Swensen Sentral

Warning: this is a bragging post. But I just can't help myself. Chase is such an amazing kid and he is growing so fast and pretty soon will be out of my house and I will miss him terribly. So before I forget, I want to capture some of the incredible things I have seen in him lately. And to be clear, it is not of my own doing. It's all him. He just came to earth this way. He is such a hard worker. When he plays sports he pushes himself to give it his all, and never gives up.  He wakes up early in the morning all on his own and gets ready for school, without being asked. Sometimes he is even showered and dressed before I even get out of bed! I never have to tell him to do his homework. He is self-motivated and disciplined and does it all on his own. He likes having things done and he likes being on time. He gets extremely good grades and without any prodding from me. Yesterday he told me that he got the highest grade in the class on his math test, and his teacher was so impressed...

It's been 10 1/2 years since I've had kids with me all the time. This is my last year of having a constant side-kick and I'm a little torn about it. I'm looking forward to the freedom of being alone all day, but also mourning the loss that will be.  So for now I'm just trying to enjoy the time I have left, because it will be gone before I know it.  As much as Soleil can really get under my skin (she really enjoys getting reactions out of people, good or bad), she is also incredibly cute and sweet and creative and smart and confident and brings me great joy. I'm so glad to have this year alone with her to get to know her better. She is so grown up for her age that sometimes I forget she's only 4, but once in a while she does things or says things that remind me I still have a toddler in the house, and I don't want to forget it.  For example, I found the dolls like this today. In a shoe bed. It made me smile.  She still talks about wearing "swim soups...

Sawyer says the funniest things sometimes.  Here's a couple I remember over the last 24 hrs.  Today he was looking around the house for Chase and he couldn't find him anywhere. After a while of searching he asked Rick and I if we could make a missing persons sign. And he was serious.  Yesterday we watched Zorro as a family. At the end there's quite a passionate open-mouthed kiss. Rick made fun of it with the kids by saying "Eeewww I would NEVER kiss mom that way!" And sweet Sawyer who never wants anyone's feelings to get hurt quickly said "I would!"   We had some sparkling cider left over from thanksgiving so I gave him a glass. He took a sip and told me it was really "frizzy". At the dinner table Rick was teasing me because I was grumpy by saying that he never gets grumpy like that. Without hesitation Sawyer piped in and said "yes you do! You get really grumpy!"....then realizing his mistake he corrected himself..."well you ...

Sawyer: Mom? Is Rudoloh true? Me: What do you mean? Sawyer: Well, I know Santa Claus is true, I'm just not sure about Rudolph. Funny to me that it is Rudolph he's questioning and not Santa. It will be a sad day when we have no more believers in the house. 

Today, Monday, I had the following conversation with Soleil.  Me: Soleil, do you want to have a play date with Hannah on Friday morning? Soleil: mmmmm, I would like to have one now? Me: No now doesn't work. But you can play on Friday? Soleil: mmmmm, how about we can play on Wednesday.  Me: No Wednesday is preschool. Just Friday works best.  Soleil: mmmmm, ok I'll take your deal.  What? I didn't know I was offering a deal?

This girl is a born fashionista. Every single day she asks to wear sparkles or dresses or skirts or jewelry or heels or whatever pretty thing she can find. She is quickly developing her own sense of style and likes to pick out her own stuff and her own accessories. Today she insisted on a SIDE ponytail because she said "it looks more better", and she specifically wanted EXTRA flower clips in her hair and placed TOWARDS THE FRONT so they could be seen "more better". She also wanted one glove for her hand because it helps keep her red heart ring on, and she specifically wore two bracelets because the one in front is tighter and it keeps the looser one in back on. And believe it or not, the whole outfit was designed around her sparkly black tights, which you can hardly see. But she insisted on wearing them this morning.  I love that she is her own person and is not afraid to let her personality shine through. Despite how many times she is told "that doesn't lo...

Warning: Proud parent moment. So Chase joined cross country this year. As if he didn't have enough going on with soccer, choir, and violin. All his choice. Anyway, it's pretty low-key. They practice a few mornings a week and only have two meets. One was a few weeks ago. A mile run against all the 4th and 5th grade boys in the school. He came in 2nd place with a 6:21 mile time! We were so proud of him. I was holding back tears. It was ridiculous. When in the world did my kid get so fast? He outruns me now! Not that I'm super fast but I ain't slow either.  So today was his second and final meet. A mile again, this time between 19 schools, and divided by grade. So he ran with only 4th graders. We knew he would do well. We knew he was fast. But we also knew there were a LOT of kids and highly likely many other fast ones. Also, he hurt his knee yesterday and iced it all night and this morning. It was hurting him. He was worried it would hinder his running. And he was really ...

Family dentist appointment. Our first since moving here! I'm so relieved to have it done.  Dress up with friends Hot day. Cold floor.  Lunch with grandpa.  Cooked squirrel and chipmunk.  Lost another tooth.  Big big boo boo. Poor girl. 

We ran in the elementary school 5k this morning. It was the funnest thing we've done as a family in a while. Rick ran up front with the big kids, and I lagged behind with the littles and the jogger. I pushed them the first mile, and then they wanted to get out and walk. I thought they wouldn't last very long but they totally surprised me. Sawyer ran the last two miles all by himself, and refused to get back in the jogger. Soleil rested only a few times in it for like 30 seconds each and that was it. She was determined to keep up with her brother.  It touched me to see how sweet they were together.  Mostly how Sawyer takes care of his little sister, and how she looks up to him so much.  At the end, Chase came back and ran with Sawyer and Soleil to the finish line. It was the cutest.  Love these kids of mine.  Oh and Sawyer said some funny stuff during his run... "Mom I'm never going to rest or give up. I'm going to keep on running."   Then after he got prett...

Chase got his first motorcycle (electric) Kids caught their first fish and learned how to fillet it I failed at cooking my first pond fish  Sawyer lost his first tooth And Soleil swam alone for the first time (Oh darn, I thought I took a picture but I guess I only have a video of it) It's been an epic summer day. We would love visitors to share it with!

I'm so thankful to the men and women who served our country so that we can enjoy the freedom that we have today. We celebrated our Memorial Day by picnicking at the park with ward friends, and then Rick took the boys to the movies while I took the girls swimming. It was a really fun day we got to spend together as a family, and it couldn't happen without the sacrifice and service of brave men and women who fight to protect our freedoms. I'm so thankful to them, and thankful for this great country we have to live in, that allows me to enjoy the pleasure of life with my family. And I especially am grateful to the men in my family who have served: my father-in-law Karl Swensen, my grandpa Tom Woltmon, and my great uncle Earl, who died at 19 while serving. Thank you, thank you, thank you, to you all. Your service is not forgotten. God Bless America!

Today is that day for me.  Here is all the gory details of my last two days, so if you don't want to hear it, don't continue on. Tuesday afternoon (4/28) I started having really bad cramps and bleeding.  This is unusual for me since I have an IUD in.  It's a long-term birth control method that stays in my uterus and prevents any eggs from implanting there.  I've had it for 3 1/2 years now, and have loved it.  Never had a problem with it, I don't have to remember to take pills, or deal with monthly periods.  It's great. So when I started cramping and bleeding, I thought maybe it was related to some stress I've been dealing with.  I tried Ibuprofen, Midol, and hot packs, but nothing touched the pain.  I went to bed that night and slept restlessly. Wednesday morning, I took a hot bath and more Midol, and tried to continue on with the daily routine of getting kids to school and such.  But my cramps were getting stronger and the Midol wasn't...

Have gotten behind. Here's some updates.  Amelie had a beautiful baptism.  Rick and I celebrated our 12 year anniversary I started babysitting the two little blond girls in the picture for extra money.  We dogsat our friends two dogs over Easter weekend and boy was our house chaotic. They rotated between playing and sleeping.   The kids LOVE the trampoline. It's a favorite pastime and the favorite spot for all the neighborhood kids. Definitely worth the money.  Celebrated Easter and General Conference with the missionaries.  Love snuggling with my kitty.  Finally finished our mudroom closet! Met Rick for lunch and fed the koi fish. Got to attend a Cardinals game with VIP tickets from a friend and enjoy exclusive access to the field and all-you-can-eat food during the game. So fun.  Every morning Soleil tries to put a swimsuit on for her daily outfit, and every morning I tell her to go change into normal clothes. This morning was no different. Afte...