Happy Easter

We hope you had a great holiday!

Love,

The Swains

Catching Up

Summer is here and we have been busy!

LANDON has spent his time exploring the great outdoors (boy can he get dirty quickly!), learning how to ride his first big wheel bike, sitting by the back door pouting until someone gets tired of the crying and takes him outside to play, emptying out kitchen drawers and cabinets, and being too cute for words.

ALLIE has spent her time practicing soccer, looking for bugs, riding her bike, solving mysteries, playing with friends, reading books, injuring her finger, visiting the Peds office for said injury (nothing that turned out to be major, thank goodness), chasing Landon, performing at the Provo Children's Festival, and practicing piano.

STACIE has spent her time cleaning, taking care of children, cooking, working on endless Primary projects, tending neighbor children, talking on the phone with friends and family, shuttling Allie to and from her many social engagements...wait a minute. Isn't this supposed to be summer vacation? I guess you don't get those as a Mom. Oh, I guess one exciting thing did happen to me. Eric and I were playing whiffle ball baseball and Eric nailed me in the face. Lucky for me, Paul witnessed the event and all he could say is "why didn't you duck?". Thanks for the moral support, bro.

ERIC has spent his time working, going to school (this is supposedly the last summer EVER!), riding horses, doing scouts, being a young women's camp leader (strange, but true), trying to convince Stacie that a natural gas vehicle is a practical purchase, refining his plan to become a millionaire, and maintaining the yard.

AS A FAMILY we have enjoyed playing at the park, lounging around in the cool basement, snuggling up in winter clothing when the temperatures nose dive, denying that a "regular" bedtime exists, watching movies, and being together more than ever.

FINALLY, HERE ARE A BUNCH OF PICTURES. I FIGURED THAT THIS POST WASN'T LONG ENOUGH YET.

Landon's so excited about Allie's concert he can barely contain himself.

Allie loves to sing!

Eric was impressed by Allie's concentration. She is a pretty good little whiffle ball player.

Landon just wants to eat the bat.

And the FHE treats Allie picked out.





Preparing for a bike ride.

Lovin' the "big boy" bike!


Landon's got to keep an eye out for his big sister sneaking up behind him!

I still can't believe that Kristy and I agreed to let our babies be put on the horses. Landon thought the horses were pretty cool...from a distance. He would chase them until they got too close and then he wasn't sure what to think of them.

A Big Milestone

It's official. For the first time in our 8 1/2 years of marriage we are the only ones residing in our home. When we were first married we lived in a 4-plex. A few months later we moved into the basement apartment of Eric's Grandpa's home. Next was a move to a home of our own with an accessory apartment to help ease the mortgage burden. When our most recent tenants announced that they were moving we decided to take the plunge and attempt to cover all of the mortgage all by ourselves. The tighter budget is well worth it! We are LOVING it. The kids now have a playroom, Eric can move his office from the outside shed back into the house (a funny story I'll have to share sometime), I have a lot more space to store and organize things, and we all benefit from an additional bathroom and a comfortable family room. The change has been so drastic for us that it is literally like having a brand new (50-year-old) home!

More Pictures

Here are a couple of additional photos from our sealing day.
Right after the sealing.

And another cute Landon picture.

This picture reminded me of something Elder Caldwell said when Landon was brought into the sealing room. He said "Your know, your hair won't always stick up like that". I'm not so sure!

Families Can Be Together Forever

We are a forever family! Last Saturday was one of the most incredible days of my life. It has taken me some time to sit down and write about it because it is all still sinking in. Our temple sealing was one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had. We were sealed by Elder Max Caldwell in the Mount Timpanogos Temple on Saturday September 22, 2007. Elder Caldwell lives in Eric's parents ward and we knew that having him perform the ordinance would be a special experience for us. What we were surprised to discover is that he adopted 2 of his 4 children. As he spoke to us before he performed the sealing, it was very apparent that this wonderful man understood and spoke from experience about just what it means to be entrusted with the care and nurture of an adopted child. One of my favorite things he shared with us is how he explained adoption to his daughters. He said something to this effect: "Your mother wasn't born a Caldwell either and I had to find her too". I think everyone present chuckled a little bit but the impact of his statement was profound. Nearly every person I have talked to who attended the sealing mentioned this statement by him and how true it is. We are lucky to have had our lives touched by the gift of adoption and this beautiful little boy.



Being in the temple with my wonderful husband, my two beautiful children, and friends and family who have supported us through every step of this long journey, I was overwhelmed with gratitude. I have been richly blessed! The growing experiences that have come to me through this process are innumerable.

It's Official

On Friday September 21, 2007 Eric and I were officially declared Landon's parents. It was a wonderful experience for our family. We are so blessed to have this sweet little boy in our home! I have a lot more to say about all of this weekends events and I will be posting frequently during the next several days. We want to say a great big THANK YOU to all of our friends and family for their unbelievable support throughout this amazing experience.

This is Landon hanging out on the bench outside of the courtroom.

Landon doing what he does best...putting something in his mouth.

This is our family with Judge Claudia Laycock shortly after our adoption was finalized.

A Forever Family

When I look at these pictures I can't believe how blessed I am. As we eagerly anticipate our temple sealing, I am filled with gratitude for the knowledge we have that families are forever. Who wouldn't want to spend eternity with such a wonderful and supportive husband and such adorable and happy children? I am one lucky girl!

Perspective

I had a conversation with Allie yesterday that I can't get out of my mind. She was over at a friend's house playing and came home teary and very upset. When I asked her what was wrong she sniffled a bit and then said "I decided to come home early because they weren't being nice". She has a tendency to overreact a little bit and to be quite emotional when she puts her mind to it. I was busy taking care of Landon and only barely paying attention when she started to tell me more. What she said stopped me in my tracks. She said that the brothers she was playing with were being unkind to each other. Then she went on to say: "It made me very sad to see them being so mean to each other. Maybe they have too many siblings (there are 8 in their family) to know how lucky they are to have each other. I had to wait so long for my brother that I would never treat him like that. I love Landon so much and I know how lucky I am to have him in my family. I would never want to be unkind to him." I was speechless and a little teary eyed myself. As I watch my children together, I witness everyday the unique bond and love that they share. I am so very grateful for the opportunity that I have been given to be their mother.