Finn Davis is here! and other tidbits from home

Karl and I are back in Arizona from an awesome whirlwind trip home! We had like, a million reasons to go home, however, the #1 reason was to be there for the arrival of Baby Finn!!

Let me begin, for my memory's sake, by quickly recapping our drive home... after having my A/C repaired the Friday before we left, it quit working a mere 6 hours into our 15 hour drive home.  At lunchtime.  In El Paso, Texas.  Picture Karl & I driving 85 mph for 9 hours with the windows down through west Texas.  I could've died.  One of the most terrible things was that I couldn't find a ponytail holder for the first 3 hours of the ordeal so my hair was literally whipping my face.  Our marriage could've died.  It was like a 9 hour workout, a couples therapy session, and a 1940's psychology experiment all rolled in to one terrible day. We miraculously made it home and to make a long story short, our car is still sitting in my parent's driveway sans A/C.

Anywayz. The A/C debacle was WORTH IT for the fun we had at home.  My parent's house is basically a revolving door of babies and sisters at all times.  It is an absolute joy to be home, especially for the birth of another nephew!  We had some special sister/mom time sans babies to catch up and shop before Finn's arrival and Emma's departure for her sophomore year, celebrated my birthday, celebrated Baby Finn & Callie at a really sweet luncheon, spent way too much time trying to get my car fixed, Karl helped my parents on a home improvement project, we helped watch Oliver for a couple of days while Callie & Jeremy were in the hospital with Finn, got to see our besties for the resties, & we squeezed in as much time as humanly possible with the man of the hour (Finn, duh) and Karl had a great interview for a job! Packed, huh?

Look at this little duckling's furry red head!!

Ollie was SUCH a good little boy while his momma and daddy were away at the hospital!! Also Lucy had a serious problem with face mask night.

I spy a little Lucy sleeping in one of these pictures

Oliver got lots of gifts from Baby Finn before his arrival.  While he appreciated the presents, he has absolutely zero interest in the baby.  Oh well.  At least he isn't mean to him.

Finn was born on Wednesday, August 7th at 12:58 pm after Callie labored for 5 hours- exactly 8 months after Lucy and about 17 months after Oliver! He weighs a little more than Oliver did at 8 lbs. 6 oz. and is the exact same length that Ollie was- 20 inches!  He is totally adorable and seems like he might be quiet and relaxed... maybe.  We'll hope so because his momma needs all the energy she can muster for big brother Ollie ;)

We had such a good time at home and wish we could have been there longer.  Karl & I can't wait until we are home for good and can see ALL our family and friends on the regular.  I can't stop thinking about how thankful I am for Finn and Callie's health and the health of all the adorable tiny humans in my life!! God is so good.

Aunt Hannah

The Bailey Family Visit

If you follow me on Facebook/Instagram/Twitter than you know that The Bailey Family was here last weekend for a much anticipated visit and it did not disappoint!  Yes, the stomach virus that followed them here from Texas could've stayed where it came from, however, I cannot think of anything that would've stolen our fun while they were here!!

Karl & Oliver got to play A LOT!  Both of them had tons of fun!  I think it's because they have equal amounts of energy and none of the other adults can keep up with them.

Look at that chubbiness!

Ollie used the fabric high chair Uncle Karl sewed for him... with a stool underneath it.  Looks really safe, right?

Lots of fountains and splash parks around here to help keep cool!

We started off our week of fun with a trip to the Grand Canyon!  Ollie didn't love the car ride there but it is such a short trip from Phoenix it wasn't too bad!  By the time we got there it was dark so we checked into our hotel and went to an overpriced Mexican restaurant :)  We had adjoining rooms so after Ollie went to bed we played a few rounds of Farkle and Callie's magical dice-rolling fingers dominated us all.  On Sunday we made our way to the canyon- none of us had ever been before and it was truly awesome!  I do not understand how anyone can see something like that and not believe in our one true God.  What an imaginative, creative, and really awesome God He is!  And then we were like, OK now what??  So we drove the length of the southeastern part of the rim and finally felt like the trip was worth it, ha. It was an awesome weekend!

And then on the drive home we went thru Sedona so The Baileys could see the red rocks.  Also an awesome detour!  So awesome that Callie threw Ollie up and down over and over!  {And see how cute and pregnant Callie is?!?  I've been holding in the Baby Bailey #2 secret for months and they're revealing the gender THIS WEEKEND!} ...Anywayz, Ollie threw up a ton about 3 minutes later.  And that, my friends, is when the stomach bug entered our week.

Fortunately that was the only time Ollie got sick and he seemed to be on the mend on Monday so we went to the Rangers Spring Training game against the Giants!  It was SO FUN!  We sat on the lawn, took lots of good food, ate sno cones, and just had a blast!  Basically, we did everything except watch the game.  I have no clue if they won.

The virus robbed our Tuesday when it came in the night and owned Callie.  And then took all of Jeremy's lunch money on Wednesday.  I will say that I didn't hate all the alone time I got with Oliver while his parents weren't feeling well ;) We tried really hard to get out of the house so we went to lunch and shopped a little on Wednesday night but nobody was feeling 100%.  Thursday morning I woke up and wasn't feeling great.  Karl stayed home from work and we decided to brave the zoo.  We were a sorry bunch with basically 10% energy if you gathered up everything we had.  The bug got me that night while The Baileys were visiting Jeremy's grandma that lives here but God definitely spared me and I was feeling better by Friday!

Callie & I enjoyed getting our nails done Friday morning and then we all enjoyed lunch out after.  I took them all to the airport that afternoon by myself since Karl was at work and then drove home crying :( ...pitiful.  The Bailey's spent ALL of Jeremy's Spring Break here- we were so excited to have them and just had a blast!  I made precious memories with Oliver (well, for me at least) and even got to see some of his first steps!!  We love The Bailey's!  Karl & I wish we could live in a big compound with all my sisters and their babies.  We love those kids like our own and just cherish every second, all the drool, the toys, their little voices- they are so precious to us, I would clean up Ollie's vom everyday if it meant living in the same town as him!  Now we're counting the days till Matt, Maddie, and Lucy come to visit... especially when Matt & Maddie go to Vegas and I get to keep Lucy all to myself!!!!

Love,

Hannah K.C. Burton

weekend away and fun things ahead

Two weekends ago Karl & I got a last minute opportunity to spend the weekend away in Sedona, Arizona.  We had already decided that we definitely wanted to spend a weekend there before we move away so we were super excited to go!  We went on an all expense paid Air Force marriage retreat and I am so glad we did!  Sedona is absolutely breathtaking!!  It is a pretty small town with these huge red rocks surrounding the whole town.  It is the coolest thing!  Driving in was beautiful but all of a sudden those red rocks just appear and it really does take your breath away!  The resort we stayed at was awesome, all the food we ate was delicious, and Karl & I had so much fun exploring the town.  The retreat was nice... it wasn't Christ centered and catered to couples in all stages and states of marriage as well as religions or lack thereof but the time we spent in the different sessions was really limited... so basically it was just a good weekend away :)

This snow is what we woke up to Saturday morning.  We expected nice cool weather but not quite this!  While it did cloud the views for the rest of the weekend, it was a welcomed change from the Phoenix heat!  I LOVE the cold!

Loved having quiet time in front of a fire and with Karl!  He has been on a weird shift at work for several weeks and it's made time with him sparse.  

In PRESENT DAY news: shoutout to two of mine and Karl's besties for the resties, Jacki & Abe and brand new Baby Keagan!!  It sounds run-of-the-mill, but Jacki has been battling pre-term labor for almost 4 months.  Keagan's pefect birth and health is nothing short of God's faithfulness, provision, love, and grace wrapped up in a gender-neutral hospital blanket :)  I am so excited for them!! Karl & I are itching to meet him!

SUCH a great weekend!!  Now we are getting pumped up for all the visitors we are expecting!  First up: THE BAILEYS!!!!!!  And to excite everyone: here is the video I cannot stop watching.

{cookie is my mom and that growling is how Oliver complains/cries... it's normal}

Love,

Hannah K.C. Burton

I mean, it's like, what do you want me to say

For like the millionth time in my blogging career, I'm here rolling my eyes after a blogging hiatus.  Here is what happens: I feel bored and like I have nothing to blog about, then a million blog-worthy things happen and I feel blogwhelmed {blog overwhelmed, duh}.  So blogwhelmed that I'm like, "what's the point?!  I can't cover it all!"  Then I'm annoyed with myself for not blogging.  So I don't blog.

This sounds like the pattern of an eating disorder.

So I'm here.  Notice I didn't say I'm back.  I make no promises.  It's like a shady relative that pops in a and out of your life just when he needs something. And what I need is to document my life so I don't forget.

So here is what is going on in life, in no particular order but definitely in the form of snapshops and snippets:

Karl has learned to sew!  It's like the whole world is our oyster!!!  I see something I like and he's like, "I'LL MAKE IT!"  And I'm like, "YES!  LET'S GO TO JOANNS!!!"  Y'all, he is literally Jack of all trades, master of all.  We've been painting canvases for the walls, sewing pillows for the couch, hemming curtains, fixing the coffee table, gold foiling everything in sight (yes, my only contribution).  I'm thinking next weekend we're going to hole up until Karl teaches me how to sew.  idontknow, the last sewing teacher I had walked away from me sooooo, we'll see.

I have been missing Lucy and Oliver like crazy.  This sounds so ridiculous, I know, but it needs to be acknowledged that if I look at a picture of either of them for too long my arms start to twitch.  Karl thinks I'm insane.  But it's true.  Like I actually need to hold them if I think about them too much... moving on {but not without pictures}...

These two are my favorite things to take pictures of without a doubt!

We have been exploring and trying to find cool and fun things to do around here!  Especially before it starts reaching the mid 100's {April/May} LAME!  We are enjoying national parks and trails, TONS of shopping, trying local food, and planning for some fun trips and visitors!!

We are really loving our apartment {except for having upstairs neighbors kids with lead feet that make me want to die} and I am loving decorating with our next house in mind!  I get on realtor.com at least twice a week and look at houses for sale in DFW.  What?

There is an Ikea like 30 minutes away that I have enjoyed perusing while Karl is at work annnnd I go to Target about, oh, every day.

Karl & I decided we are going to take social media breaks on the weekends and so far we are loving it! It is a challenge.  I find myself reaching for my phone out of habit first thing Saturday morning {and then my husband lovingly reminds me}.  It is a needed break for us.  Anytime I am bored {which is all the time if Karl is at work} I am reaching for my phone for some social media and that is lame.

I am bored.  Really bored.  I could wah wah complain about this and tell you how I am MAJ wrestling with God on this but I'll keep it at this: I'm praying for friends here, and a church body, and a job, and literally anything shy of illegal to do during the day.  I have seen every episode of every TV show produced in the last 3 years, I know who all the up and coming musicians are, I have budgets made for the next 12 months.  I have an empty planner and I do not like it.

I am declaring with expectation that soon I will blog about all the fun stuff I'm doing with awesome people in cool places and everything that God has been teaching me in my solitude... right??

Hannah K.C. Burton

p.s.: I swear I tried my darndest to chock this full of pics.  They don't exist.  Will work on that.

Family Weekend

After a couple-day blogging dry spell while the stomach flu destroyed me, I'm back to post about happy things while taking a few breaks to tend to Karl who is currently being eaten alive by said flu.  Awesome.  Just trying to strengthen our immune systems before Lucy comes :)

Here is a picture heavy post for you :) ... University of Arkansas Family Weekend is a maj Cuppett Family tradition!  It obviously began my freshman year with all 5 of my family members making the trek in the 'burban up to Fayetteville, eventually adding Karl to the mix my Sophomore/Junior/Senior years.

This year is Emma's freshman year and we had all been looking forward to Family Weekend literally since she decided to go to UofA last spring!  We always all have such a blast!!!  This year instead of having 7 peeps there would be almost 12, you know,  the 'almost' being Lucy.  Obviously.  The real family weekend happened on a weekend with a major scheduling conflict, so we created our own and it happened to coincide with Karl coming home from Korea and Homecoming- win!

Unfortunately Jeremy had to leave early for work so we really missed him for half of the weekend but we tried to soak it up for the time he was there.  It was so crazy how different {yet equally fun} it was this year and will continue to be while Emma is a student.  Having babies and husbands up there was different than years prior- we went from 1 hotel suite to 4, 1 car to 3, packed a stroller, picked activities with nap time in mind... the weekend was an absolute blast despite the change!!  We went to the game, had every meal together, shopped and ate locally, went to a corn maze and saw tiny little piglets, and just had so much fun all together.  Having everyone together is really rare with Karl's deployment/Emma at school/me & Karl here now.  I am so thankful for this weekend and feel blessed by it!  Praise God for these sweet times!!

twinkies!!

buddies

boo, pic without jeremy :(

on our way to the Pi Phi house

look at those teeth!

Jeremy :(

LOVE  Emma & my parents enjoying Pi Phi things

Matt held this pumpkin like a guitar, ha

 Look at those three!  And those northwest Arkansas trees!!

Cookie and Ollie :)

I have such an awesome family!! I am so thankful for each and every one of them.

Hannah K.C. Burton