May and June Catch-Up

So since the beginning of May, Brian, Reese and I have been living out of a suitcase. Brian graduated BYU at the end of April and got a job with a Canadian company called Trican. Brian will be starting out in their offices in Calgary and after a year we will be moving to Nizhnavartovsk, Russia. (Siberia!!!) Yikes. An adventure begins... Brian began his job on May 26th. We had to be out of our basement apartment that we were renting from the Frye's in Orem, on the 1st of May. So - we moved in with my parents for a month so I could attend Mike's graduation and my cousin Kims wedding to Mark Stanford on the 27th of May before we moved away. (Also in May - Jenny's sister Emily got married to Blake Wilde in the 2nd) Brian left a week before us driving a U-haul and all our stuff. Reese and I came a week later on a plane. Boy do I hate plane trips with toddlers. Nuff said.

Now that we are here in Canada, we are staying with Brians parents until the 27th or so of June. This is because our house! that we will be renting won't be available until then. I am REALLY looking forward to moving into our new home. It will have 4 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, a decent sized kitchen/dining area and a spacious front/living room - all on one floor. Perfect for us.

The stinky thing about living in Canada for me is that because we will only be here for a year - Brian and I are going to hold off getting me Canadian citizenship because it takes a long time and a lot of money to do. So - I am here on a visitor record - which means I can not go to school or work. Don't care about the work thing :) but the no school thing stinks because I am in school mode and I want to finish sooner rather than later. Looks like (right now) later is my only option. It will just cost too much money to do online school for Bri and I right now. Calgary is a much more expensive city than Orem. One gallon of milk costs $4.50 Canadian.
Because of this interesting bit of information - and the fact that we will be moving to Russia in a year, and Reese is 16 months almost - we have been thinking about me getting pregnant again. It seems a little early to me, but I have to remember Reese won't be the same age she is now when we have the new baby. We haven't started trying yet. I want a chance to get in decent shape before then so I can continue to work out while I am pregnant. I don't want a repeat of last time.

Reese update...She is getting better at walking all the time. She used to walk really bow-legged. This made it difficult for her to run - which I did not mind because I didn't have to chase her. Her running has improved some. but - she is minding me better too - so all's well. She says soo many words. My favorite thing that she says right now is, "wuv-a-you". We haven't recorded it yet, but are planning on it. She also says umbrella, jesus, (prays) and says amen, toys, water, milk, go-gurd (yogurt), cheese, fish, hi, buh-bye, and just about anything else we tell her to say. She also knows the sounds of certain animals like an elephant, tiger, bunny-rabbit, frog, cat, dog, horse, cow, snake, sheep, duck, chicken, and a few others I can't think of at the moment. She has also recently learned the word no which she says with a little glare and a pucker of the lips. Cute- but annoying. Thanks a lot to my brothers Mike and Josh who taught her this. (You will pay...)

Family updates from good ol' PG - Josh moved out and is getting married July 18th. Mike finished highschool and is working in St. George. Mitch is playing football and baseball and working with Mom during the day. Mom got fired from her job - good timing in my opinion - she can be home with Mitch. Dad's still at Costco - a supervisor in the majors section. Very good for him. Matt and Jenny moved from PG to Lehi into Jenny's parents house and Matt is going to go back to school - thinking about being a pilot or mechanical engineer. Ambitous - hope it sticks.

Uh - and thats about it. Till next time! - Jess

Ice Skating and Valentines

A few weeks ago we went ice skating, or just "skating" as they say in Canadian. We went with my family; Mom, Dad, Matt and Jenny, Josh and Lindsey, Mike, and Mitch. We had a fun time. Brian is such a great ice skater. He flies across the ice. We thought Reese would have fun too if she got to skate with Daddy. She loved gliding around the ice, though her nose did get a little cold. We had her in a couple layers of clothing so she wouldn't get too cold. Unfortunately - the employees said even though Brian was a good skater we could not have Reese out on the ice. It was too big of a liability for them. It was alright though, Reese had already been out there with her Daddy for a half hour or so. Brian and I tried to race, but there were some technicalities. We started from the same starting point and ended at the same ending point. The race was one lap around the rink. The catch was I got a half lap head start. When I was half way though the lap Brian would start skating and try to beat me. It was pretty close, but Brian still won. He is sooo fast! After we went skating we decided that we weren't cold enough yet and we went and got some ice cream. I got raspberry sherbet and Reese was really acting like she wanted some so I put some in a cone and let her go to town. It was a bit tangy for her. But she kept on eating it so it couldn't have been that bad. Mom and Dad were kind enough to pay for all of us. It was a really fun family home evening - out.
On Valentines Day, Brian brought me home a bouquet of flowers which were beautiful! I couldn't fit them all in to the vase that I bought (the day before -hehe) so Brian gave one to Reese. She wasn't sure what to do with it. She even tried to eat it. Brian also bought me some nice polarized sunglasses for when we go to Hawaii in a few weeks. I can't wait! He got Reese a cute little stuffed elephant that had a heart on it saying "I Love You". I am in a 2D Design class right now and my instructor, Jeff Bushman, draws amazing caracatures. I had him draw one of Brian, because the last caricature Brian had drawn of himself was horrible! Its pretty fun. The drawing depicts Brian as a basketball player and he is wearing a BYU uniform. I think it will be a fun thing to pass on down through the family.
I made the headband Reese is wearing in this picture. She can wear it plain like this or I can clip clips over the scrunched part to add some pizazz.
Reese has learned to walk!! She took her first steps about a month ago. She was really mad at me for putting on a coat or sweater and when I set her down she stood on her feet and walked four steps to the couch. I was shocked. After that Brian and I started practicing with her - sending her back and forth between us. She did really well for awhile, then went though a funny phase where she leaned too far back on her heels and fell down on her bum. She is doing better again and grows more and more confident every day. It is really cute. She is also getting her top two teeth right now and she hasn't been a happy camper lately. On top of teething, she would not eat anything but applesauce from the fridge because it was cold and felt good on her gums, and as a result she got a diaper rash from all the acid. She hasn't had a bad diaper rash before. And to cap it all she has gotten her first real cold. Teething, diaper rash, cold - oh and her ears are pierced - we did that the day after Christmas (it was a gift from Daddy to Mommy and Reese). The other day I went to clean her earrings and one was missing! It must have been missing overnight because the back had already grown back together. I had to repunch her earring through her ear and she did not like me for that at all. Poor little tyke. She's had a hard couple of weeks. Especially because Mommy is watching Corbin Bascom on Tuesdays from 6:30 to 2:30 and Jaxson Karr on Wednesdays from 8-2:30 or 12-4. My time has been a little divided. I just hope she gets over her cold, her rash, and I hope her teeth come in all the way before we leave for Hawaii. Its no fun to not have Mommy around when shes not feeling well. Here she is wearing the dress she will wear to her birthday party. Mommy insisted that she have a pretty dress to celebrate her special day.

A Hurt Nose, and Reese's First Christmas

My favorite first Christmas photo of Reese. She kept one of the ornaments out to play with year round. I guess she just wanted to keep a little piece of Christmas with her.

Poor little nose. This happened around the 15th of December. She was playing with a mirror that Dad and I had forgotten to mount and it fell when she began to bang on it and broke over a hamper that was luckily behind her. Had that hamper not been there the mirror may have broken on her head and could have been much, much worse. The mirror was about 7 1/2' tall x 2 1/2' wide. So the fact that she got this small of cut was a miracle. I was in the shower at the time and all I heard was a crash and Brian screaming, "Oh, my gosh! Oh, my gosh!" Then he runs in as I am getting out of the shower to see what happened and hands her to me with blood streaming down her face. Instantly I began to shake. We rushed to the hospital, me holding Reese in the back seat with a cloth over her nose to stop the bleeding and Brian driving a little crazily. Once there, a nurse came in with a cottonball soaked in anesthetic and taped it to Reese's nose. Almost immediately she quit crying. I guess she just did not like me putting pressure on her nose. As she lay there not knowing what awaited her, she began to coo at us and looked around pointing at things. When the Doctor came in to do the stitches I had to hold her down. That was not easy. I cried through the whole thing. A nurse held her head. I held her arms, and Brian held her legs. Poor little girl. She ended up with three stitches. The first night home Reese popped the middle stitch. A few days later she popped another. It is now January 16th and the scar has faded quite nicely. You almost can't see it unless you get real close.
Opening presents on Christmas morning. We had practiced ripping paper on some old magazines so she would be ready for the big day and perform well. She had a lot of fun ripping open her presents.
Ripping in action.
No. That is not me in the background. This is just one of the many faces Reese likes to pull when we break out the camera.
This is an after shot of her nose. SEE! You almost can't tell she ever was cut. Hopefully it will continue to face nicely. Also - she just decided about two weeks ago that she liked having a pacifier again. She only used it until three months and then quit. It is much easier to put her to sleep with this wonderful invention. She and Jaxson and just taken a bath and I put them in the crib as I cleaned up and found clothes for them.

Last news: Reese is now completely weened. The last day I fed her was four days ago. It has been a little tough, both Reese and I really liked nursing, but we are getting ready to go to Hawaii in March (Brians parents are taking all the married kids and grandkids are staying with the other grandparents) and I wanted Reese to be used to a bottle.

My little Ventriloquist

Nov. 23 2007

I don't know how she does it, because I can't do it, but Reese is able to say words (Baby words) with her mouth closed. It is interesting to hear. Mostly it sounds like she says a-goo. But she really does not move her lips - at all - or open her mouth. She says a-goo and I can hear the pronunciation almost like she were saying it with her mouth open. Hopefully I will be able to capture it on tape, but time will tell as she usually clams up when I pull out the camera.

Reese has had some new milestones this month. She got her first tooth/teeth on Oct. 20. She got the bottom middle two teeth. At first she bit me a lot while nursing, but slowly she has realized that if she wants to continue nursing then she has to stop biting. I really love nursing her so I am glad she has quit biting.

Also, she began crawling on Nov. 6 - her official 8 month mark. It seemed like she just figured it out one day and began crawling. Prior to this day she had been scooting this way and that, most of the time pushing herself backwards. Two days ago we raced across the room to see who could grab a pen I had thrown first. She really liked this game. She laughed and giggled the whole way and occasionally slipped up and fell, but instead of her usual crying when this happened, she just got right back up and kept crawling as fast as she could. So cute!! In the future I plan to do this more often before bed time because it really seems to tucker her out.

Yesterday was Thursday, Nov. 22 and Reese's first Thanksgiving. It was a really nice day. Normally we have dinner with either my moms or my dads side of the family, but it has gotten to the point where there are just too many people and you tend to feel claustrophobic and uncomfortable. So we separated this year from the big group and did our own thing. The dinner was held at Moms house and she did an amazing job making it look just right. Brian commented that it was nice to see a really nicely set table instead of the normal - lets see how many plates we can fit on one table - type setting. It really was beautiful and brought some of the magic back to the holiday.

Before dinner Dad shared a thought about a gratification stone. It really made us think about how we could keep a prayer of thanks in our hearts, and if we do this how we might affect others as well. He recalled a story about Josh in Mesa Verde from years back. We had to climb old ladders that extended over big cliffs and this really worried Josh. Dad said that Grandpa picked up a stone and handed it to Josh and told him it was a worry stone and that if Josh would rub this stone then his worry would be taken away and he would be able to climb these ladders without being so nervous. Josh took the stone and the advice. Later we joked that Josh had rubbed that stone so hard as to rub a thumb dent into the surface of it. Then Grandma Butler shared a story about a couple who had moved into her ward years ago who had no children, and did not want any. They moved in right next door to a family with 10 children, but in the end it was alright because of how great this large family was to help the new couple. She said that in the end if you don't have family, you don't have anything.

Then Mom made us all turn on the water works by going around and telling each of us (Grandpa Butler, Grandma Butler, Dad, Josh, Brian, Me, Mike, and Mitch) what she loved about us. Lets see if I can remember them all. Gpa Butler - his zeal for life and learning. His amazing work on the geneology in our family. Gma Butler - Her friendship and advice - and she recalled going to the store at midnight, just Mom and Gma when Mom was a little girl - she really treasured that time. Josh - His exuberence for life and trying to make others laugh and being a hard worker. Brian - his happy soul. He brings something different to the family than anyone else. He is like Mom in spirit. Jess - My capacity to love. She said I am the mediator in our family and help bring a sense of calmness. She said I am also good at forgiving others and trying to make things work out. She is glad she had a girl - even though I am more like Dad - more calm - than she is. We are best of friends. Mike - his humor. He is able in any situation to make us laugh. Examples were his bum print in the concrete we recently poured, the Chicken Wagon phone calls, stories of him sneaking out at night, etc. He is a great kid and a hard worker. Mitch - his tenderness. At the age Mitchell is most boys would think it was uncool to have night time prayers with their mother and still give hugs and kisses. But not Mitch. He still does those things and it makes Mom feel very special. He is also good at forgiving others and never says a mean thing about anyone. Dad - Her best friend and solid element in her life. (In different words - I can't remember exactly.) Works hard to help give the family what it needs.

It was nice to take the time to say these loving words at the dinner table. Hopefully this will be a tradition we will repeat. Dinner was fantastic. Mom made the turkey and the yams (Yum!!) Dad made the mashed potatoes and the corn. I made the stuffing and the salad (Brian helped by cooking the bacon). And Grandma brought the rolls (I think). For dessert I made lemon bars, Mom and Dad bought Costco pumpkin and apple pies, and Grandma made her famous cheesecake. Delicous! We were all sufficiently stuffed.

After dinner and dessert we played a card game called King, Queen, Lord, Surf, Peon. Even Grandma and Grandpa played. Brian was the guy in charge, teacing us all how to play the game and reminding us of the rules throughout the game. We all had to wear a hat specific to our rank by how well we played the game. The King had - of course - a crown of red and gold. The Queen had a crown of purple and pink. The Lords were a football helmet, Coon Skin Hat, Cowboy hat, and a yankee soldier cap. The surf wore a big sombrero and the peon wore a chicken hat. It was really hilarious.

Our Little Chicken

The Guitar Heroes

King and Queen of the game!

Grandma and Grandpa Butler having a fun time.

We are a silly bunch.

Reese's Pieces

My little girl. She was born March 6th 2007 and she weighed 7lbs 2oz and was 20 1/4 inches long. She is such a good baby. She has begun sleeping through the night and loves to just sit and cuddle with mom and dad. She's definitely a keeper.