Saturday, October 29, 2016

Pumpkin Patch 2016

I haven’t been great at creating traditions (yet), but that is definitely something I want to work on because they are so, so special. Some of my favorite childhood memories root back to our family’s traditions, and I’ve heard it said that they are the glue that holds families together.

This is one we HAVE successfully done every year since Jase was born- Burt’s Pumpkin Farm with the Adams family! It has been so much fun to watch the boys grow and change each year, and for the last two years we’ve added our sweet new additions: Baby Kade & Baby Mayson (our first girl!). Next year we’ll have the newest Butler boy too, so we’re keeping the growth pattern going strong. I am so thankful for our growing family!

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We tried going last week, but a random cold/wind front came through and it was FREEZING, so we put it off till today. The weather was gorgeous and it was even a little toasty. The older boys LOVE running around through all the pumpkins, checking out the fish in the nearby creek, and this year we went on the hay ride. It was a little bit too dusty for the littles, but it was a neat little ride back through the woods. (All fun & games till I couldn’t find my keys in the hay for about 5 minutes. Whew!)

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It may sound cheesy, but their smiles seriously light up my world.

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Daddy met us at the Pumpkin Patch after the hay ride because he was helping Papa get caught up on some of his work this week. We are thankful he has the time to be able to help when someone needs it, but we sure have missed him!

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Love, love, love this picture of my Jase! I may have to frame it.

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I can’t get over how much these two have grown…

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All 4 of the kiddos! (Plus Laura, who looks AMAZING for having a brand new baby.)

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Kade’s laugh is so contagious!! You can’t watch him smile and not smile too.

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The Adams Family!

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My favorite of miss Mayson- so, so cute!! Loved her sweet little outfit.

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Family pictures become more interesting as our family expands, but we managed to get a few with everyone actually looking at the camera. #winning

I think these first couple with Jase mean muggin are my fave though. Lil stinker!

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Real life #butlerpartyof4.

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Such a fun afternoon of sweet memories! Thankful.

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2013 Pumpkin Patch Visit

2014 Pumpkin Patch Visit

2015 Pumpkin Patch Visit

Friday, October 21, 2016

Baby Butler #3 is 23 Weeks

Goodness gracious, y’all. At this rate I probably won’t even blog updates at all by the time we have our 4th kiddo. Baby Butler #3, I am so sorry sweetheart. Please know you are so dearly loved and my lack of consistent blogging isn’t a reflection of how excited I am about you in any way. We are over the moon and can’t wait to meet you in a few more months! P.S. I do feel like I’ve got a legitimate excuse (for the first time) besides pure exhaustion.

Growth:

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My Symptoms: Week 19 was probably my worst week to date. I was ill as a hornet and it was not a pretty sight. My hubby and mom both called me out on it and said I’ve been way more emotional this pregnancy than ever before- and that only added fuel to the fire. Then week 20, it’s like a switch flipped and I’m back to my old self. Halleluyer! I don’t know who is more thankful….me or them!

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I do feel lots more pressure this go round than ever before this early in pregnancy. Sometimes I feel like it’s too early for me to be feeling uncomfortable, but my belly feels way bigger this time. Like I said, we’re going with “muscle memory.”

Other than that, energy is definitely picking up big time. I feel pretty darn good and I’m so thankful to be blessed with easy pregnancies. I feel very strong and healthy.

I will most likely have stretch marks this time since I can see some faint evidence of them appearing around my belly button (which has been popped out since like week 8!).

Weight/Baby Bump: Bump is pretty solid. As in, people are asking me “how much longer?” instead of “how far along?”. As of 23 weeks and 4 days, I’m up 14 lbs from my pre-pregnancy weight. My face may be a little fuller, but for the most part I think I’m pretty much all belly again. Massive, torpedo belly.

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Gender: Sweet little fella!

Maternity Clothes: I finally bought two pairs of maternity jeans & a maternity dress (from Target- love them). Other than than I’ve just been rockin my normal clothes for the most part. Hopefully not stretching anything out too bad. That’s straight from my normal, non-pregnancy wardrobe.

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Sleep: I don’t feel like I have slept as well this pregnancy. I wake up a good bit during the night to alternate sides. I have to have a pillow between my knees, and I read that it’s much better to sleep on your left side than your right. If I lay on my left side for too long, my hips start aching, so I do have to occasionally flip.

Movement: Wowzers! This little dude is STRONG & active. You can totally feel movement from the outside now too which is always exciting. I let Jon feel it the other day- still kinda wigs him out a little. But I LOVE it! It’s always a sweet reminder to say a quick prayer for Baby Butler #3 and thank God for entrusting him to us.

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Appointments: I had an appointment on 10/5. BP was 103/68. Heartbeat sounded good and strong. We had the “big” ultrasound & everything looked perfect- praise the Lord. Our sweet boy was right on track, weighing around a pound. I was 21 weeks and 2 days and my fundal height has me measuring right at 22 weeks, so that made me feel a little better knowing I’m where I should to be (since I look like I’m due any day). We took the boys with us and I think they enjoyed the ultrasound. They didn’t last long into the appointment though cuz there was a pretty long wait, so Jonathan took them put to the waiting room. They told me I’m supposed to have a glucose test, get the Rhogam and DTaP at  my 28 week appointment. They also recommended a flu shot, but that ain’t happening.

Accomplishments: We sold our house. We’ve been out of town for a month. We’ve packed up our entire house and our getting settled into the perfect little temporary rental. I’ve been eating WAY more veggies/salads and doing a good job staying hydrated. We also celebrated our 6th year of marriage on October 2nd! Jase took our picture for us.

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Best Pregnancy Moment This Week: This sounds silly, but I’ve actually had the energy to accomplish most of the tasks on my to-do lists lately. That has been very rewarding for me!

I also got my hair done one day this week and had the sweetest time of worship and prayer the whole car ride there and back. I am just overwhelmed with God’s goodness and faithfulness…and I want to give him ALL the glory for everything good in my life.

Work Outs: Welllll…pretty much non-existent other than walking for the past few weeks. We have literally been out of town for the last month. We went from Orange Beach to Dallas to Austin to Gatlinburg to Grapevine. And throw in a big move during that time too. Time to get back on it. We are joining a new gym ASAP and I’m excited to get back into a routine. If you’ve never looked up the benefits of pregnancy exercise, do it. It is AMAZING!

Goals: Do some Bradley stretches- pelvic rocks, squatting, kegels, etc. (Sorry if TMI) Get back to the gym and get some more yoga in my life so I can hit my goal of 100 workouts before baby comes- 30 of them being yoga classes.

Thoughts: It is still crazy to think we’re going to have 3 boys, 3 and under when February rolls around. Both of the boys will have birthdays soon after, so they’ll actually be 4, 2, and a newborn. (25 months between Jase and Kade and 20 months between Kade and Beau. Yep, hoping we’ve finally narrowed it down! Jase and I have both been calling him Beau, so just waiting on the final stamp of approval from Daddio.)

Comparison: I have been way more self conscious this pregnancy than I have been in a lonnnnnng time. I was so confident when I was pregnant with Kade. I think I’m finally getting over that now.

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Kade: IMG_5859

Thursday, October 20, 2016

4th of July: Gatlinburg & Pigeon Forge

We decided to go out of town this year to celebrate the 4th of July. Jon and I took the boys and went with my parents and my niece Carsyn to Gatlinburg & Pigeon Forge. It’s a short, easy drive and there is SO much to do! We stayed right on the line between the two towns so it was pretty easy to get back and forth. We had such an awesome time! It was very relaxing, and because everything was so close, we could just hop back over to the hotel for the boys to nap. Next time we go we’ll definitely rent a cabin rather than stay in a hotel, but it worked. My parents stayed out with my niece so we let Kade nap in their (adjoining) room and just let Jase rest in our room.

Some of the places we visisted: WonderWorks, Hatfield & McCoys, Bear Country, Ripley’s Believe It Or Not, Guinness Book of World Records, Davey Crocketts Putt Putt, the Aquarium, Sky Lift, The Island

Some of the places we ate: Apple Barn, The Peddler Steakhouse, Log Cabin Pancake House, Bubba Gump’s, Hard Rock Cafe, Timberwood Grill, Melting Pot, Blaine’s Grill & Bar

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I think Jase experienced every emotion on the go-karts. He went from beyond excited, to scared for his life, to having a blast. It was hilarious!

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I have to admit…I love arcades! I like to play games where you can compete like the basketball, ski ball, air hockey, throwing games, etc. Not the video game type stuff.

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Looking back on pictures I realized I didn’t dress up AT ALL while we were there! I was pregnant- 6 or 7 weeks I think?

So many of the places had some super fun, hands-on stuff to do. WonderWorks was really neat, and the Guinness Book had an interactive segment at the end that was a blast! We also had fun playing putt-putt right next to our hotel. Me, Jonathan, Dad, and Carsyn played after the boys went to bed. (For the record, I won the back 9. Both times.)

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The aquarium was great. The boys had a great time! We haven’t taken the boys to the Georgia Aquarium yet, but it’s on our list.

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We also rode the ski lift and the big ferris wheel (which was thankfully enclosed) at the Island. The Island was probably one of our favorite places. Lots to do & see, tons of little shops, and it’s entertaining without having to spend tons of money if you don’t want to.

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I didn’t get to see any fireworks this year because it was too late and the boys needed to get in bed, so I stayed in the room with them while they watched from the parking lot.

So thankful for a sweet time making memories with our family.