Lately...

Last week I got the stomach flu and laid in bed the entire following day. Bleh. We missed out on some fun activities like family dinner, the boys going to the fair with my parents, and a girls' night out. It also was a bummer because I had finally found a happy groove with the kids. Like, we may have caught a glimpse at a new normal and been enjoying it when bam! I'm laid up in bed. Isn't that the way of life at this stage?!

So, we're picking up where we left off this week. We seem to have a routine. We have finally weaned from screen time except for our movie day. Only took like 4 months to have a little more cushion when handling three on a daily basis. I feel frantic less often even though I'm still not getting stellar sleep. I'm still on two cups of coffee, but by God's grace, I'm quicker at extending love and patience to the needs that arise. Have I arrived?! Certainly not, but I'm happy to report progress. :) Less survival mode and more embracing the day.

My phone has also taken a turn for the worst. Apparently, one drop too many and it can't hold a good internet connection. And I refuse to pay for more data. So in addition to my self-imposed limiting, my phone is basically making it much more possible to stay off of social media. And connect with real life.

And we've jumped on the Downton Abbey bandwagon finally. I knew from its genre that it was only a matter of time. With our few other shows on break, it was a good time to try out the first seasons. Such good entertainment.

So this summer I'm taking a free pass. Beyond a few fun weekends, we don't have much of anything planned. We even opted out of family camp this year because it just would have been too hard. So, the summer bucket list will have to wait until next year--when the boys are just a bit older and more independent. We'll enjoy a few traditions, but otherwise, it'll be lots of pool time, castlewood time and sticking close to home.

Roadtrip with the motorycle crew next summer, right, gparents?!? ;)

So Proud

Over Father's Day weekend, E abandoned his training wheels. That means at a few days shy of three and a half, he can fully ride his bike. It was such a proud and exciting moment seeing him pedal around the block. I may have screamed in excitement.

We knew it was only a matter of time since the kid was biking since 18 months and often asked if we would take the training wheels off. Two things really seemed to seal the deal for the final transition...

1) Borrowing our neighbor's strider so E could understand the balance part. He rode it a few times before getting really good at putting his feet up and coasting for long distances.

2) A neighborhood friend learned on her bike last week while we were outside playing. E usually plays with the older girls around our area, so I know he often looks up to them. They are also the reason he knows about "tag, you're it". The first thing he said when he was riding was, "Now, I can ride my bike just like my friend." A great example of positive peer pressure. :)

Now he's back to asking if he can ride everyday. And he just loves being able to ride next to W while he's on his BMX bike. Such a thrilling milestone as a parent!

Family Culture

I've been doing a book study with our MOPS this summer. The book is called Desperate; Hope for the Mom Who Needs to Breathe. I was a little skeptical at first for several reasons, but it's turned out to be a great thought-provoking read. 

Currently, I feel like I'm wading my way through our own mucky waters of finding a new normal, experimenting with discipline methods now that we have two completely different boys to contend with, and still wanting to be intentional about our family's culture; so I wasn't sure if I was going to get anything out of the book study-- my brain is a bit tapped with other things to consider and pray over. Discombobulated is a great way to put it.

Well, lo and behold, there have been some gems within the book that directly relate to what we've been working through. One of which was intentionality of our family culture. We really want our children to think our home is the best place in the world. We want them to linger here, love Jesus deeply, and feel secure and openly talk about what's on their heart. It is a living and breathing home so there will be spats, challenges, exhaustion and messes. But hopefully, with grace and a soft heart. 

A few nights ago, W and I wrote down a few of the things we hope will create the culture we want as our family grows and gets older. Just some of the things we hope to impart to our littles and enjoy together. 

...a love for Jesus, His grace, and a Godly character; grown from daily reading of his Word and prayer, weekly church and small group involvement, parental training and teaching

...a love for the outdoors; grown through camping, hikes, future boy scouts

...a love of physical activity; grown through biking, walks, jogs, swimming, other future sports

...a love for the arts; grown through theater, musicals, concerts, live productions, museums, art projects

...a love for good books; grown through school, read-alouds, audio books, personal libraries

...a love for adventure/trying new things; grown through road trips, day outings, local events, family vacations

...a sense of duty and belonging; grown through service projects, household chores

...a love for silliness and fun; grown through wearing birthday hats, future game nights, family movie/pizza nights, picnics

...a love for homestead/natural living; grown through future chicken raising, gardening and composting, understanding natural remedies and benefits, learning to research and make decision that may be contrary to popular beliefs/practices

...a love for Swenson family traditions; grown through establishing seasonal traditions specific to our family

Some examples:

-big breakfasts

-fires on cold evenings

-thankful tree
-Gparent day

-advent calendar and wreath

-pumpkin picking and carving

-summer fair and funnel cake 

-church summer camping trip

-Scottish games on Labor Day weekend

-family dinners at Castlewood

-trips to Orange County to see family; Thanksgiving and May

-picking dinner and dessert on birthday

A lot of the things listed are just who we are and what we enjoy. They don't take much effort and seem like no-brainers. Others, we want to be intentional about making happen. Or at least, set up our home environment to encourage them.

Our children have different personalities and preferences, but we hope as a general whole they will learn to love the things we do as a family. I'm a perfect example of that: my parents love sports and I totally do not except for the social aspect. Family culture fail. ;) But I do know about each sport and understand enough to hold an intelligent conversation!! One major success that I love about my family growing up was that we were always together. I loved that we spent so much time together. I was an only child---my parents could have easily left me with family or a babysitter and go off on their own. But they intentionally took me with them. And I noticed. And now, its one of the biggest things I love about W and our family. Being together. 

It will be music to my ears when I hear my littles say, "Oh yeah, when we were growing up, my family always did..." Whether they chose to continue that into their own families is up to them, we just hope to provide an anchor for our wee ones. And I pray they notice too.

What kind of family culture are you creating??

Cambria Getaway: Relaxing

The rest of the weekend was full of food, wine, and staying in bed because no one was requiring we get up. We got some wine tasting vouchers when we booked our hotel, so Sunday mid morning we made a few stops before making the drive home.

My favorite was Castoro Cellers off the 46. We loved every one we tried and ended up purchasing some bottles. The grounds were beautiful so we enjoyed them the only way we know how currently...

Feeding Vesper. ;)

I'm thankful for getting to feed this little one. Not only does it make me sit and rest, but often allows me to enjoy some beautiful scenery.

Another favorite stop was Firestone Walker Brewery off the 101. I actually loved their imperial brown named Bravo. I'm not really a beer fan but it was so good. But, of course, it's the only one that's draft only and extremely limited. Boo.

After our first dinner's wine, I really wanted to make a stop a J.Lohr winery because their Cab Sav was a.mazing and I wanted more. :) But we ran out of time. Still, I'm happy to discover more labels that I enjoy. Although our wine budget won't allow me to get too snobby. Heh.

Cambria Getaway: Playing Tourists

Our weekend away was nothing short of amazing. As we were making the drive home, neither of us could really pinpoint a highlight because all of it was just so good. And yes, we've probably also become very easy to please. ;)

We loved our hotel, the delicious food, and good wine. The hotel had some beautiful gardens where we ate breakfast each morning. We also had time to play tourists and time to nap and relax. And Vesper was a dream. It really felt like it was just the two of us. Apparently, she's really not that high maintenance at all?! Perhaps, just when she has two older brothers to contend with and feed off of??

Our first tourist attraction was Hearst Castle. Neither of us had been there before which was fun. We did the Grand Rooms guided tour and then walked around the gardens and pools. It's a breath-taking estate. 

We jokingly acted like we got special treatment because they had a "baby room" where I nursed and we used the bathroom. The guides are sticklers about staying only on the carpet and we got to venture into a private room...off of the carpet path. And completely unsupervised. Heh.

 The marble statutes were among my favorite. Reminds me of the more recent Pride & Prejudice and they are just stunning. So much detail and craftsmanship.  

We spent an extended time around the pool. It was getting hot and it looked so so inviting. Simply beautiful!

On our way back to Cambria, we stopped to check out the elephant seals. W got the recommendation from someone at work and they were so entertaining!

They were either honking at each other, laying lifeless, or shoveling sand onto their backs. There were so many of them that something was always going on.

This was their molting season so it looked as if their skin was peeling off. And all the babies that been born were already teens by now. Would love to come back to see some babies and take the boys. I know they'd get a kick out of watching them. 

Hi, Three Months

Found your fingers!

Hair's a' growing! And looking a wee bit red.

Still love getting your diaper changed.

Nights are, more often than not, good. When they're bad, they are bad.

Only your hands are swaddled now.

Happy in the car if it's during your "wake" time! Yay, for that 1.5 hour window!

Finally moved to mealing about every 3 hours instead of 2, during the day.

Holding that head of yours up for longer.

In 3 month clothes, lil' peanut.

Much more forgiving of your brothers' antics.

Love, love, love all your smiles!