The Oddyssey of The Burgon Bunch

Halloween 2011

2011-10-31T21:13:00.000-07:00

We didn't do much this year for Halloween. It kind of snuck up on us and then it was pouring rain, so th boys kind of bailed. The girls would have kept on going because they wanted more candy! But at least we got a cute picture. Not a good quality picture, but at least a cute one!!

Ragnar 2011 - 200 Mile Relay

2011-09-26T21:21:00.000-07:00

Yup, I was insane enough to do it again. 33 hours of non-stop running with no sleep and no showers. But, on the plus side, I dragged Wil into it with me this year. Heh heh heh!! Ragnar 2010 was truly such a fun time, that the team decided to do it again. Here is our totally rad team The Fashionable Ladies Club. Washington DC....here we come!

This year we blogged about our adventures and our fabulously talented teammate Ben H produced an awesome video at the end. We had some great memories which we shared with our family and friends at: fashionableladies.wordpress.com
Check it out!!

Sophia's 3rd Birthday

2011-09-03T19:53:00.000-07:00

Okay. How sad am I that I haven't made any posts in a while. It's been a crazy busy year, but knew that I better squeeze in a few more posts before I make it a tradition of only updating it once a year around Christmas time! So here are some pics from Sophia's 3rd Birthday party back in September. She's getting so big! We had a great time throwing her and a few of her little friends a Rainbow Party. Each room was a different color with fun activities from painting, cookie decorating, water balloons and pin the cloud on the rainbow. I think Miss Sophia had a wonderful time. I've attached some pictures of some of the highlights.

My big girl is 3!!!

Sophia and Big Sis Rowan

Mom showing how to decorate cookies

Sophia's Rainbow Skittles Cake

Sophia and Alex - Best Buds!

The whole gang! So darn cute!!!!!!

Photobucket is cool!

2011-01-02T18:10:00.000-08:00

I just discovered Photobucket from my friend April's blog. It's an image hosting website that has some pretty cool photo editing tools. Check this image out of me and Sophia. I've always wondered what it would be like to have one of these, but I think I'll stick with sharing the image below with my family and friends instead of hanging one in my living room. :0)

Fabulous Mexican Rice

2010-12-30T20:34:00.000-08:00

I really wanted to post this recipe after trying it for our family's Mexican themed dinner for Christmas. It was quite easy and very flavorful with just the right amount of spiciness. Delicious with some chopped cilantro.

Ingredients:

2 medium, ripe tomatoes, cored and quartered

1 medium white onion, peeled, trimmed, and quartered

3 medium jalapeno chilies, 2 halved with ribs and sees removed, 1 minced with ribs and seeds

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2 cups long-grain white rice, rinsed

4 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 4 teaspoons)

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro leaves

1 lime, cut into wedges for serving

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Process the tomatoes and onion in a food processor until smooth and thoroughly pureed, about 15 seconds, scraping down the bowl if necessary. Transfer the mixture to a liquid measuring cup; you should have 2 cups (if necessary, spoon off and discard any excess).

2. Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed, oven-safe straight-sided saute pan or Dutch oven (with a tight-fitting lid) over medium-high heat for 1 -2 minutes. Drop 3 or 4 grains of the rinsed rice in the oil; if the grains sizzle, the oil is ready. Add the rice and cook, stirring frequently, until the rice is light golden and translucent, about 6 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium, stir in the garlic and seeded minced jalapenos, and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 1/2 minutes.

3. Stir in the pureed tomatoes and onion, chicken broth tomato paste, and salt. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Cover, transfer to the oven and bake until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender, 30 - 35 minutes, stirring well halfway through the cooking time.

4. Stir in the cilantro and reserved minced jalapeno with ribs and seeds to taste. Serve immediately with lime wedges.

THE FINAL DISH. ENJOY!

Kids were up already! Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T23:16:00.000-08:00

Christmas day is here! Every year Wil and I have been used to being the ones to wake up the kids, but this year, Garrett, Hunter and Rowan were already waiting upstairs....quite patiently I might add. We all then went into Sophia's room to wake her up. That's always a lot of fun.

The night before, we got to watch the Christmas day video from last year. The kids got such a kick out of it. Such great memories. We opened gifts, had Eggnog French Toast for breakfast and enjoyed a relaxing day while we waited for Bethany, Spencer and Emily came over for our Mexican dinner. What an absolutely wonderful surprise to be joined by Grandma Barnes and Emily's parents, Carol and Jeff. Then, if you couldn't ask for better timing, a beautiful snow fall in the evening. Merry Christmas to all of our loved ones.

Presents from Ms. Hanaa

Rowan was excited. "Mom look! My first $5!!!!

Garrett and Hunter stoked for a working XBox360!

Dad and new target shooting accessories! His guy friends are cringing everywhere at my use of the word "accessories".

Finally a watch! Won't have to take Dad's anymore.

Santa brought everything dress-up for Rowan.

Thank you Hunter for my present!

Eggnog French Toast and Scrambled Eggs. Don't forget the powdered sugar.

Bethany, Sophia and Spencer

Rowan was so happy that Grandma Barnes came to visit. As was
everyone.

Sophia loving her daddy.

Rowan Burgon - The most requested celebrity stylist. Emily...you are
an A+!

Mexican dessert. Decided to try for the first time: FRIED ICE CREAM!!! (click here for recipe)

This was pretty good!

BEFORE: Frozen ball of vanilla coated with cornflakes and cookie crumbs!

DURING: Heading for the fryer!

Sizzle, sizzle....

AFTER: Fried golden yumminess.

Grandma with the Burgon kids.

Best present ever. Pillow Pets from Aunt Bethany!!!!

Let the holidays begin!!!

2010-12-24T12:20:00.000-08:00

Wil and I could not wait for the holidays this year. We actually started on the 22nd. Kids were out of school, Wil and I started our PTO. It was going to be awesome !!

First the kids endured for their mom the 2010 Christmas picture. What a cute bunch! They really were super troopers cause it was pretty cold outside!

Our beautiful girls!

On 12/23 we celebrated Joseph Smith's birthday!

Thanks Ash for the great idea. Wil shared some really cool JS facts with the family. Such an incredible person. We decided to forgo a cake since we were going to be inundated with sugar anyway, but we did provide some dinner items that the pioneers may have eaten during Joseph's time.

Quite some delicious venison from our good friend Ben Benedict's freezer. He told us to bread them and bake in the oven. We also had some Yukon Gold Home Fries.

Awesome rolls. Hunter's favorite. From Golden Corral.

**Notice I said we made available the food and not necessarily prepared them the way it was done back then :0)

CHRISTMAS EVE

This year, our International Christmas Dinner food of choice was Mexican. So we combined the nativity story with the traditional Christian customs celebrated in Mexico.

In Mexico, Christmas is definitely focused on Jesus.

From December 16th through December 24th, they have many parades where people are chosen to carry statues of Joesph and Mary, riding a donkey all around their city or town.

On the last night, they knock on three doors. The first two houses will turn the parade away, just like Mary and Joseph were turned away from the inns.

But at the third house, the doors are opened and everyone gathers around the Nativity scene and prays together.

For dinner they eat a Christmas Eve Salad called Ensalada de Noche Buena. Usually consists of pineapple, oranges, bananas, peanuts, lettuce, pomegranates, and sugar cane. Then it's topped off with a salad dressing made of mayonnaise and milk.

(ADD some jello and guess what you get? Can we say Mormon Salad?!)

Afterwards they have a pinata, usually filled with peanuts, oranges, tangerines, sugar cane and maybe a little candy.

At midnight, everyone meets at church to pray together again. Then they go home and hurry to bed to wait for Santa Claus to arrive.

Christmas dinner is usually turkey and some side dish made of corn. Ummmm...the Burgons are having chicken and cheese quesadillas and Mexican rice made with tomatoes, onion, chicken broth, jalapenos and cilantro.

Reenactment of the Mexican Parade knocking on the doors.

Mom and Dad bought a new "Sophia Proof" nativity set.

The greatest celebration. The birth of our Savior.

We then made some butter cookies and decorated them for Santa.

Zieeeeeee pastry chefs

Some of mom's favorites.

Only the best for Santa.

Stockings hung by the chimney with care. Off to bed Burgons!

Ladies in Red

2010-12-20T23:46:00.000-08:00

Could not ask for a more adorable picture. Sophia loves, loves, loves one of my closest friends, Eurry Boris.

Beautiful Christmas 2009 Memories

2010-02-07T23:55:00.000-08:00

Sorry, I'm a little behind in my blogging. Okay, okay....Ash. A lot behind! Trying to catch up like mad. So how about a little synopsis on this last Christmas.

Christmas 2009 was definitely a whirlwind. So many wonderful things to do and see. I wanted to post some pictures of some really great moments. We were so happy that we were able to spend some time with the Barnes family before they left for 3 weeks. We had a blast making gingerbread houses. Christmas day was awesome. It was very casual, and spent with wonderful friends and family. Thank you Shama, Bryce and Ella and Amanda and Danny for stopping by and hanging out. It was wonderful having you there as a part of our Christmas. We always love having Bethany, Spencer and Emily over. Wish we saw eachother more, but we'll take what we can get. Love you guys so much.

The week leading up to Christmas was crazy busy, but so rewarding. I got to bake like a crazy person with my double oven (yeah, I only stayed up until 2am each night instead of 4am) and my wonderful family delivered them to our friends as fast as I could crank them out.

Rowan getting ready to help mom make Reindeer Food. Ummmmm...white chocolate melted and smothered over Rice and Corn Chex, Pretzels, Captain Crunch, Cheerios and M&Ms. Can I just say these are seriously addictive and should be made illegal? We made about 20 batches and contributed to the 10 LB's I gained.

Uncle Spencer and Aunt Emily

Uncle Chad and beautiful Ms. Brenna

Building a Barnes' house

Building a Burgon house

These kids know how to decorate!

Jace the awesome snow maker

A masterpiece!

Christmas Eve Dinner - We're doing Chinese!

We decided as a new tradition that we would pick a different country each Christmas Eve and learn about how they celebrated Christmas and eat that food. It was Chinese take-out this year. It doesn't compare (not even close) to what my family could knock out. We were very spoiled in Hong Kong last year. Selfishly though, it was nice not to cook for one of the holiday meals. We talked about how Christianity was only practiced by a very small percentage of the population, but their committment and love for their Saviour, Jesus Christ is one of the wonderful things we have in common even though we live half-way around the world.

Fortune cookies.......................................................the best part!

Dear Santa...

Christmas Morning!

A special thanks to my company for closing the office down from 12/24/2009 to 1/4/2010. It was a splendid week and a half with Wil and my beautiful kids.

Our First Girl's Night

2010-02-05T22:40:00.001-08:00

Rowie was so excited to get a sparkly set of nail polishes from Santa in her stocking. She's been asking mommy to help paint her nails. I said okay, but I warned her that she had to sit very still with her hands spread out so that they can dry properly. After I painted each cute little nail in pink passion, I went upstairs to tend to Sophia. But not before saying "Now Rowie, you have to sit very still. Don't move your hands okay?" Rowie answers dutifully, "yes mama". When I came back downstairs, this was what I discovered.

Can I just say my daughter takes her primping very seriously.

Sopheester Bunny

2010-02-05T21:10:00.000-08:00

What is in a name? Our little Sophia Rose Burgon brings our family so much joy. We call her our Sopheester Bunny.

What does Sophia mean?

GENDER: Feminine

USAGE: English, Greek, German, Ancient Greek

PRONOUNCED: so-FEE-ah

MEANING: Wisdom

Definition of Sophia by her big brother Garrett

S - Sweet

0 - Outgoing

P - Pretty

H - Happy

I - Inquisitive

A - Awesome

Her parents agree!

Up and Coming Jewelry Designer

2009-12-15T21:46:00.000-08:00

Okay, I have to totally brag on my mom. She is the most beautiful and super talented woman I know. She started her jewelry line (Essence of Love) a few years ago and I'm not just her biggest client because I'm her daughter. Her talent is beyond imagination and I get so many compliments when I wear her designs.

Wil and I were attending my company's Christmas party and I asked my mom if she would design me a necklace. The only adjective I gave her was "sparkly". She put together this beautiful layered piece using Swarovski crystals. I was so estatic when it came in the mail. This was probably the closest I ever felt as if I was dressing for the Oscars. It was so much fun. Oh, except for the 3 months of dieting. Ugh. Why do we do this to ourselves?!!! My dear friend (Kim) pictured here with me is probably mom's second biggest fan. Thank you so very much mom. I was so proud to wear your beautiful necklace.I love you with all my heart!

Rowie turns 4 on the 4th

2009-07-04T19:58:00.000-07:00

My little girl Rowan is getting to be so big. I can't believe she's 4 years old. I think Rowan is starting to grasp the concept that her birthday will always be accompanied by fireworks, but that still doesn't mean she likes them. So we skipped the fireworks again this year but had a wonderful time with just our little family. We went to Marbles Museum and had a small party by the pool. I believe the most memorable part for her was meeting the Chik-Fil-A cow. What a great birthday bonus to a wonderful day. Rowan sweetheart, I love you with everything!

My cutie pies getting ready to go out and have some fun.

The Chik-Fil-A Cow! What a trooper standing out in the hot NC summer.

Sophia at 10 months starting to stand on her own.

Racing cars!

I've heard of cheese heads, but lobster heads?!!

Serving it up in the food center.
Give this cutie a BIG tip.

Sweet Sophia with her Daddy.

Rowie painting outside in the garden at the museum.

Garrett and Rowan "visiting" the Arctic.

Rowan really wanted an Ariel cake.
My baking stuff was packed away :0(
She still loved her store bought cake.

Princess Rowan and her favorite PINK balloons

Serenading our beautiful sweet girl.

A GREAT day!

A Very Special Birthday

2009-04-05T21:56:00.000-07:00

I had a very quiet and lovely birthday with my wonderful family. I'm so blessed. I wouldn't and couldn't ask for anything more. It was a beautiful day outside and I wanted to capture some pictures with my loved ones.

Garrett, thank you for taking the great pictures.

I love my Wil!

My pride and joy!

Sweet Sophia

Me and Mini-Me (Rowan)

Hunter!

Definitely the Best Twilight Party of the Century

2009-04-03T20:25:00.000-07:00

I'm making this new post to second in absolute agreement with my beautiful cousin/sis/best friend Ashley's post that we threw a fabulous party. The dynamic twilight party team was made up of Ashley, Julie, Suzette, Amanda and me. We had so much fun planning for this party to honor the release of the new DVD. We had games, prizes, fabulous food and of course a viewing of the DVD. There were too many ideas not enough time to use them all. Thank goodness we have 3 more parties to go to use them! Suzette offered to have the party in her beautiful home. It had the perfect ambiance and upscale style to host the perfect party. Any additional decorating done was very minimal since Suzette's house was perfect the way it was. Enjoy the pictures of our unforgettable night. Thanks Ash for letting me steal some of them!

Our fabulous sign welcoming our guests!

Twilight Party Planning Committee Suzette, Julie, Ashley, Amanda and Me!

Menu:
Mushroom Lasagna
Garlic Bread
Edward's Favorite Pizza
Spinach Dip and Chips
Veggie Display
Yummy!

Ashley's masterpiece "Edible Art"

DESSERTS:

I passed on to Chef Amanada the recipe for Charlie Swan's favorite Berry Cobbler to recreate. It was delicious. I had THREE helpings!! Here is the recipe.

Charlie's Berry Cobbler

INGREDIENTS
Fruit Filling
1) 2 cups blackberries, rinsed
2) 2 cups raspberries, rinsed
3) 3 cups strawberries, hull and rinsed - halve large berries
4) 1 tablespoon cornstarch
5) 1/2 cup - 2/3 cup sugar - depending on how sweet the berries are
6) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping
7) 1 cup all-purpose flour
8) 1/4 cup plus 2 teaspoons sugar
9) 2 teaspoons baking powder
10) 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
11) 1/4 teaspoon salt
12) 1/3 cup buttermilk (you can make your own if you don't want to buy it - Stir 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or fresh lemon juice to every 1 cup of milk. Let stand for 5 mins until thickened.
13) 4 tablespoons (1/2) stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled
14) 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
15) 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Gently combine ingredients for fruit filling. Items 1-6. Place the fruit in a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate. Place the pie plate on a foil-lined, rimmed baking sheet and bake until the fruit begins to release liquid, 20-30 minutes.

2. While the fruit is baking, whisk the flour, 1/4 cup of the sugar, the baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the buttermilk, melted butter, and vanilla together. In a third blow, toss the cinnamon with the remaining 2 teaspoons sugar.

3. Once the filling has begun to release liquid, gently stir the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture with a rubber spatula until the dough is just combined and no dry pockets remain.

4. Remove the cobbler filling from the oven and stir. Pinch the biscuit dough into 8 equal pieces and place them on top of the HOT filling, spaced 1/2 inch apart. Sprinkle the dough with the cinnamon sugar.

5. Return the cobbler to the oven and bake until the filling is bubbling and the biscuits are golden brown on top and cooked through, 15 - 20 minutes. Let the cobbler cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before serving.

To Make Ahead
The cobbler may be baked up to 8 hours ahead of time, cooled, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, and stored at room temperature. Reheat in a 350-degree oven until warm, 10 - 15 minutes.

Is Ashley Team Edward or Team Jacob?

Ahhhhh, the meadow scene recreated. What? Bella's missing? Please insert image of yourself!

Some of our fabulous guests!

Can't wait to do it again!

Sparkle Night with Matt Nathanson

2009-03-27T19:24:00.000-07:00

My absolutely gorgeous friend Christina (sigh...to be 22 again!) invited me to a small concert in downtown Raleigh to see Matt Nathanson. It was called a Sparkle Party. Bedazzle, Bling, Twinkling and Sparkling of all types was a wardrobe must. I had heard Wil singing Matt's songs and I really liked the music so I was really excited about seeing him perform live. It was a girls night out for us (thank you honey for watching the kids) and Christina and I got there early enough so that we could be one of the first 100 people that get to meet him. Being one of the first 100 ladies also gets you an autographed poster and a beautiful rose. But what's the real plus side to getting there 3 hours early? Front row! We were right up front and his voice....live....is AMAZING. He is truly talented and a super nice guy in person. Next venue...Myrtl Beach! And we're taking our wonderful hubbies with us.

Me and Christina.

Meeting Matt!

Great picture of Christina and Matt.

Okay so mine was a little blurry, but hey...any picture with
a famous person is a good picture right?

I paid him to sign that! LOL. No, the real story is that Matt was asking me what my name was. He asked me if he spelled it correctly and I said "perfect". That apparantly gave him the inspiration to write what he did. What a nice guy!

Hunter, Super Speed Jump Rope Stud....

2009-03-12T17:56:00.000-07:00

.....say that 10 times fast!

Hunter came home from school back in December to announce that he had been chosen to participate in the annual Wake County "First in Fitness" competition. We were soooooo proud of our big guy. He was selected based on scoring the highest number of revolutions in a minute out of all the boys in his entire grade and for display of character traits in physical education class. So he would be representing his school and competing against approximately 25 other schools in the region in March. Wil and I wanted to make sure we would be there to cheer him on. He broke his personal record and jumped 167 times in one minute. It was incredible! He looked like an absolute pro. We love our Hunter!

My handsome boy!

Hunter's uniform. All the kids representing Baileywick had their
names printed on their shirts.

160, 161, 162......GO HUNTER GO!

Piece of cake!

A VERY proud daddy!

The Simpsons.......Really?

2009-01-02T07:40:00.000-08:00

So every parents looks forward to the day when their little baby laughs for the first time. You think maybe it'll be a response to a toy she seems to favor, maybe something that catches her eye on television, or maybe it was something silly she sees one of her sibling doing, or a cooing sound that her mommy makes. But nope, not our daughter. She has to be daddy's girl...it had to be the Simpsons theme song. GROAN!!

Another Twilight Guy

2008-12-30T00:30:00.000-08:00

YES!!! I got him hooked! Ladies, my husband is officially thoroughly enjoying the Twilight Saga. I started off innocently (heehee) taking him to the movie. What's not to like: vampires, fight scene, baseball, nice cars, *cough* ro...*cough, cough*..mance. I then suggested that he bring the first book to Hong Kong with him in case he wanted something to read. You know, help fill in some of the blanks from the movie, er just in case. Needless to say, he's now itching to get back to Raleigh to read New Moon AND, wait for it, waaaaaaait for it (goodness gracious you'll never believe it Ashley!), he'll see the movie with me again. What a great husband!!!! Needless to say, Wil no longer rolls his eyes when the topic of Twilight comes up. To top it off, my brother Gerald even went to see the movie with his girlfriend Betty here in Hong Kong. It just came out. He told me he was pleasantly surprised. Betty loved it.

By the way, I just came across a website called Twilightguy.com. I recommend you check it out when you get a chance. It's very entertaining and Kaleb (the owner of the site) is always very funny and has a very positive attitude which makes you want to keep reading. He also has posts called Twilight Guys Report which includes different stories of how other guys were converted to the Twilight Books. They are hilarious. Here is the link: http://www.twilightguy.com/

Enjoy!

The Amazing Talents of Amy

2008-12-28T19:59:00.000-08:00

So my cousin Amy handed me a gift that was absolutely adorable. It was a little clear box showcasing miniature pieces of desserts (my favorite!) and a platter with a sandwich and a little saucer of lemon tea and a clay pot of flowers. It was sooooooo cute and the detail amazing. I loved it! But here's the clincher, she MADE each of the items herself. Handmade!!!! Can you believe it?! I just kept staring at it over and over again. The intricate details are mind boggling. Apparently this is a hobby of hers. Each of the items are made with clay resin mixed with various oil colors. The furniture and little shops are often made from wood carefully cut to painstakingly accurate dimensions. She showed me pictures of some other pieces she has made and they are absolutely amazing. She says it takes on average about 4 weeks to complete each one. I love it even more now knowing the time and care she put into this gift.

I wish I could make my desserts look THAT good! It's making me hungry!

Just to give you a perspective of how small these are. Amazing!

More incredible images:

Bakery

Pastry Shop

Pastry shop display

Christmas Display

Kitchen

Market Stand

Wedding Cake Shop

Wedding Cake

WHAT A TALENT!

A Day in Discovery Bay

2008-12-28T19:00:00.000-08:00

We had an absolutely wonderful time visiting my brother Ron and his beautiful wife Youmi at their home in Discovery Bay. It's somewhat of a resort type town. They have a bunch of really nice shops and restaurants. If you're a resident there, the only thing you're allowed to drive is a golf cart. My brother told me that owning a golf cart costs about the same as a Lexus in the U.S. Needless to say, my brother and his wife prefer to use the available public transportation or walk. The guys were playing a new game Ron received for Christmas called LittleBigPlanet on PlayStation. It was actually a really cute game that can have multiple players. The commentary alone from all the players during the game had us rolling on the ground laughing. Time and time again, the young 'uns (Garrett and Hunter) had to show their older uncles how to really play. Youmi served us some great pastries from the local bakery and some Japanese melon that my cousin Amy brought that was a mix between a honeydew and a cantaloupe. Delicious. We then had a wonderful dinner at a local Italian restaurant called Sopranos. Wil and I were very impressed by the portions and prices and the food was awesome. Have I mentioned yet that I've eaten way too much on this trip?!

The kids vs the Uncles

I love my Aunt Youmi!

Rowan and mommy's cousin Amy

Ummm. Never met a donut I did not like!

Hunter's reaction to his dinner order. Not from the children's menu.

Christmas - The Spirit of Christ

2008-12-25T23:11:00.000-08:00

The Burgon Bunch has had a wonderful Christmas this year. We started with a morning of excitement and laughter opening gifts and spending time together throughout the day. However, it was important to Wil and me to end the day remembering and reflecting on what Christmas is all about and what it means to each one of us. This evening, the children wanted to help us re-enact the Nativity. We turned off the television, put away the video games and toys, turned down the lights and sat on the floor together. We started out singing Away in a Manger and then Wil proceeded to narrate the story of the birth of our beloved Savior from the scriptures. As each of the children played their roles, we felt a reverence and peace come over us. As I listened to Wil's comforting voice and watched the kids I tried to visualize what it was like to actually be there and witness the miracle of Christ's birth. You can't help but know he lives and loves us.

I'm so very grateful for my wonderful family. I've been blessed with a husband, best friend and eternal companion who inspires and teaches each one of us every day with his example. He lives his life with unfailing dedication and love for his Savior and his family. I've been blessed with children that my Heavenly Father has trusted me with that remind me every day that motherhood is the best gift of all. I'm grateful for the opportunity to finally meet my beautiful sister-in-law Youmi and Gerald's long-time girlfriend Betty. I wish we lived closer so I could see you more often. I'm grateful that I had the opportunity to spend more time with my step-mom Emily and to get to know her better. She's been so kind to hang out with us to show us around and help tend to Sophia and call us almost every night to make sure we're okay. I'm especially grateful to be blessed with the opportunity to be with my dad, and four brothers this Christmas. I treasure every single moment I am with them. Every word, every smile and every hug ingrained in my memory.

I'm grateful for modern technology that we are able to reach half-way around the world via phone to wish my in-laws Willie and Jerry a Merry Christmas and tell them how much we love and miss them and to be able to tell my mom in Toronto through IM and email that I wish she were here with me right now and that I love her dearly.

I'm grateful for my wonderful sisters and brother in-law Bethany, Emily and Spencer. I love them with all my heart. I wish I could see them more, but when I do it warms my heart. They love their nephews and neices unconditionally and they have unfailingly been there to see each one at the hospital after they were born.

I'm grateful for my friends who love me for who I am and I them. Kim, Ashley, Amrita, Monique, Myra, Sheila, Christina, Mara, Jennifer and Erin always "lift" me up just by merely being in their presence. I'm truly blessed to have you in my life. I'm grateful for the new friends that have come into my life that I look forward to getting to know and serve.

I wanted to share with you a Christmas message from our beloved prophet, President Monson:

"There is no better time than now, this very Christmas season, for all of us to rededicate ourselves to the principles taught by Jesus the Christ. It is the time to love the Lord our God with all our heart—and our neighbors as ourselves. It is well to remember that he who gives money gives much, he who gives time gives more, but he who gives of himself gives all. Let this be a description of our Christmas gifts. "

The Burgons wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year filled with joy and love.

Thank you Santa and Family!

2008-12-25T13:15:00.000-08:00

"Santa was here!!!!!" exclaims a wide-eyed Hunter at 6am. The kids were absolutely overjoyed that Santa found us in Hong Kong at our hotel. Luckily mom and dad sent him a letter ahead of time :0). Thanks also to Uncle Gerald, Uncle Ronald, Aunt Youmi, Papa George and Emily for making it such a special Christmas for the kids. Everyone's generosity and thoughtfullness was so overwhelming. The kids have been playing with their new toys all morning while patiently waiting through the 13 hour difference to call Grandma and Papa back in Raleigh. Merry Christmas to Everyone!

Sleeping beauty

Here you go Garrett.

Yeah Star Wars!!

Thank you Uncle Ronald!

Wow! I love it!

Whoo Hoo...more Star Wars!

What is going on? Santa who?

A bed for my dolly!

Super Mario Cart! YES!!

Garrett and his baby sister.

Princess Sticker Book!

Thank you Everyone!

A Memorable Christmas Eve Dinner - The kids have taken over!!

2008-12-24T23:30:00.000-08:00

Tonight we got to dress-up. I love to see the boys in their shirts and ties and the girls in their pretty dresses. We took a few pictures in the hotel foyer before we left to meet my family for dinner.

For the last 3 years, my father has hosted a Christmas Eve dinner at Louis Steak House located in Wanchai. The Burgons were so happy to be a part of the tradition this year. We had an awesome time. We had two tables with the first consisting of my dad, my step mom Emily and my half brothers Vincent and Alan. Our family friends Uncle Raymond and Aunt Rebecca were there along with their daughter Justina (who I have fond memories of growing up with in T.O.) and her husband Marcel and kids Jade and Mark. My dad's close friends Amy and Charles were also there with their family. The 2nd table (aka the trouble makers table) consisted of me, Wil and the kids. Ron and Youmi, Gerald and Betty. We really had a blast, but I'm sure the restaurant couldn't wait for us to leave after 3 1/2 hours of mayhem (as accurately described by my brother Gerald on his blog). The restaurant made the mistake of giving each patron a goody bag (more suitable for New Years in my opinion). Between the balloons, noisemakers and streamers, I think my children provided an extra 2 hours worth of cleaning for the staff. Louis Steak House may rethink the whole goody bag idea for next year. Between the pictures taken both by Gerald and I, we have plenty of evidence of our partying!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

A most wonderful reunion with my loving dad.

My handsome boys Hunter and Garrett.

Gerald and Betty!

Ron and Youmi!

Gerald, Betty and Rowie

Uncle Raymond, Vivian and Aunt Rebecca

Wil, Sophia, Vivian and childhood friend Justina

My awesome brother Gerald!

The Burgons! (a.k.a - trouble makers :0))

Sophia getting the mayhem and party started!!!!!!

Garrett somewhere under there!

My awesome big bro Ron.

Streamers, streamers everywhere...to the chagrin of the restaurant staff!

Resting only a moment to pose with Uncle Gerald. Rowan holding her weight in streamers.

Too much partying! Sophia asleep in her favorite spot - with Daddy!

"Okay, I've left my mark. I'm ready to go"
(Rowan offering to carry Uncle Ger's backpack)

A Burgon Christmas Eve in Hong Kong

2008-12-24T14:00:00.000-08:00

I started thinking the last few days how much I wished we had a Christmas Tree in our hotel room for the kids. Garrett, Hunter and Rowan were super enthused about helping me make this happen. We looked around our room and through our luggage for supplies. Amazingly, the only thing Wil had to buy at the store for me was tape (this was of course after I decided to forego using gum or band-aids). The kids did a fabulous job decorating the ornaments. Yeah for Burgon teamwork.

Here is a list of our supplies:

Two empty pizza boxes (from dinner the night before)

Red and Green tissue paper (brought from home for gifts)

Gold angel cut from a gift bag (also brought from home)

Gold colored shopping bag (from shopping the other day)

Crayons (from Rowan's backpack)

Dental floss (from Wil's shaving bag)

Scissors (from Wil's first aid kit)

Glass cup (from hotel)

Face Cream Container (from Vivian's make-up bag)

Tape (from the store)

Multi-tool (Wil never leaves home without it)

and last but not least...

.....a little Burgon imagination!

Santa's little helpers

The final product!

Are we INSANE?!!!

2008-12-23T05:16:00.000-08:00

We had the day to ourselves today and decided to venture out to the city. Wil had seen a Toys R Us the other day when he was going to a store with my brother Ron. We thought, hey that would be a cool idea. Let's take the kids to Toy R Us. First let me mention that the Toys R Us Wil saw is located in what is probably the busiest part of Hong Kong called Causeway Bay. It's absolute mayhem there. So apparently both Wil and I thought it was a great idea to take the kids to a Toys R Us in the busiest place in Hong Kong and two days before Christmas!!! I don't even shop 2 weeks before Christmas in Raleigh. Unfortunately I did not have my camera with me so I hope you can just visualize the chaos. The kids, the parents, the lines, the toys flying everywhere. Omigosh!! So, to sum it up:

=BAD IDEA!

Dinner with my Mom's family

2008-12-20T06:37:00.000-08:00

I was so looking forward to the gathering we had on this day. It has been an extremely long time since I have seen my relatives on my mother's side of the family. What a wonderful reunion. Two of my cousins (Eric and Vincent) I don't believe I have seen in over 20 years. It's always so great to finally catch up and see how the families have grown. My sweet, sweet Aunt and Uncle were as I remember them from 8 years ago. Especially dear to my heart is my cousin Amy. We were extremely close when we were younger. She is as beautiful, sweet and kind as I remember her. As always, my relatives were great to patiently endure my inability to remember much of my cantonese. Luckily all of their English was better than my Chinese. We had a wonderful chinese dinner at a restaurant called the Golden Dragon Boat. I think there were about 10 or more courses. Ugh. I was really full! The kids had a fabulous time too. It didn't matter that they couldn't communicate in the same language. Apparantly the game "Tumblin Monkeys" is universal.

Rowan and Aunt Youmi

Vivian, cousin Amy, Wil and Sophia

Rowan and Amy

Wil trying shark fin soup

Hunter and Garrett - Shark fin soup. "I'll try it if you try it!"

Unable to turn down the challenge!

I love my brothers!

"Ummm, okay mom, are you sure I'm related to this lady?"
(My aunt and Sophia)

Playing Tumblin Monkeys

Uncle Gerald and Betty with Sophia

The wonderful women in my brothers' lives

(Youmi - Ron's wife, and Betty (Gerald's girlfriend)

Piazza at Night

2008-12-19T16:09:00.000-08:00

About a 5 minute walk from our hotel is the Gold Coast Piazza. It's kind of their version of a strip mall. There are several cafes and restaurants there including a small grocery store and a drug store. In the evening several vendors set up various booths to sell their wares. We saw everything from jewelry, dried flowers, rock sculptures and even a plam reader.

We went for a walk last night and this is the piazza from across the water way. Since we're staying at our hotel for almost a month, the grocery store (called Wellcome) has been wonderful. We've been stocking the mini fridge with items from the grocery store to avoid the cost of eating out all the time. Here are some pictures we took from last night. The piazza all decorated and lit up for Christmas.

(Blurry picture of the kids in front of the Wellcome store. Need to post a better one!)

New revelation on a familiar primary song

2008-12-18T18:04:00.000-08:00

So our little sweet Rowan loves to sing. She's starting to learn some new Primary songs while in her Nursery class at church. For all of you who are familiar with The Wise Man and the Foolish Man (click on title block if you don't), Rowan told mommy and daddy today that she wanted to sing it for us. Little did we know, she had further revelation regarding this song. The "foolish man" has now become the "shoeless man". Hmmmm...who knew?!

Uncle Gerald....Super Goalie

2008-12-17T18:07:00.000-08:00

I was soooooo excited to finally get a chance to see my awesome little bro play ice hockey. He's been playing in Hong Kong for about 5 years now. His team is called San Wai and Gerald is their goalie. Gerald picked us up at the hotel around 6:15pm and drove us to the eastern side of Kowloon to a cool mall called the MegaBox. It's apprarently the largest mall in Kowloon to date. Gerald showed us the rink and then us Burgons ate at California Pizza Kitchen for dinner while Ger went to change and stretch before the game. It was really cool to watch my brother in action. He made several great saves, but alas, the win was not meant to be this time. Gerald didn't think he played very well, but we said it was probably because we jinxed him. :0) Not sure if he wants me to mention this, but he was trying to flick the puck to the side at one point and accidentally flipped it over the glass wall and out of the rink. Apparently not an easy task to do with a goalie hockey stick. Gerald exclaimed "Omigosh! I've never done that before!" Okay, so we probably made Uncle Ger a little nervous. We were very fortunate to catch his last game before the Christmas holidays.

Uncle Ger w/ Hunter, Garrett and Rowan

Uncle Ger's own cheerleader. Rowan in her Maple Leaf Jersey.

Gerald and big sis Vivian

Hunter and Garrett waiting in anticipation for the game to start!

Sophia with Daddy. Too tuckered out to cheer any more.

Surprise.....Eric

2008-12-17T17:37:00.000-08:00

So before I left Raleigh, I was talking to Eric Vaughn (President of DNA Group) at my office about how we would be in Hong Kong this Christmas. He mentioned to me that he would be traveling to HK for a few days as well on business meeting with our manufacturing partners - Defond. We tentatively planned to see if he could get together with my family for dinner. Unfortunately, Eric's schedule was really tight and we were unable to set up a dinner. In the meantime, I was corresponding with my Hong Kong colleagues at Defond to meet them for lunch. Martha and Fiona (of Defond) mentioned that they would be taking Eric to lunch on Wednesday and suggested that the Burgons come as well. They would not tell Eric so it could be a surprise. We thought that was a great idea. We travelled by MTR to Heng Fa Chuen station. It took about 1hr 1/2 to get to the restaurant. And SURPRISE!! Eric had a big smile on his face when he saw us. It was a really great experience to see Eric in Hong Kong whom I had just seen at the office in Raleigh about a week or so ago. It's always nice to feel that familiarity of back home even when you're half-way around the world. We had a wonderful lunch of Dim Sum.

Garrett mastered using chopsticks and learned how to say in Chinese from Fiona the following:

Little Sister = muy muy

Big Brother - goh goh

Martha and her daughter Felicia (14 mo)

Fiona and our baby Sophia

Twilight in Hong Kong

2008-12-17T04:27:00.000-08:00

This one's for Ashley! My cohort in Twilight mania. We saw this poster at the Hong Kong MTR station.

Where is Diego?

2008-12-16T04:43:00.000-08:00

We discovered that the hotel we are staying at (The Gold Coast Hotel) has a huge man-made beach. Wil had taken the kids to the beach briefly the day before. Rowan had taken one of her dolls she received from her Aunt Bethany to the beach and apparantly decided to bury him in the sand. Like any normal 3-year old, she got distracted and forgot about poor Diego until the next day. We formulated a manhunt but alas our search was futile. Rowan concluded that Diego was snatched up by a dog, never to make it back to U.S. soil.

We then went for a walk about 2.5 miles up and down the beach watching the boats, climbing rocks and even saw a bunch of chinese life guards in training.

Professional Man-Hunt Team

Ignoring the warning sign and making mom nervous

Sophia in training, hunting for shark's teeth. Grandma Willie would be so proud!

(Hunter, Rowan and Garrett)

Taking in the view after a long walk.

Ice Cream just as good in Hong Kong

2008-12-15T17:10:00.000-08:00

Hong Kong.....here we come!

2008-12-13T17:28:00.000-08:00

Our much anticipated trip to Hong Kong to see my family has finally arrived. It's been 8 years since I last saw my dad. Garrett and Hunter were 2 years and 6 months old respectively. I have missed my family tremendously and we have been counting down the days for it to finally be here.

Our wonderful friend Tim picked us up at the house at 4:30am to make our 7:15am flight out of RDU. The kids did really well considering how early it was. We flew first to Chicago where we had a 4 hour lay-over. We then flew another 16 hours arriving in Hong Kong on Dec. 12th around 6pm. I have to admit, the flight was the part of the trip that made me a little nervous. I knew Hunter and Garrett would be fine, but wasn't sure how the girls were going to do. Rowan made it through fabulously. The take-offs and landings didn't even phase her. Sophia had a bit of a rough time, but managed to sleep some between Wil and I holding her. Airplane food...not that memorable. In flight movies....not that memorable either. Other than the fight that almost broke out between two passengers and a flight attendant, and the guy getting caught smoking in the airplane bathroom (twice), only to be arrested in Hong Kong when we landed, it was pretty uneventful.

H-Bomb and G-Man

Rowie and mom

My dad and my older brother Ron were there to greet us. It was so very emotional for me to see them again after all this time. We then took a bus to the Gold Coast Hotel to be reunited with everyone else for dinner. We had finally arrived.

Blogging Inspired by Ashley Barnes

2008-12-10T16:37:00.000-08:00

Okay, so for several years now I've truly enjoyed reading the blogs of various friends. My wonderful, beautiful and super talented friend and "cousin-in-law" Ashley has been encouraging me to go for it. I've so loved reading about her family and agree that this is a great way to keep our family and friends in touch and up to date no matter where they reside in the world. Sooooooo, here we go.......

The said beautiful Ashley and daughter Brenna.