Love At Home

Coming Out of Retirement

2011-10-13T22:11:00.000-05:00

Its been almost a year and I guess its time to update the blog. Everyone needs a blogging break now and then.

A lot has happened to the Butlers in the last 10months. I won’t bore you with 50 different updates and 500 photos. Here’s a basic run down…..

Dusty graduated from UND with Bachelor of Science in Commercial Aviation

Dusty commissioned as a 2^nd Lieutenant for the Army

We finally got out of North Dakota

Moved in Dallas in May for the summer

Went on a small vacation to San Diego

Moved to Fort Rucker, Alabama in August for our first Army post

Expecting baby No. 2 in November and it’s a boy

Got Lynus dog back from Grandma and Grandpa Butler….put him on a diet and already lost 7lbs.

Dusty completed Basic Officer Leadership training at Fort Rucker

That about sums it up. Really didn’t miss too much.

Samantha is doing wonderful. She goes full blast and never stops…. NEVER. She talks endlessly, using big words like “actually, otherwise, apparently, escalator” She’s so excited for baby brother to be here but I’m not sure she really understands what having a baby brother really means.

Carpet Face

2010-12-25T22:32:00.000-06:00

15 Months later and not much has changed.

Happy Birthday Jesus

2010-12-25T22:15:00.002-06:00

Christmas with Samantha this year was such a joy. She was very curious about this 'Santa Clause' and these presents he was bringing. Everyone kept saying she wouldn't understand this year so I didn't sit down and explain the process until Christmas Eve, and this is basically how our conversation went:
   Me: "Sammy, guess who's coming to town tonight."
     Sam: "ADDY!!"
     Me: "No, Santa Clause"
     Sam: "NO! Addy and Noey"
     Me: "No, Santa Clause is coming and he’s going to bring you presents"

Sam: "presents!!!"

Me: "Yep, what do you want him to bring? A pony?"

Sam: "No pony"

Me: "A Dolly?"

Sam: "No dolly"

Me: "Candy?"

Sam: "No Dandy…..(pause) uh-huh dandy"

Me: "So you want presents and candy?

Sam: "Uh-huh dandy.... no presents"

She figured it out Christmas morning when she saw her presents. But she required mandatory candy breaks between each present, good thing Santa brought a huge stocking packed full of candy.

Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!!

These pictures were taken from McKenzie Pierson! Didn't she do an awesome job?! I love them :)

Frozen Cat

2010-12-11T21:23:00.000-06:00

Can't take my eyes off this girl for two minutes!

Have no fear, the food Deha is sitting on was thrown out.

Want Milk?

2010-11-30T22:47:00.000-06:00

Who wants some milk???

Sammy does!
And she doesn't need any help getting some.

No Oversleeping

2010-11-26T23:41:00.001-06:00

Dusty on Christmas Eve.....

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Settler WINNER!

2010-11-23T20:57:00.004-06:00

All I need to say is....

I WON I WON I WON I WON I WON!!!!

And these people on the sides are the LOSERS! Including Dusty who is behind the camera.

This is my first official win against Dusty and that's why I'm calling it my first REAL win! Dusty beats me every time, arrh it drives me crazy. I've waited 2 years for this and I'm loving every moment.

Oh I love me some Settlers!

Sam and Deha

2010-11-14T00:19:00.006-06:00

Maybe this is one of those videos that's only funny to me because I'm Samantha's mom (Like when people think their child is adorable but really they have an ugly baby.) But I honestly don't care. Dusty and I crack up every time we watch this. It just shows how random and ADD our Samantha is. And yes, it's a little long.... so what.

NOTE: The cat's name is Cash but Samantha calls him Deha. I have no idea what "Deha" is. Sam can say "cat, kitty, and Cash" but she still calls him "Deha"

2nd NOTE: Something funny happened when I uploaded this so you have to click on the speaker icon on the actual video to turn on the volume.

Refresh you screen to see it from the beginning. I don't know why it starts on its own, or why you can't pause it. All I can say is Blogger hates me.

Oh my Sammy... My favorite part is when she picks up her tooth brush and puts it back in her mouth after it was sitting on the cat (furry!) And when Cash does a little paw run as he's falling off the stroller. Cracks me up every time!

Also let me just say, this is the craziest cat I've ever seen. He digs in the trash, begs for food, steels food from the table, he carries stuffed toys around the house in his mouth. He and Samantha are best friends and he lets her carry him around the house (sometimes upside down). He plays in the dry bathtub, once he jumped in the tub while Sam was taking a bath. He climbs the curtains, plays in the fridge and dryer. And Samantha loves him to death!

Trouble on the go

2010-10-31T21:43:00.001-05:00

Seriously, can someone please control this child?

After church today Samantha was playing quietly in her room while Dusty and I made lunch when I hear her say "Mommy.... mommy..... mommy back" (which means -Mommy come back) So I walk into her room to find THIS! How on earth did she climb into the drawer? And let me just add, that draw originally had clothes in it, which are now all over the floor!

And again, after dinner......

This time the cat joined in..... Oh Sammy.

We figured out she used her pink chair as a stepping stool. Don't worry, the chair is no longer in Sam's room.

The Naughty List

2010-10-28T23:32:00.002-05:00

October 28, 2010

Look at this girl. Isn't she just the sweetest little angle??

No. No she is NOT. But she's good at tricking you.

For example, While Dusty and I were having fun doing this......

Samantha was in the background doing a little of this....

That's her "Big Girl" happy dance.

And a lot of this.......

And that's why we're never invited back to people's homes.

But we still love our crazy Sam.

The Big Chicken

2010-10-19T23:21:00.001-05:00

Wednesday, October 19, 2010

Yet another reason why I love North Dakota and all its randomness....

We found this over sized chicken on the side of the road right outside Fargo. A photo-op I couldn't pass up.

Ahhh... Summer Days

2010-10-01T00:39:00.004-05:00

Friday, October 1, 2010

Oh Summer, were you even here?
Call me a Debbie Downer, but summer is over and I am sad. Mostly because I'm not looking forward to winter. And really, who looks forward to a North Dakota winter? This winter is predicted to be hard, cold and loong. We were just getting started and now its over. Last week we pulled out the winter bins from storage (which is fun because its like discovering a whole new wardrobe) But, still depressing because I won't be wearing any of my brightly colored shirts, summer dresses or strapy sandals again until next June! Ohhh, I'm going to miss you, fun summer clothes.

Also, to add to my sadness, I've been missing Texas. There are so many random things I never thought I'd miss like: 105 degree weather (Yes, Really, I just want to feel the heat on my ghastly pale skin), Jumping into a cool pool on a blistering day, Feeling the hot pavement on bare feet - so hot you have to run because it burns the bottom of your feet, Going to a Real Over-sized water park - none of this indoor stuff, Laying out and getting a tan -Tanning Beds are a poor imitation, Speeding down the highway, Driving on a Highway, Good radio stations (Grand Forks- TLC is dead! No more Jason Waterfall), Seeing thousands of birds pepper the sky when they migrate south for winter, Haunted Houses, Oversized Malls, Mexican food.

But enough of my complaining. At least Samantha is having a blast. She is finding lots of things to keep her busy, such as....

Dress up shoes. Sam LOVES trying on shoes, anyone's shoes, but especially noisy ones that click when she walks across the kitchen floor. She is such the Girly Girl!

Coloring. Sam has discovered that coloring is so fun, especially when you lay on the paper. Lol, I have no idea what she was doing but it was hilarious. Thankfully we are still coloring on paper and not furniture.

Baby Dolls. She loves to find the baby's eyes and feet, and to feed the baby a bottle or pacifier. And sometimes we find baby in funny places, such as the fridge or the bath tub.

Water Bottles. This bottle was originally used as "No No Water" but Samantha completely ruined it when she discovered how fun it is to drink the water and to spray herself in the face.

Such a crazy girl! We love her so much. Everyday she makes us laugh.

First Time Mom

2010-09-23T18:48:00.000-05:00

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Give her a break, she's a first time mom. We all make mistakes....

Maybe she thought her baby was hot? Either way, I love how she openly admits to putting her baby in the fridge. Crazy girl.

Fun in the sun

2010-09-12T21:58:00.005-05:00

Sunday, September 12, 2010

This year has been the best summer. Perfect weather, lots of fun and lots of grilling. I got my first natural tan, ever. And this was the first summer I haven't had to work since junior year of high school. I'm so lucky to stay home with Samantha.
We found this awesome pool on clearance at Target but we don't have an outside focet to fill it up. So we did it white trash style and hooked the hose to our kitchen sink. (Better than carrying buckets.) And a plus because ND's "hot" summer is 90 which is not hot enough to warm pool water.

Here is Sammy having fun in the pool.

Samantha has a new friend, Piper who we invited over to swim. They are so cute together!

After her swim Samantha took a stroll on the beach/park.

We thought she was done so we cleaned her off and took off her suit. Two minutes later she was back in the pool... naked.

SUNFLOWERS!!!

2010-08-21T22:34:00.008-05:00

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Sunflowers are my favorite flower. When I was a kid we painted my room bright yellow with a sunflower trim, and my brothers and sisters still tease me about it today, 14 years later. So when I saw the sunflower fields here in big ND of course I had to take pictures, it was like full filling a childhood fantasy.

Dusty enlisted an ROTC friend to be our photographer. He did a darn good job. Even though it was windy as heck, they turned out amazing! Thanks Buddy and Connor, we are so SO happy!! I LOVE them!

Samantha is learning to jump... this is as high as she gets, its so cute. And she's so proud of herself!

Sam loooves her Daddy!

Yes..... we found that flower on the ground.

Last of all, my favorite....

..... Oh Dusty....

Best Friends Make Trouble

2010-07-16T21:13:00.009-05:00

Friday, July 16, 2010

Samantha has a new best friend and her name is Addy. (Addy is the little girl I babysit during the week.) So all day long at my house I hear "Addy, Addddy, Aaaaady" Its safe to say Sam is Addy's best friend too because the second thing I hear all day is "Sam, Saaamy, SamIE" It's so cute. The girls follow each other around, feeding each other crackers, offering drinks, sharing toys, and loving on blankets. They giggle and chase each other, its so fun!

This week they found some big trouble.... While I was upstairs doing a little cleaning Samantha and Addy were playing in Sam's room. I peeked in every few minutes and saw they were being nice, sitting on the floor in front of each other talking. I didn't look very closely at what they were playing because there's nothing in Samantha's room to cause trouble..... or so I thought. After about 5-10 minutes I walk in and find both girls COVERED head to toe in Vaseline!!! They were bathing in Vaseline! It was on their arms, legs, clothes, face, hair... everywhere! Including an innocent baby doll.

Oh my goodness! What a disaster! And worse of all, Vaseline doesn't wash out of hair. So Samantha and Addy now have sleek, greased over hair.

Sammy did the worst damage. All that shine, its Vaseline. And notice her dress is caked over as well.

There was a massive blob on top her head.

Addy was more conservative, focusing mostly on her hair, arms and shirt.

After the bath.
I washed them 3 times, once with normal shampoo and they were still greasy. I'm pretty sure Addy's hair was worse after washing.

That's what friends are for, right.

Then, today I found Samantha playing in the laundry basket, she climbed in on her own. She is such a mess maker!

This week I'm proud to receive the Worst Baby Sitter award.

Is It Him?

2010-07-08T21:52:00.008-05:00

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Whats going on in our life lately? Dusty has gone to LDAC for a whole month while Samantha and I stay in North Dakota, waiting patiently . We don't get to call or talk to him until day 28 of 29. Which is in 12 days (not that I'm counting). We've mailed 4 cookie filed boxes and tons of letters. I've only received 2 letters so far (not that I'm counting).
On Facebook there's an LDAC page that gives regular updates of activities and posts photos of Cadets in the field. So, of course I examine EVERY 5th Regiment photo looking for my Dusty and this is what I've found...... nothing.

I'm pretty sure this is wishful thinking or my eyes playing tricks..... What do you think? Is it Dusty? Be kind.

Photo #1: On the right standing in front of the men throwing grenades?

Photo #2: Or, on the left, pointing his finger, telling the guys what to do?

Photo #3: Now I'm getting desperate, maybe in the circle, back row, third from the left?

And yes, I did blow them up on my screen to look closer.

I'm just going to say YES to all. It helps me sleep better at night.

**** After looking again photo #2 is out. The knee pads are wrong. See how desperate I am.

Happy Birthday America

2010-07-04T22:27:00.004-05:00

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Happy Birthday America!! You don't look a day over 29!

In case you are wondering, Samantha did NOT enjoy fireworks this year. We couldn't stay out long because they terrified poor Sammy. But her favorite part was getting to say "Boom...Boom....Boooooom"
Maybe next year when dad is home to show us how cool fireworks really are.

Twilight Rewind

2010-06-25T21:20:00.008-05:00

Friday, July 25, 2010

Am I the only one who thinks this looks hideous?

And even worse, this?

Really? Thats the best she could find for the opening of Eclipse? But I guess the real question is, Should I have expected anything better? No.

Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, you are RUINING Twilight. Get Out!

At least someone knows how to look good........

And yes, I got this picture from TaylorLautnerShirtless.com

Mountain Climber

2010-05-30T22:58:00.004-05:00

May 30, 2010

Samantha has a few new loves. One, Capri Sun. She can spot a Capri Sun a mile away. She can suck one dry in under 10 minutes. And if it were up to her she'd drink one everyday. (Not that we let her.)
Two, climbing. Samantha can climb anything but right now her favorites are the kitchen chairs and the fridge.

Put the two together and this is what we found....

Sometimes I wish I could

2010-05-14T10:03:00.003-05:00

Friday, May 14, 2010

But sometimes I really wish it was.

I have a confession... I'm not a perfect wife. I try to be, I tell Dusty I am, but really I'm far from it. So while in Idaho I saw this book at the Deseret Book store.

I normally don’t like self help book. I’ve been trying to read more lately so I thought “Mhh, It looks funny, Why not” Plus I quite often DO feel like strangling my husband, so maybe this will help. So far it’s really cute and has motivated to be a better person. I’m not finished yet but will let you know the end result.

Last Call From Texas

2010-05-06T20:40:00.007-05:00

Thursday May 6, 2010

Everyone from Texas knows you HAVE to take pictures in the bluebonnets. So I was determined to get the perfect, happy, smiling photo of Samantha in bluebonnets, maybe even with a bow on her head. And thus the reason for Bluebonnet Photo, take 2.

Much better this time, but still distracted (the roosters were crowing in the back). That's okay, I sure do love this girl. And I can't get enough of that silly face.

Finally, here are the last of our pictures from Texas.
Easter egg hunting was not Sam's favorite. But it was so wonderful to be outside in the sun. We wore shorts, Sam played in the grass and it was amazing!!

Playing at Grandma and Grandpa Borton's house. They had a mini four wheeler and Samantha loved to play on it.

My Sweet Samantha

2010-04-16T08:13:00.004-05:00

Friday, April 16, 2010

You've had a Birthday, Shout Hurray!! My little Sammy is ONE today!!
One year older and wiser too. Happy Birthday to YOU!

I'm so completely excited for my little girl today because its Baby Sammy's Birthday!! At exactly 4:21 pm on Friday, April 16th she will be ONE year old!! And what an amazing year it has been. I can't believe its already a year, WOW. Time has flown way too fast.

I know I say this all the time, but I'm so proud of my little girl and everything she has worked hard to learn this year. I am just amazed at the things she can do. She is such a blessing in our home. I have never seen a happier baby than Sammy (minus our current trip to Texas, but that's just because she misses her Daddy). She makes every day a joy, truly. We love her to pieces!

Here are a few things Samatha is currently doing:

Right now Samantha loves to dance. She doesn't even need music. Just say the word and she'll start twisting her shoulders and bopping her head. This girl can get down!
She just learned to walk and is into everything. Now I really can't get away from her because she can track me down across the house, or more like stalk me down.
She LOOOVES her Dad. Here in Texas she tells everyone about her Daddy and is constantly looking for him. When Dusty says "Hi" on the speaker phone her whole face lights up, the she tries to steal the phone and push buttons.
She calls me "Na Na" (her version of Anna) and sometimes Mommy.
She is constantly learning and trying out new words. Right now her favorites are (in no particular order): No, Dada, Mama, No, Doggie, Kitty, No, Thank you, Cracker, Dada, Uh-oh, Hi, Dada, Diaper, Dada, and a few others.
She makes the funiest faces while playing, as you've seen from my previous post.
She likes to give hugs. Randomly she will walk over and hug my legs... then scream loudly to be picked up.
Currently she is NOT a girly girl. She loves trucks, balls, cars and blocks. We've tried giving stuffed animals and dolls but she could care less. Dusty loves it, I'm hoping its just a faze.
She LOVES to read. Any book, even mine, she will bring to me to read saying "ooo ooo"

Samantha we love you so very much. Thank you for choosing us to be your parents. Thank you for making our home a family. We are so proud of you. You make me smile every day. I am forever grateful to my Heavenly Father for you and your sweet smiling spirit. Happy Birthday sweet girl!!

I LOVE that face!!

Photo Time

2010-04-12T21:27:00.004-05:00

Monday, April 12, 2010

We took all the grandkids for a photo session this weekend. I thought they turned out adorable. Especially Sam's! She loved sitting in this chair, I might have to buy her a rocking chair now :)

Sorry, stupid photo copyright wouldn't let me rotate this.

Bluebonnets

2010-04-12T09:47:00.003-05:00

Monday, April 12, 2010

How does Samantha really feel about Texas Bluebonnets??

Poor girl did NOT want her pircture taken!

I'd rather be in Idaho

2010-03-29T21:32:00.006-05:00

Monday, March 29, 2010

"Oh I'd rather be in Idaho than any other place I know. Idaho Ida-Idaho"

Spring break 2010. Definitely not Mexico but just as fun. Dusty and I were starting to feel the inevitable North Dakota cabin fever. We desperatly needed a vacation and real sunshine. But being college students we can't afford a real vacation, yet. So where do you go that has free room, delicious food and loads of fun? Grandma's House!

We drove over night so Samantha could sleep and it worked perfectly. A 16 hour car ride never went so fast. She slept almost the whole time.

Of course it wouldn't be Grandma's house without the four wheeler. It looks cold but was still warmer than North Dakota! Dusty rode the four wheeler all over the place, including through the old cow fields, and yes in the cow pies. We took Samantha for a ride and she fell asleep!

The Roylances came down from Boise for a visit. We let them ride the four wheeler and they let us win a game of Settlers. One day I'll beat you Phill.... one day!

Samantha LOVES Grandpa Long. She would just sit next to him on his chair and rock. She especially loved when Grandpa sang songs, Pony Girl is her favorite. I'm so happy we took her to meet Grandma and Grandpa Long. It means so much to Dusty to share his favorite memories with her.

Dinner at Red Robin with Dusty's cousins and Aunt. Mmmm... I LOVE Red Robin

Samantha met her cousin, Caleb. They had lots of fun together.

"Uhhh, why you touchin' my foot?"

Dusty showed me ALLLL the places he used to work, including here. I took a picture so we can always remember the Power Lube.

Military Ball

2010-03-28T21:55:00.005-05:00

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Yeah for Mill Ball. We attended Dusty's ROTC Military Ball this weekend. I love any excuse to dress up and be fancy. But this year was even more fun, maybe because I didn't go last year (being 9 months pregnant and all).

I won't bore you with details. Basically we socialized for an hour, ate a delicious fancy dinner, listened to an interesting speaker, then did a little dancing. Dusty and I left early hoping to get some desert on the way home which, turned into a disaster due to bad service. But I still had so SO much fun. Dusty was a real gentleman all night, he looked so handsome in his uniform. I'm already excited to get dressed up again next year!

And Then There Were Two

2010-03-24T21:45:00.002-05:00

Wednesday, March 25, 2010

I had to take this one while Dusty was gone.

Don't worry, we won't go out in public like this. It's purely for my personal entertainment.

Funny Faces

2010-03-24T10:34:00.004-05:00

Look at those lips! I don't know where she learned this face, but it sure is cute. She does it all day long.

Plus, Sammy's first ponytail!
It didn't last long but I'm so excited she's finally getting hair, even if it's a mullet.

Spring - Please Hurry

2010-03-06T20:08:00.006-06:00

Saturday, March 6, 2010

I know what you’re thinking, “That’s a BRIGHT background. I’m gonna need sunglasses to read this blog” Yes, I thought the same thing. But then I realized, its March, 20 degrees outside, and we’re expecting snow on Monday. I’m might need something bright and colorful if I want to stay sane till spring.

But at least the snow started melting this weekend. I actually saw pavement in the ice rink where we park our car. And….. grass! I SAW GRASS! There’s hope. Spring isn’t just a seasonal cycle, it’s a Glorious Miracle given to the people who live in North Dakota.

On a happier note, Dusty and I are going to Idaho for spring break. I’m so excited! I can’t wait for Samantha to meet Grandma and Grandpa Long and a few cousins and hopefully some old friends. Plus I desperately need a break from Grand Forks.

And here are some fun pictures, just because she’s so cute…

Samantha at 10 months old.

Helping Mom with laundry.

Sam LOVES looking inside the washing machine, so Dad gave her a boost. Unfortunately she's not so helpful at folding the laundry, unless you like clean clothes all over the floor.

PS - I'm not even going to tell you how long it took me to figure out this photo collage thing.

Rock and Roll Baby!

2010-02-28T19:16:00.004-06:00

Sunday, February 28, 2010

Sam sure knows how to rock it out. Dancing is her favorite activity. Anytime she hears music from the TV, cell phone, or anywhere she starts rocking back and forth. Tonight while having a dance-out with Dad I found her in the corner rockin’ it old school.

Good old fashion head banging...

The camera ran out of memory so I had to cut the video in half and then it stopped right as she was really getting into it.
P.S.Please ignore my ugly broom sitting in the corner.

Sledding Attempt No. 1

2010-02-07T16:28:00.007-06:00

Sunday, February 7, 2010

For fun one day (and while Dusty was gone) Sam and I decided to go sledding with our friends. Not the greatest idea I’ve ever had. But I did learn a few things, such as… Samantha does NOT enjoy falling face first out of the sled. Trudging through knee deep snow is quite exhausting. And all around, next time we should just wait for Dad.

But we still tried...

Clearly not having fun and before the traumatizing fall.

Happy Supper Bowl to everyone! Go Colts!

Lets Get Movin

2010-01-30T19:57:00.006-06:00

January 30, 2010

This is one busy little girl. Just like her Daddy, Samantha can’t sit still for 2 minutes.

For Christmas Samantha got a push walker and has put it to some good use. Trust me, she loves it so much that I have all the songs memorized. The other night I thought, just for fun, lets see if Sam will walk behind it. And on her first try she took off like Speedy Gonzales! She loved it so much, she made 4 laps up and down the room. Now Sam LOVES walking with her walker and can do it all alone with no help from mom or dad.

Look at her, she is SOOO happy!!

But of course, she still needs a bit more practice before she becomes an Olympic Champion....

I am so proud of our Sammy, she has grown so soooo much. Here are a few things she learned just in the last 2 weeks:

Started calling Dusty "Da" “Da-da” or “Da-de”
How to SLEEP THROUGH THE NIGHT!!! One night she slept 13 hours without a single peep!!! MIRACLE!! (As most of you know until 8 months old Samantha would wake on average 2-3 times a night, for no reason other than to torture her poor sleep deprived mother.)
Wave “Bye Bye”
Windshield Wiper Hands on the food tray – throwing everything to the floor. Mom’s favorite (NOT!) and the reason why I now sweep twice a day.
“No No No” Head flailing – she does this when she doesn't want to eat anymore
How to climb stairs (including one terribly sad fall, luckily only two steps high)
Give kisses (but only on a good day)
How to “sit”
To pull a towel over her face when she wants to play peek-a-boo

We have been so blessed with this happy girl, she is ALWAYS smiling, even when she's sick. I love watching her learn new things every day.

SIT

2010-01-21T22:29:00.003-06:00

Little Ashley Muggins

Can you say sit?

Little Helper

2010-01-21T22:13:00.003-06:00

Come on over, Samantha is making breakfast..... yogurt and cauliflower

YUM!

Such a helpful girl!

Good Bye 2009!

2010-01-12T21:43:00.010-06:00

Tuesday, January 2, 2010

I know I'm a little late on the Christmas post but it was a busy season!

This year we spent Christmas with family in Texas, and it.... was.... WONDERFUL! It was warm, sunny, amazing home cooked food, and we had plenty of things to do. Samantha and I flew home 2 weeks early to spend some extra time with my mom and my sisters. And you can bet your little squishy tushie I was NOT missing this....

Nope, I also didn't miss the 2-3 feet of snow that hit Grand Forks on Christmas day. No no, I was too busy wearing flip flops with no jacket, ridding with the windows down. It was so much fun seeing my mom and shopping with my sisters. I got some much needed girl time. Samantha had a blast playing with cousins, they were all so sweet and excited to meet her. She also met plenty of new friends including my mom's cat, Cooper, my mom's dog, Nestle and a few others.

Such a sweet kitty, Samantha pulled on his ears and whiskers and he didn't mind.
She followed him all over the house.

Dusty was very vocal over wanting a white Christmas, and I think Santa heard because Texas got a white Christmas for the first time in 20 years!

We spent Christmas Eve at the Butlers with all their traditions that I'm no good at.... singing songs. But even though I'm no good at singing it was still lots of fun and very special. I love standing around the piano while Grandma Butler plays Christmas songs and seeing the little kids run and dance. Its a little crazy but I've never seen Samantha have so much fun. Maybe I'll have to learn the piano so we can keep that tradition in our home.

Samantha with her Butler cousins.
They love her to death! She prefers love from a distance.

Christmas Day was at the Borton's with the yummiest meal I've ever tasted. The thing I miss the most is my mom's home cooking. Which, I might have gotten alittle carried away this Christmas and eaten WAY too many Christmas treats. We played games and just had fun. I LOVE spending time with my family!! Its my favorite place to be at Christmas time. And my nephews are so kind to Sam, she loves playing with them.

.
Unfortunately I didn't get any photos of my nephews, they were too busy doing noisy boy stuff.

Samantha with her favorite cousin, Ashley aka "Muggins" And yes, she's eating a shoe, no idea what Muggin is doing, that's why she's a Muggin.

Sam also LOVES her cousin Sarah, but don't have any photos of them together...... maybe Amy can send me some........... because she "reads" my blog.

And of course, Christmas Day. Look what Santa brought...

Look what Santa brought Dusty.... which he later returned. Apparently it wasn't "powerful" enough. I'm a girl, like I know how to buy nerf guns!

Guess who lives at Grandma Butler's.... my Lynus. He loves it there and they spoil him rotten. Can you believe he didn't remember me when he saw me, the shame! Of course he remembered Dusty. Mira went to a new home, and lost 10 pounds. Apparently I was making her fat, too much cheddar popcorn. I miss her terribly but she is incredibly happy and has a great home.

Tis' the Season

2009-12-01T21:46:00.005-06:00

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Well its been a while but Anna finally guilted me into blogging again. I told her the next time we had good photos I would blog. And here are the photos. Today was the first snow day of the season and what better way to celebrate (yes its a celebration) than to put on Sammy's bear suit and play in the snow. She may not show it on film but she had a great time.

The two most beautiful girls in the world

Sam's new face

Aunt Heather

2009-11-23T23:50:00.006-06:00

Monday, November 23, 2009

This is a little old but I promised my sister I would post these. She sent Samantha her first Halloween jammies.

This is me helping my mama make hair bows.

Hmmm.. Which one should should I use?

Maybe this one?

Let me test it out...

Yep, definitely this one

Thank you Aunt Heather for my First Halloween Jammies!
They're a little short now, but I still love them.

PS - I still don't have any Chirstmas jammies... just sayin.

Fall Photos

2009-11-18T21:12:00.006-06:00

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Have I told you before how much I love this girl? Have I mentioned she's the most adorable girl EVER? Maybe once or twice.... okay, all the time. But really, she IS! And now we have photos to prove it.

A sweet friend in our ward is working to become a photographer and I gladly offered Samantha as a model. And Holy Moly, She did an amazing job! Really, Samantha is cute but not the most photogenic baby. Most the time we get what Dusty and I like to call the "duh" face. Which is basically jaw dropped, open mouth, eyes staring off into space. (cute, but not walling hanging worthy).

Anyway, I'm sooo excited about these. Poor Sam was freezing, it was only 45 and the sun was setting. Hopefully that doesn't make me a bad mommy.

Here are some of my favorites in no particular order....

So sad and cold.

This is my favorite angle. Sam wouldn't stop eating the leaves and dirt.

Probably my favorite of all!

Thank you so much Caren!!! Every photo is beautiful and we love them so much. You did a wonderful job.

Splash Fun

2009-11-03T22:08:00.005-06:00

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Last weekend Dusty and I took a trip to the Splash Park to celebrate the birthday of some close friends. Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of the birthday girl but I hear she got a new Easy Bake Oven.... to bad they already moved and I can't tryout her tasty treats.

Samantha had lots of fun. Dad took her swimming, although the water could have been warmer, I think she really liked it.

Handsome Dad and Sam in her supper cute suit

Dipping her toes in first.

All done, now time for cake and ice cream.

Happy Birthday Maggie and Heather... we miss your Flexalicous Family :)

Trunk or Treat

2009-10-29T15:42:00.010-05:00

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Yea, I love Halloween! Minus the whole devil worshiping of course. I love dressing up in silly costumes, I love spooky hunted houses, I love pumpkins, I love carving pumpkins, I love pumpkin pie, I love taking little kids trick or treating, and I LOVE getting free candy!!

And now I have my own little girl to dress up.

Here is my Princes Samantha

I made the biggest bow possible complete with curly q's and pink fluffy feathers. I also made her a tutu with little sparkles.... so precious.

Someone found the toy bag...

Thanks to our friend Phil, Dusty now has a plaid shirt that's the exact match to a pair of plaid shorts. So of course he had to wear them together, now thats classy.

This is my Bumpit. I secretly wanted to try a Bumpit and Halloween was the perfect excuse.

Sam is supper excited! I LOVE this girl

Here is Samantha and her friend Cosette. Here's how their conversation went:
Cosette: Ooo I like your tutu, can I touch it?

Samantha: You can touch but don't eat it.
Cosette: Mmm, I bet it tastes yummy.

Samantha: Alright, that's enough. Now back off, stop licking my tutu

Samantha: I said NO, Don't eat my tutu. Stop! Now you're eating my hand

Cosette: Mmmm Tutu yummy
Samantha: Mom, she knocked me over , and she's still eating me!

Samantha: I don't think we can be friends anymore.

And now we see where Cosette gets her aggressive behavior from.

Back to the Trunk or Treat: Dusty won 3rd Place for our Chillie, that's right, Dusty made it, and it was oh-so yummy!
He also got an award for best ice cream, he made Pumpkin ice cream... YUM

Our sweet family

This photo is just to demonstrate Dallon's fantastic photography skills. I highly recomend him.

I love my Bumpit... And I LOVE my little girl even more! She is the perfect princes.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE !

Free Fries

2009-10-24T09:25:00.012-05:00

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Finally, something I love about Grand Forks:

The 44th Annual Potato Bowl

Who wants yummy fries?........ You know I do

Something Grand Forks can be proud of....

The World's Largest Fry Feed

4,680 Fries
113 Gallons of Ketchup

10,000 people (yes North Dakota has that many people)

Cold, but definitely worth it

The Piersons enjoying their fries.
At least McKenzie is, not sure about Dallin?

After, we went to the home of the world's BEST french fry..... McDonalds

Samantha even tried some fries.

I think she likes them.

Crawling

2009-10-20T21:12:00.006-05:00

Tuesday, October 21, 2009

Don't you wish your baby was as smart as mine?

Check out my supper smart Baby Girl... she's crawling!

The things she'll do for a TV remote.

She started walrus scooting last week but gave me no time to post about that before she started crawling tonight!

I'm SO proud of her! She seems WAY to little to be crawling already, seriously, this girl is awesome!

Body By Sam

2009-10-19T22:22:00.008-05:00

Monday, October 19, 2009

Here's how she gets it:

This short 30 second routine will insure you have buns like Sam and her abs of steal!

Don't you love her 80's workout gear including the sweat band?

Boys Are Icky

2009-10-15T15:20:00.007-05:00

Thursday October 15, 2009

Thats it, my child is a bully. Yesterday we had a visitor and lets just say Samantha was not on her best behavior. I have no idea where she learned all this naughty behavior. I promise Dusty and I don't beat each other up. Sorry Heather :)

Cullen looking all innocent and sweet... he has No idea

She starts out nice

And this is where it begins...
Sam = Not Happy

She goes in for the kill

First the pushing
She knows this is Cullen's weak point, he can't hold himself up yet

Attack Round Two

The hair pulling, after all he has more than she does

The biting

More biting

And finally she makes him cry.
Cullen = Beat up

I finally separated them. She spent the rest of the time hiding in the corner.

The worst part is poor Cullen isn't the first baby she has assaulted.
What am I gonna do with this girl?

Sitting Pretty

2009-10-12T22:14:00.004-05:00

Monday, October 12, 2009

Look who learned to sit all on her own....

Cheese!

I know there are pillows behind her, but don't be fooled, she's sitting all by herself. The pillows are merely for Emotional Support. We've had several head whackings in the process of learning to sit. She needed the pillows as a confidence boost while mama took pictures :) But she can do it all on her own.

She loves her jungle gym. I couldn't resist posting this picture too.

She's almost 6 Months!!! Can someone PLEASE tell my little girl to stop growning so fast?

Its BRITNEY

2009-10-04T22:28:00.008-05:00

That’s right, I went, I saw Britney and I sang along (who wouldn’t?). And it as FREAKING AWESOME!

Stop pretending like you’re too cool for Britney. Deep down everyone has a Britney Crush. Some of us just aren’t afraid to show it.

This is the stage from where we sat – pretty close, but then it’s the Alerus Center. Do they even have a nose bleed section? No. (In case you didn’t know the answer to that question.)

A little pole dancing...

The stage was too big so Britney rode around in this cart...

Apparently Grand Forks can’t handle the sexiness of Britney. She had to tone down her performance for us. Guess that didn’t include her wardrobe, she still danced around in lasira, fine by me, you shake it Britney!

Even though our seats where fairly close my neighbor had to use her binoculars, seriously, get some glasses, I did. Maybe she was trying to make eye contact with Britney? She didn’t appreciate my picture taking.

Britney's big floating umbrella. Don't worry it didn't rain, but she sang us a song in it.

Love the sparkle bra.

Look at the abbs on those dancers, now I could do my laundry on that! HOT!

And Finally, US...

Best concert EVER!!

Getting Ready

2009-09-27T11:34:00.007-05:00

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Samantha is getting so close. I know she'll be crawling soon. Right now she can only go backwards but she is so fast. Each time I leave the room she's facing a different direction and 5 feet away when I come back and quite often she gets stuck under the furniture.

Doing some Yoga on the floor - The no arms and no legs pose.

She can hold this for a long time!

Getting help from Dad.

Yelling at Mom to "Put the camera down!"

One Year Older and Wiser Too

2009-09-17T21:38:00.008-05:00

Friday, September 11, 2009

My favorite man is having a Birthday, Shout Hurray! He's tuning the BIG 26, I'm not going to sing but I want to share 26 things that I love most about you Dusty.

1. You look darn sexy in a sweater vest, and not everyone can pull that off

2. Always carry in the groceries from the car and you refuse to let me help

3. Still open the door for me every time

4.Samantha adores you

5.Samantha will ALWAYS smile for you even while she’s crying for me

6. You rub my back when I can’t sleep

7. Make me snuggle before bed even when I don’t want to

8. You get up with Samantha early so I can sleep in

9. You love my jiggly booty

10. You are always eager to make new friends

11. Have a strong and humbling testimony of our savior Jesus Christ

12. Keep our family safe with your excessive gun collection, yes I know you only have two but you would have 50 if we could afford it

13. You are the priesthood holder of our family and bless us with the things we need

14. Always hold me together when I feel like falling apart

15. You smile all day, every day, even with that goofy cheese-ball smile that I love

16. Sometimes you still act like a little kid

17. Remind us to say our prayers

18. Gave me the most beautiful and happy baby girl

19. You encourage me to be a better person

20. Everyday you show how much you love us

21. You give me comfort to know that you are always here for me

22. Christmas is your favorite holiday and you start celebrating it in October

23. You love every side of me, even the crazy panicked one

24. You listen to Britney spears and Hannah Montana in the car on road trips

25. You have an amazing singing voice

26. You are one sexy pilot!

I love you so much Dusty. You are an amazing father. Samantha and I are incredibly lucky to have you. Thank you for all that you do. We LOVE YOU! I hope you have a very Happy Birthday.

Love - Your Two Pretty Girls

My Favorite Cheese-Ball Smile

Always making that Girl Smile :)

Jacob vs. Edward

2009-09-11T04:07:00.006-05:00

Friday, September 11, 2009

Its 3am and I can’t sleep, so what do I do? Come down stairs to play on the internet.

After about 10 minutes I’ve looked at every site I can think of (Not many people on Facebook at 3am.) I’m desperate and curiosity is eating my conscious. So I decide to watch the New Moon movie premier. BUT let me clarify one vital fact: Yes, I was once a Twilight fan, I admit, I attended the Breaking Dawn book release with my Edward shirt and all. But after watching Twilight…. No more. Twilight the movie KILLED my Twilight obsession. Not only did it kill, it chopped its head off and diced it into a million pieces, that’s how bad the movie was. Don’t believe me? Just ask Dusty, he’ll act it out better than Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattenson. (His favorite part was the diamond skin)

Anyway, so I’m watching the New Moon premiere and I start thinking….Daaaang, Jacob looks pretty darn good! Maybe….. MAYBE even better than Edward.

Now before you come banging on my door with burning torches in hand, let me explain:

Book Edward vs. Movie Edward = two TOTALLY different people

Book Edward is the best boyfriend a girl could want – Gentlemen, Sexy, Sweet, Rich, Funny, and very Articulate.

Movie Edward - can’t decide between an English accent and a British accent. Plus the whole scrunchy/pouty face that looks like he’s about to burst into tears just doesn’t do it for me. Plus his diamond skin looks like glitter spray paint. (I wouldn't show that off buddy.)

With that said, Musclicous (not to be confused with Flexalicious, JB) Movie Jacob is very tempting. And it appears that he may be shirtless for the majority of the movie… Nice!

***Also important note, Short Hair Jacob = WAY better than Long Hair Jacob… No thank you stringy man hair.

Exhibit A:

Notice the sad, I'm going to cry face.

Pasty boy - your wash board abs don’t do it for me anymore.

Exhibit B:

Who doesn't like a boy with a tan?

Now that is one good looking wolf boy.

I am well aware that I may completely regret this blog in the morning, once I’ve overcome my sleep deprived comma.

As tribute to my husband, I am well aware these are fictional characters, as are my fictional feelings of attraction for them

Just Like My Dad

2009-09-08T19:33:00.003-05:00

September 8, 2009

These two are exactly alike. Not only are they mirror images of each other but they also sleep in the exact same positions.

Thank You Grandma

2009-08-18T21:39:00.004-05:00

Tuseday, August 18, 2009

Grandma Borton sent me the CUTEST dress a few weeks ago and here I will model it for you…

With my little bunny that I love to slober on...

Samantha was not in the smiling mood for our photo shoot but trust me, she LOVES her new dress :)
Isn’t she just adorable! I had great intentions of making an oversized bow to match, but of course I have yet to do so. We'll have a photo shoot devoted to only hair bows next time... when dad is not around.

Grandma also sent me this fun sleeper suit… it has ruffles on the bum, my favorite part!

Now I'm smiling (because I have ruffles on my bum)

Thank you Grandma, I love you!!

A Little Cold?

2009-08-12T21:59:00.007-05:00

Wednesday August 12, 2009

Samantha has gotten so much tummy time that now she loves it. Last week she learned to roll from her back to her tummy and we have a great video but Blogger won’t let me upload it…Sorry. Today she was playing on the brown fuzzy blanket that we keep on our couch and Dusty caught her looking like this…

All wrapped up and snuggled, maybe she was cold?

She did it all on her own. She started on her back then grabbed the blanket with her hands and rolled to her tummy, wrapping herself up like a little snuggle bug. She kept doing it over an over so maybe she was trying to tell us something, today definitely wasn't a cold day, we actually hit 90!

This girl is so much fun, we LOVE her!!!

Today she just started grabbing things with her hands and bringing them to her mouth. She stole the TV remote from Dusty and smacked herself in the face trying to eat it! Poor girl, but it was soo cute!

Zippy Bay Camping

2009-08-03T23:12:00.006-05:00

Monday August 3, 2009

We did it… we took Samantha on her first camping trip. The rugged and woodsy Zipple Bay State Park!! She did great, not a single complaint. She LOVED being outside, although I think it was alittle confusing to her when we woke up the next morning and were still outside.

Samantha is shocked... clearly.

It was an awesome trip, a little chilly, sweat shirts were an essential all weekend, but are you surprised…. Not in the least. Lots of mosquitoes, and all I’m gonna say is Samantha is one lucky girl to be wearing diapers because the toilet situation was not too pleasant. Anna is NOT a fan of pit toilets. I prefer the camping with brightly lit restrooms and running water.

Zippy Bay Lake (yes that’s right, it’s a Bay AND a Lake) boarders Canada and was enormous. Too cold to swim but that didn’t stop Dusty. When Dusty decides to pack a swim suit you better believe he’s gonna wear it.

Samantha did some sunbathing on the beach.

Cutest girl EVER!

Of course I can't forget the puppies, Mira and Lynus thought it would be fun to hide in the bushes.

A Weekend Drive

2009-07-27T15:16:00.006-05:00

Monday, July 27, 2009

Last weekend Dustifer and I took a drive to Lake Itasca. It was a perfect day: bright, sunny.... chilly, horrifically windy…. Wait are we talking about March?? No, not in North Dakota, it’s the middle of JULY!

Lets just say Samantha spent the whole time wrapped in several blankets, under an umbrella to block the wind. This is how she enjoyed the lake….

But the drive was pretty :)

I NEED SOME TEXAS SUNSHINE AND HEAT!!!!!!

A VERY Belated Birthday to America

2009-07-24T21:20:00.008-05:00

Friday, July 24, 2009

Things have been quite busy here at the Butler home and of course I'm just now getting to our 4th of July post. But have no fear, we had a GREAT day! It started out with some manual labor on Dusty's part. He helped a friend roof their house. Then we went to the park for some good ol’ grilling and homemade ice cream delight. Did I mention that Dusty has become a professional ice cream maker? I might even say his ice cream is better than Blue Bell... that's right I said it.

The day really got fun when our good friends the Pierson's let us go for a ride in their plane. It's an RV7 Acrobatic plane that they built themselves, quite snazzy! It can do flips and rolls, Dusty even did a few himself. And now, as expected, Dusty has been conspiring ways for us to buy our own acrobatic plane, maybe one day honey.

That's right, I made her bow, and pretty darn proud of it!
Of course, the 4th of July wouldn't be complete without some fireworks.....

Samantha's first experience watching fireworks

I think she was alittle surprised, but two minutes after this picture she passed out. She had such an exhausting day the next morning she slept in until 9!!!

Samantha's first incounter with a boy... hold his hand.....

Now pull his hair, boys are yuckie.

Roll Over, Roll Over

2009-07-10T10:07:00.007-05:00

I finally caught her! I told Anna that she rolled over five times the other day and when Anna came home she wouldn't do it. She did it for Megan Roylance (our wonderful friend/sitter) but not for Anna. Well today she was at it again. She did it twice before i could get the camera turned on. Here is our big baby girl.

Here are some other pictures that Anna took yesterday while I was at school. Sam loves to be outside.

I love her little pointy toes. Anna says she will be a dancer but i say she will be a soccer player.

Change is Hard

2009-07-07T00:23:00.002-05:00

Monday, July 6, 2009

Our poor little puppies, since Samantha came Dusty and I haven't paid much attention to Mira and Lynus. They're no longer the babies of the house, now they're just dogs. And Lynus was feeling alittle left out this evening. I sat down to fold some laundary and turned around to find this....

Lynus curled up in Samantha's Boppy like a little dog bed.
And again five minutes later...

I still think Lynus is the cutest puppy ever!

Our little Crawler

2009-06-25T11:21:00.007-05:00

Monday, July 6, 2009

It has taken about 4 weeks but we finally caught our little girl in the act. We have given her lots of tummy time with the aid of Anna's Boppy and she seems to like it. About 3 weeks ago Anna put her on her tummy and walked out of the room, came back and found Sam about 3 feet on the other side of the boppy. I didnt believe her but when I saw it I have tried to get it on video. Here it is. She is growing up way to fast. (keep in mind she started this about 4 weeks ago and we just now got it on video)

I found out today that she can now roll over. I put her on her tummy, walked away and when I came back she was on her back. I left her there and came back a few seconds later and she had flipped back on to her tummy again. She is getting so big so fast. She rolled over several times in a row, but as soon as Anna came home she stopped performing. Guess she likes her Dad best!

A Special Blessing

2009-05-29T22:05:00.008-05:00

Friday, May 29, 2009

Little Miss Samantha has been a busy girl in her first 6 weeks of life. She’s already been on her first road trip to Texas where she met Grandma and Grandpa Borton and Grandma and Grandpa Butler and all our Aunts and Uncles. Samantha also got a very special blessing from her Dad. Yay!!

We decided to take it slow this time and took two days to drive down. She did great in the car, much better than I expected. She slept the whole time we were driving but then was awake all night, you can’t have it both ways right. We had so much fun seeing our family and friends, I just wish we could have stayed longer to soak up more of that Texas heat (only with the air conditioner on next time, Mom :) Us North Dakotans are NOT used to the Texas summer and humidity. Here in Grand Forks its only 65 degrees! But I did LOVE all the southern cooking, BBQs and brisket, and yummy Mexican food… mmm mmm! Samantha loved it too, except she has developed an allergy to cows milk. Which means I can't have any food that contains milk, milk products, cheese, or butter. What food doesn't have any of those three things??? Basically nothing! Including all cakes, ice cream, cookies, pizza, chocolate and all other essential food items. Good thing Dusty isn't on this diet, he would crack after 1 day.

Here are some photos from Samantha's Blessing day:

All the girls

My Mom and Samantha

All the Grand kids from my family

Samantha was not happy about taking this photo

This one is my favorite, she looks so peaceful

Six Weeks Old!

2009-05-29T21:02:00.006-05:00

Friday, May 29, 209

We are so excited, Samantha is already 6 weeks old!! Time has flown by and she is getting SOO big! :( I wish she would stay tiny forever, but I’m happy she’s growing big and strong. As of today, she now weighs 9 pounds 1 ounce, which is awesome because she struggled to gain weight after we left the hospital. Now she is gaining more than ½ an ounce a day! Mostly because she eats like a lion. Honestly, do not let this girl go hungry for more than 2 minutes or she will vocalize her complaints in a loud screaming manor. The longest she has slept is 6 hours, the best 6 hours sleep of my life. However, we have only done that twice because Samantha does not like to skip her midnight snacks.

I can’t complain, we have been blessed with a very sweet, happy baby. She definitely prefers to be held every minute she is awake and would rather sleep in Mom and Dad's bed over her own, but that's fine with me because I love holding and snuggling her. And the best part is, she gives us plenty of smiles all the time I just wish I could catch one on camera.

Here are some pictures of our sweet Samantha:

1 week old

2 weeks old

Our first Sunday, 3 weeks old

Samantha all cleaned up

2009-04-17T09:09:00.004-05:00

I got my Bum Bum clean and my cloths on so look out world cause here I come!

Here She Is

2009-04-16T18:49:00.005-05:00

Thursday, April 16, 2009

She Is Finally Here. 8 lbs 4 oz and 21 in long.
Samantha Butler!!

Too COLD!!

Still No Baby

2009-04-14T22:45:00.003-05:00

Tuseday, April 14, 2009

Thats right still no baby. We've tried EVERYTHING, yes, even the Caster Oil, which didn't work and was horrid to swallow. At first I thought it was the cold weather keeping her in but today it was in the 60s. I was really hoping she would be here in time for Easter but she's just too stubborn. So she has until Thursday to come on her own and then we're making her come, ready or not.

Here is a photo from last Friday at 40 weeks

Flood Fight of 09

2009-04-06T20:14:00.008-05:00

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

I wasn't going to blog about the North Dakota "Flood Fight of 2009" But then this picture was published in our local paper.

This is Dusty after a long days work of sandbaging with his ROTC friends. It was hard work, as you tell by his facial expression.... pure exhaustion.

Here are some picture of what Grand Forks looked like during the flood. Dusty was brave enough to climb the dike and take a few photos.

You Stay Classy Grand Forks

2009-04-06T20:06:00.006-05:00

Monday, April 6, 2009

Just when I thought it couldn't get any better around here......

Yes, that's REALLY a larger than life size lion, carved from snow, sitting in our neighbor's front yard. First of all, it’s just depressing that we have this much snow in April to make a sculpture this large, it’s as tall as their house. And second, who really has that much free time? The highlight of our week, only when you live in Grand Forks!

My Fat Prego Belly

2009-03-30T22:12:00.010-05:00

Monday, March 30, 2009

Although I'm not a fan of the self portrait pregnant photos (only for myself that is, I think other people's pregnant bellies are absolutely adorable and love seeing them). I'm just too self conscious and hate publishing photographs of myself looking huge and pregnant. But lots of family and friends have been asking for them, so here are a few.

This was at 36 weeks:

And here I am now at 38 weeks, Quite a difference!

I honestly can't complain, I'm still feeling pretty good and I haven't hit the miserable stage yet. Which I think is a bad sign, that I still have a lot longer to go until this baby comes. But It does help that I have a very supportive husband who makes me relax each night.

We are now the Joint Frozen Fighters

2009-03-25T08:58:00.006-05:00

March 25th 2009

We, Anna and I have decided to join together for the greater good of the blog and attempt to update more often. You will see when I blog because mine are so much cooler. No diaper party pictures or frilly froo froo stuff, just pure genius.

With that said I announce to the world that today the 25th of March, 2009 the University of North Dakota has closed it's doors due to bad weather. The last time a full day of classes was cancelled was during the infamous flood of 1997. Nuff said.

Now on to the cool man stuff. A few weeks ago I discovered when coming out to the car that there were two big cracks in our front bumper. Silly Scandinavians Sliding into our Sexy SUV. I guess people know that they have successfully stop sliding into their parking spaces when they feel the bump in their trunk. So being the studly man that I am I removed the front end of the truck and fiber-glassed the cracks to prevent a total loss and 500 bucks for a new bumper. But wait, there's more. I made the cheaper choice to defend ourselves from the Canadian Car Crunchers and put on a Bull Bar. Here are some pictures of the wonderful event.

You will notice that on the day i did the project (last Friday) it was sunny and very warm 40 degrees. I was able to work on it in just a long sleeve shirt. I took the picture of the finished product today (Wednesday) and the snow is back. What a wonderful town we live in.

Oh Baby!

2009-03-02T20:03:00.018-06:00

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

This weekend was my baby shower and boy was beautiful!! Dusty and I are so amazed at the generosity and friendship that we have found here in North Dakota. We are extremely thankful to everyone who has helped and supported us in starting our new family. We are both so grateful for all the love and gifts we received.

My totally awsome diaper cake! Isn't it beautiful!!

Shellie and Megan

Notice the delicious sheet cake, mmmm mmmm... my favorite. Really it is, and I can't stop eating the leftovers.

We did this really fun scrap book of current news and events for the year the baby is born. I can't wait to share it with her 10 years from now and laugh at all the silly things that were going on in Grand Forks North Dakota!

I want to give a special Thank You to Jennifer and Heather and Mckenzie for all your hard work and for everything you did to make this a special day for us. Thank you for being such great friends!! We love you guys!

THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!!

Classy North Dakota

2009-02-14T21:31:00.016-06:00

February 13, 2009

Just a few things that I LOVE about Grand Forks. The people here are really into the Christmas season. So much that they just can’t turn off the Christmas lights.
These photos were taken this week, February 10 and are just a few of the many houses in my neighborhood with lights on.

Really? I think its time to turn off the Christmas lights and accept the fact that Christmas is over.

I should mention that personally I feel the City of Grand Forks is to blame for encouraging this behavior. They still have sidewalk trees lit all over town.

Time to let it go. Don’t worry Christmas will be back next year.

Christmas 2008

2009-02-09T21:14:00.002-06:00

February 9, 2009

I know it was a long time ago but FINALLY, here are our Christmas pictures form Texas!
Dusty says I'm not allowed to blog about anything else until I post them.

Christmas Is Comming!

2008-12-14T13:22:00.010-06:00

December 14, 2008

The countdown begins… Only 3 more days until we return to civilization in Dallas Texas!!!
And maybe visit some family and friends while we're there too.

But here in North Dakota Dusty and I are enjoying the winter holiday.

We baked Christmas cookies:

Survived a mini blizzard and enjoyed a day of canceled church on the couch.

And Dusty's new favorite winter outdoor activity… shoveling the driveway!

I am definitely ready to come home to some warm 60 degree weather for Christmas!!

You Drive me CRAZY....

2008-12-05T13:13:00.005-06:00

December 5, 2008

The things I sacrifice for my unborn child....

Coming to Minneapolis April 3, 2008
Baby Butler expected to arrive…. April 10, 2008

I don’t think we will be making the 4 and ½ hour trip to Minneapolis this year.
Hopefully Britney will come back next year!!! But just know, I am very VERY heartbroken!!!

The Butlers are still alive....

2008-10-24T22:57:00.022-05:00

November 23, 2008

Don’t worry, for all those who thought I disappeared into the nothingness of North Dakota, the Butlers are still alive. And I figure it might be time to update our blog. Here’s what you missed over the past 5 months:

Pumpkin Patch Fun!

Some extra exciting news… Can you guess how many people are in this picture? I know most of you already know.

Dusty’s been working on an special project in the garage…. He built this bassinet from scratch. I'm so proud of him, it looks beautiful!

AND... It's a GIRL!!! Little Baby Butler will be here April 10th!

Scary Skeleton Baby!! She was moving around so much that we couldn't get very many good pictures. We saw it was a girl but she wouldn't hold still long enough to get any proof and then she crossed her ankles for the rest of the time, I think she was trying to be modest. At one point she put her hand in the air and wiggled her fingers, she was definitely waiving to us!!!

In case my mom asks, this is NOT a polygamist costume. And that is not a polygamist hairstyle that took me a really long time to do. But on a side note how do they get their hair so big?

For Halloween Dusty dressed up as his favorite holiday.. Christmas! He walked around singing Christmas carols and sprinkling fake snow over everyone while I expressed my concern over the children and how worried we are.

Because we will have a new little baby soon Dusty and I thought it best to move into a house where we didn't share a wall with loud partying college boys. So we moved into this beautiful home just around the corner. I absolutely love it!

Dusty posted more photos of the inside on his blog.

My Good Looking Pilot

2008-07-15T22:32:00.010-05:00

July 16, 2008

YEA for Dusty!!!

He flew completely alone for the first time this week and came home in one piece!!!

I love you baby!!

4th of July, Texas style

2008-07-15T21:46:00.009-05:00

July 15, 2008

I think I can say this has been the best 4th ever. We split the coast of fire works with a few friends and put on our own awesome show!

First we did a little car modeling at the car show in town.

Then we went to a ward picnic with some friends.

So we might have gone a little over board with the fire works this year. But hey, when you live in a state where there is no such thing as illegal fire works at a ridiculously cheap price who wouldn’t?

Anna vs. The Bottle Rocket

2008-07-15T20:30:00.003-05:00

I tried setting off a bottle rocket for the first time!

Twilight

2008-06-27T21:03:00.003-05:00

Saturday June 28, 2008

I have a little confession, I’ve become SERIOUSLY obsessed with my new book series, Twilight. It’s wonderful!!! A love story about a girl who falls in love with a vampire written by an author from BYU. Now, I know what you’re thinking… “Vampires? Really Anna?” But I’m sure most of you read Harry Potter or you at least saw the movies didn’t you? And that was about wizards… right? I recommend stopping everything you’re doing right now and start reading Twilight. I promise once you start you won’t be able to put it down! I read it in only 4 days. (Much through my husband’s protests. He can’t wait to have a wife back) Anyone who doesn’t know about this book you must must MUST read it.

And anyone who has heard of this splendid book but hasn’t read it – You should be ashamed of yourself! What are you waiting for?

I’m biting my nails for book four to come out in August and for the Twilight movie in December. Only 168 more days!

Update

2008-06-27T20:16:00.008-05:00

June 27, 2008

Ok so I have to admit, I’ve kinda had enough of this whole Blogging thing. But at my husband’s request I’ll keep going. It’s been almost a month since the last time I posted but I promise you didn’t miss anything.

We went to Texas: Hung out with family and friends

Gave away Grey to a wonderful home, and miss her terribly!!!

I also started a new job. Yes that’s right, this is job No. 3 for Anna since we’ve moved to North Dakota. But this time I’m here to stay. I now work at a very professional attorney’s office in town. I do real estate law which I have no experience in but I love learning. It’s been stressful but every one is so supportive and very patient.

Dusty started taking his private pilot license this summer. And next week he’ll fly on his own for the first time!!!