Life As Four

Happy Birth Day, Levi!

2010-11-15T22:25:00.010-05:00

My estimated due date was November 21. It was pretty much assumed by all that I would not be at Thanksgiving dinner that year. My family decided to have an extra Thanksgiving dinner the Sunday (the 15^th) before my due date so I wouldn’t miss out on the feast. But at 39 weeks pregnant, who is really enjoying food anymore?!

We drove home that night, put Henry to bed and went straight to bed ourselves. I slept better that night than I had in months. {This actually happened the night before Henry was born as well.} Usually my full bladder, constricted lungs or aching hips would have woken me up half a dozen times. I opened my eyes around 4 am and a few seconds later my water broke. It’s such a strange feeling. As if my gigantic self wasn’t enough, I could no longer deny that I was going to be pushing out and mothering a baby! Wow!

My labor with Henry was only 6 hours long, so everyone knew this might move quickly. I woke up Mike, called Misty {my midwife}, Emily {my sister}, and Lori {a friend who would be helping with Henry} and then hopped in the shower. My contractions had not started when I got in the shower around 4:15. I tried to enjoy the warm shower while my mind raced around the thoughts of “Oh boy, here we go again…” I started having some mild contractions. They were just strong enough that I wanted to move through them. I got out of the shower around 4:30 and realized that I had had 4 contractions in 15 minutes.

While I was in the shower, Henry woke up and was spending some time with Mike. He could tell something was up and there was no getting him back to bed. I told him that the baby was coming. We had watched a lot of home birth videos together. He knew I was going to “roar like a lion”, push the baby out, and the baby was going to nurse A LOT.

Emily and Misty were the first to arrive. I was trying to lie down on the bed and get some rest, but the contractions were coming every couple minutes. It was unbelievable how much more manageable the contractions were when I was off the bed. I quickly found that the most comfortable place was standing at the foot of my bed, with my elbows resting on the bed, and rocking my hips from side to side during a contraction.

I’m not a very meditative person {I’m not very good at relaxing and breathing during yoga}, but I get very chanty in labor. With Henry I said “Oh baby, Oh baby, Oh baby…” through every contraction. This time I started saying “Baby move down, Baby move down…” It’s nothing I planned to do. I think it just helps me focuson the task at hand. It keeps me focused on the work I am doing and not the intense feelings moving through my body…though I was still very aware of those too!

I was laboring at the end of my bed and at some point Melaine (midwife), Lori, and Trinlie (midwife) arrived. Lori took Henry to play, the midwives started setting up, Mike was watching me work, and my sister was taking pictures of it all. Around 5:45, I realized that I did not have the necklace from my blessing way. My friend, Emily, was stringing it together for me and I had not gotten it from her yet. I decided that she would definitely want me to call her for it, even if it was before sunrise. After calling a few wrong numbers {her husband had switched phones with someone}, Misty got ahold of Emily and my necklace was on its way.

At this point, the contractions were really starting to roll. My “Baby move down” was getting more vocal and the rocking of my hips was getting deeper. This is where I start to regret not having had my labor videotaped. I would love to be able to watch my midwives. I was given the opportunity to labor like I believe every woman has the right to. I was watched, guarded, and trusted by my midwives. They let me do the work that I needed to do to help mybaby into this world, all the while making sure we were safe. The few times I opened my eyes while contracting, I saw them watching me from the perimeters of my room. I also knew they were aching to help me. When I am having a contraction, I cannot have any sounds in the room and I cannot have anyone touch me. It’s like a sound or touch breaks the fragile bubble that I’m in, the bubble that keeps me from being swallowed by the strength of my own body.

I began to feel nauseous and had a hard time staying on my legs during the contractions. The contractions were now one on top of the other. I threw up once and knew I had to get off of my feet. I went and sat on the toilet to get some support and continued to rock my hips. Misty and Mike sat on the floor beside me. The contractions were so intense. I started to feel scared. I was scared that I was going to be in this state forever. This labor had been more manageable because I was in my own bedroom. I didn’t feel like it could be coming to an end yet, so I felt like maybe I was stuck. The fear of a laboring woman J I opened my eyes and looked at Misty and told her I was scared. She whispered back to me that the baby would be here soon and I knew she was right. I remembered transition, I remembered that wall and I remembered the reward.

In the mean time, Henry was playing downstairs with Lori. They would come up every once in awhile to check on me. Henry was doing great with it all. He checked on me frequently enough to see me progress, saw that I was ok and went on playing. I’m so glad he woke up when my water broke because his normal wake-up time was about the time I was going through transition, and that would have been bad.

While I was in the bathroom, Melaine and Trinlie were setting up for the birth. They could hear the progress I was making and also knew the baby would be here soon. Trinlie peeked into the bathroom and suggested I move back into the bedroom. I remember walking back into my bedroom and being so grateful for the intuition of these women. They had prepared three separate places in my bedroom that they thought I might want to settle in and birth this baby. I tried standing in the spot at the end of the bed where I had labored earlier. As soon as the contraction started, I was brought to my knees from the intensity.

Before the next contraction, I moved to the spot on the bed that they had prepared for me. I had a few more contractions on my hands and knees. Then after a contraction, I just felt that I would be pushing during my next contraction. I laid over on my side to take a moment to rest. When the next contraction started, I started to push. I don’t have the “urge” to push like some women talk about. With both of my labors, I have a total involuntary experience of my body, from my shoulders down, pushing the baby out.

I pushed through a few contractions and all the sudden felt the baby slide down the birth canal. What a strange feeling. With Henry, I pushed and pushed and pushed and he

just inched his way down. This time, most of the movement happened in one push! At this point I remember Misty telling me to take it easy so I didn’t tear. I remember thinking something like, “I don’t care if I tear… I’ll deal with it later… GET THIS BABY OUT!” I am grateful for the encouragement though ;)

I pushed a few more times and Levi Paul Swinson was born at 8:04am on November 16th. I heard Emily say “It’s a boy!” I brought him up on my body and just laid there and took it all in. I watched Mike watching his newborn son. I watched Henry crawl up on the bed to meet his baby brother. I watched my sister look at me in awe. I watched my midwives and friends take care of me. I took in the sweet smell of my baby. I thought of the past 4 hours, grateful for the experience of bringing this baby into our family.

I am so grateful for Levi’s homebirth. I am grateful for my body. I am grateful for the strength I receive from the experience of birth. I am grateful for the wisdom of the women that watched me birth my baby. I didn’t mention everything they did in Levi’s story because I barely noticed it. They charted my progress and occasionally monitored the baby’s heart rate with a doppler. What they didn’t do was check my dilation at any point; it was obvious I was progressing. They didn’t tell me lay down on my back. They did keep us safe. They guarded me and the space so I, along with my family, could birth this baby. I am forever grateful.

The next few hours were spent taking care of me and making sure I had something to eat. The midwives performed the newborn exam on the bed beside me. Then they cleaned up, tucked us in and left. Emily stayed to help with Henry. We curled up in bed. Levi and Mike slept while I watched, grateful for the day the Lord had made.

Practicing being a big brother!

2010-02-12T15:18:00.000-05:00

Thinking about stealing the bink...

Bink taken!

Uh oh :(

Damage control.

Our Sleeping Beauties

2010-01-15T16:13:00.000-05:00

Saturday with Henry

2009-12-13T09:17:00.000-05:00

So, Grandpa, Mike and Henry all went to do a few things this Saturday morning...

They went by the children's museum and Henry had to go down the slide a few times.

But they mostly went to see the Train displays that the museum had this morning. Henry loved pushing the buttons for the Train horns and to have it say "All aboard!"!

Saturday with Henry

2009-12-13T09:11:00.000-05:00

Our Scouts helped place wreaths at the National Cemetery in Staunton.

Grandpa and Henry had a chance to walk around a bit before we left.

Playing in the Snow

2009-12-05T19:17:00.000-05:00

Our first big snow this year...

We had to try to do some sledding. We had some extra cardboard from a large box...

Do you like how we have a nice wall at the bottom of the hill to make sure you stop? =)

Playing in the Snow II

2009-12-05T19:10:00.001-05:00

Henry asked if he could push instead...

And he pushed all the way down the hill

Resting with my boys after playing in the snow with Henry

The Harrisonburg Christmas Parade

2009-12-05T18:59:00.000-05:00

The beginning of the Christmas Parade

The JMU Marching Royal Dukes!

A family photo!

Beautiful

2009-11-26T14:32:00.000-05:00

My beautiful sister came up and took these beautiful pictures of this beautiful baby. More to come...

Hanging out with Little Levi

2009-11-22T18:13:00.000-05:00

Feast Your Eyes...

2009-11-22T11:43:00.000-05:00

...on one of the sweetest guys around.

Levi Paul Swinson
November 16, 2009
8:04 am
7 pounds 12 ounces
20 3/4 inches

2009-11-16T12:22:00.000-05:00

A new little Swinson boy!

More of the Same

2009-10-26T20:09:00.001-04:00

Cute as can be...even with nap head and sleep bags under his eyes :)

Mike's second full-time job these days...studying for the CPA exam.

Every two-year-old needs an audience in the bath!

Fall Happenings

2009-10-26T20:08:00.001-04:00

I feel like every child needs a picture of them sitting on their naked bum, doing something cute, right?

Beautiful Shenandoah Valley...don't be jealous!

Henry inhaled his cupcake as if his Mom doesn't usually let him eat them. Then he showed off the evidence ;)

Henry and his BFF, Lina {in the brown}.

Apple Days and European Car Show

2009-10-15T20:59:00.002-04:00

Every year as a couple/family for the past 6 years we have been going to the "British Car Show" we love going and relaxing and of course buying Apple Dumplings that Troop 47 sells. Henry loved the show and walked all around and looked at all the cars.

Gena and I enjoyed seeing this, we picked up a brochure for the company that rents out european sports cars as shown here and it's actually for reasonable amounts. We decided that might be fun for next fall to drive on the parkway.

Boat-car, complete with propellers in the back and a sticker that reads: I brake for fish.

One of the owners was nice enough to let Henry take their classic European Sports Car for a spin.

Speaking of Apple Days... I guess the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree as they say...

Apple Days Weekend II

2009-10-15T20:48:00.005-04:00

It's not a British Car Show without a MINI COOPER... and hey it's the 50th Anniversary of the MINI!

Meet Henry the climber... We wish there was a real climbing facility in Harrisonburg. Henry has climbed alot of smaller rock walls and just did it right away and loved it.

Backyard Camping

2009-10-15T20:45:00.001-04:00

A few weeks ago Henry and I went camping in the backyard.

Later in the evening we ended up taking the fly off the tent so we could see the stars as we fell asleep. We really enjoyed it, and you can see he has his camping lantern. He's preparing to be a future Eagle Scout.

Back Home on the Farm...

2009-09-24T22:56:00.002-04:00

We recently went to the Back Home on the Farm located just outside of Harrisonburg and had a great time as a family.
The 60 foot slide that goes underground.

Henry doesn't look too happy in the picture but he loved it and wanted to go again.

They have their own indoor carousel and Henry loved riding the horses.

2009-09-24T22:48:00.000-04:00

They even had piglet races!

They were pretty fast piglets.

Henry loved seeing all the animals especially the goats.

and makin' some music...

2009-09-24T22:43:00.000-04:00

Of course we went through the Corn Maze

Henry loved the "Cow Train" so much so that he had to ride it twice.

Here's a view from the slightly bumpy ride.

Prenatal Home Visit

2009-09-17T13:15:00.004-04:00

We had a prenatal visit at our house this morning. I am almost 31 weeks along and feeling pretty good. If there was a safe way to sleep in water, I think I'd be great :) Henry has been so cute at all my prenatals. Mike was able to be there this morning, so we got some good pictures. Though I wish he was in them too!

Henry loves to help with everything the ladies are doing...and takes it very serious :)

But always takes a time-out for a cuddle break!

Loving these days!

2009-08-28T14:02:00.000-04:00

We love this little guy! Henry is so fun and so sweet. Don't get me wrong...he definitely wakes up on the wrong side of the bed once in awhile. But even then, he is usually more pitiful than terrible. He loves to play with his trains, he would let us read to him all day if we would, he says the sweetest things to us all the time, and loves to cuddle with the baby in my tummy. And he is just so darn cute! He was extra extra excited when Mike came home from his last business trip. He talked for days about how Daddy was back :)

Henry has had a lot of changes in the past couple weeks. We have been working on potty training and Henry has started going to bed on his own. I really didn't plan to potty train yet, but Henry started asking to go after I would or after I would take off his diaper. I figured I better not miss this window of opportunity. He's doing very well with it. It's so cute seeing his skinny bum in pants that won't stay up anymore :)
Henry is also going to bed and down for naps on his own. Until recently, we would lay with him until he fell asleep. With my bump getting bigger and bigger, we knew things needed to change. I thought it was going to be quite the dramatic experience, but Henry has proved me wrong. He has been going down so well! During his nap today, Henry was playing with his bed frame a lot. I told him he needed to stop playing and close his eyes and go to sleep. I guess he played until the last second :)

Henry the Hero

2009-08-04T15:07:00.006-04:00

My sister made this superhero cape for Henry for his birthday. We love it! I had seen one at Pufferbellies that I loved, but it wasn't personalized and made with love like this one. As if Henry didn't already know he was hot stuff.

Even a superhero gets tired sometimes. Lili would have toted him around all day if she didn't have to share him with others :)

Cake Time!

2009-08-04T14:52:00.007-04:00

Much different from this time last year...Henry now understands what cake is! I wanted to make cupcakes for Henry's party, but the idea of making 50 of them {Henry has a lot of family in the area} didn't sound too great with everything else going on. Mike has been wanting a Costco cake for some time, so I decided to go with that. OH-MY-GOODNESS! I would have never guessed. I went with a white cake with strawberry filling and cream cheese icing. YUM...even with it slightly warmed by the weather.

I had a hard time narrowing down some of the cake pictures because he is so darn cute in them all. This happy face pretty much sums up his day :)

Getting a lesson in blowing out birthday candles...

...and making sure he's doing it right.

Henry's Birthday Party

2009-08-04T14:28:00.009-04:00

Henry turned two last week and we had a birthday party for him this weekend at a local park. Family and some of his little friends joined us for a cookout and some time on the playground. Fun was had by all {I hope!}. When it came time to open the presents, i couldn't get enough of how cute Henry and his friends were being together. We set Henry on the ground in the middle of the shelter and all the little ones swarmed. They all wanted to take turns giving Henry a present to open. I think I had 3, plus the baby bump, on my lap at one point. Henry was so interested in every single thing he opened. He wanted to spend time with each one before moving on...this drove his friends crazy :)

Jumping Bean

2009-07-17T18:33:00.000-04:00

Noodle Crazy!!!

2009-07-17T18:32:00.000-04:00

Water Boy

2009-07-17T18:29:00.000-04:00

Waiting for the fireworks

2009-07-09T20:45:00.000-04:00

Under the Lights!

2009-07-09T20:44:00.000-04:00

2009-07-09T20:42:00.000-04:00

Time with Mommy!

2009-07-09T20:39:00.000-04:00

Nationals vs. Braves

2009-07-09T20:38:00.000-04:00

Waiting...and some more waiting :)

2009-07-09T20:34:00.000-04:00

Metro and Dead Presidents

2009-07-09T20:33:00.000-04:00

OCP Lawn Jam '09

2009-07-09T20:24:00.000-04:00

WAY TO GO LAKERS!!!

2009-06-15T19:53:00.004-04:00

Kobe now has 4 rings, and the Lakers add another to the collection!! Go Lakes!

In honor of the Lakers big win last night, Henry wanted to sport some team spirit! This is Henry striking a pose :)

WOO HOO!!!

Fun Saturday with Daddy

2009-06-06T20:43:00.001-04:00

We had such a great day today with Mike. We woke up and went to the farmer's market downtown for awhile. I love walking around there. We got some eggs and swiss chard, my favorite! Then we went to the driving range and watched Daddy hit a bucket of balls. Henry is very eager to try this himself :) We came home of lunch and a nap and then were out again. We went by our garden to check on it and ran to the grocery store for a few things. After a yummy grilled dinner, we walked over to the park with Annie. Henry is turning into quite the dare devil on the playground. We will all sleep well tonight!

Henry is very helpful around the house. He can shuck an ear of corn all by himself. Today, his patience was wearing thin I guess :)

Mike and his new grill. He is turning into quite the chef.

Corn on the cob and tilapia on orange slices.

And it's started...

2009-06-06T20:34:00.000-04:00

Random Beauty

2009-06-06T20:06:00.009-04:00

Everything around us was so beautiful. This pond was just outside the Mill where we ate an amazing breakfast and dinner. There was a deck that wrapped around the Mill that overlooked this water. There was a family of bullfrogs that were so neat to listen to as the sun began to set.

The tall grass surrounded us on a morning bike ride along the river.

I feel I can include a picture of myself under this title because I am pregant :) I feel more beautiful when I am pregnant than ever before.

A view crossing over the mountain on our way to Warm Springs.

Just outside the Mill and our room.

Some of the Property

2009-06-06T20:05:00.001-04:00

The buildings on the property were awesome. These are some cabins that are available. In front of them is the garden.

This is the Mill where we ate. The second floor has a pool, ping pong and foosball table. The pond is off to the right.

This is the Lodge where our room was. We stayed in the third floor of the silo. Very cool. Our room was round with a high ceiling.

This is a better view of the silo. The stairs are part of the addition that include the bathroom.

Scenic View

2009-06-06T19:55:00.001-04:00

We hiked up a trail that took us above the property where we were staying. No animals, but beautiful foliage.

Mike looking very stoic :)

Anniversay Getaway

2009-06-06T19:51:00.000-04:00

Marshmellow Time...{I know, hard to believe that I let Henry eat a marshmellow :) }

2009-05-24T20:59:00.000-04:00

Tent Building

2009-05-24T20:52:00.001-04:00

Hone Quarry

2009-05-24T20:49:00.000-04:00

We went camping on Wednesday at one of our favorite spots. I think Henry would be totally ecstatic if we took up permanent residence here. He had so much fun being outside and running around with us. We enjoyed ourselves too! Henry loved going on walks to find firewood with Daddy. He did his fair share of dragging big sticks back to our site.

This creek runs right behind our camp site.

My Eagle Scout can build quite the fire :)

Day Trip to the Temple

2009-05-24T20:41:00.000-04:00

Mike took off from work this past week. We were able to spend a lot of time together as a family. Monday, we went to IKEA and the temple. The temple is closed on Mondays, but the visitors center was open. We were the only ones there. It was so nice and peaceful and such a beautiful day!

Henry was so excited to see Jesus. He kept talking to him and when we left he blew him kisses :)

Henry was drawn to the fountain. This boy is crazy about water!

Happy Mother's Day, Mom and Geneva!

2009-05-09T09:56:00.001-04:00

Here we go again!!!

2009-05-08T12:17:00.002-04:00

8 months pregnant with Henry.

Park with Friends

2009-04-24T13:40:00.000-04:00

Playing at the Park with Daddy

2009-04-24T13:37:00.000-04:00

Anniversary Getaway

2009-04-13T14:36:00.002-04:00

Mike and I will be celebrating our 5 year wedding anniversary next month. Craziness! Things really start to move in double time once a child is in the picture. Mike took vacation during our anniversary, so we decided to plan a short getaway. Thanks to an old friend of mine, I found Fort Lewis Lodge. I can't tell you how excited I am...this place looks amazing. It's 3200 acres of mountains, rivers, bike trails AND of course cozy rooms and yummy food. My family owned a bed and breakfast while I was growing up, so I know how special these places can be :)

So back to the short part of our getaway. The longest I have been away from Henry EVER has been 5 hours. I have always been there when he wakes up in the morning (and the middle of the night...every night). I'm having some anxiety as I think about leaving him for 2 nights. I hope I can really enjoy myself with Mike and not be totally distracted with worry. I know he will be fine and I know this is much more a mom issue than a Henry issue. He will also be staying with my sister, which means he might not realize I'm gone...until he wants to nurse :) Henry has been around my sister ALOT lately and has actually started crying for her at times when we are home. Hmm...maybe things will be just fine.

Visit to Grandma and Grandpa's

2009-03-08T21:29:00.000-04:00

We went to the Swinson's for dinner last night. Henry's Grandma just got a tiny Terrier puppy last week. Henry thought the 2 pound creature was pretty cool.

Mike and Annie went to explore the property for awhile. Nixsa and I stayed behind to make sure Henry didn't squish her dog :)

Just outside the picture is a 900 pound bull that had Annie's attention. {We really don't know how much it weighs, but it seemed big when it was swinging its head at Mike!}

Backyard Time!

2009-03-08T21:16:00.000-04:00

What a beautiful weekend in Virginia! We were able to spend a lot of time outside. It was nice to be able to open up the house and get some fresh air inside. Hopefully the winter coughs and colds will leave soon too! We spent some time in the backyard this afternoon. I vegged in a chair while Mike played with Henry and Annie. I couldn't tell who was loving it the most :)

We never stood a chance after we met her!

Henry and Annie both have to have their own ball.

Getting ready for bed

2009-03-08T21:09:00.000-04:00

Henry got a haircut today. Looking at these pictures, I can't believe how old he is looking. He really is the sweetest little guy. He is saying a lot of words these days. He started saying "I love water" and "I love pizza" a couple weeks ago. It's very cute. The other day he started saying "I love Mommy". It was the best!

Silly Henry being silly :)

I love this picture. Henry is so sweet to his Mommy. I'm not sure what is on my shirt, but I'll edited it out once we get Photoshop :)

Getting to know Annie...

2009-02-24T20:06:00.000-05:00

It took only a few days of Annie checking out Henry before she realized...

...that she could love this little guy. She has gotten quite attached. She is always checking up on him. If we are out in the back yard, Annie won't come inside until Henry is inside. It's pretty cute.

This was so darn pitiful. Mike came home from work late and tried to get Annie to go outside and go potty. She wouldn't move a muscle and begged him with her eyes to leave her be.

Such a pretty girl.

HIL-A-RIOUS!!!!

2009-02-24T19:55:00.001-05:00

This little man cracks me up. If the nap head wasn't enough...look at that face! He definitely has his mother's gift for facial expressions {and not being able to hide what she is thinking} :)

Snowy Day

2009-02-24T19:51:00.000-05:00

This is the view from the deck off of the kitchen/dining area. We like the convenience of living down town and in a neighborhood {someone else mows the lawn}, but are glad that we have this tree line and some privacy behind us. The area between the trees and the fences to the left is a common area.

Our little tree from our bay window in the front of the house.

Our New Home :)

2009-02-24T19:47:00.000-05:00

5 weeks later and I think we are close to settling in. We love our new home. I took these pictures this morning. I have been sick for 3 days, so not all the rooms were picture worthy today :) This is our dining area. The doors lead out to a deck overlooking our backyard. The counter you see to the right is part of the kitchen {not picture worthy}.

I am standing at the front door in this picture. We are still deciding what to put on the walls. I hope to get a matching frame {if Target ever restocks!} to put on the other side of the shelf with the Christus. Down the hall is a closet and the half bath. To the left of those are the stairs going down to the basement and up the second floor.

This is the other half of our front room. We are looking for a rug to go under the furniture. Mike wants shag and I want oriental...hmm.

Announcing...Annie {our Anna Banana}

2009-02-10T13:02:00.000-05:00

Our beautiful little girl. She's a very lanky one year old. She follows Henry everywhere! It's so cute. If they are in the backyard together, she won't come in until he does.

Almost back...

2009-02-10T12:34:00.003-05:00

What a crazy two months! I think some people thought there was something wrong. If I'm not blogging, I must be sick :) We have had a very busy couple months. As mentioned before, Mike finished school {for now at least} in December. A couple days before that we had an offer on a house accepted. Christmas was nice, especially with Henry at this age! We closed on the house on January 16th. We spent the next week painting, my brother-in-law and sister did most of the work...THANK YOU! We have been moving in and settling for the past couple weeks. We love our new home. Meanwhile, I really haven't had internet access to be able to post {or really the time either}. We got our new computer last night and we should have internet later in the week. I'll be posting lots of pictures soon. The most recent exciting event has been the edition of our new baby girl... a one year old female doberman! She has melted our hearts...wait until you see her!

Daddy's JMU Graduation

2009-01-03T14:16:00.000-05:00

YAY Mike! We are so excited and proud of Daddy. Mike graduated from James Madison University in December with a degree in accounting. We were sitting where the graduates would line up to walk across stage. When Henry saw Mike he got so excited and wanted to be with him. It was pretty cute!

This is Mike and the Dean of the College of Business. Mike served on the Student Advisory Counsel with 10 of his peers. He spent a lot of time with Dean Reid and enjoyed his experience with the group.

JMU vs. VillaNova

2009-01-03T14:04:00.000-05:00

Our beloved Duke Dog. Henry loves this guy. What's not to love. J-M-U wish you had a Duke Dog!

This crazy guy ran out after every JMU score. Covered in bright green spandex from head to toe. It's definitely a good thing that people couldn't tell who he was. Spandex is not very flattering, especially for a guy! Yuck!

These boots are made for walkin'

2009-01-03T13:51:00.000-05:00

I saw these rainboots before Henry was born and I loved them! My Dad bought them for Henry when he was born. I was very excited for the day to come that he could wear them. He still has lots of growing room, but I can't believe my little baby is big enough to wear what seemed like huge boots when we got them.

JMU vs. Wofford

2009-01-03T13:33:00.000-05:00

JMU was in the national playoffs again this year. It was extra exciting for us because they were ranked #1 and had home field advantage! Every touchdown was accompanied by purple and gold steamers everywhere.

The JMU quarterback is pretty fun to watch. #7, Rodney Landers, can do it all.

The JMU Marching Royal Dukes are a prestigious program. They were in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade 2 days before this game. They are pretty impressive.

Anyone home?

2008-12-30T14:52:00.003-05:00

Yes, we are still here! I can't believe it's been a month since my last post. Please forgive me. :) What a month! I will catch on posting in the next few nights, but a quick outline... Mike graduated {Yipee!!}, JMU football was in the playoffs {Gooooo Dukes}, there were many Christmas celebrations, AND WE ARE BUYING A HOUSE!!!! more details to follow.

The Arboretum

2008-11-30T20:36:00.000-05:00

2008-11-30T20:33:00.001-05:00

Early Christmas at the Swinson's

2008-11-30T19:36:00.002-05:00

Due to some awesome Thanksgiving weekend sales, we got our Christmas present early this year. Since we have been married, Mike and I buy a family gift together...something we "need". We buy one present for each other {something small}. We bought our first digital camera, a computer, a matress and now this camera upgrade. I know that it may be stretching the need category, but our eyes have been on this prize for a couple of years now. We were excited when a great D60 package was on sale at Costco last week. We've been playing around with the camera all weekend...hopefully you see an improvement in our photograhs soon :)

My beautiful TEETHING boy

2008-11-30T17:51:00.001-05:00

Henry is usually a happy little guy. He's being a cheeseball here. Recently, he's been going through another round of teething though. We've actually had a pretty rough 24 hours. I think Henry woke every 20 minuted last night. He was not very happy at church today and would have nursed all day if I had let him {it makes his gums feel better}. Then tonight it took a lot longer than usual to get him to sleep. Poor little guy. For all our sake, I hope this molar comes in quickly! In this picture, you can see his rosey cheeks and the drip of drool on the end of his chin :)

Henry has had his fingers and hands in his mouth all weekend. Anything for a little relief!

Look at those eyes! How could I ever be frustrated with him :)

A shiner and some crazy bedhead

2008-11-30T17:48:00.001-05:00

Henry got his first black eye on Thanksgiving morning. The night before, he leaned on a box and it popped up and hit him in the face. He got a tiny little cut and a small bruise. He liked to show it off, it made him feel tough :)

Colors and Forts

2008-11-30T17:43:00.002-05:00

I have loved the fall colors this year. Through most of the month of October, it looked like the colors weren't going to be anything special. Then all the sudden around the beginning of November we got the show. There have been some very brilliant reds and yellows. I love it! This bradford pear tree is outside of our front door. No matter the season, it's always so pretty.

Henry has been enjoying playing with all the fallen leaves and sticks. He is such a boy! Whenever we are outside, he always has to be carrying a stick.

Mike and Henry enjoy their play time together. Lately, they have been building forts together. Henry gets so excited. As soon as the blankets are placed, Henry shreeks and starts to crawl through.

Silly Morning

2008-11-14T09:42:00.002-05:00

Henry was being particularly cute and silly yesterday morning. He was excited about his new water bottle that we got over the weekend.

Henry, the Green...Lizard?

2008-11-08T22:49:00.000-05:00

I've never seen a 1 year old so excited about a Halloween costume! From the day Emily tried this on him at her house {it was Caleb's costume}, he's been crazy about wearing this around the house. Henry was a very cute...dinosaur? We never really knew what to call him. I referred to him as an aggressive green reptile.

He had a lot of fun with his friends at the ward Halloween party. He was especially intrigued by this adorable little witch,

Henry's getting ready to go to the OCP fall fest. He had a good time dancing and hanging out with friends.

It was very dark out and I didn't do a very good job aiming for this picture. I thought it was still blog-worthy :)

Pumpkin Carving '08

2008-11-08T22:38:00.000-05:00

Ashley Anderson Photography

2008-11-08T21:57:00.003-05:00

Ashley has created a beautiful photography blog. She came down this week for a quick visit and some pictures. Check out the great photos of my sister's family. I'm excited to see what she got of Henry. I'll post some as soon as I have them.

Building a Tower

2008-11-08T10:45:00.000-05:00

Henry has started to stack everything. He really likes to stack cups. Here he is helping Daddy build a tower. Make sure you turn your volume up for this video, Henry has the greatest chipmunk chuckle :)

Never in a million years...

2008-11-07T12:21:00.000-05:00

...would I have thought this would ever happen! Henry was eating his lunch today and I was sitting beside him at the table working on the laptop. All the sudden I heard some strange breathing and I look over and Henry was OUT! He had probably been asleep for a minute or so. I was able to transfer him to his bed without him even waking up. It was too cute :)

Pox Party

2008-10-28T13:04:00.004-04:00

Everyone keep your fingers crossed for us. We invited a little girl with chicken pox to come over and play tomorrow morning :) This little cutie is my sister. I had some complaints about my previous picture and was forced to change it.

Henry's First Birthday Party...three months later!

2008-10-28T11:05:00.016-04:00

I finally remembered to get pictures of Henry's party from my sister...so here they are.

We had a picnic at a local park with family and a few friends. The weather was great and the park is really nice.

We hid some small toys for a small hunt for the kids.

Here we are singing Happy Birthday to him. Henry thought all the attention was pretty cool. He also really liked the turtle that he found during the hunt...he said it tastes like chicken.

Henry had just really eating solid foods a few week before. I wasn't sure what he was going to do with this cupcake.

He thought this seemed like a good idea :)

And maybe some of this...

Look at these tummy rolls. I guess 11 months of breastmilk did a body good!

At no point did Henry eat any of the cupcake. He still prefers the turtle.

Some of the dads were working on their putt.

Henry was mostly a spectator during the opening of the presents. Caleb was very eager to help!

Grace was a little frustrated that she wasn't getting in on the action.

I'm sporting Henry's cute towel that his Abuelita Swinson made for him.

This was Henry's favorite toy. He had seen it at Pufferbellies and wouldn't put it down. It is made of wood and actually makes a pleasant sound!

Mike gave Caleb this safari hat. He took Rody {another present for Henry that he loves} on a hunt looking for animals. Too cute.

Reading time with Daddy and Friend

2008-10-28T10:43:00.000-04:00

Halloween costume???

2008-10-28T10:39:00.001-04:00

Ok, not actually a costume. This is our attempt at a homemade eye patch! After we went to the pumpkin patch, Henry and Mike were wrestling around on the floor. Henry accidentally poked Mike is the eye. It took Mike awhile to open his eye and when he did, we realized that he had a good sized scratch on his cornea. We called our family doctor on call. He said that it should be ok. He said that it would heal faster if his eye was closed and if he was at the office with Mike, he would put a patch on it. We figured we could come up with something on our own...TA DA :) It lasted about 20 minutes before I drove down the Riteaid to buy a real eye patch.

Pumpkin Patch Fun

2008-10-21T20:41:00.000-04:00

We went to a local pumpkin patch this weekend with Daddy. It was a beautiful day. We were glad to get to spend some time with Mike. We spent awhile finding the perfect pumpkin {not pictured in this post}. The farm also has a lot of activities for children. Henry thought it was all pretty cool.

Henry's favorite part was riding in Daddy's wheelbarrow.

Henry is such a good helper.

They also have a lot of games and animals for the children. These noisy piglets were Henry's favorite!

Matilda the Rock Star and her back up dancer...

2008-10-16T12:22:00.002-04:00

Visiting the Greens

2008-10-16T12:21:00.000-04:00

British Car Show '08

2008-10-16T12:19:00.000-04:00

Title Hopes

2008-10-03T22:15:00.001-04:00

The Swinson Family believes this will be the year, and for the next few years. These are the Big 3 for the Lakers, Pau, Kobe, and Bynum.

Little Asher

2008-10-02T10:47:00.002-04:00

My friend Crystal had a sweet little baby boy almost 2 weeks ago. He was a little early and need a little jump start from his friends in the NICU, but he is strong and healthy now. I can't get over how cute he is, especially for being a bit of a premie. He looks like a perfect little baby doll. He's going to be easy to fall in love with...I can't wait :)

A stroll down memory lane..

2008-10-02T10:32:00.002-04:00

I got this list in a forward from a friend of mine today. Whoever came up with this has quite the memory! I love it! I wish I had time to post all the pictures that came with it...hilarious!

You Know You Grew Up In The 80's if:
1. You used to buy cassette singles… and still have some stashed somewhere…
2. You can sing the rap to the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and can do the Carlton heck yeah!
3. Girls wore biker shorts under their skirts and felt stylishly sexy.
4. You yearned to be a member of the Baby-sitters club and tried to start a club of your own.
5. You owned those lil' Strawberry Shortcake pals scented dolls (or your sister did). I still love that smell.
6. You know that "WOAH" comes from Joey on Blossom loved that show!
7. Two words: Hammer Pants
8. You watched "Fraggle Rock". I think our family still has a fraggle rock beach towel.
9. You had plastic streamers on your handle bars... and spokey-dokies or playing cards on your spokes for that incredible sound effect
10. You watched "Duck Tales" (Woo ooh!) every afternoon
11. It was actually worth getting up early on a Saturday to watch cartoons.
12. You (your sister, cousins) wore a ponytail on the side of your head.
13. You saw the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on the big screen..and still know the turtles names. I had a pet turtle named Donitello.
14. You made your mom buy one of those clips that would hold your shirt in a knot on the side. I think I just tied a knot.
16. You wore stonewashed Jordache jean jackets and were proud of it.
17. L.A. Gear....need I say more?
18. You remember reading Tales of a fourth grade nothing and all the other Judy Blume books.
19. You know the profound meaning of "WAX ON, WAX OFF"
20. You wanted to be a Goonie. I was a goonie :)
21. You ever wore fluorescent clothing. (some of us...head-to-toe) What was my mom thinking.
22. You can remember what Michael Jackson looked like before his nose fell off and his cheeks shifted. poor guy.
23. You have ever pondered why Smurfette was the only female smurf.
24. You remember the CRAZE, then the BANNING of slap bracelets. I think I was one of the injured statistics.
25. You still get the urge to say "NOT" after every sentence.
26. You remember Hypercolor t-shirts.
27. Barbie and the Rockers was your favourite band.
28. You thought She-ra (Princess of Power!) and He-Man should hook up.
29. You thought your childhood friends would never leave because you exchanged handmade friendship bracelets.
30. After you saw Pee-Wee's Big Adventure you kept saying "I know you are, but what am I?"
31. You remember "I've fallen and I can't get up"
32. You remember going to the skating rink before there were inline skates.
33. You ever got seriously injured on a Slip and Slide. I knocked my breath out every time.
34. You have ever played with a Skip-It or Elastix
35. You had or attended a birthday party at McDonalds.
36. You've gone through this nodding your head in agreement.
37. Don't worry, be happy
38. You wore like, EIGHT pairs of socks over tights with high top Reeboks.
39. You wore socks scrunched down oh yeah
40. You remember boom boxes and walking around with one on your shoulder like you were all that.
41. You remember watching both Gremlins movies.
42. You know what it meant to say "Care Bear Stare!!"
43. You remember watching Rainbow Bright and & My Little Pony Tales
44. You thought Doogie Howser/Samantha Micelli was hot.
45. You remember Alf, the lil furry brown alien from Melmac.
46. You remember New Kids on the Block when they were cool...and don't even flinch when people refer to them as "NKOTB"
47. You knew all the characters names and their life stories on "Saved By The Bell," The ORIGINAL class.
48. You know all the words to Bon Jovi - SHOT THROUGH THE HEART.
49. You just sang those words to yourself.
50. You remember watching Magic vs. Bird.
51. Homemade Levi shorts.. (the shorter the better)
52. You remember when mullets were cool!
53. You had a mullet!
54. You still sing "We are the World"
55. You tight rolled your jeans. I think I did it longer than it was cool!
56. You owned a bannana clip.
57. You used to (and probably still do)
say "What you talkin' 'bout Willis?"
58. You had big hair and you knew how to use it.
59. You're still singing shot through the heart in your head, aren't you!

Happy Birthday to Me!

2008-09-23T21:42:00.002-04:00

It's been a big day for me and I'm ready for bed. I'm really excited about being 28! It's going to be a good year :) Hopefully I won't feel as old this year as I did last year {no jumping off hayrides this year!}. Thanks to all those that have made my birthday week {yes, I get a birthday week...you should too} so great.

Holy Moly

2008-09-23T12:36:00.001-04:00

Some may notice that I've become a bit more Earth friendly recently. My son has turned my heart to mush :) Please put me out of my misery is I ever act like this!!!

Grocery List

2008-09-19T19:56:00.003-04:00

It's been 4 years and counting of performing my wifely duties and I still have not figured out how to manage my grocery shopping. Ideally, I would put a list on the refrigerator and add items as I realized they were needed. When I have attempted this in the past, I do great for the first 6 hours or so! I get so anxious when I realize that it's time to go shopping. I have no idea what we need and I don't know where to start. I know it would help if I was a better meal planner, but that's another post. In my desperation the other day, I found a great resource. GroceryLists is a website with a free downloadable grocery checklist. I spent some time looking at different lists on the web and this was the best one I found. It helped me organize my thoughts and figure out what we needed. I hope to wean off of it when I get into a better routine. I hope this helps someone. And if you have any ideas of how to help me...send the tips my way.

Autumn {almost} Sunset

2008-09-16T15:37:00.000-04:00

I don't know what it is about the Fall, but we have the most amazing sunsets this time of year. This was the view from our front door last night. This picture doesn't really give it credit. The pinks were much more vibrant.

Free Cookie!!!

2008-09-16T15:23:00.003-04:00

The only thing better than Kashi is FREE Kashi. And what's best is that it's a cookie! Check it out here.

The Little Reader

2008-09-14T21:32:00.000-04:00

Henry has become very interested in books lately. I moved his books to a bottom shelf that he can reach. He will pull some of the books off and start to read them. It's amazing how he can read books upside down :)

General Happenings

2008-09-14T21:26:00.000-04:00

I couldn't get over how cute Henry was in this outfit last Sunday. The rolled up sleeves definitely pulled it all together. So GQ! He is such a little boy now.

I thought Henry was looking particularly old the other day when he wore jeans and a hoodie for the first time.

Henry is starting to act like a little boy too. He wanted to wear his Daddy's shoes after playing outside.

I went to a friend's house the other night and came home to this :) I hadn't seen him in a onesie in a long time. He's still my little baby!

Swinson Ladies Week '08

2008-09-10T22:40:00.011-04:00

We had such a great time in Hilton Head with Mike's family. Henry loves the beach, and boy was the beach beautiful! The waves were small and the water was shallow for a long way out...perfect for a little man like Henry. It would have been nice to turn big waves on for a bit though. I love playing in the waves. We went on this vacation with one of Mike's grandmothers, Mike's aunt, Mike's mom, and three of his cousins.

This picture turned out blurry, but it's still nice. It's me, Grandma Swinson, Aunt Kathy, and Nixsa.

I thought this was a cute picture of Kathy and the boys {her nephews}.

I thought the beach grass on the sand dunes was so beautiful.

The Motley Crew!

Grandma Swinson working on her sand kingdom. They built some neat castles, but the tides didn't let them stand too long.

Henry liked playing in the standing water from the rain. It was warmer than his bath water. I think this sun cover will fit him next year! :)

This is Henry's buddy, Westley {Mike's cousin}. They loved playing together all week. We can't wait to have Westley come stay with us so they can play some more.

Henry and his great Grandma.

The BOB stroller worked great for hauling all of the beach gear back and forth all week. The big inflatable wheels were great on the sand.

Henry loves his mommy!

My Family

2008-09-10T22:26:00.000-04:00

I love my family! I am so grateful for them. We have so much fun playing together. Henry loves his Daddy!

Smarty Dish

2008-09-04T09:05:00.003-04:00

I just got an email announcing a new Method product. I am very excited about this one. For over a year now, we have been hand washing our dishes and using the dishwasher as our drying rack. Two reasons...the dishwasher is old and doesn't do a great job and I didn't like using soap with chemical warning labels all over it to clean our dishes {and release the stuff on our air when it steams}. Some companies make phosphate free detergents, but I couldn't find them in local stores. Leave it to Method to make my day! I really like their products. I've found that most of them work better than the harsh cleaners I was using previously. I guess this means a trip to Target and trying to see if we can get our dishwasher to work better {I hear there is a filter in there somewhere}.

Back from HHI

2008-09-04T08:58:00.002-04:00

We returned from Hilton Head Island this week. We had a great time with the Swinson family ladies and cousins. Those are some of the best family beaches I've seen. The water is shallow for a long way out, the water is warm, and the sand is beautiful. Most of the pictures are on Aunt Kathy's camera, so I'll be posting more when I get the cd. Which reminds me....I still haven't posted Henry's birthday party.