5 Years of Adventure

The adventure began 5 years ago today and hasn't stopped since.  Here's a look at our journey so far:

Our Courtship was memorable and full of fun!  It was love at first sight, literally. 

 

One day, you took me skiing on an April afternoon.  Then, you took on the most difficult run at SnowBird, where I cussed you the ENTIRE time down the slope :-)

But later that night, you made up for it and surprised me with a question and a ring!

Thus.....we were engaged!

We had the most beautiful wedding.....

on a gorgeous July day......

.....and it was really classy, too!

We went on a tropical honeymoon to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico....

....and got sunburnt....BAD!

Our First Year....

We bought a starter home.......

......And put countless hours along with blood, sweat, and tears fixing it up!

Keith got his degree from the U of U!  Go Utes!

We celebrated our first anniversary with a Hot Air Balloon Ride.....

....And followed tradition by eating the top tier of our wedding cake!

Our Second Year....

Les started nursing school.....

Keith made dinner almost every night, because he loved his very busy wife!

So it was smooth sailing.....

....and we still managed to have some fun!

Our Third Year....

Keith's job in sales made him feel like he was in JAIL,

So he made the decision to go to medical school to become a doctor.....

....Les was not so happy about that at first...

.....but we promised to always support each other no matter what!

So Keith took the MCAT and got accepted to Ross University.....

but there was one small catch....

We had to move to the West Indies and live on a little tiny island,

called Dominica.

Our Fourth Year.....

Keith started medical school in Dominica.....

.....Les graduated nursing school and became a nurse!

But the most important accomplishment was......

Our pregnancy!

Living in Dominica was an adventure....

 

....Keith lost weight...

.....probably because of Lesley's cooking :-(

The sights were amazing....

.....The fresh fruit and seafood market was delicious...

...The scuba diving was amazing...

....the people were friendly...

.....but the pets were creepy! 

Keith spend most of his time studying....

...and Les went to the pool! (when she wasn't too deathly sick)

It was very romantic at times....

.....because we saw the most BEAUTIFUL sunsets!

Other things were not so beautiful,

but they were part of the adventure, too!

Then, we had the opportunity to live in the bahamas for a semester...

....where the was civilization!  (and fresh milk, and air conditioning, and real grocery stores!)

The beaches were pristine....

....with the softest sand you can imagine!

Keith studied ALOT....(even if it was on the beach sometimes)

...while Les grew and grew and grew!

Then, Les went back to the states to get ready for baby....

 

....Luckily, Keith made it back for the birth!

 

And we welcomed Stryder Keith Harrop to our family!

Then just 6 weeks later, we moved to Miami for Keith's 5th semester....

...where we went to the beach every week!

Lesley loved being a mom.....

....and Keith loved being a dad.....

....and we had entirely too much fun that summer as a family!

Our Fifth Year...

We blessed our baby Stryder....

....moved again.....

....to Wisconsin, where Lesley is from!

Keith studied super hard and slaughtered his board exam....

....And started clinical rotations in Wisconsin!

Then another blessing came our way....

....a few weeks later, Les discovered she was expecting...AGAIN!

It was like Christmas morning, especially when we found out....

....that Stryder was going to have a baby BROTHER!

So...

 .....Happy Anniversary with another 5 years of adventure to come.....

....We love you very much!

Summer Fun, Sun, and On the Run!

I figured I better blog about some of the fun events we did this summer as a family before this baby comes and I completely lose my mind :-)  We went to Rhythm and Booms, which is a huge fireworks show put to music here in Madison, WI.  We always sit right on the lake and spend the entire afternoon eating hanging out with friends, playing cards, and walking around the little carnival, not forgetting to purchase a funnel cake or some other fried treat....snickers and twinkies are among my favorites.  Anyways, the fireworks were great, the company was great (we went with family and friends), and the free funnel cake my husband somehow got his hands on was great too!

About a month ago, we went to Utah to visit family for Keith's two week break.  We were out there for Father's Day, which we spent with Keith's family.  It was great to see everyone and to visit.  Below is a picture of Stryder and Davey (his closest boy cousin) and Keith's side minus the other Harrops who we missed dearly.

We were able to see my side of the family, too!  We went to see Mamoo (Great Grandma), Grandpa JR, LuAnn, and my two sisters and their husbands.  Stryder got completely spoiled by Mamoo and we all ended up eating really good food 24 hours a day. 

We also went to the Children's Discovery Museum in Salt Lake.  Stryder played so well with his cousins on Daddy's side.  It was fun to see him so happy.  They had little play cars, lawnmowers, fridges, and even a helicopter on the roof.....so, of course, our son was in 7th Heaven! 

Yet another outing......or two!  We went to Wheeler Farm and to Kennecott Copper Mine.  Wheeler Farm is a great little free farm that kids can go see animals and all sorts of farm things.  Stryder especially loved the horses.  The Copper Mine was huge and really awesome to see.  Below is a picture of the one of the tires on the giantic tractors they use in the mine.  Apparently it is one of the landmarks that can be seen from space.  Cool!

And another adventure....we went to Murray Pool, which was so so much fun.  We are a family of water babies so it was definitely one of my favorites parts of the trip.  Stryder LOVED the water, too, which is great since he failed out of his swimming lessons last winter because of lack of attendance, ha ha......(this was soley due to irresponsible parenting---mommy was sooooo sick).   

What would a summer be without baseball?  Even if it is only the Minor Leagues, we still had fun attending a Bee's game.  Stryder just kept pointing at the field lights and was a little curious about the mascot, which does look kind of creepy.   

Since we drove out to Utah from Wisconsin, we decided to make the best of the long drive and include a few exciting stops along the way there and back.  We went to Devil's Tower, WY (you may recognize this from a scene in the movie ET) and Mt. Rushmore, SD.  These are both awesome landmarks to see :-) The famous western hangout, Wall Drug, was also along our route, so we stopped to let Stryder play on some of the fun exhibits they had there.   

On the way there we stopped in Winter Quarters, which is where Mormon Pioneers would spend a respite stay if they were sick or needed supplies along their trek to Utah.  There is a temple there and a Mormon Pioneer cemetery, which are right next to each other.  This is very fitting since the sacrifices made by the pioneers allow us to worship now in peace.  I was such a blubbering idiot the whole time visiting, because I knew my ancestors made these sacrifices and I thought about how difficult their lives must have been. 

(Note: Never take a pregnant women here unless you have a lot of Kleenex!) 

Anyways, we even saw a familiar name on the monument that listed those that died here at Winter Quarters.  You can see it below: "Percis Butterfield......20 months old."  (Butterfield is my maiden name) 

This little boy was around Stryder's age when he died.  Again, I realized the tremendous courage and committment these people had for their beliefs.  

 

 

Courage and Humility

Problem solved and no harm done.  I am very impressed with how a recent problem was handled, probably better than I handled it in the first place.  It takes a very big person with a lot of courage and humility to right a wrong.  I am not sure I possess those same qualities all the time.   This week I learned that people may surprise you if you let them.            

Family Portraits + Maternity Photos

We had the chance to sit for professional family portraits when we were visiting Utah a few weeks ago.  Cheap Shots Photography did a great job (photog Christy) and I am sooooo happy with the way they turned out!   Here are some of my favorite family shots:

One thing I have always wanted to do was get professional maternity pictures taken.  It really wasn't an option when I was pregnant with Stryder since we were living in Dominica and the Bahamas and Keith wasn't with me the last two months before he was born.  So I figured better late than never!  I feel like I'm in better shape this pregnancy and have only gained about half the amount of weight I did with Stryder, so it was probably for the best to do the shoot with this pregnancy instead :-)  Here are some of my favorite shots: 

(I am 33 Weeks in these photos) 

That Person

After a few minor bumps in the road these past few weeks, I found myself thinking and counting my blessings.  I hate to be preachy on our blog, but writing is quite therapeutic for me :-)  I am so grateful for the blessings in my life.  I have a husband who has AMBITION, drive, and honors his committment to provide for our family.  I am extremely thankful for these qualities he possesses.  Because of his decisions I am able to be a mom in the truest sense of the word.  I have the cutest, most playful, friendliest, happiest little boy in the world who blesses me each day with his loving personality.  I learn so much from being his mom, more than he could ever learn from me.....even though I am determined to teach him Baby Signs.  I am expecting another little boy to join our family in just two short months, a welcomed surprise that has really opened my eyes to the importance of family.  I come from a great family and have awesome parents, siblings, and grandparents who show unconditional love and support continually.  My in-laws are awesome in their own right, too, and I am blessed to be a part of their family as well.  I have the gospel in my life, and it is a blessing night and day to have the beliefs I do.  My prayers are answered through the kindness of friends and service of others.

Of course, I could keep listing blessings, but these by far are the most important to me.  When I am down, overwhelmed, or tired, I remember these blessings.  When things don't go as planned and life gets in the way, I remember these blessings.  When actions of others hurt, intentionally or unintentionally, I remember these blessings.  I find comfort in a smile from stranger, refuge in the words of a song, solace in an unplanned visit from friends, and even relief in a good cry.

Sometimes, we just need someone to show us just how blessed we are.  I am thankful for those people in my life.  I hope that I can be that person to someone else.  That person who smiles at a stranger, that person who offers words of encouragement, that person who stops by just to say hi, that person who will understand "anytime" tears.         

Air Show, Bratfest, Marathon, BBQ, Karaoke, Drums!

Our Memorial Day weekend was lovely!  There was so much going on, I feel exhausted just thinking about it.  It is sure great having a husband how is almost a doctor.....we love the perks :-)  One such example is we had the opportunity to go to the Air Fest, an awesome airshow featuring the Canadian Snowbirds and Wisconsin Thunderbirds as VIP's with the hospital Keith it at. 

We took my dad with us for the show on Saturday.  It was sure hot, but fun nonetheless.  Stryder loved seeing the airplanes, although I would recommend ear plugs for any child seeing a show like this.  Some of the F-16's were quite loud :-)

We also took our friends, Jeff and Nicole.  They have a cute little boy about a year older than Stryder and Jeff is a doctor himself!  (Having just graduated from Vet School).   It was lots of fun to go with friends. 

Of course, my husband, who can strike up a conversation with a tree branch, started talking to the pilots and crew.  These guys were based at Hill Air Force Base in Utah.  Funny ;-)

I couldn't resist a close-up pic!

We were all smiles; Stryder especially.

The next day, my mom and brother ran the Madison Marathon.  We attempted to see them cross the finish line, but it was complete MADNESS when we got up by the Capitol where they finish.  They were handing out free sandwiches and even beer, yes beer, to the runners, so needless to say it was one crazy atmosphere.  There were so many people and it was sooooo hot that they ended up cancelling the marathon at the 4 hour mark (which means you can continue at your own risk, but you won't receive an official time.)  Keith and I both decided that maybe next year, we will do the half marathon---if the weather stays cool, that is.

So after my mom and brother had a chance to rest for the afternoon, we all headed off to BRATFEST!  Ahh....only in Wisconsin do they sell brats for a buck and a half and you can buy fried cheese curds by the bucket.  It was great fun and I think we even helped set the record by consuming a total of 11 brats.  Above is the picture of us by the Weinermobile, but we weren't there for the hot dogs!

After you purchase your brats, you head over to one of the many "Condiment Tents" to dress your brat.  Relish, onions, brat sauce, you name, they got it.

And just to illustrate just how bad of parents we are, Stryder ate: one full brat, funnel cake with strawberries, blue and pink cotton candy, and even a few sips of Cherry Coke.  Of course, we all pigged out on this stuff!

For Memorial Day, we got together with our friends, Brittany and Shane and Jeff and Nicole, for a BBQ and karaoke party.  Shane played the drums while we sang.  I especially loved Keith's rendition of Rascal Flatts dedicated to me :-)  Stryder wanted in on the action, so he decided he would play the drums, too.  He loved it and was a natural!