Happenings during the Holidays

I do not think it is a hidden fact that Russell and I are both terrible at keeping in frequent contact with our many loved ones.  While we regularly think and pray for our amazing and supportive family and friends, we do not write them as frequently as they deserve.  It is our hope that this blog will help us improve on this flaw, and that you all will be able to enjoy keeping up with the Burtons. :)

As many of you know, Russ went on a Historic Virginia Trip with the University during the Thanksgiving Holiday.  He visited a few plantations, had thanksgiving dinner at Jamestown (where the first thanksgiving dinner took place), and had the opportunity to spend a few days at Colonial Williamsburg.  It was a great experience for him, but unfortunately our camera is not working so he was not able to take pictures.  Here are, however, some pictures from the Colonial Williamsburg site.

While he was there, Luke and I spent Thanksgiving with some friends and got the house ready for Christmas.  Luke was a very good helper and learned fast not to play with the Christmas ornaments.  :)

Luke is the typical toddler- very curious but shy.  He runs, he tries to jump, he loves Winnie the Pooh, and farm animals.  I can honestly say (not just because I am his mother) that he has a very sweet spirit and is quick to give you a kiss or a hug without being asked to.  He loves nursery and is always sad to leave.  He is 18 months now and is already a big fan of Mozart's symphonies.  :)

Russ is non stop busy this semester with preparing for his senior recital, leading the ROTC cadets at SVU, working at the university's cafe, and finishing up his senior year.  We just celebrated his fake birthday (his real birthday is so close to Christmas that his family created a fake birthday for him, and it has stuck with us).  We spent that evening with a small group of friends, and Luke discovered the heavenly goodness of chocolate-covered peanut butter balls.  :)

As for myself and this pregnancy, it has been very different than my experience with Luke.  I cannot even begin to say how excited I am to be having a girl.  We have, however, recently come across some unfortunate news with the baby.  At our last ultrasound the doctor noticed several things that caused concern.  The amniotic fluid level was low, her heart was larger than normal, she had an irregular heartbeat, and her stomach was much smaller than it should have been.  We are scheduled to see a specialist at UVA Hospital in Charlottesville next week.  While none of these symptoms are good, we are relying on the Lord that this little girl will be alright.  We are currently just focusing on living our normal and busy schedules, keeping the spirit of Christmas in perspective, and praying for the baby to be alright.    We are so grateful for the knowledge of the gospel and the peace and comfort it brings to our lives during our more difficult times.

To end in a more positive note: Life is sweet, and the Lord is so good to us. May we all enjoy the holidays and the sweet spirit that comes with celebrating the birth of our Savior.