Our lives are crazier than ever now... but more full of laughs than I could have ever imagined. The guys in this house just never stop with the comments. I think my favorite so far is when one of them suggested that I get some high-top sneakers. We feel so privileged to be here.

Carter is also making us laugh so much. He giggles and talks in his own language. We love it! We also love that sleeping on his part has gotten so much better. He loves his bed... we figure it's probably because it is the only place where he can have some alone time. He fusses and fusses until we lay him down... after that he talks to himself until he falls asleep. We usually find him looking through the bars of his crib toward the door or the window when we go to get him up. He was so happy after his nap this morning that I couldn't help running downstairs to grab the camera.




He is also moving more and more each day. This afternoon he was so frustrated that I was in the kitchen that he finally got on his belly and slid around the island to the trash can where he found some boxes to play with until I was done with the dishes.

I thought I would take a moment to introduce a very good friend. His name is Bart. I spend a lot of time with Bart. I took his picture and posted it below. He is our central vacuum. I think I have had him in and out of the closet four times today... which is funny because that is the same number of high school boys who have been in and out, and in and out, and in and out of this house today.

I had to post one last picture today. We have a web cam which makes staying in touch with family so much easier. Yesterday my parents got a chance to see Carter scoot and today Dan's parents were able to see him. It's crazy to me that we are miles away and can still look at each other and talk.

It snowed last night! We love the snow. Our cat Eddie is staying here at the house with us for a couple days until he moves to his new home for the time being :( We let him outside in the middle of the night last night... so it was funny coming downstairs because we could see exactly where he had been.

We're back in the real world now. It is so nice to have Internet!!! I thought I would post some pics since I have a couple minutes.

Playing in the toy box.

Happy guy with some crazy hair. I'm starting to put lotion in it to try and keep it a little calmed down.

1st time in restaurant highchair at our favorite St. Louis restaurant.

Scooting. He was trying to grab a toy that kept rolling just out of his reach.

This robe is so cute. It's a hand-me-down from his cousin.

He LOVES his bath... especially now that he has toys to play with and can sit up on his own.

Holding the bottle on his own.

Home-made cereal. He hated it. He really likes the texture of things... so I thought he might like it better if he touched it. Dan looked at me like I was crazy. He didn't like it any better after this.

I can't believe I'm online right now. It's been forever!!! We don't normally have Internet at home, but for some reason we are able to pick up a signal from Dan's school down the street. We think it has something to do with our weather right now. I only have one bar out of four... so we'll see how long I'm able to stay on. We'll have Internet back for good on Thursday.

Our precious little boy has changed so much in the last month. We love being parents more and more each day... especially since he has started to sleep through a good part of the night :)... just kidding... kind of. Anyways... he has started to move around by scooting or rolling, his bottom two teeth have started to come in, he can sit up on his own, and he can finally ride in the car awake without crying!

A lot has also happened in our lives in the past month. We spent Christmas in California, New Year's in Washington, we celebrated 5 years of marriage on the 5th, one of our boys moved in on the 7th, and I celebrated my 27th birthday on the 11th. It's been a really great month. I thought I would post some pics before I lose my connection... I've heard the Grandparents are going a little nuts without weekly updates on Carter :).

Chico Farmer's Market

Opening p.j.s Christmas Eve

Swanson family tradition: walking down the hall Christmas morning

Opening one of his 1st gifts under the tree

Each Swanson grandchild gets a wooden toy on their 1st Christmas

Great Grandma (Granny) Betty

In a daze between naps

Great Grandpa Floyd

Cousin Caleb

Nana and Gracie

Cousin cuddle time

Reading with Papa Reeve

Where Dan proposed almost 6 years ago...

It took about 10 self portraits to actually get the lighthouse in the picture.

One more thing... here is a picture of Carter a couple nights ago. He was so tired he hardly moved during his story time before bed. Him not moving is VERY unusual... so we had to take a picture.

I am online for the first time in more than a week and I can't decide what to do first!! We've moved into Joe's Place but won't have Internet for about another week or two. I've been having major withdrawals... although I am finding it is nice to have more time to do things during Carter's naps... other than look at blogs. Anyways... a lot of people have asked what the house looks like. Here are some pics:

Entry

Stairs

Kitchen (Dan said it's really time for me to learn how to cook now :))

Living Room (I warned Dan that I was taking the picture)

Dining Room

Sitting Room

Master Bath (Two sinks!!!)

Master Bedroom

Master Bedroom

Boys Bathroom

Boys Room

Boys Room

Carter's Room

Carter's Room


We are really excited for the boys to move in. There are still some things that need to be finalized... so it probably won't be until after the New Year. It's amazing to see how much the community has donated for these boys. The stories behind some of the different pieces of furniture makes me want to cry.

We're heading to California and Seattle for Christmas and the New Year. Hopefully we'll get to see some of you!

Winter Wonderland

We woke up this morning to a snow and ice covered yard and Dan's first SNOW DAY!!! Yeah!!