Happy Birthday Mr. Idaho

I thought this looked like a model pose!

Another year has come and still I wonder who this young strong hot guy is that I wake up next to. With each passing year my love for him deepens. (I usually am not a fan of the list, but this post would go on and on so I had to LIMIT it to 35 things I love about Tim!)

1. Just watching him with the girls, especially when he smells their clean hair. He loves it and he truely loves them!
2. His desire to give me whatever I want. (except the TV in the bedroom)
3. His STRONG work ethic.
4. His desire for clean things and his ability to clean.
5. His dedication to any calling he has.
6. His bowed legs!
7. The way he loves my cooking and tells me what a good cook I am.
8. How he walks into our bedroom or runs up the stairs not to flatten the carpet.
9. The way he eats HUGE scoops of peanut butter out of the jar. (and still stays trim)
10. The way he takes a drink and gives a refreshing AAAHHH at the end.
11. His bright smile.
12. His singing, even though he doesn't do it publicly.
13. The way he can spend hours fixing something til it is fixed the right way.
14. How he smells when he kisses me good-bye in the morning. The smell lingers for a while and I LOVE it. I smell that on his pillow on the nights he is gone.
15. His support to endless hours of dancing!
16. His trust in me. (Like leaving the new boat in my care for a week while he was gone!)
17. His priesthood abilities anytime we need them.
18. The way he plays with the girls when they want some attention.
19. His sensitive side when we watch movies or hear a cute story.
20. How he worries about his mommy.
21. How he is willing to incorporate some of my silly traditions in our family.
22. Filling up my car when I have let it drop below a quarter tank.
23. How he loves Lady GaGa songs!
24. His ability to make everything perfect!
25. Calling me ten times a day while he is gone to check on me.
26. How he takes care of others. (even a pregnant waitress)
27. The image I still have of his Wrangler back side.
28. His thick hair. Thanks heavens he has passed on those great genes to my girls!
29. Which leads me to the tolerance he has, or has to have, with the amount of hair on the couch, floor, bathroom cupboard, clothes, etc.
30. The crepes he make for his girls!
31. His passion about things he believes in.
32. The way he loves smelly things. (Must be a Butikofer trait)
33. How hard he works to provide for our family.
34. Snuggling with me (even though it is forced!)
35. Just trying to be my everything!

Again I could go on and on. Happy Birthday Tim, you are the best husband, father, partner I could ask for. You complete me!

This is how we do it......

I hope you are all singing that tune right now. (I know you are Chelsea)

Valentine's this year was perfect. I had a huge week (surprise) and it all came to a conclusion with the thing I love most... time with my family. Tim surprised me Saturday when he called to tell me "get ready and be in Park City by 3:00 for a massage at Massage Envy!" (Trumpets, playing dadadadah!!!!!) He got me a 3 month membership. Best present EVER! He then brought the girls over and we all headed to Olive Garden. This seems to be the girls favorite place to eat. We came back home and stopped at Cold Stone in Park City for dessert.

Sunday morning I made heart shaped pancakes and eggs. (I promised myself I would use the molds if I bought them!!!) It seemed to make the pancakes more delicious. I wouldn't normally blog about silly heart shaped food but the end of the day brought a funny little event which I thought was blog worthy.

The girls had called their Grandma Butikofer to wish her lots of LOVE. She and I were talking after and Tim brought a chair right next to me on the couch. (Background story: Tim has been asking me for a week if I thought I could stand on his shoulders and change a light bulb on the vaulted ceiling) Next thing I know he had Ellie on his shoulders. While I explained to Janis what was going on she QUICKLY prompts me to get off the phone and get them down. What do I do... Grab the camera! They still weren't tall enough so Tim found my old antique shipping crate and boosted them up enough to get the job done. Maybe Tim will be getting a ladder for his birthday this week??????

Winter Fun

Despite most people's dismay with the snow, we found there are many ways to beat the white stuff. This Christmas and winter gave us many reasons to celebrate. Between tubing, skating, Ellie and Tim's ice fishing trip, and feeding cows with Grandpa Mac and the McNeil cousins; we find our winter fun is only part of what we are up to!




Our kids are really loving life and learning new things. We have quite the routine around here. The girls are up to their necks in all kinds of lessons: DANCE, school, DANCE, violin, ACRO, guitar, and even a little more DANCE. Since Ellie got her guitar for Christmas we had to take the next step and get her in guitar lessons. Tim and I both love the violin and have wanted to have a child who could play it. So with that in mind we found a teacher that could instruct Ellie in guitar and Tess in violin. It is really exciting to see the girls learn new things and find new talents. The routine for us however is a little grueling.>
With all the girls taking every dance class available to them (and why NOT) our after school schedule is jammed. So we do piano, guitar, and violin before school! They do not complain at all and even beat me out of bed on some mornings. As long as I have Tess' clothes laid out for her the night before we are all good to go. So what about Mia you might ask??? Well this little socialite has a pretty full schedule herself. She attends two different preschools. She does jazz and acro and shops at Kamas Food Town! She also gets playdates every Wednesday with Reece.

Even if it is freezing cold outside and we are longing for the days to pull out the boat, the weeks pass quickly with this kind of crazy schedule! Here is a peek at some other things we have been doing!

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The greatest place on earth with the greatest people on earth!

Keep reading below, my computer went crazy!

Where did my babies go?

We recently had our family pictures done and all I could think about when I looked at them was; Where did my babies go? It seems like the girls have grown up over night. Especially Ellie! If you look at the picture at the top of the blog and compare it to one year previous, it blows my mind.


For my own record I needed to document the lives and time of these three girls.



This year in school Ellie has had a tremendous teacher who appreciates her nature. It was a blessing for me. Ellie is very artistic and can often focus more on the outside of the box rather than the content inside of it. Her teacher has told me several times that Ellie is a brilliant child with lots of potential. Many days I see the potential and encourage it... other days I am just the mom who nags at her to pick up her room and get her homework done without getting off track. Ellie is in a phase of peace sign and hoodies. She loves wearing hoodies and tries everyday to tie one into her attire. I have tried to embrace this fashion statement and find as many different and hopefully dressy hoodies as I can. She is on comp team this year and loves every minute of it. I can honestly say she is really good at hip hop and has the swagger that it takes! Yeah! She is still in piano and is getting much better at reading music. If her Christmas wish comes true she will start adding a little guitar music in her life. Again, when did I get old enough to have a kid who wants to play guitar?

Ellie at Stadium of Fire

Moving on to my big girl Tess. First grade phenom. We were also really blessed when Tess was placed in her first grade class. Tess' teacher is the most positive and kind person I have ever met. She loves her students and really does all that she can for them. Tess is my quiet thinker. She doesn't often say things out loud but she definitely lets you know how she feels about things. Last year I wasn't allowed to help in Tess' classroom because she would never talk if I entered the room and then she would cry when I left. So when her first grade teacher asked me to be the room mother this year, I told her I would have to check with Tess first! She agreed it would be ok and has been very excited when I show up. Her teacher has had a hard time finding things to give Tess that are a challenge to her. She does her assignments and asks what is next. I completely understand. When I give Tess a list of chores/work at home, I can guarantee it is done and she usually comes down stairs and asks me what else she should do. Tess is also doing really well in piano. She keeps right up with Ellie and plays more by ear. She can read the notes but once she has heard the tune she really excels. If all works out she will start violin after the New Year.

Tess losing her first tooth.

Last but certainly not least...MIA. She has grown up and even moved into 4T clothing. This kid cracks me up everyday. She goes to two different preschools to keep her occupied and cries if it is a day when she has no where to go. She also told me the other day that her favorite store is Kamas Food Town. When I asked her why she simply stated- "well I get a slushie when I go there." Whatever makes her happy while her sisters are at school. She has really taken a liking to acrobatics. Dancing is good but I think this one likes the wild adventure she gets in acro whereas in dance she actually has to listen to me and do what I say! She can do a cartwheel and land on her feet. This may sound like nothing big but some 4 year old can't do a forward roll. She still like to snuggle and she and I could sleep in til 8 if anyone ever let us. I have to also throw in that she is the best colorer (is that a word) She stays in the lines better than the 6 year old and she is always drawing and coloring me a picture.

My preschool doll!

So even though there had been no update of a while, we are alive and I am just trying to keep up with my growing babies! Life in good on Country Lane!

A few other occurrences in our lives: From my previous post you know that we lost out 23 month old nephew. I need everyone to know that we understand the "plan" and we all are still working on accepting it. His parents are valiant and the rest of us are encouraged by their strength. Three days after losing Luke, my grandfather pasted away.

From the time I can remember things I have always had my grandfather in my life. We moved next door to them when I was only 4 years old. I watched him work the cows and the crops. Sometime he would even let us go along for the adventure. He was a very hardworking man and expected anyone that worked with him to work just as hard. I think that could be where I got some of it. He also loved my grandma VERY much. They always had a smooch for each other and sat hand in hand. After my grandma died you could tell a part of him died too. He loved her so much and had such a desire to be with her. The Monday before he pasted I was able to spend the afternoon with him. I always felt like it was a blessing to spend time with him and when I left that day I honestly knew it was probably the last opportunity I would get. I told Tim that night about how I felt and really cried for what I knew was to come.

His funeral was such a testimony to all that he was. His big family and the legacy that he left made me realize how important the "plan" really is. I felt the veil was very thin on that day and both he and my grandma where sitting there by their children as proud as they could be.

Between losing Luke and my grandpa so close, I saw the gospel in its fullness. I have never been more sure of anything in my life. So while my "babies" are growing and changing the one thing that will never change is the importance they are in my "plan."

Perspective

There comes a time when things get thrown at you and you have a different perspective. This evening our family unfortunately experienced one of those moments. Our sweet nephew LUKE TAYLOR returned home to our Heavenly Father. At 23 months old I can honestly say this child fulfilled his calling on earth. Luke was the center of the Taylor family. His spirit brought joy to their home. His wonderful father and adoring mother gave love without limits when it came to this kid. His brothers Josh and Mike would do anything and everything for Luke. This is an amazing family!

I know the plan our Father has for us. I love the peace that I get from it. I try to share my testimony of it whenever I can. I want my children to know this. I want my friends and neighbors to understand it. There is only one way to find comfort in any of this.

I want to bottle up the feeling I have in my soul right now to open up and use later down the road when my perspective may not be so clear and my eyes may be out of focus.

Please pray for this family! Keep them in your thoughts. Do all that you can to ensure you will be with your family again.

April Fools... it is still April isn't it?!? I have lost track of time. It seems these days that the days run into weeks and the weeks have pasted to months. I have been super busy but NEVER take pictures. Even on this trip I had to force myself to remember to break out the camera. To sum up our vac-kay MUCH NEEDED. We started off our R & R in St. George with the Gunners and Johnsons. We were fortunate enough have Rob and Dad accompany us on our journey. I had a driving partner and the girls were on their best behavior (if that is possible) for Uncle Rob. It really helped to have a total of 3 dvd players going. (Thanks Erica!) The girls rode bikes and played in the sand while the adults listened to conference and had wonderful food. I am not sure there is ever an event with us that doesn't involve food. Sunday we watched the first session of conference ate AGAIN and then jumped in the car to head to Pheonix. I had told Dad that I wasn't sure the Vegas route was the best. Tim and I had been that way over 9 years ago and I remember thinking it would never end. But dad insisted he had measured it out with string on the map it we should give it a try. All went well UNTIL Hoover Dam. All I will say is 4 miles=55 minutes. Got a great view of the suspension bridge being built over the dam, IMPRESSIVE! Dad did suffer from a touch of road rage:) Eight and a half hours later we made it to see our adorable little Rajko. He was definitely worth the wait!

Dad and Rob actually stayed with Giselle and Noah while I stayed with Sharee and Matt. They also have three kids and a kid friendly back yard. The warm Phoenix air made my kids believe it was summer. (80's the entire week.) While in Phoenix we did everything we could to keep those kids entertained from indoor Amusement Parks to Bowling. The thing my kids wanted to do more than anything was SWIM in the pool. However, one of the highlights was the Hannah Montant Movie as well. I will just go on record saying I LOVED IT!!! Sharee and Matt were great host and Giselle and Rajko were our event planners. Thanks to everyone who we spent time with. I may need a week or two to catch up on all the sleep I missed but Sharee and I got caught up on our lives. Dad and I made a joint decision to leave on Friday and drive in the night to St. George. We didn't get out until 9pm Arizona time and I pulled into Chelsea and Max's at 4:20 AM. However the girls slept the ENTIRE time and it went by faster that way. We made it home for Easter and it looks like we are in for a week of storms. So great to be back.

BTW: This is not a resort pool, this is Sharee's back yard! LOVE IT!

Since I uploaded pictures from my camera I did find two events that I hadn't blogged about.

Mia had to dress silly and crazy for April Fools. She loved it and was extra pleased to wear make-up to school.

Tess had the kindergarten piggy opera. She had been excited for the big day! I think I could hear her singing...?

But definately the cutest piggy-EVER!!! Come and see us soon Rajko and Scheerhorns.