Our little go-getter

In honor of Evan turning NINE months old today, I wanted to share a quick story...

A week ago or so... Evan began trying to climb the stairs. He never really was able to get past the first stair, plus I'd always pull him off before he could get any further even if he wanted to.

Yesterday... with me right behind him, he climbed 12 of the 15 stairs by himself!! Just out of the blue! T & J were headed up, and apparently he wanted to go, too! He was a bit shaky and would have fallen a couple of times if I hadn't been right behind him, but he did all the work himself. I really couldn't believe it.

Today... I was working with Travis on his reading (Jayna was napping, Evan was crawling around and playing) when I realized at one point that I didn't know where Evan was. So I looked around downstairs...and freaked when I couldn't find him. The thought didn't even cross my mind that he might be upstairs, but when a second search around the downstairs revealed no Evan, I went up. Sure enough, he had climbed all 15 stairs by himself, and I found him in the kids' bathroom headed for the toilet. Holy cow!! Seriously, my jaw dropped.

I don't know, maybe there are other babies out there this age who do this sort of thing all the time, but for a Butts baby, this was just really surprising! The other two didn't even crawl until at least 11 months, and didn't walk until 14 1/2 months and 13 months, respectively. And we never had to put a gate at the bottom of the stairs (we did at the top) because neither of them ever even attempted to climb the stairs until they were good and able. And I guess it also was shocking to me simply because he's STILL A BABY, darn it!! 9 months, and he's capable of going wherever he wants. Yikes.

Needless to say, we will be buying some baby gates soon. And in the next few months, I will be clinging to every last bit of "baby" still left in him...because he sure seems eager to grow up! Sigh.

Little Bunny Foo-Foo

Travis learned the song "Little Bunny Foo-Foo" somewhere, and after singing it only a couple times, Jayna had it down. It has officially become one of her favorite songs. I love listening to her sweet little voice!

Christmas 2009

It appears that I didn't take as many pictures in December as I usually do, but that's okay. We did in fact enjoy the Christmas season as a family this year. All month, we talked about Jesus' upcoming birthday, and it was fun because both T & J were old enough to really get into it and understand the basic meaning behind Christmas. There was much debate over what kind of a birthday cake we should make for baby Jesus, and in the end I made a cherry cheesecake and we even sang "Happy Birthday"...though I didn't get a picture of it. Let's see...in December, we also had a trip down to Redmond to Steve's mom's house (Steve took T & J, I stayed back with Evan because of Grandpa), and also a trip to Portland to visit Steve's dad and his wife. And since my family was around because of Grandpa, we ended up seeing family on both sides this year. A real blessing, even if there was sadness mixed in with the joy of celebrating Christ's birth. On New Yea's Eve, Steve worked, so I was home alone with the kids. I put them to bed at 8:00 and had a quiet evening to myself, which was actually much needed at that point. Pictures....

Construction begins on the family gingerbread house...The kids really loved this activity....Jayna loved eating this activity :)
The final product! (It only looks this good because it was from a kit!)

Travis' pre-k class put on a little "program" for parents and family...it was way cute! It was on a day that my parents and Melanie and Becky happened to be in town for Grandpa, so they got to come, too. One of the funniest parts was when they were singing "We wish you a merry Christmas" - with motions - and the girl next to Travis accidentally punched him doing her motions. It shocked him a little, and you could tell he wasn't sure if he should keep singing or be upset, but in the end he just kept singing.

Christmas morning!! Another tradition we have is new jammies on Christmas Eve....the only gift for Christmas Eve!Brothers. Evan wasn't feeling well on Christmas, and in most pictures he has this dazed look on his face. But he was a trooper.
One of Travis' favorite presents - Lincoln Logs!

Jayna and her new kitchen! We spent more on this than we typically like to spend on Christmas gifts, but I'm so glad we did! The kids play with this ALL the time, and if you come to our house, Jayna will be sure to ask you, "Do you want to make food with me?" Evan opening a gift...he got baby food and diapers. Practical stuff....hey, he's only 9 months :)

And I threw this one in for fun. This is my frequent view throughout the day. Even Steve will agree...he's a mommy's boy. He's always crawling over to me and pulling himself up using my pants.

Two weeks later...

Well, tomorrow will mark two weeks since grandpa has been gone from us. We had a beautiful memorial service for him last week and an equally beautiful graveside service yesterday, and yet it is still hard for me to believe and accept that he's gone. I miss him. I knew losing him would be hard, but I didn't know it would be this hard.

While part of me wants to go on and on about my memories of him and how truly wonderful he was, I don't think I will. After all, family reading this already knows all of this, and those of you who didn't know him... ask me sometime, I'd be happy to tell you all about him:) Though I'm not sure I'd be able to do my memories and his legacy justice....I think you probably had to know him to know what I mean.

Anyway, my overwhelming feeling now is simply that I miss him. A lot. When Steve and I first told Travis the news of grandpa's passing, his first words were "I'm really going to miss him a lot". He nailed it. I will miss his stories, ranging from "the little girl who got her dress dirty" to WWII Navy stories. I'll miss his and grandma's frequent random stops by our house...the last of which was just a few days before his hospitalization. I'll miss watching him play with our kids, especially Travis, and his genuine love and care for Steve, too. I'll miss his interactions with grandma. I'll miss his wisdom, humor, concern, and his ability to love so many people, each completely. I'll miss his support and pride in me. And I would do just about anything for a hug from him right now.

I know that with time, the sadness will ease for all of us. But I will always miss him. I couldn't be more thankful for the assurance that I'll see him again someday! Before moving on, I wanted to share a few of my favorite pictures of him.

My wedding in 2001. (please disregard how much younger and skinnier I looked:)

Summer 2006. My family at the time minus Sam and Michele. Celebrating grandma's 80th birthday. 2007, at 85 years old! Not sure who was having more fun here!

They have a pool at their house that we grew up swimming in, and the great-grandkids swim in, as well. Travis was 2 here...he apparently needed a break and - without prompting - pulled a chair up next to grandpa and copied him by putting his feet up, too.

Early summer, 2008.

Steve's graduation from the police academy, October 2008.

A navy salute.

Grandpa was SO proud to be a WWII Navy veteran. Their first years of marriage were spent with him at war. His stories (and hers, of life at home) of this time have always fascinated me and made me so proud of them.

I think this was taken just at Thanksgiving (by a cousin). They are so cute. My favorite couple ever, for sure. I am selfishly praying for many, many more years with grandma :) I love her dearly. You would love her, too :)

Despite the turmoil of the last month, we were in fact able to enjoy the Christmas season together as a family, and I really want to post some of those pictures/stories...but that will have to wait until tomorrow night. I'm tired. I did want to give a huge "thank you" to all of you who have called, emailed, commented on this blog or facebook with prayers and loving words. Like I said in an earlier post, I know that that there is so much more to pray for in the world and in each of our lives, so thank you for encouraging me anyway, and validating my emotions, and just for caring. I've always known the importance of caring for others in this way, but this gave me another personal reminder of how much it really does help.

Goodbye

Grandpa went home today. His kidneys gave out, they decided to take him off the ventilator, and I'm told he died peacefully with many loved ones surrounding him. He lived a truly remarkable life, and he's safe in the arms of Jesus now.

Feel free to adjust your prayers accordingly.... my grandma, my family, and I greatly appreciate it.

Grandpa Goose

Deep breath. What a week...two weeks...it's been.

Some of you know - though most of you don't - that my grandpa is not doing well. I wanted to send out a call for prayer a while ago, but my mind has been mush and my emotions all over the place, and I just haven't had it in me to sit down and write anything. But he just really needs prayer, and so does my family.

I won't get into all the details, because that would take forever. A basic rundown: 2 1/2 weeks ago, he had a mild heart attack, went to hospital, 2/3 dr.'s recommended he have open heart surgery - quadruple bypass and valve replacement. They decided to go ahead with it, surgery was the following Thursday (mind you - he's 87). Who knows how many people were praying he would survive the surgery...he did! And seemed to be doing okay until the following Wed., when I got a call from my dad (this is his dad) saying grandpa had developed pneumonia, and things were looking grim. I dropped everything and headed to the hospital and was able to have a very sweet moment with him, despite the fact that he was really struggling physically. Since then (that was just last week), things have mostly gone downhill. He is on a ventilator and has had a couple dialysis treatments, he's heavily sedated but aware of his surroundings (we think). To be honest, I think we all thought he'd be gone by now. There have been many consultations with dr.'s and amongst his wife/children (there are 5 kids, my dad's the youngest) to try and decide what to do. I think most everyone has travelled back to say their goodbyes to him. I will always be grateful for some time I had with him on Saturday to just tell him how much I loved him and how much he means to me....the hardest thing I've ever done, but necessary.

So, I'd really, really appreciate your prayer. The thing is, I'm really close with these grandparents. Most of my fondest childhood memories involve them, and over the last 10 years (since Steve and I started dating and we used their house as our meeting place while we did the long-distance relationship thing) Steve and I have spent a whole lot of time with them. Travis adores Granny and Grandpa "Goose". We're a tight (and huge-5 kids, 22 grandkids, and I think 49 great-grandkids!) family, and this has been so very difficult for all of us. And even beyond the family, they are very loved and respected within their church and community. The good news is that there are countless people praying!

As far as Grandpa goes, I'm not even sure how to pray. From Wed. until this morning, especially seeing him struggle so much physically and getting more and more bad news, I just really felt little hope and my prayer was that he wouldn't be suffering and that God would take him peacefully. However, today was the first day since Wed. when I think we received more good news than bad news. Enough to give us the tiniest sliver of hope. We've been praying that grandpa himself, in one way or another, would give us a clear indication of whether is ready to be done or ready to fight...could it be that he'll pull through this? Of course, he's still in a place where he could die at any time...it would be completely miraculous if he pulled through. And of course I would love for healing to occur, and it could... but it might not. Anyway...in that regard, hopefully I've given enough info that you might pray as you feel led?

The other request is just for strength, peace and wisdom... for all of us (me, my siblings, cousins, 2nd cousins), but particularly for my aunt, dad, three uncles, and my grandma, as they are most affected of all, and also trying to make the right decisions for him in the midst of such heavy emotion. We love him so, so much. This has been very trying and exhausting for ME emotionally, but that much harder for them. So many tears being shed all around.

And most especially, for my sweet Granny Goose. They have been married for 67 years. They are truly "one", and she is dependent on him in so many ways. None of us are quite sure how she will cope and go on if indeed this is "his time". Please, please think of her in the coming days. My heart is aching for her.

I really do appreciate the prayers of my family and friends more than I can say. I know that you all have your burdens, too, and that in the grand scheme of things, he may seem like just another 87-year old grandpa who's time has come. I know there are "bigger" things to be praying for. But this is MY heart right now, and not just another grandpa. He means so much to me and frankly, I'm afraid of what my world would be like without him and Grandma. Their unconditional love and pride and support is a rare thing, something I cling to.

Anyway...thank you. Luke and Laurie are their names.

Evan is crawling!

It doesn't seem like he should be old enough to crawl! Still lots faster with the army crawl, but here's one of his first attempts at "real" crawling.