Swannsnest

An update

2012-02-13T10:16:00.002-07:00

Between work and trying to be a good mom, I have had little time to even think about blogging, but here is a quick update.

JD is massive and happy. He is a master at rolling and is trying desperately to crawl. Right now he is laughing and jumping in his play center. His smiles are AMAZING.

Jolee is so smart and is always getting into trouble as she is trying to figure out EVERYTHING. She is fascinated with Strawberry Shortcake, especially the show about a dance. She has to wear a dress or fluffy skirt if she is watching it. Yesterday, I found some of my hidden energy and made her a princess dress out of some material I had (I was going to make a scrub top out of it). The pictures don't do it justice, it is actually pretty cute (well, at least Jolee and I think so).

Randy and I are both super busy teaching and being parents, while trying to continually show our love for each other. Randy is doing well in his masters program and is looking forward to the end of this class (just one more week).

in her homemade princess dress

eating a sock during a diaper change

learning to steal the remotes

sharing a bath

learning to ride a bike (she is now really good at it)

feeing a lorikeet

a happy little guy

juggling the babes

snow in utah

Lady Moon

2011-11-18T20:06:00.001-07:00

My favorite lullaby that I remember my mother singing to me is called "Lady Moon." Her mother sang it to her and I just learned that my great grandmother sang it to my grandmother. I sing this song to my children and it is the song that Jolee requests the most, especially when she is tired or sad. It always calms her down. I have always wondered what the original words to the song were as my mother told me that she didn't really remember all of the words, so she made words to fit the song. Her mother passed away when my mother was 13 years old, so it is understandable that she had forgotten some of the words over the years (my mother first sang the song to me 15 years after her mother's death). I had done so searching to try to find this song, but without much luck. Today, I again attempted to find it. And after some digging, I found this site http://kol-safran.blogspot.com/2009/10/song-my-grandmother-sang.html. From this I went to http://books.google.com/books?id=Lxiqj0-a6X0C&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false. If you scroll down to page 218. The original song is found with sheet music. The song was published even earlier in the book Songs for Little Children for the kindergarten and primary schools by Eleanor Smith in 1887. The words have significantly changed from the original, but seeing as how it has been 124 years from the date this book was published and that the song existed before the book was published, it is to be expected that things have changed.

The lyrics for the song I sing are as follows:

Lady Moon, Lady Moon shining so bright
Come down to (name of child) from out in the night
Little (name of child), Little (name of child) way down below
Moon hears you calling, but Moon cannot go
In my house full of darkness alone I must stay
Moon loves little (name of child), the bright Moon says

One day I will get around to having my husband video tape me sing this song and I will post it.

Happy Halloween

2011-11-03T09:18:00.002-07:00

This year, Jolee was a pink ninja turtle and JD was a jack-o-lantern. We went to a costume contest during the day. Nope, they didn't win, but they should have!

Later we went to trunk or treating at church. I was part of the group in charge of getting set up. We had a great turn out and the kids had a blast.

I drove up to Tucson in the wee hours of the morning and kidnapped Aunt Sandy so that she could come trunk or treating with us (Randy was out of town at a temple trip with the youth).

I had so much fun watching Jolee trunk or treat. JD wasn't as excited by the whole idea, but he enjoyed his cozy costume.

Jolee with two of her bestest friends.

Focused on candy acquisition.

Getting candy from her babysitter (I think she snuck extra candy into Jolee's bag. Jolee is definitely loved and adored!)

JD crashed with Aunt Sandy will Jolee enjoyed some treats.

Yum! (Look at JD's sleeping face on the side, so cute!)

When we got home, everybody crashed. Jolee wanted to sleep in her costume. At least I got her out of the shell.

Painting pumpkin on Halloween morning.

The artist concentrating on her masterpiece.

JD is such a happy Jack-o-lantern! I love his smiles and giggles.

My monsters!

The finished pumpkin. After painting she covered it with foam Halloween stickers.

Ok Ok here are some pictures

2011-10-19T15:57:00.000-07:00

Jolee loves being around JD, even if he is sleeping

snuggles in Jolee's bed while Mom cleans

Where is Jolee?

after football night

Success, both children sleeping

JD snoozing on Jolee's bean bag chair

Jolee had shared her elephant with JD

with stuffed animals from Sandy

"I want six bows" but we settled on two

sleeping in JD's swing, bath time was a little too tiring

Jolee got into the box and told me she was flying a helicopter, so I had her get out and I decorated the helicopter for her. She LOVES helicopters.

too much kicking and JD pulled down his jammies

looking sharp in his new suit (thanks Vanessa!)

playing dress up

naughty Jolee hiding behind the TV

close up of the arm rolls

and the leg rolls

una sonrisa (smile)

another smile

Jolee Painting

2011-10-19T15:23:00.004-07:00

still alive, just busy

2011-09-08T09:23:00.000-07:00

joint bath time

I made this outfit

Proud Grandpa

sleeping uncle Russell

Gramma breaking the ice

Loving uncle Tony

Auntie Em

Life is such game

Grandma is in love

My sleepy tired babies

Daddy Swann and his cygnets

The kids hanging out in Jolee's bed while Mommy cleans

Underwear hat

Camping in the front room for Labor Day

Mommy and JD

Random Ellsworths

Utah Idaho Trip

2011-08-07T17:35:00.002-07:00

Oh me, oh my, the time goes far to quickly. The last month of the pregnancy was a bit rough and I was continously exhausted. I actually felt great until halfway into our trip to Utah and Idaho, then I hit the tired point and became a slug. So lets see. The end of June, we started our trip to see our families before the baby was born. We stopped in Tempe so Randy could attend a conference for the new standards that are going to be implemented for special education. Randy is on a board that is working to make the implementation go smoothly. We made our way to Utah in short trips, Rio Rico to Tucson (stopped for work and doctor appointments), Tucson to Tempe (we stayed at a hotel and Randy had his conference the next morning, Tempe to Page (another hotel stay), then Page to Payson, UT. We got to spend a lot of time with the Ellsworths and Jolee had a blast jumping on the trampoline and enjoying fireworks for the Fourth of July and swimming with Grandma.

Uncle Max is SO MUCH FUN!

Awesome trampoline hair

Jolee, Mom, and Grandpa. Wow, fireworks are fun!

With flash

Without flash

Swimming lessons with Grandma

Jolee loves to swim

We then drove up to SLC and stopped by and saw Minna and the nephews, she is expecting twins anyday. We also saw some of our friends in SLC. Then we drove up to Ashton, ID for a Mortensen family reunion. Wow, talk about a beautiful green place. We went and saw a waterfall, Jolee collected tiny pine cones, played games with Mommy's Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins. For being massively pregnant, Mom did great in the family volleyball game (her team won the competition) wooo hooo. We played in the Warm River (which is actually close to freezing, brrr.) and feed the trout bread. Went on walks and just had a great time.

Hiking

Jumping off of a tree stump

Tiny pine cones

Feeding the trout

Next we headed to Preston and Dayton, ID and spent a week enjoying time with the Swann/Ryan family. Jolee got to go see Uncle Neal's foal which was a huge highlight for her. We went bowling, played on the trampoline, had BBQs, and just had a lot of fun!

With the foal

Being goofy with Aunt Tissy (aka Misty)

Bowling!

Using the ramp to bowl

Jolee bowled an 84, not bad for her first time ever.

Pretending to be puppies with cousins

Hiding in a locker at the bowling alley, yep, she is a silly girl

Putting flowers on Grandpa Lyle's grave

Kisses with Grandma

Fun with Aunt Melissa

Hugging cousin Ethan

On our way back, we stopped in SLC again to see the twins, Minna had them the night before we left. Jolee loves babies.

With the twins

We stopped at the store in Payson to get some groceries and met up with Grandma and Uncles.

Riding in a rocket ship with Grandma

Jolee adores Uncle Clint

We continued our drive and stopped in Kanab, swam at the hotel, enjoyed pizza and slept. The next morning we drove the rest of the long drive from Kanab to Rio Rico. We had such a great time with our family, but it is so good to be home.

2011-08-07T16:31:00.000-07:00

JD napping in his swing

While brother slept, Jolee and Daddy made cookies, Jolee had a bit too much fun with the flour.

Running and jumping flour covered princess

Getting cleaned off

Snuggling cygnets

I love brother!

Daddy and his babies

Sleepy Swanns

Family kisses

Father and son

JD pictures

2011-08-07T14:42:00.000-07:00

Last picture of Mommy before birth

Can you believe Mom is in active labor? (less than 2 hours before JD's birth) horray for hypno-birthing

JD Lyle Swann. Look at that pout.

Mommy and JD

JD's first night at home

First morning at home

In the hospital under phototherapy with an IV in his foot. Jaundice is awful!

Jolee visiting baby brother JD during his phototherapy

Finally his bilirubin levels were low enough and JD is back home, sleepinging comfortably in his bed.

Jolee loves JD!

She is always wanting to help with JD, she calls him "baby brother JD"

Kisses

It's a boy

2011-08-04T23:46:00.000-07:00

Our little boy, JD Lyle, was born on Sunday night after a relatively easy labor (seriously every expectant mother should looking into hypno-birthing). 9lbs, 20 inches. Everything went very well, except that his face got pretty bruised. The bruising lead to jaundice and he is now back in the hospital under phototherapy. His bilirubin levels (lab to determine how bad the jaundice is) are decreasing and hopefully we will have him home soon. We haven't had much rest as either Mom or Dad is always with JD with him in the hospital and the other is watching Jolee (who by the way, absolutely loves her baby brother and talks about him constantly and always wants to be around him). When life calms down a little, we will post some pictures of our little guy.

Making Sugar Cookies

2011-06-12T20:14:00.000-07:00

Waiting to get started

cutting the cookies

Handing the cookie to Daddy

She didn't like one of them, so she squished it

Jolee cookies

Working hard

more cookie making

Getting the dough ready to roll out again

Rolling the dough with Daddy's help

More cookies. D for Daddy, M for Mommy, and J for Jolee

Onion and Garlic Festival

2011-06-12T20:07:00.000-07:00

This past Friday we went to the Onion and Garlic Festival in Amado. It was a relaxing and fun night for all of us. Instead of telling the story in paragraph form, I will just use pictures.

When we drive, Jolee has to put her hands in the air and yell "weeeeee" whenever we go up or down hills. On the way to the festival, Jolee fell asleep with her hand still up.

Daddy and Jolee watching live music. A new experience for Jolee.

Mommy and Jolee. Yep, Mommy's belly is getting big! 2 more months til baby.

There were a few dogs running around the farm. Here is Jolee saying "come here dog."

Basking in the sunlight. Since Jolee is potty trained, we no longer bring the big diaper bag with us, instead we just have a change of clothes and new panties in her backpack and generally she insists on carrying it.

Absorbed in the music

The Swanns going for a hay ride.

Daddy and Jolee

Mommy

Clinging to Daddy

Daddy trying to hide from the sun in Jolee's little shadow

Looking at chickens at the Chick Inn

Of course Jolee wanted something sweet.

Jolee giving advice on what to eat. We actually didn't get anything too sweet. Mommy had a garlic burger and Daddy had a carmalized onion burger and we shared garlic chips. Jolee nibbled off of both of our meals. We splurged and shared a prickle pear lemonade (yummy!).

Playing ring around the rosies

We all fall down

Around she goes

Gotta love her expresion as she runs

"Let me see."

It was a great night for us and we definately plan on going again next year.

Fire

2011-06-10T07:57:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from our front porch of the sun shining through the smoke on Monday. The Murphy fire got within 2 miles of our house, but between Heavenly intervention, lots of prayers, and hard working fire fighters, we were able to avoid any lost homes in the area. One of the members of our ward was within a mile of the fire and she watched as it got closer and closer. Not much sleep for anyone on Monday, but now the fire is almost contained and burning away from homes.

Two Big Events

2011-06-03T07:27:00.000-07:00

First, Jolee has still been using a pacifier. We wanted to get rid of it months ago, but with the move, the pacifier remained. At her Dr's appointment, the dr said it is time for the pacifier to go. So the next morning, we cut her pacifiers up with her. She is beginning to be okay without them, except at nap time and bed time. Lots of crying, but it is getting a little better. We are now on day three without the "paci."

Second, I finally finished her quilt that Randy and I had been working on for months. She likes it a lot and she insisted on sleeping with it last night.

Birdie side of quilt

Denim side of quilt

Driving the completed car

2011-05-31T19:40:00.001-07:00

Getting Ready to Build a Car

2011-05-31T19:14:00.000-07:00

Drawing

2011-05-31T15:01:00.000-07:00

Jolee loves to color and frequently requests that I draw a picture for her. She firsts requests a hippo, so I draw a hippo. She had to give the hippo a kiss, then she wants me to draw a doggy. I draw the doggy and she says "doggy poo poo." I have her repeat, just in case I didn't hear right. Yep, she repeats "doggy poo poo." I ask her where she wants me to draw the poo poo and she points behind the dog. I drew it and she yelled "yea, doggy poo poo." Then she decided to try to draw some poo poo too.

Swimming!

2011-05-31T14:07:00.002-07:00

Birthday Cake

2011-05-31T11:40:00.000-07:00

Waiting to open presents

2011-05-30T19:48:00.001-07:00

Jolee Opening Presents

2011-05-30T19:32:00.000-07:00

Jolee's Birthday Party

2011-05-28T19:11:00.000-07:00

Jolee had a little birthday party today and she had a blast! We had a few kids over and they played with bubbles, balloons, jumped in a jumping castle, colored and played with stickers, ate cupcakes, and toys. We took videos that we will try to get posted soon.

A jungle birthday

Helping get ready for the party

Playing in the balloons

Cupcakes: monkeys, tigers, zebras, and lions

"Happy 2nd Birthday"

Giant monkey cupcake

Cupcakes, yum!

In Jolee's room

Working on pictures

Rolling in the jumper

Streamers on the fan (very mesmerizing)

Jolee's picture (she actually matched the animals to their pictures by herself)

Another Park Day

2011-05-28T18:56:00.000-07:00

Jolee and I went to the park a week ago with Randy and his class. Jolee is very loved by his students and they always are excited to see us. It was an end of year party for his class. They had a barbeque and pinata and a soccer game and park time. It was tons of fun.

I can kinda play soccer still

Jolee with the big kids

Randy at the grill

Jolee's Day at the Park

2011-05-27T18:08:00.000-07:00

Getting ready

Jolee with her friends

After an hour

Discovering a new "slide"

Sliding

Look dirt!

Messy messy

Rehydrate

Boogers and Dirt after 3 hours

Fell asleep shopping after the park

Potty Trained

2011-05-22T17:40:00.000-07:00

Last week Jolee decided that underwear were cool and diapers were awful. She has been successfully using the toilet for 8 days now and it is wonderful! She loves her panties and wants to put them on herself (inside out, backwards, oh well at least they are on). She talks constantly about the potty and is very proud to tell everyone she meets that she uses the "poo poo potty." I rarely have to remind her to go now, she is pretty good about telling us when she needs to go. I just make her go before we get in the car. I can't even explain how excited I am that she is potty trained. It is so wonderful!!! She even can take naps and stay dry as long as she goes right before she naps. The only time she wears a diaper is overnight. I am not even going to try to get her overnight trained for a while. Hip hip horray for Jolee!

Doing Swell

2011-05-15T21:28:00.000-07:00

We are all doing great. Randy went on the father and sons campout trip this past weekend and had a great time, he said the only thing that would make it better would be if he had his own son to take with him. Maybe this baby will be a boy and they will be able to go together in a few years. Boy or girl, I just want a healthy baby. Only 3 more months to go and I my belly is swelling up already. I tried to give a sister at church a hug today and it was pretty funny to see, everyone around us got a good giggle because we were unable to reach each other around our pregnant bellies. Jolee now thinks that there are babies inside of every stomach and will say "hi baby" and pat just about any belly, including her own belly. We have a bunch of books on a new sibling that we have been reading to her. I doubt she really understands, but I am hoping it will help to prep her for her new sibling in August. I only have 3 more night shifts, then I will be switching over to day shift for a while (not sure how long). I am excited to sleep on a normal schedule soon. This switching back and forth while pregnant and being a mommy to a toddler is a bit taxing. Somedays I just sit around and read books with Jolee and do about nothing around the house. Which means that other days I get to clean clean clean. Oh, I hated having Randy gone overnight while he was camping. Now I know how he feels, with every creak of the house sounding threatening. I woke up in the middle of the night and had the hardest time falling asleep. I am so glad that he is home, although neither of us slept much last night as Jolee's molars are getting closer and closer to breaking through meaning no sleep. Still going crazy without having a fence. Most of our projects are on hold until we can get a fence up, so our spare room is still a bit packed with random boxes. I still haven't found everything we need, so I end up just doing without so random things, like the web cam. (sorry Mom I still haven't found it, but I know it is somewhere.) Jolee's potty training is starting to go a bit better. She has fallen in love with panties and hates having to put a diaper or pull ups on. I also started to reward dryness more than using the potty, so she is a bit quicker to get to the bathroom. One jelly bean if she uses the toilet and had a little accident in the panties and three jelly beans if she uses the toilet and is dry. She really doesn't like getting just one jelly bean, so we went almost the entire day without any accidents. She actually went to church in panties and was accident free (horray!). She didn't have any accidents until she got home and she only had one because she was playing a little too much and put it off too long. I make her clean up her messes ("no, mommy do it" is her usual comment) so I think that is helping to encourage her to be accident free. I feel like I think about potty time all the time. I would love her to be completely potty trained soon so that we can be diaper free for a least a few months before baby is born. I am so excited to meet our little cygnet and have just a little bit bigger of a family.

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-08T20:49:00.000-07:00

I am so grateful for my mother and my mother-in-law. They are both such wonderful women and I am grateful to have them in my life. I love you both! I got to enjoy my second Mother's Day today and it was great. I got to speak in church. I was a little nervous as always, but I spoke directly after the primary children sang songs for the mothers and it really calmed me down. I am so thankful for the sweet spirit that comes when children sing. I am so glad that I am a mother. It has blessed my life more than words can describe. I can't even describe how much Jolee has changed me for the better. I will always be amazed at how wonderful motherhood is.

Photo Update

2011-04-25T13:32:00.000-07:00

Jolee and Daddy plumbing

Monsters in a crate

Milkshake heaven

Future dishwasher in training

Grandma, Jolee and Max reading Jolee's new princess book

Uncle Russell and Uncle Max cuddling with Jolee

Bedtime stories with GrammE

Randy, Russell, and Max building the new dog run

Sliding with Max

Balancing with Russell

Climbing with GrammE

First french braid (partial), getting ready for church

Babysitter's new baby goat

Teacup ride at the fair with Mommy

Giant slide with Daddy at the fair

Family time at the fair

Petting baby pot belly pig

Petting a wallaby

The past couple of weeks since we have moved have been busy, but fun. We enjoyed a visit from GrammE, Unlcle Russell, and Uncle Max. We went to the Pima County Fair. We hiked Pena Blanca Lake. We played, worked on potty training, and lots more unpacking.

Unpacking and unpacking

2011-04-10T21:24:00.000-07:00

I forgot how long it takes to get settled after a move. Unpacking while pregnant with a very active and "helpful" toddler is quite a bit more work than I thought it would be. Up at 5:30am, Randy is off to work at 6am, Jolee and I take Chonkiri for a walk, then starts the unpacking, toddler entertaining, dog scolding, toddler chasing the dog with the broom scolding, learning time, color time, snack time, unpacking, hide and seek time, nap time, unpacking, dog walk again, lunch, unpacking, cleaning, reading time, toy time, unpacking, scream and then spider killing, color time, ABCs, Daddy home (hooray!), unpack, reorganize, cook, clean, baths, clean, toddler bed time, unpacking, cleaning, bed. Then start all over again. We did have a couple of interesting things happen in the last few days. I went to a baby shower, lots of fun :) Caught a baby praying mantis (so tiny and cute), caught a baby tarantula (Randy suggested that I keep it, I almost passed out in shock, and no, I didn't keep it), Randy got recommended by the special ed director to be the representative for the entire school district in a statewide community based group (WOW my hubby rocks!). Well that is as much as I can write tonight, sorry for rambling, but I am exhausted!

Loss and Gain

2011-03-30T12:16:00.000-07:00

Trying to decide how to word this has been a bit difficult. We had another miscarriage last October. It was a devastating time for us and too difficult to fully express. We had thought that we were past all of the misery of miscarriages and I was extremely hopeful and not worrying at all. A few weeks after we found out that we were expecting (the baby would have been due a few weeks before Jolee's birthday) I started to feel that something wasn't right. I went in to the midwives a few times and had an ultrasound done. Everything looked fine and the ultrasound showed a very healthy baby with a great heart beat. Two weeks later, I was sure that something was drastically wrong, I went in and had another ultrasound only to find that the baby had died. No words express how many ways my heart broke. Writing about it now is still difficult. After the miscarriage, I was talking with my midwife and she stated that as soon as I was to get pregnant again, that they would test my progesterone levels to see if it is low which would cause miscarriage in otherwise healthy pregnancy. At first I was hopeful that this would solve our problem and stop me from miscarrying, with time though, I became angry and frustrated that they didn't check my progesterone levels when I had first said that I thought something was wrong. If it was just a low progesterone level that caused my unborn baby to die, why wouldn't they have checked it. Low progesterone is so easy to fix, you just take progesterone twice a day for the first 12 weeks. So there is the background to this story.

I went into to check a post miscarriage check up about 2 months later. I still hadn't had a period yet, but it wasn't thought much of because of my body still healing from the miscarriage. They did follow up blood work and such. The next day I get a phone call from the midwives saying that my HCG level is high. I was in shock. Talk about a surprise, hello you are pregnant. So I immediately went in a had lab work done. Low and behold my progesterone levels were less than half of low normal, meaning that without supplementation of progesterone I would again miscarry. After a bit of drama I was put on progesterone and I ending up changing my OB. I am now off of progesterone and 20 and a half weeks along. We are due the middle of August. The halfway ultrasound looked great. Once again we are not finding out the sex of the baby. The baby likes to do flips, at least that is what it did during the ultrasound. I am still having a little bit of a difficult time emotionally because of the last miscarriage and being scared to death of miscarrying again. I have actually been in a bit of denial. I have tried not to let the idea of pregnancy full register because I don't want to hurt as much as I did if something bad were to happen. I am finally starting to open up a little more and not be as scared. Fingers crossed everything stays going well.

MOVED! finally

2011-03-30T11:53:00.000-07:00

So we have finally moved. We are adjusting to life in a smaller town and thoroughly enjoying it. We have kept ourselves very busy over the last few days unpacking and doing some yard work. Going from a tiny yard to almost 1/2 acre is quite the change. We still need to get a fence put in so that Chonkiri can go outside without a leash and to keep other dogs out of the yard. The yard has a bunch of fruit trees, but because no one has lived here for the past 2 years, we don't know if they will produce this year or not. We have so many projects going that it is hard to find anytime to sit down.

Moved? Nope, not yet :(

2011-03-20T16:28:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago when all the drama of not closing on time started, Randy in a way of rebellion decided that he was not going to shave his face until we moved.

Okay, he is not actually as mad as he looks in the picture.

See, I got him to smile.

Here's to hopefully closing tomorrow and moving sometime this week (I really feel like a broken record due to the number of times I have said that).

Sprinklers

2011-03-19T19:10:00.000-07:00

After a morning of tearing down all of the vine that had died in this winter's freezes, Jolee got to enjoy some time in the sprinklers. It amazes me how quickly she has grown.

Here she is playing in the shower after her time in the sprinklers. She is definitely a water baby.

socks

2011-03-19T18:22:00.000-07:00

Jolee loves to be silly. Here she is first thing in the morning with socks as mittens. She had opened her sock drawer, found a pair, put them on, then she was so proud to show us what she had done.

Just Waiting on the Paperwork

2011-03-08T11:30:00.000-07:00

It is actually going to happen. We are really moving this time. If everything goes through quickly, we will be moved on Friday. If it takes a little longer, we should be moved no later than the middle of next week. I am going a little crazy with last minute packing. Jolee is still working on potty training. Randy is still working. I am still just happy as can be that I have the wonderful family that I have!

Still Waiting on the House

2011-03-04T08:29:00.000-07:00

We are a few steps closer to closing on our new house, but not quite close enough. I am ready to move tomorrow, but it doesn't look like we will close until next week at the soonest and the end of the following week at the latest. My goal is to move next Friday so that Randy will be able to help unpack during spring break. Oh I can't wait!!!

Silly Clothes

2011-03-04T08:26:00.000-07:00

Jolee loves to be silly. Her most recent ventures into silliness include: wearing socks on her hands, wearing a hand towel as a skirt, wearing shirts as pants and trying to wear pants as shirts, stealing Sandy's unmentionables and wearing them around the house, and getting frustrated because she's too small to wear a bra. I think I may have a fashionista on my hands.

Monkey

2011-02-28T08:44:00.000-07:00

As I have been catching up on posting, Jolee has been climbing on me and wanting me to go snuggle her so she can take a nap. It's still too early for her nap though, she is going to have to wait about an hour. But anyways, as she was sitting on my lap and looking at the pictures as I was posting them, she saw a picture of herself and pointed and said "baby." I gave her a big hug and told her she was my baby. She looked at me and said "no, I monkey. Ooh ooh aah aah."

Snow

2011-02-28T08:40:00.000-07:00

We got a surprise yesterday morning when we woke up to find snow on the ground. I know it isn't much, but even just having snow fall in Tucson is a big thing, let alone having enough that it actually sticks.

Randy showing Jolee a snowball. Eventually she got the hang of it and threw a couple of snowballs.

Our grill

Cactus

Flower pot

Sandy's and Randy's cars

Mommy and Jolee in our pjs in the snow

Continuation of Birthday weekend for Randy

2011-02-28T08:27:00.000-07:00

Instead of just celebrating a birthday on the birthday, we usually end up celebrating for an entire weekend. We celebrated on Randy's birthday, then at his birthday party the next day, then we went out to eat at Texas Roadhouse Saturday as a final celebration.

Jolee's favorite part was getting to eat peanuts

Mommy and daughter

The birthday boy (he wouldn't let me say it was his birthday though, the stinker)

Mommy

At least Jolee was more than willing to get on the saddle. She didn't want to get off.

Citrus Tasting at Mesquite Valley Growers

2011-02-28T08:19:00.000-07:00

Randy's long drives to and from work are good for something. He heard on the radio that the grower by our home was having a citrus tasting Saturday morning. So we bundled up and headed out.

Jolee saying bye to Chonkiri on our way out.

Jolee loved eating the fruit, but about an hour into our exploring the grower, she fell asleep. Randy set her in the basket of the cart. As you can see, she barely fits.

We got to taste so many different fruits. We decided that we want to plant kumquats when we move; they are so tasty. We bought some different mints and now we have a little mint garden in a pot on the kitchen table.

Happy Birthday Randy!!!

2011-02-28T08:11:00.000-07:00

We had a surprise birthday party for Randy last week. He thought we were going to a friend's house for a game night, but instead when he walked in he got a big surprise and was blasted with confetti. We ate sub sandwiches, played games, sang karaoke, and enjoyed birthday cheesecake.

Randy making his wish

Yummy!

Jolee learning how to jump on the bed with the girls.

Playing Clue.

Thanks to everyone who helped out with the party and for everyone who came. Such a fun night! Happy happy birthday to my Randy!

Susan's Run 2011

2011-02-28T08:01:00.000-07:00

Sunrise on our way to the race

Getting race bibs on. Sandy and Tyler came and ran with us.

Jolee warming up with Aunt Sandy

The Swanns post race

Super Sandy post race

We had so much fun. Jolee even ran about 1/4 of the mile race. Tyler ran 1/2. Randy, Sandy and I ran as long as the little ones would let us. Next year we hope to run the 5K or the 10K. Looking forward to it!

Oops!

2011-02-28T07:51:00.000-07:00

Jolee was helping feed the fish, but instead of food, she pulled off the filter cover and the filter and tossed both in for the fish. Goofy girl.

Jolee Pictures!

2011-02-17T07:47:00.000-07:00

Jolee loves to take pictures. Here is a picture she took of Randy with my help.

Jolee's hair is getting long enough that it will mostly stay in a pony tail.

Jolee got her first scrapped knee and her first band-aid this week.

Ouch.

Jolee had a little too much fun eating tomato soup. She had just gotten out of the bath too.

Sandy spoiled Jolee with this cute hat. Here Jolee is first thing in the morning yesterday with her new hat.

Jolee with cute pigtails. She actually left them in most of the day. Hooray!

Saying "block"

All Gone

2011-02-16T07:46:00.000-07:00

Jolee loves fruit snacks, with a passion. To spoil Jolee, Sandy bought a huge box of fruit snacks. Every day, Jolee is always asking for "nacks." Yesterday, Sandy took Jolee to the zoo, shopping, and to lunch while I slept after working the previous night. When they got home, we were all lounging in the bedroom while Jolee was riffling through the diaper bag. To her great joy she found a package of fruit snacks and she ran over to me with a huge smile on her face and asked me to open it for her. I did and she sat on a foot stool to eat the spoils of her searching. I asked for one and with a very pained expression she handed one to me, only to drop her jaw when i actually ate it. I think she thought I was going to give it back. After that, she hopped off of the stool and turned around and emptied the bag of fruit snacks onto the stool and ran to throw away the bag. Sandy stopped her and told her that she would take her garbage and Jolee happily handed it over. Sandy then asked if she could have a fruit snack. Jolee got the biggest smile on her face and ran to the stool, popped all of the snacks in her mouth, quickly chewed and swallowed, turned back to Sandy and with her big smile said "All gone!"

Have a free weekend? Come to Susan's Run!

2011-02-14T07:03:00.001-07:00

I am so excited to get to attend the Second Annual Susan's Run! We plan on doing the one mile family walk/run with Jolee and if she is up for it, Jolee will run in the Kid's Dash. Susan's Run supports the Susan Mortensen Turley Foundation, which is the foundation we did our half marathon for last summer. Anyone who can get to Tempe this weekend for the event is encouraged to come! I can't wait!!!

More info:

Susan’s Run, 2011

Susan loved running from her earliest years, through grade school, high school and for 4 years at the University of Arizona, she continued running throughout her life.

Following the overwhelming success of the inaugural Susan’s Run, we’re pleased to announce the Second Annual Susan’s Run to be held onSaturday, February 19, 2011 at Kiwanis Park in Tempe, Arizona. This event will feature 10K and 5K distance events, with a 1 mile family walk/run. For very young participants, a Kid’s Dash is also scheduled.

online registration : Online Registration

Mail-in/walk up form: Mail-in/walk-up form

to visit the website, click Susan Mortensen Turley Foundation.

For more about Susan, go to Justin and Susan

Big Helper!

2011-02-13T19:43:00.000-07:00

Jolee wanted to make popcorn so I told her the dishes had to be put away first. Here she is helping Daddy with the silverware. She loves to help.

She also helps make the popcorn. She can scoop the kernels and pour them into the popcorn popper almost without help. I step in and turn on the popper and she will watch and let us know when it is done.

Today she got to help put spices on the popcorn, a first for her, and she had a blast. The popcorn ended up a little over spiced, but still tasty.

Jolee actually likes helping so much that she if she knows I am going to make popcorn she will come running while yelling "COMING, I COMING!" She then stands at the kitchen gate and says "elp?" She is so cute that I can't resist, and it is a good learning opportunity, right? I am such a softy.

Oh another thing. She was playing with her toys and she was trying to get a toy from the back of the entertainment center and she got her head stuck. It was so sad and funny at the same time. She was able to get her head out before we got to her, but she cried for a while and needed to snuggle after getting "stucky." Poor thing. She is fine now and back to playing like a crazy baby.

Happy Valentines Day

2011-02-13T16:04:00.000-07:00

I usually have to say that this is a pretty pathetic excuse for a holiday, but this year it some how has been strangely better. Between Jolee coloring Valentine's pictures for Grandparents (hopefully they get there in time) and having our very own singing Valentine on Friday night (A song, a rose, a card and a pie, pretty awesome. We loved it!), I am actually afraid to admit that I am excited for Valentines. We love you all! Wishing you happiness, smiles, and a bit of charity (Definition of Charity from the Bible Dictionary: The highest, noblest, strongest kind of love, not merely affection; the pure love of Christ. It is never used to denote alms or deeds of benevolence, although it may be a prompting motive).

Putting On Sunglasses Can Be Tricky

2011-02-10T16:18:00.000-07:00

Mess Maker

2011-02-09T08:27:00.001-07:00

Jolee was sitting at the table, eating breakfast, so I took the free moment to run out to the mailbox to drop a letter off. I was outside for about one and a half minutes. In that time, Jolee pushed her chair away from the table as far as she could, but continued to eat her cereal, dripping cereal and milk all over the table, across the floor, and all over herself. I guess that's what I get for going to the mailbox. So I got a rag and made her get down and clean it up. She actually had so much fun cleaning that she didn't want to get back in her chair and eat. I had to convince her that she could clean again when she was done eating.

Last night, Randy and I were talking and Jolee was standing by the kitchen with a tissue blowing her nose. Well, we thought she just had a tissue. It turns out she had the whole box of tissue and decided that she needed all of it to make sure her nose was clean.

No Biting!

2011-02-07T08:49:00.000-07:00

This morning when Jolee was in bed with me for our morning snuggle before we decide that we actually want to get up Jolee leaned over and grabbed my arm and bit me. I had to remind her not to bite (ouch!), but that kisses are okay. So instead of continuing to bite me, she gives me the biggest grin and attacks me with kisses all the while giggling hysterically. She will grab my face and kiss my nose, then my cheek, then my forehead, then my chin. She is just to silly. Right now she is sitting on the couch saying "shoe shoe shoe shoe shoe." She has one of my running shoes on and she is trying so hard to tie it. She had both of my shoes on last night, but just as I got the camera out, she pulled them off. I was a little quicker this morning and here she is in my shoe, messy hair and all.

Making Soup

2011-02-06T19:08:00.000-07:00

Jolee and I have been sick the last week and we ate a lot of soup. I asked Jolee what she wanted for lunch and she went to the pantry and got out a can of tomato soup. I asked if she wanted to help cook it and she smiles, jumps up and down, and says "cooking." Here she is cooking. (And yes, she had lots of supervision and help)

And just for fun, here she is playing in her discovery tunnel. She put the head band on herself.

Ballerina Jolee

2011-02-06T19:00:00.000-07:00

I couldn't decide which picture I liked the most of Jolee in her ballerina skirt and bow from Aunt Emily, so here are a bunch. She is so silly.

On a completely unrelated note, when we were at the park watching the ducks, we saw an osprey catch a fish. It was so cool. I looked them up on the fish and game website and it turns out that osprey are extremely rare for this area and that they can pass by while migrating and will often eat out of lakes and ponds in the city as they are passing. It was a huge and beautiful bird.

Still Not Moved

2011-02-01T10:41:00.000-07:00

I guess I should be keeping up with the blog, but I don't as Jolee doesn't like to let me type. Right now is is actually pulling on my arm and yelling Mommy and then she does a little dance and tries to pull me over. So as quick as I can I will try to get us updated. The sell of the second house fell through last week, major frustration! On Thursday we went and looked at more house and found one that would work, I don't love it, but it is in good condition and the only thing we will really need to do before we move everyone in is put up a fence so Chonkiri can move with us. With how quickly everything started off with this whole house hunting and moving process, it has certainly taken us a LONG time to move. We are waiting to hear from the seller to see if they will accept our offer. I really hope they do. We are frustrated and definitely tired of living in boxes and having Randy have to drive so much each week. We are a little stressed about the drama in Egypt right now as the cost of gas is again rising. We spend so much in gas to get Randy too and from work that it is painful. Besides the cost of gas, the loss of family time is also pretty painful. When we move Randy will get to sleep in an hour longer, have breakfast with the family, and be home in time to have family activities and not be exhausted all the time. We are starting to wonder if we will ever move.

Besides moving, we have had more frustrations. Jolee and I have been awfully sick the last week. The fevers are gone, but we are both left with runny noses and barking coughs. Last night was the best sleep Jolee has had in a week, she only woke up 3 times and went right back to sleep. Lately she has been waking up between 1-3am and staying up until 4-5am then getting up at 6am. We are all exhausted.

Okay, enough on the complaining. A few weeks ago Randy had a conference in Tempe and as he was the only male going from Nogales area, he got his own hotel room and they said Jolee and I could go too. So we had a family trip up to Tempe. While Randy was in conference, Jolee and I went to the Sea Life Aquarium at AZ Mills Mall. It was a blast. We played there for an entire day. We decided to stay on the wild animal theme and we went to the Rainforest Cafe. Bad choice, Jolee hated the thunder storms and the food was awful. The next day Jolee and I hit the Phoenix zoo and again played all day until she and I were both ready to collapse. We then picked up Randy and headed back home. Randy learned or I guess he would say relearned a lot of techniques that will help his teaching and Jolee and I had too much fun. So overall a great trip for us and a welcome escape from the boxes. Oh, and the king sized bed was great. Jolee wouldn't sleep in the crib, so she ended up sleeping with us and even with all of us in the bed, it felt like I was in the bed alone. Big difference between a king and a queen sized bed. I actually was able to sleep without being kicked by Jolee all night.

Last weekend we went to the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show. Such a weird and fun place. All of the rocks and gems and random stuff that you could ever hope to see. Got some good deals, but won't say what we got because it will probably be gifts over the year. Jolee had a blast looking at everything. My feet were so tired at the end of the day, what a lot of walking.

I am no longer running and I am missing it like crazy. I have had some issues with my hip, so for now it is just walking. Frown. I look forward to my hip feeling better and getting back in the swing of running. If we end up moving, Rio Rico has tons of hills for hill training :)

Overall life is good and thoroughly busy. Hopefully I will stay caught up with blogging and I can start telling some of Jolee's more hilarious stories.

Moving

2010-12-20T09:19:00.000-07:00

Wow, it has been so long since we have posted. Hmmmm, were to start. Mid to end of November we decided to move closer to Randy's work so that he wouldn't have to continue to drive over an hour each direction for work. Randy has been wanting to move for months, but I wasn't so sure about moving closer to the border. We looked at a bunch of homes and made a decision on a home in Rio Rico. We put in the offer, they countered, we countered back and they finally accepted the offer. We were a mere week and a half from closing when the roof inspection came back requiring a new roof. We offered to pay for half of the costs of the roof, but the seller refused to pay any more than a fourth of the cost, so we cancelled the contract and went back to look for more homes. We drove by a bunch of homes and without even going inside, we were sure we didn't want any of them. We did however find a few that we wanted to see the inside, with one in particular that we really liked. The one that we liked the most is off of a creek that runs year round, has tons of trees, a workshop and a storage shed, on just under an acre, 3 beds, 2 baths, a huge fireplace, and over 2000 sq feet of space. When we went to go for a full tour, we brought Sandy with us so that we had a less biased opinion. We all really like the home. Sandy even said that she felt like she was in Idaho with how green and pretty the land is. Jolee loved running around the home and she even found the room that will be hers and hid in it. Although she did pinch her fingers in the door trying to close it. The master bedroom has a large walk in closet (hurray!). We plan on remodeling the kitchen, but everything else is pretty much okay! So we will see what will happen, if they accept the offer and everything goes through with the inspection, then we should be moving mid to end of January. We are very excited and can't wait to have more space. We have already started packing (if the first house would have gone through, we would have moved next week) and we are ready to be out of boxes.

Cookie Making

2010-11-14T07:02:00.000-07:00

Jolee loves to help Aunt Sandy make cookies! I think her favorite part is trying to eat as many as possible before Mom and Dad cut her off.

Even more more pictures

2010-11-07T19:39:00.000-07:00

Wearing Mommy's shirts

After rice crispy treats

Even more pictures

2010-11-07T18:29:00.000-07:00

Sleeping with Daddy

Sleeping with teddy

Trying to put a shirt on as pants

More pictures

2010-11-07T18:20:00.000-07:00

Jolee meeting the puppies

Hiding in the back of the car (we were parked)

The Swanns at Uncle Neal's

At the park with Aunt Misty

Pushing cousin Jocelyn

Learning to put on make-up

Good-bye picnic for Uncle Mikal (he is serving a mission in Independence, Missouri)

Jumping on the trampoline with Aunt Misty

Up in the air on Mom's feet

Silly Swanns

Trying to bottle feed a puppy

Pictures

2010-11-06T12:52:00.000-07:00

Helping Daddy get his room ready before school started

Learning to get dressed

1st time in jumping castle

Using her keys to unlock the nightstand

Daddy and Jolee

Feeding a giraffe with Mommy

A couple of Swanns

Drinking on the go

Look a peacock

Playing in the water

Footprints

Playing the piano with Mommy

Silly girl and her duck

Jolee's potty

Jolee's bean bag chair

Stuck between chair and table

After a popsicle

Still kicking

2010-10-22T22:15:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am still alive. I know I haven't posted in forever, but I blame my princess on that. She loves to be wherever I am at and "help" with whatever I am doing and after 3 or 4 posts that I had started were deleted, I gave up for a while. As she is asleep right now, I have a few minutes to write, before I am going to go crash. I am finally working part time and I am LOVING it. It is one of the best things to happen since Jolee was born. I love getting to spend more time with Jolee. Life is so much better when I get to be home more. Working full time nights was starting to drag me down and I was losing far to much of Jolee's childhood for me to be happy. I am trying to make the most of each day that I am home. We have done quite a few zoo trips. Our day usually starts off with breakfast. Then I turn the radio or a CD on and we dance. Jolee is a great dancer! I want to put her in ballet when she is a few years older. Jolee loves to blow bubbles, but I have to hold the bottle or she will dump it everywhere. She is actually pretty good at blowing bubbles. She likes to build towers with blocks or legos and then knock them over. We are working on learning more sign language and talking more. She knows how to sign: food, water, milk, cracker, more, again, hungry, cuddle, dog, peach, color, thank-you, please. Jolee says: mama, dada, hi, bye, more, cracker, hungry, dog, baby, peach, apple, keys, puppies. She probably says and signs a few more words, but I can't really think tonight. She also is working on learning animal sounds. She woofs like a dog, quacks like a duck, moos like a cow, meows like a cat, and opens her mouth like a fish (it is hilarious). She knows how to use keys to unlock locks and open drawers. She likes to climb and do anything dangerous. She loves getting the mail. Lately she has been getting in a lot of trouble for trying to run rampant in the grocery store and for trying to run and hide in the parking lot. NOT good. She is going through another growth spurt and has been super snuggly, so I have been slacking on housework and spending more and more time just holding and cuddling her. She loves to cuddle. We are again trying dairy products with her and she is finally able to tolerate them! She is really enjoying yogurt. She still has mostly soy, but dairy is officially been added to her diet. It is going to be so much easier to cook without having to check ingredients all the time. Randy continues to enjoy teaching in Nogales and we are planning on him continuing to teach in Nogales for at least 3 more years, but possibly much much longer. With Randy having to drive an hour and 15 minutes each direction, it is getting to be more and more pricey with raising gas prices and Jolee and I are missing having him home. With all of this, we are starting the process of looking for a home in the Rio Rico area. I always said that I wasn't going to move again until we move to Idaho, I guess I was always wrong. I am still running (just ran 4 miles tonight). I ran a 5K a few weeks ago and I will be running a 12K in December and another 1/2 marathon in January. I am having the pleasure of helping one of my very good friends train also. It has been a blast to run with her and help her "learn" to run. I miss having Randy with me, but it is much easier to run with someone closer to my height and not have to try to keep up with Randy. We continue to be doing well and we are excited and a bit terrified at the thought of a new home and the changes that go along with it (having to find a new babysitter, YIKES!). Love you all, Sarah

Oh, I almost forgot, Jolee is working on potty training (yes, I know it is early, but we are using cloth diapers and I am very motivated to help her learn to use the potty). She is starting to both sign and say potty. She loves to say peepee and poopies. She is getting better and better at telling us when she needs to go potty and she running to the bathroom. When I was over at a friend's house visiting teaching, Jolee had a piece of toilet paper and proceeded to wipe her fully dressed bum. I think I will have to start working on teaching her that the potty is a private place. I think I am up for a lot of embarassment in the next few months.

ME TOO!!!

2010-10-03T07:31:00.000-07:00

Jolee seems to think that she can do anything that we are doing. It never ceases to amaze me what she thinks she should be able to do. She has become quite the dare devil. She will climb on to the couch and stand on the very edge and jump on the edge of the couch until she almost falls the she runs to the back of the couch only to do it all over again. She will occasionally fall off and think that it was the greatest thing ever. We will occasionally put her on the bed, until she gets to the edge and almost falls off. She loves to play on the bed, running, falling, and jumping.

Jolee even thinks that she needs to be eating what we are eating, although what we are frequently eating will make her sick. She even attempts to take the dog for a walk. When we bring him in from a walk Jolee will run over and grab the leash before we take it off of him and try to walk him. She does pretty good until the dog pulls a little bit and then she drops the leash. I think that she needs a little more practice before she actually gets to walk him outside of the house. Jolee has been wanting to type on the computer because she sees mom, aunt Sandy, and dad typing on the computer. So this morning I let her type a letter and this is what the out come was. I let her type until she said that she was done. She did havbe fun and I guess it is all part of learning.

Zvcgnbvnbnnnbnmmnbnbnggnnnnnnnjjjjgjgnhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhm vyd7ufuuryt6ey7ey cwbcxf gjjjgm v vmv n sll;mm mmkfdrkllwl;4dzccdbhsghgggfgdggesasgvvvv b bqwyuew2T76b7 1`8b78nHAHBHhhvfhhbj cdhjcgggggg k,,,kaaq

Jolee loves to eat cold cereal for breakfast. She will eat two or three small bowls full with a bit of soy milk. She is still allergic to milk and I am hoping that she will out grow it. It would make life so much easier if she did.

Work is going well for me. Although by the end of the week the students are driving me a little crazy. Most are doing much better. I have one student that does not like to listen. The like to grab students and/or teachers/aides. He usually will grab them by the arm, wrist, or hand. However with one particular aide he loves to attempt to grab her in in appropriate places and areas. One day he attempted to undress her. Last Friday this aide was not here so it was my turn. This student decided to "hug" me but did not let go. When I finally got him to let go he grabbed my wrists and would not let go. It was not until I got the "do it now" voice that he let go. AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH! Sometimes I think that it is better to have a room filled with 3-4 year olds, rather than have a room filled with high school aged students with the mentality of 3-4 year olds. What was I thinking? How could this have ever been my dream job? Now with all doubts aside, I really do enjoy my students. I have been able to see some of my students grow by leaps and bounds all ready. One student is non verbal and would not use their communication device. She would also have everything given to her. It was when I came into the picture that she had to ask for what she wanted, using her device. She will now verbalize what she wants and has become quite the little spit fire. I guess that is what I get for wanting her to open up. Another student that that is also non verbal has also opened up and has been quite the little miss attitude. What have I done. Oh well, things will improve. They always get worse before they get better. I do enjoy my students and I don't even mind the drive. Although it would be nice to be home in thirty minutes or less.

Life Goes On

2010-09-26T20:47:00.000-07:00

My how the time flies! I was absolutely sure that my first year of teaching would drag horrendously slow. But here it is almost the end of the first quarter and I feel like school just started. I do have a long drive each school day, about an hour and 15 minutes each way. I am surviving though. I love working in Nogales! I have the best special education director. He actually cares and is willing to spend monies on a program to make it better. I have at least not been told no yet. I have gotten hesitation on one thing though. We will see if it happens. I love working with my students. Though they are a handful at times they are a lot of fun during other times.

Sarah has finally gone part time, YEA!!!! She gets to finally be home with Jolee more frequently. Though I am not sure she knows what to do with all the extra time ;). She is enjoying every single second of being with Jolee. She also keeps herself busy making freezer meals every now and then. Sarah does so well with planning ahead and works hard to keep us with in budget. Having to learn to budget with a smaller income, I think we are doing rather well over all. She has also ben busy reorganizing the house and getting quotes on AC units. She is doing well at keeping the house running smooth while I am working. We went on a date by ourselves last Friday and it was awesome. We had french food at a little french diner, overly priced but good. Afterwards we walked over to a gelato place and got some yummy gelato. We think that gelato is much tastier than ice cream. It is also healthier for than ice cream. I think that pistachio gelato is my favorite.

Jolee is growing fast, I can hardly believe that she is almost 16 months old! It was just yesterday that she was born. She now has a mouth full of teeth and is currently working on her eye teeth. After she is finished with those I think that she has one more set of molars and then she will be done until she loses teeth and when she is twelve. She is very much so a busy body. She has to be able to do things on her own or she will yell at us. She has gotten pretty good at using a spoon and eating cold cereal, with soy milk of course, and other foods. Jolee is getting braver and daring to try different foods and textures. She does pretty well. She continues to learn and grow and develop at lightning speed. This morning she took apart a recorder that Sarah had given her to play with. I did not even know that it came apart. I am in for a heap of trouble!! I will be hiding my drill so that she will not want to take it apart. She already gets upset when I do not let her help me fix things. The dreaded, "you'll have a child just like you some day," curse.

We ordered our grass and it has been delivered and planted. We ordered Zoysia grass. It is supposed to be drought tolerant, low water usage, slow growing, and choke out bermuda grass and weeds. It is the miracle grass. We will keep you posted on how we like it. We planted it on Saturday and it took al day long. I am in the process of changing the serpentine belt on the Buick. It is a pain in the butt. Who ever designed this engine and the way it is mounted to the car needs to be shot. My sister has moved down from Idaho and is staying with us until she can get a job and get on her feet under her. She has been a big help and always eager to watch Jolee for us. As you can see with or with out a post life goes on! We are busy, happy, and healthy and enjoying each other and the time we get to spend together.

That Tickles

2010-08-09T20:27:00.000-07:00

Jolee loves tickling and being tickled. The other day she decided that she wasn't being tickled enough, so she walked up to me, pulled up her shirt so that her belly was showing and she proceeded to tickle her own belly and giggle hysterically. It was one of the cutest things I have seen her do. When Randy got home from work today, he took his shoes and socks off as usual, but then, he was attacked by the tickle monster. Jolee stood over his feet and rested her head on the floor so that she could use both hands to tickle Daddy's feet. Randy is so ticklish and he was laughing like crazy and whenever we laugh, Jolee laughs too. It was so much fun to watch Jolee tickle Randy and both of them laugh. I can't help myself from laughing right now just thinking about it!

Playing in the Sprinklers

2010-08-04T14:57:00.000-07:00

Jolee came outside with me to help me water. After she had "helped," we were both so wet that I decided it was a great time to play in the sprinklers. We had a great time and ended up sopping wet.

Off to work

2010-08-03T06:02:00.000-07:00

Today is Randy's first day at Nogales High School. He won't be teaching until next week. This week is all about meetings and preparing. I am so excited for him!!! He will be teaching the self-contained special education class. It is worth the drive because this is the teaching position that he has wanted since high school. Hurray for Randy!

A few of her favorite things

2010-07-30T13:29:00.000-07:00

Jolee loves:
-getting the mail
-coloring with crayons
-dancing to music
-cuddling with Mommy and Daddy
-being tickled
-doing airplanes (floating on her back) during bath time
-reading books
-eating bananas
-spin in circles
-build with legos
-kick a soccer ball around the house
-petting the dog
-getting to flush the toilet after going potty.
-washing her hands
-eating all by herself using her spoon
-playing peek-a-boo
-brushing her hair

She is definitely growing up so quickly. I adore every minute I get with her. She is going through a growth spurt right now and is eating so much it is amazing. Her molars are still moving, but have yet to break through. She is getting more adorable and more mischievous every day. She has mastered the "I didn't do anything" look. If she is doing something she shouldn't be and we say "Jolee!" She will quickly turn toward us, have a look of perfect innocence on her face and throw her hands in the air and say "wa?" I think she is trying to say "what?" It is so funny that it is very difficult to be upset with her, even if she did just dump all her food all over the carpet. I am so happy to be her mommy! On another note, I am quickly healing from my pacemaker insertion. I would be able to go back to work with restrictions, but my doctor "doesn't trust ICU nurses" so I can't return to work for 2 more weeks. Although definitely not something I ever wanted to happen to me, I am glad that I have to stay home because I am getting so much family time. It is great! I have been cleared to run again and I am already starting to train for my next half marathon. I am staying in state this time and running in Queen Creek, AZ. Yeah for getting better!

Family Conversations

2010-07-25T19:29:00.000-07:00

Max: "I want to invent edible duct tape."
Sarah: "What?!?"
Max: "You know when you have a humugus burger and it's falling apart. I could tape it up."

We are having a blast having Uncle Clint and Uncle Max here to visit. We played Apples to Apples and Clinton skunked us!

Jolee looking on at Uncle Max.

He was pretty scary looking.

2010-07-20T19:42:00.000-07:00

Jolee and Mommy at urgent care waiting to see the doctor.

Yeah, I know I look terrible, but here I am after my pacemaker insertion. I refused to stay in just a gown. I wore PJ pants at night and jeans during the day so that I would feel at least semi normal.

Prior to Pacemaker

2010-07-20T19:05:00.000-07:00

For the benefit of my medically inclined family and friends...

Unexpected

2010-07-20T10:29:00.001-07:00

I was planning on my next post being all about how much fun we had in Seattle, my getting patted down at security, and how happy we are to be home, but instead, it is going to be a bit more serious. On Saturday I woke up early, which is normal because my sleeping schedule was all messed up because I was in the midst of switching back to a day schedule after my week of night working. So I am awake and everyone else is sleeping, so I decided to read a book. While I am sitting there reading, I kept getting lightheaded, faint, like I was being sucked down from the inside, like the lights were dimming, and like I couldn't breathe (even though I was breathing just fine). After each little episode, it would take me a while to catch my breath and I would have a headache. At first I just kinda ignored it, but then it kept happening. It didn't matter if I was sitting, walking, or lying down. It just kept happening. By this time, everyone is awake and Randy knows that I am feeling weird. I am also trying to get the last of everything ready for a big activity that I had planned and had been working on for months at church. My nurse brain finally kicks in and I think, "this seems more like something cardiac." Meaning I think that something might be wrong with my heart. I decided to check my pulse and to monitor what is happening. My heart rate is low at 50-60, but that is okay because I am a runner and runners often have low heart rates, so I am unconcerned. Then I get another weird feeling and to my utter horror, my pulse stopped. I was assuming that my pulse would just become weak with these weird feelings, not stop. Weak pulse would be bad, stopped pulse is VERY bad. I am freaking out, but at the same time, I don't want to scare Randy. I explained to him what was happening and that I needed to go to the hospital. I also made him do a quick review of CPR, just in case. On the way to the hospital I dropped all of the stuff off for the activity with a good friend, so that she could run the activity if it took too long at the hospital and I wasn't able to make it back. I really did think that I would be able to just go get checked up, that something was problem wrong with my potassium or magnesium level, that I would get some replacement, and then they would send me home and have me check up with a cardiologist the next week. I was still in denial at how sick I really could be. In my denial, I decided to go to urgent care instead of the emergency department. At urgent care, I explained what was going on and they did an EKG (got a snap shot of what was electrically going on with my heart, which was normal by the way), but they don't draw blood, so they sent me to the ER. In the car, I told Randy that if they admitted me to the hospital that I would cry because the hospital is the last place I wanted to be. We got to the ER and Randy dropped me off at the door and then he went to park the car. I walk in and they immediately get me back (urgent care had called and told them I was on the way). It was nice to not have to wait, but that meant that I was already in an ER bed before Randy and Jolee had even walked in. When we really came to the understanding that I was going to be there a while, Randy took Jolee to a friend's house and they babysat Jolee so that Randy could be with me. In the mean time, I am by myself back in my ER room and I am hooked up to a continuous heart monitor (telemetry or tele). I have another weird feeling and I watch the monitor and see that I go into 3rd degree heart block, which mean that the top of my heart tries to tell the bottom of my heart to beat and the message doesn't get through, so my heart stops beating. As worried as I was about having my pulse stop, I am much more worried now that I know my heart actually stops beating for 3-8 seconds. Heart stopping is not very conducive with life and it is a much worse problem that I was even imagining as a possible problem. Like I said, I though some of my electrolytes were low and that I was having funny beats that don't pump blood well, which is why I wasn't feeling a pulse. This was very terrifying news. It also turned out that all of my labs were normal. The hospitalist (or main doctor) came to see me after he saw the 3rd degree heart block and told me I was being admitted to the hospital (yes I did cry) and that they were going to call a cardiologist to come a see me. I got to the tele floor (where they take care of all the people with sick hearts) wait for a bit, the cardiologist came and saw me and was shocked at how bad my heart rhythm was with the 3rd degree block and that I was very symptomatic (meaning, I felt awful whenever my heart did it's weird rhythm and stopped beating). He decided that only safe treatment would be a pacemaker and that I would get one in the morning or early afternoon the next day. It was already around 10 pm and I was stable enough that I didn't need it placed right that second. The next morning another cardiologist came to see me and he also said that I needed a pacemaker. He ended up being the doctor that placed my pacemaker. At 11:30 am I was taken down and they put my pacemaker in. I was still conscious during the procedure, but they gave me a bunch of medication to keep me calm and to keep the pain down. I actually remember most of it as I only fell asleep for a few minutes. I was allowed to go home the next day. I have a bunch of check ups over the next month, then I will have to go in for check ups at least every 6 months for the rest of my life. I am still getting used to the idea and the knowledge that I have a pacemaker and that without it, my heart was frequently stopping. They are still unsure what exactly caused this to happen. No normal cause of heart blocks fit my clinical picture. I am slowly starting to feel more like myself. I am not feeling like I am going to pass out anymore, but I can tell when I get paced, it is so weird. Within a month I will be back to normal. I will be able to play with Jolee, work, and even get back to running. I plan on running another half marathon in November or December. We are doing well. Jolee is thrilled to have Mommy and Daddy back. Randy and I are both thrilled that I am home and alive and that we don't have to worry about my heart stopping. Thanks to all those who were praying for us!

We Did It!!!

2010-06-27T22:03:00.002-07:00

Early race day morning. Randy was still waking up.

Sarah is ready to run!

Randy is ready too!

Our supporters are ready also!

We are officially Half Marathon Finishers. It was one of the most amazing experiences. As we were getting ready to start, I was sooo nervous, but once we past the starting line, I eased up and off I ran. One of the best parts of the run was looking forward to being cheered on by Grandma Swann and Jolee. They were waiting at just after 3.5 miles into the run for us. Seeing them was better stimulator than any power bar could ever be. After meeting us along the way, Grandma and Jolee drove to the finish line to wait for us. Passing the finish line was very emotional for me. It is hard to put into words the feelings that were running through me, I was thinking about Susan, our supporters and our donors, that I completed a half marathon (something 6 months ago I wasn't sure I could do). I can't believe how much fun it was to run. So many people cheering us along the way. The beautiful views. Having my loving husband at my side. This was truly a great and wonderful experience. I took oodles of pictures on my phone so as soon as I am able to figure out my new phone and how to get the pictures onto the computer I will post those with a more play by play of what was going on throughout all 13.1 miles of fun.

Some Stats for Finishers:

Name: Sarah Swann

Bib#: 37132

Chip Time: 2:46:57

Overall: 12859/17593

Place by Sex: 8619/12560

Division Place: 1747/2245

Age Grade: 39.4%

Pace: 12:45

5 Km: 36:01

10 Km: 1:16:40

9 Mile: 1:52:59

Name: Randy Swann

Bib#: 37131

Chip Time: 2:46:57

Overall: 12857/17593

Place by Sex: 4240/5033

Division Place: 638/708

Age Grade: 35.5%

Pace: 12:45

5 Km: 36:01

10 Km: 1:16:39

9 Mile: 1:52:59

Approaching the finish

Stopped for a quick picture

Crossing the finish line!

The Swann Family post run

Thank-you so much Grandma Swann and Jolee for being there to support us! Thank-you to our amazing donors. You are wonderful! Thank-you to Anna for being our captain/coach/mentor. Thank-you to Susan for being the type of person that inspires people to better themselves and for always thinking of others.

IT STARTS TOMORROW!!!

2010-06-25T19:27:00.000-07:00

Here we are right after picking up our race numbers!!!

Jolee is less excited than we are.

Our big day starts nice and early tomorrow. We will start our run at 7 am. To say the least, I am going crazy with excitement! In 12 hours we will be lined up and ready to run our very first half marathon. WOOO HOOO! Yesterday we went to the Health and Fitness Expo to pick up our race packets. Talk about shockingly fun. We ate so many different kinds of power bars. Got free chair massages. Jolee drank a healthy drink and she is going to be on their website because she was SO cute chugging it. I tossed a little ball in a shoe and won a teddy bear for Jolee. Watched a Lizard Man run across liquid. And just had a great time.

Mom and Jolee getting ready to rock.

Randy showing how it is done. ROCK ON!

Rockin Swanns!

There is still time left for last minute donations to help us meet our fundraising goal! Any amount is VERY appreciated!

Thank YOU

2010-06-21T19:21:00.001-07:00

I wanted to give a special thanks to all of you have generously donated to help us raise monies for Susan's Foundation. It has helped keep us motivated during training and will keep us motivated while running. It helps knowing that we have so much support from people such as yourselves. Please keep the donations rolling in, any dollar amount is greatly appreciated. Thank you, THANK you, THANK YOU!!

Last in Arizona

2010-06-21T08:35:00.001-07:00

No. she is not picking, just pointing.

We just got back from our last training run in Arizona. Our next little run will be on a treadmill in a hotel in Seattle. The next run after that will be the SEATTLE ROCK N ROLL HALF MARATHON! Woooo hoooo! I listened again to Hello Seattle by Owl City and I took off like a bullet. Randy even told me that I was running too fast this morning and that he had a hard time keeping up with me. Which is even more impressive given the all out, feels like running in an oven feeling that the heat caused this morning.

Wow, it was HOT! High today for Tucson is 103. It wasn't that hot, but it was at least 80 and it wasn't even 8 am. Anyways, we only ran about 2 1/2 miles this morning. We planned on running 4 or 5, but we slept in a little too late and getting heat stroke days before a race is a bad idea. We are getting so close to race day and so excited. Our bags are packed and we are ready to go. We just need to finish the last of the laundry, last minute house work, and I have 2 more nights of work. So close I can almost taste the salty sea air.

We are looking for inspiration for our big day, please leave any quotes or motivation you can think of that we can use to mentally motivate ourselves as we attempt to conquer the hills of Seattle!

Also, there is still time left to donate. All donation go to the Susan Mortensen Turley Foundation, benefitting young adults with cancer. Happily accepting donations of any amount. Feeling tight on cash, but you still want to donate? Donate $1. Every donation makes a difference and will help to encourage us on race day.

Happy Father's Day

2010-06-19T23:24:00.000-07:00

To my darling husband, HAPPY 2ND FATHER'S DAY!

To my always supportive daddy, HAPPY 26TH FATHER'S DAY!

To my wonderful father-in-law, HAPPY 5TH FATHER'S DAY as part of our family!

To all you great dads out there, I wish you all the best of days. The love of a father makes the biggest difference in the lives of children everywhere. Keep up the great work!

Getting Excited... REALLY EXCITED

2010-06-18T09:53:00.001-07:00

I can't believe that we are 8 days away from our first half marathon! I remember back in December when we really made the fleeting thought of running a real idea. This is what I sent to Anna to let her know we would be joining...

"As crazy as I think this is. I think Randy and I want to be a part of the team and do a half marathon. Yikes, I actually said it. I am terrified at the thought, but I want to do this. (I am so out of running shape! I walk 3 miles 3-4 times a week). The biggest challenge will be getting enought time off of work. It also depends on when Randy will have to start work. He graduates in May and will hopefully be starting to teach this summer at a year round school. I have been doing research on training and pre-training. I think I will be walking a lot of it. I want to do this to support you and to help raise money for Susan's foundation. I am looking forward to seeing which state it will be. If I survive this, maybe we can do future marathons too. I will definately need some education on how to get myself started. "

I was so nervous at the very idea of running. In fact, I was nearly faint at idea. I am so happy that we made this decision. I am grateful for the support that Anna has provided to us throughout our training... providing us with training material, answer question after question, and providing never ending motivation. We have slowly overcome all of the obstacles that we have faced during training, whether it be lack of sleep, having to face running in the heat or at 3 in the morning, running around my ever changing work schedule, or old injuries. Becoming a runner has been life changing. I really never believed that I could ever run more than 3 miles without stopping. At the beginning my main goal was just to finish within 4 hours, and to be able to run for 3 miles at a time without stopping to rest. My plan was to run 3 miles, walk a mile, run 3, walk 1, run 3, walk 1, run 1.1. With how much I have changed in my abilities, I can now run without stopping to walk at all. I am really looking forward to not being forced to stop by red lights. Most of all, I realized how important having something to run for keeps me going. I wonder if Susan ever looks down and is surprised at how much she has affected the world in her short life. She really changed my life. I am so humbled to be running in her honor and to help raise funds for a foundation set up in her memory. Yesterday, one of my coworkers told me that Susan was her EFY councilor and how much she liked Susan. It is little things like that that keep me wanting to do better. I often think about my life and I wonder if I am doing as much as I could to help improve the lives of those around me. I want to be like Susan and be remembered for being kind and friendly and making the world brighter.

We are still in need for donations for Susan's foundation, we are getting closer to our goal, but we need a little more help. 8 days and counting left to donate. Once again we appreciate all of the support we have received!

-Sarah

8 teeth

2010-06-13T20:03:00.001-07:00

After another sleepless night, Jolee now has 8 teeth. Hopefully tonight will be a restful one. Jolee is being super goofy. She called GrammS and talked on the phone. More like yelled at the phone. Hopefully Mom Swann's ears aren't too damaged. Jolee showed how independent she is becoming at church today. She wanted to walk around all by herself, holding hands is for one year olds, not one year and 13 day olds. As we were getting ready to head home, she decided it was time for her to go exploring and she trotted off the opposite way. We said bye and starting walking away, so Jolee waved bye over her shoulder and continued on her own way. One and going on 13. At least she is small enough for me to pick up and carry to the car; I doubt I will be able to when she is a teen. She also has been snuggly today. Nothing melts my heart like her giving me googly eyes and wrapping her little arms around my neck and giving me the biggest hug she can muster. I love my little girl, teething and all!

13 miles before 6:45 am

2010-06-12T20:06:00.001-07:00

Here we are two weeks from race day. You could say that last night was a sleepless night, but you would be making a HUGE understatement. Poor Jolee is cutting teeth. After being up the great majority of the night, she now has 7 teeth. I got about 2 hours of sleep in half hour spurts and Randy got maybe 3 hours. So with this in mind, the alarm goes off at 3 am. We drag our exhausted bodies out of bed and get dressed to run. With Jolee now happily asleep (of course), we pull her out of bed and get her into the jogging stroller. Thank goodness that she sleeps very well in the stroller. By 3:38 am we arrive at the starting line for our morning run. It is still dark, so I carried a flashlight and Randy wore his super cool light hat. We start our run fairly well. Not to fast, but not too slow. Our goal is to finish our half marathon in 3 hours, so an overall average of 15 minute miles including stopping for water and the occasionally walking rest. Compared to our Monday run (all my muscles were cramping and I had to walk after about 3 miles because of a bruised foot), this was an awesome run. I ran nearly all 13 miles straight. The only times I stopped were to fill up my water bottle which I empty at a remarkably quick rate, for red lights (at least there won't be any of these race day), to down a GU gel, and to wait for Randy near the end. I was a machine today! I just ran and ran and ran without getting too tired. It was very enjoyable. We were about 8-9 miles into our run before the sun came up so I didn't have to deal with overheating. Randy kept up with me almost the entire run. His usually technique is to run and pass me, stop and walk and wait for me to pass him, then run again. He has a difficult time running at my slow 12-13 minute mile pace. This works well for him as long as I don't get too far ahead of him, as was the case today. He stopped to fix his shoe and usually he is so fast that he easily catches up to me (he runs a 8-10 minute mile pace), but today I got too far ahead and he lost some motivation, so I had to stop and wait for him (actually I walked backwards while yelling motivation for Randy). Me stopping for him is not a norm! But anyways, we decided to try some GU gel at mile 7.5 to prepare for the race. There is a GU gel station at 7.5 miles into the race. We bought these last Saturday and we tried one to see how it tastes. I almost gagged. It is like trying to swallow funky tasting glue. Thick and sticky and weird. Well, we learned that the stuff is actually not difficult to get down at all if you have a mouthful of water and squirt it into the water and swallow quickly. I was actually kinda surprised at how much easier it was to swallow. Well, the GU gel actually worked pretty well at giving me a burst of energy to help me get to the finish. We ran 13 miles in 2 hours and 57 minutes. I am sure that Seattle's hills will present a challenge, but I am still fairly confident that within 3 hours we will be crossing that finish line. I can't believe it is only two weeks away. We are now entering the rest and recovery time to prep for the big day. We are so excited! Still plenty of time to donate! Thanks for all of the support.

-Sarah

Challenges for the Lemonade Makers Team

2010-06-06T21:25:00.000-07:00

We have 19 days until Seattle Rock and Roll and in an unfortunate turn of events, our running team of 4 has decreased down to a running team of 2. Randy and I are the only Lemonade Makers that are going to be able to run for Susan's Foundation. As this is the case, we are really hoping to reach our fundraising goal. Only $790 more to go. There is no minimum donation level, even $1 would be very happily accepted. Can't donate, but know someone who can or who might be interested in our cause? Send along the link to our blog. All of the funds raised will help young adult cancer patients. For a first hand look into cancer in young adults, please read Susan's blog. She candidly told of her experience until the end. She was definitely an inspiration to me and is the reason that I am running. As our training continues and we are getting closer and closer to race day, the frequency in which I think about Susan increases. Heres to keeping Susan's kindness and generosity alive. Feel free to email anyone and let them know about this opportunity to make a difference. Also, donations are tax deductible so keep a record of your donations for a write off on next year's taxes.

Jolee's Birthday

2010-06-06T21:04:00.000-07:00

(Jolee brushing her hair to get ready for the day)

For Jolee's birthday we started the day with a present from Mommy and Daddy. We gave her a music/educational table (you can see her playing with it in the video). She really likes it and is frequently playing all kinds of music with it. Recently she has decided that climbing up onto it is the best idea. We have been discouraging this. Anyways, back to her birthday. So we lounged around a bit and played. After a nap, we went over to the mall to Picture People and had birthday pictures taken.

Next we stopped at Color Me Mine, which is an awesome pottery store where you get to paint your own pottery and then they glaze and fire it. We painted a vase and Jolee put hand prints on it. So cute!

Then, Jolee played at the kid area. Mostly she just walked around holding our hands and squealing in delight that she got to be with all of the kids. She had the hugest grin on her face! We then heading to Sunflower Market and bought some rice cream (ice cream made out of rice milk, she still can't tolerate dairy). Once we got home, we sang her "Happy Birthday" and let her devour her first bowl of rice cream. She LOVED it. After a quick bath, we went to the park and played with some of our friends. Jolee loved all of the extra attention and she had a blast being carried around and absolutely spoiled by our friend's kids. What a great day! We are so grateful to have Jolee as our daughter and for the joy she brings to us. Happy 1st Birthday Pretty Princess!

Walking!!

2010-06-03T17:29:00.000-07:00

Jolee decided that she wanted to be walking before her first birthday. She went from taking only a few steps here and there to walking across the room in one day. She is now attempting to speed things up and is trying out running. She has become a fast little walker.

This is as she started out walking full-time...

This is her as a more veteran walker, 1 week....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOLEE!

2010-05-31T17:09:00.000-07:00

Jolee has officially reached her 1st birthday! Will post our celebration activities later. Hurray for Jolee!

Growing up too fast

2010-05-30T07:42:00.000-07:00

Jolee quickly proceeded from a few steps to eight or nine steps to full out walking. Yes, that is right, our little baby decided that now is the time to walk. She walks all around the house and she is SO cute. She is very proud of herself and loves to talk and laugh while walking to ensure that everyone is looking and ready to cheer her on. She will still crawl every once and a while, but she is mostly walking. It is so hard to believe that she is almost a year old. Where did the time go?

It's Official!!

2010-05-27T14:07:00.000-07:00

I am now officially a teacher. I got my institute recommendation yesterday in the mail, so I went down to the state ED department this morning and payed the fees and filled out the paper work and got it stamped. YEA!! I am now a teacher on paper. Now if I could just land a job!

10 MILES and the Dentist

2010-05-25T08:54:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it? We ran 10 miles last night in just over 2 hours. It would have been faster, except for the fact that we were falling apart. Fortunately, we are not like Humpty Dumpty and all we need is definitely time to head over to the chiropractor to get put back together. Only 3 more miles and we will be at the total race distance! WE CAN DO THIS!!!

Jolee had her first dentist appointment yesterday. Although she didn't love it, it went very well. Her favorite part was playing on the scale to get weighed. The entire appointment she squirmed to try to get back tot he scale. Her teeth are looking great. She got her floride treatment and a new toothbrush. The dentist said that it looks like 2 more teeth are on their way. I could've told her that because Jolee has been cranky and teething for a week. After these two, her molars will come in and then hopefully we will get a break from painful mouthitis. We really liked the dentist that she gets to go to. If anyone in Tucson is looking for a pediatric dentist, then Tucson Smiles Pediatric is for you (http://tucsonsmilesaz.com/).

Almost a year

2010-05-23T21:08:00.001-07:00

Wow the time has really flown by. I can't believe my little baby has so quickly changed into a toddler. Here are a bunch of pictures I have been meaning to post.

Daddy and Jolee reading a book

First time touching snow, so cold

Petting a chick (she wanted to squeeze it)

Being a cowgirl, yeehaw

First time in snow fall (in Preston, ID)

Playing with cousin

Playing with cousins

At Daddy's high school locker (if you have seen Napoleon Dynamite this should be familiar)

So tired

Getting rowdy with Aunt Emily

Trying to steal Mommy's necklace

In her toddler bed

Tried to get a picture with the hat on and failed

Being silly

Munchies

Fell down and scraped her chin :(

Stole and demolished crackers, mmm

Lots of naps (and lots of growing)

Playing with balls

With Great Aunt Grandma (GrammE's aunt)

Petting goats at the Pima County Fair

Watch out sheep, here comes Jolee

So sweet

First time eating licorice

Playing with a turtle shell at the Tucson zoo

Jolee fell down in the tub and bashed open her eye, OUCH!

Yawn

Celebrating birthday early while family was in town for Daddy's graduation

Jolee doesn't like cake, but she loves frosting

Playing with toilet paper (Ellsworth family tradition for the first birthday)

Playing with GrammE

Jolee with her new Elmo. She loves to dance when Elmo sings. It is hilarious.

Party time in PJs

Heading to church on Mother's day. Jolee is so cute!

Being cute in my dress from Auntie Meg

Jolee will take 3 steps on her own, but she will walk all over while holding hands

Jolee fed herself breakfast this morning. Messy eater :)

What I Have Learned

2010-05-20T09:54:00.001-07:00

Jolee after our run through the hills in Pine.

Sarah post Pine run.

As the race day comes closer and closer, I find myself thinking more and more about running. I eat, sleep, talk, dwell, imagine, ponder, and debate running. Run, run, run, run, run. I have learned so much about running and myself through 1/2 marathon training.

1. Mind over matter. As I push myself to further distances and running during less than pleasant Arizona summer weather, I have realized that when I feel like I can't run any further, I must change my thinking. I find some way to think that I can continue. Like Dori said in Finding Nemo "swimming, swimming, just keep swimming." I think "running, running, just keep running." My mind can completely over power my body and force it to continue to run, even if I think it is impossible. I can keep running!
2. Sunshine, heat, and running are a very bad combination. With the sun getting up way too early in the morning, we have done a complete of runs as it starts to heat up. My ability to run at a nice steady 10-12 minute mile, falls apart with the heat. Sometimes it feels like I am made out of lead. With the heat, if I want my brain to keep functioning, I have to guzzle water constantly. It is only May and I am already looking forward to next winter. Like my grandmother said "you can always put on more clothing if it is cold, but you can only take off so much if it is warm."
3. Runners are mostly if not completely crazy. There is an entire running world that is completely different from the one that "normal" people live in. They have there own social networks. Different rules. Different social norms. They are just a bit competitive (okay maybe more than just a bit). Just read Runner's World magazine and you can see how much people put into being a runner. Whoa dang!
4. Stretching is not nearly as important as I thought it was. I read an article about how stretching just as often causes injury as decreases injury, so I tried skipping my stretch after a run and realized that I am less sore when I skip stretching. In fact, I haven't stretched in months.
5. Running teaches patience. This is especially true when I run a little slower on the long runs. I run, then I run, and then I run some more. Sometimes it feels like I am going to be running FOREVER. But as I patiently run along, I eventually get to the end.
6. A mile is not nearly as long as I used to think it was. For example, on our run this morning, we were planning on running 3 miles. Quick and easy so I could get home, shower, and get to bed (I work tonight). We weren't really thinking about where we were running and we ended up running 4 miles instead of 3 and we didn't realize it until we were about home. During the long runs, the thought "only one mile left" is so wonderful. It feels like just a tiny bit more and then we are done. Compare this with how we felt at the beginning of training when 1/4 mile was "so long."
7. I hate having dried sweat on my face. I think this is the worst part of running. Oh, the feeling is sooooo awful.
8. Caring chap stick during a run is very important. When my lips get dried out, I feel dehydrated and I will drink more and more water, which leads to a water logged belly and a sloshing run. Talk about making me feel like I am going to puke. By regularly using my chap stick, I drink water more sensibly and my run goes so much more smoothly.
9. Upbeat, fast tempo music is the easiest way to increase running speed. I would put type out my play list, but my MP3 player's batteries died during today's run and I don't have time to get new batteries right now. Any songs by Owl City work great for running. "Hello Seattle" is one of my favorites because it makes me think about race day and I end up getting so excited and then run faster. Go super turbo power!
10. Expensive, good quality running shoes are worth every penny. Less painful, more enjoyable runs all due to shoes!

I love running and the crazy person than running has turned me into. I am excited to continue to run and see what else I can learn. Signing out for now.

The Swann family after this morning's run.

Still Running and Looking for Donations

2010-05-19T12:42:00.000-07:00

Hello readers! As you know, we continue to train for the Seattle Rock and Roll Half Marathon. We have a 10 mile run this week. We are down to 37 days until race day and we are still looking for donation to help us hit our fundraising goal of $1000 toward the Susan Mortensen Turley Foundation. Any amount is very welcome (we would even be thrilled with $5). Please share this opportunity to donate with anyone you know who may be interested. All donations go to Susan's Foundation which is dedicated to the support of young adult cancer patients and their families. We would love to have you join the list of donors (if you don't want your name to be shown, anonymous will be placed). Once again, thank-you so much for your support as we train and prepare for race day!

Paint

2010-05-19T12:34:00.000-07:00

It seems that I cannot be satisfied with one color scheme for more than 2 years, so the entire house is getting repainted (again). This time we went with very light colors (glimmer, summer mist, and baking stone). Pictures will come eventually. While the house is torn up for the color change, I am taking advantage of the chaos and reorganizing everything and sending oodles of stuff to the nearest donation center. Entertaining Jolee has been challenging during this project. Jolee is so mobile and energy charged that having one room to play in is driving her crazy. She is now regularly taking two steps before she gets back down and crawls. Time to get back to painting so that she can be free to roam again.

Randy's NAU Graduation!

2010-05-16T18:43:00.001-07:00

Randy waiting to graduate. I absolutely loved this outfit on him! Next graduation in this little family won't be for a while. Eventually we plan to go on and get our Master's degrees, but not yet.

Eric and JoAn Ellsworth. Thanks Mom and Dad for driving down for Randy's big day. It was great to see you. We love you uber d duber amounts! As you can see, it was a tiring day for Jolee and she napped before and during the graduation ceremony.

Sandy, Mikal, and Misty Swann. They braved the long drive and each other's constant company to celebrate with us! We are so glad each of you came. I have the best in-laws ever!!! It was super great to see and play with you. We can't wait for Sandy to move down (July 20th is the date!!!).

Here is me with my parents and Jolee. I am so proud of Randy and the hard work he has done!

Kelly and LeAnn Ryan. Super big thanks to both of you for making the very very long drive down. We love you both so much and are so glad you could be here. Thanks Mom for giving Randy such a good beginning and helping him to be the person he is!

If you open this picture you can see Randy on the big screen during the graduation talks. I cried when Randy walked. He has worked so hard; he definitely deserved this day of celebration.

Jolee was so snugly with Randy after graduation. I think she was proud of him too! And I think she is glad to have her daddy out of school so that he can spend more time with her and spoil her all summer!

Our little family. We have changed so much since my graduation. It is so wonderful to have Jolee as a part of our family. She brings so much joy to our lives.

Jolee looking on while Daddy and Mommy have a celebration kiss! I am so happy for Randy! It was a great day for the Swann family!

The Ryan/Swann family with Randy and Jolee. Mom looks proud too!

Thanks again to all of our family who made out of state drives to come and celebrate Randy's graduation with us!!!

Updates

2010-05-16T09:00:00.000-07:00

It seems that we have dropped off the face of the earth. Life has been quite busy with me finishing up school and job hunting. I have done it, that is finished school. Still working the job hunting. I graduated on the seventh of May. Sarah and I spent about a week in Pine enjoying some much needed R and R. It was quite nice to do absolutely nothing. The Monday before we came home we decided to go for a walk/run. We ran as long as we could, being quite hilly we did not run as far as we had planned, then we walked. We went and walked around Camp Lamia and then walked down town and looked through the few stores that were opened on a Monday. We were surprised at how many stores were only opened Tuesday through Saturday. Our final stop was at The Honey Stand. They had so many different types of honey and jams. They had many different flavors of honey and whipped honey. They also had different types of "butters", pumpkin, apple, and even rhubarb strawberry. After trying the different flavors of honey we walked back to the cabin. After driving our most of our route, we decided that we had walked/ran about six miles. We returned to The Honey Stand and bought a pecan honey, pumpkin butter, apple butter, and a peach whipped honey. So far we have tried everything but the apple b utter and have enjoyed them all.

We are continuing to train for our half marathon. We have not been able to follow the training program as closely as we should, but we are able to get at least two runs in a week, one short and one long. Yesterday we ran nine miles in two hours. If we are able to keep that pace when we run thirteen miles we will be able to complete our marathon in about three hours. YEA!! It is getting rather hot here in Arizona so we are having to run either at first sun or at the end of the day as the sun is going down. We have discovered a bike/walking path that leads into downtown tucson and have been using that for our runs. It is more enjoyable to run along that than along the busy streets of Tucson. I am sure that we will eventually be making the complete run into downtown Tucson before our marathon.