family fun

so after who knows how many years of NOT getting together, we finally had a swainson family reunion at my mom and dad's house this last weekend. talk about FUN!! beautiful weather, great set up, TONS of kids, and good company made for a fabulous time. it was so great visiting with all the cousins, aunts, and uncles - reliving memories, telling goofy stories, and watching all the little ones running around.

as a second "generation-er," it warmed my heart to see my kids playing with all the other little kids - reminding me of all the great times i had roaring around with my cousins growing up. what great memories i have of being on "the farm," making forts, plaing kick the can in the dark, sleepovers at gramps and nana's house, weiner roasts, softball games, tile rummy with nana, gramps playing pool downstairs, and all the food it took to feed all those people!!!!!

what a wonderful weekend it was!! and i, for one, have decided that we HAVE to do it again next year!

for a picture representation of some of the fun we had at the reunion, click here, here, and here.

i think i managed to snap a picture of almost everyone....and that is saying a lot as there are a lot of people is this family!!!

and i really love this family.

validation

sitting on the back deck at mom and dad's house tonight, a beautiful evening, my dad told burton that burton is his hero....dad has a huge soft spot for burton. then he asked burton who his hero is. burton thought for a moment, then said, "my mom."

wow.

amazing how two little words in answer to a random question made me feel so appreciated, validated, and loved.

does it get much better than this?

favorite subjects

i love taking pictures of all kinds of things....flowers, trees, and other nature.

but i always find that my favorite pictures always include my favorite subjects....

evan

burton and

jensen.

always my favorites.

we have been enjoying the warmer weather here in the MOUNTAINS and just returned from a week spent in spokane with brent's family. the boys had fun with their cousins and we all enjoyed the visit, of course! i have posted pictures of our spokane trip for your viewing pleasure. just click here.

and for all those who are interested in brent's bike trip, click here.

TTFN!

my one and only

my brent - i only hope our boys grow up to be the kind of man, husband, and father you are. that would be their greatest achievement, to be like you.

happy father's day my love.

his very own

burton is his own person. only knows one speed - fast. go. go. go. up, down, right, left, in, out, forwards, backwards. big, blue eyes. scattered freckles. smiling dimples. all make my burty-burt. but there is another side to burton - morning snuggles, whispered "i love you's," self conscious moments, need for a quick hug, a word of encouragement, approval. as rough and tough and pure boy that he is, burton still needs his momma.

what a soft spot i have for that kid.

just like dad

look at this picture - those eyes! big, brown, and beautiful. like liquid amber. and they both have them. jensen looks so much like his dad....lucky boy!

things i love about my oldest son:

-his laugh when he is really laughing.

-how he shares his ideas and you can almost see the wheels turning in his mind.

-that he always loves me, even when i am rotten.

-his compassion and sensitivity to others.

-he looks out for his little brothers, especially evan.

-he likes to help me and will often help without being asked.

-he is kind and considerate.

-he is inquisitive and curious.

he is jensen - my jensen.

right here

just one more before i go to bed. evan is still my baby. i often ask him if he is a big boy and he always says, "no big boy. me evan." i ask him if he is my baby and he says, "yes. mommy's baby." he makes me feel good, so good. evan frequently will enter a room that i am in and come running with arms outstretched just for me, saying, "here i am mommy. i'm here." always so happy to see me.

and i am always here, evan, with arms outstretched just for you.

my baby boy.

home sweet home

brent is now home from his 2 week motorbike adventure - YIPEE!!! we all missed him so much and are very glad to have him back with us. now we can really settle in to our new home, new city, new job. of course he had a wonderful time cruising the US with his good friends. i don't know how many people told me what a great wife i am, letting my husband go for 2 weeks. well, to all you out there, this great wife is saying never again!!! i'm sure the kids were just as sick and bored of me as i was of them!

p.s. i must say that i find brent incredibly attractive on his sweet ride. good thing or it would have to go! i'm liking the biker look.

so you think YOU can dance?

i've been watching the show "so you think you can dance?" - definitely a fave summer series. there have been some very good dancers. but, really, i don't think they've seen anything yet.

burton knows he can dance.

the darndest things

kids really do say the "darndest things." for fhe tonight, we talked about eternal families. to start off, i asked jensen and burton what a family is. burton said that it is a group of people. i was impressed. then i asked who/what is in a family. this is how it went from there, pretty much word for word:

burton - ummmm, people from africa....

jensen - i know, babies and mommies and daddies and uncles and nephews.....

burton - and normal people....

jensen - and aunts, and grammas, and grampas.

burton - and some people who don't see....without glasses

jensen - or if they wear contacts.

to get back on track, i showed them some pictures of when brent and i got married and explained to them why we get married in the temple. since we were married almost 8 years ago, brent and i look different, and the boys noticed:

jensen - i don't like how dad looks...i mean he looks different.

burton - his hair looks like an elephant tail.

whereupon evan walks around me, lifts up the back of my shirt, and asks where my elephant tail went. then he lifts up his shirt, points to his tummy and proudly says, "here it is!"

did they get the point?

hi-yah!!

so, i took my boys to see kung-fu panda yesterday. maybe that was a mistake.

evan

also known as mr. attitude, "i can do anything you can do better," me too, not afraid of anything. as mentioned before, we caught all these frogs and a salamander. evan couldn't keep his hands off them. i tried telling him to be gentle and put the frog back in the water. i think he understands me - then evan turns around and throws the frog in and says, "okay mommy." poor frog - we let them go later that day.

on a side note....jensen was being a true big brother tonight. after repeated warnings and threats of bed with no snack/dessert if he didn't leave burton alone, i had to follow through. after letting him cry it out for a bit, i went to tuck him in. our conversation went something like this:

jb - why can't i have a snack? i'm really hungry.

me- bad things happen when you get in trouble. you do bad things, you get in trouble.

jb - how come you never get in trouble when you do bad things?

me - silence.......completely stonewalled. all i could think of was, good question!

kids - i love them!

New photos

i posted our most recent family pics on my facebook page. click here to see them. we have had a lot of fun this spring catching frogs and even salamanders at my mom and dad's farm. also, brent's dental school graduation pics are posted in this album. still can't believe it....DR. Brent Davis - my husband is a dentist. i am the wife of a dentist! how proud i am of brent and his accomplishments. i am also so grateful for all the sacrifices and HARD work and TIME he has put into his education. YOU MADE IT BRENT!!! thank you. thank you. thank you.

SO, I am finally sitting down to write my first blog entry. Never thought I would be much of a blogger but as we have left so many friends and family behind as life has progressed, I see the value in keeping in touch. That being said, this will be a short entry! Brent graduated (I will post pics later) and we have made the move from Saskatoon, SK to Cranbrook BC. We are in OUR first home and we love it!!! Brent left me for a 2 week "guys" trip - he is currently in California somewhere, motorbiking with his good friends and having a great time. The boys and I have been in Cranbrook since Monday and are glad to be settling in to our new home. I AM TIRED!!!! I hate moving and we have been SO busy - kind of wish Brent were around to lend an extra set of hands before he starts work in July. Jensen and Burton have been so helpful....and Evan just does what he can:) Hence, the short entry. I love my boys! My hands are full and I am off to make supper.

TTFN