Taytem's Baby Blessing

My Grandmother (94) holding Taytem at our house after the blessing.

4 generations all on the couch.

I just want to pinch those chunky cheeks!

We had a great day on Sunday. It was Taytem's blessing and Dave did a great job! I have to say that I have an amazing husband how is a far better man spiritually than I ever will be. He also bore his testimony and in it a cute part was when he said our home has been "blessed with pink." That statement is so true. She has brought so much love and joy into our home! Love this little angel!

Stayin' at Home...for a Moment

Bostyn loves his little sister!

2 or 3 weeks old...not quite sure:)

At the hospital. This is one of my favorite pictures.

Chubby cheeks from the very beginning....love it!

Proud Mommy!

Gage and his cousin, Cooper, lost their first tooth about the same time. Since this picture was taken, Gage has lost the other bottom tooth. I can't believe my son is old enough to lose teeth! It must mean that I'm getting older too!

My 95 year old Grandpa holding Taytem. It was the cutest thing to watch. He stared at her in her carseat for a good 5 minutes before I pulled her out and had him hold her. So sweet and precious. I love these moments!

So, it has been so fun being able to stay home with the kids again! This is my second day in a row just hanging out in PJs and doing nothing! Well, I actually did just put a load of laundry in, plus there are two piles on my bed that still need to be put away:) It's hard to be productive when you can just chill and play Ninja Turtles with the cutest little 3 year old! Bostyn is loving having me home and we play together all day long. His new favorite thing to do is fill the kitchen sink up with water and a little dish soap and he cleans all of his toys. He has been doing this for about a week straight and he loves it! Today I helped him clean the farm animals and his little laugh was so adorable when I was playing with the donkey and slipping into the water. My favorite sound in the world is the uncontrollable laughter of a child! I just love any time I can hear my kids laugh hysterically.

I went to Gage's PTC yesterday and he is doing so great with school. His teacher, Mrs. Graham, told me that Gage is improving everyday and that he is very enthusiatic and proud of everything he does. She told me a cute little story about him....The class was taking a numbers test (writing numbers 1-21) and after the class was finished Gage went back to his desk and sat for about 20 minutes (Wow!) and wrote up to 84! Mrs. Graham had to tell him it was time to move onto the next thing or else he would have just kept going! Those are the stories you want to hear from your kid's teacher! Gage was so proud of everything that he is doing and he is coming along so well with his reading.

We pulled out my mom's ancient baby scale to weigh Taytem on Sunday and she weighed a whopping 9 pounds! She will be 5 weeks tomorrow and she is just chunking up! I love her little chubby cheeks. She is starting to follow me with her eyes and it's just so fun to see how they develop and grow everyday. She has been a pretty good sleeper and letting me get between 3-4 hours before she needs to eat, but she has just been going right back to sleep at night....thank goodness!

I'm writing this post today because it was going to be my first day back at work again and I probably would have bawled the whole time! I'm so grateful that I was able to get the extension from the District for another month! I plan on enjoying the next month and being lazy at home with Bostyn and Taytem while Gage is at school. I know it will fly by too quickly, but I plan on savoring every moment instead of dwelling on the inevitable that I do have to return back to work and there's nothing I can do about it at the moment. I love my kids to pieces and they are my world. Each day I'm just going to strive to be the best mom that I can be whether I'm home all day with them or having to work during the day and then being home with them after school. I honestly believe that it's not necessarily the amount of time you have with your kids, but the quality time you give them. Some moms stay home and ignore their kids all day instead of appreciating them. Some moms work and miss out on those moments at home that others take for granted just wishing they could be home to play. I'm that mom who does have to work so we can have a home, food, transportation, and provide for our family. I'm that mom who will always give everything that I have for the benefit of my kids and some may or may not agree that right now what I have to give means that I can't be home with them every waking moment. I know living in Utah it's the norm and expected for women to stay home and I feel that many times others look down upon a mom who has to work when they don't know what's going on in that family. I do not feel that in any way because of me working for the past few years that my kids have suffered. I'm so close with my boys! They are healthy. They are strong. They love me and they love their daddy! I'm not going to lie about how hard it will be to leave little Taytem! I will for sure shed many tears about it, but I know she will be taken care of and that gives me comfort. This is not how I planned things, but this is how the plan turned out!

Wow!

It has been a few years since I have updated my blog, but one of my goals this year is to keep it updated so there's a record of what's been going on in our lives. It is now 2011 and I have not posted in 2 years!! That is crazy! A lot has happened in the Butler house since then! It's hard to think back and remember all the things that have happened.

Dave, Elysia, Gage (6), Bostyn (3), and Taytem (newborn)
BUTLER………REWIND to 2010

At the beginning of 2010 Dave was still looking for a job after being laid off from PreCast Concrete. He really enjoyed the time that he was able to stay home with the boys. They definitely were able to bond and become closer, but he was sure feeling the need to find a job quickly. Luckily, he was able to get a temporary job at TaxWorks with my brother, Drew, during the tax season. When April 15th, the last day to file taxes, was approaching, we were getting very worried because we knew that Dave would again be let go from this job as well. At the end of March Dave was able to land a job with Ascent Healthcare Solutions and that is currently where he is still working. He loves his job! He works with great people and is able to be up and active which is perfect for him!
I am still working as a 7th and 9th grade English teacher at West Point Jr. High and I really love this job! Teaching fits my personality and it is so fun to interact with the students and try to prepare them for their future. Hopefully somewhere, somehow a little bit of learning takes place along the way as well. At the end of the school year I took on an adventure that has been a really different experience for me. I became the Cheerleading Advisor! I have absolutely no talent or coordination with anything that has to do with cheer, but I accepted the job before Dave received his current job position and knowing that I needed to make whatever extra income I could. My summer was taken over by this new position and I was burned out before the school year even started. Being in the cheerleading world is so much different than living in the soccer world that I grew up with!
We ended up getting pregnant in April and my sickness began! I really don't like being pregnant, but the end result is so worth the sacrifices that we have to make. I was really sick for the first 4 months of the pregnancy and I know many are familiar with Zofran for morning sickness...this was the only way to get through the day and keep at least something down. At 20 weeks I went into preterm labor again (I had the same thing happen with my pregnancy with Bostyn). I started contracting and was immediately given Terbutaline and weekly shots of Alpha Progesterone to stop the labor. I made it to 26 weeks before I was put on bed rest and had to come home from work. For anyone who has been on bed rest, they know that is absolutely horrid and miserable. Sure it sounds good when you are really tired and need a break, but honestly a day or two is all anyone needs to cure that desire for a long campout in the bed. Thanks to my amazing husband for taking care of the kids and fulfilling the role of both mommy and daddy while I was laid up. He was so amazing during this time and he provided me with so much service. We also had so many neighbors, friends, and family who were willing to help us out with dinners and taking care of our kids. Without all the help, I really don't know how we could have done it! We managed to make it to 37 weeks and delivered a beautiful, healthy baby girl. She was born on December 28, 2010 and we named her Taytem Anne Butler. She is a perfect fit into our family. The boys absolutely love her and Dave and I are already wrapped around her precious little finger.
In August 2010, Gage (6) started Kindergarten and he absolutely loves it! He loves to read and enjoys being around other kids and socializing. It is really fun to see how he is learning and developing as he grows up. Recently Gage has started doing Jijitsu and Kickboxing and he is enjoying be active and learning new moves. Gage is full of life and he loves to sing and dance. He loves his friends and feels he needs to be playing with someone every second of the day or else he will “die of boredom.” We love having Gage in our family! He is always providing us with entertainment and laughs.
Bostyn turned 3 this year and he is so full of energy and loves to run around and chase his older brother everywhere he goes. Bostyn is really into Buzz Lightyear, Ironman, and Spiderman. He loves to use his imagination and play with his toys and play make believe. Bostyn is my little smile bug. He is always smiling and offering hugs. He makes you feel so important and I just light up every time I see that little boy.
That is the quick recap of 2010 for the Butlers! We are doing great now and are so thankful for everything that we have been blessed with and for our wonderful little family!

I hope all of you have a fabulous year in 2011!!