Sunday, March 29, 2009

We are church going folk once more



It was so nice, after missing 3 weeks of church in a row, to finally be sitting in the pew with my family. Myron will be receiving the priesthood in just a couple of weeks and it will be so neat to see he and Nathan passing the sacrament together.
The kids have spring break this week and I am not sure that we will be going anywhere. They all have baseball practices and Shane has to work. I have to come up with some ideas to keep it fun. Maybe we will drive out to Uncle Gregs for a few days.
Mae wore a dress today that I bought last year. I was so excited that it fit her. Look at the adorable photos of her. Her expressions are too funny.

Saturday, March 28, 2009

A preventable death in our community

I am feeling bitter tonight. A sweet boy, Kyle died suddenly last night after not responding to antibiotic treatments to his illness. This has hit our home especially hard. Our community is small and close and anything that happens, especially to a child is a stab in the heart. Kyle was a sweet loving little boy and happened to catch what has been going around. We are saddened by his loss and our hearts go out to his family. If you have seen the scooby doo van, you know his family. His mother, a talented artist, painted their van in this way for Kyle. I can't help but feel upset that this could have been prevented. My kids had this same virus and I kept them home from school. I received much criticism from his teachers for doing this. If only parents knew that it was okay to keep their kids home when they are ill. This strain of flu that is going around is just horrible. Kyle, you were a special boy and we loved you. God bless.

Friday, March 27, 2009

Baseball, Myron and my home away from home




Tonight Myron had a scrimmage game against the Mariners. The Mariners have an amazing player on their team. Garrett R. He is as tall as a high schooler and hits home runs more than any other player I have ever seen. Myron pitched and was as cool as a cucumber. I was such the proud mama watching him. This kid may be small, but he is mighty. He is an amazing pitcher and all around team player. The highlight of tonight was when he was running to first base, tripped and slid about 2 feet from the base. Instead of being embarrassed, he did a little dance and continued to theatrically touch 1st base after obviously being out. We all had a good laugh. He is such a good sport. After baseball, for reasons, I cannot state here, I went to my dearest friend R's house to vent. Her spouse went down to Palm Springs early, so I helped with getting her kids (my honorary neice and nephews to bed). It was so nice to get that time with them. I told them stories, tucked them in and got N ready for bed. Afterwards R and I watched an AMAZING film by Wayne Dyers called "Ambition to Meaning". I had to head home around 11pm and leave R watching the end of the film alone. I intend to buy the film and watch it with hubby.
Ps- I forgot to mention the great photo of Coach's wife, Shannon and dear friend with Mae. They have had such a special relationship ever since Mae was born. She was showing Mae how to run the bases and I kept saying "no shannon! she is going to be a ballerina".

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Cardboard house


Myron received his birthday present FINALLY.......today. A beautiful new mountain bike.
He was so excited about it. Now he and his best friend, Liam can spend all summer biking the 2 miles back and forth between our houses. Rylan and Mae benefited from the large cardboard boxes. The minute I laid my eyes on the boxes, I had a vision in mind. After returning from scouts, we all got together and put this house together for the little ones. The great thing about cardboard houses is the fact that you can draw all over it. Mae chose the floor, but Rylan let loose and colored all over it. Right now, Rylan is sleeping inside.
We just have to figure out the roof!

Monday, March 23, 2009

Beautiful things


I am in love with all things beautiful. Especially small little treasures full of color, texture and history. I stumbled upon this artist on Etsy today and just adore her. I had to share!



Sunday, March 22, 2009

Mae Reading

I love this video. Mae just loves to read to herself.
Yes.......that's Shane snoring in the background. I kept poking him, but how could I deprive him of a Sunday nap?

Brennan is so sweet with Mae, as all her brothers are.

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Sick again? Still......? I cannot remember.






We have been sick off and on for the last month. The kids have missed so much school and it's hard enough already! Now it is the flu. No cold, just nausea, diarrhea, fatigue and headaches. The nausea is the worst. We have never had it this bad. Nearly all of us took a turn at the toilet last night throwing up. I say nearly, because Mae couldn't and didn't make it. It was all over the bed, me, Shane....etc. No sleep, even if we wanted to because my bathroom seems to be the bathroom of choice. This means, the light was going on and off all night! Nathan and I busted out of the sick house last night to help a friend work on her home she is getting ready to list. We weren't feeling well but felt the spirit prompt us to be there. It's funny, while we were there, we both didn't feel sick at all. Anyhow, this the first time that Mae has been throw up sick. She has been gaggy, headache y, feverish and downright miserable, but not throw up sick. As soon as she would "get it all out", she would feel fine and lie there so silently with her eyes open. She wouldn't nurse, but wouldn't you know it, she wanted to be read to. Today she has just been sleeping as much as possible. I went into a cleaning frenzy and disinfected everything I could reach and managed to organize my bedroom and my little corner which is now my office. I may be sick, but my room is organized and it feels good. Here are some photos of Mae while I was cleaning. She just hung out on the bed and went through the book box.
Take care to everyone.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

I finally caught her!

Normally Mae will not do anything if she thinks she is being filmed. Tonight was the exception.
Enjoy!

Monday, March 16, 2009

Happy Birthday to my sweet boy......Myron.








Today was "Myro's" birthday. He is now 12 years old. I cannot believe it. To celebrate, I let him skip school today. His choice of what to do on his special day? Play computer! Am I that restrictive? For his special dinner, we met with our dear friends for dinner at Casa Rojas. It was fun, wild and the highlight of the night was the birthday song. The had the whole band going. Guitar, maracas, stereo with background music. It was great. Myron really got into it and started dancing. Myrons best friend L decided to smush some cupcake into his mouth and kiss his mom. Poor R. All in all.....a terrific night and his highlight was dinner with our friends. I love you Myron!


BIRTH STORY (Skip reading if you are not a mom)
Out of all my births, his is and will always be the most memorable. My only medication free delivery. Not by choice for sure!
He came to me 4 weeks early. They had been trying to stop my contractions for a month and I had gone into the hospital that afternoon with contractions. They were painful and I was sure they wouldn't send me home. I was wrong. Good thing we only lived 4 blocks away. He came so fast the doctor barely made it. They sent me home at a 3 and I came back exactly one hour and 12 contractions apart, a quickly progressing 7. I remember just trying to cross the hospital parking lot as a truck was coming our way. A contraction hit me so hard that I couldn't even take a step. It was a pain I will never forget. I didn't even risk it with the three children that followed. My good friend Elisa said to me once " It's like taking a casserole out of the oven, you either wear oven mitts or you dont". I couldn't agree with her more. After being seen, they rushed me into the delivery room and I begged, screamed for the epidural. I looked over at my husband who was white as a ghost. The nurses were asking HIM if he was alright and helping him! They begged me not to push, but I just had to. I pushed once and my water broke, once more and the doctor barely had time to get his gloves and mask on before he caught Myron. It was an amazing birth. Myron was the sweetest newborn. Dark skin, big brown eyes and the chubbiest little chipmunk cheeks. He weighed 6lbz 4oz and even now, is below the 5th percentile in size and weight. Good things DO come in little packages. Again, out of all of my births, his was the sweetest. I felt amazing afterwards and it was the first child that I spent the night at the hospital with all alone. I treasured that time. He has always been the most amazing guy. Sweet, kind beyond belief and the most loving treasure I could ever wish for. He would go to anyone and just cuddle them. He didn't speak a word until he was nearly two years old. He slept ALL night! Just the most content little guy. Happy Birthday to one of my favorite people in the entire world. I wouldn't dream of you not being in my life.

Lots of lovelies today

First, this is what I have been working on. All my little "Love Girls". I am having way too much fun making these. I feel like a little girl when I design their clothes and paint their features. Mae is in heaven also. She gets to play with them. It's going to be hard to let them go. S and I are making little girl clutches to go with these girls. I think they will be a big hit. I have looked on Etsy and ones that are no where near as cute as mine are going for 15 at least! Each! Now, I just need to figure out how to photograph them properly.

Yesterday, we had an unexpected windstorm that knocked out the electricity until around 3am.
We had missed church AGAIN yesterday because Mae, Rylan and I have been so sick. This time with the new muck that is circulating. Cough, runny nose etc. The kids had fun playing board (bored to me) games. I dislike board games. Especially "LIFE". What the heck is fun about that game? Apparently not much, the kids have yet to ever finish it.
Finally, here is some Mae loveliness. Well......so not lovliness, more like ragamuffiness.
This is what Mae looks like around the house when we are all sick. She loves to play dress up (note the cleats and hat), gets into my makeup/markers whatever she can use to paint her eyes, and spills/throws everything you give her, hence the lovely stains on her clothes.

Today is Myrons birthday. I will talk about all THAT tomorrow.
Take care to everyone! Happy Paddys day for tomorrow.

Friday, March 13, 2009

It all started with Eric.




There are so many stories that could start with that sentence. At Christmas time, my brother Eric gave Shane a framed photo. Not just any photo, but a school photo of an african american teenage girl named "Miss Pauline" (according to the inscription on the back). She had a funny expression and it was definitely the early 80's. After opening his "gift", an obvious thrift store find, he broke into a laughter I hadn't heard before followed by Erics. As tears were streaming down his face, we all looked at the photo, then at Shane and Eric and then back at the photo. Were we missing something? Apparently so. Shane and my brother Eric have a "unique" sense of humor to say the least. So imagine Shanes excitement when we found this site! Here are some handpicked ones by Shane to share with Eric.
Believe me when I say that I have plenty of photos of myself that would give these a run for their money!


Shane said to say that the above photo is him from high school. It is a scary resemblance!


Thursday, March 12, 2009

Baseball season .......here we come!


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Myron started his official baseball season last Saturday, but today was the first practice that I was able to attend. I had planned on running errands during his two hour practice, but found myself unable to stop watching Myron play ball. I never loved baseball until my kids started to play. Myron is so much fun to watch. He is so passionate and hard working. I never see him break focus, even for a minute. For such a small boy, he has amazing skill. Baseball is definitely his sport. He is playing on the Cubs this year again. Last year he played in AAA with his same coach this year as his assistant coach last year. We are very excited about this season.
Coach Guy said to me tonight "Katie, we were so excited to get Myron. It's not baseball without one of the Butlers on our team". I was so flattered. This year we have 4 boys on 4 different leagues. We'll see how we all feel after this season.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

How freecycle can really pay off



You may wonder why I am posting photos of old playstation games. Well......these are some of the big bag of mint condition playstation games that someone got rid of on our local freecycle.
As soon as I got the email that someone was offering them, I responded right away. The kids have an outdated video game system PS2 that you can play PSone games on still. After weeding through the 20 or so games that we were given, I took out the ones that were rated Teen and looked them up on Ebay. Who would have thought that these games were rare, very valuable games to own? So.....I have listed 10 of them starting at 25.00 each!!! I feel somehow wrong for doing this, but hey, they were getting rid of them right? What a great find. I love it when things happen like this. Normally, it is books for me and I don't sell the ones that are the most valuable because I love them. They are like treasures to me. Games........eh, not so much.

Monday, March 9, 2009

Busy bazaar beauties buzzing by brilliantly

Bzzzzzzzzzz. This bazaar thing is making me well.....a little bizarre so excuse the post title. I have been working nonstop since yesterday at 2pm. Hours upon hours of emailing, recruiting, setting up websites, posting photos, establishing accounts, and.....did I say emailing? It is insane how much I check my email. I am getting scared that it's going to be like this for the next three months and I still have baseball season to get through. 4 kids, 4 different leagues. Usually at least two of the boys have been on the same team, so that has been 2 team schedules and we were still running 6 days a week!! Top that with a visit from Shanes parents, the week of the bazaar and Shanes biological grandma and aunts that we are meeting for the first time a couple of weeks after the bazaar!
I am excited about Shanes mom and dad coming because his mom will be such a huge help. Now the bazaar has evolved to 30 confirmed artists and 20 80%sure artists, a fashion show, a concert, two book readings, an art demonstration and food! It is big. It is my baby and it feels so good to be so passionate about something again. I wake up excited and fall asleep excited. It's like running a marathon, or what I imagine a marathon to be. You work hard and it pays off in the end. I felt so proud at our last one and I know I will feel the same after this one. It feels good to be doing something important that hopefully will have a lasting impression on our community.

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Womens retreat and an updated kids photo


Finally a photo with all the kids together. Enjoy Grandmas and papas.
Last night was our annual womens retreat. Every year it is normally at Fort Flagler in the barracks aka "haunted mental hospital" and I never want to spend the night. The lights seem to zzt zzt and it is an eery creepy environment. Cement everywhere and metal bunkbeds upstairs.
You can just imagine every kind of ghost dwelling in this type of environment. The first year I tried to make it exciting and tried to enlist fellow friends to help me scare people in the middle of the night. No one would do it and by the end of the night, everyone knew I was trying to do it. So.....I went home. I figured if I could at least scrounge up a practical joke, it would be worth staying. My response everytime people would ask why I wasn't staying the night would be " I choose life". Also, the missing of the babies thing.
Fast forward to this year. It was on our little Island at a beautiful huge house on the water.
We had 50+ women attend the nights festivities and yet only about 10 spend the night. I was planning on spending the night and actually stayed until midnight, but just wanted to be home with Mae. I figured she'd be upset and crying and wouldn't settle for Shane. Boy was I wrong!
When I arrived home, she was sound asleep. She had been awake still when I left at midnight Shane said, but after sitting in the car with R in our driveway for 45+ minutes, she finally pooped out. It was a great night. Lots of fun conversation and a great friendship talk by a good friend.
It gave me goosebumps to listen to all of the great things about good friends and R and I talked about this as we sat in my driveway. I am so thankful for the type of friendship we have. We can fight (which we have done a few times), argue (which we do a lot), tell each other exactly what we think, and still love, trust and respect each other and our relationship is a priority in our lives. I have never had such a close relationship with any other woman that wasn't family. Friendships are a blessing, we should nurture them as much as possible. I will try to get a copy of my friends talk and post it on here for those of you that didn't get to make it.

My yoga instructor Becky joined us at the retreat. She had a lot of fun and it was so nice to have her share her sweet spirit with us.
Go J! The girls had fun playing games. J what was the name of that game? It was so much fun!
That's all for now.

Thursday, March 5, 2009

5 kids at the dentist at the same time!






Well, I just have to give kudos to our family dentist, Dr. Charlie Brown. Yes........that's his name.
He and his team of helpers are just amazing. The kids have been going to him for years and we so appreciate the extra TLC that they give to make our kids comfortable. They allowed all 5 kids to be seen at our last visit and it was fun to see all the kids together in the chairs. Mae, went last and was so concerned watching her brothers. She kept going up to Nathan and saying "Nae Nae, you okay"? I captured her sweet looks of concern. After the dentist, we stopped by Lyons Park and played around for a while in the sun. Speaking of sun...on the same day, I was waiting for Nathan at his school and Mae kept looking at the sun and crying. She said "owie" and did it again and again.
I actually had to explain to her what the sun was and that it wasn't there to hurt her eyes. :)
Too funny.