CW Egg Hunt 2016

 Praying with Daddy before the egg hunt

 Checking out his loot

{Ignore the candy ... Look at those blue eyes!} 

Brotherly love at its finest

Mommy of Boys

Hand prints on cupboards and shoes in the hall. 

Toilet seat's up and there's mud on the wall. 

Every sports channel to them will appeal, 

And the front room doubles as a football field. 

The shelves in the kitchen are continually bare. 

There's toys on the couch and jeans on the chair. 

Wrestling and mud and cars and noise; 

I'm sure you can guess I'm the MOTHER OF BOYS! 

{Patsy Gaut}

My cousin shared the poem above announcing 

that she was having a baby boy; 

I had to share this picture with her...

This was from the morning after Halloween 

after we had returned home from church.

The Broncos helmet is attached to Alekzander 

who is UNDER his little brother!

I would not change a thing about my life!

Oh, how I love being a mommy of two boys.

Follow Me!

At first glance, I thought this was Alekzander, 

but it is, indeed, our little tank, Anderson.

Seemingly big for a two year old, 

his personality is even bigger.

And it has to be since he has Alekzander for a big brother.

Alekzander can be shy in new social situations {clearly my son},

but at home and when he is comfortable, 

he is a loud leader ... to put it mildly.

It is no surprise that Anderson's personality has mirrored 

his big brother's, and at times,

it is just necessary to be louder in order to be bossier!

One of our favorite books is called Gossie and Gertie

where two geese best friends follow each other around on an adventure.

One goose spends the whole book saying, "follow me, follow me!"

as she ends up following the other goose.

The boys reminded me of Gossie and Gertie:

Anderson with his "map" in hand

ready to lead the way, saying 'This way, follow me'

as big brother sprinted past

leaving little brother behind.

Follow me! 

Sunshine and Apples

We like to eat sunshine and apples for breakfast at the beach!

Such a great way to wake up - 

sand, sun, waves, water,

and two boys with joy, joy, joy in their hearts.

I love you sooooooooo much.

5 Before 2

 

Anderson :: On Luge, Ice Cream, and Worship

This kiddo had an explosive personality today.  He is a trip - and it is getting dangerous because he knows when he is being funny 

and catches on when anyone laughs at him.

During the parade, he decided to lay down in the wagon ...

or perhaps he was practicing for the 2026 American Olympic Luge Team!

*****

When the long awaited ice cream truck {post CW-parade} finally arrived, a whiny almost 2 year old did not want to wait in line but wanted ice cream NOW (at 9:45 a.m.).  And-And eat ice cream?!  We waited in line with friends and neighbors and finally got our ice cream.  Normally it takes Anderson 30 minutes to eat a Popsicle (all fruit/all natural) at our house, so I did not think he would be excited about a Popsicle from the ice cream truck.  Boy was I wrong.  Andrew and I ate a third of the Cream-sicle {for damage control} and then handed it over.  Anderson was a mess and ate every last bite (of what did not melt on him first).  Then, of course, he wanted to put his sticky hand in mine.  No wipes, no water to clean it, but of course I held his sticky, sweet hand during our short walk home.  Sugar makes everything better, temporarily, right?!

*****

In lieu of a cookout or pool, we did our normal SatPM routine and went to church. There was no childcare, so the kiddos were invited into the big worship/service. We had limited distractions with us, but both boys were pretty good. Anderson provided the most colorful commentary throughout. After hearing "7th day" and "15th day" celebrations, Anderson proceeded to pick up from each number and start counting {loudly}. Then he heard the Pastor talk about eating unleavened bread, and he said, "EAT BREAD" {loudly}. And after naming a few Sesame Street characters from one book and flipping completely through another, he shouted, "AMEN!" instead of "The End" {LOUDLY}. Worship had him intrigued and he clapped his hands in anticipation of prayer and pointed at the Pastor and said "Jesus heart" {not as loudly}. Precious, precious, busy boy.

*****

The moral of the stories :: be silly, do not be afraid to get messy or be loud, and children listen to and emulate everything! 

Brotherly Love

 

Tractor rides,

Rockets fly.

A brother's love never dies.

An Affinity for Hats

 I do not know what it is about a Swistak boy in a hat, 

but it makes me swoon.  

Almost 15 years ago when I first laid eyes on "Stack,"

I fell in love with the tall boy in a raggedy hat.

I told my grandma and my mom

that I was going to marry that guy.

I did not know anything else about him - 

except that he {in my eyes} was a BMOC

and he looked good in a hat.

I probably saw his blue eyes, but I couldn't even take a guess

at his hair style or hair color for the first six months I 'knew' him

as he always wore a hat!

I have been obsessed with hats for my boys 

since Alekzander was a baby.

Kiddo wore a hat just about every day...

more for fashion than function.

Anderson went through a stage where he hated hats,

and I was crushed.

Now, I can get them both to wear a hat -

and keep it on for a while.

It may just be me, 

but I think they both {all} look adorable in hats!

Merry Christmas Cards

Panthers Fans

Southwick Beach :: A Happy Place

After all our adventures of the day,

concluded by peaceful, deep snoozes in the car,

we made it back to Southwick Beach in time 

for dinner and a cloudy sunset.  

The sand between our toes and the warm lake water 

made us happy, happy, happy.

1000 Islands :: Family

 Three generations of Swistaks

Alekzander adopted this family on vacation.

We love them too!

Anderson's perch for the day

On the US side of the International Bridge

Happy Grandparents

{Rachel :: 11; Alekzander :: 4; Jeremy :: 14}

 Sons and Father