The Swapp Family

Snow 2012

2012-01-27T11:57:00.000-08:00

These pictures were taken the first day it snowed last week. The kids had a blast and we couldn't keep Tatum from eating the snow. We just told her not to eat yellow snow. Ty and Tatum loved sledding and building snowmen all week long. Brady loved the snow, would laugh when it hit his face.

Tubes

2012-01-27T11:51:00.000-08:00

Brady got tubes put in his last Friday in hopes to eliminate the constant ear infections. He was so cute in his little hospital hat and gown.

Dear Ty,

2012-01-21T15:42:00.000-08:00

Dear Ty,

I can't wait for you to look back at this post when you are 30 to see what you were doing when you were 5. You are such a Swapp! You don't like change and love the same routine everyday. You eat a PB & J sandwich everyday for lunch and a waffle in the morning with LOTS of syrup. You don't like your food touching, thank goodness for plates that are already segmented. You are obsessed with Star Wars and Transformers. I never thought that I would know so much about Star Wars.

I took you to your 5 year check up this week and everything looks great. You are still long and lean, 40lbs (50th) and 3ft 10 inches (95th). In the last few months you have been really interested in learning about baseball, football and basketball and the scores of the games.

Some of the things that you have done this past year:

learned to ride your bike without trainings wheels this summer, it took you two times
Can count by 1s, 10s, and 2s
Can read the first two sets of Bob books and have started the 3rd set
Love playing XBox Kinect at your Papa and Grandma Maggie's house
Love your baby brother and your sister is your best friend
Can drive us nuts with how particular you are about everything
Can write simple sentences
You twirl your hair when you are stressed or tired
You love spending time with all of your grandparents
You need to be reminded several times in the morning to get dressed which drives your mommy nuts when I am trying to get you to preschool on time!
You always ask, Right mom? Right Dad? Which was cute at first but is now get somewhat annoying but we still love you!
You love spending time with your cousins and look up to Kaeden

We love you so much Ty!

Love,

Mom and Daddy

Brady: 8 months

2012-01-02T21:19:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that Brady is four months away from being one! He is the most cuddliest, content baby still. He is not on any sort of schedule and a terrible sleeper. He has two teeth, can move around the room by burrowing and rolling. He can go from laying on his tummy to sitting up and has recently started clapping. I just love this baby stage and it is just so fun everyday with him because he learns and does something new everyday. He still weighs 21 lbs, he actually lost a few ounces this month. I maybe looking through mommy vision glasses but Pat and I are pretty sure he says mama and dada and is actually referring to us.

Preschool Christmas Program

2012-01-02T20:16:00.000-08:00

Ty and Tatum had their Christmas program for the preschool a couple of weeks ago. It was so fun having both the kids sing together on the stage. Ty did an excellent job singing and Tatum, well...she was really nervous and put her hands in her mouth the whole time. They loved that their Papa Swapp, Grammers and Papa Turkey were there to watch them.

Christmas 2011

2012-01-02T20:11:00.000-08:00

We had several family Christmas gatherings this year. With three kids I was a little busy and ended up not taking many pictures. The kids had so much fun spending time with family, opening presents and they loved helping Brady open his.

On Christmas morning Ty was so patient. He woke up at 6am and both Pat and I were exhausted because Brady had another ear infection and was up almost the whole night crying so we made Ty wait open hisp presents. He sat out in the living room until 7:30 scoping out the presents. Finally Tatum woke up and they were able to open presents and sing Happy Birthday to Jesus over and over again.

this and that fall 2011

2011-12-10T16:23:00.000-08:00

It has been so nice not to have to work this year. I was supposed to go back to teaching this week but I decided about a month ago that it is more important for me to stay home with my kids. It really does go fast and I don't want any regrets when it has to do with my kids, especially the time I spend with them. Because I am not teaching kindergarten this year I have wanted to do so much more hands-on and crafty things with my kids. They have enjoyed it. Ty is even asking when we are going to do the next craft. Tatum and I made applesauce, she peeled every single apple. I thought she would get bored after a couple of apples, nope!

We have had great Fall weather, it's been cold but the kids don't care. They go and play in the driveway and they get their camping chairs out and laugh and have this little pretend world.

I love pinterest. I don't have a lot of Christmas decorations so I thought I would have the kids make some this year. They had so much fun making these canvas paintings. We also did hand print ornaments that were so simple and turned out really cute!

This past Friday our town had a Walking in the Winter Wonderland at Washington Park. It was perfect weather: cold, no wind and NOT Raining! This was the first year they put on this event and it was a huge success. There was free candy canes, hot chocolate, cookies and smores.

Here is the lady, who is also my best friend here in A-town that put on this wonderful event. Great job Nicole, the Swapp family had a blast and can't wait to attend next year!

We enjoyed the evening with the Kerr family, they know how to have a good time!

It is so nice now that my kids will do an activity more than 5 minutes. We made gingerbread houses. I usually make them with graham crackers but this year I caved and bought the kit and I am so glad! I love how the house comes put together and it has the grooves to show you wear to put the frosting.

They did such a good job taking their time this year, they ended up really cute.

Tatum of course kept eating the candy, that girl loves her sweets!

Christmas Tree 2011

2011-12-10T16:08:00.000-08:00

We went to the Berry Barn to get our Christmas tree this year. It was super easy and a lot of fun. The kids picked out the tree in less than 5 minutes, it ended up being really short but oh well. Ty enjoyed helping daddy cut it down. They also got to see Santa! Tatum just loved sitting on Santa's lap and telling him that she wants an Easy Bake Oven, Ty told him he didn't care what he wanted and Brady was mesmerized by the man. When we got home the kids decided they wanted to decorate the tree with their toys and Tatum's clips. They were a little bummed when I told them they had to take them off. I just love this time of year!

Brady: 7 months

2011-12-10T16:01:00.000-08:00

My little baby is not so little any more. He is 21 lbs and wears 12-18months clothes. He still the easiest baby but he is a horrible sleeper at night. Some nights he wakes up once, other nights he could wake up six times. He started eating baby food a few weeks ago and no surprise, he loves ALL food. I even made some baby food and he gobbled it down. He got his first tooth two weeks ago. Unlike like his brother and sister, he doesn't bite down while nursing, thank goodness! Brady has started to move. He crawls kind of like an inchworm that burrows, it is quite funny. Brady continues to be very loud, talks constantly and drools a ton!

Ty's 5th Birthday

2011-12-04T19:04:00.001-08:00

It is hard to believe that it has been five years since Ty was born. This year we allowed Ty to invite friends from preschool so we had his birthday party at a local gymnastics place. He had a great time with his friends. They were able to run, jump in a foam pit, hang and swing on things.

Sibling Love!

2011-11-06T21:22:00.000-08:00

meeting up with an old friend

2011-11-06T21:19:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago my sister and I met up with an old friend from elementary school, Darin. She is one of the nicest people and she just had her first baby, Dylan. He was so sweet and it was so neat to see her as a mom! My parents had a great time catching up and reminiscing about the good old days!

optimus prime and a little cupcake

2011-11-06T21:14:00.000-08:00

Ty was Optimus Prime for Halloween along with every other boy his age and Tatum was a cupcake. The both loved their costumes. They both had Halloween parties and preschool and then we went downtown trick or treating at the local businesses with the Johnstons and then we went to their house for dinner and more trick or treating. The kids had a great time and I think Halloween is Tatum's new favorite holiday, she thought it was great that people were just giving her candy! We carved our pumpkins the day before Halloween and luckily the kids didn't ask for much with their carvings. I did my best to carve to order and they were happy with what mommy did, thank goodness because Ty can be a little particular about how he wants things.

Tatum's field trip to the pumpkin patch

2011-11-06T21:04:00.000-08:00

I went with Tatum's class to the pumpkin patch at Gordon's Farm. It was a lot of fun and Tatum was so proud of the pumpkin she picked. She couldn't wait to show Miss Treva her pumpkin.

Ty's pumpkin patch field trip

2011-11-06T20:56:00.000-08:00

Ty's preschool went to Schuh Farms for their pumpkin patch field trip. The kids and parents had a great time and the weather was perfect! I took Brady along and he didn't make a peep and slept in the front pack the whole time.

Brady: 6 Months

2011-11-06T20:48:00.000-08:00

My baby is 6 months old! I can't get enough of this little boy. He is always smiling and content, he tends to get serious when I bring out the camera. He enjoys going to my volleyball games and doesn't make a peep and seems to sleep through the noise. He loves his binky monkey. He rolls right over and it is getting harder and harder to change his diaper. He is a hair puller and a pincher. He just started eating baby food, he seems to like it, he only ate a half of a jar on his first real attempt! Brady is really starting to play with his toys and he looks for toys when they are dropped. He is in a size 4 diaper and blows out of those several times a day and is in 12-18 month clothes. Tatum and Ty continue to love on their little baby brother and still haven't shown one bit of jealousy towards him.

chubby goodness: 5 months old

2011-10-03T16:52:00.000-07:00

I know I say this every month birthday but I can't believe how fast Brady is growing. He is still the sweetest most content baby. He drools a ton and we can pretty ring out his shirts with how wet they get. He is 18 lbs 5 oz and wears a size 3 diaper which is getting a little tight, ha! He started to roll over some and loves to play with little toys. Brady has been waking up once or twice a night depending on what time he went to bed which is often times around 6:30pm. He had another double ear infection and had some breathing issues but it all seems to be fine now. I have taken Brady to practice with me and he has been perfect! He has been taking a bottle of formula from Pat when I go and coach, it is just so nice to know that when I leave for a good amount of time that he will eat unlike two other Swapp children I know!

We love you Brady Boo!

pee wee soccer 2011

2011-10-03T16:45:00.000-07:00

My little girl wearing a dress with ducky socks playing soccer? I always thought that my kids would be all decked out in athletic gear playing sports but I now know that is not the case. I tried to convince Tatum to wear shorts but she picked out her own outfit and insisted on wearing a dress to soccer...so that is what she did. The kids had a great time playing soccer with their friends the Johnstons. I love this age because they still don't compete in games it is all about having FUN!

farms

2011-10-03T16:40:00.000-07:00

This past weekend several Skagit Valley Farms had events planned that were mostly free to the public. We ended up going to two different farms. The kids were able to ride on ponies, a tractor ride, play on a recycled tire playground, make and race vegetable cars. We had a great time except for a complete meltdown by Ty because Ty's vegetable car wasn't made "right" but other than that it was a perfect day with great weather.

jumparoo and exersaucer

2011-10-03T16:37:00.000-07:00

Brady started going in the jumparoo and exersaucer this month. He is very content in either one and drools a ton when he is in them.

first day preschool

2011-10-03T16:35:00.000-07:00

Both the kids had their first day of preschool back in the beginning of September. Ty is in the same class as last year with a few of the same friends which it made it very easy to dropp him off the first day. Tatum's acted like she had been going to school for years. She didn't hesitate and walked up to the school doors and waved and was ready for me to leave her. They both seem to love their teachers so it makes for a happy mama!

Brady: 4 Months

2011-09-05T22:35:00.000-07:00

Brady Boo you are already 4 months old! You are the sweetest most content baby. You don't cry very often and if you do, I know something is wrong. You got your first ear infection but handed it pretty well. You weigh 17 pounds and wear mostly 9 month clothes and a size 3 diaper. You love to talk and are very loud. Ty and Tatum love making you talk and smile and you get so excited seeing them. You started playing with your toys more and like to suck on a blanky. I am not sure what is going on but the last week or so you have been waking up a couple of times a night. Your mommy and daddy just love you so much and can't believe how big you are getting so quickly!

a few more wedding pics

2011-09-05T22:26:00.000-07:00

flower girl

2011-09-05T22:10:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago we headed over the mountains to Selah for Pat's cousin Aly's wedding. Tatum was one of flower girl and she took her job so seriously and loved be the flower girl. Aly was such a beautiful bride and the wedding was gorgeous!

chunky monkey

2011-08-18T19:54:00.000-07:00

Just thought I would put a few pictures up of my little chunky monkey.

summer night with good friends and music

2011-08-18T19:45:00.000-07:00

Last Friday we spent the evening with our firends, The Johnstons. We had dinner, then went down to the new ice cream shop and then enjoyed a Neil Diamond cover band down at Seafarer's Park on the water. It was the perfect summer evening. The kids had fun dancing and playing on the beach while listening to songs like "Sweet Caroline."

Arts and crafts festival 2011

2011-08-18T19:22:00.000-07:00

2007

2008

2009

2010

I love going down to the Arts and Crafts festival every August with the kids. The kid section has so many free crafts/activities for the kids, they just love it.

family pictures

2011-08-04T21:03:00.000-07:00

We got family pictures taken last week, you can check them out at www.enjoyphotos.com The username is TTBSwapp and password 16110.

random July pictures

2011-08-04T21:01:00.001-07:00

a little vacation part 2

2011-08-04T20:58:00.000-07:00

a little vacation

2011-08-04T20:43:00.000-07:00

This past week I took the kids over to Selah to Pat's aunt's house while Pat was coaching a tournament. Pat's mom and stepdad were there with us and we had a blast. The kids played in the pool for hours! My kids like the water and feel very comfortable with their life jackets. They took 4 weeks of swim lessons this summer but they do not want to learn to swim because they are afraid to go under water. So I am not going to push it. We had so much fun playing in the pool in the hot weather for four days. Brady was perfect, he took long naps and chilled in the shade.

Brady 3 months

2011-08-04T20:27:00.000-07:00

My little Brady Boo is three months old. He has started to sleep almost through the night, waking up once. Sometimes he will sleep 7-9hours before waking up, what a difference a month makes. He has been trying really hard to suck his thumb and grab his little toys. His reflux is much better, he is not spitting up out of his nose any more when we lay him down. Brady loves his brother and sister so much, they can make him smile all the time. He wears a size 3 diaper and 6-9month clothes, he is our big boy!

finally caught on camera: smiles

2011-07-20T13:12:00.000-07:00

2 months

2011-07-20T13:00:00.000-07:00

Brady is two months old! (The pics are from June 30th but I am just getting around to posting). At this time he weighs 14lbs 15oz (97th), 24 5/8 inches long (90th) and head size is 42.1 cm (90th). Brady wears clothes in the 3-9month range and is almost out of a size 2 diaper. Luckily I have been stocking up on size 3 and 4 diapers because he will be in them very soon. He still wakes up every three hours at night and sleeps mostly in the swing. He is easy going and loves being in the car, stroller rides, taking baths and being entertained by Ty and Tatum.

feeding the baby

2011-07-07T20:33:00.000-07:00

When Ty and Tatum were babies it was hard leaving when I had to go and coach because they wouldn't take a bottle. They would cry a lot and then they would eventually fall asleep but they would NEVER take a bottle for Pat. It is so much easier on me (mentally) knowing that Brady will take a bottle even though this week he struggled taking a bottle. With the other two, I worried how hungry they were and had to rush home and the first thing I would have to do was feed the baby. I got home from practice and Pat was letting Ty feed Brady, Ty was so proud that he was the one feeding his brother. And of course, "Monkey see, Monkey Do," Tatum had to feed Brady too!

4th of July

2011-07-07T20:23:00.000-07:00

We had a great day on the 4th of July with family and friends. We started off enjoying the town parade with my sister and her kids. Then we went over to the Johnston's for a great afternoon/evening of good food, drinks and company.

Reptile Man

2011-06-23T20:50:00.000-07:00

Our public library puts on free events on Thursdays during the summer, this week's was the Reptile Man. I can't stand slimy, slithering animals but I knew the kids would enjoy themselves. They had a good time. Ty sat in the front the whole time taking in everything the Reptile Man said while Grace, Tatum and Emmit ended up in the back on the parent's shoulders.

brady boo overload

2011-06-23T20:42:00.000-07:00

I am sorry there are so many pictures that look almost the same of Brady. I just love him so much I decided to put all of them on the blog. I always forget to give Brady tummy time. I used the Boppy pillow during tummy time and he seemed to like it a lot better than just laying on the floor.

Here is a picture of Ty on the right at 8 months old wearing the same outfit that Brady is wearing at almost 8 weeks old. I am also going to apologize ahead of time, I am sure that I will be comparing Ty and Brady in picures wearing the same outfits all of the time!

Sprinkler time

2011-06-23T20:20:00.000-07:00

Comparisons

2011-06-18T19:53:00.000-07:00

I am trying to figure out of my kids look the same. I will take the kids places and everyone will say that they look like Pat. I am not seeing it with Brady. The pictures of Ty and Tatum are when they were 3 months old and this is obviously Brady now at 7 weeks. It is not the best picture of Brady but it is the only head shot I have of him. What do you think? Do they look alike? Do they look like their daddy? Or me? Or neither?

Also, I can't believe how much hair that T & T had when they were born compared to Brady. I just love his bald head. Ty keeps saying, "Mom, Brady's head is getting really big. " The kid has a big head and it is just funny that his 4 year old brother notices it, ha!

Moving on up and other pics

2011-06-16T21:44:00.000-07:00

Add caption

Ty's first year of preschool is over. He loved school this year and doesn't want it to end, neither do I, ha! They had a graduation/moving up program where the kids sang some songs and at the end they called each kid up to say what they want to be when they grow up. When it was Ty's turn, he said he wants to be a teacher...let's just say it made his parents and grandparents proud!

Here are some other pictures of the rest of the family. Brady has been such a good baby lately, except for at night still between the hours of 3am-7am.

Finally a picture of Brady with his mama!

Seriously, can this girl be any cuter?!

Ty with his teacher Miss Kathy.

Every morning the first thing that Ty and Tatum want to do is look and play with their little brother. It melts my heart. They just surround him and try to make him smile. Brady loves looking at them, he tracks Ty's every movement.

This girl loves playing with bubbles. To bad she ends up dumping them after two minutes of playing with them EVERYTIME!

Brady: 1 Month

2011-06-02T21:28:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that Brady is already one month old. He is still working on his sleeping at night...he is a terrible sleeper at night. I now realize how lucky I was with Ty and Tatum with their sleep when they were babies. Brady eats alot, he looks like a 4 month old. He has almost outgrown 3 month clothes, he wears size 1-2 diapers which are almost too small. He loves to be held, alot! Unlike his older brother and sister, Brady will take a bottle, thank goodness! He has really bad reflux and if I lay him down to close to when he ate, he will projectile spit-up out of his nose and mouth. Pat and I just love this little guy so much and we just love kissing on his chubby little cheekers!

a 60 degree heat wave

2011-05-23T14:46:00.000-07:00

Ty begged me to let him go through the sprinkler last week. It was only 60 degrees but I finally gave in and let him go through the sprinkler fully clothed, he had a blast!

the first real bath

2011-05-23T14:33:00.000-07:00

Brady's umbilical cord finally fell off and he was healed from the circumcision so we were able to give him a real bath. I was expecting him to cry the whole time because he doesn't like to get his diaper changed but he didn't make a peep!

Happy 3rd Birthday Tatum

2011-05-23T14:28:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that my baby girl is 3! We celebrated with family and a few friends and Tatum loved her party. This was the first birthday cake that I didn't make for my kids. We kept it simple with a Costco cake and ice cream. I threw a few princess decorations on the cake and Tatum loved it. By the way, for the past few months Tatum has said that when she turns 3 she will poop on the potty...no such luck!

a new do

2011-05-21T20:54:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting to get Tatum's haircut for awhile and now that I am not working I actually found the time to take her. She was so serious the entire time the lady was cutting her hair, it was so unlike her! Tatum loves her haircut because she thinks she looks just like her cousin Kenna and Dora the Explorer.

Can I see Brady?

2011-05-21T20:46:00.000-07:00

Ty and Tatum love their little brother. They constantly ask if they can see Brady? The first thing they want to to do in the morning is give their little brother a kiss and stare at him. Tatum likes to be on "spit-up" patrol and Ty likes to show all of his toys to Brady. I love how they love him so much!

in her element

2011-05-21T19:44:00.000-07:00

My grandparents came up last week to visit and spend some time with their newest great-grandchild and Ty and Tatum of course. They even brought us dinner and a home-made apple pie that I have been craving for months. My grandma loves all of her grandchildren but she sure does enjoy holding them when they are babies! I think she could have sat there all day and held Brady...I think he enjoyed it too!

mani and pedi with Grandma

2011-05-09T12:26:00.000-07:00

Last week Grandma Maggie took Tatum for her first real pedicure and manicure. Tatum loved it but was very serious the whole time. Tatum had been on "probation" getting her nails painted because she was chewing the polish off the nails but we let her try it one more time. Let's just say we are only going to let her get her toenails painted from now on!

Brady Thomas

2011-05-06T15:47:00.000-07:00

After 9 months, we finally met Brady Thomas on April 30th. I had a scheduled c-section for May 3rd but with a quick change of plans we ended up having him a little earlier than expected. Ty created a countdown chart to meet the baby, he was so excited to cross off the days. My parents, sister and Papa Tom were at the hospital when he was born. I do have to say, it was very exciting to not know what we were having, it kept me from getting to anxious during the c-section. The c-section went ok. They had to try four different places to get the spinal to work, I lost quite a bit of blood and got a bit nauseous but other than that, everything went well. I am friends with my OB and it was so nice to have complete trust in her even though it was a bit wierd that she was cutting me open. The moment that Pat announced that it was a boy was so exciting, and I will never forget it! They immediately put him on my chest but I didn't feel very well so I didn't hold him very long. His apgar scores were both 9, so that was a relief. Pat went with the baby to the nursery and my parents, sister and Papa were able to see Brady get washed, weighed and measured while I was in recovery. He weighed 8lbs 13oz, 21.25 inches long, thank goodness he was two weeks early, he would have been close to 10lbs! The kids loved meeting their little brother and thought he was the cutest little baby. I had a few reactions to the medications and stayed four days in the hospital, it was so nice to finally get home. One thing that was really nice about delivering at a small town hospital is that I was the only patient during the weekend and we got spoiled by the nurses! They took Brady for a couple of hours during the night so that I could try and sleep (it didn't work because any time I closed my eyes I felt like a was going to get seasick). My sister took 300 pictures from her camera so hopefully I will be able to add more pics to the blog.

Tulips 2011: Bring the boots, it's muddy!

2011-04-23T11:19:00.000-07:00

We took the kids this morning to go see the tulips. My only goal was to get one good picture of the kids...it didn't really happen but oh well. The kids enjoyed running through the mud and finding their favorite color in tulips. It was such a nice morning and we were able to get out to the fields by 8:30am so there was no traffic and not very many people!

Easter projects

2011-04-22T21:30:00.000-07:00

We did the traditional coloring of the Easter eggs on Thursday. The kids loved it, of course Tatum didn't quite understand that we didn't have an endless supply of eggs to color. Pat had another night game tonight and I wanted to keep the kids busy. I had some eggs coloring sheets that we colored, cut and put stickers on. Then the kids glued tissue paper to some card stock and tomorrow when it's dry we are going to cut them out in the shape of eggs. It was nice to do some activities with the kids where I wasn't having to chase them down and they weren't arguing with each other. It was a great night at home...until I had to put Tatum to bed and it took 2 hours!

hugely pregnant

2011-04-22T21:14:00.000-07:00

I figured I better post a couple of pictures of my pregnant belly with baby #3. These are from a couple of weeks ago, but I have gotten quite a bit bigger since then. I am carrying this baby straight out unlike the other two. I had Pat take a couple of pictures but I didn't want him to take any with me smiling. I had a minor case of Bell's Palsy for a couple of weeks and I had a half a smile and my left eye was droopy. I am getting very excited to find out if it's a boy or a girl!

Grandpa's Wedding

2011-04-22T20:56:00.000-07:00

My grandpa (my dad's dad) got remarried a couple of weeks ago to a nice lady named Aloha. It is nice to see my grandpa so happy after my grandma passed away. They rented a hall and had very simple wedding. It was my kid's first wedding and they loved it! They couldn't wait to play "wedding."

March 2011

2011-04-01T20:41:00.000-07:00

I feel bad that I haven't taken hardly any pictures of the kids this last month. Pat started baseball, I am hugely pregnant, we haven't been doing much lately and I have been so tired. When I am pregnant I have a hard time sleeping from day one with all three pregnancies. And to add to my lack of sleep, we moved Ty's bed into Tatum's room so now she has a big girl bed and Ty got bunk beds. Lets just say that transitioning Tatum out of her crib has been AWFUL! I didn't realize how easy Ty was when he went to a regular bed and how super easy Tatum was to get down to sleep in her crib until now. She gets out of her bed constantly all through the night and will stay up until 11pm. Up until a month ago, she would go to bed at 7pm and sleep 12-13 hours. Since the day we brought her home from the hospital she has been a great sleeper so I am hoping the newness to the big girl bed wears off soon.

I had my first parent-teacher conference this month for Ty. It was so wierd being on the parent side of the conference. Ty is good at preschool but I know he isn't perfect so I was bracing myself for what his teacher was going to say but she said he was doing great so I was pleased.

Tatum has her mommy and daddy wrapped around her finger. She is so animated and funny, it is hard to get mad at her when she is naughty. She loves dance class and is finally interested in learning her colors, numbers, etc. She has such a carefree personality and when we would ask her a question she would say, "I don't know."

Pregnancy update: About a month ago I started having contractions about 3 minutes apart so I went into the hospital just to get monitored and ended up passing a kidney stone. The pain was horrible, I wanted an epidural! Since then I have been on some contraction meds but still able to work. I was hoping for a VBAC with this baby but the hospital did not give me permission so I am going to have a scheduled c-section. I was upset at first but now I have come to terms with it and trying to think of the positives of having a c-section. Pat and I still haven't agreed on any names for this baby...we could go with Ty's suggestion of the name Eyeball but I am pretty sure he would get teased quite a bit growing up. I didn't think that I would be able to go the whole pregnancy without finding out the sex but it has made us so much more excited about the delivery. When I had my 3D ultrasound the baby was facing the wrong way and weren't able to see what he/she looks like, so I am just so excited to see if he/she looks like her big brother and sister! So, that is the update on our family and a few random pictures from this past month.

I need a magazine

2011-04-01T20:04:00.000-07:00

As you can see we are trying to potty train Tatum. We tried several months ago and she wouldn't have anything to do with it and insisted that she wasn't going to pee on the potty until she was three. The last couple of days she has initiated going to the bathroom...I am crossing my fingers that she becomes potty trained before baby #3 arrives in 32 days!

daddy daughter dance 2011

2011-02-26T18:09:00.000-08:00

Pat took Tatum to the Daddy Daughter Dance tonight. Tatum has been so excited about it all week. She just loved getting a dress on and kept asking, "Am I so beautiful?" I got a few pictures of her not using her "cheeeeese!" grin. I wish I could get pictures of her actually at the dance dancing with her daddy.

My dad's birthday

2011-02-23T18:56:00.000-08:00

We celebrated my dad's birthday on Saturday. It was a nice cold day so the cousins played outside and had a blast with each other. I didn't take any pictures but my sister did. If you want to see her pictures you can click here.

Feb Snow: 2011

2011-02-23T11:55:00.000-08:00

my boys in disneyland

2011-02-19T18:31:00.000-08:00

Pat and Ty went to Disneyland about a month ago, a little father and son bonding time. They both had a great time but Ty was a little under the weather fighting a really bad cold so Pat thinks that he didn't have as much fun as he could have had. Ty's favorite ride was Buzz Light Year. They went on it 8 times. Going in January was the perfect time to go to Disneyland, there were no lines and sometimes they were able to just stay on the ride and not even have to get off. The weather was perfect, 70s degrees. You can see in a lot of the pictures that Ty looks really tired and I didn't realize how bad he needed a haircut until after looking at these pictures.

Pee Wee Basketball

2011-02-05T20:18:00.000-08:00

Ty had his first basketball "practice" today. When we told him that he was going to have basketball he told us he didn't want to go...um, that is not what I thought his response was going to be. I played basketball and volleyball in college so I want my kids to play sports but I am not going to push it if they are not interested but today I was like seriously kid, it's pee wee basketball, you are going to play. Once we got there, Ty LOVED it! Ty is the type of kid that needs to know what is going to happen at a new place before he feels comfortable. We usually have to spend alot of time prepping him and then he does fine. So Pat and I thought, if we just got him there and he sees all of the other kids, he will be fine. We were right, thank goodness! It helped that one of his best friends was there, Grace and Bryson from preschool. He had so much fun and wanted to play basketball when we got home. I am not going to lie, I am a bit relieved that he didn't refuse to play today.

Look at those smiles, they had fun!

Then there is Taters. She is too young to join in on the fun but she had fun watching her brother and having her baby watch too. By the end, she wanted to be playing too!

When Ty was done, Tatum played a little ball with daddy, it melted my heart.

I tend to be a little critical of how activities/sports are run for little kids. But today, I was very pleased with APRD Pee Wee basketball. There was no competition they were just exposing kids to the sport and letting the kids have fun. The kids were broken up into six different stations with two coaches at each station. The groups were small enough so all kids were busy the entire time, there were no kids standing in line forever and they rotated the stations just when the kids were about to get silly. They made the drills fun and engaging for four and five year olds, it was great!

when the boys were away

2011-02-05T18:54:00.000-08:00

Pat and Ty went to Disneyland last weekend. I was sad that I wasn't there experiencing the fun with them but it was better that I stayed home with Tatum. I have pictures that Pat took using his mom's camera but I haven't been able to get them off the camera. Tatum and I had a good time while they were away. We spent time with my friend Nicole and her two kids Grace and Emitt, we went to my niece's basketball game and stayed the night at my parent's house. The only reason why Tatum actually fell asleep there was because she got to sleep with her cousin Kenna. I watched Emitt on Saturday morning so Nicole could take Grace to basketball, Tatum had fun making pancakes, coloring and playing with him! I think she liked the fact that she was a bit older than him and could boss him around a bit. In the pictures with Emitt, Tatum insisted on wearing a summer dress that was too small over her clothes, not cute but oh well!

keeping busy inside

2011-01-25T18:40:00.000-08:00

I would love to be one of those moms who bundles their kids up in the rain and wind when it's 40 degrees and plays outside even though the kids would get soaked and have red hands but I am not. Don't get me wrong, I do take them outside in the winter, I just hate the wind and it always seems really windy at our house. Luckily Tatum doesn't like getting cold either, ha! I went to my friend Nicole's house last week and she had Do-A-Dots, aka a fancy name for daubers/dobbers! Tatum loved playing with them so I went to Michael's and bought some...they love them. We made patterns, caterpillars, letters, flowers, fish, etc. It kept them busy for at least 90 minutes. I love activities that last more than 10 minutes and are easy to clean up!

Ty was concentrating so hard!

Look at that pencil grip...ok, that was kind of corny but I am a kindergarten teacher, I notice those things.

What I forgot to take a picture of was Tatum having ink dots all over her arms and face...I guess I shouldn't clean her room while she is dobbing! She was very proud of her "stamps."

I love when the kids play independently. They played pirate and finding treasure for 70 minutes. They had their "journals" (cheap spiral notebooks) and they were drawing treasure maps. Some days they fight every minute and days like today I just cherish and love that they are only 18 months apart and act more like twins than just siblings.

Baking with Great Grandma

2011-01-25T18:17:00.000-08:00

Every year (except for one year) since my sister and I were 8, and two cousins Laura and Lisa have made Danish pastries with my grandma for Christmas brunch. This year, I had to miss out because Ty and I had the stomach flu but we made it up a couple of weeks ago. Oh my goodness, they are so good...butter, butter and more butter with lots of frosting makes for some delicous treats! I love the fact that my kids and my nieces and nephew are carrying on the tradition with their great grandma. I am bummed that I didn't get any pictures of the kids with their Great Grandma (GiGi) and I didn't take any pictures of the final product. The pastries end up looking like poinsettias with lots of frosting and sprinkles. When they are warm, they just melt in your mouth.

stream of consciousness

2011-01-10T20:05:00.000-08:00

I haven't taken a picture since Christmas. I feel really fat with this pregnancy...I am only 22 weeks along and feel cooked. My belly button sticks out alot. I love only teaching three days a week. So glad that the last college football bowl game is on tonight. I think Tatum is done taking naps but I still make her stay in her crib for 2 hours until she yells for me. I am dreading the snow that is being predicted to head our way, I am a baby when it comes to driving in the snow. Love that my kids go to bed at 7pm every night and sleep 12-13 hours every night. My goal for 2011 is to save at least 50% on our grocery bill. I know some people are crazy with the coupons and get things for free or very little, I am just happy using a store coupon with a manufacturer's coupon for an item. I am trying to stock up on non-perishables when they are on sale so when I am not working after I have this baby we don't have to buy those items. I am DREADING Pat starting baseball season in 6 weeks because Pat does most the cooking, changes most diapers, and cleans when he is home. Now that my coaching season is over, it has been so nice to sit down and eat dinner as a family every night. Last but not least, I am so glad that my shows are back on and not re-runs.

Christmas morning & Christmas 5 & 6

2010-12-30T20:21:00.000-08:00

The kids putting out the milk and cookies for Santa.

I forgot to take pictures of Christmas morning when we had the three sets of grandparents up for breakfast and when we went to Pat's Aunt Mary's on Christmas Day. But here are a few pictures of Christmas morning, at Pat's dad's house and then we hosted the Swapp side of the family on the 26th.

Showing off the new slippers that Santa brought them.

Opening presents at Papa Swapp's house.

Peggy getting Tatum ready to wear her princess dress that she got her.

Tatum loves to dress up like a princess so she loved the princess treasure chest full of dress-up clothes that Peggy got her.

Tatum and Scarlett playing together. It is amazing how much bigger Tatum is than Scarlett even though she is only two weeks older.

Ty and Addison played for hours together on the 26th, it was fun to see them play so well together.

Christmas was fun but after four days of celebrating I was exhausted. Then on Monday night Ty and I both ended up getting the stomach flu but I was just glad that we didn't get sick during Christmas.

Christmas Eve 2010

2010-12-27T18:27:00.000-08:00

For my mom's side of the family we go to my Aunt Vivi and Uncle Mike's house. I look forward to this night for months, we have the BEST appetizers (and to see family of course!). I think we had at least 15 different appetizers, plus dinner and dessert. I have such a good time spending time with my extended family. This year we had quite the surprise, Santa came! Ty and Tatum were wide-eyed and grinning from ear to ear, it was so cute. Santa brought all the kids presents and even got something for my grandparents.

Ty's cousin Austin let him play with his DSI, he loved it!

This is what Ty would look like if he had a DSI...I am glad that we held off on the video gaming systems for one more year!

Look at Tatum's face, she couldn't believe Santa came!

I don't think my sister and I have had a picture taken with our parents in years...that is about as good of a picture my dad takes, so I was happy!

first of many Christmas celebrations for 2010

2010-12-27T17:55:00.000-08:00

We had six different Christmas celebrations with family this year. It was a lot of fun, but I am sure worn out, I think I gained 10 pounds but who cares, I am pregnant! These pictures are from my mom's house on the 23rd. We had a wonderful prime rib dinner with my parents, my sister's family and my grandparents.

Tatum with her big cousin Kenna. They are inseperable!

The Cousins! They all just love each other so much, I wish they would move closer...hint, hint Kayla!

Don't let her fool you, this is the only bite she took!

Ty sitting at the table and didn't eat a thing. He told me he doesn't eat this kind of food...a good meal that doesn't consist of a hot dog, pb & J or macaroni!

Did you notice who got a haircut? I brought Tatum to the Barber last week and she cut off about 4 inches, her hair looks so much better!

My wonderful Grandma and Kendyl.

My brother-in-law showing off his cool light that Santa brought him in his stocking.

Ty was excited that he got a new Iron Man toy from his Auntie.

Ty's first Christmas program

2010-12-14T18:14:00.000-08:00

Ty had his first preschool Christmas program last Friday. Pat and I were so nervous about how Ty would do in front of so many people. We had to bribe him to leave the house because he told us he was not going to sing and wasn't going to go. Well, we worried for nothing. He did great, loved being in front of all the people. He enjoyed singing, ringing his bell and holding the light. All three sets of grandparents were there and my sister and her kids. Ty loved that everyone was there watching him! I just can't get over how well he did, he brought tears to my eyes. The best part was when his whole class was singing and he was yelling, "The light jumpED out of my hands, the light jumpED out of my hands" after his light flew across the stage. Oops, he might have flung it across the stage, it was still cute!

when school is cancelled...

2010-12-05T12:51:00.000-08:00

your husband will wear a basket on his head all day!

This is how we kept busy when the roads were too bad to drive on and we stayed on home all day.

Scrooge no longer

2010-12-05T12:01:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we went and got a real Christmas tree. My father-in-law gave us an artificial tree fours ago and that is what we have used. This year I finally convinced Pat that we actually need a real tree because the kids would love the experience of picking out a tree. Pat complained that we were going to spend money on a tree when we had a perfectly good fake tree for free. I was right as usual, the kids loved it and so did Pat! They like every tree so it was easy to get a tree. It was such a beautiful, clear, sunny and cold day, perfect for getting our tree!

Thanksgiving Snow

2010-12-05T11:46:00.000-08:00

When we woke up on Thanksgiving morning we had about 4 inches of new snow and the snow was falling. We got the kids dressed and went outside right away because it was supposed to rain later that day. It was perfect snow weather, 30 degrees, 4 inches, and now wind unlike earlier in the week when it was in the teens and windy! We don't have a sled so we took a walk down our hill, threw snowballs at each other and used our sand toys as snow toys and it kept the kids busy!

Snow!

2010-11-22T13:35:00.000-08:00

The kids were so excited when just tiny little flakes were falling so when the snow actually started to accumulate, they were even more excited. This is the first time Tatum has really played in the snow that she can remember so she was grinning from ear to ear and loving it until her hands started to hurt. Ty did a great job shoveling the driveway for his daddy and he said it was hard work shoveling snow. I felt bad because I picked Ty up early from preschool because the roads were bad and I my conferences ended up getting cancelled but after we came in from playing in the snow, he had a 102 temperature and he was begging me to take a nap. I felt bad. What makes day even better is that Pat had an early release day but conferences were cancelled so he was able to come home from work at noon and we were able to enjoy the afternoon together! Anyways, love the snow but just don't like driving in it!

Happy 4th Birthday Ty!

2010-11-22T13:15:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that it has been 4 years since we brought this little guy into the world. Time does fly! We celebrated Ty's birthday with a Spiderman theme, no surprise there! I had every intention to make an amazingly detailed cake but being pregnant I was a little tired so I asked Ty if I could just make a cake with a web on it and then put a big Spiderman candle on it and he said yes and he told me that my cake was awesome! I am glad it doesn't take much to please him! We celebrated with three sets of grandparents, The Johnstons, my sister's family, and Lianna and Xavier. The kids were great and Ty got a lot of "cool" toys. Everything to him is "cool" these days so he loved all of this presents!

Happy Halloween

2010-11-01T11:42:00.000-07:00

We started our Halloween celebration with down-town trick or treating with our good friends the Johnstons and the Sleepers. Then we trick or treated at each of the grandparents on Halloween then did a few houses in our neighborhood. Then our kids handed out candy to what they called "the customers" that came to our house. They really enjoyed handing out the candy to the other kids!