It's come to my attention that our letter is almost impossible to read. So here it it in a clearer, bigger font
Dear Friends and Family,
Dear Friends and Family, that sounds pretty cheesy in my mind, but we can't think of anything better. This is our first family Christmas newsletter, because we finally feel like we have something newsy to talk about: Atticus!
After a long, uncomfortable (aren't they always), but thankfully uneventful pregnancy, Atticus Trevor Butchart was born on May 15th, 2009. Weighing in at 7 lbs, 11 oz and 21 inches in length, he was pretty much an all-star from the beginning. He had some breathing issues and had to stay in the NICU and Special Care Nursery for 3 days, but after that we got to bring him home!
May and June were spent adjusting to parenthood and all of it's sleepless glory. Michelle honestly doesn't remember much except for nursing Atticus every 40 to 60 minutes. That's not an exaggeration. Trevor jumped into fatherhood headfirst during those weeks and hasn't looked back since!
On Independence Day weekend in July, we blessed Atticus in church with our family around us. We had such a fun time with everyone there! We managed to squeeze in family pictures, a 4th of July parade, a trip to see Aunt Julie & Co. in Victor, and Austin's birthday all into that weekend. The last weekend of July we were pleased to make a trip to Washington to see Trevor's Uncle Larry and Aunt Janet get married! It was a beautiful ceremony, and we always love being in Washington.
In August, we had out 3rd anniversary! We are constantly amazed at how quickly time passes. That month we also had Zucchinipocalypse 2009. The garden had gone fairly neglected after Atticus was born, and some of the zucchini got a little out of hand, on particular zucchini getting literally as big as the baby. A big thank you goes out to all of our neighbors who accepted zucchini bread and brownies from us! Michelle's brother David also came to live with us in August! It was great to have him aroudn to play with Atticus and to help round out our dinner table.
Trevor began teaching at BYU-Idaho again in September, after taking the summer semester off, and was delighted to be working for PPCCF during the day and teaching his night class. We also managed to go to the State Fair in September, which Michelle really enjoyed.
At the beginning of October, Michelle and Atticus made the trek out to California to see Grandma and Grandpa Hall, along with Chris and Lorna and their collective bunch. We had such a fun time! We took Atticus to the pumpkin farm and to the beach for the firsrt time. Michelle for to go boogie boarding for the first time in a couple of years, and had a blast! For Halloween we all stayed at home and handed out candy, what with Atticus being a little too young to go trick of treating, and Trevor and Michelle being a little too old. However, we did dress up Atticus like a lobster while Trevor and Michelle wore chef hats (insert eyebrow wiggle here). October was a big month for Atticus, as he learned to sit up by himself and experienced snow for the first time!
November was a wonderful month with Thanksgiving and all kinds of new foods for Atticus. He discovered that squash is not of the kid approved list, but sweet potatoes and apples certainly are. Thanksgiving was spent in Utah with most of Trevor's family. It was a wonderful trip! Atticus was adored on every side by his grandparents and great grandparents.
December is shaping up to be pretty fantastic too! Atticus is learning how to crawl absurdly fast, and the little man certainly doesn't weigh 7 poudns anymore... now he's a 20 pound, 29 inch enormous 7 month old! Trevor and I are enjoying life with our much loved little one, missing all of our family and friends who can't be with us this time of year.
We are so grateful for all of you, and thank you especially for your support during our transition into parenthood. We love all of you, and hope that we get to spend time with you in the new year!
Love
Trevor, Michelle and Atticus