It's True!!!

For all those wondering "Are you serious?!?!"... Yes, we really are having a baby! Murray and I are so excited! We are 12 weeks pregnant and due July 14, 2009. So far, I have been a little nauseated but never thrown up so I think I am pretty lucky. Murray says I haven't been too emotional yet either so he is also pretty lucky! =)

We just told our families over Christmas. We put our ultrasound picture (proudly displaying our "little peanut") in a frame, wrapped it, and had our parents open it for their Christmas present. They were really surprised and super excited! It was hard to wait so long to tell, but we wanted to tell everyone in person and wanted to wait till after Kelsey's wedding was over. Plus Christmas just made it a fun time to tell.

So far everything is looking great. Heard the heartbeat again today at my doctor's appointment, and it is music to our ears every time! Murray is being super supportive except for today when he passed out through my entire appointment. In his defense he was up at 4am for rounds at the hospital. Haha.

We are really just starting to notice my belly changing, and it is so exciting. Murray asks all the time if I will show him my stomach. I was afraid he might be weirded out as I started getting big, but he is totally the opposite! He loves it. I don't know what he will do when we can start feeling the baby move!

I guess I really will have to start updating this more regularly because I am sure that more pictures will continue to be in demand. Hope this helps you all feel connected and involved in our pregnancy even though we may be many miles away. We feel so blessed and are excited to share this special time with all our friends and family.

A little catching up to do...

Well the Butlers have obviously been too busy for the blogging world. Haha. Things have been going well for the last couple months, but things haven't slowed down any. Maybe it will be our New Year's resolution to chill out some.

Since I posted last, Kelsey has had a bunch of nice showers and a beautiful wedding. I will post a few pictures of her fun lingerie shower and a couple from the wedding, but the majority of the wedding pictures will have to come later because we couldn't get a cd to burn with all the pictures before we had to head back to Chicago. So until I can get a cd of the wedding pics, just know that she was a radiant bride, and Smith is one lucky guy. Now she is officially Mrs. Hopkins. So weird!!! She and Smith graduate tomorrow night and will be leaving on their honeymoon to Mexico Sunday. Needless to say, I am a little jealous!

While she is in the warm sun, Murray and I are experiencing hopefully our last Chicago winter! It has already snowed several times this winter, and the snow is not going anywhere fast. I guess it will make for a nice white Christmas though. One of the last times we will get to have that probably!

Kelsey's wedding was also nice because I was able to see some friends that I haven't seen in forever. I had lunch with Amanda and Audra (and her sweet baby boy, Drew) one day, got to spend a lot of time with Adrienne who helped with Kelsey's wedding SO much, and saw Reena at the wedding. Unfortunately I missed Becca who left for NYC on she and Sam's "babymoon." Hope that once Murray graduates, we will be much closer and able to spend time with friends a lot more often.

Murray is officially finished with all his months away. It has been so nice to have him home! So this is what married life is supposed to be like. =) Seriously though, it was really a good thing for him to spend months away at potential programs because he did a great job, and he has already gotten offers from some places. Really nice to have the reassurance that the next 3 years are taken care of! He is just so smart, hard-working, and personable. Can you tell I am the proud wife?

We also were home for the wedding of one of Murray's best friends from high school. I will put some pictures from that too. It was funny to see him with all his high school buddies. So weird to not have experienced that part of his life with him. I definitely got to see some funny videos that they pulled out though! Never knew Murray could do such a good YMCA dance! Haha.

Murray went home for Thanksgiving with a lot of pushing from me. He felt bad that I couldn't make the trip since I had to work, but I was really glad he gave in and went to be with family. Plus it gave him the chance to spend time with his new love... don't worry- it's not another girl- his bow. He got a hunting bow as an extremely early "Christmas/birthday/anniversary/whatever else I can think of" present from me, and he had been dying to try it out. Unfortunately, not too many deer out that weekend, but he had a good time anyway.

We are going to be celebrating our 2 year anniversary next Tuesday. Crazy to think it's been 2 years and crazy that it hasn't been longer. Seems like we have been together forever, but it's still so weird that we have been married 2 years. Where did the time go?!?! We are going to eat at the Melting Pot that night. It is where he proposed to me and besides that it is SO yummy! I cannot wait! Plus, in January once the holidays are over, we have booked a private cabin in Gatlinburg for 4 nights. It will be so nice to just get away and have time together. I still can't believe I am lucky enough to be married to my best friend. He makes life wonderful!

We decorated for Christmas a few days ago so our apartment is very festive. We have our real Christmas tree up and all our presents wrapped. We will head home the weekend before Christmas to celebrate with our families because we both work all around Christmas. I cannot wait for Christmas this year! This next week cannot fly by fast enough!

I went with some girls from work downtown for the Christmas lights parade. It was pretty crowded so we couldn't see a ton, but it was fun anyways. We had a delicious Italian dinner afterward too. We nurses don't ever forget to eat! I put in a picture of a couple of my best friends from work- Katie and Kelly.

Well, I am sure you are tired of reading. I know there is a lot more that has gone on that I am forgetting to update you on, but hopefully this will hold you over for a while. I promise not to wait another couple months before posting again. Enjoy the pictures below.

It's football time in Tennessee!

Murray and I headed back home again this weekend. Well, not home exactly, but to Knoxville, TN. Both of our families met up for the weekend and stayed in cabins at Cumberland Mountain State Park. It was so nice to have everyone together and just get some time to relax.

All the trees were turning, and the weather was the perfect camping weather- beautiful sunshine and just cool enough to need a sweatshirt. We grilled hamburgers, roasted hotdogs, and made smores. Easton is getting so big and pretending so much now. He fell in love with my dad. Whenever my dad was somewhere else, Easton wouldn't stop asking "Where's Mr. Gon?" He is still working on getting all the letters out correctly. =)

Saturday night we all headed into Knoxville for the UT/MS St. game. Thankfully, UT actually won this week so it was a fun game to watch. We were all decked out in our UT gear- except Logan who surprised me by even coming to the game so I can't complain about his lack of orange!

Sunday, we had a devo and then all headed our different ways. Murray had to take call at the hospital Sunday night so it was back to the real world really quickly for him. Good news though... he isn't going to have to spend any more months away! Our apart time is officially over, and we can be a normal married couple again. This year has really flown by! Before we know it he will be graduating. Neither of us can wait!

Here are a few pictures from our Nickleson/Butler weekend.

Aren't we so cute? Haha.

The Nickleson crew ready for the game!

Enjoying the pregame show!

UT!!!

Mrs. Jennifer had a picture of the boys like this from when they were really little. I don't have the before, but this is the after.

The whole Butler family with one soon to be Butler. We are crossing our fingers!!!

Doggie Matchmaker

Things have been going good in the life of the Butlers. Nothing super exciting, but good in general. Murray is doing well in Louisville this month, and I have had the chance to spend time there with him too which is always a good thing. Other than that I have been working at the hospital and babysitting for one of our NICU grads. She is really cute, and it is so fun to get to play with an older, healthier baby!

I am sure that you are all wondering about the title of this post so I guess I will go ahead and fill you in. It's kinda a long story and jumps around so bear with me. Murray's brother, Joseph, had a super sweet, but super big pit bull named Beck. He ended up selling him because he was just too big for the yard and kinda a risk factor with Easton (his almost 3 yr old) around. Anyway, ever since he sold Beck, he has been wanting to get another dog, and Easton really wants one. He loves Duke SO much. Joseph was really wanting a bulldog, but they are just so expensive so he kept waiting.


Well, being the wonderful aunt that I am, I of course want Easton to get a dog. There is a little pet store that is just up the street from where Murray stays while he is in Louisville so we always walk up there to see what animals they have. I tried the first time he was in Louisville to talk Joseph into a Yorkshire Terrier puppy, but he didn't go for it.


A few weeks ago (see previous post), Murray's family met my family at our lakehouse for the weekend, and his whole family fell in love with my mom's King Charles Spaniel, Zoe. Joseph and his mom both started looking online for them when they got home but didn't have much luck finding any in their area.



You can probably guess where this story is going now... Murray is back in Louisville so we go back up to the pet store. What do we see as soon as we walk in the door? 2 King Charles puppies! I was so excited. I immediately texted Joseph who also was so excited. He drove all the way to Louisville to see the puppy, and it was love at first sight! Ozzie is now a permanent member of our family. When he first saw him, Easton said he liked Duke better, but that changed within the first couple days. He is already waking Joseph up at 7am telling him they needed to take Ozzie outside. Haha. I am sure that Joseph has better pictures, but this is the best one I have.

So, now you see how I am a doggie matchmaker. Plus, my mom is hoping that there may be King Charles puppies in the future. =)

Hurricane Season...

Well, we may live over a thousand miles away from where the hurricanes are really hitting, but have we ever had our share of the rain and bad weather! Murray left for Louisville, KY today (another one of his months away), and he unfortunately had to drive through some of the worst of it. He had to turn around once because the interstate... yes, the whole interstate... was closed because it was flooded. He then called to tell me he was about to have to drive through an intersection where people were out in knee deep water trying to push their stuck cars. I wish he would have saved me some worrying and just called after he was through it, but maybe it was the intense 2-3 minutes of praying I did that got him to the other side ok. Haha. Anyway, he finally made it to Louisville safe and sound... and at least mostly dry. =) The forcast says it should be sunny the rest of the week so maybe we have survived our hurricane season for the year.

Other than the craziness today, things have been going pretty well. Last weekend we went to hear a Beatles cover band play in this outdoor venue (Ravinia) that is really popular up here. Ravinia has concerts all summer long, and people just go and sit and eat in the lawn. Our landlady is super sweet and gave 2 free tickets to me and Murray for the concert last weekend. So, Murray and I get our Bass Pro Shop collapsing chairs, some fast food, and hop on the train up there. Once there, we quickly realized we were way out-classed! People had full tables with wine, cheese, fresh fruit, smoked salmon, candles, etc. We couldn't believe it! We didn't really care though and enjoyed the concert just as much if not more than all those other people. Haha. Seriously though, if you ever have a chance to see American English, you really need to go. They were so good, and you can hardly tell they aren't really the Beatles! Plus, you know it will be good songs!



That weekend I also got treated to a yummy pizza dinner by 2 of my best friends up here. Katie and Kelly are two girls I met through work, and they have quickly become super important people in my life! They took me out for my birthday to Gino's East- one of the famous Chicago pizza restaurants here. We had a great time, and once again, I was reminded how much God has provided for me and Murray up here. He has given us new friendships we never would have had, and ones that we will keep for the rest of our lives.

Well, that's pretty much all the news that is news for now. I'll keep you posted if anything else exciting happens!

Fun Labor Day Weekend!

Murray and I were on the road again this weekend. This time we headed back to Pickwick to spend the Labor Day weekend with both of our families. Thomas & Logan weren't there, but everyone else was able to make it which was a really nice treat for the 2 of us! We also celebrated Neesha's 10th birthday & my 25th birthday while we were there.

It was a weekend full of relaxation, laughter, water fights, boat rides, skiing, and fun! Here are a few of the great pictures from the weekend.

















We have had a few wonderful weekends away, but we are definitely looking forward to a nice weekend home this time!

KY, TN, IL, & CANADA!!!

So needless to say, another month has gone by without a post from us. I am starting not to feel bad anymore because we definitely haven't been getting complaints from anyone about the lack of updates. Haha. If you couldn't tell from the title of this post, we have been all over this past month.

In case you were wondering, Murray's month in Louisville went really well. He got to be in on some really cool cases and surgeries and liked all the doctors and residents a lot. Always makes for a better experience when the people you work with are cool. I ended up getting to see him a lot more than we expected, and I got to spend an awesome week at Pickwick with my family.

Murray's cousin Rachel got married 8/16/08 so we headed home for her wedding as soon as Murray finished up his last day in Louisville. She was a beautiful bride, the wedding was so pretty, and the reception (in her parents' backyard) was amazing! Murray and I were so glad it worked out for us to be able to be there. They headed to a Sandals resort in Jamaica for the honeymoon so of course Murray and I were jealous! We were glad to get to come back to Chicago together though!

This weekend Murray planned a trip for my 25th birthday. We had been talking about all the places we hoped to visit at some point in our lives so he decided to knock one of them off our list. I have the best husband in the world because after being out of town so much, he still drove around 9 hours to take me to Niagara Falls in Ontario, Canada. It was incredible! Way more than I ever expected and better than I ever imagined!

We were so excited on the way there that we didn't even care how long we were in the car. We had the best time talking and of course I laughed A LOT at Murray's attempts to talk like a Canadian. We only got lost once so it was a pretty successful drive. =) Murray also got the 3rd degree from the Canadian border control. She grilled him with question after question staring him right in the eyes the whole time. Really funny!

We were getting pretty tired when we got there, but when we realized how awesome our hotel was and that they had upgraded us to an unbelievable room (jacuzzi suite with a view of the falls) we were so excited that we went across the street to check out the casino and walk around for a while. We ended up only sleeping about 5 hours that night because we had a tour early Sat. morning.

The tour was incredible. We got to go up in the Skylon tower which overlooks the whole city and has an incredible view of the American and Canadian waterfalls. We also got to go in tunnels that were dug behind the falls and walk out onto a platform right beside the Canadian Horseshoe waterfall. Later we rode the famous Maid of the Mist boat right to the base of the waterfalls. We got soaking wet!!! You just cannot imagine the force of the water there until you see it. What is amazing is that because of the power plants running on the water flowing through, only half of the amount of water is actually going over the falls. I can't imagine what it would look like if it were full force!

That afternoon we swam at the hotel. The pool had a really fun slide and it's own waterfall inside. We ate at the Hard Rock Cafe there that night and went back up the Skylon tower to see the falls illuminated afer dinner. After that we tried out luck in the 2nd largest casino in North America and decided we are not cut out for the gambling lifestyle. =) We are both too competitive and hate losing money (even if it is only like $50). We did enjoy the experience, but we have most likely experienced it for the one and only time in our lives. Haha.

SO... I know you are all sick of reading and ready for some pictures. I do hope that if any of you have the chance to visit at some point, you will do it. It is totally worth it! We were definitely not ready to come back on Sunday!

Wonder where we've been???

I feel like I begin every post with... It's been a while since my last post... Haha. Needless to say, if anyone actually reads this, I figure that someone may be wondering if we are still alive. We are... you can stop worrying now. =)

Actually, we have just been really busy the last few weeks, but unfortunately not with anything too exciting. Murray finished up his time at Cook Co. with some pretty interesting stories that I can maybe talk him into telling one of these days. (Don't hold your breath though!) I have been working like crazy and was trying to spend some time with him before he left for this next month.

He is now in Louisville, KY at a potential residency program. For those of you who don't know, he is in podiatry school and will be doing a 3 year residency starting next July. This year he rotates through different hospitals- some in Chicago (ex. Cook County) and some in other cities where we would hope to get a residency spot. So far he has been to Mountain Home in East TN, St. Louis, and now Louisville.

His being away stinks! Right now I am working my 4th of 5 nights in a row so that I can go see him again for a while. At least I am a nurse with a flexible schedule! I don't know what I would do if we only had weekends to see each other! Anyway, I guess this post is more of a prayer request that you guys will remember us this month! Between the stress of wanting to impress the residency directors, being apart, working a lot, and travelling, we have a lot of stuff going on!

Maybe I will have something exciting to post soon... but for now, sorry! This is all I've got.

Fourth of July Weekend!

So Murray and I had a lot of fun over the 4th! We both actually got the weekend off so we decided to make this our vacation of the year. It was great! We got to spend a lot of time together, a lot of time with all of our family, and a lot of time in the sun!!!

We headed to the lake with my family in TN on Thursday. Kelsey's soon-to-be in-laws were there to spend the weekend too so it was great to get to know all of them. We got to ski, ride wave runners, swim, lay out, eat good food, and enjoy lots of fun company! It was so nice to just get a chance to relax and have fun. There were many funny memories made!

Saturday evening we headed to Huntingdon to see all of Murray's family. We hadn't been to Huntingdon since April so we were long overdue! It was so great to see all of his grandparents, cousins, aunts, and uncles... Of course it was great to see his immediate family too! We spent most of the day Sunday at the pool after church and had a big cookout that night. Monday we spent a lot of time just visiting and had another great dinner that night. We are never lacking in the food department when we head home. Everyone always gets together and fixes all of our favorites!

Here are some pictures to give you an idea of all the fun we had. Huntingdon pictures will have to come later because unfortunately my camera battery had already died by then so Murray's mom, Mrs. Jennifer, is sending me some.