Graduation...

From Nursery, that is. It was too funny! He is such a handsome boy and he was so excited about his hat! lol! I cannot believe he is old enough to be in Primary! Look out Sunbeams, here he comes! (I mean that literally, he is going to be a very cute handful! That poor teacher gets 5 boys and 2 girls next week!) Congratulations Jackson!

MeRRy CHRiSTMaS!

Santa was good to the Swain house! The one at the north pole and the one in BFE New Mexico! Patrick has apparently mastered the art of online shopping, and managed to remember everything I told him I wanted! It was impressive! The boys were not complaining either! Trains, Star Wars, dinosaurs, swords and of course a couple of magic bells! And this year, we added a couple of people to our Christmas morning since we were short one very important person! Patrick's brothers Kenny and Eric were kind enough to spend the night, help me wrap and be photographers! You guys are the best!

That is Kenny!

And that would be Eric helping Harrison! I'm not sure what the deal was with the hoods, I think they were a little insecure about their hair! lol! Which is funny for a lot of reasons, but mostly because I was sporting a bath robe, no makeup and a pony tail. (Of course, I didn't post any pictures of me, so maybe they had good reason to be worried!)
He wouldn't put them down! (A better shot of the new black eye!) And he is amazingly accurate with his swing ...big brother beware!

The best gift of all....the garbage! This was his space helmet.
"I believe! ...I Believe!" Polar Express is his favorite Christmas movie! I have no idea how many times I was forced to watch it this month!

Patrick's parents joined us a little later for more presents and our new traditional Christmas morning breakfast that is usually followed by a movie. Spoiled kids, I have! And then later we were off to Christmas lunch with all of Patrick's family! They are always a riot, and we ate ourselves sick! It was awesome!

There was also a giant dog, it is as big as Harrison and they are kindred spirits! He can barely move it, but he loves it! Thanks Great Grandma & Papa.
Merry Christmas to all of you and we wish you a very happy and hopeful new year! And a very special Merry Christmas to the love of my life who is so far away! I hope you enjoyed what Santa sent you! I know it didn't feel like Christmas, but it will, just give it about 57 more days! :) We will make it up to you! I love you SO much!

Christmas Eve Choas! (But in a good way!)

We always do Christmas Eve with our Salisbury family at my parents house! Dinner, presents, playing, etc. It's awesome! And probably one of my most favorite traditions, might I add. The boys had SO much fun! Jackson did his "naked dance" for everyone. (That is what he named it. Yes he has to be naked or in his underwear! And yes we have to see it twice a day!) Harrison only hit his head twice! (Considering everything that was going on, it could have been much worse! Although, one was an eye, so he got a black eye for Christmas too!)

The kids (and Jake) all watching The Grinch while waiting for dinner.

Opening up their pj's from Grandma and Papa.

Presents.
Presents.

More presents, and a good shot of the two confrontations Harrison's head had with random objects! The dent in his forehead and the puffy left eye! To his credit, he takes those hits like a champ! LOL!Thanks mom and dad and family, it was a great night!

My HaNSoMe Boys! (well, 2 of them)

They looked so cute for church in their Christmas cloths! I have to show them off! Plus, they are only ever this clean with their hair combed for about 10 minutes before church! Lol!

3 Down, 9 To Go!

It has been 3 weeks now since Patrick left! It has gone by fast but it feels like a LOT longer than that! (If that makes sense!) But Jackson still asks where he is everyday and prays for him every night! He loves to color pictures to send! (He signs all of his artwork with his full name!) He is always building or making something for dad! It's actually very sweet!

Harrison, fortunately, is a little more oblivious to things and time! But he smiles whenever you say the word "dad" and he says it all the time! He thinks it is pretty funny when he hears him on the phone! He is very laid back, and for my own sanity, I am SO grateful!

So here is to hoping that time continues to fly! And that our house will sell in time for us to join him! Thanks again to all of our family and friends who have given SO much support and help and love!! And to Patrick, we LOVE YOU SO MUCH! And thank you for everything that you do for us! That goes for both the sacrifice you are currently making and the things you have always done! (And I apologize for having let some of those things go unnoticed!) Good luck! And we are counting the days!!

SNoW, snOw & More SNOW!

I should have just held out and said that the snow was from Santa! Jackson would have been completely satisfied with that and nothing else for Christmas! He begins begging to go outside first thing in the morning and it continues until well after dark!

And if it is snowing outside, we HAVE to be watching it! (Harrison likes that part too!)

Snow angels are his speciality! He's admiring his work!

I let him loose in the backyard as much I dare! He goes out and plays with Oakley and jumps on the tramp (that is actually very funny and probably very dangerous!) until he is frozen solid and I force him to come in! He has been having so much fun in it, I actually feel kind of bad that this will probably be his last winter for a while with snow! I have to admit, there isn't a whole lot of me that will miss it! But watching him have so much fun in it reminds me of how much we loved it as kids! ...Oh well, guess that just means it'll be that much more exciting when we come to visit! lol!

Ward CHRiSTMaS PaRTy!

To say I am behind on my blogging would be an understatement! But I blame it on the following: reoccurring illness in all members of the household, Christmas chaos, and being a single parent for the time being! Yep, that sums it up! So if my blogging is spotty for a while, you know why!

Anyway, to catch up a little! We had our Ward Christmas Party on the 5th, Mom and Dad Swain tagged along for the fun. Complete with food, a talent show, Christmas carols and of course Santa! And of course neither one of my kids wanted to get too close to him! Harrison would "talk" to him as long as I was holding him, and there was a candy bribe involved so his heart was softened! He just watched him forever! (This is the ONLY picture I have of either one of my kids with Santa this year!)

Jackson on the other hand was more freaked out by Santa's Elf! He has since decided that writing to Santa is more his style! (This is him sitting on the floor below the stage trying to decide for the second time if he should try it!)

Harrison had a lot of fun entertaining himself and anyone who would watch! Always the cheese! (No, I don't beat my child! He has a big brother for that!) And Jackson, our social butterfly, was anywhere there happened to be kids! We had a lot of fun, and at least they got to see Santa!

PiCTuReS for Patrick

The boys were trying to help me decorate earlier this week, and while doing so they discovered that they fit into the cupboard of my little entry way cabinet! ...This went on and on for about 30 minutes! (Oddly enough, Jackson hates small spaces!)

Harrison has discovered that he can fit in between our basement couches, he just can't get out! I'm not even sure how he got in, but it took me forever to figure out where the whining was coming from! He was sitting down in the hole waiting for help, I didn't find him until he stood up! So I left him there long enough to run and get my camera!

And Jackson said we have to include a picture of the Christmas tree! He "helped" me decorate it! So there you go! (It even has all of the new ornaments on it!)

We love you and miss you and we are sending you a package on Monday! It will have a few surprises in it! :)

Gratitude!

I know Thanksgiving is over, but I need to say some thank yous! I have been overwhelmed with the amount of help and support we are always getting, but especially since Patrick left! I know I have thanked you in person, I just really want you to know how much you mean to me and to all of us! Patrick worries about us a lot. But I think it's pretty obvious that we are in good hands, we have amazing family and friends! I love you all so much!

Thank you to Liseanne for having my kids over and for laughing at Jackson's vocabulary! He's picked up a new word! (Sounds like 'ammit' and starts with a 'd') Thank you Mom for taking the boys for me Sunday so I could teach Primary, and for dinner! Thanks to Lani Hoye for bringing us dinner tonight, and even just for calling! Bless your heart! Thanks to Whitney for hanging out with me into the wee hours of the night talking & making our ornaments, twice! (And to Jake for letting her, involuntarily) Thank you to Angie, who keeps me mostly sane, and for letting Jackson play at your house while I took Harrison to the doctor. And Eric & Kenny for keeping tabs on me and helping me so much! The boys love their uncles and I truly enjoy having you over! A special thanks to our parents! Not a day goes by that you aren't checking on us or offering to help somehow! And thanks to everyone who has called or come over! There aren't words for the gratitude that I feel!

So Patrick if you read this, I meant what I said! We are ok! Better actually, so you don't need to worry so much! I know you will anyway, I just thought it might help to prove you didn't need to! :) And of course, last but not least, thank you! We love you so much and miss you like crazy!

And just for the record, I promise not to blog again until it's about something funny or entertaining! lol!

No, We're NOT Dead

Just more or less dead to the world! lol! We have been battling fever, cough, sinus infection & pink eye(s) for the past couple of days! The good news is I got most of my decorating done before the yuckiness (and by most, I mean everything but tree ornaments) and both boys were doing much better by the end of today (and they are no longer contagious)! Alleluia!

Walking Accident

Unfortunately Jackson had another episode of "catching himself with his face" tonight! He was getting out of the bath, I wrapped him up in his towel and he was headed to his room. Of course he was being wild and of course I warned him, he thought it was way cool that the floor (or rather, his wet feet) were so slippery! And that's when he fell, forward, with his hands wrapped inside the towel...and landed on his poor little face.

Took a chunk out of his lip with his tooth, it bled pretty good too! Turns out he talks funny with a fat lip! (This is his third one in a week!) So I can only hope at this point that someday soon he'll either start to listen to me or he'll learn to use his limbs to protect his head from collisions! I would prefer the first, but I'm not in a position to be picky! (FYI: the bruises on his head are from his little brother!)

*And Dad, I forgot he wanted me to tell you he was brave like a knight, no tears, he even helped clean up the blood!

HaPpY TuRkEy DaY ...Let the Countdown BEGIN!

It has officially been 24 hours since I said goodbye! It doesn't really feel too weird yet, kind of like he is just at work. But he was already home sick when I talked to him last night! I have a feeling it's going to be a long 3 months!

I made a paper chain for Jackson, counting down 'til Patrick gets done with training. I thought it would help Jackson visually understand that he really is coming back, instead of me just telling him all the time! After awhile, he was bound to quit believing me! lol! 88 days and counting. (The paper chain that was placed out of harms way, up high, lived only to see this morning! Unfortunately after breakfast, my boys thought it would be fun to not only pull it down and apart, but stomp on it too! There will be no reviving this one, I might have to start over...or not! Right now, I am still too upset. It actually brought me to tears! I blame my fragile state! lol!)

We got together on Tuesday with the Salisbury family and had pie (early) so Patrick could say his goodbyes! (I need to get pictures from my mom!) It was weird! Usually it's my Dad or brother leaving, so it was odd to be on the other side of things!

And yesterday we spent with the Swain family! Thanksgiving, despite being kind of short, was very good! We had a lot of fun eating ourselves sick and trying to hide our plates from Harrison! (That kid, seriously!) And when the time came everyone got to say goodbye before Patrick & I left for the airport. His composure was cracked only by his boys! (If you know him, you know how important it is to him to appear tough!) I am proud to say I only fell apart when I had to hug him and say goodbye myself! (With no one around to see!)

We have SO much to be thankful for! This year has been strangely unpredictable, but we have been very blessed! I am eternally thankful to all of our family and friends who have been life savers on so many occasions! I can't thank you enough! ... I am so grateful for my boys (all 3 of them), who make me laugh a lot! Jackson for his soft heart, and Harrison for being so soft! lol! I am especially thankful for everything Patrick does for us, and for his willingness to always do it, no matter how much it may suck! And for being my best friend! They love me endlessly, no matter how much I screw up! :) I am also very grateful for our medical insurance! Without which, we would be swimming in medical bills from this year! How fortunate we are! And we hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving too!

It was AWESOME!

I totally gave in and went to see Twilight at 12:20 am Thursday night with my good friends Liseanne and Melissa! There wasn't any line, since we had wristbands, so we got to eat and shop for awhile instead! We lined up around 10:45 and watched the crazy people! We were Team Edward, but secretly I harbor Team Jacob affiliation too! lol! And I have to admit I also dreamt about Edward that night! For the whole 4 hours I actually got to sleep! (We got home around 3:00 am!) It was so good, I am going again this coming Saturday! Thanks ladies for including me, and for the awesome hoodie Liseanne! (I stole the picture from your blog, smart girl remembering your camera!)

Early Christmas!

It turns out Christmas came to more than just the stores before Thanksgiving this year! Our house got hit too! Patrick leaves on Thanksgiving, and since we don't know if he will be home for Christmas or not, he's the lucky dog who got the visit from Santa!

He is going to be kind of confined to his dorm area, so he was in need of some entertainment. He got a book and a magazine, movies and a portable DVD player. Most of it he would have gotten anyway, so I figured it would do him more good to have them now! Jackson was so excited he had to help Patrick open everything! And Harrison just really wanted his picture taken! lol! It was a fun Family Night! (Our last as a complete family for awhile!)

Thanks to everyone who has called or stopped by, your well wishes mean a lot to us! We love you all and really appreciate all of your love and support!

It's Official!

As of next Friday, Patrick is officially the property of the Federal Government! We accepted an offer today for Sonoita, Arizona. It's about a half an hour south of Tucson, so we will probably be living somewhere around Tucson. He leaves Friday the 28th for the academy in New Mexico, and he will be there until the end of February. The boys and I will be here trying to sell the house in the mean time. And there is a possibility that he will be home for Christmas.

We are excited! We believe this will be an exciting change for our family! The timing isn't awesome, but it's good to finally know what is happening and when. The not knowing was seriously stressing me out! Of course, it sucks to have Patrick gone for 3 months starting NEXT WEEK! That was kind of a shock, and extremely quick! It's going to be pretty lonely without him. But it will probably be lonelier for him! lol!

I love him so much and appreciate everything he does for the greater good of our family! The next few months are going to be a little crazy for our little family...so hopefully it is all worth it in the end! ...Wow! A lot can change in a day!

Random Happenings...

My blogging came to a stop for a little while. No major disasters or anything, just the opposite actually! Nothing has been going on, other than what's always going on! My boys are mortal enemies and then best friends all of the time. Always in competition or trouble or everything! But I have to admit, they are pretty stinking funny! Especially together! (These storage carts usually hold stuffed animals, but occasionally they become the best form of entertainment ever! And they have wheels!)

That is me (or rather my butt) at the end of the hall launching my kids at high speeds!

Jackson colored Harrison's eyelids with a pink marker last week! He said he was making him pretty. And of course, we had to go to the store that way, because it took a bath to get it all off! At least he thought he was being nice! And I honestly don't think Harrison put up much of a fight, it was on there pretty straight!

However, their favorite people remain the Chapman kids who were over the other night! This picture made me laugh! The only one who even noticed me or the camera was Harrison. (Of course!)

And as of this morning, both of them are sick! Awesome! Not even with the same thing, which makes very little sense to me, but whatever! ...Our house is still for sale, no bites yet. Although, I am going to get an agent this week. Other than that, November is just going by really quickly!