New Mommy-mobile

The relationship with our beloved 2003 Chevy Trailblazer has come to an end. The Trailblazer was our first big purchase together just a few months after Blake and I got married. We bought it from Blake's sister's mother-in-law and he drove it back and forth to work in San Antonio while I drove Blake's gas-guzzling truck. As Greyson grew out of his infant carseat and loading/unloading him into the back of our lifted extended cab truck became difficult, we sold the truck, bought Blake a commuter car and the Trailblazer became my car. We brought our two babies home from the hospital, moved into our first house and put a lot of miles, memories and Goldfish crumbs in that car, but after a few consecutive trips to the mechanic shop and a little more work from Blake, it was time to say goodbye. We missed having a truck, so we knew our next family vehicle would be a 4-door truck. Blake searched for several weeks for the perfect truck that met all his specifications and we found our new 2015 GMC Sierra Denali 2500 HD just as the Trailblazer was limping on its last leg. My first time parking it proved that it will take me a while to get used to driving a truck again, but so far we're loving it! Greyson repetitively said "I wuuuuvv it" the day we bought it and calls it his Monster truck. Let's hope he still loves it in 13 years. ;)

Last ride to daycare in the Trailblazer

Addison waving bye-bye!

My new mommy-mobile!

Addison's 12 Months Check-up

Addison turned one year old on November 22, but didn't have her routine check-up with the pediatrician until December 7th. She now weighs 23 lbs 7.5 oz (90th percentile) and is 31 inches tall (86th percentile). She has slowed down just a tad on her height, but her healthy appetite has kept her in the upper percentile for weight. She will eat just about everything and knows sign language for "more" very well. She's drinking whole milk out of a sippy cup regularly at meal time, and is slowly weaning off bottles. She likes to wear shoes and socks, although she constantly takes them off at daycare. She likes to follow her big brother around (and thinks she is just as big as he is) and play with his Monster trucks. We're blessed with our happy, healthy, blue-eyed cutie! 

Oh, Christmas Tree!

Our new Christmas tree is up and it's officially Christmas time at the Butler house! St. Nick visited our house and left a few goodies in the kiddos' stockings. I attempted to get a few cute pictures of the kids by the tree... an unsuccessful attempt, obviously! 

Snapshots

After Addison's birthday was over and she was feeling better after having a stomach bug, we went to the "Christmas Tree Farm" (aka Hobby Lobby) to find a new Christmas tree!

Our little snowman.

Addison enjoying her new toys.

And sharing her new couch with Greyson.

Leftover cupcakes means getting to sing Happy Birthday one more time Sunday evening to close out the long Thanksgiving/Birthday weekend.

A full rainbow.

Addison enjoyed her first taste of backstrap.

Greyson tackling his baby sister... Pray for us!

Addison's Birthday Party

With the Butler family already in town for Thanksgiving, the Lutz crew joined us the following Saturday for an abbreviated birthday party to celebrate Addison's first birthday. The stomach bug that had already caused Brad to spend most of the weekend in the RV Quarantine and kept Wyatt sidelined for a few hours had now moved on to the latest family member to fall victim, the Birthday Girl. It was very unfortunate timing... she got sick just as we were setting up for the party and as the last group was driving to our house. Since we already had the food prepped and a house full of people, we rushed through hamburgers and hotdogs for lunch and sang Happy Birthday to Addison while she was she slept in my lap. It felt pretty silly to sing to her while she was sleeping, but I couldn't let her first birthday party pass with out singing to her. By the time we all had cake and cupcakes, Addison woke up and was probably feeling about 50%, but enough to power through opening presents with Greyson's help. Everyone said their quick goodbyes soon after and opted for waves instead of hugs and kisses. Addison took another nap after everyone left and woke up feeling much better. Fortunately, the stomach bug only lasted a few hours for her, but it just happened to be the few hours of her birthday party. Aside from the Thanksgiving Stomach Bug of 2016 (two more of the kiddos got the bug the next day), we loved having everyone over the celebrate Addison's birthday. Hopefully next year will be better!

Walkin' in High Cotton

While our photographer in the family, Bonnie, was in town for Thanksgiving, she wanted to shoot some pictures of her kiddos in the nearby cotton fields, which aren't a common scene in the Huntsville/Conroe area. It was picking time and there weren't too many fiends left unharvested, but we were lucky to find one just a few minutes from our house. As usual, Greyson was not up for the group photo idea, but the tears dried with the promise of candy and he did great once we got there. Bonnie did a great job wrangling all the kids and getting some cute shots. Thanks Aunt Bonnie!

Thanksgiving

Blake and I hosted our very first Thanksgiving this year. The Butler crew began arriving Thursday morning and quickly began prepping for the afternoon feast. We had a surplus of food, including turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, Nana's sweet potato casserole, deviled eggs, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, broccoli & rice casserole, dinner rolls and of course, a couple of pies! The kiddos all enjoyed playing together and the guys enjoyed a loooong board game of Risk. The Volkers brought an unknown guest, a stomach bug that unfortunately caused Brad to spend most the of the weekend in quarantine, aka the RV they brought for the weekend. Wyatt caught the bug the same day, but bounced back much quicker. Addison caught the bug Saturday morning, just as we were preparing for her birthday party. Aside from the stomach bug, we had a great time celebrating Thanksgiving with the family!

The crew has arrived!

My littlest Indian!

The Kids Table chowin' down on some turkey and dressing (except Wyatt who preferred a non-traditional Thanksgiving dinner of PB&J).

The crew, minus Addison who was taking a PRE-Thanksgiving dinner nap).

Addison enjoyed her first Thanksgiving with real food!

Cousin camp-out

Sibling love

Snacks with Nana

Blake and Jason's game of Risk was getting pretty intense.