the fact that he's not teething AND he's not sick....knock on wood! It seems like it's been a long, long, LONG time since we could make that particular claim.

As you can see by the picture here, Landon continues to dole out his "head hugs" to the dogs like they're going out of style...isn't it cute?

As for Michaela's birthday, I think she had a pretty good one. She did miss spending it with her close friends and family, but she did appreciate all the birthday wishes that she received. I assured her that next year we'll "do it up right", considering it's the big 3-0 milestone. So pencil in something on your calendars now! :)

On a different note, Michaela ran across this quote the other day, and I loved it so much that I just had to include it in our blog. The quote is from ex-Bachelorette (from the TV show) Trista Sutter's husband Ryan, which he posted on their family blog. They have two kids, a little boy and a newborn little girl. Michaela has always been a huge fan of the show, and this couple is far and away her favorite. Anyhow, we thought that his quote really "hit the nail on the head" with regards to how we feel about children and marriage...

"During a brief moment of free time I discovered a recent study indicating 90 percent of couples with children admitted that having kids did not make their marriages better or increase their overall happiness? 90 percent? That sure seems like a lot to me. I could only think that perhaps most people associated “better” with “easier” in which case I would certainly concur. A 20 month old son and one week old daughter have certainly not inspired a household of leisure. But than again neither did marriage. Trista and I are married because we know that if over the course of our lifetime together we could average out all the good and all the bad that the good would make up the overwhelming majority. If not by time than certainly by experience. I think the same holds true for kids. Anyone who has them knows that the are hard work. What in life worth a damn isn’t? But to say that they don’t better your overall experience or happiness is very hard to comprehend. Have those people not seen their children smile as a result of something they did for them. Have they not felt the love of teaching and fostering a life? Do they not see the abundant hope and promise a child possesses? 90 percent? And if the parents do not feel a benefit from having children than what must the kids think? How is this affecting their long term views on love and life? Have we been blind to the results of a life focused solely on economic and social gain? Perhaps the stimulis package we really need is one that encourages a reinvestment in our future through the acknowledgement of its most valuable resource; our children…"

I love it! Our first year and a half with Landon has been anything but easy, but I wouldn't change a second of it. He's at an age now where you can literally watch it happen as the lightbulb turns on and he learns something new, it really is something to watch. And I get such an overwhelming sense of pride from watching him figure something out on his own, then look around for Mommy or Daddy to see if they saw him with a little smile on his face. Yes there are tough times (no sleep, spit up, dirty diapers, crying at 3am, and did I mention no sleep?)...but in the big picture, you look back and you don't remember the 3am crying episodes...you remember his first steps, or his first word.

Parenting is a blessing, and hopefully more people realize this. If not, then maybe they should stop having kids!

Thanks for participating in my little rant. Enjoy your the end of the week, and check back this weekend!

We'll leave on this short clip of Landon the dancin' fool! Just so you know, he gets his sweet dancing skills from his Daddy....although I didn't teach him this one...it's sort of a mix between a reggae sway and the robot...Enjoy!