The Swanson's House

2011-12-12T07:44:00.001-06:00

Naomi

2011-11-20T20:19:00.002-06:00

Two months

12lbs

One Month 10lbs

3x5 Folded Card

2011-10-23T09:21:00.001-05:00

Little Girl Pink Thank You Card

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Naomi

2011-09-19T08:50:00.002-05:00

While its still fresh in my mind thought I should get this out...

Saturday (Sept 17) I went to Shul with the kids,... Mike had to work. I was not feeling well but I had been having BH contractions for weeks and was just trying to ignore it. That day I also felt sick to my stomach and didnt want to eat at all but I was trying not to make too big of a deal of that. Around 330 I decided I needed to go home and try to relax so we left a little early. I went home.. took a hot bath (which made my back pan subside) and just tried to chill out while watching a movie with the kids and Mike. At eleven we decided to go to bed since Mike had to work Sunday too and I still didnt feel well.

I did manage to fall asleep for about an hour but just after midnight I woke up with the vague idea I had a dream about pushing out the baby. I was wet and honestly thought maybe I had confused the dream and wet myself. But when I stood up from the toilet gush more came out! I wasnt having any contractions yet though. I woke Mike up and started making phone calls. By 1230 the OB had said come to the hospital, the doula was meeting us and conractions were starting. We got checked in just after one. I was about three but contractions weren't too bad yet. By three I had made it to five, my contractions were really bad, my doula was really helping me through this while poor Michael was stuck trying to get Eliana and Nathaniel to go back to sleep. By 430 I was telling the nurse I needed to push, I was 9! Mike had finally had success and was helping me get through the worst parts. At 510 am Naomi was born. She was 8lbs 4oz. I made it with no interventions at all this time!

We did have a bit of a scare a couple hours later with some low pulse/ox readings. She had to go to the NICU for about an hour while the did chest xrays and tested for infections. She passed all the tests and her O2 improved. The conclusion is that I pushed so fast that the fluid wasnt able to completely be squeezed from her lungs.

Nathaniel is Two!

2011-07-22T07:28:00.004-05:00

On the fifteenth Nathaniel turned two. We took him to see Rio (which he lasted through about half of) and let him pick a new toy at ToysRUs. We came home and had cupcakes. I think Nathaniel's favorite part was singing Happy Birthday, he kept signing "more, more"

Six Flags

2011-07-22T07:18:00.002-05:00

We took our annual trip to six flags on the fourteenth. It was completely unplanned which ended up being a lot of fun. The weather was pretty cool (well for this summer it wasnt hitting triple digits) and they had predicted rain that didnt come so the lines were fairly short. There was not much that Nathaniel could ride yet but he defiantly had fun on the few things he could ride. Eliana is still wondering if next year she will be tall enough for roller coasters. We let her play a carnival game and she won a big pink bear! She was very proud.

Happy Fourth Of July!

2011-07-05T09:52:00.002-05:00

On Sunday (the third) we picked up Brian and spent the day in the country with Daniel and Sheila...

after a rough start (four extra kids in the house) we took them all to the backyard pool for three hours

then it started raining and the temperature dropped about 20 degrees.. since it started at 105 it made for a much nicer evening of setting off fireworks and making smores

after a very late night and early morning we drove back to Saint Louis

we blew a tire and had to get a new one... but

we still made it to the Florrisant City fireworks and then put everyone to bed

it was very full but everyone had fun

Yosef is Eleven

2011-05-23T08:38:00.004-05:00

Yosef is 11 today.. I cant quite believe it. Time really does rush by. Yesterday we took him bowling with a couple friends to celebrate.

May...

2011-05-21T20:42:00.006-05:00

So all month I have been saying I would blog more but.. havent really taken the time. So I thought I would just post a few pictures of what we have been doing and try again next week:)
May 4th was Elie's recietal

On the sixth we had lunch with a friend from Bible study that owns a horse farm!

On the 10th we got big news:

I dont have pictures but we also went to Planet Fun, Zoo friends day, the science center, and the Renaissance Fair.

(did I mention we also finished the floors and bought a new van...)

Floors

2011-05-03T10:32:00.003-05:00

So.. to make us happier with staying here.. we decided to take out the carpet in the living/dining room. At our own expense. It was much harder and took much longer than we expected but it is done. We are now working on unpacking all the boxes and re-arranging the bedrooms. I will put up after pictures soon.

Staying

2011-04-07T16:27:00.002-05:00

Well.. since the house we really wanted didn't work out and we didn't find anything we really wanted, we have decided to stay. Yes, there are many things about this house and this neighborhood that we dont like, but, why contract ourselves into staying somewhere we don't love..

And it is financially beneficial to stay put for a while. It is possible by next year we would be able to get traditional financing to buy a home. This means I am unpacking instead of packing but.. I have enough changing this year. I am actually ok with this.

No pool practically in the backyard does disappoint though.. I guess I will have to look for that when it does come time to buy...

Long Day

2011-04-04T21:22:00.002-05:00

As Mike was leaving a bit before 8 this morning he noticed the tire was half flat. He assured me that if I left right away and filled it, it would make it to walmart where we bought the tire with roadside. So I woke up Elie threw everyone in the van and headed to QT. We got air and a few doughnuts and some V8 since I hadn't given everyone a chance to eat. We head to walmart.

Of course the tire didn't make it... so there I am on the left side of the highway. Luckily only half of an hour later motorist assist came buy (Thank G-d for those guys!!!) and changed the ruined tire for the doughnut. We got to walmart around 1030.. about an hour later they called me on the intercom and let me know that the tire was ruined (duh) but we didn't buy it there. I called Mike who was sure he DID. A half hour later they found the tire purchase in their system but.. no roadside. SO... now it is noon and I end buying fast food. Mike calls around and the people with the cheapest tire are actually right by our house~! So we drove back across town and paid for a new tire WITH roadside.. and finally made it home around 330...

Finally heard from the owner that our house offer was rejected (for various crazy reasons) so we have to decide what to do about that

Oh and everything in the deep freezer was thawed so I had to STUFF the small freezer.. I dont know if the kids left the door open this morning or if it stopped working but really did it have to be today?

I then had a dentist appointment at 530 across town so I finally got home from my day around 7 and wanted to go to bed then....

Six Point Eight

2011-01-13T18:23:00.002-06:00

We went for Nathaniel's 18mo checkup today. He is 21.5lbs and 31inches. He is a bit low on the weight and the doctor suggested we add some healthy fats to his diet like whole milk and olive oil. But the stat that we were looking for, that is unique to us, is 6.8, his current lead count. He spiked at over 15 when we were still living in the house that caused the problem. The fact that it has gone down so much in less than a year combined with the fact that he is showing no developmental issues is great. Of course we will never know for sure. Anything he ever does just a bit slower than his peers will give us pause. What if he had never been exposed? I think it is shameful that landlords are allowed to rent places laden with lead paint. Especially considering the government has programs to aid those who cant afford it with lead abatement. It should be illegal no exceptions to rent homes that are poisonous to the residents.

OW!

2010-09-05T10:45:00.002-05:00

Nathaniel learned the word OW! Unfortunately, he says it when hes hurting you. LOL he will walk up, pull Elie's hair and say ow. Now to teach him not to do it:)

New Car?

2010-09-05T10:40:00.002-05:00

Mike got an offer on his car. Not as much as he wanted but I guess we need to be more realistic. So, we took a family trip to the auction yesterday. Mike picked up a 96 minivan for cheap. He is going to seal the deal with his car- kind of sad we have had that car almost as long as we have been married, but we will never really have the money to restore it. He is going to have a mechanic check out the van so we can decide weather to licence it and make it the 2nd family car or sell it, get the money back and try the auction again. Its always a gamble there but our new car is working out very well

The City Museum

2010-09-05T10:16:00.002-05:00

We joined a new home school group recently. We had our first field trip Friday to the city museum, which although pricey was lots of fun. There were tunnels, giant slides, big ball pits,a magic show, craft rooms...
Eliana and I took a rag doll making class but we seem to have lost our dolls:( Now that we know how we will be looking for new scraps and trying to make more.
The new group seems full of friendly people and has lots to do. Once again this year we are facing the full calender and how to trim down outings to make sure we get enough school done. Ironic isn't it, that the objection to homeschool is classically "socialization". We have so many activities I can't possibly do them all.

Moved in Again

2010-08-31T13:20:00.002-05:00

We are two weeks into our new home. I realize I didnt post even once this whole summer but it has felt like its been one VERY long day. We got moved in and unpacked and painted at the house. And the doctor called. Nathaniel had a very high lead count. When it became aparant that the landlord was unwilling to fork over the dough to do an abatment, we packed up and moved... AGAIN. We had to stay in mil's house for two weeks while we searched. We are finally settled (hopefuly for good- we have renewed our commitment to not move for two years) Everyone likes the new house- there is lots of room. Oh yeah there was a new job thrown in there. Maybe I should rename this blog crazy house.

New Examiner title

2010-05-27T18:20:00.002-05:00

Saint Louis Breastfeeding Examiner

I dont live in Springfield anymore, and STL homeschool examiner was taken

Moving`

2010-05-25T22:19:00.002-05:00

The story of this move actually begins last summer. For years Mike had worked from one contract to another, a really bad time would be when it took three weeks to get a new job. Then all of the sudden the economy crashed and he was out of work six months. When he was offered a job in Decatur we couldn't really pass it up. We were tired of moving and went there intending to fully embrace the town. I even started looking for jobs my parents could do there hoping they'd move near us. The only flaw was, we really didn't like it there.
Meanwhile, Michael was trying to work things out with Kelly (Bryan's mom). At first she was fine with modifying visitation, since we were now five hours away and every other weekend wasn't going to work. But then she changed her mind. Barring lots of money (and I mean LOTS) and a friendly judge there really was no forcing her. SO Michael want to his boss and after a few weeks of negotiations got approval to telecommute from the STL area. We had already taken a vacation from both jobs during the second week of May, my parents were also off as we were supposed to visit them. So we went house hunting and found something we liked right away. We packed up, booked a uhaul, and sent my parents a train ticket. Instead of visiting them they would come to us and vacation in STL.
The only problem was... the owner of the house kept postponing meeting to sign a lease. So we came back to look at some other houses on Sat (move in is booked for Monday) and found something, amazingly. Its right near the kid's friends and down the street from a park. Of course the first house was at the bottom of our affordable range and this is at the very top but... we will make it. On Monday afternoon we hit the first glitch, our old landlord who has always been pretty nice decides that he wants to replace all the carpet so he's keeping all of our deposit. Further evidence that while an honest landlord isn't non-existent its rare. But at least hes not trying to get more money out of us so we let it go.
The house hasn't passed inspection so we stay the night with my MIL. All eight of us. We pass two nights which she is asking for payment for (to pay for extra gas and electricity) and in other ways making everyone uncomfortable. So we spend the third night at a hotel (and this is when the uhaul starts racking up fees) We tried doing activities with the kids but even that wasn't that much fun because the car was stuffed with luggage and people and everyone was stressed about how much money we spent. Finally we got to unload the truck on Friday. Saturday we drove my parents back to Kansas City. Sunday, we started cleaning. The last tenants left the place pretty trashed. That's what took so long to get moved in. We are finally getting settled in but, we have gone through all of our savings and we need another vacation!

Head Coverings

2010-04-27T10:42:00.002-05:00

I cover my hair on Shabbat. Some of my freinds do all the time. Some of you have no idea what I am talking about LOL whichever camp you fall in, check out coveryourhair.com
I love their products and have found myself wearing their hair accessories many times when it has nothing to do with religion, they are just nice looking!
Plus if you join their facebook page, they have giveaways all the time just to get the word out about their products!

Recital Day!

2010-04-18T16:03:00.006-05:00

The kids did a small recital as a result of their classes they've been taken since October. The boys have been taking a piano class that is more like an intro to music. They learned basics of hwo to read music, where notes are on the keyboard, etc. They did a small demonstration of what they learned rather than playing a piece onstage. I just took a couple pictures.

Eliana took ballet. First they got on stage and played a game where they dance till the music stops then freeze, then there was an ensemble piece with all the girls in it. I am still figuring out the new camera so this turned out to be like four video clips. Yes, she is the youngest in her class, three was the youngest allowed and she had just turned three when we signed up.

Nathaniel's Laugh

2010-04-05T10:22:00.002-05:00

Nathaniel has the best laugh! He laughs more than I remember any of the other kids doing. I dont know if this is the cause or result of his great laugh, but the older kids have made it there mission to crack him up. They come up with some crazy stuff. Here you see Zach throwing a car into the toy bucket and Nathaniel just cracks up. This went on for about 10 min.

Looong weekend still not over

2010-04-01T11:08:00.002-05:00

We went back to STL for the weekend, first got a very pleasent suprise. My MIL house was very clean and waiting to welcome us.We had a pretty good time. Sat we went to service. On Sunday I took the kids to the Science Center with my MIL On Mon morning I was planning on the zoo but it was a bit chilly. Mike says lets go have the transmission checked (it was pulling a bit after the long drive) and eat brkfst then go. So far so good, our extended warrenty just kicked in so we have to make sure we maintian so they dont have an excuse not to pay. The mechanic says it needs a rebuild and a this and that. but he says dont drive home without fixing the thermostat. Well I know a mehanic here who would do it for much less but Mike calls warrenty to see if its covered and mentions the transmission issue. Now we have to fix it. They wont pay if they know we drove another hundred miles after we heard it had a problem. So then, we cant find a stupid rental, the mechanic has a deal with enterprise for $50 bucks for a van but they wont do a one way, we cant afford to rent the whole week so... my MIL ends up driving us home and turning in the van the next day agggh. Now we are waiting to hear from the mechanic, the warrenty co sent an inspector, they want to get out of paying it since our warrenty just kicked in they are trying to prove we did somthing wrong. If they pay its still like a 500 bill. We should be able to pick up the van tomorrow but of course they wont start till they approve the repair soo who knows when we can go get it the whole thing sucks

Stl for the weekend

2010-03-26T15:15:00.002-05:00

We will be spending this weekend in St Louis and attending Seder at Beit Tefilah, my kids are thrilled

Parenting Thoughts

2010-03-18T16:13:00.002-05:00

This morning I took Nathaniel to a baby play group and was self scolding for letting him mouth the toys wehn I saw other moms diligently taking each toy out of their baby's mouths. I started thinking, am I being irresponsible or just plain lazy. Should I be chasing him around not letting him chew the toys when thats pretty much all he wants to do.
Now, the boys are outside and I wont let them go in the front because I think its safer to be in the back away from the street. They say its too hard to ride their bikes back there.
Is it possible to be too lackadasical and too over protectibe in one day?

Party Failure

2010-03-17T20:51:00.002-05:00

Well its official, my book party was a complete failure. I spent a good amount of time feeling sorry for myself but I am pretty much over it. DOnt think i will be trying again anythime soon though, will stick with other ppl's houses. I think the books are great, they will sell themselves, I will let other ppl find freinds who will show up.

Fish

2010-03-17T13:49:00.003-05:00

Our biggest pet ambition around here, at least for now, is the fish. But, they recently got a home upgrade.

Van- something I am loving

2010-03-17T13:41:00.003-05:00

I am a bit behind here, we bought this van a month ago, but here it is. 2003 Chevy Venture probably the nicest vehicle we have ever owned. Definetly happy with it. I entered it on a list of things I love at tidy mom- check it out.

Party Day

2010-03-17T13:33:00.002-05:00

So.. all week I have been cleaning house and begging ppl to come and now... I am not sure I have any yeses. I only had four to start with and one is sick, one never confirmed, one was a freind of the sick person, and one I still have4 to call and remind, I am a bit nervous she will back out too. Oh well at least I have a clean house

Usborne Books

2010-03-09T10:10:00.002-06:00

Well I have decided to try selling Children's books. I hope it works. I must admit I am a bit nervous since it is based on home shows and individual sales and I have has such a hard time making freinds here. I am exited on one hand because they are neat books and they arent that expensive. I think I could do well, if I can get ppl to come to my house and try it. That is the hitch. I feel like such an outsider here. Now that I have done it I am so nervous no one will respond to me at all cause I just dont have freinds here. oh well, guess I am only out a few bucks if it doesnt work but I am really hoping it will.

Purim!

2010-03-03T21:12:00.002-06:00

MATHATHON!

2010-02-17T22:13:00.001-06:00

Its mathathon time again!!!!

Please support Yosef or Zach this year Thanks

Snow Day

2009-12-30T11:02:00.002-06:00

Channukah 2009

2009-12-23T12:29:00.003-06:00

Mt Vesuvius

2009-11-18T11:30:00.002-06:00

We were studying Pompeii so we made a home-made volcano- I have never done it before next time more red less soap

Favorite Baby toy

2009-11-05T14:28:00.002-06:00

The infantino Jungle play mat holds my interest for about 5-10 min which in Nathaniel time is a looong time.

Fine Arts

2009-09-29T12:42:00.003-05:00

It is an Illinois requirement that they have fine arts in school so the boys are taking piano and Eliana is taking ballet

Moving

2009-08-21T12:22:00.002-05:00

After six months out of work Michael was offered a job that required moving. Thankfully the company paid. We took a couple trips to look for houses and picked out a beautiful one. With the help of my Mom we packed everything up in about a week and got ready to go. The day before the move we got a call saying the house had been sold. We went with our second choice, a house from the same landlord on the same block. I was very upset cause I was just in love with the first house and wanted to eventually buy it but... I have become settled with the house we got and am pretty happy with it. Sunday morning Mike and the movers loaded the truck while I ran errends and some ppl from the congregation helped clean up the yard and basement (the owner of the St Louis house was a freind from the congregation). We finally had loaded up around two and Michael and the boys left. I stayed to clean which would not have gotten done at all if my mother in law hadnt stuck around and helped- mostly she cleaned and I fed the baby. Around three Eliana, Nathaniel and I headed out. We made good time but got stuck on the road for a half an hour behind a horrible wreck. There was a truck and RV completely turned over, we arrived just after it happened before even the emergency vehicles arrived. Later, I made a wrong turn and went about 1/2 hour out of my way. By the time I got to the new house things should have been unloaded but... the movers never came. We had to get a hotel room and the next day we hired day labor and got moved in. Unpacking is going pretty slow with Michael putting in long days and me having a one month old but we are here in Illinois for good now (at least a year lol) we will see how we like it but we really dont want to move again

Eliana turns Three

2009-08-21T10:44:00.003-05:00

We had tickets to the magic house and my Mother was in town so.. we ate at Bob Evan's, went to the magic house, then home for cake and presents. In spite of being in the middle of moving it seems to have gone well.

2009-07-17T14:12:00.001-05:00

We are home

2009-07-17T14:05:00.003-05:00

Too tired to type much-

Bug Bites

2009-06-19T09:55:00.002-05:00

Eli woke up yesterday like this. I took her to the doctor and they said that a bug bit her on the eyelid and she has to take benydrll for a couple days. This morning she could barely open her eye. Hope the swelling goes down soon.

Six Flags

2009-06-16T11:30:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was the day we planned on using our free tickets. When we woke up it was raining pretty hard and then the van didnt want to run. Looked like our day was ruined. We made it to Dobbs where it turned out the van only needed a $20 fix- did you know there is a part on your vehicle called the air snorkel?? Anyway an hour later we decided to chance six flags. I was scared if I didnt go now I would not get to go or have to take a newborn. It turned out to be awesome. The rain mostly cleared up so it was sprinkiling off and on but never got hotter then like 80 degrees. There were no lines for anything the kids got to stay on rides two and three times. We stayed about six 1/2 hours till the kids were done for sure then after stopping for Chinease on the way home got here tired wet and full. Pretty good family day.

June Science Center Homework

2009-06-15T07:44:00.001-05:00

Science Center homework

2009-06-12T17:19:00.002-05:00

Yosef is Nine!

2009-05-31T18:43:00.003-05:00

Time goes so fast! These are some pictures we took of him on his actual birthday. We gave him some kinex leggos and an outdoor game set. We also brought some cupcakes to service so ppl could sing to him. His party wont be till June 7th, we've invited some boys to sleep in a tent in the backyard- should be fun.

Scout Crossover

2009-05-31T18:40:00.001-05:00

Yosef is now a Weblo and Zach is a Bear.

The Joys of Having a Backyard

2009-05-31T18:38:00.001-05:00

Just some random pictures taken in the backyard.

First Haircut

2009-05-09T23:46:00.002-05:00

Not too dramatic but arent the bangs cute!~

Feller Cake Bake

2009-04-28T13:17:00.004-05:00

These are the cakes Micheal made with the boys for the boy scout Feller Cake Bake. Zach won most colorful for the waterfall. Both boys got decent bids out of the auction and most importantly everyone had fun. This was our first time as last year it fell right on with Passover. We definetly learned for next year plan ahead!

Field Trips

2009-04-28T13:04:00.004-05:00

Last Tuesday was our regular science center day but there were several school field trips there which always makes it rougher. The class this month was on plants so we should be planting a garden late this week to go with that. The boys did lego mindstorms and had lots of fun. Friday we went to the Zoo as a family. Apparently Earth Day meant every school withing 100 miles was going to the zoo that day. It took us almost an hour to park, but we persevered and everyone had fun. Then we went to Turtle Playground- an excellent picture opportunity but I was so worn out we didnt stay long. On Sunday, while I had to work :( the rest of the family went with boy scouts to the Daniel Boone House. I havent ever been there and I dont have any pictures but I hear it was lots of fun.

Springfield Illinois

2009-04-17T20:21:00.002-05:00

So this looks like a pretty nice place to live. Of course I dont like the idea of the actual moving but the benefits at this job are really good- we will see if we get it and then worry about it. I have some Lincoln home pics here. We didnt have time to do as much as I thought we would so when we are solvent again (if we arent living there) we will make another trip to Springfield.

Pesach Weekend

2009-04-16T16:38:00.004-05:00

My parents came Thursday night for the Seder. On Friday we went to the Science Center and on Saturday we went to the Zoo. I love living near all this free stuff!

New Swanson

2009-03-19T14:45:00.003-05:00

Ok, Ultrasounds dont scan well but... its a boy! You will all just have to visit me and see the pics up close- if you click on it you can see a bigger version

New House

2009-03-17T10:01:00.002-05:00

We are in a new house and all moved in. It only has two bedrooms and soon to be four kids but... at least we can afford it. Right now we are living on unemployment so that is a bit of a drag. The job market is SO much worse than last time we had to do this- the longest Mike has ever been out of work is one month and we have already passed that and no prospects. It is pretty scary. We did get an old junker van with the last of our tax money so we are mobile Yeah.

Moving

2009-02-09T10:12:00.002-06:00

OK, after the previous nightmare trying to buy a car... we fixed our fuel pump. Unfortunately that left us broke and car less. The engine block is cracked. OK so now we are stuck at home. Not so fast, we are late with the rent, again. Ever since Mike was laid off and got a new job (at a significant pay cut) we haven't been able to afford to pay on time. The landlord gave us two weeks to clear out. Out of the blue, someone in our congregation offered a home for rent. It is much cheaper. It is much smaller but.. who cares we have nowhere else to go. It has a big yard so we will be OK. So, we must move and fast. Our lives just keep getting crazier, and we still need a van- anyone out there in the vast space of the Internet want to give away a minivan? lol

Snow Day

2009-01-31T08:47:00.005-06:00

After a week of everyone being sick, the snow lasted long enough for everyone to play. There were some very happy kids in this house

Buying A Car

2009-01-25T11:09:00.002-06:00

Our fuel pump went out last week. It cost more than we have to fix. Our van has lots of miles but we cant just offload it cause we still owe on it. So we had the brilliant idea to trade it in. What a nightmare! We have bad credit so, after spending all day on the phone with dealers wanting them to run my credit I found two to work with. I got some outright nos but what suprised me was the number of dealers who wouldnt run my numbers untill I dragged my kids down there and picked out a car- really why waste everyones time? So then I pick the first deal. We agree, everything is done, Michael stops by after work to sign and pick up the van. Except, now they want 3500 more than we agreed to- are you kidding? I have invested hours on the phone, negotiating,working on my budget, seeking advice both financial and spiritual. This was supposed to be a done deal and now we are at square one. So, we go to dealer number two, we have to borrow money from a relative against our tax return for a down payment but... we make a deal. We sign, we bring in proof of income, we go to pick up the van and once again they want more money. Is this how all car dealers work? I used to think the used guys with the super high interest (like where we bought our van) were jerks but I have changed my tune. Those guys are honest. Yes, they charge you up to double the actual price of the van, but they tell you so. They basically say listen, your credit sucks, but I will sell you somthing anyway, you just have to pay a premium. I would definetly prefer that to the wheeling, dealing, and outright lies I experienced with the "legitimate" new dealers. I have decided that unless I am absolutely stranded I will be waiting untill I have good enough credit to get a loan directly from the credit union. I pray I never have to deal with that again. It was awful. As I type, Michael is trying to fix the van himself. Pray for him as he is not a mechanic and I worry about him out in the snow trying to work on the gas tank.

Week 14, Day One

2009-01-16T10:09:00.002-06:00

Went to the doctor today and heard a nice strong heartbeat. Everything looks good.

Magic House

2009-01-16T10:06:00.002-06:00

Channukah Visit

2009-01-16T09:59:00.002-06:00

Meet the Latest Swanson

2008-12-19T13:22:00.000-06:00

Due to arrive July 15, 2009

Zach is Seven!

2008-12-15T09:04:00.004-06:00

Zach is turned seven on Wednesday but I had to work so we had a little family party on Friday. First we had his gourmet meal of hot dogs, mashed potatos with gravy , and brocolli and carrots with cheesesauce. Then we went to the omnimax at the Science Center and saw Harry Potter. Then home for Scooby Doo chocolate cake and presents. Bubbe bought him a Bible and we got him a couple books and a keyboard. He was a pretty happy little guy. I cant belive how old he is!

In Praise of the Patch

2008-12-08T10:59:00.001-06:00

Michael hasnt had a cigarette in a week

Science Center Day

2008-11-25T10:09:00.001-06:00

Pool and Pizza Party

2008-11-13T09:02:00.003-06:00

What you get for showing up at reading club every week.

Simchat Torah

2008-11-03T09:16:00.002-06:00

Math A Thon- Due this week please help

2008-10-20T07:57:00.003-05:00

Math-A-Thon is a fun and educational fundraising program for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Participating students obtain sponsorships from family and friends to work math problems. These problems can be completed in either a printed funbook or online. After students complete the math problems, they collect the pledges from their sponsors.
No one is against helping kids with cancer right? My kids think its so cool they are helping sick kids. I am glad they are learning math and selflessness. I think its a great program. If you can donate a couple bucks that would be great. They each have their own link, I try to keep it about even between the boys but all the money goes to St Jude so its not that important which link you use.
Zach
https://waystohelp.stjude.org/sjVPortal/public/displayUserPage.do?programName=mathathon&eventId=5899&userId=16659
Yosef
https://waystohelp.stjude.org/sjVPortal/public/displayUserPage.do?programName=mathathon&eventId=5899&userId=16058

Day at the Zoo

2008-10-17T10:14:00.003-05:00

We went to the zoo Friday to get in one last visit before the temperature dropped and the animals all were hiding inside.

More KC pics

2008-10-17T09:56:00.003-05:00

Just a sampling- going to

Kalediscope, baking Challah with Bubbe, fishing with Zayde at Deanna Rose farms. We had lots of fun on our visit, but you can only fit so many pictures in one post.

other wedding pics

2008-10-07T10:08:00.001-05:00

The Newest Mr and Mrs Sherwin

2008-10-07T10:02:00.001-05:00

We Win- I guess

2008-09-26T09:27:00.002-05:00

We won our court case by default. The real estate company didnt show up. While this means I now have a judgement in an amount to make moving rather smooth... I now have to figure out how to get the money, something tells me it wont be easy

Princess Underwear

2008-09-24T11:41:00.002-05:00

Eli found a pair of training pants and crown under the couch when we were cleaning. She decided she needed both of them on over her sleeper. It was too funny not to take a picture.

Childhood Dreams

2008-09-24T11:39:00.002-05:00

Michael always wanted to play baseball as a child. He wasnt allowed. So, he joined some the work softball team. Now he says he feels old.

Science Center Day

2008-09-24T11:24:00.004-05:00

The Science Center Class this month was math- fun and educational but not a great photo op, so here are some other pictures from the SC adventures that day.

Playing at the Mall Playground

2008-09-15T11:28:00.002-05:00

In cases of bad weather we often go to the inside mall playground. Since the Texas storm hit St Louis this weekend we were inside.

Just so you know, I think the boys are just as cute as Elli but, they dont sit still long enough to have their pictures taken.

Ellie recieves Bubbe's B-day Present

2008-09-11T16:40:00.002-05:00

The Beauty Queen applies lipstick with all six bows in her hair.

Teacher Speak

2008-09-09T09:58:00.001-05:00

I have read that this is a conservative and sometimes contraversial comic strip- I dont know- I havent read it before but- these are funny.

Math A Thon- Please Donate

2008-09-04T12:10:00.002-05:00

No one is against helping kids with cancer right? My kids think its so cool they are helping sick kids. I am glad they are learning math and selflessness. I think its a great program. If you can donate a couple bucks that would be great. They each have their own link, I try to keep it about even between the boys but all the money goes to St Jude so its not that important which link you use.

Zach

https://waystohelp.stjude.org/sjVPortal/public/displayUserPage.do?programName=mathathon&eventId=5899&userId=16659

Yosef

https://waystohelp.stjude.org/sjVPortal/public/displayUserPage.do?programName=mathathon&eventId=5899&userId=16058

Grant's Farm

2008-09-03T14:21:00.002-05:00

Due to cutback hours this was the only time we could make it there all year. But Yosef got called up during the animal show for the "rat race" as you can see the volunteers are the track, they also fed the goats and visited the other animals and of course Mom and Dad got free beer- it was fun.

Communism in the Bible

2008-08-30T21:15:00.002-05:00

I was watching Fiddler on the Roof tonight with the boys. We went to see it live but Eliana couldnt make it through the whole show so we only saw half, now we are watching the movie. Anyway, I was newly amused at the line about the Bible teaching through Lavin and Jacob that we should never, never trust an employer.

Food Chains

2008-08-28T12:50:00.003-05:00

Ancient Greece

2008-08-28T11:31:00.004-05:00

We made Greek pottery today. It is hard to find an activity to go along with Aristotle. They arent very big cause I didnt have much clay but it was fun anyway.

Decision

2008-08-27T00:16:00.002-05:00

The first job called back and offered a permanent position. We have decided to accept. Although rather a serious paycut it does have benefits and permanence. BJC wanted a week to decide and it was only a contract position. It means a lot of reorganizing. Probably moving closer to the city, trying to find a car with better gas mileage, I am not sure about my job- the schedule probably has to change but we will see what happens.

BJC

2008-08-25T15:55:00.001-05:00

Phone interview today went very well. Real interview tomorrow at 8am- this is the dream job! Keep it in prayers.

Job----

2008-08-23T20:12:00.002-05:00

Well... after much discussion, opinion seeking, and prayer we made a decision. It may not conform the most to human reason but it is what we feel G-d has told us to do. Micheal is going to take the job if they will hire him directly. If they want to go through the contract process he is going to pass. This may seem crazy to some but it is time for us to settle down and this is the path we feel led to.

Will update you all soon

Job

2008-08-22T08:00:00.001-05:00

Ok they are still going to offer the job. But now we arent sure we want it. There were some drawbacks in the first place and now he has had a lot of other interest (interviews not offers) and we arent sure he should settle, especially after this strange episode.

Sue

2008-08-20T18:36:00.002-05:00

In other news... we filed a small claim today for our security deposit from the last place we lived. They refuse to answer phone calls or letters in any form. Our court date is Sept 25th.

Job or No Job???

2008-08-20T18:28:00.002-05:00

As you know Michael's job ended last Thursday. In a seeming answer to prayer he got a job offer Monday afternoon. While we were celebrating and deciding how to juggle things untill a first paycheck of Sept 12th, we got a call. The company does IT stuff for the justice dept. They of course did a background check and dug up an arrest report from when Michael was 17, no conviction or anything jsut arrest. So we headed down to the police records department to figure out what this was all about. In August of 1994 a relative of Mike's- someone with his uncles name, his grandfathers birthday, and no one's social reported that Michael stole $400 and a gun. In May 1995, he was "booked" and questioned. The report says he blamed it on ppl all over town and said that he could find the gun again. Michael doesnt remember any of this and isnt even sure it was him and not a cousin or brother or somthing using his name. So, anyway now we dont know if he has the job cause they are acting like it is some big deal. The company says he was trying to hide somthing, although I dont think most ppl would report an arrest that never went anywhere.

As Promised Science Center Pictures

2008-08-20T13:43:00.001-05:00

Yom Huledet Same'ach!

2008-08-16T20:50:00.001-05:00

Cake at Torah Study! I wanted a picture of everyone singing to her but my camera had bum batteries:(

Horton Hears A Who

2008-08-15T20:56:00.000-05:00

We saw this yesterday for the first time. It was the last free movie of the summer so I splurged and let the kids get popcorn and soda from the theater instead of taking in home made snacks. I was sick all day.I heard that this was an anti-homeschool movie. There is one line at the beggining where the "sour-kangaroo" who has been turned into a closed minded facist in the movie says thats why I pouch school but it didnt bother me that much. It was a bit all over the place first we should belive Horton because he is a persons a person...., but then there are scenes where all the kids are making up their own worlds on clovers and the kangaroo is anti-imagination. And the vulture is supposed to hurt Horton instead of just get rid of the clover, All of this led me to the conclusion that.. the beauty of Suess is a complex message in a simple book and it just should be streched so much. I didnt like Cat in the Hat and I thought this movie was just mediocre, some things should just stay on the page and in our heads.

She is Two!

2008-08-13T15:36:00.000-05:00

Eliana wanted to swim for her birthday Monday. This is a picture of her in her swimmingsuit last year and this year. She is growing too fast!