Father's Day

Our family had a wonderful Father's Day weekend. The best part: having Dad back home! Les has been gone for the past two weeks to Fort McCoy where he works as an instructor of Field Artillery for the Army National Guard. He was able to take a short leave to come home and spend his first Father's day with us.

We helped Jenny celebrate her graduation with family and friends at a reception at the country club on Saturday night. Then, we headed to Governor Dodge State Park on Sunday for a picnic and some beach time.

Eva shows Dad her swimming skills in Cox Hollow Lake.

Grandma, Grandpa, and Jenny joined us for the picnic. Here is another goofy picture of Grandpa and Dad (we have quite a few!) There is a story behind Les's "too tight T-shirt," which he borrowed from me. Let's just say he learned a lesson about the effectiveness of swim diapers...

Summer lovin'

Eva and I have been having lots of fun with friends this summer... Here we are at the pool with mom's best friend and Eva's godmother, Beth Jones!

We've also got to spend some time with some very important "little people." We took a break from the adult chit-chat at Jenny's graduation party and headed outdoors to blow bubbles and play with rocks. We're pictured with Steven Weier, Lexi Shea, and Natalie Butler. Steven and Natalie are mom's first cousins...but just the right age for playing with Eva.

Farm Girl!

Well, we did it! We moved from our home in the suburbs to farm country. (This explains my break from blogging.) For the past week and a half, Eva and I have been living between two places while Les is away at Army training. It's nice to finally be settled.

We kicked off our first weekend with a trip to the county's Dairy Breakfast. Grandpa Ron was cooking up pancakes there. Ryan, Jenny, Eva, and I couldn't pass up a big breakfast and the chance to see farm animals and tractors!

Eva has her first encounter with a Jersey calf...at least that's what I think it is...

Grandpa introduces her to these two Guernseys calves

Mom and Eva smile in front of a cow from "the square." (Despite our efforts, the balloon in her hand was much more exciting than the livestock.)

Pool Party!

We celebrated Crystal's 25th birthday with an outdoor BBQ and pool party at her home in Madison. Eva was the youngest partygoer. She had a great time swimming with the girls and joining in on the fun. Eva swims with Mom, Crystal, and Aunt Jenny

Snuggling up with Uncle Ryan after a long day of fun

Our scoop

The end of May finds us scrambling to make our next move a reality. We are packing up and plan to move much of our stuff next Sunday. We will be renting an apartment in town while our new house is being constructed.

It's my turn for big news. I was offered a position as an assistant faculty member at a nearby college. I will be teaching two classes and supervising student teachers. I am very excited about the new position...and thrilled that it is half time! I sign the contract tomorrow and get the curriculum materials so that I can begin planning over the summer.

It's taking a lot of effort for us to organize everything, but we hope all the work will be worth it in the end.

Future sight of our new home and view from the back of our house.

Spaghetti: A Comedy In Four Parts

"Okay Mom and Dad, let me at it!"

"Hey, this stuff is fun!"

Extreme close up.

"Officially a mess. Ta-da!"

(Special thanks to Robyn and Jonas for the idea)

The Sandbox

Eva has discovered sand.

It was love at first sight.

She enjoys picking it up, pushing it around, wearing it, and...occasionally...eating it.
She joins Jack, Max, and Molly in the sandbox at daycare.

Congratulations Aunt Jenny!!

Time for a little "back blogging"...

Jenny recently graduated from Indiana University's Optometry program. Our whole family traveled to Bloomington, Indiana to celebrate her most excellent accomplishments!

Dr. Jennifer Weier with her very proud parents

Jenny and boyfriend Nate Otte at the Optometry graduation

Ryan and Eva got to bond over the weekend. Here they are with some more classic hairdo's

Our family -enjoying a beautiful afternoon with Ryan and Gus

Little Red

Finally, the weather here has turned beautiful and we took full advantage of it this weekend. Eva is at such a fun age! She loved our outdoor adventures this weekend. We bought a bike trailer from a neighbor and gave that a spin. She loved it and we enjoyed getting out for a bike ride again. Then, we took a break on a picnic blanket in our backyard. I'm so excited to spend the summer with her.
On a sadder note, this weekend had its bittersweet moments too. Our other baby, Frank, went to a new home. His health issues have grown and we just haven't been giving him the time and care that he needs. Laura has a friend who recently got a little black pug and was thrilled to take Frank in. We hope to hear updates and maybe even visit him at his new home. While it truly seems the best for everyone, our house is unusually quiet this weekend. He'll always have a special place in our hearts.

Life's Precious Moments

After a busy morning of excitement in downtown Madison with Crazy Legs and the farmer's market, Eva took a long nap in her crib. When I peeked in on her, I found her curled up with her "Precious Moments" bunny, a gift from Grandma and Grandpa.

9 Months

9 month pictures of our precious little girl!

Easter Fun

Our family celebrated Easter at Grandma and Grandpa H's house. We arrived Saturday just in time to meet the Easter Bunny and join in on an Easter Egg Hunt. It was a windy cold day! Eva and I ran for the car shortly after the hunt was over.

Family Picture

(Dad, wake up!)

On Sunday, we had Easter dinner with Eva's relatives on Dad's side. Here she is with little cousins Emma and Adam.

Young Einsteins

Lately our family has been into "competitions." You get to be the judge of this contest: who has the biggest hair? Eva on a 79 degree humid day
Uncle Ryan, "the Godfather"

(The resemblence is scary)

Tuesday's Delights

A friend gave us her old boppy. I haven't gotten a lot of use out of it, but Frank seems to think it is very comfortable.

I am enjoying my days at home with Eva so much! Although working full time has worked out fine this year, I don't realize all of the small moments that I miss during the day. Here are a couple from yesterday-

I went up to Eva's room when I heard her begin to fuss after her naps. I usually find her swaddled up, laying on her back looking up. But today, she was flipped over onto her belly, pushing up and givng me the biggest smile when I came in. I think its time we lowered the crib! She has learned that she can play in move when she wakes up.

Then, last night, another cute moment during bath time. Somehow, she managed to get some bath water in her mouth, and she decided she liked it. She kept taking her right hand, (to her mother's disappointment...I thought we had a lefty) "grabbing" fistfuls of water, and bringing it to her mouth. This went on for some time. Each time, her fist moved faster towards her mouth. I think she learned another life lesson: water is too slippery to hold on to.

Easter Egg Hunt!

Our neighborhood put on an Easter Egg hunt this morning at the park across the street from our house. Many families with kids of all ages came to enjoy the fun. Eva was one of the littlest "hunters" there. She had more fun watching all the kids then searching for eggs. She did find 2 and even shared her candy with Mom and Dad! After the hunt, we spent some time swinging and watching the kids play on the equipment. Mom and Eva collect her first egg!
All smiles after her first Easter egg hunt

Morning Playtime

Which one should I play with?
Old duck is always a favorite!

Mom is very happy today. Today is her first day of spring break! No school for 9 days. She is very excited about the chance to spend it with Eva! We started it off with some quiet playtime this morning while Dad caught some ZZZ's. She was just TOO cute with her toys. I had to snap some quick pictures.

Grandpa Ron's Party!!

Grandpa Ron recently reached 30 years with Farm Credit Services. His company threw a party Saturday night in his honor. 70 people gathered to celebrate with him. Eva was the youngest party-goer but one of the most recognized. She happily rode around in Grandpa's arms, meeting and smiling at all of the people. Grandma, Grandpa, and Eva pose with special friend, Eileen White.

Chicken Dance!

Following dinner, some coworkers shared wonderful praise and memorable stories in a short program. The highlight included a visit from a chicken.

Apparently, during a visit to the Gold n' Plump poultry operation, Grandpa Ron visited a building that housed 75,000 day old chics. The men were reminded to talk softly and to "shuffle" their feet rather than lift them. Well, when this advice was forgotten, one chic's life came to an unfortunate end. For the past 15 years, he has been taunted by chickens. It was only fitting that celebrated a great career by doing the chicken dance with this feathered friend.

8 Month Developments

Check out our sweetheart!

The past two weeks have been big ones for Eva! She seems to be transitioning from a baby into a little girl. After 8 months of relying on a pacifier, she suddenly wants nothing to do with one. She would much rather sing, make chewing motions, or put anything nearby into her mouth.

Then, much to her parents excitement, she has begun to sleep through the night!! After her bout with bronchitis, she began waking several times for awhile. It was a tough road for us for a while but we got her back to once a night feedings. The last two nights she has slept for 11 hours without so much as a peep. (I hope I'm not knocking on wood by saying this.)



When she was first born, she was a very mellow baby...I guessed she took after her dad. But recently, her true personality has really started to shine. She is full of emotion! When she is happy, (which is most of the time) she takes delight in making people laugh and smile. However, when she is displeased, she is sure to let us know about it (and not so quietly either.)

Eating our way through Iowa

Our family took a little road trip on Saturday. In 13 hours, we visited 10 people, in 3 cities, and ate lots of food!

Our first stop was Grand Mound, Iowa: to visit Dave and Meg's family and meet the new baby! We ate Taco Pizza from Happy Joe's and watched some March Madness hoops. Eva and Natalie are buds already!
Baby Nathan Ronald Butler...12 days old

Next, we headed to Bettendorf, to visit Beth and Tony. We went for a walk to enjoy the beautiful weather. And, of course, stopped for ice cream at Whitey's.

Then, it was off to Davenport for dinner with the Hollingsworth crew at the Machine Shed. Eva enjoyed sitting at the table with everyone.

Dad and Eva enjoy dinner together

Would you believe that these guys can put away some meat and potatoes?

And, we returned home to find that our Verona house has sold. Another chapter, already??

Catch me if you can!

Eva hasn't figured out how to crawl yet, but she is very mobile. She has learned to turn her body in the direction that she wants to go and roll. Here she is...rolling away from Dad who was attempting to get her dressed this morning. We nickname our goofy baby "Baby Einstein." Check out all of that wild hair!