Swensen Sentral

Got my house cleaned today, and got a massage.  Mmmm...mommy happy :)  It's amazing how the way you feel inside can affect so much of your life.  A happy mom will go a long way.  Well worth the price.

Amelie had her eye exam on Tuesday.  It was the follow-up after her 5 weeks of ALL-DAY patching.  It was a hard 5 weeks.  She's going past a year now of this patching thing and frankly she's tired of it, and so am I.  Both Rick and I kept reminding her that if she did a good job wearing her patch all day every day, then at her next appointment she might not have to wear it anymore, or maybe only a little bit.  And even though she did her fair share of complaining, she did it, and I give her props for it.  It was a hard thing to ask of a 5 year old girl.  She wants so badly to be done with it, she even prayed at night and at meal times that her eye would get better so she wouldn't have to patch anymore.  The good news is, her eye DID get significantly better!  She went from 20/100 vision 5 weeks ago to 20/50.  We haven't seen ANY improvement in so long, so we were happy to hear that her efforts had paid off.  The bad news is, the d...

Some days are all about survival. This is one of them.

I showed this picture to Sawyer and said "who's that?" and he pointed to the top pic and said "Estelle" and the bottom pic is "Soleil". Lol! We've really confused him. Then he said "Cuuuuuute!". He was right on that one ;)

Here's some recent happenings that I haven't posted about. A day at the park.  The kids love this place.  We need to come here more.  6/18/12 This is what they both did afterwards.  A perfect image of how much fun they had.  Hanging out at Wal-mart.  The kids were trying on silly hats and being goofballs.  6/15/12   This is what Soleil was doing the whole time I was taking pictures. Oh, and we left with a purchase.  How could I not buy this cute owl for her?  She was literally snuggling with it on the floor and carrying it around, and it's practically as big as her!  Amelie started a dance class with her friend Lucy.  She was SO excited, and even more so after it ended.  She has asked me nearly every day since if it is time to go again.  6/20/12   Taking a breather.  Tried to wash the van today myself to save money, took me pretty mu...

  As some of you may know, I have had a terrible time with our precious little girl's name.  For a year I've stewed over changing it or leaving it and what to call her.  (a year? yeah I know that sounds bad, trust me I've felt plenty guilty about it)  We initially named her Estelle Soleil Swensen, and  planned on calling her Estelle.  We loved the meaning of each name (Estelle means star, Soleil means sun), the sound of the name, and thought it was a beautiful name for a beautiful girl.  But we soon discovered that Soleil kept slipping from our mouths, and we often called her Soleil without  thinking.  I never liked the idea of going by a middle name, nor did I want her to go by a name so different as Soleil that would be mispronounced the whole of her life.  So while Rick gave in and started calling her Soleil exclusively, I stuck to my guns and called her Estelle.  But it never felt  completely ...

7 years ago today my little Chasey joined our family of 2.  It was the perfect start to the succession of children to follow.  He was a very easy and happy baby, quick to laugh and smile at anything.  He's always had a very loving nature, and is very sensitive to the feelings of others.  He has grown into a responsible, conscience-driven, polite, loving boy, who also knows how to wrestle and shoot and throw and have fun doing things that boys do.  He's also the best big brother anyone could ask for, and the best helper to me.  He steps up to the plate and helps me when he can see I'm in need of an extra pair of hands and never complains while doing it.  I couldn't have asked for a better first child.  I can't believe this first picture has turned into the last.  Where did the years go?  You'll always be my "sweet Chase".  I love you more than words can say and am so grateful you are still with me after 7 years.  Happy Birthd...

There's nothing better in the world than family.  I am so blessed.  Today was a good day, a really good day.  Full of smiles and laughter, family and friends, oh, and dancing.  Going to bed happy :)  Good night.