The Tigers

 Gavin

"The Tigers"

Gavin's T-Ball Team

Coach Steve Voda, William, C.J., Chaz, Jack, Mitch, Coach Tammy Voda

Thatcher, Ethan, Reese, Kindy, Ella, GAVIN, Sam

Rigby Lake

Liz and I headed to the lake today with our kids and it was a blast. I have so much fun every time I go, I don't know why we don't go more often.

 Chloe wanted NOTHING to do with the water or the sand. She cried when I put her down on both of them so we hung out on the grass for the first few hours.

 Mason made a heart just for me!!! j/k it was already there

Gavin and I swam out to the dock with the slide and he went down it four times before he was done.

 Chloe's hair totally matches the shark fin in the background on the left!!!

 Playing with big brother again

 Liz took Mason out on the floatie

 Finally!!! On the sand after 2 hours. Now it's time for the water...

 I took her out onto the lake and she fell asleep. We carried her (and the chair) up to the shade and she slept that way.

Teagan helped Gavin bury his arm

Summer

 At least it's in pencil...

 Busted!!!

I just noticed she only has one shoe on : )

 Picnic in the backyard. One of my favorite things about summer is all the fresh, yummy fruit!!

 Gavin and his favorite pal, Bud

Another summertime favorite is trips to Reed's Dairy for ice cream!!

More t-ball, it's almost over this season

Chloe still drinks her sipper upside down and can't figure out why it's so hard to get stuff out of it and she still kicks her legs every time you pick her up. The WORST new thing she does is she has discovered that the poop in her diaper is fun to play with, ugh!! She has went digging twice already this week, heaven help me!

Mason wants me to hold his hand and count the stairs with him as we walk down while Chloe prefers to slide down ahead of us feet first on her belly.

Mason has been copying EVERYTHING that Gavin does from how he sits, to what he eats to even what he says, it's so stinking cute!!

Butikofer Reunion

Our Butikofer Family Reunion was at Mountain River Ranch up by Heise this year. It was Friday  thru Saturday. Gavin had a t-ball game Saturday morning so we didn't stay overnight.

 Chloe starring at her brother's wondering what on earth they are doing up there on those funny looking horses!

 Peek a Boo

Fishing Pond

 Mason is Gavin's new shadow. He copies everything he does, it's so much fun to watch.

 Watching the "water jumpers" (water skippers)

 In front of the little town at Mountain River Ranch

 Afterwards I took the kids to the cave in Kelly Canyon that my dad use to take us too. It wasn't a very easy hike in sandals, but we did it.

 After we got up there none of the kids even wanted to go in cave

 Mason was so frustrated because he couldn't keep up with Gavin

Pool Time

Gavin and I were on the way home from his swimming lessons and we saw this pool with the slide at a yard sale $10 later it was ours!! We invited Karen, Madisen and Megan over to break it in with us (after a good scrubbing of course)

 From the look on Gavin's face the water must have been to cold for his comfort

 Gavin digging out another wedgie

 Chloe got in the pool once and she was good

 Megan eating wearing her lunch

 Popsicle time!!

 This was Megan's very first popsicle, ever!!

 What a ham!!

Karen and I were laughing at Gavin for sitting like this because he looks like Lt. Dan on Forrest Gump

Guess What!!!

I just checked my email.

I had one from our adoption lawyer.

Guess what it said....

We FINALLY have a court date for the adoption!!!

JULY 18TH!!

The count down begins, only 26 more days!! 

It's like Christmas, but in July...

IT'S CHRISTMAS IN JULY!!!  : )

A Year Ago...

A year ago today we met Mason & Chloe for the first time. It seems like it was so long ago. It has been a long rough year dealing with state workers, lawyers, judges, CASA workers, social workers, etc. trying to get this adoption finalized/legalized, but there is FINALLY a light at the end of the tunnel!! Word on the street is it should be done sometime next month (hopefully the first week so cross your fingers and say some prayers for us!).

The first time I saw Mason he was in Grandma Bonnie's arm on their front porch. I remember thinking how small/young he was and feeling slightly overwhelmed that Chloe was smaller/younger than him, but I was super excited that he had brown eyes like me!

We got in the house and Chloe was in the baby swing and I could not believe how BEAUTIFUL she was!! Big blue eyes with a perfect little smile and she was so tiny! It was so exciting yet so overwhelming to think that I was possibly going from 1 to 3 kids!!

Here we are a year later and sometimes I feel like I am in only in survival mode, but life is mostly wonderful!! We are so blessed to have these two little munchkins in our home. 

I didn't realize how much they have grown and changed over the last year so here are some Then and Now pictures:

THEN

 NOW

 

 

CHLOE THEN

 CHLOE NOW

 MASON THEN

 

 MASON NOW