What, no photo?

This post will mark the first one I have ever done without a photo (or two or twelve), but it is a funny story that can stand on it's own.

Yesterday in church Sister Powers, the Primary second couselor, was sitting a few rows behind Lily's Sunbeam class during singing time. Lily was sitting next to a cute little boy named Javin. The were sitting listening to the song leader when Javin turned his head towards Lily. Lily turned her head toward Javin. Sister Powers started an internal dialouge of, "Nooooooooo!", knowing she couldn't get there in time, as in slow motion the two puckered up and leaned in for the kiss. Their lips briefly met for one magical moment. Then they turned around and started singing again.

At least it wasn't the eleven year olds!

"I want to have a party...

....and I want cake. I want cake as pretty as my dress!"-cinder-Lily Butikofer

You may have to click on the picture above to get the full effect, but this is a very nice dress. It has a nice clashing olive tie over light blue netting and crushed velvet. The netting is also incorporated in the sleeves, all of which has been ripped and melted in the drier. Using this dress as a baseline for the cake, the refreshments might look something like:



Ice cream, anyone?

My fimaly

Sarah's spelling, not mine. (She did not get into the spelling bee, but who am I to talk?)

This is an actual drawing I grabbed off the table. She has been taught in school to use a "spider web" to outline ideas for writing. She, to my knowledge, has not completed the essay, but here is the outline.

Notice how many ethnic groups we represent: White, peach, brown, and in the case of our black lab--gray.

I will write what she said about each of because it's not too legible...

Lily makes me feel happy.
Rebbca is a wondeful sister.
eleit is so cute.
my dad helps my mom
olive is a good find (friend)
Logan makes me lathe! (laugh)

(And my favorite, summarizing her feelings about her mother in one sentence:)
my mom put me on earth.

Baby Breaks Family Record

Elliotte Butikofer of Anchorage. AK, at the age of 2 months, 2 weeks, and three days old cut her first tooth on Friday, January 19, 2008 . She blasted the former family record, held by sister Rebecca Jane, by 1 month, 1 week, and one day. The old record was achieved on the day her family moved into Aggie Village, located on the campus of Utah State University. It was ironically on this date, August 27, 2003, that her 18 month old sister Sarah lost her first tooth by kissing the pavement in a nearby parking lot.

When asked about her daughter's accomplishment, mother Linsie Butikofer only commented, "I only wish potty training were this fast!"


Former record holder Rebecca Jane sucks her finger to sooth her swollen gums.



Sarah's face after smacking the pavement and losing her first tooth.


Sarah posing in the bath looking like a very small first grader. If you look closely you can see the gap on the top left (her right).

Nostalgic Photo of the Week 2

This one is not so old as the last, as is obvious by Dale's appearance, but still... good times!

Aloha!

This is probably the same whale as in Bec's blog. It visited last summer, and is wintering now in the islands. It says "Aloha!" by spouting.

This particular whale decided not to breech for us, but I got some amazing photos anyway!

Walk Softly

Isn't Elliotte adorable? Answer: YES!!

Her hat I started to crochet right after she was born while Mom was still here. It was supposed to be for Rebecca, but it ended up too large. So I pulled out all the stitches and started over. Then it was much too small. Small for Rebecca, but just right for baby! It was a tiny bit too big for her until recently, but fortunately for my handi-crafting winter is long in Alaska and she should be able to wear it until it's really too small! (Although we are gaining 4 minutes of light a day now. The kids are now walking home in the light!)


Her shirt says "Walk Softly", and reminds me of Creative Dance class. Remember Jane? "You guys sound like a bunch of Elephants!" It came from Wal-Mart, and it's completely organic. And made in China. What do you do.

Her jeans are part of a two-piece set that we gave to Danitra when Cadence was a newborn. Except they only got the sweater as the jeans fell off the hanger in our house before we left for Fairbanks. Kind of funny! Danitra is now going to give us the sweater so the set can be together again!

Her shoes were a clearance item--two bucks!

Her car seat is the cutest one I have ever seen. I like that it's actually girly instead of unisex.

The floor is clean. Yes, I have committed to sweeping all my wood floors daily and mopping at least 3 times a week. 2 weeks in and I'm still doing it! New record!

Happy Birthday, Sarah!

We celebrated Sarah's 9th birthday on Sunday. I can't believe she is nine years old! Wow! She requested cherry pie instead of cake, because although she will EAT cake, it's not really her favorite. Instead, she opted for pie, which has a lower carb count anyway. Smart girl! She helped me make the pie, and it was flaky and delicious. In fact, I just had a slice for breakfast. YUM! (She insisted on the lattice top. Turned out to be pretty easy, actually...)

She got tons of great gifts. Grandma sent her a "big pillow" (her words, not mine) that is basically a stuffed animal holder. She has been sleeping on it for the last 2 nights. I'd post a photo, but I haven't taken one yet! :) Bec sent her a really cute virtual pet that we can't wait to "adopt". Grandma and Grandpa sent her some cash in a card, which she can't wait to go spend. I asked her what she wanted to buy and she said, "I don't know. There has to be something at Wal-Mart I could spend my money on!" Great. I'm trying to encourage her to think ahead, but she wants to impulse buy, I guess. I'm guessing she'll end up with something from High School Musical. She has been using a new diabetes kit that says, "I love Troy" on it. She confided in me that she wishes she was Gabriella so she could be16 and be his girlfriend. She also thinks a boy named London in her class at school is "super cute", and his desk got moved next to hers! She's bummed he's not a member. I told her not to worry about it yet. She has 7 years before it will be an issue...I wish!

It was a happy birthday, and p.s., doesn't her hair look adorable? (Although I get in trouble for saying that too much. Sassy little thing...)

Nostalgic Photo of the Week

I got this brilliant (if I do say so myself) idea while looking for old pictures for my YW lesson last week. The object is to comment on what you can remember about this loverly picture of our darling mom!

I was inspired by Bec's cute picture of Kendall and thought I'd post some old pictures of the kids. Thanks, Bec!

Rebecca always makes eating a multi-sensory experience.

In contrast, this is the messiest baby picture I could find of Logan. (And I looked!)


Yum, Yum, Brownie Mix! I wish I could find some flat wooden spoons like Mom has...


Let's just say, "wet cat", and get it over with!
(Notice there is no sauce left on the noodles, but there's a fair amount on the wall behind her.)

You can't really tell from this picture, but Rebecca and Sarah's pants are COVERED in flour. Logan's....Not so much. (did I do the apostrophe right?)
\

Memories! I was clearly just home from Creative Dance class to "help" mom make sugar cookies. I remember this well. Cute girl in the background, too, Jennie!

Rub -a- Dub Dub

Last Sunday we had to leave Olive at home in the bathroom during church because it was too cold to leave her in the car that long. She obviously had a great time, cause since then she keeps jumping in the tub. I decided what the heck, she’s in there anyway, so I gave her a bath. Then I was thinking about it and next time I'll bathe her after church to clean the tub and bathroom then, anyway. I did clean the tub, as well as the Olive. She liked it okay—not a huge fan of the spray, but she did really well. She was very wet. I closed the bathroom door and she shook all over the cabinents. I wiped that up, too. Now she’s not going outside for awhile cause her fur would freeze. "My nose is cold. And my ears are froze. And my tail is froze." Name that movie! (Did I get it right, Jane?) So I suppose now I'll be cleaning the carpets, too.

I would have put in a picture of her all sudsy, but I couldn't keep her in the tub AND snap a picture. Not even Linsie the Great is that coordinated. (I'm lucky I kept the dog in the tub!)

Elliotte, on the other hand, not so much a fan of the sink bath. If it weren't fur (pun intended) the fact that she was so sad about it, I would prefer bathing her over the dog, though. Not so much clean up and less wet dog smell!

She did end up happy in the end, though.

Legacy

Dale's Grandfather has passed away, so to honor him, I have posted some pictures of his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He had 5 daughters and 12 grandchildren. Dale spent a lot of time with him in his truck hauling loads to Nevada, and can't wait to get back to Idaho to crawl through the old cab. It still has a load of wood on it, waiting to be delivered.
Besides passing through memory lane, Dale is excited that he will get to see Tyler, Danitra, and Jessie. He hasn't seen Jessie for 5 years, and keeps hopin' and prayin' that he and his family will get stationed up here at Elmendorf Airforce Base.
Every time Dale, and I would visit Grandpa Shneiter's house, Dale would pull out the old marble run for the kids (okay, for DALE!) to play with. It was a simple setup--a few pieces of angled wood and a basic tray at the bottom that couldn't seem to hold any marbles! As the rest of the adults in the room tried to hold a conversation, we would hear Dale background showing little Sarah how to load up the run just right. On your marks. Get Set. GO!! Down they would rattle, back and forth in a rickety racket, out of the tray and all over the floor! I'm not sure who was grinning more widely: Sarah, Dale, or good ol' Grandpa. We never could leave that house without a box of Idaho potatoes caked in dirt and a twenty-dollar bill. But that was Grandpa: Fun, cash, and a box of potatoes.

Linsie's Olive

Well, here she is. My little black Olive! She is about 13 weeks in these pictures, and she is delightful. It turns out that taking pictures of black labs is harder than it looks. I should do it out in the snow, but by the time I get there, it's dark! Oh, well. Just imagine a black blur and you pretty much know what she looks like!

I pity da fool who isn't as fat as me!

Elliotte went to the doctor today, and weighs a whopping 9lbs 10oz! This made her doctor very happy, and all of us happy, too. She is super-cute these days--she's been cooing and smiling at us. Her Mr. T mohawk is starting to fill in, but it still looks pretty funny. She started out with tons of hair all over, and then her hairline just receeded, leaving one long strip all the way down the middle. She really looked like him, especially with her rhinestone binky. Now some fuzz is starting to complement the long hair on the top, and she looks more like a rooster. The kids all call her Chickadee Baby, but I still think we should gel it up and dye it pink and purple. Throw on neon pink pajamas, put "Video Killed the Radio Star" on the tape deck, and she'd be ready to punk out!

I'm NOT Lily! I'm Cinderella!

This was one of the highlights of Lily's Christmas. Recently, though, she's been a reindeer. I didn't include a picture, because did you know that reindeer don't wear ANY clothes, and don't use the bathroom ever? This became painfully clear yesterday when she was doing the biggest potty dance I've ever seen (legs crossed, hips pivoting up and down like some sort of speed walker) , shrieking, "Reindeers don't go potty! Reindeers don't go potty!" I tried every manipulation I could, starting with, "Reindeer go in stalls, let's go to the stall!" and ending with, "If you don't go in the bathroom you'll have to go outside with the dog!" In the end I had to carry her down and plop her on the toilet. She was shrieking all the way, insisting that she didn't need to go. The instant her bottom hit her potty chair, the proof was in the pudding, or the pot, as the case may be! But hey, I never sleep, so there you go. (I'd rather she not sleep. Between her and Olive we need some serious carpet cleaning...in about 3 months when they are BOTH housetrained.) :)

Knifty...

Here is Rebecca's new pride and joy...She's making her very own hat with a Knifty Knitter that Santa brought! The yarn is different shades of purple. It's going to be very cute when it's done. Hopefully that will be before break-up! It should be: Rebecca is very talented at this sort of hands-on work. She likes to knit while watching cooking shows. "Rachel Ray" is her favorite, but she likes "Ace of Cakes", "Good Eats", and "Dinner Impossible", too.

Choo-Choo!

This is Dale's first attempt at carpentry; not bad for 7 hours, a Skill Saw, and a drill! All of us kids love it. Isn't Logan handsome? How lucky are we to have two good-looking engineers in our house? The kids have already decorated the engine with stickers, and the headlight still needs to be screwed in, but other than that, it's ready for action!

How Sweet it Is!

This is one of Sarah's favorite Christmas presents in action. It was a kit to make sugar-free gummies from the elves! She loves it. The treats are pretty good, so I've included the recipe in case any of you want to make some:

1 cup cold water
1 large (or 2 small) packages of sugar-free Jell-O
3 packets plain gelatin
1 package of Kool-Aid (opt. It makes them sour)

Pour water into a quart-sized sauce pan. Add Jell-O and gelatin to bloom. Turn on the stove and heat until dissolved. After allowing it to cool down a little bit, pour into a plastic squirt bottle. Make sure it's not too hot or you will melt your bottle! Squeeze into plastic molds--the kind designed for chocolates. Allow to cool and enjoy! You can also pour into a cake pan and cut into "worms" if you don't have a bunch of molds. Also, if you fill up where the stick would go on a chocolate lollipop, you can pull them off after they cool, and they look like worms. Yum, Yum, Yum!

p.s. If you don't use sugar free Jell-O, increase your gelatin to 7 packets of plain per large box of Jell-O

p.p.s Treat these like Jell-O. They will mold after a few days, but should be fine in a lunch box or for the day out. Store them in the fridge for more long-term.

p.p.p.s. I should probably also state for those of you who don't know, that Sarah has juvenile diabetes. It makes the whole "sugar-free" thing make more sense!