Every year on Christmas Day we enjoy an amazing prime rib dinner at Chris's parents home. All the Butler's and McIrvin's come together to celebrate and feast, which is a feat in itself. It is definitely a Christmas tradition that is looked forward to by many. This year we also enjoyed a gift card exchange, in which 9 of the 19 gift cards were from Starbucks!! Can you believe it? Too funny..

This year we celebrated Christmas in Seattle with Mark, Julie, Parker, Rowan, Dave, Janette, and my mom. Our week-end was action packed with a visit to see Auntie Helen, dinner with my girlfriends from college, Santa pictures, pizza & game night with the Martins, Christmas eve at Uncle Johns, and finally Christmas morning at Mark & Julie's!! We had a blast...hope you enjoy the photo's!

Happy Birthday to you...Happy Birthday to you... or as O would say, "happy" "happy" "happy"!! We had a great time hanging out, while helping my mom put the finishing touches (Christmas lights) around her place. We also enjoyed dinner at Michelle and Chris's to top off the night! Until next year..Happy Birthday MOM!!

Last week-end, Chris and I bundled up O and headed off to find the perfect Christmas tree. It was a beautiful day as tiny snowflakes fell sporadically throughout our trip. Or as O would say.."snow" "snow" "snow" She is quite the mimic these days, repeating almost everything you say. Chris and I have had fun taking her on the week-end or when Michelle & Chris need a hand. I guess it's good practice...ha!

First of all, this was the best season of DDHS football ever (in my three years of following the team)! I can't wait til' next season, as many of the players are returning juniors and sophomores. Although is was difficult to lose, I think everyone was pleased with their amazing season.
I know of at least two little boys that were impressed! Parker and Rowan's first football game met and exceeded all expectations. They especially liked the bands tribute to Star Wars!

In other exciting news, right around the beginning of the fourth quarter we found out that Michelle welcomed a baby BOY to the Chesire family. He was 7lbs. 11 oz. and 21 inches long. Happy Birthday! 11/16/2007

If you ever thought watching high school football was boring, just come and watch David Douglas play. The last few games have been won in the last second of 4th quarter or in over time. I think this team is going to give me a heart attack! But, who cares because we won!! David Douglas hasn't advanced past the first round of playoffs in years, so this is icing on the cake. Let's hope we go all the way! Next week we play Lincoln at PGE park. Anyone interested in coming is welcome!

The Scots have shown themselves to be a team to be reckon with...

All season, they have shown much drive and determination to fight back and win! So, when they beat Gresham last Friday and took hold of the number #1 seed...it was truly a delight! Keep your fingers crossed as they play in their first play-off game this Friday!!

It was so much fun watching O enjoy the oddities of Halloween. She was intrigued with the decorations and rituals, but not too happy when people shut the door after she got her treat. She would cry and run to mom's arms. By the time we walked to the next house she was happy again and ready to knock, only to cry again when the door was shut. Too funny!

Parker and Rowan had a blast on Halloween, as well. In Parker's school they celebrate the Day of the Dead, by remembering loved ones who have passed away. Parker made a poster to remember Grandpa Quigg. A tear came to my eye when I saw the picture of them together. Grandpa was so amazing. I really do miss him.

Halloween was action-packed for the Rathbun's! I think Rowan had 3 or 4 different costumes throughout the day. He just couldn't decide between Yoda, the Red Power Ranger, and Darth Mal!

Chris and I even enjoyed a Halloween party as tacky tourists. That was until I spilled red wine all over my friends white carpet and couch. Never leave a glass of wine on a coffee table when kids are around. One twirl from Cinderella and there goes my wine. Yikes..

I never thought I'd be tailgating at Husky Stadium outside of Apple Cup, but in this case it was ALL about the company! So we packed up the camper and off we went! When I married Chris, I also married into this amazing group of friends that have been close for the last 15++ years. Long ago, not only did the boys (Chris & his friends) remain close but so did their parents.
Every year, they get together for Super Bowl, beach parties, dinner parties, and much more. Now, they've added tailgating to the list!! (awe, I seem to fit right in) But seriously, we had a great time and the weather even cooperated. I wish I could say that about the Duck fans we were lucky enough to sit behind! #96 gave us plenty of laughs as she taunted us every time the Ducks scored and showered us with many obscene gestures. She actually made me start cheering for the Husky's!! (Can you believe that!)

As most of you know, it's FOOTBALL season in the Butler household. Chris devotes 6 days a week, plus many other endless hours reviewing tape in order to coach his kids to the best of his ability. It's quite amazing to see the energy and the commitment of the coaching staff and their families throughout the season!

Last Friday, David Douglas played Central Catholic at PGE Park. Dick, Sue, and I rode MAX to the park where we met my mom, sister, and O. It was a warm "end of summer" night, which was nice. The weather has been a little unpredictable lately. Anyway, we had a blast and O enjoyed people watching as well as watching the cheerleaders.

Mark, Julie and the boys inspired a last minute BBQ to pull everyone together for a swim and some fun at my mom's place. A quick phone call resulted in Dick & Sue coming with appetizers, Chris & Michelle with a salad, Mom with dessert, Mark & Julie with beverages, and Chris & I with the chicken! Vu-la~ Dinner is served!

Four years ago, Grandma & Parker began a tradition of going to see plays at the Seattle Children's Theater which has now, picked up speed and a couple grandkids! Everyone had a wonderful time exploring the Children's Museum before the show, especially O who was trying to keep up with her cousins. Click Read More...

Once the show began (The Green Sheep) Parker, Rowan, and O were delighted and captivated as they joined in the search for the elusive green sheep. There was music, puppets, and loads of laughter!!
I know the grandkids will be looking forward to their next trip with Grandma!

Did you notice the picture to the left is missing Dave's crew??? I'm not one to gossip, so you'll have to ask Captain Steve-O why they drove away in such a hurry!!

Ha! Just kidding But in all seriousness, we had such a great time hanging out with the gang. The fun began on Saturday when we drove down to Pacific City to meet up at Pete & Cammy's. After a few hours of hanging out and catching up, I was off to Beaverton to celebrate our niece's 1st birthday...so Chris and I had to "DIVIDE & CONQUER"
He stayed at the beach as I headed inward. But of course, the fun continued!! From a seafood buffet, to roasting marshmallows on the beach...everyone had full tummy's around bedtime.(especially Chris, as many of the kids enjoyed cooking for him...which resulted in about 2 dozen s'mores)
On Sunday morning, I drove back down to Oceanside to enjoy brunch with everyone at Tom & Jackie's.
All in all it was an awesome weekend!!

Last week when Melissa and I were visiting Grandpa we spent time looking through an old photo album of my grandparents when they were our age. It was great to see pictures of them at the beach and hanging out with their friends. Grandpa is a great storyteller and we always look forward to hearing and learning about our family. Click "Read More"

When we were visiting, he mentioned a small cemetery in Vancouver where many McIrvin's were buried and asked it we'd like to see it...Of course, we were thrilled to be invited and excited to go and learn about our heritage. The cemetery is small but so quaint. The McIrvin's have their own area along the east fence-line of the cemetery. What a beautiful place! We were very glad we got the opportunity to go.

Finally, we made it to see Auntie Helen at her new place in Port Orchard. For those of you who don't know Auntie Helen, she is my grandma's sister (my great Aunt) but she is truly like a grandma to me. Helen used to live right down the road from me where we would visit often and go out for meals. Now, it's a three hour drive...but a beautiful drive. Click "Read More"

We even got to go over the new "Narrows" bridge. At any rate, we were so happy to see her especially since she is looking so good!! Her place is awesome! Nice people, good food, beautiful grounds and apartments, definitely A+++
Just wish she was a little closer, of course.

WOW! What a trip to the farm! Unfortunately, Chris and I were unable to make it, but Parker and Grandma took the camera and documented the fun. Parker's 1st adventure was horseback riding with Roy... only to find out that when a horse gets spooked they BUCK! Everyone was O.K. but it was quite a scare. And, then of course, a trip to the farm is not complete without gathering eggs from the hen house and using them to make breakfast for lunch! Yummy waffles :) And still more fun, Parker got to go hunt for petrified wood! Trish and Roy's place could not be any COOLER! We can't wait to go next time! Click read more to hear about our trip to the beach...

To end Parker's week in Portland...Mark, Julie, & Rowan rode the train to Portland to join Grandma & Parker for their last adventure! ( A trip to Oceanside to meet up with us) After everyone arrived we headed down to the beach to relax, comb the beach and practice our kite flying abilities. In Oceanside, you have to share the skies with para-gliders as we found out when a para-glider had to push our kite aside to land!
Next week is Mark's birthday; so, to celebrate, we headed to Roseanna's for dinner. WOW! What an amazing meal...Julie has a new favorite "Baked Oysters" But I think the funniest part about our week-end was burying Parker in the sand, and giving him legs + more...

For the past week, Parker has been visiting his aunts, uncles, cousin and grandma in Portland. We have all had a blast sharing him throughout the week. He's been to the rock museum, rode the MAX, went swimming at Grandma's and the Butler's, floated the Washougal River with the Richey's & Wachlin's, and it's only Wednesday. Today we're off to the farm in Scio with Trish and Roy! Take a look at Parker in the kayak...he is a natural!

Walla Walla is a rainbow of scenic beauty -- golden hillsides, lush greens, creeks to explore, wineries and vineyards, country backroads and breathtaking views. As always, we thoroughly enjoyed our visit! But, when the weather reached 110 on Thursday it was hard to be outside...thank goodness for the Transformers movie and A\C in the theater.
click "Read More" to hear about our trip...

Our trip began on Tuesday night when Chris and I packed up the camper and drove 4 1/2 hours to Walla Walla. We were excited to break out the camper and go for a trial run before our big trip in August.
Shortly after we arrived, the Rathbun's came a knocking on the camper door (as of course, we were parked in their driveway) Months ago, Mark and Julie bought an older home to remodel and are almost finished. They hope to be done by August, so for now they stay at Dave's and we stay in the driveway! The house is going to be amazing!! I hope they keep it for awhile

The 4th of July began with a wake up call at 5:59am and bike ride around Walla Walla...which we thoroughly enjoyed. Then after our morning coffee and pastries we were off to pick up the boys and head to the property (78 acres) to explore. WOW! What a beautiful piece of property. Not only is there rolling wheat fields but also a lush green area with a creek full of life. The boys had a blast catching fish and "hermit crab" type bugs. But just make sure you don't litter on the road or else the neighbors might run you down on their quad!!

In the evening we headed to Mark and Patty's for a 4th of July BBQ and fireworks. Mark and Patty are the best hosts!! We love spending time with them and hanging out at their house. This year we got to try Jay's famous Walla Walla Sweets onion rings...yummy!!!

In the days to follow we went to the Foundry (www.wallawallafoundry.com) where we got to see Jim Dine's "Pinocchio" sculpture. Pinocchio will be 30 ft. tall and installed in Sweden. One word...AMAZING! And then the boys got to make their own sculptures out of tree bark.
We also made it to Pendleton for the Farmer's market, a wine & coffee bar, and of course the Fudge & Toy shop ( a highlight for Parker).

All in all we had a great time and can't until our next Walla Walla adventure!!

Our night began with an amazing dinner "Thanks to Steve" at El Gaucho! We wined and dined in a deep over-sized booth made for six, but seated only 2. We began our meal with "wicked shrimp" and ended with "Bananas Foster" (a tableside flambé for two)..what more could you ask for!! Two hours later, we were off to South Park to meet Chris and Michelle for drinks and then of course, NORAH JONES (the highlight of the night), which Chris had purchased tickets for me for my birthday.
Actually, I'm not sure "highlight" quite describes the magnitude of talent and "awe ness" Norah has...Her voice takes your breath away. And I just about teared up when she opened with "Come Away With Me" which was the first song Chris & I danced to at our wedding.

Mayra, Steve and Magnus made it down to Portland this week-end for a much needed change of scenery. Magnus is a beautiful baby! His little legs and arms are moving like crazy...(I think he's going to be a mover) Olivia on the other hand, is already making waves. She is crawling, standing up, and even balancing. It won't be long until she's on 2's instead of 4's!

Can you imagine being born in 1907? Mary Cole, our Great, Great Aunt celebrated her 100th birthday on May 19th, 2007. Mary is the daughter of Maren(Katrina)and Rasmus Christian Rasmussen who immigrated from Denmark in 1889. Maren and Rasmus had 3 children (Frankie, Edwin, and Mary)

Mary was married to Earl Cole and had 2 sons (Bobby and Donald). If you're wondering how we are related to Mary...here's the scoop. Frankie, otherwise known as "Grandma Frankie" is my mom's grandmother. Frankie was married to Harvey Albertson and they had 4 children(Jim, Mary Belle, Irene, Helen. Mary Belle is my mom's mom. Are you confused yet?

Anyway, we had a fabulous time and we were able to gather 5 generations to celebrate. My mom, cousin Sharon, Aunt Helen, Chris, Rowan and I felt so honored to share such an amazing day with our family.

ps. Aunt Mary is such a charmer! You wouldn't believe she's 100 by the way she moves around! At one point, she even tried to race Helen down the hall! It was also really nice to see how much she is loved by her friends at Sierra. She is truly a special lady!

No, that's not Lance you see..Every year (or least 2 years in row) we've packed up the camper and headed to Walla Walla to cheer on my brother Mark and my nephews bike race. Mark, of course, did really well and placed in the top 10, but the stars of the show were Parker and Rowan. Parker geared up for his second race while Rowan prepared for his first! They both did great and we enjoyed every minute of cheering them on.

It's moving day...finally! Along with planning a wedding and starting new jobs in the month of September Chris and I also decided to remodel the house we'd be moving into. (What were we thinking?) But, with tons of support (many dinners provided by the mom's)& help from Chris's dad and Roger..5 months later, we were able to turn a 50's style ranch into modern masterpiece!