Last week to enter baby pool!

Okay, we have two weeks until my due date. If you haven't made a guess, or would like to change yours, this is the last week to do so. I will be locking the game on Friday. Have fun!

Snow in Spring!? Must be the Northwest!

We received about 4 1/2 inches of snow. The boys thought it was great and I thought, "great, we have to get all the snow gear on again!"


Hi Mommy!
Rylan enjoyed sledding with Brennen. This is the first time he really was into sledding with his big brother.
The view of our house as it continued to dump snow all of Saturday.

Tummy Pictures

What do you do on a Spring day with 4 1/2 inches of snow on the ground and one cancelled soccer game? You paint Mommy's tummy! The boys had a blast decorating their brother or sister (who squirmed the entire time!). Brennen was especially mesmerized by the painting of my tummy and spent alot of time at it. He even had me wipe my belly down to do it again. It was alot of fun and a good bonding time. I am going to do something very brave (for me) and post the pictures for you all to see!

P.S. I have no idea how to get this underlining off! So sorry!

Deep thoughts by Brennen...

Warning: May gross some of you out. :)

Okay, this is just too funny not to share with you all. I love the mind of a very inquisitive 5 1/2 year old. Here is Brennen's deep thought for the day.

Brennen: In a thoughtful tone while sitting on the toilet to Daddy, "Poop. That's a really good name for it...otherwise it would just be called brown stuff."

Daddy: "You know bud, that is a really profound observation!"

You just gotta love my life with 3 men! :)

Brennen's allergy update

Good news! Brennen went to see the allergist on Tuesday and had a great check-up. She was really pleased that we have had very few problems over the last 6 months with his asthma and allergies. We can begin to taper off the meds as we usually due this time of year, but will monitor his progress and up them again if needed. We were very pleased that one of our kids is breathing well! Yipppeeeee! :)

Easter morning

Easter morning started at 7 am in our house. The boys were thrilled with their baskets. The thing that made me happiest was that Brennen told Daddy the night before that he was fine not getting anything in his basket. He told Phil that he already had alot of toys and didn't need more. This is music to every parents ears! Of course, he did get two toys and a book in his basket, but it is just too fun not to see the big, huge smile on their faces. So after some hugs, kisses, and thank yous the boys enjoyed the indoor Easter egg hunt. I think Phil and I had the most fun hiding the plastic eggs the night before. :)

Rylan showing off his new Buzz Lightyear.

Looking for eggs.

"I found an Elmo egg!"

Brennen wouldn't set down his new Star Wars Legos.

Brennen trying to open a soccer ball egg from Grandpa Swafford.

Showing off a Spider-Man Easter egg.

Testing a candy (or three!).

Brennen working on his new Lego sets.

Easter Eggs!

Check out the concentration!


Daddy even got in on the act.




"See my egg, Mommy?"


Two colors at once. What an artist!

Brennen was really into blue eggs this year.
Rylan is checking out Brennen's work. Probably looking to steal a design idea.
Writing a secret message.

"Can I eat it, Mommy?"

The finished products (notice all the blue eggs).

March Fun

Rylan and friends enjoying a leisurely bath.
Brennen and Rylan go for a ride. Notice that they are both wearing ski boots and Brennen is trying out his new ski helmet.



Just a cute brother moment. :)

Daddy and Rylan were very tired boys. I couldn't resist snapping this picture. Daddy had about 4 hours of sleep the night before (work is so busy!) and Rylan had been up since about 5:30 am.

Baby Poll!

Ok, here you all go. If you would like to make a guess as to who this baby is, when it will be born, and how big it will be then click the link above. I have added info on the game page to help you make an educated guess. I look forward to seeing what everyone comes up with. Have fun and good luck!

"He shows alot of allergies for someone so young"

Yup, those were the words of our beloved allergist last night at Rylan's check up. We have a really great allergist. Trust me, the boys (and by boys I mean Phil too!) all get to see her twice a year (at least!) so we are getting to know her really well. Anyway, last night was Rylan's turn and he has been stuffy since February when he kicked off allergy season with a bout of asthma. We have had to deal with a lot of dry coughing at night and administering some albuterol so he could breathe. Anyway, the doc took one look in his nose ("that's a very allergic looking nose!") and at his eyes (scaly, and dry lids and purple circles underneath) and declared him allergy boy! We knew with the pollen counts sky rocketing that he was having issues, but I honestly thought she would tell us he was looking pretty good. So we know at this point that tree pollens are a big issue for him. We have to wait until summer to see what the high grass counts bring. The good doctor went on to explain that they don't usually see such tendencies in one so young and that he may be going the route of allergy shots in the future. We don't know everything he is allergic too since they don't do a ton of testing at this young of an age. So we went home armed with 5 prescriptions to make sure we have the things we need to keep him breathing and functioning in a somewhat normal manner. Hopefully, we can get his symptoms under control so he isn't super miserable.

We did learn about 1 1/2 weeks ago that dog is a definite allergy for Rylan. We went to dinner at a friends house and poor Rylan's eyes become so red, itchy, watery and miserable that Phil ran home for the allergy meds. His eyes are still dry and scaly from that encounter. It will be a hard allergy for Rylan because he loves dogs and this dog in particular. Needless to say, we won't be able to dog sit for our dear friends and their very sweet dog anymore. :(

I am thankful for such a great doctor. She works really well with our pediatrician and is very comprehensive in her knowledge of our family and history. Brennen gets to go in two weeks for his check up. I really expect his to go much better. He has been treated by our allergist since 18 months and has been doing great! I will update on his asthma and allergies after the exam.

Brennen goes skiing!

Brennen has been begging us to take him skiing ever since his first experience at Whistler when he was 3 1/2. We finally managed to get him on the slopes of Mt. Baker this weekend. Brennen and Daddy left with ski gear in tow (and a huge smile on Brennen's face) on Sunday morning. They hit the slopes as soon as they got there. After about an hour of "lessons" with Dad and a lunch break, Brennen took a private lesson. Daddy said he did great and they hit chair 2 several times. Brennen is a little impatient to learn his "pizzas" and "fries" because he is so enthusiastic about riding the "lifters." All in all, he did great, had a ton of fun, and Daddy had a great day with his oldest son on the the slopes of Baker. It is so fun watch your child take on a new challenge with such enthusiasm.

Baby Update

Baby "Thumper" is growing every day. I can't believe that we only have about 5 weeks left! We just had a doctor appointment on Thursday and everybody looks great. Baby is about 5 1/2 pounds, growing every day, and seems to be happy staying head down (woo hoo!). We did talk to the doctor about delivery and what to expect since Rylan was so fast. I have been a little nervous since Phil is in Burlington. The doctor did confirm to me that I should be nervous because baby #3 usually follows in the way of baby #2. He said it is definitely good to have an emergency plan so we don't have a baby on the way to the hospital instead of at the hospital. That being said, thank you to everyone who has made it known to me that I can call you all in an emergency. It definitely helps ease my mind. Of course, we will probably be just fine since Rylan was 12 days late and my mom will be here by then. Also, quite frankly, I am afraid of any bodily harm Mom may cause me if I have this baby before she gets here. :) With all that being said, I have kicked in to high gear on baby preparations. The room is ready (Rylan is completely moved out) and I have a small list of things to get done such as packing. I am tired, but starting to feel prepared and that puts my mind at ease. Have a great day everyone!

Baby Thumper

Here I am with six weeks left. My friend Lisa says I am smaller this time and I was really starting to believe her until I looked at this. :) Considering I have at least six weeks still for this person to bulk up, I may be in for another big one. I am growing out of alot of my maternity shirts. I just can't keep them down over the basketball anymore. What do you all think? Another 9 1/2 pounder like the boys or will I get lucky this time?

Here is description of baby at this stage:

Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well.

Child of the Future

This is Rylan's invention. He kept pulling my cell phone charger out of a drawer. I asked him what he was doing and he said it was for the "car battery. " Then he went on to explain how he was charging his car. "Batteries needs to be charged!" Later, Phil and I found his car hooked up like this. Apparently, there is a tiny hole on the right side of the car that he plugs the charger into. I guess he is anticipating a future of electric cars. :)

Overheard in my house...

I really need to be better about posting the funny little things my kids say. Last night was a prime example of one of those funny moments when you just have to laugh. Rylan was busy picking out a bed time story as he was also very busy whining about something. The whining is in full force at this age and it drives me up the wall. I am constantly telling Rylan that I can't understand him and that he needs to use a big boy voice. You can imagine how many times a day I must say this. He usually does a pretty good job of settling himself and his voice and trying again. Last night I got a new response that made Phil and I chuckle.
Rylan: Climbing up on the bed and saying something in a whine.
Mommy (big sigh of exhaustion and exasperation): "Rylan, stop whining!"
Rylan (matter of fact): "I not whining, I talking!" and I am pretty sure their was a rolling of the eyes seen on his little cherub face.