Cousins....

These are the cousins on Craig's side. Craig's older sister has three girls (in orange) and his younger sister has three boys (brown/blue). In October we secretly assembled the the DCP for a photo shoot to surprise Craig's Mom and Dad with for Christmas. I took over 300 pictures (including individual and family shots, as well) in 2 hours and me and my assistants (Kristi & Nikki) walked away tired, but satisfied we had captured at least one prized photo to grace the 10x 13 frame. It was all worth it because when Ama and Papa opened their picture, I think they were truly surprised and some tears were shed. I have been waiting since October to post some of these so here it goes..... L-R Hunter, Chase, Bryce, Kaylei, Alissa, Sydni, Will, Anna & Wyatt

We don't know what this is, but we referred to it as the 1/2 pipe and it made a pretty good set up for 9 kids...
I think this is the chosen ONE, below.....

What cuties!! Do you notice Anna's black eye? I tried to cover it with make-up!

They range in age from 2-11.....

And of course there were many "silly" shots, so I had to include a couple....

Do we have to do this again next fall? :)

Sew like crazy

I have finished up my sewing projects for Christmas. I am one of those people who loves fabric, and I buy it with good intentions. I just find myself so swamped with other "duties" that I seldom find the time to sew. Recently I organized all the fabric I had, and set up my sewing machine back in our bedroom. I realized I had accumulated three tubs FULL of fabric. I decided that my goal this year would be to make as much as I could in the way of gifts, without buying any more fabric. I came across this camo fabric, I think I've had at least 3 years. My original intentions were to make matching jammies for the boys. Like that ever happened! So instead I decided to make them matching rag quilts. As of Tuesday I was only about 1/2 done with the first one. I spent most of nap time sewing and I finished them both yesterday! I can now wrap them up for the boys for Christmas! I also made Anna a pillow for her new big girl bed. We ended up finding a clearance deal on a quilt for her bed, but I still wanted something personal and home-made for her bedroom. So I took scraps of her nursery bedding along with some other scraps I had from another rag quilt and pieced them all together for a very shabby chic look. I also made another pillow like hers, for a friend, and one apron. All in all, I spent $0, it was all fabric from my tubs. Still, I haven't made much of a dent in the fabric! But, I'm glad to have done a few projects. Now I can fully say I am READY for Christmas!!

Oh.....my.....gosh!

Every once in a while Anna will look at me with big eyes and say this. It's cute and a little frightening at the same time, but I have no doubts about where she learned it :)

Santa

The Indoor Park I take the kids to had their Christmas Party this week. We had a visit from Santa, and he gave each child a gift......

They went right up to him and sat on his lap. Anna even tried to go back and sit on his lap a second time! Here I am prepared for tears, but none came. I'm glad they enjoyed it, but I do find it a little strange that they weren't the least bit afraid. Maybe we need to brush up on "stranger danger" a bit :)

I just turned 31

This weekend Craig and I went away to the coast for TWO NIGHTS! It was the first time since having kids that we have been able to spend two nights away from them (not counting the hospital stays after birthing them, that is :). It was crazy how, for me, it seemed like such a long time to be without them. I almost felt a little out of my element. But then I realized, that the past (almost) 7 years of my life, I have been a mommy 24-7. It's not like we moms have the regular weekend, or evenings off. The job of mom is thoroughly ingrained in us. So, of course it was going to take some adjusting to get used to no kids around. However.......I quickly adjusted, and we had a wonderful time. We took walks/jogs both mornings, shopped for over 4 hours, watched a marathon of Love Comes Softly on the Hallmark channel, and even a few UFC fights (I was so kind!), shared a pint of Ben & Jerry's, ate out, laughed a lot, and enjoyed each other's company. There were times, I truly felt like we were dating again. It was both a little wierd and wonderful to be without our kiddos, and a great way to bring on 31, which hit today. Today took a little getting used to as well. Dishes, floors, laundry, to and from school, finishing up Christmas baking and putting together teacher gifts, etc., etc., etc., hit in full force. As of 6:50pm all three kids were asleep in their beds, fighting off colds, so now I am off to enjoy a quiet birthday evening!

31 things I thought of on our way home from the coast that I am thankful for on my 31st Birthday:
1. Jesus, my Savior
2. Craig, my support
3. Will, my helper
4. Wyatt, my comic relief
5. Anna, my snuggle girl
7. coffee every morning
8. a warm bed
9. my backyard
10. my church family
11. growing up memories
12. hugs and kisses
13. my in-laws (they're great!)
14. pictures
15. books
16. music and singing with Craig
17. family that loves me
18. phone calls from friends
19. hearing "I love you mom"
20. my college experience
21. my Bible
22. freedom
23. hot showers
24. the rain
25. my home
26. my piano
27. my freckles
28. people's individualities
29. healthy kids
30. my siblings
31. the outdoors

I think I may have to keep this forever....

I love Will's phonetically correct way of writing. This one reads: "Have a merry-mis" (he thought it was funny and clever to combine Merry and Christmas) "I love you mom because you take care of me, love Will."

Just for fun...

Copying this Christmas Survey from Alysun's and Angela's blog. Post in on yours!!



1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Usually wrapping paper, especially for the kids stuff.



2. Real tree or artificial? Real, love the smell



3. When do you put up the tree? Sometimes right after Thanksgiving, sometimes we wait til the next weekend.



4. When do you take the tree down? A few days after Christmas, for sure by New Years



5. Do you like egg nog? No, it gags me. But Craig does so I usually buy a small carton.



6. Favorite gift received as a child? My Barbie Head---you know the kind where you do her hair and make-up



7. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes, a soft one for the kids to play with. I love it.



8. Hardest person to buy for? probably brother-in-laws, so Craig's in charge of that



9. Easiest person to buy for? My mom.



10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail. For sure.



11 . Worst Christmas gift you ever received? My grandma was always giving me and my sister's her old shirts. Some of them had stains or dried food on them. Ya, it was that bad.



12. Favorite Christmas movie? National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. EVERY time I watch it I crack up.



13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? I start thinking about around October and I do a good 75% of my shopping the day after Thanksgiving.



14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? I don't think so.



15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Cookies, fudge....I'm all about the Christmas baking. Oh, and peppermint mochas. So yummy this time of year.



16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? Clear



17. Favorite Christmas song? I have so many, but I will say “Mary Did You Know?”



18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Vancouver to celebrate with Craig's fam, Salem on Christmas Eve, just home on Christmas Day.



19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeers? I would venture to say I could come close. I just read the kids that book last night.



20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Angel, but it is really dorky so I think we are switching to a star next year.



21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Growing up both Craig and I did the Christmas Eve thing. We do Christmas morning with our kids, as a family.



22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? People get stressed out....relax already, It's Christmas for goodness sakes! (kind of talking to myself here)



23. Favorite ornament theme or color? We have a huge mish-mash, lots of Craig's ornaments from when he was a kid, and I love snowmen, so we have a few of those....we also have sand dollars, a few birdhouses, and stars.



24. Favorite part of Christmas dinner? We have never done a full "dinner" for Christmas. My dad makes his famous Clam chowder and crabbies (crab meat, cheese, red onions melted on buns....to die for!) stuffed mushrooms, and lots of other "snackies".



25. What do you want for Christmas this year? Great memories.



26. Gift Cards. Yes, I like them, or No, too impersonal? They are great!



27. If yes, where from? If No, best place to shop for your present? Craft Warehouse, Spencers Alley



28. Any plans for New Years? None, other than kissing my husband at midnight.

Routine

I have always pretty much been a routine type of girl. Motherhood, threw somewhat of a hitch in things, but lately I find myself really striving for and loving routine. My days seem to go much easier when I spiffy up the house before bed, run the dishwasher, lay out clothes and pack lunches. Mornings go well, when I'm up early with my coffee and Bible reading time before the kids come out to cuddle.

While I love routine, I have never been an athlete. I was a cheerleader. Never played a sport of any kind. Never consistently exercised until after I had Wyatt, (gained a whoppin' 50+ pounds, I desperately needed to). But, ever since July or so, I have been consistently rolling out of bed at 5:50am for my morning walk/jog. Now there's nothing appealing about getting out of a warm bed on a cold December morning for exercise, but like I said, it is routine, I find I am stuck with it. I started walking, then added a slow jog. Now, the non-athlete me is proud to say I can run (very slowly mind you) most of the way without dying. And each morning if I'm early enough I pass the kid riding his bike up the hill. Some days I see the middle aged man walking his wiener dog, and we exchange hellos as we have done too many times to count. Friday's I pass the little old lady in the beauty parlor sitting under the hair dryer, while working on her knitting. Shortly after that I pass the gym where there are usually a couple big guys lifting weighs. I whiz by (ya---right). Then, I round the corner to start home and pass the courthouse, and County jail, feeling very safe as I pass police cars and usually a big white surburban. Then it's down the hill to the most rewarding part of the run. Passing by Dutch Bros. getting a whiff of coffee and of course noticing the average of about 3 cars in line.

What happens when I don't get up? I am left wondering all day, did the wiener dog guy miss me? how busy was D.B.? Was it really that cold out? I kick myself for not just getting up! These and other questions are what motivates me to keep it up. It's all about routine. That and those stubborn 5 pounds or so, that are hanging on for dear life.

Holiday Home Tour.....

I am participating in a Holiday Home tour hosted by Heidi Jo, a fellow blogger who I've never met, but found her blog through another friends (if you care to check it out and/or participate go to her blog, heidijowhatdoyouknow.blogspot.com). So wipe your feet, and come on in the Button home and have a look at some of our holiday favorites.....

A Christmas basket liner for our library books, makes things just a little more festive.....

No porcelain nativity in this house....someday , maybe. But for now the kids love to play and re-arrange this soft bean-bag style set which was made for my mom, when I was little. Being a Chritmas baby I always kind of thought this was "my" nativity and took it with me when I got married. I have since made my mom a replacement set for her house!

Our stocking are hung by the chim....no wait, they are just on the wall. We have no chimney or mantle so this works.....

The boys have their own little tree that get to decorate anyway they like. And yes, it has already tipped over once, thanks to little sis...

One of my most favorite ornament. I got it at a MOPS ornament exchange and it became Anna's ornament when she was one. Now, whenever I look at it, it reminds me of her......

And, or course, every Oregon school teacher's wish is for a snow day at some point this winter!!

Merry Christmas!!

Steely season

Steelhead fishing season is upon us and Saturday Craig got the bug to head out to the river and came home with this nice 31 inch, 10 lb. buck, the first of many this season, I'm sure. Fresh with sea lice on it and all. Which to some of you may sound totally disgusting, but to me it is just proof that you won't find a fresher fish. While I dread the winter months because of their dark evenings and cold dreary days, he anxiously looks forward to those months for the fishing. But.... I am glad he gets the chance to do something he loves. It makes him happy. Plus, I love fish so it will make a yummy dinner!

mommy in training

Anna loves being mommy to her babies. We were eating popcorn so she made sure her baby was situated in her high chair with some popcorn to eat as well. She also loves lotion, and as a part of our daily routine I usually give her a little to rub on her hands, then she proceeds to pat some on her cheeks and says, "pretty!". Today she ran out from my bedroom to get me saying, "baby, baby, c'mere!" I followed her back and saw that she had lovingly rubbed lotion onto her baby's face as well. She copies everything she sees these days. I am amazed at how quickly she learns. A little mommy in training.

The Perfect Tree

Can the perfect tree ever be found? I'm still not sure, but we had another adventure in getting our tree this year. Let's just say I have realized we are cheapskates and we settled on the tree farm that was selling any tree for $12. We ended up getting two, one for us and one for the boys room for way less than we would have paid for one tree at the big and fancy tree farm we started at! Here is Wyatt with Daddy helping to pull our tree up the hill.

This is simple classic Wyatt. We hadn't been out of the car for more than three minutes and he had already fallen twice, was covered with thick mud, and complaining of being cold. I couldn't resist snapping a picture.
A little brother love...

Anna, exploring the Christmas tree "forest".

More of the Birthday girl!

Just a few more pictures of Anna's family birthday party.....working hard to open those presents.

Babies and accessories, a princess doll, and lots of cute new clothes!
Our "Christmas" babies..... Anna turning two and cousin Halle turning 7.

Really trying hard to blow out those candles!!

Round one...

We celebrated Anna's Birthday....just the five of us....last night. She opened presents, we ate pizza and had cake. We had worship practice that evening, but she did get phone calls and birthday wishes from lots of family members (thank-you!!). She is a blessed little girl. And she loved all the attention :) Below we have Anna, Daddy, and her very excited brothers helping her open presents.

Here we are with the "flutta-fly" (butterfly) cake. Anna has a mild obsession with butterflies so Will helped me decorate a butterfly cake for her. When I showed it to her, she guessed what it was. That's all that matters, right?
" Happy Birthday Dear Anna.......Happy Birthday to YOU!" She was very excited to blow out her candle, she actually blew it out before we finished singing.

This is Anna's "sweet" face. The scrunched up smile with eyes closed. I don't know how she learned this but whenever we ask for the sweet face, this is what we get!

Looking proud to be 2.....and ready for some cake!

Stay tuned for round 2 pictures coming soon. We celebrate with cousin Halle who's turning 7, on Sunday!

Go Ducks!

Craig will love this picture. Anna found his Ducks hat and was wearing it all around the house. Saturday is the big Civil War game, so I thought it appropriate to post this picture. Go Ducks!

Anna's story.....

Here I sit almost two years later, finally typing out Anna's story for her scrapbook. I knew I would get to it at some point. Read on if you so desire (warning, it's LONG):

I had a wonderful pregnancy. Those pregnancy hormones really seemed to agree with me and after the initial weeks of nausea, I started to fell better than ever. I really felt like you were going to be a girl, early on, and at about 13 weeks, I mentioned the name Anna to your daddy in conversation at a restaurant. It was funny because it literally had just popped into my head at that moment, yet it felt like the perfect name. Daddy agreed that he liked it, too, so inside I knew if you were a girl you would be Anna. Later, just weeks before my ultrasound, I suddenly got a feeling that I was going to be the mother of three boys. I talked to the Lord, prayed and cried about this reality and felt a
complete peace at whatever sex you would be. It sounds so selfish and insignificant, now, but I really did WANT and girl, yet I knew I would be completely ecstatic with whatever the Lord chose to bless me with.


The day of your ultrasound....still convinced you were a boy, the tech searched around to tell us what you were. She couldn't get a real clear picture so she did all the other measurements and then had me go pee and come back....when I layed back down she tried to look again and said...."here I've got a clear view now" and clicked on the fact that you were a GIRL! I immediately started crying and laughing at the same time.... let me tell you it can be pretty embarrassing and I even snorted a few times. But I didn't care. You were a girl, I could hardly believe it!


When we left the hospital we started calling everyone to tell them you were a girl. The boys were at Aunt Paige's house with Aunt Brooke as well, so we decided to stop and buy an '"it's a girl" balloon to share the news with them. As we walked in the front door both my sisters came around the corner with expectant looks on their faces. They saw the balloon and immediately we were all jumping, screaming and hugging each other there in the entryway. It is one moment I will never forget.

The days leading up to your birth were quite busy and to tell the truth I'm sure I over did it. With all those pregnancy hormones raging through my body I had decided that we needed to our tree up and our house fully decorated for Christmas before I went in to have you. The day after Thanksgiving (4 days before your arrival) I was up at the crack of dawn and in Freddies at 5am for my annual after Thanksgiving day shopping extravaganza. I also went to the Nutcracker that evening. Sheesh....is it any wonder that on the eve of your birth I was hit with a horrible migraine right before bed? I took my medicine, but couldn't sleep. I was in pain and completely stressed out, but I remember feeling you roll and bump around inside of me like crazy that night. Like you were ready to come out. I lay awake thanking God for this, my last night of pregnancy and became very expectant and nervous about the day to come. That morning we had been told we were scheduled for 7:30am. Being the third time around I don't know why I assumed that meant be at the hospital at 7:30, but at 6:40 that morning right as we were preparing to leave we get a call from a crabby nurse scolding me for not being at the hospital at 6am. Come to find out 7:30 was the time they were suppose to be getting you out!

I felt like we had to rush out the door which made me even more nervous. When we got to the hospital and I was getting checked in I felt like I was going to throw up. For me, too much information was a bad thing, and having been through the c-section twice before all I could think about was the needle going into my back. When the nurse took my resting heart rate I think it was something like 130 beats/minutes she made the comment that we were rushing too much and freaking me out. She was right! But it was time to get started and once the spinal was in, I was relaxed and happy :). You came out at 8:14 am..... and cried and cried and cried. You were the only one of our babies who kept crying even after being wrapped up. But you were perfect in every way. Our little girl had arrived.

Back in the recovery room, I once again got incredible shakes and had to be given some drugs for that. They worked well. Your brothers were first to come see you. They had been at the hospital that morning and daddy brought them in. I will never forget the looks on their faces as they saw you for the first time. This little two and four year old were in complete awe and totally taken with you, their baby sister. Their faces completely lit up and they were so amazed at how tiny you were. That is another one of those moments I will never forget.

We got to take you home on December 2nd in a bright red stocking. I was so excited when they came around the day before and put stockings on the doors. 29 years prior I had gone home in a red stocking, which I still have. That was another special moment for me.

The rest is history. Bringing you home was one the most exciting and exhausting stages of my like thus far. I felt like I merely just survived the first few months, but survived I did, and everyday you have brought so much joy to our family. You were a blessing on that day almost two years ago. As I watch you grow and mature to all of two years I am amazed by what I see. My baby is no longer a baby....you are moving toward independence in so many ways. I wish I could go back....if even just for a day and cuddle you, watch you as you lay sleeping, so small in your crib. But time passes, and so I am reminded in this moment to cherish who you are, each and everyday. I'm so excited to see who you will become. I love you my sweet Annie-Beth! Happy 2nd Birthday.

Love,
mommy

Pies & Potters

Yesterday we made turkey cupcakes....I copied the idea from the family fun magazine. Mine weren't nearly as cute, but they were yummy! Earlier the boys were discussing turkey's while I was driving. Wyatt's comment was, "turkey's don't have bottoms, their legs just come out of their bodies." It was funny.
Will and I just got finished making our Thanksgiving pies. Right now I have pumpkin and apple cranberry stuessel pie in the oven and let me tell ya, my house smells really good. I don't know if there's anything better than those yummy cinnamon spice smells this time of year.

I asked the boys what they were thankful for. Will replied, "legos" and Wyatt's answer was, "mommy, daddy, my sweet little cupcake girl Anna, my house, wrestling with daddy, playing tea set with mommy....." and that's where I stopped. My boys are so different.

This week I started reading Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp. Here is a passage from the book that I loved. As you read, think about how this pertains to your unique children.

"I have a friend who is a potter. He told me that he can only create the type of pot the clay he is working with will allow him to create. The clay is not merely passive in his hands. The clay responds to him. Some clay is elastic and supple. Some clay is crumbly and hard to shape."

Here's what I learned: don't fight your clay. Work with the clay you have been given. As you mold it, it will actively respond to you in a good or bad way. Realize that you are not creating identical pots. Each one was designed by the Master Potter to be different. The final product is for you to discover, along with the clay.

How encouraging.

Happy Thanksgiving!

It's official!

Anna is officially out of the crib. A couple weeks ago she had another incident in the middle of the night where she tried to climb out and pinned her foot between the crib and the wall. She was in there screaming and it totally freaked me out. So I decided I had definitely put this off long enough and the next morning she moved to the crib mattress on the floor. It's been challenging getting her to stay in her "bed" to go to sleep, but lately she seems to be getting the hang of it. The night waking still happens every once in a while (we are waiting the LAST baby tooth to pop through!) and last night I heard her crying. It sounded like she was up out of her bed, in the hall, but then she stopped crying and in my 1/2 asleep state I figured she had gotten back in her bed, and I fell back asleep without checking on her. Later, about 4am, I had to get up and go the the bathroom so I decided to check on her. Of course she wasn't in her room......what was I thinking? I headed to the boys room where I found her and Wyatt curled up together in his bed. Too cute, I guess she needed someone to snuggle with. And we ALWAYS take her back to her bed if she gets in with us. So, she's learning! I would have taken a picture to post, but c'mon, it was 4am!

The right equasion

1 cute but mischievous toddler, completely obsessed with the bathroom sink and toilet +
1 play dough rolling pin =

yep, she flushed it (without me knowing)! I plunged the heck out of it all day, but could never get it to fully drain. My hero, Craig, saved the day by getting a toilet "snake" and figuring out there was definitely something in there. He had to pull out the toilet and reach up to push the object out. He deserves the husband of the year award!

Autumn Leaves

Creation brings an offering as autumn leaves turn to gold......

.....the trees bow down in highest praise, now laid bare before the throne."

~Lyrics from On the Third Day by Michael Olson.


Pictures in the park ~ Anna "almost" 2 years

More of the three.....

"Who is that handsome blondie with your children?", you ask.

It is my husband, who dyed his hair as the result of a Jog-a-thon incentive!

We took these pictures Sunday afternoon, hoping to get one of the kids for our Chirstmas card. I think there are at least a few to choose from, but boy was it a lot of work!!

Happy Fall!