tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-175797222024-03-07T16:04:07.963-08:00Bouton Brood'Where there is great love, there are always miracles.'
-Willa Cather
LID 3-10-06 for Meili GraceJennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341013937769345305noreply@blogger.comBlogger657125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17579722.post-52536993294962283062011-12-19T07:35:00.000-08:002011-12-19T07:59:40.782-08:00Merry Christmas 2011!Dear Friends and Family,If you read the blog or follow on Facebook, none of this will be news to you. Nevertheless, some traditions die hard and we feel the need yet again to sum up our year in a page and subject you all to it…:)Matt’s International assignment at work that had him so excited this time last year ended up taking him to the exotic locations of Salt Lake City, UT and Atlanta, GA. To Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341013937769345305noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17579722.post-66776887419531807062011-12-06T15:47:00.000-08:002011-12-06T15:49:14.573-08:00Three and a Half!Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341013937769345305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17579722.post-85171669101624744532011-11-21T10:23:00.000-08:002011-11-21T15:55:13.180-08:00So Excited to Be a Part of This!The Petunia Picklebottom pictured up there looks very familiar and it makes me very happy that after months (years?) of being pack safely away in a closet, it will finally be put to some good use! I feel like I need to begin with a disclaimer that I would not normally be a TWO Picklebottom woman under normal circumstances but waiting for a child for almost 4 years is not normal circumstances and Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341013937769345305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17579722.post-11967370584905159092011-09-26T11:30:00.001-07:002011-09-26T11:44:06.616-07:00Preschool UpdateMeili continues to do amazingly well in preschool. Her teachers tell me that she has earned the nickname, 'The Cleaner' since she is content to continue to clean the classroom long after the other children have moved on to other activities. She is so excited to go to preschool and wakes up each morning hoping that it is a preschool day. She comes home talking about everything that she did there, Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341013937769345305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17579722.post-55457333335679699722011-09-23T10:12:00.000-07:002011-09-26T10:28:41.105-07:00My Xander Some days motherhood has me overwhelmed with dishes and laundry and places to be. Today I'm just overwhelmed with how lucky I am to be a mom. Can you even stand the cuteness?!Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341013937769345305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17579722.post-75974421927719485552011-09-21T11:22:00.000-07:002011-09-26T11:30:02.839-07:00Court of HonorSo proud of our Taylor! He was awarded his Eagle about two years ago, which is a great accomplishment but he continues to 'Do His Best' in scouting and is still earning awards. At tonight's court of honor, he earned the Denali award which is the highest achievement that a Varsity scout can earn. He also earned his 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th Eagle Palms. He has a goal to earn each of the Boy Scout Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341013937769345305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17579722.post-81456205135489725552011-09-16T09:25:00.000-07:002011-09-26T09:49:22.813-07:00More Florida "Fun"I was playing with Meili on her bedroom floor the other day when I heard a large 'thud.' I looked toward the direction of the sound to find this delightful creature. The picture does not do it justice. The thing was no less than 4 inches long! I wish I would have thought to put a ruler next to him before I snapped the photo but I'm actually surprised that I had the presence of mind to grab the Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341013937769345305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17579722.post-27603639764290952002011-09-15T09:49:00.000-07:002011-09-26T09:53:37.860-07:00Happiness is...Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341013937769345305noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17579722.post-72402226628175862722011-09-13T09:53:00.000-07:002011-09-26T10:05:55.119-07:00Happy Moon Festival! I have to tell you-If I ranked holidays by ease of preparation, this would be my favorite! We have been celebrating Autumn Moon Festival-'Bouton Style' for about six years now and we love it! We usually pick up Chinese take out for dinner, but have been known to make spaghetti and call it Longevity Noodles. After dinner, we eat Moon Pies (suppposed to be moon cakes, but we don't have an Asian Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341013937769345305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17579722.post-27439650734410098582011-09-11T09:05:00.000-07:002011-09-26T09:25:23.622-07:00Bucs GameMatt scored some free tickets to the Buccaneers game this weekend and treated Noah to a great father-son day. This is the first time in a long time that we have lived anywhere near a pro football team. They had a great time, even though it was HOT. We'll have to go as a family sometime.Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341013937769345305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17579722.post-64400829642716993152011-08-31T10:28:00.000-07:002011-09-26T10:56:58.486-07:00Happy 16th Birthday, Taylor!First, let me start by saying that there is no way that I am old enough to have a 16 year old! Ok, now we can continue...Taylor did indeed turn 16 years old today. I made him his traditional birthday pumpkin pie and he gave me a hug when he saw it, like he does every year. He is such a kind and sweet boy. I hate to jinx things by putting this out there but I am really enjoying parenting teenagersJennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341013937769345305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17579722.post-91668456316306075362011-08-20T11:07:00.000-07:002011-09-26T11:22:30.058-07:00Meili Goes to Preschool.....sniff, sniff.Here's a picture of Mei in the preschool parking lot on the Saturday before school started, heading into the school to meet her new teachers. She looks excited, right?Here she is in front of the preschool, still doing ok...Once we got into the school, Meili wasn't so excited anymore. She didn't cry, but she didn't speak or make eye contact with anyone either. I took a couple of pictures, but I Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341013937769345305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17579722.post-12566629450848548192011-08-20T10:57:00.000-07:002011-09-26T11:07:22.557-07:001st Day of SchoolToday was a big day in the Bouton house! 5 kids in 4 different schools this year.Meili is going to Pre-K on Tuesdays and Thursdays...Xander is in 2nd grade...Noah is in 5th grade-his last year in elementary school!Audrey is headed to 8th grade-one last year at the middle school!Taylor is a junior this year. He will need to leave the house every morning at about 5:40am for early morning seminary (Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341013937769345305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17579722.post-54573467537271818242011-08-02T14:15:00.000-07:002011-08-02T14:49:47.846-07:00Lifebook is Done!While I may never finish our China Travel Video and am well aware that the header of this blog does not yet include the child that has been a part of our family for 2 years, I thought I'd share that Meili's lifebook is complete...for now. First and foremost, I have to thank the fabulous M3 at the Salsa Blog for inspiring me with her 'Lifebook as Rough Draft' format. Until recently the whole Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341013937769345305noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17579722.post-67445841364751819782011-08-01T10:47:00.001-07:002011-08-01T10:50:40.853-07:00My GirlsJennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341013937769345305noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17579722.post-85008947104344083652011-08-01T10:41:00.001-07:002011-08-01T10:46:59.259-07:00TaylorHe posed himself this way. I had nothing to do with it. Promise.Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341013937769345305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17579722.post-82590335861967527192011-08-01T10:34:00.001-07:002011-08-01T10:41:04.459-07:00AudreyJennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341013937769345305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17579722.post-75131920500013373962011-08-01T10:21:00.000-07:002011-08-01T10:34:22.559-07:00NoahI think Noah enjoyed the photo shoot the least but was a good sport. He'll do anything for his mama!Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341013937769345305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17579722.post-7775215414891382252011-08-01T10:13:00.001-07:002011-08-01T10:21:46.236-07:00XanderThis boy provides endless hours of entertainment in our family by just being himself. Just before taking this photo, he asked me if he should smile or if I'd rather have a 'dramatic stare.' Can you tell which one I chose?I think this one is my favorite! Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341013937769345305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17579722.post-29797117036382652012011-08-01T09:59:00.000-07:002011-08-01T10:13:21.193-07:00My BoysI've noticed lately that I have a gazillion photos of my girls (especially Meili) and almost none of my boys. The main reason is that I'm usually home with just Meili when school is in and even with school out, the boys would rather have their fingernails pulled out than sit still for a photo shoot. Yesterday, I put my foot down... I started with just Noah and Xander, then decided to make Taylor Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341013937769345305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17579722.post-85596802517318828612011-07-27T06:34:00.000-07:002011-07-27T06:44:10.384-07:00Flashback BreakfastI came across a recipe on a blog that took me back to my childhood. In 1981, I was seven years old. Grandma and Grandpa took me with them on a trip to Oklahoma. It was there that I was introduced to CHOCOLATE GRAVY but I've only dreamed about it since. That was, until this morning! Here's the recipe-CHOCOLATE GRAVY1/3 stick butter2/3 C. Sugar2T flour/or cornstarch1/3 C cocoa2 C whole milkMelt Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341013937769345305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17579722.post-78333679820349220432011-07-20T06:33:00.000-07:002011-07-20T07:02:59.280-07:00Snake Swim PartyOur pool area is completely screened in so I'm surprised when we get an occasional frog in the pool. Imagine my surprise to find this guy doing the backstroke in our pool this morning! We slowly learned that he had invited FOUR of his closest friends... One tried to hide up under the pool deck until Matt fished him out with a screwdriver. Not sure what these are called but they are harmless. TheJennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341013937769345305noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17579722.post-61360807393217846462011-07-16T22:00:00.000-07:002011-07-17T10:40:21.602-07:00Meili and PaigeWell, the cuteness at our house today was almost too much to take! Paige, and her mom Michele, were a part of our China travel group almost 2 years ago. We had the opportunity to visit Paige in Georgia last summer and were lucky enough to get a visit from the C family in our neck of the woods this year. So grateful that the girls were able to spend some time together and to keep in touch with allJennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341013937769345305noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17579722.post-21422347567966235722011-07-09T10:54:00.000-07:002011-07-17T11:03:54.032-07:00ChelseaI can't remember how long we have had this dog (more than 6 months, less than a year?) It's probably because it seems like she has been a part of our family forever. Nonetheless, I thought she deserved a blog debut. Chelsea is part lab and part husky, and probably part something else that is smaller in stature than both of those breeds since she only weighs about 40 pounds. What a bundle of love Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341013937769345305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17579722.post-5468656394741795502011-07-08T11:03:00.000-07:002011-07-17T11:11:13.344-07:00Final Shuttle LaunchWe live close enough to the Kennedy Space Center to be able to see a launch from our front yard on a clear day, especially if the launch happens in the dark but this is the best we could do with the cloud cover we had today. The end of an era...Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341013937769345305noreply@blogger.com0