let me count the ways...

A while ago, Brian's brothers were trying to coax him into buying some xbox game so they could play together online at night. This is something they used to have fun doing together, pre-kids. Brian told them (probably with a little reluctance) he doesn't have time for that anymore. Fed up with Brian's same standard excuse, one of his brothers blurted out, "What DO you do at night, man?"
Brian had to recount this to me when he got home. It made him laugh because couldn't really answer that question. It just seemed to him that there wasn't enough hours in the day anymore to get to everything he'd like to do.

I thought about that all night that night because it made me realize how much I love my husband.

Allow me to explain. (You are dying to hear, right?)

I love who he was.

The dude that people called Schwanii. The guy who used to write songs about how I broke his heart. The guy who wasn't embarrassed to sing in front of hundreds of people, but who would have been shaking with nerves at the thought of talking to someone on the phone. The guy who wanted to be a dad, but had never changed a diaper or held a newborn.


I love who he is.

My husband. The guy that I have known for 15 years, and that I have watched grow into an amazing man.
My husband, the man that gives so much of himself to his family and his neighbors, and to others around him, that he doesn't have much time for himself.
My husband, the man that has never complained about the things you have to give up to become a parent.
My husband, the man who takes his kids out to play because he wants to, not because he has to.
My husband, the man who will watch chick flicks without complaining because he wants to be with me.

I just love how who he was and who he is have grown together.


My husband who used to write for his band but now writes songs for his daughter.
My husband who used to play computer games after work, but now spends his time pushing kids on the swing.
My husband who used to play basketball with the guys in the morning, but who now plays basketball in the driveway with his kids until dark.
My husband that used to laugh at the way I devour a book, Now stays up until 2am because he couldn't put a book down.
My husband who used to sleep in, but now gets up early to work in the yard.
My husband who used to stay up late talking on the phone to me, now falls asleep talking next to me.

He is the best version of himself, and I wouldn't change a single thing.

(except the way he "cleans" house, the way he folds his socks together before throwing them in the dirty clothes, his snoring, and his toenails. Oh my, his toenails...)

summer survival, and thrivable, part 3

We don't vacation much. Not for lack of desire, but more for lack of funds. unfortunately though, we happen to live in an area where vacationing happens and it happens big time. I think every one of Jonas' school buddies have been to Hawaii. Some multiple times. This causes problems for us in the Swanson household. Jonas and Hailey are always complaining the we don't do anything in the summer because we don't go to the fancy places.
Last year I put a stop to the insanity by making the "Swanson Family Things to do this summer" list.
It worked.
So we are repeating it this year.
(This year I found a cute idea to display it instead of the plain old poster board we used last year.)
the first day of summer we gathered together and everyone voiced their to do's.
Some this year are:

Play with the Batemans (best friends)
Make homemade ice cream
Go swimming
See Toy Story 3
Go to a water park
Go camping
Do happy hour at Sonic
See fireworks
Play at Ikea
Go to Thanksgiving Point
Go to the Zoo
Go to a splash park
Go hiking
Eat Rock Creek Pizza
Go to the BYU creamery
Visit church museum
Sign up for Library's summer reading program
Go to the skate park
Go to pet store
Get cooking lessons from mom
Play at a bounce house
Go to Wheeler Farm
Go to a farmers market

This works for us. When the kids go back to school and hear about the amazing vacations some of their friends went on, we can look to this list and say, "Well didn't we have fun at the splash park, and wasn't that homemade ice cream tasty, and didn't you just love Toy Story 3?
And they will slowly cease the complaints and smile at our memories.

At least that's how it went last year.

And there is always a small chance that my children will turn into ungrateful, spoiled rotten, little monsters.

But the chance is really small. Like 40% or something like that.

So we're good.

summer survival and thrivable, Part 2

So if you are like me, summer can feel a little bit like a battle. An ugly, messy, smelly one. In the past I have lost this battle and found myself with a messy house, 4 bored children, and a calendar counting down the days until school starts and normal life resumes.
My best piece of advice (I know you are just dying to hear it)is to schedule, schedule, schedule.
And I don't mean sign you and the kids up for a bunch of camps and activities so you become so busy there isn't a moment to breathe or enjoy. I mean something more along the lines of making a summer task list.
Give your kids (and yourself if you want) a daily task list, something for them (or you) to achieve. Make a task list that is helpful to you and fun for them.
Believe it or not, my kids look forward to this list every summer.

This is our list this year:
Get dressed
Make the bed
Brush teeth
Help mom
Create something
Read 40 minutes
Exercise
Feed your spirit
Learn,try, or practice something new

The kids are to accomplish all these things before any electronics are turned on (tv, wii, computer, or ds). The brilliance of this is most days they get so involved in something that they never get a chance to do the lazy stuff.

If you aren't already, try it!
Make a list.
Stick to it.
Simplify your summer schedule.
Sit back and enjoy.
I know you will.

Except if your children are wild demon monsters, because there is nothing to enjoy about that.

Part 3 tomorrow!

summer survival and thrivable, Part 1

If you asked me, I would tell you summer is my least favorite season.
Why, you ask?
For several reasons:

Because I am not a fan of sweating in sleep.
Or sweating when you wake up.
Or sweating any other time.
Because it can be taxing to have all the kids at home and at each other 17 hours out of the day (yes, even in their sleep..)
Because the house gets all cleaned up my 10am and is a mess again by 11am.
Because you try to escape boredom and head to the park, only to find that the slides have become hot iron griddles and your kids legs and bums are sizzling bacon strips.

I guess I have focused on those things in the past. This year I realized something.

I think I totally love summer.
I made a list.

I love waking up in daylight, instead of darkness. Because it's just wrong to wake up when it's still dark.
I love the lax schedule.
I love the later sunsets.
I love sitting on the porch and talking with the spouse while the kids play.
I love the smell of chlorine and sunscreen on my kids' heads.
I love all the outside playtime.
I love how the TV stays off and all the books stay cracked open. (Serious. I have already read 6 books this summer. I love summer reading!)
I love the tigers blood snow cones.
I love happy hour lemon berry slushes at Sonic.
I love to barbecue everything.
I love garden fresh tomatoes.
I love darn fresh corn.
I love putting avocados into every single thing I make. And I really do mean everything... except drinks, cause that would be gross.

(Yes, I am aware that the above list is heavily weighted on the obsessed with food side; what did you expect?)

I have always loved those things, but I always thought being in a constant state of hot was worse than anything. What I know now, is summer feels right. It feels calm. It feels good to slow down and enjoy. To watch a sunset or a thunderstorm and know we can take as long as we like, nothing else matters. That we are creating moments the kids will remember, that we are creating their happiness. And that is worth more than my sweat and discomfort.


Just so you know, I reserve the right to take back every positive word I said about summer when the triple digit weather hits.

But anyway, with this new found realization, I am on a mission to make this summer fun. In order to do that, I know I need to fill the summer up and keep my kids busy, happy, and whine free.
So this week, I am sharing with you my plan of attack to survive and thrive this summer. Think of it as some unsolicited advice from a total stranger; and isn't that the best kind?

baby love

The baby is 12 months. TWELVE. We love him. The kids have helped me realize that Porter hasn't gotten much press here on the blog, which really doesn't show our life accurately. Because he is a constant bright light in our home.

I love porter at 12 months. I love that everyday he gives us a little piece of the puzzle of who he is. I love discovering something new about him.

I love his bedhead. I love that each one of the hairs on his head has a different idea in mind on where they want to go. I love that they all collide in a sort of slumped over standing tangled mess at the top of his head in the morning.

I love the way he alerts us to his plans to throw something by saying "Uh-oh!" first.

I love the way his laugh sounds like a deep bellied giggle.

I love how he loves to display his tongue whenever possible.



I love the way his baby babble can sound like someone singing a song when they don't know the words and can't stay on key.

I love how he could walk for months now, but chose not to until he could run.

I love how his chubby fingers always hover around his open mouth.



I love that whenever I laugh, he beams with pride, sure it must have been him that did something entertaining.
I love that when he laughs his face gets all scrunched up and the wrinkles on his nose make a V:


I love that when I walk out of few for more than 10 seconds when I come back into view, he lights up and says casually, "Hey."

I love that when he wrestles, he gets excited, and the excitement makes him feel the need to eat something, so he opens his mouth wide and proceeds to taste whomever he is wrestling with.



I love that when he says no, he doesn't just shake his head, he shakes his body.

I love him.

We love him.

He is truly one of the best little things.

mother of the year

Every summer, the first thing on Jonas' list is a buzz. you see, Jonas hates hair. It requires too much work than he is frankly willing to do. I however, enjoy him with hair. So we worked out a compromise. Hair all school year long, buzz all summer long. So I was not surprised when Jonas got the hair cutting equipment out for his dad the day school got out.
Caleb decided it was time for his first buzz. I was saddened by this. I love Caleb with hair. But, in keeping with my goal of achieving the mother of the year award, I kept my mouth closed and let him go ahead and shave it all off.
Turns out, in Caleb Land when you receive a drastic hair cut, you receive a new identity. With the loss of his hair, we were forced to mourn the loss of Caleb. We now have welcomed Buzz into our family. Buzz constantly reminds us, he is not Caleb. Buzz is not a fan of clothes, and rules, and well, anything his parents tell him to do. Buzz is really kind of a punk, but we love unconditionally around here, so we will make due.
This morning, Buzz/Caleb was cute and cuddly with me in the rocking chair. I thought I would take the opportunity to talk with him about Caleb possibly coming back to our midst. Buzz not so politely, refused. I asked Caleb why being Buzz is so much better.
His reply?


"Because Buzz doesn't have a mother."


And that my friends, is when you know you are doing something right.