Back to School

I cannot believe it is already November! The fall brought new schedules for each one of us. Back to school meant back to work for me, which also meant Will's lazy days of summer also came to an end as he found himself waking up with the roosters to head off to daycare. The first few weeks were rough going in the morning as far as crying and clinging to moms shirt. Once I left for work though he was happy and content with his new friends and all the fun new toys. Most mornings now he heads straight for his "choo-choo's" and could care less that I abandon him for the next 8 hours! At pick up he is always overjoyed to see me which in-turn makes my heart feel like its about to pop...but once the hug is out of the way he is all about heading back to the sand box or the Cozy Coupe! At least I know he is happy and well taken care of at Julie's house.
Work for me is status quot and I enjoy most of my days. I know I have a greater appreciation for high school teachers and I also know that I would never be one! 36 more working days until Christmas Break!!
Before we think of...gasp...the Holiday Season, let's back up and see what Will was up to since my last post. We were looking forward to another wonderful year at the annual White Pine Show in McGrath, MN over Labor Day Weekend. The weather was picture perfect for a late MN weekend. The whole family was able to be there and we had so much fun watching all of the little kids each in their rites-of-passage stages. Will took a spin in the tractor parade perched on daddy's lap while some of the older kids like Kait and Parker drove their own machines. Will and Addie were both mobile this year, allowing them to explore the campsite, climb on the wood pile like their dads did as wee ones, get too close to the fire and chase bubbles and puppies. It amazes me how the love of old, loud, moving farm equipment comes natural to the Swenson children. There is a whole lot of Great Grandpa Mox and Grandpa Bill in our boy!
Will danced and danced at the polka and enjoyed his first taste of cheesy-fries...a must have at the White Pine Show. Like everyone else in the Swenson clan, we are already looking forward to next year.

Will also went to the State Fair during the last week of summer vacation. I know that it would seem that a kid strapped in a stroller wouldn't have much fun at the fair, but we tried to be as interactive as possible. He tried LOTS of fun food including mini donuts, cheese curds, pork chop, turkey leg, cream puff, corn on the cob and Sweet Martha's cookies. He could not get enough of the Tiny Tim mini donuts...I'm pretty sure they were his favorite. We looked at the big fish in the fish tanks, visited the local celebrity dog Raven and hung out at the skate park watching the trick bikes and daring skateboarders. The highlight was his trip down the Giant Slide with Daddy. For most of the trip down he had no idea what was going on, but by the time they hit the straightaway at the bottom, he was pretty dazzled by the whole experience. My favorite photo of the whole summer was captured when he hit the bottom...pure joy! It was a fun day at the Great MN Get-Together!

That week Zach was laid off only to be re-hired with an expectation that there would be enough work to get him into the new year. Unfortunately it only lasted another 2 weeks. He has been out of work since the 3rd week of September and is anxious to get back to work. There are a few opportunities presenting themselves as of late; one in the union, one in a non-plumbing position. He has, of course, been keeping himself very busy. He was able to work at his mom's for a week helping them close up cabins and store the boats. Back at home, he has cut out the old cement watering tank in the cow yard and prepared a spot for a new insulated (heated) tank to go in so the cattle will have fresh water without the threat of the lines freezing up. That project is probably being finished up as I write. He also spent a week getting the barn and yard ready for the 138 people we had at the house for a 10-10-10 pig roast and movie night. He did A LOT of work clearing out and cleaning the barn as it has been our storage unit since we moved out of our house in Princeton. So needless to say, he can magically find work to do...but again is very anxious to get back to work. Our Farm Party was so much fun! It was an amazing weekend filled with sunshine, family, friends and food! Will had such a great time playing with all of his cousins and our friends kids. Our friends Joe and Becky gave us their play structure this summer which was a huge plus to have at the party...there were about 50 kids at our house all under the age of 11! We had hay rides running in the afternoon which was a hit for kids of all ages! Zach did an amazing job on the pig roast...there was so much food!! Thanks to everyone who came out to spend such a fun birthday with me!
We had our portraits taken at the house that morning before all the fun started and I look tired and pregnant in all of the pictures...but I guess, I am tired and pregnant! Baby number 2 is growing along and moving along just as he/she should. The 20 week ultra sound left us with a mystery as not only could we not see much in terms of vital organs, we also couldn't get a good glimpse of the parts that will determine the color of the nursery! I have another ultra-sound tomorrow so hopefully we will be able to see a healthy heart, brain and spine. It would be nice if baby wants to share gender as well just because I would really like to know!!!
I'll keep you posted! In the meantime Will continues to be such a joy, filled with smiles and laughter and fun new words. Just this morning Zach and I couldn't help but watch him sleep for several minutes before we had the heart to start waking him up. He has so many words and is really starting to babble long sentences. Of course I have no idea what he is talking about when he's on a rant, but I'm sure it is very important. He starts "talking" when we hit the dirt road on the way home because he knows where we are...the only words I pick up in the excitement are 'dad' and 'dog' as he knows they are both at home waiting for him. It's pretty funny.
Halloween was a great adventure for both child and parents as we dressed him up and set out for the first time in search of the fun size candy bar. He was a candy corn...sweetest one ever...and rode around in his wagon as we took him around the big town of Foley. He was out for about 30-45 minutes and really liked looking at all of the glowing jack-o-lanterns. He didn't quite get the concept of course and thought that we were going to be staying and visiting with the nice people handing out candy...after all, when he walks up to a door, he usually goes in. By next year he'll be a pro and we'll have 2 costumes kids to take out on the town!
Thanks for reading our blog and stay tuned for news on Baby 1 and Baby 2.