Friday, January 28, 2011

Long time, no blog!

Yikes, sorry for the lack of posting! Not sure what my problem is... I've started a few posts and they just seem b o r i n g. And, I've been slack on taking photos lately too. Once we receive our tax money, we will be purchasing a new laptop so hopefully that will motivate me to take more photos and blog more! Anyways, here is the latest and greatest. Hopefully it's not too boring.


Austin is weaned!

A chapter in my life has come to a close. My last baby is officially weaned :( I was ready to be done, but it makes me sad that Austin is growing up and we are nearly done with the baby stage forever. Like the other boys, I was aiming to breastfeed for the first year with weaning beginning about a month beforehand. We've been offering Austin a cup since 6 months and he would occasionally take a sip or two, but really showed no interest until recently. Then about two weeks ago a switch went off and he just 'got it'. He began finishes 6 oz cups of milk with no problem (something that took the other boys a long time to accomplish). I knew he was ready at that point, so I figured I would just hang on to one feeding a day for some bonding time, since he is still just my tiny little baby. Then Austin came down with a cold. I told Aaron that weaning was off until he recovered since he needed the superpower of breastmilk to help with the cold. Unfortunately though his cold had him majorly congested and it was just way easier for him to drink out of a cup. So that was it. Two weeks ago I brought him to bed with me when he woke up in the morning. He was sitting there looking cute as ever and I signed "Milk" to him and he pointed to the door. So he's adjusted just fine to say the least!


And to add insult to injury, Brody and Jacob updates.


As if it's not hard enough for me to grasp that Austin is growing up, Brody and Jacob decided to go ahead and grow up too. We had Jacob's parent teacher conferences last week and got the green light for Jacob to start kindergarten in the fall! We also took a tour of the school Jacob will be attending and were very pleased. We took Jacob with us and I was worried it might seem a little overwhelming because it was recess when we got there so kids were coming and going all over the place, but he did great! He seemed to like it a lot and I liked that the building is very nice and new and set in a very wooded, quiet setting. The layout of the building is also very simple, so that makes me feel good that he should be able to find his way around there very easily this fall. What I don't like about it is that there is only a full day option for kindergarten. We are going to try it out anyway and if it proves too much, we'll just pull him and find something else.

And as for Brody... next week applications come out to enroll him in preschool! We'll put him in the Friday morning program and I think he'll love it but I don't think he realizes that Jacob won't be there with him yet. I think he'll be ok though, a major perk of being the second child is that he is very familiar with Mrs. Render already because she always takes the time to say hello and goodbye to him during drop off and pick up. My only hope is that Brody doesn't force Mrs. Render in to retirement before I can get Austin there! He can be... um, let's just say a handful.


Aaron and I are growing up, too!

We've been going to Church every Wednesday night to attend Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace course. We've been doing a budget every month and doing our best to stick to it! It's been great for our marriage because it's the first time we are on completely the same page as to how we are spending our money. Now Aaron knows that a new quad is completely out of the question, but a fishing lure is ok and I know that if I want a new pair of jeans I have to wait 4 months to buy them. Or something like that. ;)

And other stuff...

Running is going blah! When I do get on there to run, I'm doing great and able to run 2-3 miles. Problem is more with my consistency of running. Since late December it's just been one thing after another... stitches, a cold, migraine, and the house where we keep it being occupied. Typically, the person who stays there only visits once every 9 weeks. However, he has been filling on call hours for someone else who had surgery so he has been there a lot more frequently the past few weeks (including this week). He'll be gone on Friday, let's hope I can stay healthy and get back in a rhythm.


Skiing/Boarding is going awesome! We've been so grateful to my mom for babysitting and letting us get some turns in at least weekly! Conditions have been great and it has been so nice spending some time together.

And on a serious note...

I added a blog link to the right for the Hanway family. I know Katie through an online message board that I have been a part of for a few years. Her 2.5 year old daughter was recently diagnosed with cancer after they found a tumor in her skull. It's a very scary time for their family and prayers and well wishes are very much appreciated, even from strangers!


Sunday, January 16, 2011

Why helmets are important...

Aaron took a spill a week ago that cracked his helmet, here are some pics:





He went down a steep run at Crystal Mountain and then tried to do a little trick at the bottom when he had a lot of speed. He caught the edge of his snowboard on the landing and landed pretty hard on his hips and head. I was skiing ahead of him (since he usually catches up to me with no problems) so I missed it, but he filled me in quickly as he discovered why his helmet felt loose! We ordered Aaron a new helmet the next day. Despite this evidence on how important they are, I'm still dragging my heels... I would SO much rather spend the money on a new pair of running shoes!! Guess the shoes will have to wait till my birthday. Or Valentines Day. Because we are romantic like that ;)

Other things happening with the Switzer family... Aaron's boss retired as of last month and as of January 10th Aaron is now the acting Biologist at the hatchery. We aren't sure if/when they will open the position up for transfers/hiring but we are hopeful that this will ultimately help!

Jacob was "Top Banana" at preschool this week. He rocked the position, getting his name right, the weather right, the date right, etc. Brody threw a tantrum as per usual. We went to YMCA gymnastics for enrichment this week and Jacob loved it! I was surprised since last time I took him to an open gym at gymnastics he had no interest. We return again this week, should be fun!

Austin's rash is gone! He was really only clingly one day and then made dramatic improvements every day after that. It was shocking to see at first, but not much of a big deal overall.




Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Austin and a mild rash










Austin received a few immunizations on his first birthday including the MMR. On Sunday (9 days later) Austin broke out in this red, slightly raised, non-itchy rash from head-to-toe (the pictures don't show it very well but it's over his face as well). He was pretty clingy yesterday and has had a slight runny nose, but other than that it doesn't seem to bother him much. The ped believes it was from his MMR but that it is harmless, NOT contagious and NOT an allergic reaction to the vaccine.

Poor guy looks just awful though! So the real question is this.... how much will you pay me to take him to the mall playground and act like everything is normal???

A few pics from Grandma's camera

Brody in the arcade (at Boyne Mountain):

Jacob shooting hoops (Boyne/Avalanche Bay Waterpark):

All three kiddos at Avalanche Bay:
Jacob and Noah at Christmas:
If you come across these two in the woods or a dark alley... run!
The birthday boy:
A better family photo from Christmas:

Austin's First Birthday!

Jacob giving Austin a push in one of his new birthday presents!



Brody is a two-fisted type of guy. I'll take a peanut butter cookie and a cupcake thankyouverymuch.

Austin is not sure what to be more concerned about... our terrible singing voices or the open flame inches from his face

Still looking a little freaked out here


Brody was pretty excited about his birthday party favor "Guido".

Our Birthday Boy!

A few Christmas Pictures
















Friday, January 7, 2011

Friday Funny

I came across this on a message board and had to share...


Thinking of Having Kids? Do this 11 step program first!


Lesson 1


1. Go to the grocery store.

2. Arrange to have your salary paid directly to their head office.

3. Go home.

4. Pick up the paper.

5. Read it for the last time.


Lesson 2


Before you finally go ahead and have children, find a couple who already are parents and berate them about their...

1. Methods of discipline.

2. Lack of patience.

3. Appallingly low tolerance levels.

4. Allowing their children to run wild.

5. Suggest ways in which they might improve their child's breastfeeding, sleep habits, toilet training, table manners, and overall behavior.

Enjoy it because it will be the last time in your life you will have all the answers.


Lesson 3


A really good way to discover how the nights might feel...

1. Get home from work and immediately begin walking around the living room from 5PM to 10PM carrying a wet bag weighing approximately 8-12 pounds, with a radio turned to static (or some other obnoxious sound) playing loudly. (Eat cold food with one hand for dinner)

2. At 10PM, put the bag gently down, set the alarm for midnight, and go to sleep.

3. Get up at 12 and walk around the living room again, with the bag, until 1AM.

4. Set the alarm for 3AM.

5. As you can't get back to sleep, get up at 2AM and make a drink and watch an infomercial.

6. Go to bed at 2:45AM.

7. Get up at 3AM when the alarm goes off.

8. Sing songs quietly in the dark until 4AM.

9. Get up. Make breakfast. Get ready for work and go to work (work hard and be productive)


Repeat steps 1-9 each night. Keep this up for 3-5 years. Look cheerful and together.


Lesson 4


Can you stand the mess children make? T o find out...

1. Smear peanut butter onto the sofa and jam onto the curtains.

2. Hide a piece of raw chicken behind the stereo and leave it there all summer.

3. Stick your fingers in the flower bed.

4. Then rub them on the clean walls.

5. Take your favorite book, photo album, etc. Wreck it.

6. Spill milk on your new pillows. Cover the stains with crayons. How does that look?


Lesson 5


Dressing small children is not as easy as it seems.

1. Buy an octopus and a small bag made out of loose mesh.

2. Attempt to put the octopus into the bag so that none of the arms hang out.


Time allowed for this - all morning.


Lesson 6


Forget the BMW and buy a mini-van. And don't think that you can leave it out in the driveway spotless and shining. Family cars don't look like that.

1. Buy a chocolate ice cream cone and put it in the glove compartment.

Leave it there.

2. Get a dime. Stick it in the CD player.

3. Take a family size package of chocolate cookies. Mash them into the back seat. Sprinkle cheerios all over the floor, then smash them with your foot.

4. Run a garden rake along both sides of the car.


Lesson 7


Go to the local grocery store. Take with you the closest thing you can find to a pre-school child. (A full-grown goat is an excellent choice). If you intend to have more than one child, then definitely take more than one goat. Buy your week's groceries without letting the goats out of your sight. Pay for everything the goat eats or destroys. Until you can easily accomplish this, do not even contemplate having children.


Lesson 8


1. Hollow out a melon.

2. Make a small hole in the side.

3. Suspend it from the ceiling and swing it from side to side.

4. Now get a bowl of soggy Cheerios and attempt to spoon them into the swaying melon by pretending to be an airplane.

5. Continue until half the Cheerios are gone.

6. Tip half into your lap. The other half, just throw up in the air.


You are now ready to feed a nine- month-old baby.


Lesson 9


Learn the names of every character from Sesame Street , Barney, Disney, the Teletubbies, and Pokemon. Watch nothing else on TV but PBS, the Disney channel or Noggin for at least five years. (I know, you're thinking What's 'Noggin'?) Exactly the point.


Lesson 10


Make a recording of Fran Drescher saying 'mommy' repeatedly. (Important: no more than a four second delay between each 'mommy'; occasional crescendo to the level of a supersonic jet is required). Play this tape in your car everywhere you go for the next four years. You are now ready to take a long trip with a toddler.


Lesson 11


Start talking to an adult of your choice. Have someone else continually tug on your skirt hem, shirt- sleeve, or elbow while playing the 'mommy' tape made from Lesson 10 above. You are now ready to have a conversation with an adult while there is a child in the room.