Swensen Sentral

We're in Boise for Christmas this year! We're so excited. The kids kept asking every day if we could leave yet. The only down side so far was that our 2 day drive turned into a 3 day drive due to a snow storm. We started our drive on Friday up to Roseville to see Grandma Bonnie. It was so fun to visit her, even if it was just overnight. She is such a happy bubbly positive person and it just makes you feel good being around her. Saturday we planned to finish our drive, but were met with a surprise. A snow storm in Donner's Pass closed the road temporarily and then when it was opened we were seriously going about 5 mph thru it. Not fun at all, with or without kids. We ended up having to throw down $90 for tire chains and then $60 to stay at a motel. So the normal 2 hr drive from Roseville to Reno turned into an 8 hr drive. Yuck! After our stay at Motel 6 in Winnemucca (Side note: that place is ghetto) we finished our drive to Boise arriving while the fam was at church...

So yesterday evening I heard a bloodcurdling scream, followed by a wail, the kind that lasts so long the child runs out of breath and goes silent. And then I didn't hear the follow up breath and cry, so I knew it was bad. I ran up the stairs to find Sawyer with his pants down after using the bathroom.....Are you ready for this? He slammed the toilet seat down on his you know what. Yeah, he was hurting, bad. I won't post a picture of it but let's just say its not flesh colored anymore. Of course my immediate reaction was to take care of the pain with tylenol and ice and comfort. Rick's immediate reaction was to research the possible effects this could have on future capabilities if you know what I mean. The verdict? It's going to be ok.

(Just imagine Dash from Incredibles saying this like at the end of the movie.) So Rick totally pampered me for my birthday way beyond anything I deserved or could have imagined.  I told him all I wanted for my birthday was a day to myself, to leave the house and go wherever I wanted, by myself, with no kids and no time limit for coming home.  So that's what he gave me.  But in addition, he surprised me with a babysitter the night before and took me out on a fun date.  I had the most delicious coconut shrimp curry ever, and then we saw Breaking Dawn part 2.  Then on my birthday he got up with the kids and fed them breakfast while I just slept in and got myself ready without any interruptions.  Totally awesome.  I had a fun day running errands all by myself and shopping.  I met up with some friends for lunch which was so fun.  It was so nice to not feel like I had to get home for something and we just talked and talked, so nice.  After t...

"Don't put your bum in a plastic bag cuz then you can't breathe and you could die." Wrong end buddy.

3 years ago I did not know that such a happy, funny, bubbly, completely darling child was going to join our family.  The day I went to the hospital to have him I was nervous because he was 3 days overdue and they scheduled me to be induced against my wishes since he was showing signs of distress.  After a grueling 4-hour non-medicated labor a 9 1/2 lb little boy was born, cord wrapped around his neck and not making a sound.  A few scarily quiet seconds later, the nurses finally got him to scream, and I don't think he has stopped talking since.  We love our little Sawyer James.  So glad Heavenly Father sent this little light to our family.  He brings so much laughter and smiles into our home with his funny way of viewing life combined with trying to learn the English language.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY BUDDY!

This kid says the funniest things, EVERY day. So I decided to start a running list just so I can read them and laugh when I feel like wringing his cute little neck. When he was tired he told me "I'm a little bit cozy in my eyes." Yesterday I told the kids that Michael Jackson died by taking too much medicine. Today Sawyer informed me at a random moment that Jack (from Nightmare Before Christmas) died from taking too much medicine too. Sawyer loves saying Hi and Bye to everyone, even strangers at the store. Today when the FedEx guy brought us a package, Sawyer held out his hands to take it from him, without saying a word. Then after I said bye and shut the door he says, "Mom, I don't want to say bye anymore. I'm done saying bye to everyone." He keeps telling me that he's 3 now, so it's time to have his birthday. I guess turning a year older is just a decision to be made. And once you make it, then you can have your party. The other day S...

Yes, I put up the Christmas tree MUCH earlier than I've ever done it before. Some of you might say, what about Thanksgiving? Well guess what? We are still going to celebrate Thanksgiving....but with a CHRISTMAS TREE! Did you know you can do that??? Ok, I'm being a bit facetious, but in reality I'm just being a supportive wife and helping Rick get in the spirit of "Christmas candy" for his job. He thanks me, believe it or not. Anyway, it made me happy so I did it. And now every time I look at it I feel happy again. Bring on the Christmas cheer :))))) Oh and for those of you who remember my Christmas tree from years past being colorful, I opted for a festive "silver and gold, silver and gold" this year, yes like the song. And I quite like it.

This post is a little late, but I wanted to document that the night I stayed up with Amelie for "Stomach bug round 2" turned out to be a doosy. Chase woke up in the night barfing, which started me barfing, and in the morning Sawyer woke up barfing. So all 4 of us, plus a recovering baby, vegged on the couch all day with never-ending TV shows and throwup bowls. Rick did his best to help, but "mom" was still the go-to guy for sickies. No time off for this lady, vomiting or not. I was on duty. It pretty much sucked. Yes I did use that word, cuz it did. The good news? It's over.

Rough day, that's all I have to say. I'm wiped out. Going to bed. Tomorrow is a new day, I'm looking forward to it. Good night :)

And this is what I have to deal with. I swear sometimes a Mothers job seems impossible.

Here we go again. Another night up with a sick child. Two nights ago was Soleil. Poor little thing threw up all night, little 20 lb body tensing up so tightly trying to throw up nothing. Tonight it's Amelie, doing the same. Poor kids. I only hope that I don't catch it, cuz I don't have a mom around to take care of me.

Sawyer is flying, Amelie's swinging in a princess dress, Soleil is dangerously climbing the ladder despite our discouragement, and Chase is finding new ways to use the slide. A perfect snapshot in time of childhood.

I'm feeling sad today.  One year ago we purchased family passes to Disneyland in hopes of making some great memories.  It was so fun going whenever we wanted and we sure did make a lot of memories.  Today those passes expired and I'm feeling sad about it.  Boo hoo hoo :(  Ba-bye Disneyland, we will miss you.

While vegging on the couch watching TV Chase says: "Mom, could you bring the toilet in here so I can go to the bathroom?" Yes, he was kidding, but the fact he even thought if that is still disturbing.

I'm feeling so grateful right now for good friends. Just talked for over 3 hrs on the phone with one of them, and the time actually went by fast. I'm not a phone talker so that's saying a lot. There's only one person I can ever do that with. You know who you are. Thank you. Best quote of our conversation: "I want to punch her in the face, she's such a good mom." Sometimes other people are so good at something that you want to be good at, that our knee jerk reaction is to want to punch them in the face. And that's just the plain truth.

I kinda gave up on taking photos so this is all I got. Kids are SO tired, and so are we.

Swensens came to visit this week and we jammed packed the week full of stuff. Our D passes are expiring this month so of course we had to make one last visit. Going to miss it :(

Well, I'm hot, tired, hungry, sweaty, and just plain gross, but it was worth $200. Love getting rid of things I don't need for money I do :).

Today was a good Sunday.  We actually got to church on time.  I got to listen to Sacrament meeting because Rick stayed home with the girls and their sniffles, and they were actually good talks.  The lesson I taught second hour went pretty well.  And I got to listen in Relief Society since I didn't have the baby and that lesson was really good too.  I came away from church happy and spiritually well-fed.  Much needed. One of the great things about today was that The Spirit could actually teach me.  I wanted to jot down some of the things I learned that I want to committ to doing this week. 1.  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.  (Matthew 6:21)  If I want my heart in a different place, I need to focus my time and efforts in a different place.  So, if I want to feel happier inside, focus on the things that truly make me happy: people, service, music and singing, more sleep, family time, scripture reading, fe...

I recently read of some struggles a friend of mine is having, and I felt prompted to write to her about it.  Then I felt prompted to put my letter here, for whomever else needs to read it.  I've changed it a little to make it more anonymous.  Please apply it to yourself if it's something you need to hear. *********** Hello Friend, I too have struggled with 4 children (I actually struggled with #3 and then #4 came along too soon) and it's been really hard.  I don't even have some of the same struggles you have but I've had other things come up in life and even without those "other things" it's still a really REALLY hard job.  It's a full-time job to raise children, and a full-time job to keep a home organized and clean, and a full-time job to plan meals and buy groceries and do it on a budget using coupons and spending time cooking and making everything (all while 4 little kids are running around getting in the way and asking you questi...

A few weeks ago, I decided to weigh myself.  Don't really do it ever, I just don't pay attention to how much I weigh.  To me it's just a number.  I pay more attention to how I feel, a better indicaton of my health in my opinion.  Anyway, to my surprise the scale read 103 lbs!!!  What???  How could I weigh 103 lbs!  Well some of you may think, "Wow, I'd love to weigh 103 lbs."  But what went through my head was, "Ewww...grosss...way too skinny."  Made me feel anorexic and a bit sick.  I looked at myself in the mirror and saw the beginnings of a skeleton showing through.  Another ewww.  I went to bed, and had a hard time getting that number out of my head.  I can't even remember when I turned past 100 lbs when I was young and growing, it was that long ago.  All I remember is that I ranged between 115-125 in high school and college.  I never remember feeling fat, just a little chubby in some key areas (like my thi...

Today I gave Sawyer a spanking.  Afterwards, without a tear in his eye or a flinch in his facial expression, he said "thanks mom".  "Thanks for what?" I asked.  "Thanks for spanking me" he replied, and that was it.  I'm pretty sure it didn't phase him.  I don't think he learned any lesson, I think he mostly taught me that spanking doesn't work with him.  Yes, I did start laughing, I couldn't keep it in. Sawyer has definitely hit the terrible two's.  He's testing every limit and boundary he can possibly see, and it's getting on my nerves (to put it politely).  He rarely comes when I call him, almost always waits until I start counting and comes right before I say "3", teases his siblings relentlessly, pretends he doesn't hear me when he does, doesn't look at me when I'm talking, you get the picture.  And he's been crying over everything, it's getting pretty ridiculous.  If he were a girl I'...

Sawyer just asked for more "black strawberries". I guess those are olives.

Today I had fun chillin' with Lele on the couch. She jumped up and down on my tummy, giggled with delight, and we watched Yo Gabba Gabba together. I wanted to squeeze her so tight. Today I snuggled with Sawyer in bed. I watched him fall asleep and couldn't take my eyes off him. For a moment time seemed to stop and I didn't want him to grow one more day. Today my little nephew came into this world, Jake Jeffrey, weighing in at 7 lbs 13 oz. I felt immediate love for him. These are the moments that make life worth living.