Butler Family

Happy Birthday, Josh!

2009-06-10T09:31:00.003-04:00

You are 8 years old today!! You are growing up into such a fine young man. Daddy and I are very proud of you!!

This year, you had a Mad Scientist party and had a blast!!

Today, we are going to Red Robin for lunch and you have chosen to go to Burger King for supper. :) I guess today is a day of hamburgers.

Updates

2009-06-02T09:01:00.003-04:00

Once again, it's been forever since I've updated.

We just got back from Orlando and we had a great time! We were there for 7 nights. We stayed in the Sheraton Vistana Resort and it was great! This place had 7 pools. We found our favorite one and played there most of the time.

We went to Seaworld for 2 days. The kids loved the whales and dolphins. They enjoyed the rides (even Emma rode the roller coaster). Callie didn't enjoy the walking around, but she did enjoy the "events" (shows, rides, etc.).

Scott came and joined us for a few days, too. The kids loved having him there!! :)

Scout camp starts today. Josh was very excited about it. He even told me to just drop him off...I didn't need to get out and walk him over to his group. So, I did! They have it set up so you drive right up to your den...several of his friends were already there when we got there.

The girls will be going to VBS starting tomorrow.

Josh's birthday party is this Saturday. We're doing a Mad Scientist theme! I think the kids will have a lot of fun! I hope I can make this cake! I'm making a flask cake that I found in a magazine.

We should have about 10 kids there (counting our own).

Fun sayings from the kids

2009-03-16T08:49:00.002-04:00

It's been too long since I've updated!

Here are a few cute things the girls have said this past weekend.

Emma: "Mommy, you're my best friend in the whole world!". :)

We were walking down the sidewalk in a shopping center. Every 50 feet or so, there were a few stairs and a ramp. Well, we first walked down the stairs and the next time, we walked down the ramp...kept repeating this. Callie said, "Mommy, we're making a pattern". :) Smart girl!

Callie & Emma were sitting on mom's lap and Callie was saying, "Arf! Arf! Arf!". She finally said, "I'm barking!". Mom told her she must be a dog. So, she looked at Emma and asked her if she was a kitty cat? Emma's response? "No, I'm a people".

We took the kids to Pigeon Forge this weekend for a little spring break get away. We stayed at the Governor's Crossing Resort. It had a really nice pool area with water slides and everything. I bet Josh went down those slides 100 times Friday night. He LOVED them! He's become quite the water bug. :)

A potato is coming to our class!!

2009-02-11T16:25:00.003-05:00

This is what Callie told me when she got home from school today. :) I had no idea what she was talking about!

Phil finally said they were talking about tornadoes!! Oh!!!

We're in the middle of some pretty bad storms and have had a tornado warning a good part of the day for this area.

So, Callie's potato is really a tornado! :)

I don't want Slushie Joes!

2009-01-22T17:11:00.001-05:00

This is what Callie said when she found out we were having Sloppy Joes for supper tonight. I asked her if Sloppy Joes would be okay then...she said, "Yes". :) Oh, the mind of an almost 4 year old! LOL

I don't want a spanking!

2009-01-14T14:05:00.003-05:00

I went upstairs the other night to find the girls with a pencil. I'm still not quite sure where they got it, but they had it. They had also created some nice artwork on the wall (well, mostly scribbles).

Callie immediately said Emma had done it. I asked Emma who had written on the wall and she said, "Callie and me". :)

I said, "Callie, did you write on the wall?"
Callie: "I don't want a spanking!"
Me: "Callie, did you write on the wall?"
Callie: "I don't want a spanking!"

This went back and forth for a minute or 2 (did I say I was going to give them a spanking?).

Well, I did give them each a small spanking (they didn't even cry). The wall they wrote on is in bad shape - no excuse for writing on the wall, but not worth getting too upset about.

Well, later, Phil went back upstairs to check on them (they were still up). He asked about the writing on the wall.

Callie's response? "Mommy already spanked me!". :)

Hopefully, they'll remember the next time NOT to write on the wall!

Brag on Callie

2009-01-13T08:15:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, Callie's teacher said that she worked on patterns/sequences (they're doing 1 on 1 w/ the kids and it was Callie's turn). Her teacher said Callie got everything right! She said she started making the patterns harder, but Callie was always able to tell her what the next item in the sequence was.

I have to say this, Callie & Emma are the youngest ones in the class (they're not yet 4 and they're in the 4 year old class). I am so proud of Callie!

Maybe Emma will have her turn today, but I think she will do just as well.

Their other teacher told me this morning that they've been having trouble w/ some of the older kids in the class not being able to get the pattern/sequence thing down, so I'm very proud of my girls for being able to get it (I'm assuming Emma will be able to do it, too). :)

After Christmas...

2009-01-07T10:00:00.004-05:00

I have been bad at keeping up w/ this blog. Let's see, what all has happened since Christmas? :)

Josh went back to school yesterday. He really enjoyed the time off, but I think he was excited about getting back to it, too. He came home and talked non-stop of things going on. I'm not even sure what all he was saying because he didn't take a breath between stories.

Two nights ago, I wasn't feeling very good (just coughing stuff). Anyway, I was sitting on the bed after the girls got out of the tub. I was helping Emma get her pj's on and she asked why I was sitting on the bed (usually, I stand and she's on the bed). Anyway, I just said that I didn't feel very good. So, she gives me this huge hug and then reaches up and gives me a kiss. She looks at me for a second and then laughs. She said, "I got snooter nose on your face!". (Snooter nose = runny nose). Yes, she had a runny nose when she kissed me and left some on my cheek. We both got a good laugh out of that one.

Callie was excited to get back to school, too. However, she keeps having these unexpected accidents. She seems to forget to go to the bathroom. I'm not sure if she's uncomfortable about pooping at school, so she just does it in her pants!? She hasn't had an accident at home in weeks. I'm not sure what's up w/ that. So, I bribed her today. I told her if she could go all day without an accident (Emma, too), we'd go get a special treat (probably a Slushie from Sonic). :) I'm tired of doing all of the laundry she's generating! I hope today is a better day!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2009-01-05T20:06:00.004-05:00

We had a wonderful Christmas. I think the kids were very happy with what Santa brought them. Later, Callie was a tad upset that we didn't have a birthday cake for Jesus, though.

We went to Scott's on Christmas Eve and had lots of fun. We went to Kingsport on Christmas Day and spent the night. Junior & Beverly fixed us a wonderful breakfast the day after Christmas.

It's good to get back to normal, I think.

This past weekend, we celebrated Nannie's 100th birthday. There was a big Butler birthday party for her and I think she really enjoyed herself.

The girls have just gotten over ear infections and seem to be doing fine w/ that. Unfortunately, they gave me their cough. Phil's been loading me up with Vitamin C...not sure if it's doing any good, but I guess it can't hurt. :)

I want little hair!

2008-11-24T13:17:00.001-05:00

On the way to school this morning, Callie kept complaining about her hair being in her face when she turned her head. She finally said, "I want little hair like you and daddy!". Poor thing! She has such gorgeous hair that I can't bring myself to get it cut. It's just so dry right now, that she has "fly away" hair and it's driving her nuts. I guess I need to start pulling it back more.

I'd trade hair w/ her in a heartbeat! :)

Halloween and stuff...

2008-11-06T08:20:00.002-05:00

This was a fun Halloween (yeah, right). I had an upper respiratory infection and felt like poo. Emma went to be Thursday night w/ an obvious ear infection. So, the 2 of us spent Friday morning at the doctor's office. :) Luckily, Emma didn't act like she felt bad until she laid down. At any rate, both of us are better now (I'm still slightly stopped up).

We took the kids to the mall on Halloween night. That actually worked out nicely. We weren't outside in the cold (not that it was that cold) and the kids got more candy than they would have in the neighborhood. We spent about 30-45 minutes walking around getting candy and then the kids were ready to go home! HA!

This year, Josh was a race car driver; Callie was a witch; Emma was a ladybug (same as last year). They were all excited about going trick or treating this year. It was a lot of fun, even if we didn't all feel well.

Josh has a busy 2 weeks ahead of him (well, now about 1 1/2 weeks). He has a project due at school. He has to do a report and a diorama on the hammerhead shark. That should be fun!

He also has a Gingerbread house to decorate for Scouts. They take them to the Fantasy of Trees to sell. It was a lot of fun last year. Hopefully, we can do something pretty this year.

Josh also has to do a book report on a Thanksgiving book. I guess we'd better find that book soon! I don't think that one is due for another 2 weeks.

On top of that, the next 2 weekends are booked. Phil's parents are coming down this weekend and I'll write more about next weekend later. :)

I think I'm going to have a nightdare!

2008-10-29T08:52:00.003-04:00

Just before going to bed last night, Callie said, "I think I'm going to have a nightdare tonight and it's going to wake me up. It might be loud!". The night before, she woke up and came into our room saying 2 spiders were in her bed trying to get her. Oh, the imagination this girl has!

That being said, Callie didn't have a "nightdare" last night...Emma did...or maybe she fell out of bed - we're not sure. All we know is she screamed for 20 minutes - a "mean" scream, not a scream like she was in pain. We're not sure if she was awake or not, but it was getting rather old at 2:00 in the morning. She finally calmed down and climbed into bed with us. She said she fell out of bed and hit her head and that's why she was crying/screaming. I'm not sure if that was it or not, but I was glad when she calmed down. :) She cuddled w/ us for a little while and then disappeared back to her bed.

This is the 3rd night there has been a child in our bed...we're starting to feel the lack of sleep (at least I am).

I hope tonight is much quieter and everyone stays in their own bed!!

Nice Evening at Home

2008-10-09T16:00:00.001-04:00

Sometimes, I think someone comes in an possesses my children. Last night was one of those nights. First of all, our kids really do get along well with each other - most of the time. :)

Yesterday afternoon, the girls and I drove in. Josh immediately comes down to greet us (like he usually does). Well, when we went upstairs, he took the girls into the living room to play. I then heard, "Hey Callie! Come here! Do you want to watch Dora?" Josh usually gets a little cranky if we turn his shows off to watch what the girls want to watch. So, this surprised me a little that he was offering to let them watch Dora! Way to go, Josh!

Then, at supper, I ran out of Doritos (w/ my soup) and I just said, "Oh look! I ran out of Doritos!". Josh said, "Here, you can have the rest of mine!". Doritos are his favorites!

Before that, I told the kids were were having left over soup (again). Callie isn't a soup eater, so she told me she didn't want any. I told her I would make her a cheese sandwich. She told me she wanted a sandwich with just jelly on it. I told her that I had to put some peanut butter on it because she wasn't just having a jelly sandwich. Well, instead of throwing a fit, she said, "Okay, Mommy! Thank you!" in the sweetest voice!

I wish every evening was like that! Everyone was so polite! :)

Playing Catch up again!

2008-09-24T13:54:00.002-04:00

We found out on Monday that Josh needs glasses. We knew he was possibly having some problems seeing in the distance, but we didn't realize how bad it was! He never showed any signs of not being able to see. His teacher did tell us he was having trouble seeing the board, which is what prompted us to go ahead and make him an appointment. He's blind as a bat (20/200). He should be getting his new glasses tomorrow or Friday.

Callie has a neurologist appointment on Friday - this is just a follow up to make sure she's doing okay. She's actually been doing just fine. Her temper isn't even quite as bad as it used to be - not perfect, but not horrible either. :)

Emma is getting ready to have a new "friend" join her in speech next week. It's another 3 year old child and both will be taught at the same time. It will be interesting to see how she does with someone else in there. I think she'll do just fine. Emma's a little social butterfly when she wants to be. :)

We bought another new dishwasher today (3rd dishwasher we've had since we got married 11 years ago). We got a Frigidaire this time. Let's see if this one lasts any longer than the others - HA!

September 9

2008-09-09T11:02:00.003-04:00

How did it get to be Sept 9? Wow!

The kids are all doing great. Josh was released by his doctor yesterday. He said Josh could do whatever he wanted to on his leg - it had healed beautifully. Josh wasn't so sure he wanted to go back to gym, though. He still can't run and walk normally yet. The dr said it could be a good month before he's back to normal.

The girls are next in line to go into the 4 year old room. The problem? They won't consistently use the bathroom. They're never going to be 100% potty trained!

Funnies from the girls:

The other night, they were getting ready for bed. Emma discovered that she had several shadows of her arms. She thought it was pretty funny. Phil told her she was an octopus. She said, "No, I'm not! I can talk!". :) The next night, she and Callie both wanted to see if they could be an octopus.

Phil chanced the toilet handles the other night. Callie asked me, "Why did daddy get 2 new potty flushers?". I love the new term...that's all I'm ever going to think about now...they'll always be potty flushers!

Josh is loving 2nd grade. He has the most awesome teacher in the world. Ms. Hullander is great - she's a science teacher (probably have said that before) and she really gets the kids interested in all kinds of things!! They're working on a project right now to discover the origin of their name. :) I guess we'll start working on that one tonight. These kids are starting to really write...not just little sentences - learning paragraph structure and grammar. :)

I guess we need to take Josh to the eye doctor. He had a vision test at school and for the 2nd time, they said he might be having trouble seeing at a distance...it wasn't anything obvious, but it's happened twice now. The first time they just said to wait and see what happens...he doesn't show any signs of not being able to see at home. He does like to sit close to our bedroom tv, but he's right, you really can't see it from the bed (I can't anyway).

More Updates

2008-08-26T10:36:00.004-04:00

I'm getting really bad at updating.

Let's see...school started on August 11. Josh is in the 2nd grade. He had to go to school w/ his cast on for the first 2 days. He got it off on the 12th and then went back to walking w/ the walker for about a week. He's walking pretty good now - still limping some, but getting there.

Emma started speech this morning. She'll be going twice a week during the school year.

I was taking Callie to school this morning (without Emma - Phil took her to speech) and she said, "Where's my sister? I want to see my sister, Emma!". I told her where Emma was and that she would be at daycare soon. She was really cute. :)

Emma burned her fingers over the weekend. The kids were at mom & dad's while Phil & I went out to eat for our anniversary (YUM). She touched a hot pot. She had 2 little blisters on her fingers. Luckily, she's okay and the blisters are practically gone.

Phil & I went to Calhoun's for our anniversary. Some good friends of ours gave us a $50 gift card for there (in appreciation for all the work Phil has done at church lately - church database stuff). So, we had an excellent meal of prime rib. It was nice to get out alone.

Updates

2008-08-05T10:17:00.003-04:00

I'm not very good at updating this!

The girls were funny this morning.

Callie said, "I want to be a mommy! I want to be you!" (talking to me).
Emma said, "I want to be a daddy!".

I told her she couldn't be a daddy because daddy's are boys. She repeated that bit of information.

Then Emma said, "Well, I'll be a mommy, too!". :)

********************
School starts Monday. I can't believe it's already time! We're going to send Josh to daycare tomorrow in hopes that he'll start walking on his cast. He's pretty excited about going since Nick will be there. :) He hasn't seen him all summer.

His friend Grant came by a couple of weeks ago and played. They had the best time!!! We really need to get the 3 boys together more often.

*******************
Phil & Chuck have most of the house painted now (in 2 1/2 days). They're going to start painting the front tonight and in the morning. I imagine they'll have it done by tomorrow afternoon. They're going to do the trim after Chuck gets back from a business trip.

It's amazing how quickly a house can be painted when you just do it!!

Updates

2008-07-27T16:29:00.002-04:00

Josh is now in a walking cast...he got that Thursday. He's just now starting to walk on it a little, though. He's a little afraid to walk too much. :)

We're in the middle of getting our house painted. We hired the guy (from church) back in May...less than 1/3 of the house is painted right now. We've really had a time getting this guy to show up and really put in a full day. He doesn't seem to be worried that it's taking him so long and doesn't understand why we're frustrated. We've had several friends say that they'll organize a painting party and have it done in no time. I believe them when they say that, too! I'll just be glad to get it done. We've had to put our lives on complete hold during this painting project. Never again!

Update on Josh's leg

2008-07-11T21:13:00.002-04:00

He is doing so much better. He's no longer in pain. :)

We bought a small wheelchair and walker for him and this is the first week that he's been able to use them successfully.

He's been able to get around so much better this week. He definitely has an improved attitude!! He's able to get off of the couch now and play in the floor without having to be picked up. :)

Wendy took him to see a movie today (in the wheelchair). They let him in free because he was in a wheelchair! LOL

How to eat cheesecake

2008-07-11T21:11:00.002-04:00

Josh - takes a nibble and decided that the strawberries and syrup were better than the cheesecake.

Callie - "I don't like that"

Emma - Bring it on and let me eat it all! :)

Our kids are so predictable! They're at Mom & Dad's right now (w/ Wendy, too) and mom made cheesecake today.

I think Emma was the only one that was impressed with it. :)

Josh broke his leg!

2008-06-19T18:04:00.002-04:00

Josh was at a summer day camp on Tuesday and was on this platform teeter/totter thing. He got pushed off and the board fell on his leg. It broke his tibia.

We went straight to the pediatrician who was able to x-ray it. Unfortunately, they couldn't cast it. They put a brace on it and sent us home w/ pain medicine. I really wish we had gone straight on to the ER instead.

Around 9:00 that night, Josh was in extreme pain - screaming out in a major way. We finally took him to the ER and they put a half cast on it (the cast is up the back of his leg and wrapped in the front). It's up to his thigh.

He'll be in this for 2 weeks and then have a regular cast put on then. For now, we have to carry him everywhere he goes. :(

Happy Birthday, Josh!!

2008-06-12T09:29:00.003-04:00

I'm a couple days late posting this, but wanted to wish Josh a very Happy 7th Birthday on June 10.

We went to Kingsport last weekend. Josh got lots of clothes from Grandmother and Granddaddy. He got a Lego RC car from Beverly & Junior (very cool).

We got him an Ipod Nano (Phil's idea). He LOVES it!

This Saturday, he's having a birthday party at the bowling alley. He's invited his 2 best friends, Nick and Grant (and Nick's brother, Mitch). He's going to have a ball!!

After that, we're going back home to have a family party. We're going to have a baked potato bar (Josh has a new love for baked potatoes). I'll make a big pot of chili and we'll also have salad stuff, so we can do potatoes, salads or "Petros".

I have to go potty!!!!

2008-06-12T09:27:00.002-04:00

We were in the middle of church last night, sitting on the far side of the room (we usually sit near the door, but got there too late to get our normal seat).

Anyway, Emma yells out, "I have to go potty!!!" several times. :)

I take her and Callie and climb over everyone in our row...we finally got outside and on our way to the bathroom.

We meet at the YMCA in Farragut right now and the only bathroom is in another part of the building. :)

Both girls actually went (yay). After that, we just hung out outside until the kids were dismissed to their classes. I wasn't about to climb all over everyone again (and yet again to take them back out to class).

Scout Camp - Day 1

2008-06-03T14:43:00.002-04:00

Today was the first day of Scout Camp. Josh was a little nervous since he really didn't know what to expect. He was especially nervous about shooting a BB gun. He's never had any exposure to guns and he was afraid it would be too loud.

Well, they shot off the guns today and he LOVED it. He said it wasn't too loud at all. :) I just hope he doesn't want one for Christmas. :)

I'm not sure what all he did (yet), but he did say they brought in zoo animals for them to see.

I'm anxious to get home to find out more. He can't wait to go back tomorrow!

Potty Training

2008-06-02T11:43:00.001-04:00

Yes, the girls are pushing 3 1/2 and are just now starting to really get interested in the potty. Oy!!

Saturday was a good day. I think the only accident Emma had was when she was napping (oh, and she pooped in her pullup). Callie had a couple of accidents, but did pretty well, too!

Sunday, they sat on the potty several times, but did nothing. I hope today is a better day!

I'll be glad when they're out of diapers!!