Family Photo’s August 2009

For FHE last night we went to Kidsville in New Bern. It is a great playground that the kids love. We took some family photo’s and I thought since I have been such a slacker with our blog I would get these posted right away before I mentally add them to the other MONTHS I need to get caught up on!!!

Swan Family August 2009

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Just a short update on our family…we are still enjoying the East Coast and some of you may have heard that our 3 year plan has now extended to longer. Jason was accepted into the PhD program at NC State so he will continue working for DPA and do the PhD as well. I am hoping he is able to do it in 3 or 4 years and then we will hopefully move somewhere back West, closer to family.

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Susie Q has probably changed the most since we moved here…she is not our little girl anymore. It drives Jason bonkers when at age 13 she comes flying down the stairs looking so HOT!!! He does a double take and then gets his sad face on and sighs and shakes his head, I am a little worried about him when she turns 16. He’s probably going to be worse to deal with than she will be…:-) Susie is loving school, loves being the big bad 8th graders in the school. She has recently become involved in Horse Riding through a 4-H club and a local riding stable.  She is learning to work, caring for the horses and she gets to ride 2 Saturdays a month. She is thrilled, loves horses and dreams of her future life living on a ranch caring for her own horse someday!!!

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Becca Boo or Bex…a couple of months ago at dinner Becca made her grand entrance and said…and I quote…”Hey all you peoples…listen up here…I have an announcement to make…I am changing my name to Bex… that’s B E X Bex…with an X!!!” She is still as crazy as ever making us laugh every day! Becca was so excited to start Middle School. She was so cute when she got home the first day of school, she started giggling and told me her story of how she got lost in the school before the day had even begun!!! That is so typical of Becca, part of her charm…getting lost, playing practical jokes on us, tripping and falling on the stand when going up to bare her testimony, having a conversation with her and after a bit realizing it is one sided because she is engrossed in a book…you say “Becca” 3,4,5 times until she finally hears you and she innocently says “huh?” The best part about Becca is she laughs right along with us over the goofy things she does.

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Katie Bird is the volume in our home. She has not changed in that regard…in fact she has probably increased that certain characteristic…There is not one thing I can think of that she does quiet, even sleeping she has to have her radio on… She is either hollering out songs while taking a shower or using the bathroom or walking upstairs or into a room…she just randomly belts out whatever song is running through her head!!! Sometimes its not even a song…just noise. Or she has her music blaring from her room (a favorite thing to do when she is in trouble). Smacking whatever she has in her hands on the bar or table, rocking chairs back and forth. Whatever noise you can possibly think of she has already thought of it and done it or is doing it right now!!! Katie has found huge success in learning to play the piano, we are just amazed at the progress she has made in the time she has been playing. Katie is also enjoying school.

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Xander-Man is BORED with his sisters in school and his preschool not starting yet…just in the last week or two he has really been struggling with it. He used to be so happy to follow me around and help me with whatever I am working on, gardening, dishes, laundry etc. Now all he asks to do is watch movies or have a snack…very BORED!!! He will finish up his first swim lesson tonight. He has had loved his lessons and he is doing so much better in the water. He was pretty much a scaredy cat before this, clinging to me! The night before his lesson started he got real sad and worried and kept crying “I don’t want to drown!!!”  Poor kid. It only took 2 lessons before he trusted the teachers to not let him drown and then he was just fine, learned everything he was suppose to…

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