My Sweet Girls

I love the days where you see your kids shine and you wonder if you might be doing something right! (There are many days in between where you second guess your parenting skills and wonder how to find more hours in the day to teach more lessons and skills.)

I love Kaci's teacher. She always finds something to praise Kaci about when I pick her up. I never feel that she is sugar coating things, or saying things just to talk. The things she says are genuine, and always make me feel good. (Well, there was the one day when she praised Kaci's soccer goalie abilities. She said she came up with a great new strategy, and that was to lay the goal down so that balls couldn't be kicked in and cross her arms and smile a smug smile... that might have been a little sarcastic!) Today, she told me that Kaci is the only kid who can tie her shoes. Not only does she tie her own shoes, but other kids go to her to tie theirs. I love that she is so willing to help other people.

Shanna is always the underdog. She gets ignored and passed over because her younger sisters need more attention and yell louder. Yet, she is always quietly helping, and never asks to be noticed for her contributions. The one constant thing that I hear from each one of her teachers is how kind she is to her classmates, and how enjoyable she is to be around.

Now, for little Sara... well, maybe it is her age, and maybe it is because she is child #3, but she is definately a firecracker. She likes to kick the fake pumpkin on our coffee table like it is a soccer ball, sneak up the stairs when no one is looking, bite my cheek when I am expecting a kiss. BUT, at the same time, she loves to be read to, loves to snuggle and watch TV, and is AMAZING at her phonics. She knows what sound every letter makes. (I won't even get started on how annoying the movie is that she screams about if we don't watch EVERY time we are in the car.)

My kids are such a joy. They might wear me out, and I want to check out instead of doing laundry and dishes and bedtime, but it only takes a sweet voice to say "I love you Mommy" or a sweet sleepy snuggle to charge my batteries enough to make it through another day.

I am so blessed!

Happy Birthday, Sunshine!

To my sweet Kaci:

You are sweet, happy, spunky, silly, groovy, beautiful, graceful, cute, adorable, stylish, innocent, trusting, sweet natured, and I can't believe I am lucky I am to be your Mom! You bring me so much sunshine and joy every day. I hope you feel my love every day. Thanks for making me so happy every time you smile! I can't believe it was 5 years ago that I held you for the first time. You have grown up so fast, and are such a smart and beautiful girl.

You are so special to me!

Love, Mommy

Monday Morning, 9:15

I think I am becoming too much of a perfectionist to blog anymore. I keep thinking I need to get Kaci's first day of school pictures up before I can blog anything else... When I go to edit those, I think about how I still haven't given the grandparents a single framed picture of Sara to hang on their wall so I start editing a picture of her to print. Then I remember that I need to start laundry, then I see a dirty countertop that needs cleaned...

As I started writing this, I was putting Sara down for a nap. It is a rainy Monday morning. Shanna doesn't have school, Kaci does. The dishes are done, bills are paid, 3/5 of us have eaten breakfast, laundry is started, baby is now asleep and I am headed downstairs for a quick workout. How's that for a random update?

First Day of 4th Grade!

Shanna started 4th grade today. She was excited, but really nervous. I hope her day is great and she comes home with a big smile! Kaci misses her, she was asking at 9:30am if Shanna's school was almost over. I miss having her here too, but am excited to have her back in school and get our routine back in order again. Dance started this week also, we will be busy busy!!

I was looking back at her previous first day of school pictures, and I can't believe how fast she's growing up!

4th Grade

3rd Grade

2nd Grade

1st Grade

Kindergarten

She informed me that she is already half way to being in college... Is there any way to slow down the next 9 years?? Sweet girl, stop growing up so fast!

Summer Fun.. Swenson Style

Washing the dog...

I love these people... and the dog.. (the dog most of the time, the people all of the time) I love seeing my kids being able to experience moments like this. Look at this hot man who is their Daddy!!!

Summer fun also means letting child #3 stuff her mouth full of chocolate.... fully knowing it will stain your clothes. She is enjoying it though!

Oh my sweet Kaci... she got to be "Bat Girl" at Shanna's softball game tonight. She was so proud... and so cute!! Notice the chocolate on her face too!

Sara was fussy, so Shanna gave her an old binkie. Sara loved playing with it...

She especially loved the challenge of picking it up off the floor with no hands!

Sara loves flowers!

This summer has been crazy, busy and also fun. We have been swimming lots, biking, taking care of our garden and flowers and looking forward to a weekend in the mountains!

Money, Spiders and Butterflies

We took the girls to Denver today for a tour of the US Mint. I have no pictures, because along with purses, strollers and bottles, cameras were not allowed. I guess if I was responsible for $80 billion worth of gold, I would take precautions like that too.

We didn't even bring our good camera which was a bummer because we went to the Butterfly Pavilion after our tour. It would have been so sweet to photo the girls' faces as the butterflies flew around them.

We did however snap a few pictures with our grainy cell phone camera of Kaci and Rosie. Who is Rosie? Rosie is the tarantula who lives at the Butterfly Pavilion. You get a sticker if you hold Rosie. I don't know where Kaci gets her sense of adventure, but she was the only one who wanted to hold Rosie. I love that she's up for trying anything. She wasn't scared, and even went back to hold Rosie again.

Sara might end up being adventurous like Kaci because she was reaching for Rosie. I didn't think pictures of a one year old holding a tarantula would be very appropriate though. We'll let her hold Rosie next time maybe.

Summer's Here!!

I have been so bad at keeping my blog up to date. I don't seem to sit down until I fall into bed at night. I have been wanting to post pictures of the last few months, so here's the quick (meaning sitting and editing a slide show for the past hour) way of showing them off!

Shanna turned 9, (I need to get the pictures off the other computer to post of her parties)We had crazy end of the school year events. Field trips, days at the park, Kaci's preschool graduation (kind of... she isn't quite old enough for Kindergarten next year) Shanna's last day of school, Sara started walking and then turned one... Every day has been full of adventure!

I am still trying to settle into a good Summer routine. I feel like I am either too lazy or too much a Drill Sargent. I am loving having the girls here, especially Shanna. I feel like I never get to see her during the school year. We have been riding bikes and hoping for nicer weather so that we can swim lots.

Happy Summer!

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