Barefoot and Fancy Free

Summer lovin happened so fast

2011-11-12T23:30:00.000-07:00

Summer lovin happened so fast Summer lovin' had me a blast..... August came and went and I have no idea what or where we went... so let me remember by going through our pictures

Mommy having fun with her new app.... My little baby is not so much a little baby, In Aug he started rolling over, getting up on his elbows and wanting to crawl.

Ty LOVES riding his bike/ quad/ scooter/ skateboard.... pretty much anything that goes fast and requires going outside

Only about 3 weeks late but I finally got a few pictures of J in his blessing outfit

Oh yes... we got sod in the backyard!!!!! Brian's Dad found some "free" sod on Craigslist. He rented a sod cutter and he and Brian and his siblings (and of course big helper T) cut/ loaded/ unloaded and patched the backyard. I love it so much!!!! T loves running through the sprinklers.

He is getting so big! He loves to help me with everything. This happened to be helping me get my settings right for a photo shoot.

T loves doing things and going places- and as I said earlier loves to dress up. Our library does a Pirate day. We dressed up and went to see what the matteys were up to. Discovered we needed to go earlier in the day, donations are not optional but required, and sno cones taste REALLY good on hot summer days!

We went to a Rivercats game with the YM/ YW. It was a lot of fun. T loved all the food and treats, not sure if he really got the game part of watching the game, but either way had alot of fun!

J-U-L-Y you aint got no alibi

2011-10-28T22:34:00.012-06:00

July, Well July was a very BUSY crazy month!!!! We started it out by celebrating my Mom & Dad's birthdays in ID. We had a relaxing day of hanging out in ID- only rule was no Logan or driving allowed. Then it was the 4th of July- believe it or not a big holiday in our family.... although it doesn't quite have the bang and glitter that it once did in China (I know kinda odd, but you should've seen some of the fireworks we got there...)

These were my sugar free- strawberries from the garden, sugar free frosting mini cupcakes. They were apparently well received as they were gone in about 5 mins... After a couple of days in ID we headed down to San Deigo. We caravanned with Liz and Andrew. We had lots of fun meeting up with them and driving down to Las Vegas, where we stayed the night. We had lots of laughs and fun swimming time. (Probably too much as we didn't get to SD as early as we had hoped- but you can't pass a $30 nice room with kids who are tired of driving and all that fun)

Once we got to SD, things got super crazy!!!!!!! I don't think I can add enough exclamation points... Brian's sister Amanda was getting married- and because the whole Butler family was going to be there and my Mom and Dad wanted to go to SD to see Dan, Christina, Kyle and Aaron and my Mom's family we asked Liz and Andrew to come over so we'd have as many family members as possible for Jaxon's baby blessing. So- all crammed into thurs night through Sat night we had family pictures (both Butler and Smith), Jaxon's baby blessing, decorating & catering Amanda's Wedding, the actual wedding, Wedding pictures, and small snippets of being with family. (I'm afraid way too little snippets of family time with both families) So without further ado- Our crazy weekend!

Butler Clan

Smith Clan

Jaxon's Baby Blessing

There is so much about a baby blessing- The Spirit is so strong! Being such a crazy weekend, I don't remember much but the feeling that we were blessed with a very very special little boy. My sister took the following notes for me (I've put them in here so I have them with my journal)

Strength & Power

Who u r

Know what u came to earth for

Learn grow

Rise and be a great leader

Lead and guide in kingdom

Health wise healthy

I am so very very grateful for all the family that was able to be there!! I am grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ that allows me to be with my family for Eternity.

Amanda and Brian Carson's Wedding

June roses for the December of our Lives

2011-10-28T21:22:00.004-06:00

May was hard, learning to balance, learning to ask for help, learning to let people help me, learning I can't do everything... but June, June was a bit better. It all started with Brian starting a new job! Yes you heard me another NEW job. We are so blessed. A new restaurant opened in Folsom- Land Ocean. They hired him without even an interview. It is only 10 minutes away, they gave him a raise and they appreciate him! He's excited to go to work again. Such a blessing! He worked the two jobs for the 2 weeks that we were gone- but it was really too much! So he kept the new job and hasn't doubted for a second it was what he was supposed to do.

Both of my boys are very warm blooded- they DO NOT like being hot... so we've had quite a few mostly naked days...

Jaxon at 2 months! He had a rough go for a little bit. He had a double ear infection and thrush all at the same time- not a good combo. Once we got everything cleared up, he was a much happier baby! He loves his big brother- and his big brother adores him. T is always wanting to help and do things with J. I was a bit worried that T would feel a bit out with a new baby- but he really really loves his brother and is such a BIG help! (We have however found that Ty has his mother's gag reflex and dry heaves when he smells a poopy diaper...)

The last week of June was time for me to go back to UT for work... argh BUT Liz and Abby flew out to Sac to help me drive to UT. We had lots of fun, ended up staying the night in Wells, got pulled over for speeding, Drove and drove and drove. Talked. Laughed. Appreciated that we live in a time of technology- I think I would've died as a pioneer. No REALLY! We hooked Liz's Ipad to the sun roof so both the kids could watch movies, plugged the audio through the sound system and then listened to the radio on our Iphones. Can you imagine crossing the plains WITH OUT google maps, cell phones, radios, or

movies????? Well I can we did it when we were kids, but oh how grateful I am for technology!!!!! (Thank you Steve Jobs!) We met my Dad in ID and played for a bit with him and then my Mom flew in the next day. We had fun playing for a couple of days until I had to go to work- enter the weeping and wailing and nashing of teeth. But it was ok... It was still hard, but I got to Facetime (like skype for iphones and ipads) with the boys almost every night and sometimes during work. Liz would send me updates like this little gem

"Oh also, Ty came over and told dad j was Stinky. Dad said r u sure? So he went and checked and dad said he had "a little rock in his pants". so he went to change him and I said maybe u should wait to make sure he's done. And dad said naw let's get the "rock" out of his pants. So he starts to change him, moves old diaper out of the way without new diaper in place.. Is half way done wiping and j starts pooping in dads hand. Lol good thing dad had a wipe."

Ty got bribed into riding horses with Abby- He was NOT going to ride. Brian and I tried and tried to tell him it would be fun and that he would enjoy it, but had no idea if he was really going to go. But he did and lived to tell the tell and later told me he had ALOT of fun! (Thanks Gma and Gpa!)

My mom has a big bucket of dress up clothes- one is this Indian- Ty LOVED dressing up. He would beg daily- Mom can we dress up today. Finally I gave in and said yes!

After working for a week, Brian was able to come out and join us. We had fun going to the Lake, making toy shelves, family dinners, fireworks, and all that good stuff. We were glad when Andrew was able to join us and enjoyed a good jump in the lake and BBQ. (I don't know where those pictures went, but....)

Summer where did you go?

2011-10-28T18:35:00.003-06:00

Summer seems like a blur I know we enjoyed it but I'm too overwhelmed at the prospect of recounting it all that I'm just going to give you a picture run down..... and maybe a few words here and there????

I had to go back to work a little over a month after Jaxon was born.... it was a hard time for me. My wonderful mom flew to Sacramento and she, T, Baby J, and I drove to Idaho. I was able to spend a few days in ID with them before I had to go to UT. My sister, who is also amazing, drove all the way from AZ to ID with Abby to help with my boys... and to see mom. They had a fun week! As I was driving down the driveway to go to UT my phone stopped working... argh!!!! People could hear me, but I COULD NOT hear them- This was not going to work for me. So I went straight to Verizon and got myself an Iphone.... and I love it!!!! And it is because of this wonderful technology that you all are blessed with pictures- otherwise this would be only words. Anyways- This pix of Jax was when I got back from Provo- His first REAL big smile. I knew he still knew who I was- phew!

Ty LOVES jumping on the trampoline in Idaho- well let's be honest he loves jumping anywhere we let him!

Ty's view from the backseat while we drove back to Sacramento.... only 5 hours later than planned. We left at 4 PM.... I somehow missed my small little turn off and ended up in Twin Falls- Yes friends I said Twin Falls. I'm sorry to those who love TF, but I hope to never be back there. We finally got back on the right road- in the middle of nowhere pitch black fields. AHHH Hit horrible cold rain & wind storms.... couldn't find a place to stay the night to save my life- NO WHERE from Wells to Reno. Two boys who were REALLY done. Awful. I finally pulled off to sleep for a few minutes when T woke up crying, Just wanted to be home. Mamma Bear kicked in- I just have to get my boys home- so we drove and we drove. Hit snow on the pass- I hate the pass, I really hate the pass with snow. I was SO glad and grateful to my Heavenly Father who blessed me to stay awake, stay the course and got us home. I was tired! But I survived- work and driving! I can do hard things....

Just a thought from the past 6 months

2011-10-28T18:29:00.000-06:00

Source: Uploaded by user via Liz on Pinterest

Baby J loves to laugh!

2011-08-17T17:06:00.002-06:00

I promise someday soon I'll be doing life better and catch everyone up on our summer!

The truth is...

2011-07-28T22:35:00.002-06:00

I am overwhelmed....

In no particular order there are so many things to write and talk about that we've done this summer....

How my Big T is doing...

How my Little J is doing...

Brian's exciting new job!

Working with a baby....

Visting family in Idaho....

Visiting family in San Diego....

J being blessed.....

Getting lost...

Getting answers to prayers...

Family pictures....

Finding balance.....

3100+ miles on our poor 4Runner.....

You know the typical Butler summer ..... stay tuned as I attempt to swim upstream

Mustin Bustin

2011-07-28T21:11:00.010-06:00

Brian and I have said for years that we wanted to take our kids Muttin Bustin.... and someone was finally old enough to do it! Brian looked around the different counties and found one really close by, so we registered T. We talked to him and gave it a lot of hype (He has a tendency to not want to do different things unless we make is sound super fun!) Brian gave him a good pep talk about holding on and NOT letting go....

T was soooo excited! He couldn't wait for it to start. He got his number and got in line.... there were only about 30 kids there. Since he was one of the youngest kids he was either the 2nd or 3rd one to go.

Brian had told him to Hold on and not let go....

And boy did he hold on...

Even when he was falling....

and being trampled

He was soo brave! He waved to the crowd and put on his best smile (You can tell he's about to melt.... his mommy already was from the stands.....)

He stayed on the longest of anyone (got 65 points!) There was some mix up and he didn't get the belt buckle, but his Daddy and Papa made sure he got a buckle and trophy... for which he is very VERY proud of!!!

(Thank you to Kathy Durrett who was photographing the rodeo and was very kind to share her images with us!!! www.visionsbykathy.com)

J-Dawg

2011-05-23T00:34:00.004-06:00

Sleep... is it only a dream?

2011-05-21T15:06:00.002-06:00

little things

2011-05-02T21:44:00.002-06:00

hippiety hop

2011-05-02T21:25:00.004-06:00

Easter wason the low key side for us this year... luckily I had blown out 6 doz eggs last year and since we were traveling we didn't use them. So- ta da eggs were ready to be dyed and stuffed. (My family has a tradition of blowing out eggs, dyeing them, stuffing them with confetti, hiding them, and ten cracking them on each others heads.) T loves it! We were able to dye them before Jaxon was born and I talked to the Easter Bunny about getting baskets early so we were all set :) Unfortunately it rained all morning... so much for my "preparedness" the night before.... and Brian had to work so we had a quick Easter hunt and Easter dinner, but it was a wonderful day to reflect on our Savior and his resurrection. (somewhere I have pictures of eggs being dyed but of course I can't seem to find them right now... oh well imagine a 4 yr old with dye up to his ears and fingers dyed "incredible hulk" green)

Big #4

2011-04-26T18:27:00.008-06:00

Yes yes it has really been 4 years since I was in the hospital with my T man... it's hard to believe but doesn't matter how I count on my fingers it's still 4 years! There are so many things Brian and I love about our T! He has the biggest heart, the funniest phrases, good friend, protector, smart, great hugs, and a big imagination!

He wanted an ice cream sundae cake... I think I got it pretty close if I can toot my own horn- ha

He wanted chicken nuggets and tots for his birthday dinner... Gran and I added the peas and fruit to help balance everything out

A REAL drill and a kitchen what more could you ask for....

Jaxon Walker Butler

2011-04-26T18:12:00.004-06:00

Baby J was born April 15, 2011 at 9:58 am. He was 19" 7 lbs 14 oz. He has 10 finger 10 toes and lots of hair! He squeaks when he cries and already has some personality... his hair is more like my coloring when i was a kid- closer to strawberry blonde than T's jet black. He loves to lay on your chest to sleep and adores his big brother. We all just love him so much!

Love

2011-04-20T23:19:00.002-06:00

Better later than never....

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Bubbles???

2011-04-09T00:43:00.001-06:00

My budding photographer

2011-04-09T00:39:00.002-06:00

I found these on the camera tonight as I was downloading pictures.... can you tell who took them?

I caught you!

Summer is getting closer...

2011-04-09T00:31:00.003-06:00

We've had a couple of nice days and this little man can hardly calm down long enough to go potty and eat meals... he's big enough that he really enjoys climbing ALL OVER his swing set (yes giving his cautious mom a heart attack) and riding on the rope swing down the hill. I think all the pent up energy from all the rain last month is manifesting itself with a wild crazy T-man!

THE Castle Part 2

2011-04-09T00:20:00.002-06:00

It's pretty much done... still working on the windows and drawbridge, but the 2nd story is up along w/ the bridge to the "outlook"... T has BIG plans for his house... furniture, TV's, kitchen, electricity- It's pretty amusing to hear him talk and ask if we can go get some furniture to put down there. Now if only it warms up so he and Daddy can "camp out" in their man cave!

Can I just say this little boy sure is loved!....

Sing Sing SIng

2011-03-13T18:04:00.003-06:00

Ty loves to Sing- This is from FHE a couple of weeks ago. We took the video on Papa's phone so it's a bit hard to actually see, but turn the volume up. It's a T original for all to enjoy.....

It's only the beginning...

2011-03-13T15:01:00.002-06:00

Every little boy's Dream

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In the beginning there was a tree...

and some wood

Then came the Super 3 year old Tyler

and his Dad with some cool Power tools...

And this is what happens when little boys and Dad's put their Dreams together... when Mommy is out of town

8x8x6... still needs door, roof, and windows, but not bad for 1 days worth of work. I'm told there will be a walkway from the roof to the "look out tower" but for now T is in Heaven!

(I'm sure glad I have such handy boys around me)

Is that a Staple in your nose?

2011-03-05T20:20:00.004-07:00

I sometimes wish I was a great journaler (I know the word is probably journalist, but I'm not talking about being a writer but one who actually writes in their journal...) I've thought about carrying around a recorder with me all day just so at the end of the day I can write down all the funny things that come out of my 3 year olds mouth. He uses words and phrases like "I generally don't" or " I suppose it would be" or "If I must" or "beep I'm not here right now. Leave a message." He talks like he's an adult and I really think he thinks he is... The other day we were having new carpet installed- woo woo- and he insisted that he needed to help the carpet guys. I kept having to call him back into the family room so that they could actually do their work. (The estimator guy told us he wouldn't charge us for his assistant (Ty) who helped him with the measuring tape and knowing which room was which. Anyways so back to the carpet guys. T was talking to one and I over heard him ask the guy if he had a staple in his nose? Apparently the guy had a nose ring and T thought it was a staple as the guy was using a staple gun on the carpet. It was hilarious. T kept telling him that he should be more careful with the staple gun that it was dangerous and if the guy wanted T could show him how to use it properly so that he wouldn't get anymore staples in his nose. Oh how I had wished I had that conversation on tape. It's definitely on my top 20 replays in Heaven!

Let it snow let it snow let it snow...

2011-03-05T19:54:00.006-07:00

On the 19th of February we woke up to SNOW! Yeah!!! We usually get one skiff of snow a year here in good 'ol California and for the past two years I've missed it being in UT w/ feet of snow... But this year I was HERE! T woke up and was SO excited! We got all dressed up in our winter gear and by we- I mean T and Brian. I put on long johns and tried my best to cover my belly (apparently my snow pants don't fit over this baby- BFS) We went outside and played at the park and then took the doggies outside (Tank absolutely LOVES the snow) to play in the snow. T liked throwing snowballs, but amazingly enough was not so much a fan of being hit by the snow balls... huh weird.Of course our battery for the camera was dead and mine was charging for a shoot so I didn't get any pictures, but my Mom had sent us some "alaska make your own snow" stuff and so the other day in hopes of being a good mom helped T make some... So here's our fake snow. (FYI T insisted on taking my picture... not tooshabby for a 3 year old and for all of you wanting to see my belly this will have to due for now.) PS... yes T did his own hair and pretty much insists on it being spiked or in a mohawk everyday. He loves getting combs wet and spiking it at least 3 times a day and has even talked his Mom and Dad into spiking glue...

excuses no more....

2011-02-20T20:39:00.006-07:00

I get on here probably at least twice a day and think- "isn't someone supposed to be updating this" and then comes the "oh yeah, that's me..." and so I close it back down promising myself tomorrow. Well tomorrow has turned into months and now pictures on Brian's phone got erased and so well if I had been on top of things I would have had them on here.... so here's to no more excuses. (I know I can here you all saying we'll see how long this lasts...)

Shall we begin with December..... (Dave sorry for all the writing and not many pictures)

December was fun with Holiday baking for friends and neighbors. We added yummy cinnamon rolls to our list of rolls, pumpkin pie, pecan pie, and apple pie. I think we will keep them as many ordered and loved them! Yeah us :)

T man loved Christmas- I mean what kid doesn't. He helped everyone wrap presents and was REALLY good about not telling us what we were getting. Testing my 3 year old I'd ask what Daddy got me and T would say "Can't tell you it's a Christmas secret.." wahoo now if only these locked lips will last. He enjoyed helping decorate the tree and putting up decorations around the house. On a side note, Brian's brother Kevin is allergic to Pine trees and so I was told that this year I got to put on my big girl panties and have a artificial tree... Brian being the super

husband he is got me my own little tree for our room while I was in UT working. He had it up

on my nightstand when I got back. T and I loved decorating it and turning the lights on at night. (If I had been on top of things I had a pretty picture of it... but for some reason I took it with B's phone not mine..) Along with those pictures were fun ones that t and I took

of each other w/ our rudolph noses and antlers. (My mom sent us blinking noses and reindeer antlers- T loved wearing them- I could get up and get into the Christmas boxes and take new pictures but as you can see it's not happening) BFS

January!

January brought us alot of changes! For New Year's we thought it would be fun to let T stay up- I'm not sure what I was thinking, but don't worry he made it to mid-night and then thought he should get up at 8- HA... the joke was on me for sure!

Our biggest change has been that Brian GOT A JOB!!!!! Wahoo! He works at a nice upscale restaurant out in Roseville (about a 25-30 min drive from our house) Should you want to look at their website it's www.crush29.com. He's really enjoying working and learning more about the industry. It's been an adjustment as he works about 35 hours and goes to school on top of it all. We appreciate the time we get with him on Saturdays and miss him in the afternoon/ evenings.

Nesting has set in a bit (I'd say for the whole family) but I got tired of trying to organize

T's toys and not having places for everything so having the handy husband that I do. He made a toy box/ organizer/ stand thing that I'd seen in IKEA. Of course the one in IKEA was hundreds of dollars and he was able to make this one for less than one hundred dollars including the buckets. T of course chose the color and LOVED helping Dad build and paint. He was quite the helper. Again our little camera was broken at the time and I took pictures of T helping but those were also on B's camera (see why I kept putting all this off.... I wanted to post the pictures oh well) But I do have a final picture of the organizer. I LOVE it!

I'm sure there have been some funny things that I should post, but my mommy brain has kicked in and I don't remember.....

February has kinda been a blur with work, being sick, T being sick, we've done lots of painting and re-decorating. T has loved helping w/ all the painting!

The count down is on.... I'm 32 weeks and starting to feel pregnant! If it's not life or death I probably don't have the energy to do it.... I've gotten a little bit of understanding of how Brian's Mom has felt the past few years with her anemia as my last lab tests showed that I was anemic. I've started taking more iron and I'm doing better, but for a few weeks there I was really dragging, on top of a nasty cold/ flu. My belly is sticking out and Brian and Tyler love "teasing" the baby by blowing raspberries and poking my tummy. He sure likes to kick LOTS! It's been interesting to see how he responds to Brian and Ty. When T is close/ talking to my tummy he kicks and punches something fierce. He'll do the same to Brian, but when Brian puts his hand on my belly he stops and calms down. I don't have to worry about kick counts for sure! Well I think that gets us close to catching up.... I promise to try and do better

Ice Skating

2011-01-08T22:06:00.002-07:00

Way back in December... yikes is it really the 8th of January already??? On a side note where did December and Christmas and New Years go to???

Anyways as I was saying- early in December we all went ice skating for FHE. We had a blast! I am NOT a competent skater so I took a bench view, but T had so much fun with his Daddy, Aunts. Uncle, and Gran! The rink had rubbermaid buckets that they turned upside down so that the kids could use them like walkers to go around the rink. T got ahold of one and was off like a rocket, although he really just liked holding everyone's hand and going with the big kids. For the week after all I heard was "Can we go Ice Skating today?" .... maybe I will have an ice hockey player after all....

Thanksgiving.... a little different

2010-12-15T16:53:00.003-07:00

This year I have been a little overwhelmed and tired... imagine that a pregnant girl tired :) Anyways I saw in a magazine how a couple of restaurants have a thanksgiving burger so I thought hey why not. So for Thanksgiving we had turkey burgers, with cranberry sauce, stuffing on our burger and fries. YUM it was good, didn't feel like thanksgiving, but they did taste good. I am thankful for my blessings. I know I have been given many many many of them. Here are just a few of them

The Forgotten Carols

2010-12-15T16:41:00.003-07:00

Papa Joe had bought tickets for the Forgotten Carols on Brian's birthday. Unfortunately the other couple that was intended for wasn't able to make it so Brian and I got to tag along. Despite searching for 45 mins to find where the heck we were supposed to go and pouring rain we had a good time. I had never seen or really heard the Forgotten Carols so it was fun to see. I'm sure everyone thought I was an emotional mess as I ended the night in tears. One of my favorite Michael Mclean songs is "We can be Together Forever". Well he ended the evening singing that song several times and having the audience sing with him. Well- long story short "Together Forever" was a favorite song that Sharon, Danielle's and I shared. It brought alot of emotions for me and how I am glad that with our knowledge of the Gospel I know that we can be together forever.

Happy Birthday Brian!

2010-12-15T16:35:00.002-07:00

Yes, yes, if you can't tell things have been a little crazy and B's birthday was nothing less.... Unfortunately it seemed like everything that could go wrong- did so needless to say it's Dec 15th and he still hasn't gotten a birthday cake :( I know I'm a horrible wife, the shirts I got him were the wrong size and he had to make his own dinner.... oh well maybe 32 will be better. We do love him though and are thankful for all he does for us. Happy 31 babe!

Sad day

2010-12-15T15:40:00.002-07:00

The week of Thanksgiving we found out that Cleo (Brian's parent's English Bull Dog) and Tank (Our Boxer) had a "Barry White- Let's get it on..." moment that wasn't stopped as soon as we had hoped. After x-rays it was confirmed that Cleo was having puppies and not just getting fat. As a side note- did you know dogs only have a 9 week gestation period I think we should get that too... After a week of ups and downs Bulldogs have to have c-sections she went into the Vet. She had 10 puppies! Yikes ok so maybe I'll take the 1 baby and 9 months vs 10 puppies and 9 weeks... anyways unfortunately she lost one invetro. The Dr got the rest out and one by one they all stopped breathing. They think that because there were so many of them there wasn't enough room for them to grow properly.... I was mentally prepared to loose 2-3 but thought there would still 3-4 that would survive. I was ok until Brian described them to me, with lots of Tank in them.... I'll be honest that a part of me was relieved as we were not prepared for 10 pups, but sad. It has given T and I many interesting conversations about Heaven. It's amazing to me how much he does understand.

It's a..

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BOY

against everything we thought it's a boy and he sure is proud of it. My due date is the 18th however since I'll have a c-section he'll probably be here a week earlier. We're excited although stumped on names- I don't know why I had several before we even got married but now my mind is a blank. T is excited to be a big brother although I think his world is going to be turned upside down...

Viva Las Vegas

2010-12-15T15:23:00.003-07:00

Early in Nov we headed down to LV for a quick quick trip. We were able to see most of Brian's family and have a Pre-thanksgiving dinner. We had fun staying at Brittney and Derek's house. T man had lots of fun riding bikes and scooters with his cousins Avery and Kaeden. Brian and I had fun helping Britt with pies, rolls, potatoes, and ham. T also loved all the new babies to love over.... I think he'll do just fine as a new brother in April

A little late.... but Happy Halloween

2010-12-15T15:18:00.003-07:00

Argg... Pirates we are

We had fun at the ward Trunk or Treat- T loved getting all that yummmy yummy candy. I love my "Mom Tax". We didn't go out on Sunday, but T had just as much fun handing out candy. I had planned on taking him out if he asked, but he never said anything about going out to the neighbors. Happy Halloween argg

Our new favorite shirt

2010-10-20T21:20:00.001-06:00

This is tyler's new favorite shirt.

Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-20T12:56:00.002-06:00

I'm not the only one excited for Fall and Halloween! I think I get asked at least 5 times a day if we get to cut pumpkins today...

3 of our FAVORITE people!

2010-10-15T16:49:00.008-06:00

After our fun at Crater Lake we headed on up to Kennewick, WA. We were originally going to WA to go camping, but it turned out that Brian's school calendar was wrong when we looked a few months ago and had to cut our trip short... BUT we were able to still go and see our friends the Kidders! We had so much fun hanging out, boating, eating, playing games, going to the apple orchards, library, the park, taking naps, talking, and of course laughing!

As you can see.... T was a bit more excited then Maddison.... We had to stop him from picking ALL the apples!

Papa Paul was kind enough to work hard on the boat to take us out on the River.... Em and Madison had fun on the tube... Brian had to bribe Ty with a G-U-N to get on the tube and then it decided to stop working.... I'm sure everyone thought Brian and I were being sarcastic but we really did have fun- even if there was rowing involved for a few mins (we were rescued by some nice fire fighters)

We wanted to show our appreciation for everything the Kidders did for us so we (and by we I mean Brian and T) made us a yummy fancy dinner

I don't have any pictures- and as it is these were all pictures my Emily gave me... so there are no pictures of us playing games and laughing so hard I was crying, but if you could imagine us all playing games and laughing you'd get quite the picture. We also had lots of fun at the library, the park, and the splash pad! We had so much fun with the Kidders, it was a much needed and appreciated break. THanks guys!

The Butlers go to Washington

2010-10-15T16:26:00.006-06:00

Washington State that is... and along the way we stopped in Crater Lake and hiked around. T had so much fun running, climbing, and "helping" Mom take pictures....

TOFW

2010-10-08T21:21:00.003-06:00

Mom Butler asked me to take her ticket since she wasn't going to be able to go to Time out for Women. It's kinda like a big girl's EFY. It was so nice to go listen, learn, refill, and know there is hope out there. One of my favorite speakers was Emily Freeman. She talked about the promise being enough from her book 7 principles of true abundance-

"Do you need a miracle? Most of us experience unmet needs at one time or another. Perhaps you are lonely and long for an abundance of love. Maybe you suffer from an illness and long for an abundance of health. Some may long for an abundance of peace, or an abundance of comfort. Others may find that they long for an abundance of time or an abundance of joy.

Welcome to a spiritual journey that will lead you to realize that the Lord is aware of you and He has miracles in store for you. Through this step- by-step process you will discover seven principles of abundance, each with an explanation of how the Lord can take what you already have and make it more. With an emphasis on making the most of every day, this book will encourage you to seek the gift that only He can bring — the promise of enough, with the miracle of some to spare."

If only I could go once a week.....

Stability

2010-10-08T21:13:00.005-06:00

Definition of STABILITY

: the quality, state, or degree of being stable: asa : the strength to stand or endure : firmnessb : the property of a body that causes it when disturbed from a condition of equilibrium or steady motion to develop forces or moments that restore the original conditionc : resistance to chemical change or to physical disintegration

Stability was T's favorite word for a whole day while we played with blocks... I don't know that he actually knew what meant, but he sure loved saying it. But I think I could use some it right (definition A) about now.... ha

Soccer Season

2010-09-03T15:12:00.002-06:00

I remember going to watching soccer as a teenager and hoping someday to be a "soccer mom" and well the day has come- Pee wee soccer! T loves playing and does fairly well with the "Dribbling" I don't know what is more cute T or Brian out there with him!

Left you hanging in Idaho

2010-09-03T14:57:00.005-06:00

I know I've left you hanging for a month now about Idaho. Well we did lots- played, worked, played, worked, and of course played. I won't bore you with all the details but here's some pictures to show you-

ARIZONA

2010-07-26T23:19:00.004-06:00

My brother- in- law graduated from college invoking a impromptu Smith family reunion. We had lots of fun playing games, taking family pictures, eating, playing more games, and of course going to graduation. I wish Brian and T had been able to come, but CO had been planned many

months before. Here's just a few pictures from our crazy family.

Colorado

2010-07-26T23:04:00.004-06:00

Brian and T were able to go see Amanda, Brian's sister and Brian's best friend Scott. They were able to help Amanda with some things around her new house and were able to spend alot of time visiting Scott. T had so much fun when they went to Garden of the Gods- he ran and ran and ran. (He loves jumping off things saying "Infinity and Beyond" Thank you Toy Story....) They got to go to the Air Force Academy and see the jet fighter planes. T LOVE LOVE LOVES watching planes and even more planes that have GUNS out the back. They were able to see my Uncle Vern and B was able to get his teeth fixed (THANK YOU U. VERN!!!!) They had a blast in CO and Brian is already wanting to go back to stay.... who knows what the cards have in store for us.

5000 miles and a month later...

2010-07-26T22:27:00.002-06:00

Well folks I know that you have all been anxiously awaiting our posts- bear with me because there is alot.... alot. I'll try to tell by pictures so that it breaks it up but sorry Dave there will be much words written. First, I'll start out by saying that in a matter of 4 weeks we went about 5000 miles. We drove out to Idaho only to turn around the next day and drive to SLC to catch airplanes, Brian and T to CO and Dave and I to AZ. (more to come but we're just giving a brief overview) After our jaunts apart we met back up in SLC and headed to ID. After two days in ID Brian and I rented a car, left T in ID with G'ma and G'pa Smith and headed back to CA. Brian got a huge catering job and we decided the experience was worth it. We were in CA for 2 1/2 days for the event and then bam back in the car to ID. I had the wonderful opportunity (drenched in sarcasm) to get into ID at 9 p.m. and then wake up and go down to Provo for work. Work was frustrating- there were many MANY miss communications and so it was drawn out... but I was able to go back up to ID and visit with my family. We had lots of fun, got to see my Emily at a friend's wedding, played and worked hard. We had a quiet 4th of July but had fun- My Mom and Dad left and I went back down to Provo to work for the week. Brian and T stayed in ID and worked and played getting the sailboat ready to sail. After working for the week, I went back to ID- Liz, Andrew, and Abby were back from their family reunion and so we all had fun at the lake. Of course Monday came again and I went back to Provo to work, B & T worked and played. Later that week I was able to finish my work for the month and we headed back good ol CA. So now that you got the run down here's our month in pictures...

Working on cars... never too young

2010-06-13T11:01:00.003-06:00

Yes this is my three year old helping change the oil in Gran and Papa's suburban.... notice the camo shirt. Brian found it at Goodwill and T barely lets me take it off to wash it. Oh the joys of little boys!

Because it's Thursday...

2010-06-03T15:33:00.002-06:00

Eagle Scout Fun

2010-06-01T00:42:00.002-06:00

Our good friend Erin asked us if we would help her out by making a couple of cakes for her son Tyler's, Eagle court of Honor. Brian and I had so much fun- these were ALOT of work! But it's so much fun to picture something in your head and then have it come to life before you with a little flour, eggs, and of course ALOT of butter!

Congratulations Tyler!

Clouds, Rain, Hail, Snow

2010-05-24T21:57:00.003-06:00

What else do you need from a camping trip???? We went with a couple of families from our ward and despite yes not only the clouds, rain, hail, and snow we had so much fun at Sly Park last weekend. We went on a hike to a waterfall, went fishing, ate yummy food, and had good conversations. (T was too concerned with the fish to look at the camera....)

Book club fun

2010-05-24T21:43:00.004-06:00

I was the host for the month for a book club.... I took the opportunity to promote Brian's catering capabilities. And boy- did we get good food! Here's some pictures from the night-

All the names a Mom can have

2010-05-15T23:03:00.002-06:00

Was Mother's day really only 6 days ago? It's been one of those weeks and it seems like it was forever ago, but alas I've counted on my fingers 3 times and it still adds up to 6 days. Brian and Ty made my day special- Breakfast in bed. Believe it or not T man did most of it- by himself (but with supervision) French Toast, Strawberry whip cream and a beautiful strawberry rose (made by Brian) T insisted that I needed a flower (wow he knows me well already- and non the less a RED gerber daisy- my fav) Then I got sang to- Did you know there was a happy mother's day birthday style song? AND I got a beautiful computer bag that looks like a purse! I love it! This mother's day was so much better than last- not for Brian or T's doing it was just last year I had to be in UT working... so it was so nice to be able to spend it with them! Thank you

Mormon Helping Hands

2010-05-11T21:40:00.003-06:00

Last Saturday we had an opportunity to participate in "Helping Hands" around the state of California. We beautified and built fences in a local park (well let's be honest I didn't do the fence, but Brian and T did). It was such a beautiful day! T LOVED being outside and helping with all the planting, and fence building. At one point I had my back to him and he grabbed one of the plastic plant pots, pulled the plant out and was putting it into a hole... man he's quite the character somedays. He also was a big help holding posts and cross bars- the guys working on the fence were so nice to let him help, he was just "SO EXCITED!!!!" It was a great day serving the community and getting to know others.

Moments

2010-05-11T21:35:00.003-06:00

I was reading a blog that I found through someone else's blog... blog surfing? I don't know but I loved it. The girl talked about finding everyday beauty- it really made me think and so I mentally have gone through these past couple of weeks looking for my everyday beauty. Maybe someday I'll actually take a real picture and not just a mental one, but I did stop and took this one. Nothing is better then the sweet moments with your children like this one. I sure do love my T-man!

A balloon graveyard

2010-04-30T20:29:00.002-06:00

It was a sad sight when we saw this.... but all good things must come to an end I suppose.

When your 3 year old thinks he's funny...

2010-04-25T12:14:00.001-06:00

(Yes that is he's shirt on his legs... legs in arm holes and all!)

THE BIG 03

2010-04-25T11:41:00.007-06:00

What do you get when you cross a crazy mom and a funny dad.... 142 balloons.

I don't really know what we were thinking, but one day T got a balloon from the grocery store and was so enamored with it that I got the thought what would he do if he woke up to a room full of balloons. That then got me thinking, well

his b'day is coming up soon what if we did it for his b'day. So we rented a small helium tank and bought a bag of balloons and this is what we

got.... We woke up at 6:30 am (too early!!!) with a "Mommy come look there's balloons in my

room" He LOVED it. This is what I found when I

came into his room. It was definitely worth the $30 helium rental. As you can see even though we used helium grade balloons they didn't stay

all up, but most did and he loved it. Since it was just us this week we decided to let him open his presents first thing in the morning. He got an RC car and a chef's coat. Both which all day we'd hear I love my c car AND my chef coat.... It was great to have actually gotten him gifts that he liked.

We had invited 2 of T's friends over to a very impromptu party- we went to the castle park, came back and played outside, had yummy hamburgers and fries, and of course a fire truck cake. His friends were so cute, Dan gave him a monster truck that he won't let out of his sight and Max gave him a zhu zhu pet that he's also had fun with. All in all I think he had himself a pretty great birthday.

The First fruits

2010-04-20T10:30:00.006-06:00

We LOVE strawberries in our family, especially T man. A month or so ago we went to the Home Depot (on a side note if you ask T it's HIS store and HIS favorite store... of course it would be) and looked around at the different veggies we wanted for our garden. We saw some cool wine barrels that I've seen before but they've always been expensive. I'd called a few wineries in the area to see if they sold them cheaper but to no avail. But this day Brian called and he found one that sells them $25 for the

whole barrel and $15 for

half. Since we have the tools we bought 2 whole barrels and B sawed them in half. (The barrels at any of the home and garden places are usually $36 for a half... so we felt pretty good about our barrels.) We planted about 6 or so strawberry plants. T has loved watching them grow and watering them. (we only have had about 3 lessons in NOT shoveling in "this" dirt...) This week T got to pick our first one of the season. He shoved the whole thing in his mouth so I can't tell you what I thought of it, but he said it was YUMMMY! I can't wait we have another handful that will be ready in a day or so- and don't you worry I WILL be having one of them.

you scream we scream we all scream for....

2010-04-19T10:29:00.003-06:00

I-C-E-C-R-E-A-M

T loved going to ColdStone and getting his OWN ice cream cone- YUM!

Row Row Row your boat

2010-04-18T23:40:00.002-06:00

Ok ok so I know I'm not going to win "Parent of the Year" award with this... but no I don't stay in the bathroom with T while he takes a bath. I'm generally cleaning up our two rooms (both which are connected to the bathroom we have what they like to call a jack and jill bathroom) or working (aka emailing) on my computer. But I am listening so that if it gets real quiet or lots of coughing I'm there in a jiff... Last week I was doing the later- working on my computer and actually this time I really working on pictures I hear T get out of the bath tub. I look up and there he was naked with his potty stool upside down full to the top with water and his dinosaurs. Of course I quickly asked what he was doing- his response- "Silly mommy they escaped on the boat?" ahh little boys

Really?

2010-04-18T22:00:00.005-06:00

So yesterday we were out doing all kinds of errands when Ty said "mommy" (He had been talking non-stop all day, and repeating himself, so I have to admit I only answered half heartedly) But he said "mommy" again so I turned around and this is what I saw with an "I love you so much" Life can't get much better than this moment. Sorry this picture isn't very good... I was using B's phone camera...

ahh the sleeping habits of animals I mean children

2010-04-11T20:10:00.001-06:00

Bowling... fun for all

2010-04-07T19:11:00.003-06:00

Brian and I needed to get out of the house one day so we grabbed Ty and headed to Folsom to the one and only bowling alley. (I know can you believe that only 1 bowling alley....) T man had so much fun and as you can see with the help of a ramp and bumpers he did fairly well.

Look how close our scores were....

He loved waiting and watching for his ball to return! I was so afraid he'd get his head hit...

Look how cute his little bowling shoes are!!!

My Little Chef

2010-04-07T18:45:00.002-06:00

T LOVE LOVE LOVES to help B in the kitchen. It is so nice that B has the patience to let him, most of the time when I let him help me we both end up in tears.... ha but most of the time like this one they have fun!

Official

2010-03-12T11:50:00.003-07:00

California Lifestyle Catering is official. The paperwork is done, the fees are paid and a new company has been born.... now to get some cliental.... Here's just a few of the Chef's creations

Just Because

2010-03-12T11:43:00.002-07:00

Valentine's Day treats

2010-02-19T11:19:00.003-07:00

These are the ones that Ty decorated... All by himself

and the ones Brian made for me.... I loved it! How'd a girl get so lucky.

Tax return/ Valentine's Day

2010-02-19T11:08:00.003-07:00

Well as we all know it's tax time. We needed to do ours early so that Brian could get going on his FASFA and all that jazz- so lucky us got ours early. After paying some bills and sending some to savings Brian and I decided we needed a little break.... Hello Lake Tahoe. We went on Monday afternoon and came back Wednesday morning. It was so much fun. We found a great deal on a hotel, that was close to things. We went and found fun little places for meals- found some of the BEST pumpkin curry EVER and just enjoyed ourselves. We spent tuesday walking around, going into galleries around, snowshoeing and exploring. We found a landscape photographer that we both fell in love with. If only we had money.... But it was so much fun.

Turns out I'm a terrorist

2010-01-28T21:30:00.003-07:00

Well folks, for those of you who know me, might think otherwise but the airport has evidence to suggest that I am.....

So it was just another Monday morning. Brian dropped me off at the airport I checked my token one bag, went upstair to security. As I stood waiting for my turn I started taking off my belt, getting my bags ready, taking off my shoes, give the guy my ID and my boarding pass. Go put all my things in the right buckets... laptop in its own bucket, shoes/coat/belt in one, camera bag, lap top bag everything going smoothly.

I go through the metal detector thing just fine, go to wait for my stuff. They always have to scan my camera bag at least twice, because you know how dangerous cameras are... but this time it's not twice it's three times...

"It's camera equipment"

"It's not that bag, it's the one after it" Yell "Supervisor"

"Ma'm is this your bag?"

"Yes"

"Do you own a firearm?"

(In my head... umm yes I do in fact. I bought one for Brian a few years ago so it's in my name, but no I don't carry it, use it, or bring it with me places)

"Uh my husband does"

"We have to take possession of this bag, Grab your things and follow me. (into their little shoulder walkies) "We have a code blah blah blah" (My heart is racing, am I getting arrested? will I make my flight?) "We need blah blah blah to come to the security screening booth"

Meanwhile-

"Can I get my phone out of that bag or can you hand it to me so that I can call my husband to turn around?"... "Brian turn around NOW" "Can I call you back?" "What? NO" click "Sorry what did you need?" "I need you to turn around, one of your handguns is in my bag" "No, it's not, both of my handguns are in the safe." "are you positive- they are saying I have a firearm in my laptop bag?" "It's probably just one of Ty's guns. Call me when you know more" "fine bye"

"Ma'm can I have your ID and boarding pass" takes them puts them on this board thing and starts taking pictures of my ID and boarding pass....

"Can you at least look in my bag to see if it's my son's toy gun so my heart can stop pounding?"

"No, we have to wait for the Deputy Sheriff to arrive"

Twenty minutes later strolling up the walkway..

"So you're trying to bring a gun on the plane"

"Apparently"

"You ever been in trouble" (now you might ask why this is funny to me- I'm wearing jeans, t-shirt, sneakers, and pig- tails, how much more troublesome can I really look?)

"Well I got kicked out of class for talking once"

"That's it? No warrants, probation?"

"No, although I did kill my husband and I'm fleeing the country to UT...NO"

They go through ALL my pockets, "got a lot of food there don't you..." (yeah airport food is expensive!!!) Finally in the last smallest pocket- they pull out T's metal cap gun that Brian's Dad had given him from when he was a child.

"False alarm, but we still have to check everything out" (They call in and make sure I have a clean record, take more pictures of my ID, boarding pass, and now the "Gun")

So, by the time everything was finished I had 5 mins until my plane boarded and 20-30 before it took off. I didn't have enough time to check my lap top bag and keep the toy and go back through security again, it was too big to mail, and they wouldn't hold it until Friday for me.... They had to "dispose" of it, probably for sale on ebay now. Plus, I am sure the sheriff got a kick out of it all, and I am on the "watch" list now.....

You've all been warned.... I'm a toy terrorist

Good Idea????

2010-01-09T09:59:00.003-07:00

Add barber to his list.....

Merry Christmas!

2010-01-07T20:15:00.004-07:00

I know I know it's the 7th and I'm just catching up on Christmas... it was wonderful, and crazy, and busy all at the same time. We had the whole Butler clan in the house for Christmas- 17 adults, 3 kiddos, 5 dogs, and 1 cat (almost a partridge in a pear tree) Christmas morning was a little chaotic but 3 hours later we were done unwrapping presents. T man loved opening presents and helped everyone open theirs too. Glad everyone was a good sport for that! The winner of the gifts was a $4 Goodwill vacuum. (not his big gift of course... he told me he hated it.... a kids digital camera- he liked it for about 3.2 seconds oh well whatcha going to do) He did gets lots of other toys that he loved! It was fun to play with family and see the cousins interact with each other. I think one of the best purchases we made this year was a $25 kids nativity from Amazon. It's like the Little People ones but I'm not sure that it is. Ty loved playing with it and I hope it helped teach him a little bit more about the real reason we celebrate Christmas. It was fun to see where Baby Jesus was from day to day- brown sugar bucket (he was hungry mommy) the tub, (He was dirty), and the angel did NOT go on top, the shepherd did... I didn't get a Christmas card out this year so I hope everyone had a wonderful and safe Christmas.

Side Buisness

2010-01-07T20:05:00.002-07:00

I'm not really sure where the idea came from- I think it was a culmination of different people, but Brian and I decided to put his culinary skills to work for a little extra cash for the holidays. If you remember from my earlier posts we pureed lots of pumpkin and canned lots of apples. So for Thanksgiving and Christmas we offered friends/ neighbors/ and people from church homemade apple pies, pumpkin pies, pecan pies, and rolls. (25 apples, 23 pumpkin, 8 pecan, 118 dozen rolls in total- plus what we made for our family) It was crazy, but we had lots of help and fun. Thank you for everyone who helped us in one way or another!!!!! I think we'll be doing this again!

Put it in the oven for T and me!

2010-01-07T20:02:00.004-07:00

This little man will tell you if you ask that he is "16" and he truly believes he is and that he can do ANYTHING! Especially if it involves cooking in the kitchen!!!! It's a good thing he has a very VERY patient daddy!

All the fun a little boy can have while Mom's away

2010-01-07T19:44:00.005-07:00

Sometimes it feels like I really am a fun sucker... they always have so much fun while I'm away

at work. (Maybe that's why I resent work somedays)

Ty LOVES to help do concrete. And this time he got to put his feet in.

It seems that no matter what time of year it is- I miss the only day it snows in CA. (I got plenty of it while working so I wasn't too bummed but had just wished it had waited a few weeks so we could have a white California Christmas.

T was so confused... just a few days before we had talked to him about going up to Uncle Dave's house to play in the snow... "Where's Uncle Dave?" Somedays it's a little hard to explain these things to a 2 yr old. But he sure understands a whole lot and keeps me on my toes!

2009-12-10T20:05:00.005-07:00

"I am a Child of God and He has sent me here. Has given me an earthly home with parents kind and dear. Lead me Guide me walk beside me, Help me find the way. Teach me all that I must do to live with him someday." If you click on these words and listen close you'll hear T's I'm a child of God.

Does life get any better than this?

2009-12-10T19:42:00.002-07:00

A good reminder...

2009-12-10T19:30:00.000-07:00

Holy War even in Cali

2009-12-01T21:38:00.007-07:00

We have some wonderful neighbors that moved into our neighborhood earlier this year. Because of my l

ack of wardrobe Viril quickly saw that I was a Zoobie. He stopped me and said I don't know if we can be friends and I quickly asked why- he promptly explained that he played for the U back in the 80's. This started a friendly banter that last weekend turned into much fun and laughter. You can still have a holy war even in Cali. Ty still goes around the house yelling B-Y-U.... Go mighty cougars. It's adorable

oh yes and BYU won!

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T17:09:00.003-07:00

We have a lot to be thankful for but for today I am most thankful for my family- all 101 of you!

Thanks Mom for the fun hats!

Happy Birthday Brian BIG 3-0

2009-11-26T17:01:00.003-07:00

So since I've been 30 for a whole 6 weeks now I knew what Brian was in for.... nothing new. He got to teach his Sunday school class, be set apart, his PPI, and tithing settlement all on his Big day- wasn't he lucky. Now if you ask he'll tell you that he HAD to make his own dinner but the truth it that he wanted to make it. I at least put my foot down and said no you may not make your own cake... although I made him open his presents before he made dinner so that he could have special tools to work with. Being that Brian is getting up there in age, and doesn't have much lung capacity Ty took it upon himself to help blow out the candles and open the presents- isn't he such a thoughtful son. HA HA HAPPY Birthday Babe! We love you

I love a good deal

2009-11-21T20:03:00.002-07:00

Two 22 pounds turkeys, 2 boxes of cheez-its, 3 boxes of pop-corn, 2 bags chocolate chips, 64 oz of OJ, 8 5pd bags of flour, 2 5 pd bags of sugar, carton of ice- cream, children's tylenol, bacon, eggs, 5 candy bars, english muffins, and red potatoes- Plus $5 off next purchase, and a $10 Khol's cash certificate. All for a grand total of $54 dollars- thanks to sales, promotions, and coupons.

Doesn't everyone have days like this

2009-11-21T20:00:00.001-07:00

Apple Core, Baltimore, who's your friend...

2009-11-21T19:55:00.004-07:00

What do you do with 40 pounds of apple? Buy an apple peeler/corer/ slicer- and make applesauce and apple pie filling...

Pumpkins, pumpkins, pumpkins

2009-11-21T19:45:00.004-07:00

We started with 7 of these....

And ended with 6 gallons of this....

and have made lots of goodies.... yum Pumpkin cookies, bread, ravioli, pancakes, and of course PIES!

Happy Halloween 2009

2009-11-21T19:42:00.002-07:00

It's only a month later... but Halloween was lots of fun! Ty ran to the doors, tried to go into people's homes, and loved getting candy. We only went to about a third of the neighborhood but came home with buckets full. (Mom and Dad Tax was good this year...)

Butler Monster mash

2009-10-29T19:27:00.000-06:00

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Potty Training... or parent training

2009-10-28T22:28:00.007-06:00

So- it's time! My friend Heather sent me the ebook on potty training in 3 days . I began reading it on saturday (instead of my RS lesson.... ooh which by the way is my new calling as I was released from nursery AND cub scouts! YEAH) Anyways I so started reading it... follow directions exactly blah blah blah, throw out all diapers, have rewards, throw them straight into underwear, KEEP them with you at ALL times. huh- that shouldn't be too hard. It's amazing how often T isn't by either mine or Brian's side. so Wednesday we began our 3 day journey. THIS was not the easiest thing, along with not going outside to play, not going for walks, or going to park. You must stay home, close to bathrooms and stay positive. You heard me- positive ugh "it's ok you pooped your pants next time tell mommy when you need to go potty." All day long, "T remember to tell mommy and daddy when you have to go potty." "hurry run run run let's go" So thursday night I'm reading the book again as I'm getting frustrated. (He is smart, I mean really smart. You can ask him where anything in the kitchen goes and he knows and puts it there. You put something away in the wrong spot and he lets you know... but somehow the connection that you need to go potty in the potty wasn't connecting.) It says children 2 and half are more difficult as they are more set in their ways... check and that boys are more difficult... check and well basically it's going to take longer than the 3 days. It's a week later and he's doing better. If we (well Brian as I'm in UT) stays on top of TY and ask him he does stay dry, take him to the bathroom if he wake up in the night he stays dry, but the kid refuses to #2 in the toilet! This is why I didn't do cloth diapers! I know someday it'll all click and hopefully in the next week, but for now I think it's just parent training...

Yes he is mooning you, I asked him to turn around and look at me while I took his "potty training day one pix...." and this is what I got must be his father's influence

"potty training day 5" Ty's scooter he got after filling up two sheets of going potty stickers- he's been wanting one of these for a long time and was so excited. He didn't let it out of his sight all day.

Camping Fallen Leaf Tahoe

2009-10-28T00:06:00.005-06:00

Now this place just might be heaven on earth. We live in an area surrounded by Oak trees- Now for many this would be a source of joy- however for me I hate them. They look dead to me, and unfortunately the fact that they DON'T change colors doesn't help them. I love Fall. I love everything about it. So when some friends asked us to go camping I was ecstatic! COLOR! We had so much fun at Fallen Leaf. Ty loves camping so he was in heaven. Our friends had brought along an extra bike with them- why I didn't think to bring his I don't know- but Ty loved it. We went on a beautiful hike to a lake, walked to the river where there were seriously hundreds of beautiful red salmon and rainbow trout (too bad we aren't fish eaters...), star gazed, had coyotes in camp, had to lock our food in a bear locker (that means the rangers mean business...), and just had a whole lot of fun! Just what the doctor ordered.

My next 30 years....

2009-10-25T13:44:00.004-06:00

Well the big 3-0 came and now it's almost 20 days later and amazingly enough I'm still alive ... I thought about doing a 30 countdown of things I wanted to do before I turned 30, but alas Father time came and stole my days and has left me without my 30 things countdown. I'm not sure why 30 was/ is so hard for me. I think if I was honest with myself it has alot to do with where I wanted to be when I turned 30. I started feeling a little sorry for myself had a whole list of things I wanted- finically stable, home, kids, studio... you get the picture. And well, it hasn't happened but I had the thought that there are many things I've been able to do and accomplish and that list made me think maybe 30 isn't so bad-

My Honor Roll Student!

2009-10-24T15:49:00.003-06:00

I think they should make bumper stickers for adults that say my Husband/ wife is an honor roll student... hee hee We got a letter in the mail saying Brian made the Dean's Honor roll. He got a 3.9 GPA for the semester. I couldn't be more proud of him. He works so hard and is LOVING school. Looking back over the last year, I can see Heavenly Father's hand in our lives so that he could get to this point. Yes, I would love a job, but I love that he is loving school, is excited for the future, and is working hard for us!

Disneyland 2009

2009-10-24T15:18:00.002-06:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

With Brian's semester being over we took advantage of a week break and went to Disneyland with my sister and her family! We were there for 3 days and it was a blast. We found a good cheap hotel close by, so we walked to D-land and came back and forth for naps and meals. The kids were zonked the first day, 2nd they were up till 11 hyped up on corn dogs, fruit snacks, soda, and ice cream. (On a side note why they heck is a corn dog $5.75???) and the 3rd day as you can see Ty fell sleep in his stroller. Ty was able to ride the Matahorn with us.... scared to death didn't scream but covered his mouth the whole time. The rest of the big kid rides we switched off with Andrew and Liz. Ty loved meeting Mickey and Minnie, pooh and tigger, and pluto! He now has to sleep with a pooh bear I got when I was in Hong Kong ever night. We had so much fun with Liz, Andrew, and Abby! Thanks Andrew. It was a wonderful vacation.

The one you've all been waiting for...

2009-10-21T11:09:00.007-06:00

Yes I am back to blogging, it's just a bit overwhelming when you haven't done it for a long long long time! So here we go a run down of the last (oh man has it really been this long...) 2 months.

September...

Most of September was filled with school pictures. In hopes of catching up on some bills and trying to get one more class for Brian I offered school pictures for anyone who would listen. For the most part it was a good experience and I definitely will try to do it again.

We also had a weekend to ourselves as everyone was gone. It was nice to just relax and have fun- Brian made Ty his own "Mater" (from the movie Cars) PJ bottoms. Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of them just yet... After my time in UT for work I met Brian and Ty in beautiful San Diego. We were able to see and stay with my Grandma Cowles, visit with my brother Dan and his family and see my cousin Chelsea and Aunt Eileen and meet up with my sister Liz and her family. It was so much fun. Ty loved playing with his Gram'ma Cowles and especially her toy car that he could screw and unscrew together. He also enjoyed playing with his cousins and going to the beach!

2 Years ago...

2009-08-24T22:19:00.003-06:00

Two years ago I had about 75 people crammed into our home for the blessing our little man I can't believe how fast it's gone. Two years ago tomorrow, the 25th Brian, Ty and I were sealed for Time and All Eternity in the Salt Lake Temple. Two years ago was one of the happiest days of my life. I am so grateful for the knowledge that I have of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, for the blessings of the Temple, for the that special moment when the vail was thin and things were very clear, and that I can be with my family for Eternity. Two years down- eternity to go... life is good!

just another reason

2009-08-23T21:18:00.003-06:00

This is just another reason why I love Brian- Here I am in UT working and I get this email picture- I couldn't stop laughing, Hopefully Kelly will think it's just as funny as I did- doubt it though... hee hee

"Butterfinger by mid-night tomorrow or the Tiger gets it"

look what I found

2009-08-23T02:24:00.004-06:00

It's amazing what you can find on the internet these days.... He hasn't let me take a pix in his uniform so I found one- or two

Look how cute he is-(he's the one on the far right in the top pix and on the bottom also) and for the record doing amazingly well- top of his class! He stressed and stressed over a mid-term last week and was so excited when he got a 85/86 WAY TO GO BABE We're so proud of you!

Paint Ty's room

2009-08-20T21:59:00.003-06:00

Brian woke up the other morning to T saying "Paint Ty's room" so- they painted T's room on saturday- and of course he was a big BIG helper...

Unita Photo Trip

2009-08-19T21:34:00.003-06:00

So since I was out in Utah anyway... a friend from BYU-Photo and I planned, well actually she did all the planning I just tagged along for a camping photo trip to the Unitas. We were up by Mirror Lake for those who are familiar with the area. It was beautiful, cold, windy, relaxing, rejuvenating, and it reminded me of why I love photography... which some days unfortunately is needed. Hope you enjoy the little piece of Heaven that I found this past week...

Is it really so bad...

2009-08-06T16:27:00.002-06:00

Is it really so bad for me to want a clean house? Brian and I just finished having a "discussion" (and yes I should probably cool off before writing and venting but I threw my probably should have's out the window this morning...) so we were having a discussion about my views on cleaning. I HATE cooking in a dirty kitchen, I despise walking into a kitchen with dishes overflowing, and I really can't sit in a room next to the kitchen that has dishes overflowing- on a side not for some reason it does not bother me if it is someone else's home, but where I reside. It also seems to get worse when there are things around me that I can not change- teenagers that look at me like I am the scum of the earth for asking them if they've done their chores, 18 year olds that I have to walk on egg shells around, and a two year old who has to do EVERYTHING and be into everything. I know I have a need to control something and that happens to be the cleanliness of where I am. So is it really so bad if I like to have the dishes done around lunch AND dinner? ( I mean there are 10 of us around if everyone has breakfast, there are at least 7 bowls and 8 plates and probably 15 cups by the time lunch is done...)

Help vote to get scholarship money!

2009-08-02T00:03:00.001-06:00

My Favorite Photo (I've Ever Taken)
Brickfish

This company is giving away 150 $1000 scholarship money for your favorite photo- so this is one of ours... I hate to solicit but we need all the help we can get for Brian's schooling in the fall and winter! THANKS

Funny Things living with Tyler

2009-07-29T11:08:00.004-06:00

Gran told me this story that occurred while I was working in Utah...She walked into the family room and heard Tyler yelling at "Patra" (Cleopatra)
"Patra Listen to me""Patra No, no bone no listen to me"
Then Ty proceeded to put Cleo's bone up on the shelf- apparently Cleo was not listening to Tyler so he put her bone up on the shelf until she listened to him... guess he's listening to me a little more than I thought...

On Sunday we were sitting in the family room waiting to have family prayer and T went around handing everyone their scriptures then proceeded to tell us it was "scripture study" and opened all our scriptures and stuck our noses into the scriptures and told it "came to pass"

Brittney & Derek Wedding... a little late

2009-07-28T13:36:00.012-06:00

Congratulations Brit and Derek! We're so happy for you two!

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