Lucky #7

Seven years ago, Patrick and I were married at 7:20 am in the Salt Lake City Temple.
It makes me laugh to look at pictures, we look like kids! It also makes me think about how much I loved him then, thinking I couldn't possibly love him more than I did at that moment. ...We'd known each other for 6 months... I was a crazy person! haha. But with every year that passes, I really do love him more and more! He is my person! This past year has been a big one for us, and has brought us so much closer together! We are stronger and braver than we ever thought we could be! We are good together... and good for each other! I'm so glad I suckered him into marrying me! :)

For our anniversary this year we went on a real date a few days early while Patrick's mom and dad were in town. Cheesecake Factory and Clash of the Titans. It was unbelievably great to go out together just the 2 of us! And to celebrate the actual day... we partied pretty hard with our crew! All 5 of us got to go out to...

Yep, that's how we roll people! And I'm totally ok with that! Breakfast for dinner and no wait! lol! We actually had a lot of fun! Plus, I got to go with the cutest stinkin people I know!

The BIG Kinder Kid

We did it! Jackson is registered for Kindergarten! ...And the pictures say it all! :)

He got his shots the morning before registration, he tried really hard to be brave! They couldn't do them in his arms because he is a little on the 'slim' side... so the legs took one for the team! He did cry and it was rough, but to his credit, I have NEVER seen a pediatric nurse give shots so SLOWLY! Oh my word! Really? He already knows it's coming, is torture really necessary? All things considered, I was SUPER proud of him! (And so was Harrison, who was unfortunately in the room for said torture. Harrison has decided he will not be going to school if shots are involved!)

Later that day I got to take him over to the school for a tour. He got to meet some of the teachers and see the office and a few of the classrooms, along with the playground. He also got to get on a bus for a bit. (He has officially decided he is going to ride the bus! The jury, however, is still out on that one.) He could NOT have been more excited! :) I'm freaking out a little bit, which I did not expect, but I am also VERY excited for him! And I couldn't be more grateful that he is excited!

His poor legs were so sore, he limped around the whole time. But it didn't slow him down or dampen his excitement! He was a trooper! To finish off the day, he got an ice cream shake! Of course the idea was to reward him for being brave at the dr., but he insisted we get one for Dad and Harrison too. So we did. He has a big heart, this one. We love him to pieces!

Here's to being on top of the world, even if you are the little guy on the totem pole! :)

The FRO... Continued

Handsome Harrison and his hair! It gets us a lot of attention, everywhere we go. People are always touching it!

Why would we let it grow out? ...Because it's freaking hilarious! I actually think his fro is more impressive than the curls! haha. Not many white boys can get their hair to do this....

#28

Happy Birthday to me! :) It was a happy one for sure! As much as I hate that I am that much closer to 30, it really didn't bother me as much as I thought it would! haha. It sort of helps that I was spoiled rotten! Our friends had us over on Tues. night for dinner and cake, it was delish! (And especially nice of them to throw me a party!) Patrick worked Wed. morning, but came home a little early with cake and ice cream and flowers! Woot-woot! :)

And then he topped it off with take out from Olive Garden! I love it when I don't have to cook! haha.

We had a fun night together.

I had to put this pic in there too because it's hilarious! Harrison apparently thought that "three" meant he could blow them out! And he barely made it to three! lol! And last but not least... my grand finale... the present I have been waiting and begging for... MY VINYL MACHINE! Yes, he bought it for me! (It also counts for our anniversary and Mother's Day but I SO DO NOT CARE!) I was so excited when it came I might have peed a little! haha! It was the best birthday ever! :) Thanks to all of my friends and family who sent birthday wishes and cards! You are the best!

Fun with Grandma & Papa

We love it when Grandma and Papa come to visit! The kids get SO excited! So it was a little sad this time around when everyone got sick! (Except for Jackson!) Luckily, they didn't mind too much. And since Jackson was lucky enough not to get contaminated somehow, he got to go to the Air & Space Museum with Grandma and Papa all by himself! :) And of course... he LOVED it! Later in the week when Harrison was doing better, they got to take a trip to The Zoo as well! Grandma and Papa spoiled them rotten! The Zoo is probably their favorite place on the planet! :) I think it's because they feel the most "at home" there! :)

It was Papa's first time meeting Reagan... and I think she found a little soft spot in his heart! :)

We loved having them here and are excited to see the again soon! It's a long trip and we always appreciate them making it! Thanks for all of the fun and all of the help! We love you tons!

HaPPy EaSTeR!

Our Easter festivities lasted almost the whole week. We started it by coloring eggs with Grandma and Papa. A couple days later we had a "hunt" for eggs in the house (Harrison was still kind of sick). The eggs were empty, the goal was to find all of them and get a prize. (Ya, no candy for sick kiddos either.)

But they loved their prize! It was Flarp, the putty that makes farting noises! :) Thanks to Grandma and Papa for all of the fun! It was great to have something fun for them to do, especially since we were stuck in the house a lot! :)

And then there was Easter morning and their baskets! They were VERY excited about everything! This is them playing their new fishing game! :) I really loved that we had Conference on Easter! I really enjoyed being able to watch and listen to the things that were being said, and having it feel like the holiday was really about Christ! We had a lot of fun over the course of the week, it was the perfect spiritual end for all of it! And after the couple of weeks we had had, I have to say I liked that it just made me feel better about everything! :) Happy Easter everyone!

The Swain Gang!

We finally got a pretty good picture of all 5 of us! Yeah! Harrison wouldn't look at the camera, but he was smiling so close enough! :)

The Blessing

Reagan Leigh Swain was lucky enough to be blessed this week by her dad. He was a little nervous, but he did an amazing job. It was wonderful! (I'm very grateful to have this man in my life! And for the honor and respect he has for the priesthood. I hope our kids understand someday how lucky they are to have him as their dad!) Reagan has had an interesting effect on him, she is most definitely the apple of his eye! And probably the only person in the world who can turn him into mush! :) We had planned to do it this past Sunday, but with the already mentioned issues, we ended up doing it Tuesday night with a small group of people we love. We weren't sure when we would have the chance to try to do it on another Sunday, Patrick's schedule is tricky and we have had a hard time keeping everyone healthy enough to go to church. So it was small... and special! Just like her! :)

She looked beautiful! And we were glad that Grandma and Papa could be here for her special day too! (She wasn't too happy about the pictures though! So when she is feeling better and back to her normal happy self, we will take some of her all dolled up!) Her little white dress. :)