Swanson Family Reunion 2012

Last week was the annual Swanson Family Reunion.  Devin and I were in charge of it this year and we chose a nice cabin in Island Park.  Everyone arrived on Saturday evening with homemade personal pizza--courtesy of grandma and grandpa.  We settled in and prepared to enjoy each others company.  The next morning we woke up-ate breakfast and began the day with our T-shirt craft.  The kids worked on their own and the adults drew names again this year and decorated each others.  It amazes me the amount of talent the family has and the amount of work even the men put into them.

Over the next couple of days were enjoyed playing games, eating, some went fishing and we had a marshmallow gun fight.  Josh and Devin disappeared for hours one day to go fishing and ended up in some mountain pass that reminded them of the movie "Deliverance".  They did make it back in time to put the kids to bed.  ;-{

The adults had a Wii bowling tournament and decided to be nice and let the kids join in--BAD mistake---the kids eliminated almost all of the adults with Ashlyn and Devin being the finalists.  Next year we need to have an adult only tournament and the kids can have there own.  We decorated bird houses, tried to take family photos, roasted hot dogs and marshmallows, played the annual Risk game (with me and Josh being the final two and Josh taking over the world), and ate more food.

The cabin was nice and held all of us but it was quite dirty.  We had a dead mouse under the bed the first night and caught another mouse the last night.  We also had a smoke alarm go off (which was too high for us to get to) and a carbon monoxide detector decide to go off every 15 seconds at 2:30AM.  After 30 minutes of that I stomped downstairs and pulled it from the wall-tried to get the battery out which caused it to go off non-stop.  The stupid thing almost got thrown in the field until Devin tracked down a screw driver in our car to open it up and remove the old battery.  EEEKKK!

Dan and Jen had to leave early due to football practice and unfortunately missed the "lake/beach" area we found just a short walk from the cabin.  They also missed the leaches that infested the water and was attracted to Andelyn.  That poor girl had them everywhere!  She handled it like a pro-not even a scream-me on the other hand was grossed out and couldn't even touch them.  I'm just glad Cortlynn was able to get hers off by herself.  NASTY! 

Overall we had a wonderful time and can't wait until next years family reunion.  I hope you enjoy the following photos.



This is a wonderful shadowbox display my dad put together of my grandfathers WWII medals (including his purple heart)



Scary Missionary Nicole was EVERYWHERE!!!!  She would turn up in photos and outside your bedroom door or bathroom door.  You had to be on your toes.

The kids working on their shirts with the help of the moms.



I was so proud of the little felt flowers I made for Jen's shirt.

Too cute

Just look at the concentration Josh and Devin have on their faces working on their T-shirts

Tristan was SOOO tired he was asleep off the bed.

Josh, Heather, Andelyn, Carys, and Clayton

These two are so cute!



Grandparents

Even Nicole had a shirt-We should have taken a photo of the back---the siblings put their feet prints on it.

Dan, Jen, Brayden, Ashlyn, and Bridger

Devin, Christina, Cortlynn, Tristan, and Kyra

The siblings tried to have a serious, straight faced photo---I think we just looked like dorks.

Grandparents with all of the grandkids--What a hand full

  Here are all of our T-shirts.  Most of these photos look more like Mug shots.



The Marshmallow guns were a huge hit!  Adults included.  Thanks to the adults their were more tears from the children because we would attack them with marshmallows.  Children were trampled and a few adults ended up with welts.  It was fun though--thanks grandpa and grandma.

I don't know......

Kyra loves to lay down on stairs and Clayton decided to try it out too.

Bird House craft

 The following photos are of the beach we found the last night.  These photos were also taken BEFORE the leaches were discovered.

The sun was RED, but this turned out to be a pretty picture.

No, I am NOT Pregnant....I have IBS.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a disorder of the intestines.

Last week was awful!  Kyra was sick for 5 days, Cortlynn had 2 permanent teeth pulled and was also sick for a day, and on Friday I went to Urgent Care in the morning and ended up in the ER that night.

Friday morning I woke up in horrible pain: horrible is an understatement--it is more like excruciating, drop a house on my head, let me have my feet operated on again, I'd rather push another baby out of my girlie parts without drugs--kind of pain. It went away and than came back again with a vengeance. I was able to crawl to the door and bang on the wall enough for Cortlynn to come upstairs and see what was going on.  She found me and ran to find Devin.  My poor kids thought I was dying; Tristan was crying and Cortlynn and Kyra just stood there and didn't know what to do.  Devin was able to get me dressed, and told me that we would be going to Urgent Care OR he would be calling an ambulance.  As soon as we pulled up to the parking lot the pain vanished so we kept driving---mistake-it came back.  We checked in with me doubled over, crying--but by the time I went back--mystery pain was gone.  They did blood work and of course made me pee in a cup and nothing really showed up-so I came back home.  Throughout the day I had several attacks and I tried to hide it from the kids since they were so freaked out.  I was unsuccessful.  These attacks would come on so strong and so fast that I can't do anything, but lay on the floor and pray that it wouldn't last very long.  Around 9pm--in the middle of an "episode" I called my uncle and asked what I should do:  Go to the ER, was his response.  So-Devin and I got in the car and went to the ER.  Of course once I checked in and sat in the waiting room the pain went away and when I finally went to a room and they asked me my pain level between 0 and 10---it was a 0. 

They did blood tests, made me pee in a cup but that wasn't good enough-so I had a tube rammed up my whoha for a better sample, they took a chest x-ray, EKG, CT Scan (which the dye they put in your IV makes you feel like you have wet yourself), and countless "Are you sure you're not pregnant?" or "Have you ever had hepatitis because your liver numbers are weird?"and "Are you pregnant?"  After close to 5 hours in the ER the tests came back inconclusive and I was told I should follow up with my doctor. At times I feel like the staff looks at me for being a "drug seeker". But that is so the opposite.  With all the allergies I have to medications and the bad reactions I have to pain meds-I don't want any!!!  Poor Devin had to get up for work at 6 and we didn't even get home until 2:30am.   I guess while I was getting my CT scan (I was gone for 10 minutes) I missed some excitement.  Devin told me that a guy came into the ER with painted hair (like the joker) and went into a room.  Than the staff accused him of using a false name and he made a run for it.  So the doors were on lock-down-but he was able to get out anyway??!!!!  By the time I got back to the room the excitement was over but the cops showed up to file a report.  What is with everyone dying their hair like the joker???  After the theatre shooting-you find yourself taking a deep breath and hoping nothing happens--all because of hair color.

The following day I was exhausted.  I touched base with my aunt and uncle and they instructed me to send them all the results/paperwork.  Fast forward to Monday night when I receive a phone call from Angela and Jeff.  After reviewing  my CT scan--there was a pretty clear diagnoses:  My Colon doesn't work properly and I have IBS.   What is a person to do that suffers from IBS?-monitor what you eat closely, make sure to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, up my fiber intake to 50 GRAMS a day, water, limit the caffeine, oh and pray the attacks stay away.  You may laugh and snicker that I have IBS---come one, it is kinda funny---but until you are lying on the floor in a huge pool of sweat and in such pain you wouldn't wish it on your worst enemy----it's not all laughs. 

The amount of money we have spent trying to figure this out over the years is sickening.  I've been to the ER twice, Urgent Care a few times, I went to a "specialist" for over a year that performed test after test-: Sleep Study, Upper GI scope, I ate nuclear eggs that glows for them to track my insides, Oxygen Therapy (yes, I had to sleep with oxygen every night for a year), Blood work, ultra sounds, countless prescriptions;  I also read that it can cause a person to have headaches: well that just adds more too it:  I had seen a neurologists for 7 years--so the money spent on him and the medication he put me on----hmmmmmmm.  Not to mention the countless nights of not sleeping due to pain, the times I couldn't go someplace because of pain, Devin and I had to come home from a friends party one night due to an attack...  All of this and it took my uncle less than a day to come up with a diagnosis.  Thank God for him!

So for the 36 years of my Colon not functioning correctly: I would like to take a moment to make a few apologies:
*For the football players that were blamed for that one incident on the bus--I'm sorry
*For Iggy the Cat taking the blame----I'm sorry
*For a certain 3 year old that was blamed for a toilet malfunction---I'm sorry
*For all those toilets that would like to run away when they see me coming---I'm sorry and I thank the industrial plungers for helping out ;-)
*To my parents who may not be proud of some of the "talents" I have-----I'm sorry

I'm sorry, BUT it isn't my fault.  I was BORN this way.

Atomic Days 2012 and Last T-Ball Game

Kyra is our little dare devil and loves to hang on things and say WEEeeeeeee!  This was a new place she decided to hang from.  She must have some super strong biceps. 

Last weekend was Atomic Days in Arco so Devin and I along with the kids drove out on Friday night and set up camp at my sisters home in Mackay.  Literally-set up camp.  Tent and everything.  The next morning we woke up and drove down to Arco to witness the ping-pong drop and the big Atomic Days parade.

We hung out at the park-listened to terrible karaoke, visited by grandma in the nursing home, watched some softball, and than returned to Mackay.  My mom was celebrating her 40th class reunion so her and my dad were the "party animals" of the group.  On Sunday my sister, brother-in-law and their kids decided to skip church and take up to Barney Hot Springs.  I've lived out there for 18 years and have never been there.  It was a LONG drive....thru pass creek and the mountains.  I'm not sure if Devin was daydreaming or looking at the sites but all of the sudden he drifted to the right, I said-Devin-and we went into the borrow pit. For a moment I seriously thought we were going to role the car.  Of course I said, "What the H@&& Devin??"  His response:  "It pulled me in."   Hmmmmm-ok.
When we got there the hot springs was full of tropical looking fish and very chubby people hugging and kissing.  EEEKKKK!  The kids had fun trying to catch the fish and Josh even caught a frog. 
Everyone was tired so we headed back home.  When we got back-Devin and Tristan went to the new Batman movie and I stayed home with Cortlynn and Kyra.  Kyra unfortunately got sick and threw up all night so that was a great time.   

Everyone waiting for the ping pong drop and the parade

My dad told me to get a photo of my moms high school class float-but upon closer look-it was the VFW float.

This is my mom's class float.

I think the ping pong drop was meant for kids but thanks to Devin each one of our kids had 5 balls which turned into 50cents a piece.  AWESOME-- the kids made $2.50 each at the parade.

I don't know what she was doing in this picture.  But she does look lie a politician saying, "I promise, NO NEW TAXES"

The next few photos are at Barney Hot Springs.

This week was Tristan's last T-Ball game and he is so sad it is over.  He was so good this year--double play, outs every game, fast runner, good sport.  I'm so proud of him.

This little girl on his team played by her rules:  she wore a Cinderella dress for one game, would carry the bat around the bases after she would hit, and for the last game-she wore fuzzy red slippers.

He hit the ball and 10 little kids went running for it.  They looked like ants running to a piece of food on the floor.

Cortlynn acting soooo bored--but hey, Tristan has sat thru HOURS of dance so you can sit thru 45 minutes of T-ball.

Childhood Home-and a New Roof

During the last few months; between funerals and visiting my family- I have traveled to Arco more than I have in the last 10years.  I decided to drive past my old house last week and just happened to have my camera.  I'm not sure if that was a good thing or not.  It is just so depressing to drive by your home you grew up in and see it a complete disaster.  In just a short amount of time-9 or 10 years-the home my parents worked so hard on and took such pride in-has become a garbage pit, car lot, dog poop facility, trees are dead, white trash looking-and that is just the outside.  I don't even want to imagine what the inside looks like.  My childhood home is now the "pig sty" home of the lane.  Just so sad.

You actually don't get the true magnification of the nastiness with these 4 photos. 

Thanks to the hail storms and wind-our roof has been in need of repair for quite a few months.  This Monday was the day we began the work.  Devin, my dad, and brother in-law Brett put their lives on the line to nail shingles to our roof.  It may not look like much-but don't be fooled; this was the steepest part of our home.  I really should have taken a photo from the top looking down-but I went up once and wasn't going again.  Brett was only able to help on Monday and Devin and my dad finally finished the job last night right when the sun went down.  I admire them--between the heat, the height, and the heat---they really did a good job in a short amount of time.  I was tired, hot, and sore-and I didn't even do the work.  Now we just have a few more sections of the roof to complete and we will be done-just not sure when that will be.  I want to say thank you to Josh for the tools, Larry for the air compressor, Daniel for the moral support, and a HUGE thanks to Brett for helping, Devin for getting up there, and my dad for being the slave driver and the one who knows what and how to do it.  THANK YOU!!!!!!!   And thank you mom for helping with the kids and being part of the "audience"---

 

Check out the scaffolding they put up.  There is no way I would trust a board, a piece of metal, and nails to keep me from falling off the roof.  Nope-I'm not that crazy!

Our roof was SOOOOO bad.

I climbed up to this section of the roof (where you see my dad) and I couldn't get down.  Devin had to come up and help me get down.  This was even the steepest section of roof.  I'm such a chicken.

Devin and Brett working...

World Class Leader-AKA Devin

The last couple of months Devin has had leadership classes at the store each week.  I don't really know what is discussed; he has shared one or two items and I would rather not know what is discussed during the classes.  Well-the final class was last week and every manager that was in the class had to vote on a person they thought was the "best" in the class.  Guess who received the prize???  Yep-you guessed it; my husband.  He came home with this really nice glass award for his achievement in leadership and listening. 

When he told me listening I was a little perplexed.  Listening Devin---really??  I have to tell him things multiple times and I still don't get heard.  I've reverted to saying random things in the middle of my sentences to actually see whether or not he is paying attention.

 EXAMPLE:  Today Tristan had a really good T-ball game, Boobs-and he hit the ball really far.  He also got 3 outs, Boobs-and was so happy. 


Could you see the random word in there???  Yep---Boobs seem to be the conversation getter.  I brought this up to Devin and I asked him if he shared that information with his class---he thought about it and decided not to.

I am proud of him for this beautiful award/achievement; but he won't be getting one at home.  Boobs-

Zoo, Donations Drive, and 4th of July

While Devin was in Boise I tried to entertain the kids so the time would go by faster and they wouldn't sit and ponder on how much they were missing him.  I put together Kyra's toddler bed, removed Tristan's training wheels, had pool days at the house, used some coupons for different eating establishments, went to parks, ballet, T-ball, movie night, and the zoo.  I think the only thing I accomplished was exhaustion for myself.  I was SOOOOO tired.  But-I think they had fun and was so happy when Devin surprised them and came home a day and 1/2 early.

While we were in Idaho Falls for doctor appointments we went to the zoo.  The kids loved the monkeys, lions, and the reptiles.

Kyra LOVES shoes and she doesn't mind wearing socks with sandals.  In this photo I guess she didn't want her picture taken.

Several years ago after Hurricane Katrina--Cortlynn and I watched a telethon to raise funds.  Cortlynn was so little but wanted to help.  So Cortlynn and I put a tub outside the bank I worked at and collected donations to donate to the victims.  The response was overwhelming; 2 truck fulls of donations.  Fast forward--on Tuesday a friend of mine put together a donation drive for the Charlotte Fire victims and the kids and I put some items together to donate.  Clothes, blankets, books, toys, bedding, dishes, toothbrushes, and body washes.  We ended up with over 10 bags and a box of items.  When we went to the park to drop them off-Cortlynn and Tristan were shocked by the amount of items people were bringing to help.

On the Fourth of July we stayed in town and enjoyed the parade, swimming at the house, and the fireworks located just a few blocks away.  It was weird to be home the entire day-but it was a nice, relaxing day.

Kyra was so tired by the end of the parade-but she hung onto her flag the entire time.

I thought this was neat---they had signs on the side of the truck thanking all the different agencies and businesses that helped the day of the fire.

We didn't even have to try to collect the candy---since we weren't in the front where the kids could get the candy--there were several people that would give us candy that they collected.  We came away with quite a bit of candy.

Yep-here is the Bull in the Van.  I don't even think they were technically in the parade-just conveniently at the "end" of the parade.  Could you imagine the smell in that van???

Before the fireworks show we let the kids throw some poppers.  Kyra was all over this--she loved it and both her and Tristan enjoyed running after Cortlynn and throwing them at her feet.  ;-)  This was really funny: Too bad Cortlynn didn't find the humor with it.

Kyra getting some poppers to throw.

What a beautiful sunset

We live only 2 blocks away from where the fireworks are set off-and could watch them from our home, BUT-we like to walk down to the soccer fields and watch them shoot overhead.  Kyra slept through the entire show.

There were actually 8 little fires started by the fireworks so I watched the flames grow and all the the trucks rush to put them out.  (I did get a little nervous and hoped that if it got bad enough they would stop the show and tell everyone to leave)

I thought this photo was cool---we came home and let the kids light a few sparklers.  Devin and a few other fireworks-but they scared Kyra so we went inside.  Poor girl and nightmares all night.