Treats for Mummy

So, since I just had a baby shopping for my favorite wardrobe items (jeans...jeans and more jeans, of course) is really about as much fun as shoving slivers of bamboo under my fingernails and then soaking them in salt water. For real. But, luckily, I stumbled upon Lost Button Studios while searching the internet for something totally unrelated. This is a handmade jewelry studio - a mom of two who is SUPER talented and makes some really lovely pieces. So, I decided to update my jewelry wardrobe a bit in this time of postpartum..ahem...rotundness. Is that a word? Anyhow, maybe the new bling will direct the attention upwards, away from the awkward, lumpy bits.

I chose a simple pair of hammered silver hoops


And then decided to mix it up with some cool square hoops. (Can you call them hoops if they're square? I don't know - I just call them pretty.)


Finally, I couldn't resist this antique key necklace. I love how different it is, all sterling silver, oxidized and then hand buffed. Love it. The tiny key is only 1 inch, and it comes on a beautiful long chain. Yum.



The coolest part about my order? Not only did it ship super fast, was beautifully packaged, and came with a free magnet, but Jessica (the designer) threw in these for free!



What a great find. This could be dangerous! Please check her out at Lost Button Studio, or take a peek at her blog as well!

Boys weekend

The boys decided to do our second attempt at a backyard camp out - this time with their cousins along for the ride. We weren't sure if they'd stay out there all night (last time they were in their own beds by 9:30) but they did great. Papa serenaded them for about an hour with his guitar, and about 11 we finally heard the last one (Aidan, of course) conk out. They woke up bright eyed at about 6 a.m., ready for breakfast!






Here are a few more pictures from the boys trip to Creation fest at the Gorge amphitheater. They got to rent a boat and go tubing on the river, then see Switchfoot play - at 11 p.m.! Thankfully they took a nap from 6 - 8:30 p.m., so they were able to make it through the concert. They had a great time and enjoyed the beautiful pool and a yummy brunch the next morning.

Chloe's Smile...

Holy dimples Batman!

Good reads...international version

So I have this little thing about reading. (Ha.) I'd pretty much rather sit and read a book than do anything, including talk to my husband and children much of the time. And yes, this could qualify me as a horrid selfish beastly person who would rather live in someone else's world than her own sometimes, but so what. I can live with that. You have to have something for sanity, and I think that drinking all day would be counterproductive. And not very safe.

Aaaanyhow...my parents brought me back a GREAT book from their trip to England. If you read my dad's blog, they found it on talk radio - BBC 4 or something, and listened to it while they drove. They knew I'd love it, and so far I do! It's called "Wife in the North" and is the story of a London mom with two boys, prego with a daughter, who moves out to the country to make her husband's dream come true. Only then he has to go back to London for days at a time to work. Humph. Much humor and heartache follow, as is expected for any new mom of three kids with a hubby who travels. Trust me, I know. So, when the book is published in the US on Aug. 3, check it out. I'd give you my copy to borrow, but it's signed by the author. So get your own! Or check out her blog - very funny!

Really?

Yesterday I went online to find some cute headbands for Chloe. She has no hair to attach a bow to, so I thought I'd look for some of those cute stretchy headbands with bows attached. Ummm...I found some things that were, well, I can only say...disturbing. Like this...



And equally disturbing...



Why, oh why, would you do this to a little child? Do these people not understand that this is, in my mind, a totally reasonable explanation for a person becoming a sociopath later in life? Seriously, people. Be reasonable.
For instance, this is cute...



and this is cute...


This is not cute. Take a memo.

A big bunch of Butler Boys!

We are so happy to have ALL the Butler boys here in Oregon for a few days! That's right - there are 7 of them, including Papa. Seriously, us girls are sadly outnumbered! They went for a hike today - had to take their swords, of course. They're lined up for a few fun adventures in the next few days - fishing tomorrow, then Creation Fest on Thursday where they'll get to see Switchfoot play. More pics to follow!

Boys day at the beach

Shawn took the boys to the beach on Saturday for a "Boys day" - just the three of them all day. They had such a great time exploring, digging, hanging out, eating clam chowder. Jack kept asking "what's this piece? and this one?" "A potato," Shawn said. "A clam." "A tasty part. I don't know, just eat it!"

Lock up your daughters...

Seriously. Be afraid, very afraid.

Under the Sea...

When we were at the beach last weekend for the surf contest, we got to take the kids to the Oregon Coast Aquarium for the afternoon. It was SUCH beautiful weather - we don't always get those kind of days on the Oregon coast. I love watching Jackson at places like this - he wants us to stop and read EVERY SINGLE piece of information on EVERY SINGLE animal. Aidan just wanted to know when we were going to get to the ice cream. :)

i love aidan's little profile in this one!

Supahstahhh!

Yes, yes, my son really is one. A superstar, that is. We saw a new side of Jackson this last weekend - the competitive side! Two weeks ago when Shawn tried to take him surfing, he took 15 min. to get suited up and then whined and moaned and cried about how cold it was, how "scared" he was, (which is a crock, by the way) and then got out of the water because Shawn was "being so mean" to him. Jeeze louise. But this weekend...oh such a different story. Why..you might ask? Well, there were trophies at stake.

Yes, I'll admit it. My 6-year-old son is a trophy whore. The thought of a shiny, pretty little statue to add to his collection will somehow give him the strength to endure the cold, fear, and a "mean" dad. Well, he sure scored this weekend. Not only did he get his T-ball trophy on Friday, but then he went ahead and took 3rd place in the surf contest he was in on Sunday! He was in the 12 and under category - and there were 12 kids in the contest! He did great, and after getting his trophy and GIANT bag o'prizes, he requested that Shawn build him a "BIG shelf" when we got home to hold all of his trophies. Modesty - it really is a virtue! We'll work on that one, okay?



It actually wasn't as cold as it looks - it was beautiful the day before this - 75 and sunny, no wind. But of course, as it got HOT in the valley (100's) it sucked all that fog in along the coast. Aidan had to get all suited up for his "surf contest" too. He's pretty darn cute. Here's a cute one of lil' love too!



We were able to take the kids to the Oregon Aquarium in Newport on Saturday - I'll post pics of that later!