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.