Cloth Diapers, Tattoos, and The Ward Camp Out June 29, 2008

So first...Yes, I started using cloth diapers this week. My mom gave me a few when Bran was born and told me I could use them as burp clothes, and that I did. There was NO way I was going to use cloth diapers, that's just gross. Well, after I had Trey I started thinking, it wouldn't be so bad to just give them try, I mean I would be saving money and helping the environment at the same time. So on Monday I went over to one of my friend's house and she showed me everything I needed to know about cloth diapers and even let me borrow some of her stuff. Well needless to say, they are gross but they do work! The first time I emptied the diaper pail to wash the diapers I almost lost my lunch it smelled soooo BAD! But, I think I can stick it out until Trey is at least a year old, at least that's my goal. Don't worry to all those who think I may have gone all Old Fashion and Tree Huggerish, I still will use the disposables when it's bed time and when we're out in public and on vacation.

Look at Trey Bug in his cute cloth diaper.


Second...I got my first tattoo this weekend (and probably my last tattoo also). For a long time I've wanted to get my eyebrows done, so I did! I made Brandon go with me to our local Spa and meet with the Permanent Make-Up lady, Brandi. I wasn't sure if I was going to do it or not, I just wanted to talk to her and after the consultation I decided to go ahead and get it done! They look pretty silly right now, but that is to be expected. Brandi says they should shrink a little bit and get quite a bit lighter (they better!). But so far I'm happy I did it and I'll post more pics after they heal. I think in about week they should be healed, but the total healing time is 6 weeks, after which I will probably go in for a touch up.

Before

During

After



Third...It was our ward camp out this weekend. Bran was pretty excited to go and was so sad when Brandon left to go to the store for some last minute things. Bran thought he had left him. So he cried himself to sleep on the floor with is backpack and hat still on. Trey, I don't think cared too much about the camp out, but he too fell asleep right after Brandon left. I just thought these pics were cute. The camp out was pretty fun, Trey and I left around 9pm and Brandon and Bran stayed the night in our tent. Brandon said Bran did good and had fun sleeping in the tent. I'm just glad Bran didn't get lost or eaten by a bear!

They did it, too

Brandon was impressed with my last post and he decided to do it too!

The Questions:
1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One word to describe you.
12. Your flickr name.


1. Brandon
2. Olive Garden salad (of course he would like the salad while I like the dessert!)
3. Utah State University
4. 6699cc (NERD)
5. Kate Beckinsale (just like his little bro., Nate)
6. Vault
7. An exotic island
8. Banana Cream Pie
9. A Good Dad (you already are, our boys adore you)
10. My wife and sons
11. Nice
12. Smoothdzion

It was so funny, while I was asking Brandon the questions (He picked the pics himself though...I was just telling him what to search for), Branson kept answering them too...so here's Bran's Mosaic.


1. Branson
2. Lucky Charms
3. Nursery (we though it was so funny when he said this...I didn't think he would have an answer for this question)
4. My coloring book (he didn't quite get this questions)
5. Ruby (from Max & Ruby...I didn't know he had a thing for rabbits!)
6. Water
7. Grandma's House (we asked him, "If you could go anywhere in the world where would you go?" he wavered between Grandma's house, the food store and Mickey Mouse's house...but ultimately Grandma's house won!)
8. M&M's
9. Policeman (so he could get the bad guys)
10. Trey Bug
11. Funny (I gave him the option between funny and handsome)
12. I don't have one!

Thanks again Laci...this time for providing some fun family time. We had quite a few good laughs while doing this.

I did it!

Laci and Nate did this on their Blog and I wanted to try it. So Brandon and I did it, but for some reason it didn't work...well, I didn't give up and I tried it all on my own (Brandon is no where in sight,he's actually taking a nap right now) and WALA it worked! Maybe I am the computer genius in my family!!! Yeah right, not likely, but nevertheless I am proud of myself! I can't wait for Brandon to wake up and see this post...he is going to be shocked out of his seat!!!

a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
b. Using only the FIRST page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s mosaic maker.

The Questions:
1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One word to describe you.
12. Your flickr name.


1. Peggy
2. Mexican food
3. Utah State University
4. Pink
5. Paul Walker (did you know he is LDS, just not active)
6. Pina Colada Lemonade (I had one the other day at OutBack Steakhouse, and it was YUMMY, I used to go there for the steak, now I will be going there for the pina colada lemonade!)
7. Hawaii (Hey Nate and Laci, maybe we could all go together)
8. Black Tie Mousse Cake from Olive Garden...I always get a piece to go!
9. Rich ("Knowing others is intelligence, knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength, mastering yourself is true power. If you realize that you have enough, you are truly rich" -Lao Tzu) Okay, so some $$ would be nice too!
10. My family
11. Worried (I worry about EVERYTHING!)
12. Smoothdzion (So that's Brandon's name, but I don't have my own flickr account, I'm sure he doesn't mind me using his!)

Thanks Laci for helping me learn something new and giving me something fun to do while my boys are all napping!

Loved It!

So you think you can dance.
I love this show and especially loved this performance! I wanted to put it on my blog so I can watch it whenever I want and as often as I want!

Trey Bug's 1st Tooth ... June 22, 08

Ohh, the agony of it all! What babies have to go through to get those beautiful pearly whites...forget what babies have to go through...what Mommies and Daddies have to go through...I think that is just as painful!!!

This is my normally happy and peaceful Trey Bug. Not so happy and peaceful in this picture and for about 2 days after. I was wondering why my Bug was being so fussy one day (Wed, June 18) and not taking his naps, when I thought to check his mouth, and sure enough one of his bottom teeth were peeking up. So up to the trusty medicine cabinet I went to get the Orajel. I must give a big shout out to ever invented that stuff, because one little dab of that on Trey's gums and down he went for his nap! I should also give a shout out to Tylenol because they helped us through this trying time also! So now look at my Trey Bug...

asleep...

Oh little one, keep maxin' and relaxin' pain free, until the next little tooth comes in!

All About Bran ... June 22, 08

Now that summer is in full effect Bran has found some new favorite activities.

Sidewalk chalk is always a good way of entertaining Bran.

I mean after all, you can line the chalk up...

You can stand the chalk up...

And you can even let Mommy have some fun drawing with the sidewalk chalk...okay, so maybe Mommy has more fun with the chalk, but you asked to play with it Bran. Besides, Mommy would not normally draw SpongeBob, Patrick and a Teddy Bear if it weren't for you! I must admit that the rainbow and flowers were of my own doing!

The verdict is still out if the sandbox was a good idea or not. While it provides hours of fun for Bran it also provides hours of cleaning sand out of all Bran's craveses and my house when he is done. I swear sometimes I think he is taking his shovel and just shoveling sand down his pants!!!

Nothin' like sitting in your little blue chair under the shade tree! Bran was pretty excited to get a chair that was "just my size."

Bran loves riding in Mommy's new double jog stroller beside his baby bro Trey Bug. Bran asks to go on walks almost everyday.

The famous Elmo sprinkler! I think this is Bran's most favorite summer activity. It's so fun for us to watch him laugh and play in it. About every 2 minutes Bran says "gotta warm up for a minute, but I'm not done" and he'll put his towel around him for about 3 seconds and off he goes again to get wet. The Elmo sprinkler definitely gets 5 stars.

Bran loves bubbles. His favorite are his Dora bubbles. I don't think we ever make a trip outside with out bringing them.

Bran loves swinging into the sky in his blue swing.

Sliding on his belly is Bran's new thing.

This is Bran's new PowerWheels ATV (we found it on KSL.com for a really good deal). It's pretty interesting watching him on it. He doesn't quite get the steering part so he always is running into the house, fence, trees, or whatever is in his path, causing him to get "a little bit stuck". That's what he always says, "Help, I got a little bit stuck." I'm just grateful we have 13 more years before we put him behind the wheel of the car. By watching him on his ATV it's going to take that long to teach him how to drive!!

And scary...He is already driving and talking on the phone! It actually makes us laugh, because we sometime wonder if he likes the phone better than the ATV.

Finally, Bran loves riding in his car seat. Especially when he knows we are going to Grandma and Grandpa's house. He is so funny with his seatbelt. He definitely learns from Dora, because he always says "Seatbelts so we can be safe."

Bran you are such a good boy and I hope you have the funnest summer ever. I hope we can add even more fun activities to your list. We are so excited to explore this world with you.

Happy Father's Day

We love you, Daddy!

Why we love our Daddy
1. Can you say Yummy formula and Chocolate Milk, you make it the Best
2. Slobbery Kisses that are so Funny
3. You have the Coolest Hair
4. You go to work everyday to make "the money" for our piggy banks
5. You like cartoons, too
6. You keep our Yard so Clean, so we can Play
7. You love Mommy
8. You let our basement flood, while we have so much fun playing in our Elmo Sprinkler
9. You always kiss us and tell us you love us before you leave for work
10. Come on Daddy, you know we can't count this high...but we love you for lots & lots of reasons and the more we get to know you, the more we love you.
Thanks for being our Daddy.
Love, Stickerboo & Bug

And the culprit is...

A sore throat and swollen glands. Bran is feeling much better today and almost convinced me he didn't need to go to the doctor. But his temp. was sitting at 100 degrees all morning, so I thought we should go. The Doctor confirmed it when he said Bran would need an antibiotic to get healthy again.
Well, that brings us back to square one. Ahhh, the antibiotic...can't they make that in grape flavor? I should of asked, because we got bubble gum flavor and Bran is convinced he only likes grape medicine. So back to torture we go. Torture, really it is, not only for Bran, but for me and Brandon too! I think he only got a drop, hopefully tomorrow will be better. I took some of his toys away and told him if he took his medicine like a good boy he would get his toys back, if he doesn't take his medicine like a good boy, I'm giving them away!
By the way, if anyone has good ideas on giving kids medicine, please share.
June 13, 2008

"I ike gaap menine" June 12, 2008

Okay...Branson is sick again, no shocker there, he seems to get sick quite often these days. He woke up this morning as normal as could be, sippin' his chocolate milk and watching Timmy Turner in the Fairly Odd Parents (who, by the way, is NOT Jimmy Neutron! ... not to worry though, if you ever get these two confused, Bran will quickly and firmly set you straight!)
So anyway, Bran was settled in front of the TV (by now, Dora, was on) and Trey was down for a nap and I thought...perfect bath time...and it was. I had a very relaxing bath with no interruptions ... WHAT ... no interruptions. Bran didn't come check on me, not even once. He usually at least comes in once to ask, "You okay, Mommy?" Well, after the bath I headed down stairs to get ready for the day ... and what did I find ... Bran asleep in our bed. Maybe this is not weird for some parents, but for me, this was weird! Bran does not take naps this early (11:00 am), actually, we are lucky on days we get him to take a nap. So, I let him nap for awhile, and then decided to check in on him and noticed his ears and checks were very red and he was burnin' hot. I woke him up and took his temperature, it was 102. I knew I should give him some Motrin, but thought there was no way I was going to try to give him any by myself. He fights medicine with all his might, mind, body, and soul, that poor little guy. There really is no way to give him medicine alone ... it is a two man show, and even then he only gets maybe a drop, the rest is all over his face and the lucky med givers! I thought some rest would help him, and rest he did, around 4pm I took his temp again, and again it was 102. This time I decided to call the doctor (it's one thing to have a temp, but when Bran just wants to lay around and not move or eat...that's scary) so, the nurse said to give him Tylenol and Motrin and some pedialyte. I thought, I have to give him medicine now, I can't wait for Brandon to get home. So, up to the medicine cabinet I went and got the medicine and I carefully picked out the medicine dropper I thought would be the easiest to give the medicine in. Well, after quite the struggle and tears, I just begged him to taste the medicine ... and what happened next is AMAZING!!!! Bran said "Yummy, that grape medicine is yummy in my tummy" and then he proceeded to let me give him the whole medicine dropper full of grape Motrin. I'm not joking, this is a day to remember! It really is a miracle! After he finished his medicine, it was so funny, he kept saying "I ike gaap menine" (interpreted, for those of you who don't speak 2 yr. old, I like grape medicine) which really sounded more like, I like gay men, which really made me laugh even harder....but, don't worry, Bran, I know what you were saying.
So the day is over, Bran is in bed for the night, I've successfully given him two droppers of medicine with very little resistance. Last check his temp was 103. He has a doctor's appt. tomorrow ... so the story will continue.

How Sweet...June 11, 2008

Trey Bug would rather be no place else than cuddled up with his Daddy.

More Pictures! June 8, 2008

These pics were taken in Springville at a business park. It's really pretty...I'm not sure what businesses are there, but they are lucky to have such a pretty place to work. Branson had sooo much fun feeding the ducks.

I think we have a little pitcher on our hands! Go Bran!

So, I realize this isn't a very cute pic of our family, but the circumstance under which it was taken was pretty cool. We were out feeding the ducks and we had our camera just taking random pics of each other, when a guy drove by, pulled his car over, and got out and asked if we wanted some family pictures. My first thought was...is he trying to steal our camera...so I asked him, and when he said, no, I believed him and gave our camera to him. I thought that was so nice of him and what a kind act of service that was. Our pics are pretty scuzzy looking because we were just at home bored when we decided to go feed the ducks...but like I said, I love the circumstance under which the pic was taken. Hooray for nice people in this world!

Don't worry duckies, next time we come we'll bring bread instead of crackers!

My mohawk boys! Way to go, Trey, I don't think Bran got his "mohawk" until he was at least 18 months!

Bran and Brex and Tally

Oh' how Bran loves puppy dogs!

Bran sure loves Treys head....He's finding it's good to kiss, lick, rub, pet, hit, cover up and all sorts of fun things!

Are these two really brothers....how can they look so different! And not to mention, be such different little personalities. At least they have the same nose!

Trey you're going to be bigger than Bran pretty soon!

This is Bran's happy face.....how cute!

and what a cute little tie! He loves to dress and look just like Daddy.

Forget he fell asleep eating his cheese and crackers....look at those cute little toes!

Ahhhh.....to be a kid again!

So this week has been a busy one....Last Saturday we were out doing tons a yard work (weeding, cutting down a tree, mowing the yard, and playing with our new Elmo sprinkler)... well, when it was time to go inside and rest from a days work, we went down stairs to find a flood! We were in shock and didn't know what to do....our laundry/storage room had about 1/2 inch water on the tile and our living room carpet was soaked....So what did we do....the only thing we know how...we called Grandma and Grandpa Buttars...after getting some professional advice we tore up our carpet and tore out the pad....then we called the plumber who fixed our problem, which was our outside faucet which burst sometime during the winter. Well, once the plumber left we realized we still had lots of cleaning up and water puddles to get rid of.....so, we went to Sonic and got slushies and then got to work....It's funny how a Sonic Slush can make cleaning up a flood not seem quite so bad!!! (That's the advice I'd give to you Grandma/pa Buttars....just go to Sonic next time your basement floods....because we know it will!!!!) Anyway....we let our carpet dry over the next week and this weekend Grandma and Grandpa were kind enough to come down and help us get our carpet back down and our laundry room and family room back together....THANKS SO MUCH! Well that's one little disaster I hope we don't have to experience again.

Other than that excitement we've been doing good and our boys are still making us laugh and cry at the same time. Trey is growing so fast and getting so big. He is such a little chatter bug. His squeals of delight are so loud...but so cute. He can already fit into some of Bran's 12 month clothes....that is just crazy to me. He's also such a daddy's boy and it's so cute to watch them together. He can't stop smiling when daddy has him. Bran is talking so much now and he always amazes us with the things he says. He still has his Teddy Bear friends or foes...we still aren't sure. He has learned to call me Peggy on occasion, which cracks me up. And he is now super good at repeating everything we say....I hope no one gets offended!!! We feel so blessed to have the boys we have and are so grateful for them and what they bring to our little family.