I've Ruined Him

When Bryce and I met we were in college. He lived in an apartment with 5 other guys. I thought he dressed badly, combed his hair wrong, and his bedding... well, there was a lot to be desired.

He had a pillow that was maybe an inch thick, a blanket of some sort, a fitted sheet, and who knows when it ever got washed! I am so glad I did not let his lack of sleeping accommodations turn me away.

Fast forward 12 years and this is him now. Fluffy, fluff, fluff. He loves to climb into bed with all the pillows surrounding him, his down duvet tucked up under his chin, and his absolute favorite? When the sheets have just been washed. It is a race to see who gets to climb into the bed first.

I love nice linens. And so does Bryce-he just never knew it till he met me.

Half A Day With DAD!

I am not sure if you know this, but Bryce works... a lot! I am so grateful for a hard working husband who isn't afraid of a long day of work to provide for his family. But 70+ hours? That is a lot!

Now I am not complaining. In fact it didn't even seem like that much-sadly because this is actually normal. I knew we wouldn't see him very much this summer so I have been keeping a positive attitude about it all. And the time that we have seen dad; we make the most of it. Quality time, all the time.

It reminds me of the a few summers ago when Bryce was trying to hold down a second summer job at the pro shop on Star Valley Ranch while still keeping his very busy concrete schedule. We would have family home evenings at the pro shop, or take picnic dinners to dad. If he couldn't come to us, we went to him. That summer turned out to be a great summer because we didn't take family time for granted. Amazing how a positive attitude helps you through-will someone let Addie know this!

Needless to say we were all thrilled when dad called and said, "Everyone get ready! We are going to Jackson and watching Toy Story 3! I am on my way!" Yeah! Dad is coming home! I particularly enjoyed watching my, usually a little hesitant and a little disobedient, children jump up, turn off the television, get ready, and even pick up a few toys, all before dad made it home.

Bryce explained to me that we needed to get out of town or he would be tempted to go check a few sprinklers or who knows what else! I didn't care. I was happy to be together as a family.

So we headed up to Jackson, which ended up being a wonderful day and before coming home we all helped dad "work" for almost two hours. The kids had a blast and it was fun to see Bryce's little piece of heaven.

We stopped at Lunch Counter and watched the rafts going coming down the Snake.

Handsome Hayden-posing!

Jase, just finishing his snow cone while watching.

Awe! Thanks dad for getting some of me as well! I do exist-now there is proof!

I asked Addie to take a pic of dad and me. Jase thought we wanted him in there too! Of course we did little buddy!

Addie was mad because she "hates" her brothers. They were talking-uggh- and she couldn't fall asleep in the car. Dang those boys! If only she could control everyone, that would be so much easier! I have no idea where she gets that from!

Yeah! My kids and me! Sometimes it is nice to take a step back and see what others see. Me and three kids. I am doing all right.

Okay Jase, a silly one this time.

Jase loves shoulder rides. He just sits up there and enjoys the view! It is tough to be the youngest!

We all split a sandwich at New York City Sub-my favorite! (But I do have a lot of favorites) I ended up buying an extra sub for Sunday dinner the next day. Yum!

Then we went to Chinatown and got sweet-n-sour chicken for dinner for everyone else. Sunday dinner will never taste so good!

Here we are, at the movie finally! Addie was a trooper and smiled for the photos she did not want taken.

Two medium popcorns, 3 candies, and two drinks later. Our $75 dollar movie was a hit! Ya, you read that right. Seventy-five dollars! Now I wasn't born too long ago but... when did this happen? We are all so glad that dad put in lots of hours this week to pay for our movie!

We ended the day perfectly by helping dad out at the course.

Bryce's "little piece of heaven"

Here the kids are helping dad rank bunkers and check the greens for fungus.

And what would helping dad be without running through the sprinklers?

This picture goes with the next one. Bryce can turn on exactly which sprinkler he wants, so he turned on the one right in front of them. He has his own little bag of tricks.

Bryce's office... not too shabby huh?

I think I will get these black and white shots blown up and hang them on my wall somewhere!

Alas! Bedtime! But first I promised Addie that if she found Oreo, our cat who always disappears, I would take their picture. Here's to keeping promises! Love you girl!

And thank you dad for a great day!

Can Anyone Lend Bryce A Hand?

DIXON LAWN MOWER-1 BRYCE-0

A week ago Wednesday, my birthday-eve, Bryce thought it would be fun to stick his hand in a lawn mower. Turns out it was not so fun. So, here at the Burton home, we are all about tender mercies and this was a big one!

For a guy who provides for his family almost solely with his hands, not to mention his favorite past time is golf, to cut off or injure any part of his hands would be devastating.

Bryce called me and asked if I wanted the good news or bad news. I knew he had been up Tygee mowing lawns in a rainstorm, so I said that he must not have been electricuted because he was talking to me. He returned the comment with "no, but you might want to meet me at the emergency room. I think I've cut three of my fingers and I am not sure what is left."

WHAT! You can't be serious! Apparently he thought he had disengaged the blades but didn't know they were still cutting because-now wait for this, it's good- he had his ipod on. Dumb, dumb, and more dumb. And he knows it. So at this point I am not sure if the pain is killing him more or the stupidity of it all.

I found him in the ER soaking his fingers. The nurse said his color was getting better-and if you know Bryce and blood you will know that it was a miracle he was able to drive himself half an hour to the hospital without passing out. The nurse also said she loved the look of relief on Bryce's face when she cut the glove off of his pointer finger and it was still there. "At least I still have a finger to pick my nose with!"

The middle finger was a deep cut but nice and straight. It should heal nicely with only some numbness on the side. The ring finger however got pretty chewed up. Amazingly, the main blood vessels are still intact, missed the bone by about a millimeter, and the direction it was cut is the best possible scenario for the finger to "take" and heal. Time will tell with that finger. My dad made the comment that Bryce is going to feel any bad golf shot he makes for a long time. (Good thing he doesn't do that too often!) After Dr. Stibor cleaned all the grass and debris from his finger he started to stitch, but not quite fast enough, the numbing medicine was beginning to wear off. WARNING: If this ever happens to you, get some major pain killers in your body as soon as the doc will allow it!

SO, back to the tender mercies. 17 stitches later Bryce has all his digits and they are all working... amazing. He has his pointer finger which, with all that he is learning and writing about at the golf course is... amazing! Bryce has done so well. He took pain killers for about 4 days. Now it is just ibuprofen and apparently with all the nerve endings in your fingers, that is... amazing! And of course he has checked if his golf grip has been impeded upon and it has not... amazing!

I guess if you are going to stick your hand in a lawn mower, this is the way to do it. Go figure. Bryce is good at everything else, so why not this?

So here are the pictures and here is your warning label... VIEW AT YOUR OWN RISK!!! We are not responsible for any queasiness or vomiting. However, if you do feel an urge to tell Bryce that he is a super stud and you think he needs a little sympathy, feel free to share!

The first set of pics are in the ER. The next set is one week later doing his washing and bandaging routine. ENJOY!