Happy Birthday Swink4

Awww....my sweet little punkin' butt is turning 4! I cannot believe how big she is getting! It always amazes me how incredibly fast the time goes. So in tribute to my girl:
You are such an amazing person. Your heart is so big & you are possibly the most encouraging person I have ever met. You often send me into peels of laughter at your observations, questions, and insights. This past year you have fallen in love with ballet and trail riding, you've declared you want to play soccer in the spring, have overcome your fear of being in the basement by yourself, and become quite the little helper in the kitchen. You've also decided that you want a kitty (not gonna happen 'till you have your own house), feel the insane need to name every inanimate animal we come across with names that no one else can pronounce, and declared that you will be a girl scout when you are bigger. Your personal sense of style is showing through as you insist on wearing rain boots most of the time, love your shorts (passed down from brother), and putting clippies randomly in your hair. You are a lovely biggle who adores both her older brother and her younger sister...at least most of the time. I love snuggling with you and hanging out coloring or reading books or browsing the aisles where you maintain a running commentary about everything in sight. I love that your heart is full of songs and you sing instead of talk quite often. I don't know that you will ever understand just how much I love you and how my heart swells when you give me a hug just because.
Babygirl, I pray this next year is a wonderful one for you and I pray that you will always remember that I am incredibly blessed to be your mommy.

Busy! Busy! Busy!

The last couple of weeks have been a busy time around here – as always! Let me give you a rundown of how things are going! Hmmm…how should I organize this? Let’s go by person, shall we?

Swink5 – is having an ABOSOLUTE blast with all of the space and her newly perfected (almost) walking skills. She toddles all over the house, many times going in her cirlces! She has learned how to throw things away – goodbye clutter J!

Swink4 – ahhh…my little punkin butt. Slowly but surely she is learning that sassiness is not a becoming feature and that she should curb it! Other than that, she is well and enjoys playing with our neighbor. She is still slightly afraid of being in the basement by herself though we are working on it with her. I can’t believe how incredibly grownup she seems sometimes.

Swink3 – had is first Cub Scout meeting the other night. This gives him a chance to meet other boys (poor guy, surrounded by girls all the time) and take part in the scouting world. School is going well for him and he loves the fact that almost his entire curriculum is from actual books; actual books mean lots of reading which he enjoys.

Swink2 – I got a job blogging! How stinkin’ cool is that? Someone actually pays me to write! Now if only I could get picked up & syndicated….awww I can dream J

Swink1 – is adjusting to his new unit. He says it’s weird; people call each other by their first names, they often do pt off-post…in civies. How weird is that? They have an initiation thing for incoming soldiers that is really quite ridiculous but he is being a good sport about it and hopefully it will be over soon. He scored a bargain on some tools the other day & is now ready to start building again, which reminds me…I need to think of more stuff for him to build J.

We have geocached a little and are looking forward to getting back into the swing of it. The weather has been decent so far…a few flurries last weekend that didn’t last so it wasn’t too bad. Oh, we spent a day at North Pole, Colorado (an amusement park for kiddos) and really had a great time.

Oh yeah, and we are still searching for a church. A couple were recommended to us but they are on the far north side of town and since we would like to get really involved we kinda want one a little closer. We’ve visited 3 so far and just haven’t really found where we should be. Pray that God puts us where He wants us soon! I think we are all ready to find a church home & stop “shopping” around!

Settling In

We have a house! We have our household goods! We have a mountain of stuff! OK, that last one was just a minor reference to our new location, forgive me for that.
After almost a month of the 6 of us (including the dog) living in a 20ft. travel trailer, making our way from the Emerald Coast to Colorado we now have room to spread out. Not a moment too soon if you ask me. The last couple of days in the trailer proved a little...tough. During a lovely mountainous storm a couple of the outlets gave up on us which lead to the refrigerator giving up. It's a mite hard to feed the kiddos decent food when 1) there is no fridge and 2) Swink1 had to take the truck to begin inprocessing. We muddled through though and the joy of having a full size, working fridge is greatness. Did I mention we received our household goods? Do you know what comes with that? BEDS!!! Glorious, lovely, comfortable beds! Beds where we can stretch out and that don't fold into either a couch or a dinnette!
Don't misunderstand, I am truly thankful that we had the travel trailer for our journey. It was an incredible blessing and we enjoyed our time in it. We will continue to use it for camping and short trips (the important word here is short). It's just nice to have a little breathing room.
So the house is pretty much set up. Now it's time to jump into exploring the town and we all know how much I enjoy that! Places to discover, events to attend, people to meet...lots to do...lots to do.

Week 3...

W – Day 16: Spent the day traveling to a cute little town south of Amarillo to visit my mom. “Hallelujah it’s Tulia” On the way we stopped in Groom, TX to see the 19 story cross there. The cross and accompanying statues are absolutely amazing and deserve far more time than we were able to give them. I highly recommend stopping if you are in the area. After arriving in Tulia, Mom met us there for a bit of a visit & dinner at a local Mexican restaurant – starting to tire of Mexican food…ughhh!

T – Day 17: We drove over to Plainview to visit Mom. The day was spent playing at the park, visiting antique shops (found an excellent deal on some Wedgewood dinnerware but did not purchase it), taking pictures with plastic cows, and eating t-bone (cooked by mom). Swink3 started getting sick around 5 and it lasted all night & into the next day. What is this…the vacation of illness??

F – Day 18: Packed up & headed out, on our way to Raton, NM. The trip was rather quick and we arrived early in the day. After the trailer was set up the kiddos & I walked down to a little swing set then climbed a little hill. The hill was just a taste of the hike Swink1 took the bigs on a little later. The three of them trekked up a little mountain with our dog, Foxy. They came back dirty & excited! Dinner was had at K-Bob’s Steakhouse & Salad Wagon…yes, the salad bar was actually on a wagon.

S – Day 19: Hello Colorado Springs!!! We have arrived & will begin our hunt for a house tomorrow. It’s been fun but also tiring & we are ready to get settled & back into a routine.

Let the Colorado adventures begin…

Week 2...

W - Day 8: Spent the morning with a good friend, Rhonda at the mall while the kiddos bounced & played.  Swink1’s phone arrived!!! He drove out to Weatherford to pick it up then we headed down to Mansfield for dinner with the Resta clan. Words cannot really express how sweet it is to lay old hurts aside and move forward, we love this dear family and are thankful they are part of our lives.

T - Day 9: Swink2 – 5 spent all day with Uncle Paul & Aunt Londie. Swink1 meet Mr. Brown to shoot paper people & discuss our house in Fort Worth & the needed repairs. The entire day was spent hanging out, visiting and enjoying time with family. Well…there was the 2-3 hours spent in the ER with Swink5 who had been throwing up since Tuesday for no apparent reason. A dose of Zofran and the vomiting stopped.

F – Day 10: LEGOLAND!!! We spent the day at legoland & Sea Life @ Grapevine Mills. The minacity was absolutely fabulous – those Lego Master Builders are quite the talented bunch. Swink4 and Daddy spent time building together and then she took the stage to belt out a nice rendition of “Itsy Bitsy Spider.” Swink3 spent a lot of time building lego cars to race down the tracks. I got to ride a cute little ride with each of the bigs. Sea Life was equally as neat with great displays and information painted on the walls. Jacks joined us for the day and was even spotted building a few things with the legos herself.

S – Day 11: The sun rose with Swink5 & I back at the ER as the vomiting had returned the night before and her little body was not doing well. After a few hours,  a sonogram and a prescription of Zofran we headed back to the campgrounds. The late morning and early afternoon were spent with Morgan, Jenni, Rachel, and Sarah. We enjoyed visiting and Swink1 & the bigs loved playing in the pool. That evening saw us packing up and visiting again with Paul & Londie. These two have been a blessing to us for many years and we are incredibly thankful that they have given our cats a home since we are no longer able to.

S – Day 12:  One last time @ FOJ…the hugs from friends, the lovely sounds of Jenny and the choir, and the amazing preaching of the Word from Pastor Scott. I know, for me at least, FOJ is my church home. I have been blessed and challenged over the years by our family there and am forever thankful that I had an opportunity to serve at such an amazing place. In the early afternoon we left Texas and headed to Oklahoma. A quick stop in Ardmore to see Cindy & Ada and check out their new house then on to OKC. Unfortunately the bug that Swink5 had was apparently passed to Swink4 who spent much of the day throwing up. Arrived in OKC to rather chilly weather.

M – Day 14: Chillin’ with fam…my brother Hollis & his wife & kiddos. We spent a large portion of the day at Hey Day – a pizza & arcade type place. Swink1 played laser tag with our neice and her friend while the rest of us racked up tickets. Swink4 was feeling much better and didn’t get sick even once – Swink5 still had the occasional sickness but overall is much better. My phone was dropped in water…this is not the vacation for phones is it?!

T – Day 15: A day of rest…ahhhhh. Swink1 took his new rifle to the range to zero it and get in some practice. We did a whole lot of nothin’ for most of the day before heading over to my brother’s house for dinner and an evening of visiting and hanging out. It’s good to be able to learn new things about each other, even though we are related we haven’t spent a ton of time together. It was good…very good. The phone kinda works…then sometimes it doesn’t…hopefully it will dry completely.

It seems like week two was spent in a mad dash most of the time. We spent a lot of time running around and visiting and still didn’t see everyone we wanted to see. There are a few others that I would have dearly loved to spend time with but between previous plans and sick kids it just wasn’t possible. Hopefully soon we will get to spend time with those we couldn’t see this trip. The next week will see us finishing our trip and arriving in Colorado. Let’s pray the hunt for a house will go smoothly and quickly. ‘Till next time…happy travels.

Week 1…

So we left Florida a week ago and began our jaunt across a portion of the US to Colorado.

Day 1: Passed inspection later than planned so we didn’t leave until after 1 pm.  This little setback meant that we did not make it to our desired location but instead had to stop in Livingston, LA for the night. On our way we had dinner at a cute little pizza & wings place in some random town in LA – good food – I like wings.

Day 2: Arrived in Fairfield, TX to spend the night with the Wiggins clan. We got there kinda late and then once the kiddos were in bed we stayed up even later visiting.  Thoroughly enjoyed the visiting.

Day 3: Spent most of the day shooting guns of various types and bows. Swink3 shot a pistol for the very first time and was quite excited about the “war wound” he acquired when the pistol “bit” him. Swink4 proved to be a decent shot with a bow…at about 5 feet – hey, that’s pretty good for a 3 year old! Swink5 enjoyed crawling around in the dirt – life can’t really get any better when you’re 1! Swink1 zeroed a weapon for Gary while I (Swink2) spent the vast majority of my time chatting with Pat. We absolutely loved the time we spent with them. The end of the day saw us driving over to Rainbow, TX to stay with Swink1’s extended family.

Day 4: Up in the morning to enjoy the ABSOLUTELY BEST biscuits & gravy I have ever tasted…really, it was that good. Swink1’s dad & Jean meet us there & we headed over to the Creation Evidence Museum in Glen Rose, TX. This place is a treasure and we enjoyed perusing the artifacts & visiting with cousins who have volunteered their time and energy to help make the museum what it is. An afternoon of Swink1, 3 & 4 playing in the Brazos followed by a drive to Granbury & dinner with Ken and Jean.

Day 5: Church @ FOJ!!!!!!!!!!! I really don’t need to say more but I will. Even with all of the changes that have taken place there over the past year it felt like home. There is nothing like Mark & Lori Carouthers & the FOJ choir. I can still hear it, “Behold He comes……”  Picked up Jacks after that then headed back to Rainbow. Said bye to Ken & Jean (wish the visit was longer) and then had to do laundry.

Day 6: Crushed Swink1’s phone unknowinglyL. Learned how to make the above mentioned ABSOLUTELY BEST gravy from Uncle Jerry (Swink1’s great uncle) and then was honored to have Dr. Baugh of the Creation Evidence Museum join us for breakfast. Swink3 even liked the gravy & didn’t ask me to use a package next time J. We then headed to our next campsite in Aledo & visiting with Swink1’s mom’s side of the family.  Searched for a good deal on a refurbished phone for Swink1 and ordered it…will it get here quickly?

Day 7: After a busy and eventful few days we took the opportunity to hang around the campsite. Bicycle riding, swimming in the pool, and general laziness encompassed most of the day. We then trekked over to Bridgeport for a wonderful evening with the Mavsar family. Good food, great fellowship and a good time had by all J.

Week 1 has been eventful and fun, enjoying time spent with family & friends, meeting new people/family, and loving each other. What shall week 2 bring?

Flip flops to fleece

For most of the past year we have been blessed to live on the Emerald Coast. Swink1 has completed an incredibly difficult school that has an attrition rate of approximately 50% for the Army. Months of waking up at 4 and cramming his brain full of new secret squirrel information is over. He is now an EOD tech – rather interesting to go from a Medic to this but it all works out.

Swink3 lost his first tooth and turned 6 in this house, Swink4 got her first haircut and turned 4, and Swink5 got her first tooth, spoke her first words and took her first steps here. This place has seen many changes in our family and allowed us to experience a wide variety of things.

We have spent a lot of time at the beach (not as much as I would have liked), floated down a creek, explored a cave, watched fighter jets, canoed, kayaked and a host of other activities. We have met new people and made new friends. Our time here was interesting and fun but now it is time to move on.

We are on our way halfway across the country to Colorado. I’m sure there are many new adventures in store for us as we explore our new home. Our family is looking forward to hiking, camping, and even snow (the crazy ones are excited for this)! We look forward to the coming changes; from seaside to the mountains, from palm trees to fir trees, from flip flops to fleece.

Happy Birthday Swink5

One year ago today our sweet little Swink5 a.k.a. the “Pink Swink” was born. The smallest of the three weighing in at 8lb. 7oz. This baby girl has moved halfway across the country in her first year and is now getting ready to move again. The absolute joy of being her mommy is amazing. Watching her grow and change every day, from a tiny helpless little baby to a rambunctious girl crawling and toddling around the house, I am in awe.

Her first word was “dada” (just like the other two) and now she is saying momma –which I love hearing! She absolutely adores her big brother and sister and loves when they play with her. She loves petting our dog and calls out “da” every time she sees her.

There are so many dreams and prayers that I have for her as she grows. Many of those mirror the ones that I have for her siblings; love and happiness, joy and adventure, and knowing Jesus as her Savior. I pray that she grows in wisdom and has a heart for the Lord and for others. I know that she was created for a purpose and pray that she follows the path that the Lord lays out for her.  I pray that her daddy and I guide her along that path and do everything we can to ensure she knows how much she is loved.

So, Happy Birthday Swink5. I love you, sweet little mae-baby (no, that isn’t a misspelling). I am incredibly blessed to be your mommy.

Happy Birthday Swink3

Six years ago our little boy was born. Amazing how time passes… At 28 I still wasn’t sure if I was ready to be a mom but whether I was ready or not on June 27, 2005 he was born. Little Swink3 wasn’t all that little when he debuted, weighing in at a hefty 9 lbs. 7 ounces. I remember lying on the table (C-section) and feeling the weight lift off of my stomach, waiting anxiously for a sound to let me know he was well then the moment I heard his little voice cry the tears started rolling. Swink1 and I both had tears streaming down our faces and were in complete awe that this tiny little boy had been placed into our lives.

As the years have gone by and I have watched him change and grow I am still in awe that I was chosen to be him mom. The sweet little hands that reached for me in the middle of the night are now the hands that give me a high-five when he is excited. The feet that tripped and tottered at 10 months are now the feet that run a little boy all over the neighborhood. The tired, just awakened voice that asked for “sides” at 1 is the now the one that declares things “cool” and “awesome.”

He will grow and make his way in this world and I pray that what his father & I are teaching him will guide him. I pray that the love he has for Jesus will be a sustaining love and will only grow as he does. I pray the desire for Christ will grow stronger and that he will not be swayed by the world to be less than who God has called him to be. I pray that the little boy who, at 3 wasn’t afraid to tell anyone and everyone about Jesus, the little boy who insisted that he needed Jesus in his heart at 5 will be a boy who never shies away from telling people about Jesus, who proclaims the Gospel not only in what he says but in how he lives.  I am thankful for him and pray for wisdom and guidance for his father and I so that we may raise him to be the kind of man that God has called him to be. 

So, happy birthday Swink3, you are indeed well loved and cherished. I am super blessed to be your mommy.

Visit from RoRo

The 3^rd of June saw the arrival of my sister’s youngest daughter, who our kiddos affectionately call AdaRoRo. This past year has been rough for her as she has been battling thyroid cancer; she has had surgery and is now on medicine. Enough of the medical stuff though J.  We had a great time with her during the visit (much too short…wish we could spend more time loving on her). Friday morning we picked her up from the airport then ran a few errands; that afternoon saw us hanging out at the rope swing beach where we were attacked by guerilla fish…little suckers sure like to nibble!

Saturday we headed down to Fort Walton Beach Landing for some piratey fun…the Billy Bowlegs Pirate Festival.  This festival has been going on here since 1953 when it started as a skiing celebration. If we were childless (not even wishing this) or the kiddos were a bit older then we could probably enjoy more of what the festival had to offer but we made due with munching on a turkey leg, chomping on some shave ice (no, I didn’t leave the “d” off – that’s another imprint Hawaii left on me), and checking out all of the pirate booty. Swink3 & AdaRoRo had their picture taken with some ne’er  do wells (dastardly pirates) and Swinks 3 & 4 received gold coins. That evening Swink1 took the niece out to see Fast Five (they had a ball & enjoyed the movie).

Sunday saw us at church worshipping and learning from the Word while the evening placed us in Destin @ the beach. We had a ball playing in the waves, rolling in the sand and not being eaten by sharks J.  Then we had dinner at Friday’s (she has never eaten there) before rolling home to snooze.

Monday was spent at the Gulfarium where we saw a new trick from the sea lions. AdaRoRo enjoyed the dolphin show and had fun slurping up ICEE’s. That evening we had to send her back to Oklahoma, sad that she needed to go but thankful and happy for the time she was able to spend with us.  I wish we were able to hang out more and be more of a part of her everyday life but, it’s not feasible so we love her no matter where we are or where she is. We pray for her often; for guidance, strength, clarity, wisdom, and health.  

Oh yeah, and she got a new job @ Hastings when she got back home! Woohoo J

11 years, caves & capsizes

TeamSwink had a lovely long weekend thanks to Swink1 being off for 4 days! What a treat J Last Thursday marked our 11^th anniversary; more on that later…

Friday, our friend Marco flew in to spend the weekend with us; unfortunately his new bride was not able to join him (bummer) but we still had a good time. Swink3 took him on a hike through the woods to check out the rope swing beach then we settled in for a night of homemade pizza and movies.

Saturday morning saw us headed to Florida Caverns State Park where we…toured some caves (who woulda guessed?).  It was pretty interesting and Marco befriended the Park Ranger. I’m pretty sure that guy does not have a shy bone is his body! He can (and often will) talk to anyone, anywhere. The vast majority of the day was spent in the vehicle so hindsight would be to spend more time actually doing stuff @ the destination. It was pretty interesting overall & I’m positive that the time spent doing things of this nature will undoubtedly foster a love of nature & God’s creation in our children which would be one of our goals.

Sunday morning we headed to church for a continuing bible lesson on Matthew. The church we are attending here in FL has apparently been doing a study of Matthew FOREVER!!! We got here in October & they were in Matthew 15 (I believe), this past Sunday was Matthew 19:13-24. Looking at the world through the heart of a child may very well be something we should all consider. Verse 14 says, “Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”” The next portion deals with keeping the law & rich men getting into heaven…lots of fodder there but I will save that for another time.

Sunday afternoon we headed out to Post’l Point to do a little kayaking & canoeing. On the way we stopped by the lemon lot (self-sell lot on post) & spotted a steal of a deal on a 5 x 10 trailer with tool box (like the one that is usually mounted in the bed of a truck). Owning the trailer eliminates the need for renting one all the way from here to Colorado & will be incredibly useful in other ways also. We bought the trailer & proceeded on to the water. Lessons learned that afternoon include: 1) canoeing is not a sport TeamSwink should engage in at this time 2) kayaking is much easier than canoeing 3) life vests do indeed work & 4) I can still swim J

Marco & Swink3 took off in a kayak & had a wonderful time paddling all over the place (Marco did all the work). Swink1 & I kept the girls with us; unfortunately we capsized the thing not once but twice! Thank the Lord that they were each wearing life vests! After the initial shock & dunking, Swink5 actually laid out flat on her back & was enjoying floating with me tugging her around. Swink4 wanted to climb out of the boat in the middle of the bay, no fear at all (yay!!!). Her wanting to get out of the boat & climb a giant inflatable slide anchored a ways out was what preempted the first capsize. She got out fine but when I tried to climb out to help her I sent the whole crew in the water. We did have a good time but have decided that we will put this on our list of things NOT to do until the kiddos are a bit older.

Monday we visited the air museum so Marco could take pictures, had lunch at Poppy’s, searched for a gift for Marco’s bride and then took him to the airport. An end to the crazy weekend running around.

Yesterday saw the team hanging out at the rope swing beach and the house. Resting and relaxing – gearing up for this coming week & weekend. We have another visitor coming on Friday.

OK – to backtrack now…last Thursday was mine & Swink1’s 11^th anniversary. Sometimes it’s weird to realize that we have been married that long. What began as a drink in a club on Pearl Harbor has evolved into a decade+ marriage, 3 absolutely beautiful blessings, major ups, some downs and the willingness to do it all over again…even if I didn’t *have* to. I am thankful the Lord took something that did not start as holy and has turned it into something that is. I am thankful the Lord has shown us each how to give and to forgive; how to esteem each other and how that any good marriage isn’t just between two people…it’s between two people & their Creator, Redeemer, Savior. I love my husband like crazy and am incredibly blessed to be his wife.

Infrequent Blogger

Hola all,
  I haven't forgotten about this little corner of the world, it just seems like I haven't had a chance to sit & write for the last week. Lots has been happening and we've been busy so my blog time has been limited. Quick recap of the past week: Swink3 had his final t-ball game & closing ceremonies -  he received a cute little bobble head trophy. His name was misspelled so we have to get that fixed :-(
Swink4 had her open house on Monday - can you say ADORABLE?? We have video & pics so I will try to get that done soon & posted for all the world to enjoy her cuteness!
Swink5 is pulling up on everything! I firmly believe she is just going to skip regular crawling & go straight from low-crawling (go little army girl) to walking...let's see how long that takes.
Swink1 has moved right along to the next division in his training (including this one, there are 3 left) & he is no longer lugging around in a bomb suit - now it's a chem suit!
Swink2 (me) is still plugging along with school - attempting to get a bachelors degree - apparently so I can be a degreed (is that a word?) homeschooling/SAHM :-) Currently I'm taking a Probability & Statistics class (quite fun actually) and an Organizational Behavior class to be followed by two more classes before summer is over.
And the big news? We finally received our assignment!!!! In Sept., Team Swink will be headed to Ft. Carson, CO. I've been doing a bit of research in the just over 24 hours since we've gotten the news, & am deciding that Ft. Carson is possibly one super cool place! I am EXTREMELY adverse to temperatures below 65 degrees *but* I may be able to tough it out with the awesomeness that research is showing exists. Besides that, Swink1 is somewhat ecstatic that we are going there which makes it all good :-)
I'll try to blog a little more frequently...let's see if it happens! Have a wonderful rest of the week!!!

Curriculum, t-ball, dance and combat crawling

Happy Tuesday all!
After many, many (many, many, many) days and much research I think we have finally settled on our method of homeschooling. For Swink3's kindergarten year we have pieced together an approach which has kinda worked but not as good as any of us would like. He reads exceptionally well and is pretty good at math, enjoys science (particularly anything pertaining to animals), and likes geography (thank you google earth). Anyway, we will be mainly using the Charlotte Mason philosophy which deals heavily in learning from living books as opposed to textbooks; it is also has a very strong emphasis on the outdoors/nature and purportedly creates a love of learning rather than just rote memorization of facts. That being said, I have a ton of books that I need to find (yay for used bookstores, craigslist & ebay) so... many of my hours will be spent doing that. Our math curriculum will be Saxon and yesterday I scored the year 1 workbook for ninety-nine cents!! I love a good bargain :-)

Tonight will be Swink3's last t-ball game of the season. He has enjoyed it but not nearly as much as he did football. I don't think it has enough movement in it, so while he enjoys batting and actually catching the ball; standing around in the outfield drives him a little insane.

Swink4 is still loving ballet. Her class will have an "Open House" next week where the parents can sit in on the class rather than watch through a tiny window at the door :-) I will, of course, be taking pics & video of the cuteness! She is the most encouraging person I know; there is absolutely nothing like having my 3 year old tell me what a great job I'm doing!

Swink5 has perfected the combat crawl...the girl can move faster at a low crawl than most babies can with an actual hands and knees crawl! She is quick!!! This week has brought the ability to pull up on things, shake her head (as in saying "no"), give sugars (kisses - she's been doing it for a while), and she will occasionally get on all fours for a few movements. The consensus is that she will probably go straight to walking...we'll see.
I am constantly amazed at how big they are getting and how much they are growing: mentally, physically and even spiritually. The insight they (the older two) bring to our daily devotionals is astounding and I pray that Swink1 & I are able to continue fostering a love of Jesus and for His Word. I pray that we continue to (and get better at) modeling His love and His purpose. I pray our children grow up knowing that not only do mommy & daddy talk about Jesus but that we live as He has called us to. Loving our Lord with all we are & loving our neighbors as ourselves.

Trail Rides, Creeks & Impersonators

This past weekend has been a full one! Lots of fun in the TeamSwink household! Friday afternoon we went up to Blackwater River State Park to hang with Grams & Grandpa G (and the horses…can’t forget the horses). We hung out, played in the creek a little, rode the horses around the field, had dinner & headed home. Saturday saw us back at the park for a fun & tiring day. Swink1 & 3 took off to the creek to play, swim, jump from the rope swing & just for good measure,  get in a few lessons on currents, moss/algae, and animals that live near the water. Swink4 got to go on a “real trail ride” with Grams & Grandpa G. Apparently she also worked out her singing voice, THE ENTIRE TIME, by singing to anyone & everyone, “I’m goin’ on a real trail ride. I’m ridin’ Chicago.” My little chatterbox horsey girl…sounds somewhat  familiar J. Swink5 & I hung out @ the campsite, chillin’ in the shade, listening to the sounds of nature & loving on each other.

Saturday night saw Swink1 & me off on a date – yep, sans kids - to this awesome restaurant in Valparaiso: the Compass Rose. Upon entering you are greeted by not 1 but 2 Chihuly chandeliers (check out his work here: http://www.chihuly.com/home.aspx), who happens to be one of my favorite artists – EVER. We sat out on the balcony overlooking Tom’s Bayou, at sunset; listened to live musicians (not too loud or too quiet – perfect), had some amazing food, and people watched (which is always fun). The table ware was funky; the bathroom sinks were super cool, even the water faucets were nifty. (You like that? 3 different adjectives in one sentence!) Apparently this place likes to hire impersonators - while dining we saw Robert Pattinson (with lipstick, in the shape of lips, peeking out of his white button down shirt collar), Justin Beiber (complete with the head flip), and a young Fabio (flowing curly locks abounded).  The manager stopped & chatted with us for a bit then sent a complimentary brownie over to celebrate our 11 years of marriage (11 years??? Really – it’s been that long?) A lovely night out with my husband who should know, in case he’s curious; that yes, I would do it all over again…if I had to. J

Sunday brought naptime for me while Swink1 & Grams took all of the kiddos down to the rope swing beach. Swink5 had a blast kicking in the water – maybe she will be our little fish? We had a rather peaceful day around the house. Monday saw us at the Gulfarium where apparently the bigs can spend forever playing at the touch tank & investigating hermit & horse shoe crabs. Monday night was dinner at another fabulous restaurant, Dewey Destin Seafood on the Harbor. Scrumptious Mahi Mahi, great hot crab dip & I think the shrimp was rather tasty as well.

Tuesday we said bye to Grams & Grandpa G. (and the dogs & horses) after playing in the creek for a couple hours. Now it’s home and hanging out, getting back into the swing of things, waiting (somewhat IMPATIENTLY) for orders to find out where we go from here.

Oh, did I mention I was gifted with a beautiful, hand-made, original Dr. Meow necklace? It is gorgeous & totally unique; I’m not really a jewelry person but she could be my new favorite jewelry maker.  (That last bit is not a slight to one of my other favorite jewelry makers…Jacks…but since I don’t have any of her stuff I refrain from commenting on the jewelry, just that she is one of my favorite people. And if you are thinking this is in any way, shape, or form an attempt at getting some of said jewelry…you’re right).

The anniversary necklace:

Bootie Bouguet

Hand crafted bouguet made for the mother-to-be. Each rose is a hand rolled newborn diaper that can be used once the new bundle of joy has arrived. Ribbons and vases can be customized to suit the taste of the mother-to-be. Center pieces and diaper cakes are available as well (pictures of these will be available soon).

**ETA -
Thanks guys! Aubrey - it is kinda a new thing - trying to help make $ & get out of debt. Funny though, I'm not really a "baby person" but these latest things are all about babies! Diaper cakes do take a while & quickly add up. I can ship these...just let me know :-)
Kristy - it took a while to figure out how to do it (and many many diapers:-) The diapers are whole & can be unrolled & used.

Conflicting Emotions

So the news is out: Osama bin Laden is confirmed dead. The man behind the devastating destruction of September 11, 2001 has been killed. Emotions are running high across the world and in my heart right now.
As an American, former soldier and the wife of a solder I am thankful the man has finally paid a price for the devastation he caused. I am thankful that 9 years ago we had a president who went after him with a vengeance even though we just now saw the payoff of those decisions. I am thankful for and proud of the thousands of soldiers, marines, airmen, and navy personnel who have fought this fight. I am saddened by the loss of life we as a country have experienced and feel somewhat vindicated that the man ultimately responsible has paid.
As a follower of Christ I know that the bible teaches that, "...He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9) also the Proverbs tell us, "Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice." (Proverbs 24:17). Jesus tells us that we are to bless our enemies (Matthew 5:44) and that we are to forgive, "seven times seventy. (Mathew 18:22). 
The bible also teaches that, "... the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands." (Psalm 9:16) and "When justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers." (Proverbs 21:15). Jesus also spoke to the Pharisees in Matthew 23:23 saying that they, "...have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former." It seems in a brief (I understand this isn't in-depth) look the bible speaks of forgiving our enemies as well as the fact that there is a time and place for evildoers to be brought to justice.
My heart is saddened by a soul lost to the TRUE enemy (and the thousands, perhaps millions who have been gained by the enemy through him); my heart is gladdened by the fact that one so evil has been brought down.
To slightly paraphrase what a friend said, "All of our actions have consequences. Sometimes those consequences are a lecture, slap on the wrist, or prison sentence; sometimes those consequences are center mass."

Laundry and flying high

When we first moved to Florida we didn't bring a washer or dryer with us so Swink1 scored a deal on a stackable set at only $30. Woohoo! Well.....last week I washed a pillow, yes you read that right, a pillow and subsequently broke the poor little washer. Mind you, this thing was was meant for an apartment (read...tiny) and we have used it for our family of 5 since Oct. I'd say we got our money's worth! Anyway, so the poor thing died and after scouring craigslist and calling numerous appliance stores we got a deal on a commercial size washer for $75 (one extreme to the other on the size). I rationalized that we could still use the dryer part of our stackable but didn't realize it would take 4 cycles in the dryer to dry all of the clothes washed by 1 load in the washer...grrrr. I went back to craigslist and finally found a dryer (commercial size) for $75. So all total we got a washer & dryer for $150. Not bad...not bad at all. Bonus: it doesn't take 2 days to do laundry anymore :-)
In other news, Team Swink was gifted with a trampoline this week!!! Let the acrobatics begin. After putting it up on Tuesday we had a blast jumping and playing. Wednesday the first thing out of Swink3 & 4's mouth was, "Can we go jump?" So off they went to bounce happily around. We still need to put the enclosure around it (Swink3 has already been "helped" off by his little sis) to prevent unwanted dismounts from happening. The only downside to this? Swink1 did something to his back, possibly while flopping around on it and is now in pain. We are praying a weekend of rest will ease the pain. Otherwise this may spell a delay in school as muscle relaxers + EOD school = disaster. Let's see how he feels on Monday. Happy Friday all :-)

What remains...

Looking at Swink3’s legs one would think that he is beaten daily with a stick from the knees down; at last count there were 11 bruises, scraps, cuts, or other “booboos.” These wounds will heal and be replaced by new ones; what will remain?

Looking at Swink4’s sweet adorable face at 5:30 in the evening it appears as though she has been eating dirt all day – and she probably has. Once she is in the shower the streaks of grime run off her face and down the drain; what will remain?

Looking at Swink5’s little chunky knees it looks like she may have been kneeling on sandpaper and her belly is red – evidence of her low crawling through the house. Once she grows and begins to walk the redness and roughness will begin to fade; what will remain?

I pray that what remains for our children is perseverance, determination, an over-whelming sense of love and childhood happiness. The important part isn’t how banged up your legs get; it’s the fact that you got back on the bicycle after a fall, the fact that you weren’t afraid to try climbing a tree (or onto a roof for that matter), that you spent the day climbing over rocks at the beach in search of hermit crabs. It doesn’t matter that your clothes got filthy and stained, your hair was stringy and tangled or that you weren’t always perfectly groomed. The important part is that your imagination is wild, you know how dirt feels running between your fingers and toes, you can find a treasure that has been hidden (for the 10^th time), and how you know what outside smells like. The things that remain will be memories as you grow and seek your way in this world. It will be knowing that you can try again and probably succeed. It will be knowing that you are dearly loved by your parents and by God.  It will be a sense of joy that pervades your life.  

What remains is what we are made of.

Inaugural Post

Oh, the pressure!  What do I say in this, the first post, to the Team Swink blog? The questions of how to be witty, charming, and captivating run through my mind so that I can gain the attention of my audience and keep them interested in what I have to say.  This, I believe is the goal of most people who write. We want our words to mean something; to convey who we are or our thoughts and beliefs to others.   We strive to be understood or if not understood, then at least heard. One of my goals with this blog is to share our lives with the ones who are truly interested and know us; our family and friends. Another goal is to share insight and thoughts with those who may not know us yet but would like to (or perhaps are thankful they will never know us!).  Yet another one would be to maintain a record of some sort of our lives so that we (Team Swink) can look back and recall times past. Let’s see if this lives up to those lofty aspirations.

May you, my dear reader, be blessed and entertained, possibly encouraged and occasionally challenged by what you find here.