Valentine's Day with my Family

Today has been just lovely day with my family. I awoke to my family in the basement where all of the art supplies are, and heard little scurrying feet and whispers. I knew they must be up to some secretive task! A few minutes later, they paraded up the stairs, homemade cards in hand, and a big bouquet of yellow roses for me!

Tre's card reads "Sniff, Sniff, do I smell love?" and Juliennes said, "Happy Valentine's Day, I wish you love". I thought it was very cute for them to come up with their own creative Valentine's card sayings.

Next I made breakfast for my loves: french toast with Mommy's special vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg additions, sausage patties, milk, juice and coffee for Mommy, made by Tre.

After breakfast, we began to get dressed and ready for our date day. Julienne was spending the day with Grandma, baking Valentine's day cookies, and Tre was playing with his friend for a while. TJ and I had plans to go see "Dear John" at the movie theater, and then to eat an early dinner at Bravos.

Once we were dressed, we had some extra time, so we had some fun with the camera. Both Tre and Julienne now know how to use my camera, so we are able to take pictures with both TJ and I in them! Here is the evidence...

I love my little Julienne so much. She is becoming such a little lady, who loves to help clean and cook, and is my shopping buddy. She is now learning to fix her own hair, and carries a little purse with all of her prized possessions. Things like a camera with no film/batteries, markers, lip gloss and handcuffs!! You know, just the necessities a woman needs!

Tre has finally decided he likes me again, after a couple of years of insanely loyal adoration of TJ. Not don't get me wrong, I am happy that he loves his dad, (I do too!), but I grew him!! Anyway, lately he has been really sweet to me. Just the other day, he was playing songs on his MP3 player, and I was in the kitchen dancing foolishly. I told him I was going to come to his school dance and dance that way. I asked him, "Would you be embarrassed?" He said, "No, I think you dance really well." He is the only person in the world that will ever say that! I am so proud of the sensitive, intuitive and intelligent young man he is becoming.

And finally, pictures of me and my husband. TJ is an amazing husband. He is funny, and makes me laugh even when I don't want to; especially when I am angry. He works so hard for our family, working full time and then running a successful driving school, which is his second job. I love his fierce determination to give us the best of everything, and provide us not only with our needs, but our wants as well. I love that he is honestly himself, around anyone. His personality is constant, whether we are alone, or with others. He does not ever try to be someone he is not. Most of all, what makes me love him more than anything else, is what a great father he is to our children. He is the fun one, the one who does not care about a mess, who tickles and let the kids put hair products all through his hair. He and Tre have their own special handshake, and Julienne has him wrapped around her finger. In his eyes, Julienne can do no wrong. It is amazing to me to see what a good father looks like, and I am so happy he is my husband as well.

We went on our date, snuggled in the theater and had good conversation at dinner. It is so rare that we get to do those things together, alone. I am not sure how I go so lucky, to have these amazing kids and husband, but I will continue throwing my pennies in the wishing wells. I think its working!

Happy 6th Birthday Julienne!

Julienne with her special "6" pancake from Daddy!

Julienne turned six on February 6th, despite the huge snowstorm we were having. We did have to reschedule her birthday party, as it was supposed to happen on Sunday. We knew that the snow would not allow her guests to arrive safely for fun at the Children's Museum.

Since we were not able to get our car out for Julienne to have her birthday dinner, we decided to take a walk in the snow to Sheetz to get her some hot chocolate. Our neighbors decided to join us and we all bundled up for the big walk in the snow. There were not many cars out, so it felt like an adventure for the six of us walking. Julienne enjoyed a big steamy hot chocolate in honor of her birthday. The ladies working at Sheetz even sang Happy Birthday to her!

When we arrived home, we enjoyed some Funfetti birthday cake, which she had helped to bake that morning!

She also got to open her present, which was two tickets to see Taylor Swift in concert. She was so excited. Julienne and I are going to the concert and making it into a girls night out. We will head over early in the day, shop, go out to dinner, go to the concert, and spend the night in a hotel.

Snow, snow, snow!

Being that I am from Maine, I would not have thought that a Virginia snowfall could or would ever wow me. I know snow, I lived 18 years in lots of snow, and still went to school and was never snowed in (Mostly because my dad plowed snow in the winter!) So when VA got a big snowfall in December, I was really angry that I had missed the fun. We left to travel to Maine just as it started to flurry in Harrisonburg. But I consoled myself, thinking "Well, wait until we get to Maine, because we will have way more snow there!" Not a chance. It flurried. Once or twice. But absolutely NO accumulation while we were there. No fair!

Then the rumblings of gossip began on Monday, about the storm that was on its way. Each day the projected snowfall amounts grew higher, finally capping at 40 inches. With each new projection, my hopes rose. See, I love snow. And it isn't just because I am a teacher and often miss work when it snows. I just think it is magical. It makes everything bright and brings along a crisp, fresh whiteness that feels like a new beginning. I love the nip in the air, the crunch under my feet, and the promise of fun that only snow can bring. I love a good snowball that hits at a just he right time to make someone laugh. I like the vibration under a sled as you ride it down the hill, or even just the driveway! I love the frozen silhouette of the trees at night, coated with the icy wonder of snow. I just simply love the snow. You can take a girl out of Maine, but you can't take Maine out of the girl. :-)

So that takes me to Friday. Thursday night brought with it great news that we were not even attempting to go to school on Friday. We would have the whole day to anticipate and watch the snow plow its way into the valley. And boy did it plow in! When we woke on Friday morning, the streets were covered, and shoveling the driveway was already in order. Tre and TJ vowed to shovel every few house to keep the driveway manageable.

So it snowed. And snowed, and snowed, and snowed. By Friday night we had well over a foot of snow, the roads were completely impassable, and we were snowed in! Just like I like it. You see, I have my favorite people in the world with me. I have my big, warm husband, so I am not cold if I am near him. I have my son, who is sweet and tender, and getting to be quite humorous. And last, but not least I have my little cuddle-bug daughter, who loves watching old home videos with me and drinking hot chocolate when it snows. Who could ask for better snowed-in companions?

On Friday night, we went outside to shovel again, and also to do some sledding down the driveway. The snow was streaking across the sky as it had paired with wind. I tried to get a photo of the blowing snow in the outside house light, but it didn't turn out well. TJ, Tre and I shoveled the heaps of snow, and Julienne happily played in the banks we were making. I took a few turns on the snow tube, down the driveway, and Tre practiced "snow boarding" using the other sled. he actually did quite well, and only fell a few times. I think we may need to make a trip to Massanutten and let him try it for real.

On Saturday morning at 4:00am, I awoke to no power in our house and I was slightly worried at that point. Being snowed in is fun, being snowed in with no power, is NOT fun. But, a few minutes later, everything came back on, and normalcy ensued. i went back to bed until 9:00!

At 9:00, it was still snowing in full force and the driveway looked as if it had never been shoveled. It was also Julienne's birthday, and so she wanted to walk to Sheetz to get hot chocolate. We bundled up and walked to Sheetz with our neighbors. It was great fun, to walk in the snow. There were hardly any cars so it felt like an adventure.

By Saturday evening, the snow finally drifted away, leaving us in the aftermath. Now there is still a foot of snow in the road, and no plows in sight. We have not moved our cars in two days, and probably wont for at least another day. We are still warm, happy and content in our house with each other. And I still love being snowed in!

Toothless

Julienne lost her very first tooth on January 25th. I am posting the video of her pulling the tooth out. It was quite comical! She is so cute with the gap in her mouth!!!

Highlights of 2009

Since my last post was in JULY, I am not even going to attempt to catch up with everything since then. So, I have decided to do a 2009 highlights list and then start fresh from now. Here are the Butler Family highlights of 2009 (in no particular order):

1. My nephew Brady was born on October 22. He is David's first baby, and is chubby little lump of sweetness!

2. We bought an RV, and broke it in by traveling to Virginia Beach, Williamsburg, and Pigeon Forge, TN. We did several local trips as well. The kids love that they have bunk beds. TJ and I love that we don't have to set up anymore. No more cranking and leveling for us!!

3. Julienne graduated from preschool and began Kindergarten. Hooray for not having to pay for daycare!!

4. TJ and his drivers drove 443 students last year! The business is doing really well. In fact, he made an appearance on the news recently to talk about driving in inclement weather!

5. Tre played flag football for the first time and loved it.

6. We decided to remodel our bathroom, Julienne's old bedroom, and create a new room for her. It was quite a project, but it turned out just lovely. Our new closet is huge! I am really proud of the work that TJ did. he has turned out to be quite a handyman!

7. We got a cat and named him Brady, before we knew that David and Andrea were definitely naming the baby Brady. So now we have cat Brady and a baby Brady. I guess you can never have too much Brady!!! ;-)

I know that there are many more highlights I am missing, but for lack of immediate memory, I guess my list will end with 7 highlights for now. Hopefully, I can keep up-to-date with my posting, and not wait another 7 months for the next post!

Our 8th anniversary

Here is my incredible anniversary present from my husband. He has always been pretty creative with his gifts and has wowed me a few times before, but I think this takes the cake. Luckily I was able to see it tonight, before my actual anniversary.

We were married eight years ago on July 21, 2001 in Portsmouth, NH at Prescott Park. Our wedding was outside, on a grassy peninsula, next to the water. There was a light breeze, so the July weather was not too hot, but warm enough to be comfortable outside. I rode with my parents in a horse and carriage, and they both walked me down the aisle to my prince. We had a short ceremony, and departed together in the horse and carriage. We shared a bottle of champagne to celebrate the beginning of our life together. Our reception was an incredible celebration with all of the people we loved. It was amazing how so many people, from so many places and times in our lives, came together to drink and be merry! We stayed up all night with our friends who had traveled in for our special day, and left very early the next morning for Miami. From there, we boarded the Carnival Paradise for a cruise of the Eastern Caribbean, including Nassau, Bahamas, San Juan, Puerto Rico, and St. Thomas.

Eight years, and two children later, we are enjoying an incredible life together. Heres to love, marriage and blissful happiness. I am lucky enough to have it all!

The Last Day of School

Ahhh....here I sit on the last day of school. I look forward to this day starting at Christmas! The students are gone, my room is packed up, all files have been updated, and now I wait. I wait for a luncheon at 11:30, to bring closure to the this school year. I have been told that it is quite an event and that I wouldn't want to miss it. So I will attend and celebrate another school year gone by!

This summer will be eventful for us. First of all, it is the last summer with Julienne as a pre-schooler. She will begin Kindergarten in the fall. She is so ready, and amazes me with how mature she has become this year. One of the big initiatives in this area is preparing our preschoolers for school, and the phrase "Success by Six" has been used. I have been really happy with the education that Julienne has received at her daycare center. She has been there since she turned two years old, and she has been in the preschool room for the year. With the help of her teachers, she has learned so much. Recently, the teachers gave her an evaluation that will be sent on to the school she will attend in the fall. She scored perfectly in every area of the assessment. Things come so naturally and easy to Julienne. I hope that she will be challenged in Kindergarten, and continue to grow intellectually, emotionally and socially. I am confident that the school she will attend will help to achieve these goals.

Secondly, we have lots of mini trips planned for this summer. Last year, we took the mini trip approach and it worked well. Our first trip will be to Maine, where we are renting a camp with my Aunt Lori and Uncle Donald. It is located on the lake and we will be able to go fishing, swim in the lake, relax and enjoy the family. I hope that my parents will join us at the camp many of the days, and even David will be home during the week we are there. The kids are super excited to go, and especially to fish. Julienne said that going to Maine was more fun than any other vacation. She says that because both of kids love their Grammy and Grampy so much, and they are spoiled when we are in Maine. Mom has promised them some individual time with Grammy and Grampy. They will each get to spend the night at their house all by themselves.

Next we may spend a couple of days camping with our friends the Weisers and the Ludholtzs. We will not camp the entire week with them, since TJ has to work, but a couple of days might be possible.

Our next trip will be a four day trip to Virginia Beach/Williamsburg. We loved the beach last year, and definitely want to return this summer. We will go to Jamestown, so I can begin teaching my children about the first permanent English settlement in North America! There is always a History lesson to be taught! :-)

We will be camping for a weekend with the Fornadel family. I am really excited about this, because we have never camped with them. They have rented a cabin and we will take our camper. I know it will be a fun weekend!

We will celebrate our 8th anniversary on July 21st. We have not solidified our plans for our anniversary, but we are planning on doing something special to celebrate our marriage.

Our last trip of the summer will be to Pigeon Forge, TN and Dollywood. This will be the first time that we attempt a large amusement park with our children. Julienne is very timid when it comes to rides or water slides. We have explained that this trip will be the test to see if we can go to Disney World soon. She has told us that she is no longer afraid, now that she is five!

We will then spend the last few weeks of summer at home, relaxing prior to the start of the new school year on August 14th. I look forward to lazy days around our pool, and spending time with friends who come to swim. Of course, my girls will be coming each week this summer. I really look forward to these days, especially now that we don't work together anymore.

So I think that is the summary of our summer plans. I will try to keep my blog more updated over the summer when I have more time.