The Button Family

Utah

2012-02-05T21:57:00.001-06:00

Kevin's Christmas present to me was a trip to see my friend Dawn, who lives in Grand Junction, Colorado. After visiting her home, we drive to Salt Lake City, Utah to see all the LDS church sites. My favorites were: the Roof Restaurant overlooking a lit up Salt Lake Temple, the art work inside the new Conference Center, and Music and The Spoken Word at the Tabernacle. We also got to see/tour the visitor centers, the Beehive House, church history museum, the This is the Place Monument. Since the SLC temple was closed, we did a session at the Bountiful Temple. I loved eating at the Lion House and Brio. So fun!

2012-02-05T19:58:00.001-06:00

My first time to eat at In-N-Out. So yummy!

I have mixed feelings about that

2012-01-29T09:54:00.000-06:00

I picked up Tate from Scouts and had to take him directly to his basketball game. Hence, he had to change into his uniform in the car. He was a little sheepish about changing in front of his mother, but I tried to soothe his anxieties by saying, "I gave birth to you, son. Nothing will surprise me." His response to my having given birth to him, "Yeah, I have mixed feelings about that." :)

National Clean Your Room Day

2012-01-29T09:51:00.000-06:00

I was passionate about getting our house cleaned yesterday before running all over central Illinois taking kids to Scout activities and basketball games. I was in the kitchen cleaning and I told Marissa to go clean her room. I told her it was "National Clean Your Room Day". She looked perplexed but started walking away to do as she was told. Though she totally believed me about the special day on the calendar, I could hear her muttering under her breath, "I've never heard of National Clean Your Room Day."

HAPPY TWELFTH BIRTHDAY, TATE!

2012-01-14T17:21:00.001-06:00

HOCKEY GAME

2012-01-14T17:20:00.002-06:00

HOCKEY

2012-01-14T17:19:00.002-06:00

THIS IS KEVIN AND I TRYING TO HERD 12 KIDS TO A CONCESSION STAND AND BACK AT THE HOCKEY GAME.

TATE'S 12TH BIRTHDAY PARTY...CHICAGO EXPRESS HOCKEY GAME

2012-01-14T17:18:00.001-06:00

DON'T EVEN ASK WHAT THEY ARE DOING TO THEIR FATHER WITH TWEEZERS

2012-01-14T17:17:00.002-06:00

2012-01-14T17:16:00.003-06:00

GINGERBREAD HOUSES

2012-01-14T17:16:00.001-06:00

THE CHRISTMAS WAIT STAFF

2012-01-14T17:15:00.002-06:00

DAD'S SECOND ANNUAL CHRISTMAS DINNER MENU

2012-01-14T17:14:00.002-06:00

Button Bistro Christmas Menu 2011

Starters: Temper those hunger pangs with these tasty delights!

o Smashed Pea and Barley Soup – chef Kevin highly recommends this hearty yet low fat (is that even possible??) flavor packed concoction of goodness. Made from scratch.

o Potato Skins – simple you say? Beg pardon? Over 2 hours were invested in these perfectly prepared potato skins. Tie your shoes tight, else they’ll knock your socks off!

Main Course: Now that you’re warmed up, it’s time to dig into the meat of the menu

o Filet Mignon – How do you like your meat prepared? It doesn’t matter; you’ll take it medium!

o Pantry Shrimp Delight – Having just raided the pantry for spices and participated in the preparation, you know all too well just what this is!

o Surf and Turf: Pantry shrimp and Filet. Together. Same meal. Same plate. Yup.

o Vegetarian Option – soup & sides. When it’s this good, cows & crustaceans need not appear on your plate!

Sides: Variety is the spice of life – mix in a bite or two of these delicacies between mouthfuls of main dish!

o Sautéed Green Beans – Spicy!

o Sweet Potato Soufflé- Sweet! Your mother’s creation.

o Broccoli Casserole – What you get when healthy mates with unhealthy! Let’s just say, they should do that more often!

o Homemade Cranberries- A “berry” delicious source of Vitamin C!

Beverage: Wet your whistle with one of the following:

o Beer in a Bottle – of the Goose Island Root variety. It’ll make you boogie.

o Sparkling Winter Delight – Ummm, VERY similar to 7-up.

o Melted snow from the North Pole – free refills on this one, folks.

Dessert: You can’t be serious. Really? Did you see the menu options above? Have you not had your fill of sweets this week, this morning, this afternoon? Oh, you practiced self-control? You didn’t have too much already? You still have room? Well, in that case, you can order the SWEET SURPRISE!

2012-01-14T17:12:00.004-06:00

CHRISTMAS MORNING

2012-01-14T17:06:00.002-06:00

2012-01-14T17:05:00.003-06:00

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2012-01-14T17:04:00.002-06:00

STEW LEONARDS. NORWALK, CT

2012-01-14T16:47:00.001-06:00

MILFORD BEACH

2012-01-14T16:47:00.000-06:00

OUR OLD STOMPING GROUND

2012-01-14T16:46:00.000-06:00

WE DROVE UP TO MILFORD. OUR GOAL: TO STOP AT OUR OLD FAVORITE DIVE: UBERTI'S. BEST FISH AND CHIPS EVER.

THE NEW YEARS EVE BALL IN TIMES SQUARE

2012-01-14T16:44:00.001-06:00

CARRIAGE RIDE THROUGH CENTRAL PARK

2012-01-14T16:44:00.000-06:00

THE PLAZA HOTEL

2012-01-14T16:43:00.000-06:00

FAO SCHWARTZ

2012-01-14T16:42:00.002-06:00

2012-01-14T16:42:00.001-06:00

NEW YORK PIZZA

2012-01-14T16:42:00.000-06:00

TATE…ALMOST 12!

2012-01-14T16:41:00.001-06:00

2012-01-14T16:41:00.000-06:00

ICE SKATING AT GRANT PARK…TATE

2012-01-14T16:40:00.000-06:00

ICE SKATING AT GRANT PARK

2012-01-14T16:39:00.001-06:00

GRAND CENTRAL STATION…AWE

2012-01-14T16:39:00.000-06:00

ROCKEFELLER CENTER

2012-01-14T16:38:00.001-06:00

THE ROCKETTES

2012-01-14T16:38:00.000-06:00

MARISSA AND I GOT TO GO SEE THE ROCKETTE'S CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR SHOW. WE LOVED IT!!! BEFOREHAND, WE GOT TIME TO SNEAK IN A QUICK PICTURE.

2012-01-14T16:36:00.000-06:00

SERIOUSLY? WE ARE DRIVING THROUGH MANHATTAN AND YOU PULL OUT A BOOK?

OCCUPY WALL STREET

2012-01-14T16:35:00.001-06:00

2012-01-14T16:35:00.000-06:00

DOING THE JOHN WALL AT THE SITE WHERE GEORGE WASHINGTON WAS SWORN IN AS PRESIDENT. NOTHING LIKE A LITTLE IRREVERANCE ON WALL STREET.

WALL STREET

2012-01-14T16:34:00.000-06:00

Monopoly

2011-12-10T15:01:00.000-06:00

Oh, it was a takedown. Los Padres vs. Los Ninos. We wiped them out…and then sent them to bed to cry!

Thornton's

2011-12-10T15:00:00.000-06:00

Our little village is buzzing with new and exciting activity. Thornton's has arrived. Yep. Their Grand Opening was this week. We waited patiently for so long and put the opening date on our mental calendars. After being open for only three hours, the Button clan (minus Dad) burst through the doors and filled up our cups with hot chocolate and soda. To our grand delight, it was all free! In a state of complete excitement, Garett proclaimed, "Oh, Dad should have taken off for this!"

Yes. Kevin. Why were you working when you could have been at Thornton's Grand Opening to receive your free hot chocolate?

Forgotten Picture

2011-12-10T14:54:00.000-06:00

A forgotten picture I just discovered. Taken in October.

Father and Son Outing

2011-11-30T19:15:00.000-06:00

Halloween Pictures…Even if it is December!

2011-11-30T19:14:00.000-06:00

Better late than never to post Halloween pictures, right?

Ironman, Jasmine, Soldier and Cavewoman

My Little Bear at Pack Meeting

2011-11-30T19:13:00.000-06:00

Go Big Blue

2011-11-30T19:12:00.000-06:00

Loyal Are We

2011-11-30T19:11:00.000-06:00

We are equal opportunity fans… Go Big Blue and Bear Down, Chicago Bears!

Go Big Blue Two!

2011-11-30T19:10:00.000-06:00

Go Big Blue!

2011-11-30T19:09:00.000-06:00

Two Can Play That Game

2011-11-28T11:59:00.000-06:00

Kevin decided to get into the action. He decided to be "Tate". Tate, having to retaliate a bit more, decided to become "Dad". Yes. I had lots of clothes to fold and put away after it was all said and done!

Tate... as Mom

2011-11-28T11:56:00.000-06:00

Tate decided to mock me by going to my closet and getting dressed up like me.

The Joy of Reading

2011-11-22T17:12:00.001-06:00

She's discovered it. Even in the car!

Serious Fans

2011-11-22T17:02:00.001-06:00

Dad scored 3 tickets for the men to attend a UK basketball game this week. Tate found a marker. Garett got marked.

Tough Girl

2011-11-22T16:53:00.001-06:00

This linebacker will absolutely stop you in your tracks!

Puppy Love

2011-11-22T16:48:00.001-06:00

We had a special visitor for a couple days. Teddy, our furry neighbor, came over while his family was out of town. Marissa was smitten!!

Smoochie

2011-10-27T21:29:00.000-05:00

Garett's goal in life has been to see how creative he can get with delivering as many smooches as possible to his mama. Here is one of the many ways he goes about placing a big wet one on my cheek.

Asleep

2011-10-27T21:25:00.003-05:00

Fell asleep just outside the classroom on the floor. Is he fooling me?

Pink Bike Bandit

2011-10-27T21:25:00.002-05:00

Garett's Assignments for the Week

2011-10-27T21:24:00.009-05:00

This is a sample of the assignments Garett has for Tues-Thu. Friday got cut off. Math and Piano are not listed on this sheet.

Marissa and Lauren

2011-10-27T21:24:00.008-05:00

English Tea Party

2011-10-27T21:24:00.007-05:00

Dad brought us shortbread from England and we decided to have a tea party in the yard.

Reading

2011-10-27T21:24:00.003-05:00

My Little Swimmer

2011-10-27T21:13:00.008-05:00

Marissa has been taking swim lessons for a few years. She is becoming quite a good little swimmer.

A Shave

2011-10-27T21:13:00.007-05:00

And who, pray tell, is this young man who is about to have his first shave? Yes. The young man of the manor is of a jolly ol' age which necessitates a clean shaven face.

A Happy Lad is He!

2011-10-27T21:13:00.006-05:00

Pierced Ears

2011-10-27T21:13:00.005-05:00

This was the big day. Turning 8. Getting ears pierced. A rite of passage. She didn't even flinch. She is a brave little girl. Anything for beauty, right?

Birthday Haircut

2011-10-27T21:12:00.008-05:00

Marissa gets her haircut every year on her birthday. Here is her 8th Birthday Haircut. This year we spiced it up a little and went with bangs. The first time ever!

Bang! She got bangs!

2011-10-27T21:12:00.007-05:00

Marissa's 8th Birthday Party

2011-10-27T21:12:00.006-05:00

We had Marissa's party at the stable where she rides. She was so happy to show her friends her true passion- horses!

Nonmaterial Resources

2011-10-19T21:14:00.000-05:00

Marissa has been learning about material vs. nonmaterial resources. Tonight, after Tate passed gas at the dinner table, Marissa announced that that was definitely a nonmaterial resource. Then, we had the discussion about renewable vs. nonrenewable resources. Unfortunately, his gas is a renewable.

It reminded me of a time that we were in the car and the kids kept barking at us that they had to go to the bathroom. We told them they weren't allowed to keep saying that they needed to go to the bathroom; we would stop at the closest rest stop we found.

When they couldn't stand it anymore, they started saying, "Is there a rest stop close? We have to go 16th letter of the alphabet!"

Pennsylvania

2011-10-03T22:34:00.000-05:00

After school today, Marissa and I had a couple errands to run before I took her to her swimming class. We were in a hurry and had only about one hour. I said, "We have to eat lunch. We need to get groceries. And I want to take dinner to a lady who is recovering from surgery." I explained that the lady had gone to Pennsylvania to have the surgery and now she was at home healing. Marissa got a very confused look on her face. She said, "So how long is it going to take to get to Pennsylvania and back?" She was a little worried she wouldn't make it back in time for her swim lesson!

Loins

2011-10-03T22:30:00.000-05:00

I called Garett down to finish up some school work. He had been in the middle of playing a game upstairs with Tate and Marissa. When he was acting like he was in such a hurry, I said, "Why are you in such a hurry?" He responded, "They are up there playing and missing my loins." I should have asked if he knew what "loins" were.

Marissa and Tana

2011-09-14T20:36:00.000-05:00

2011-09-14T20:35:00.002-05:00

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Marissa and Tana

2011-09-14T20:35:00.000-05:00

Marissa and Tana

2011-09-14T20:34:00.000-05:00

The Snack Shack

2011-09-13T16:35:00.000-05:00

The kids have been on me to get better snacks in the house. Apparently an apple is just not good enough. I shocked them to the core when I came home with lots of special requests. I came back in the house from unloading the last of the groceries and Garett had gathered all the precious boxes of snacks and put them in a pile to admire them. It was just so funny!

Hotel Del Coronado

2011-09-13T16:32:00.000-05:00

We saw 8 brides on the beach getting married or just having gotten married. Crazy!

All the Wonderful Discoveries We Found on our Own in the "Wild" on the Island

2011-09-13T16:31:00.001-05:00

Starfish

Lots of crab

Lizard

Anenome

Garett on Coronado Island

2011-09-13T16:26:00.001-05:00

Mormon Battalion

2011-09-13T16:23:00.001-05:00

It was fascinating to learn about the history of the Mormons in their trek west and how they helped to build San Diego.

2011-09-13T16:19:00.001-05:00

Leopard Sharks

2011-09-13T16:19:00.000-05:00

Discovery Channel

2011-09-13T16:18:00.000-05:00

Apparently, we don't have Discovery Channel at home. I had no idea this served as a great void in Garett's life. I'm not sure what he liked better- Sea World or Discovery Channel.

Snorkeling

2011-09-13T16:17:00.000-05:00

Here is Garett- ready to take on all marine life in the Pacific Ocean!

Birch Aquarium overlooking La Jolla Beach

2011-09-13T16:14:00.002-05:00

Sea World- Starfish and Sky Rider

2011-09-13T16:12:00.000-05:00

Sea World

2011-09-13T16:10:00.000-05:00

Garett loved the "Sea Lions Live" Show at Sea World. He laughed through the whole show. He particularly loved the character "Bif" who really knew how to work the crowd. The picture of him with blonde/black hair is a little one-man ditty he performed of "Greece". Garett also liked how the sea lions could carry a basketball on their nose the whole length of the pool. It was amazing!

2011-09-13T16:07:00.002-05:00

San Diego Trip with Garett- The USS Midway

2011-09-13T16:06:00.000-05:00

Garett and I got to go on our Mommy-Son Trip this year. He chose San Diego in an effort to snorkel with leopard sharks. Our first day, we visited the Navy aircraft carrier, USS Midway and learned about Navy life. He loved the buttons and knobs and was amazed at how much a sailor must know to operate the ship. He loved getting in the planes and sitting in the Admiral's seat and seeing that he got the best food on the ship! I think he would like to be an Admiral so he can eat all the apple pie a la mode he wants!

6:40a.m. Candlelight Tea Party

2011-09-13T15:59:00.000-05:00

Marissa and her little friend woke up early in the morning to have a candlelight tea party with strawberry muffins and fruit loops. They decided we should use the fancy napkins (as opposed to the normal ones- paper towels). Candles before 7 a.m. was a little odd for me, but how can you not embrace everything two little girls want to do!

Tooks Growing Beans

2011-09-13T15:56:00.000-05:00

This is Marissa growing grass and beans.

1st Day of CC- Garett

2011-09-13T15:55:00.000-05:00

1st Day of School- Garett

2011-09-13T15:48:00.000-05:00

1st Day- Tate

2011-09-13T15:47:00.000-05:00

Tate- 1st Day of School

2011-09-13T15:46:00.000-05:00

First Day of Classical Consortium

2011-09-13T15:44:00.001-05:00

Minute to Win it Video- Marissa

2011-09-13T15:44:00.000-05:00

Minute to Win it- Garett

2011-09-13T15:35:00.000-05:00

Minute to Win it- Tate

2011-09-13T15:34:00.001-05:00