Merry Christmas

We aren't the "Christmas Card Giving" family. So this is it from us this year!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

We wish you all a very happy holiday season!

We are hitting the road and will be back next year!

Baby Anne

Baby Anne likes homemade bread!

(Photo by Grace Butler)

Bet You Didn't Know This!

My good buddy Ashley has an entertaining blog. She posted some of her family quirks (hilarious I must say) and recently shared six things about herself that most people probably didn't already know. (see blog entries 11.12.07 and 09.17.07) Well, well, well, Ashley. Since it's been several weeks since I was originally tagged it's high time I get this out in the open. Six things "I Bet You Didn't Know This About ME!"

• Sorting Stuff: I can't stand to sort things multiple times, especially silverware and laundry. When I load the dishwasher I categorize things into each compartment. Forks with forks, spoons with spoons, kid stuff with kid stuff. The funny thing about this arrangement is that if Edwin happens to help with the dishes and turns on the dishwasher he unsorts all the dishes because he thinks they will be cleaner that way! Can I just say...ERRRRR! Laundry is another beast entirely. Since I've done my own laundry since I was 10 it was quite an adjustment for me to wash Edwin's dirty clothes with my own. I don't like to mix the children's clothes with the adults clothes. Whites have their own basket so I don't have to sort colors...if I had the space available I would have more than 3 dirty clothes baskets! Dirty rags I prefer to wash alone, but if I don't have enough to make a full load I will wash them with the jeans. I generally pre-treat things twice. Once on the way into the bucket and then again just before I throw them into the washing machine. I can't stand piles of folded laundry so I usually fold one category at a time so I can put it away...ie...I'll fold all my jeans and put them away before I fold Edwin's jeans. If I ever get to design my own laundry room I'm afraid it will be MASSIVE!!! Shelves, drawers, hampers, drying racks....plenty of space to fold and sort the things we dirty daily!
• Notebook: I'm a notebook junkie. I recently collected all the notebooks in the house and consolidated all my thoughts into one location....I had so many spiral notebooks! Since I've had the notebook gathering I have cut back to :

1. a journal,
2. a scripture book
3. a memorization booklet
4. a notebook for my purse
5. a personal study/essay notebook for things I read
6. a notebook for Enrichment
7. a notebook for Emergencies (ie...I can't find the notebook I need)
8. notepad for shopping list
9. notepad for family journal memories

Wow, I guess I am still a notebook junkie! Oh well, that is not as many as I used to have!!!

• Regrets: After attending a group gathering out of the ordinary I generally regret two things I did during the event. It varies with every situation, but I have two common pitfalls. First, if I was caught off-guard by what someone else said or did I am usually left speechless. It is only after several hours mulling over the awkward moment that I think of something witty and clever to say. Ah, if I was just a bit quicker on my feet. My second regret comes from saying too much. I make assumptions about people that are 99% of the time WAY OFF BASE! So when I speak based on my initial impression of people I realize much later that I said something TOTALLY RIDICULOUS! Alas, this leads me to my next point
• Social Skills: I'm generally SOCIALLY LACKING! I don't know what's "in" until it's so out of date that it's on the verge of being popular again! Name brands, professional sports, musicians, and movie stars are generally safe topics of conversations for most people, but talk to me about them and I'll give you a polite half smile and nod my head in agreement with whatever you say! Case in point....Edwin took me to see Mission Impossible (don't ask me which one because I don't know, but before I finish with this story I'll bet you know the answer to it!) before we were married. A guy was on the screen and I turned to Edwin and said "He has nice eyes." Edwin replied sarcastically, "That's Tom Cruise." Obviously I should have known that since he was the leading role and since he was my sister's movie star crush. Oops! Oh well, Edwin still married me and I still comment on Tom's eyes before I register that he's a Hollywood Hottie!
• Photographs: I NEVER like pictures of myself when I first see them. It doesn't matter how much money I pay for a good picture I NEVER like my own portrait immediately. With that said, when I look back on pictures of myself after some time (at least 3 months) I generally think I looked fine. When I order pictures and especially when we are getting the family photo I have to wait several weeks after the picture was taken before I can safely place the order.
• Memory Problems: I like to meet people wherever I go. Once we get past the initial introduction I can generally remember two or three things about any given person and their name! However, if I meet that person in another setting with a new set of clothes on I won't even recognize them! I can't remember people's faces! However, I can remember the color of your clothes, your life story, and your name if you just tell me where and when we met! For this reason alone I don't like 2 or 3 day conferences and events! Nothing like meeting the same 25 people three days in a row! Yikes!

Tag Jodie you're it!

November 26, 2007

The cold weather has returned for a while and Grace couldn't be more excited about it. She enjoys wearing her sweaters, hats, mittens, and her new "pink silky coat". Even though she refuses to take off her outside clothes while she is inside she refuses to wear anything on her feet indoors and often wants to go outside barefoot in sandals.

Anne is sitting up on her own for longer periods of time, and she is rolling all over the house. We can't keep track of her sometimes! Ah, the freedom to move!

One way to change up the day when we are inside so much is to build a cubby!

Daddy, Grace and Anne all like to play in the cubby!

Baby Anne started eating solid foods this week. Just in time for mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving! Yum! Yum!

We enjoyed a quiet Thanksgiving together. Everyone got a bit of their favorites.
Edwin: Stuffing and Pumpkin Pie.
Mom: Homemade Cranberry Sauce
I made cranberry sauce for the first time and it was DELICIOUS! No one else liked the texture so I was able to eat it ALL BY MYSELF and I enjoyed EVERY bit!
Grace: Turkey. Turkey. Turkey.
Grace liked seeing the big turkey cook in the oven and enjoyed basting it. She out ate everyone on the turkey! Go Grace!
Anne: More Mashed Potatoes PLEASE!

All in all it's been a great week and we are grateful to have daddy home for a little while longer.

Before and After Party

Grandma's package arrived before the birthday party, but that didn't stop Grace from having her own party. Once inside the box she pretended it was a boat and she was going fishing for "Baby Bruce Shark." Once she captured all the fish she could handle she was a "Super Reader" riding in her "Super Reader Car." Needless to say, mom was a bit tired after helping Super Grace drive through story land. Pushing that box around is quite the workout!
Grace enjoys being in the kitchen to cook, bake, and do the dishes. It is only natural she wanted to help bake her own birthday cake. Helpers get to lick the bowl clean! What a gal!

Happy Birthday Grace!
Turtle cake designed and decorated by mom!

Princess Dress! This happened to be the first gift Grace opened. She couldn't get out of her clothes fast enough! Presents, cake, and ice cream were put on hold until Grace was sporting her princess dress. The night was filled with Grace walking around the house saying, "Go show Daddy. I look a beautiful."

Dr. Grace Butler to administer shots.

All in all the day was wonderful for everyone.

Happy Birthday Grace.

November 04, 2007

We made cute spider cupcakes this month. Thankfully they turned out well because my other project was not so successful! I tried making homemade caramel without personal guidance and a thermometer. Let's just say....I'm not a candy maker. I'll try again later!

Grace found a spot to stop while playing at the local discovery center.

Edwin and Grace near the bird cages.

Grace enjoys playing with the camera more than posing for the camera.

Pictures Grace captured.

Anne's new exersaucer. A gift from a good neighbor.

The exersaucer is occupied several hours a day between Anne, Grace, and the stuffed animals!

Anne has discovered her hands.

Bodies are amazing gifts I take for granted.

Grace is delighted to put on makeup. See found my lipstick and you can see the results!

War paint? Skyline of downtown? Not sure what she was thinking, but alas she is beautiful.

Pictures of the Week

Grace enjoys playing with straws. She discovered a new game this week..."Pretend soda!" The second straw in the picture is for mommy to drink soda too! We don't have soda in the house very often, but she requests it A LOT! When I tell her that we have no soda she proceeds to list all my friends who are most likely to have soda!

Reading time is for everyone! Thanks daddy!

Anne is rolling all over the place. Grace likes to roll with her.

The weather has cooled a bit and Grace is super excited to wear "hat and mittens" every where. Although the cold front has passed there is no way we are putting away the hats!

October Crafts

My Baby Girls

American Beauty

Anne's New Toy

Grace and Alia at the Park

Reading while cooking "Yummy Meat"

"Fun Hats" with Grace and Anne

Grace at the petting zoo

Grace and Owen at the zoo

Grace singing like Princess Fionna

Things That Make Me Smile!

Do all babies come with long tongues or just mine?

Can I wear this to church?

PROUDLY PRESENTING...

TRENT AND EDWIN

IN THE

2007

PINE WOOD DERBY!!!

Turtle Wagon by Edwin

Helicopter Car by Trent (with working propellers!)

Edwin, Grace, and Baby Doll display their achievements!

It was tons of fun to watch Grace and Edwin work on their cars this year. Daddy was sitting outside with some wood and a carving knife, so Grace wanted to "help". She was given some scrap wood and a plastic knife and worked along side daddy. They carved together, sanded together, and even painted together. Maybe next year Grace will get some wheels for her car and enter the race! Watch out Daddy, Little Lady just may take the stage!

Family Picnic

The simple things bring the biggest smiles for everyone some days!

Battling It Out

Well, this is how it is some days. With Edwin working from home and now needing to study for his 2nd national board exam (aka Step 2) I don't know that I will ever get a few minutes to post a blog or read an email. But I am hopeful that some days the universe will move in my favor and both my girls will nap at the same time, Edwin will not need the computer and I will return to indulge in the glorious blessings of the Internet. For now I will settle with the 10 minutes I have right now to let you know...it may be a while before I return! However, Edwin had better be careful because I do have a tough right hook!!!

Eavesdropping On Grace

We overheard Grace singing her ABCs! She did it by herself with everything in order!

(Okay so she missed the letters "E" and "L" but come on she's not quite 2!)

Something Beautiful for God

I recently read the book "Something Beautiful for God" by Malcolm Muggeridge. It is a view into Mother Teresa's life and work. The book is broken into three parts. Part One is the author's view and perspective on Mother Teresa's lifestyle and dedication to her faith. The author is not catholic and doesn't anticipate that he will ever join the church despite his feelings of wanting to belong to something great. There are some very political and religious points the author makes and I was grateful for his willingness to share his own perspective on Mother Teresa's life. While discussing the value of life he states that life is always precious or it is never precious, but it can't be precious some of the time and disregarded other times. People are therefore all precious all of the time or no one is ever precious. Part Two includes Mother Teresa's philosophies on topics such as Service, Prayer, Holiness, Silence, Love, and many other poignant ideas. This is a refreshing look at how intricately her religion is woven into her life. Her love for Christ affects every aspect of her life, as it very well should. I was touched by her dedication to religious services and the strength she drew from worshipping the Lord. She needed Him daily and made prayer and worship the highest priority every day. Part Three is an interview between the author and Mother Teresa. There is only dialog, no fillers or third party interpretations. I could really get a sense of Mother Teresa's simple view on life and how to serve God. Her faith and devotion shine brilliantly and I enjoyed reading her words.

I remember being in high school when she passed away. I did not know very much about Mother Teresa other than she was a nun who received the Noble Peace Prize and was rather old and homely looking. Since reading this book I have come to appreciate the way she lived her life and the philosophies she treasured and shared with the world. Mother Teresa taught school to the poor children in the neighborhood. She also created a place to tend to the unwanted babies (a growing trend among the middle-class youth is to induce early labor and leave the fetus with the midwives). This kind woman found a way to purchase a printing press for the lepers so they would be able to make pamphlets and sell them to the public to provide for their livelihood. I was especially touched by the Home for the Dying. A place of beauty for the homeless and forgotten people to die peacefully. A place for the forsaken to be loved one last time before leaving the cruel world they had known.

I feel the need to follow Christ's example and serve others. Some days I am overwhelmed by the insurmountable task to be Christlike in all things, however, I am filled with hope when I find others who have succeeded and live truly beautiful lives. Mother Teresa speaks volumes when she says the basic need every individual must receive is love. Human love.

At the Lake

Edwin kept asking me what I wanted for my birthday, and after several weeks of this I finally found something worth having! A quiet morning on the lake enjoying nature.

Edwin gave me the world!

Family campsite

Our fishing hole

Dad and Grace going fishing and finding "camping treasures"

Grace fishing with Daddy

Grace fishing alone

Girls hanging out at the campfire

Edwin's catfish

Anne ready to go home!