A visit with Caryn!

Caryn drove over from Florida this Saturday for a spur of the moment visit. We had such a good time hanging out with her and her two girls. It was total chaos, and my house was a complete disaster when all was said and done, but we had so much fun.

See? How could you not have fun when you have these adorable kids to hang out with?


Brinlee and Allison really, really loved Juliet. She wasn't sure what to make of all of the attention.


Juliet gets a smooch from Allison, her biggest fan.


Caryn and Juliet spend some quality time together catching up on celebrity gossip in the newest People magazine.


This is probably a health code and safety violation, but whatever - Brinlee and Scott sit on the kitchen counter and wait for their breakfast:


When you come visit the Swensons, we put you to work. Here, Brinlee vacuums the baseboards and front door.


I wasn't kidding about Allison loving Juliet. She loved the heck out of her.


Scott, Brinlee and Allison in the tub. Cutest kids ever!


Hee - Allison got stuck in the chair. I had to push her through to get her out.


Poor Brinlee in her deflated air mattress on the last night of her visit:


Caryn and I realized we no longer take pictures together; we just take pictures of our kids. Must remedy that situation.

Walking fool!

I managed to snap a few short clips of Scott walking at Gym Rompers today. He was only willing to take a few unassisted steps and wouldn't walk as far as he's been walking in the past, but whatever, we'll take it.

See? That's Michele, his physical therapist, walking with him.




Here are a few (blurry, sorry!) still shots of him playing at Gym Rompers:




And just because I think he's cute with his skinny arms and beer belly, here he is this morning, refusing to get dressed:


I did not snap any pictures of us at the park today, and I will tell you why. Scott ate multiple handfuls of dirt and had mud all over his face, clothing, and in his mouth. And Juliet barfed all over me and my pants and herself. Fabulous.

Chubba bubba

Juliet got a few new diapers in the mail today. Here she is, modeling her aqua Fuzzi Bunz. Isn't she glamorous?






Lest anyone think I am the worst Girl Mom ever, I'll have you know I'm currently having three diapers custom-sewn for Juliet in lavender, pink and periwinkle. We are nothing, if not stylishly diapered.

Check her out! Juliet has been rolling for a few weeks, but now the little stinker pretty much refuses to stay on her back.



She was just about to get in the bathtub when I shot this.

And here she is, during her bath. Isn't she luscious? I just love all her baby chub.


She's 3.5 months old.

Happy (late) Valentine's Day!

In honor of Valentine's Day, we hosted yesterday's playgroup. Which resulted in this:

Actually, this picture doesn't do the mess justice. There were toys everywhere. But the kids had fun, and the moms were able to suck down a few cups of coffee apiece (we're a tired group). So I'd call it a success.

And speaking of Valentine's Day, my husband is the best Valentine ever. I woke up to the most beautiful blue topaz earrings yesterday morning. Let's not talk about what I got him for Valentine's Day (ahem, nothing). But in my defense, the kids aren't the best shopping assistants.

Here's a picture of one of my little Valentines, holding onto my hand and walking around the front yard.


Scott has been "talking" a ton lately, and I think he might be saying "Mama" with purpose on occasion. It is the sweetest sound in the world.

Heehee.

Juliet is laughing! I was eating lunch today (if three pb&j's for lunch is wrong, I don't wanna be right) with her on my lap, and I made some sort of dumb noise, and she laughed. She's been doing it on and off for the past week, but today was the first time I was able to catch it on camera.

Pardon me, making a dork of myself, but one will submit to all sorts of humiliation to amuse a baby.


In not so amusing news, Juliet has also decided she prefers me to all others. While mildly flattering, it is extremely inconvenient. In fact, she got kicked out of the church nursery yesterday for her antics. She was all smiles and dimples and charming the nursery ladies when I dropped her off, and then 20 minutes later, my pager went off in the middle of our Sunday school class. When I went back to check on her, she was yelling at everyone, and the poor nursery ladies were totally frazzled. They handed her off to me, and no lie, she immediately stopped crying and smiled at them. Little stinker. She's also behaving similarly for Travis - getting fussy when he attempts to hold her. I'm not happy about this because - 1. It's frustrating for Travis, and he's starting to get a complex that his kid doesn't like him, and 2. It means she is my permanent hip accessory.

We had a nice weekend. Attended a kiddie birthday party Saturday, complete with bounce house, which Scott absolutely loved. And yesterday we wandered down to the lakefront and stumbled upon some sort of dog carnival thingamabob going on. There were a bazillion dogs there, much to Scott's delight. The kid loves dogs and thinks they're absolutely hilarious.

Also, my niece Christan was visiting this weekend with her sister Ashleigh, which was a treat. Christan is so great with the kids, and Scott loves her to death.

I'm going out for margaritas and Mexican food with my MOMS Club tonight, so Travis will be on his own with the kids. Please, send up some prayers for my poor husband.

Some random pictures...

I grabbed a few pictures of the kids before bedtime tonight. Getting one of the two of them smiling is pretty much impossible. Heck, getting a shot of them sitting next to each other is pretty impossible without somebody being poked in the eye.

Juliet's thinking, I'm not so sure of this guy...


Don't poke me in the eye! she says.


Awwwww! They're holding hands! Well, almost.







Travis and I managed to leave the house and go on a date without any children in tow last night. It was great! Scott missed us so much, he decided to wait up for us until we got home. I know, he's such a thoughtful kid.

Here we are, all dolled up and ready to go out. Pajama-clad kid was not invited along.


Here's a picture I snapped of Travis a few minutes ago, enjoying an evening of television with Tad Smith. They're both pretty cute, I think. Even if Tad Smith is evil.


And here I am, posing with my new Hotsling. Juliet seems to like it. Don't worry, Mom, I won't wear it while I'm cooking dinner (because I would totally hang the baby over the flaming burner and NEVER NOTICE, right?).

She rolls!

Juliet is rolling from back to tummy now! I've been trying to get a good video of it, but she never wants to do it when I have the camera out, little stinker. I was able to capture it this morning, but she got her arm stuck underneath herself and couldn't really complete the move. She's getting better at untangling herself, though.

The chattering you hear in the video is not Juliet, it's her loudmouth brother.



Today is Mardi Gras Day, and we're taking it easy at home. I'm thinking we might eat some Popeye's fried chicken later on to celebrate. We're pretty wild.

Swenson Look-alike Meter

MyHeritage: Family trees - Genealogy - Celebs - Collage - Morph

Swenson Look-alike Meter

MyHeritage: Family tree - Genealogy - Celeb - Collage - Morph

School...

I am excited to report that Scott got into our first choice Mother's Day Out program for the fall! He'll be attending St. Timothy's United Methodist on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9-1. I am so relieved we got him in! Who knew snagging a spot in a MDO program was such a big deal? Apparently, people camp out for these spots, but we were lucky and were able to take advantage of priority registration for church members.

I've heard some great things about St. Timothy's program, and I think Scott will really benefit from it. It seems the more time he spends around other children, the more he's willing to push himself and try new things.

On the Juliet front, it appears I have cursed myself by bragging about her good night sleep. She's been a total pain the past two nights, waking up every hour and a half or so. I'm consuming an entire pot of coffee as I type this, thanks to her new habit. Maybe a growth spurt? She turned 3 months old yesterday - my big girl. She is officially no longer a newborn. *sniff*