Family Photos

Susie took our family photos at a park near our house.  It was a beautiful day and she did a beautiful job.  We wanted to share some of our favorites with you.

Our favorite of our whole family.  The Swensons - party of three!

Adam doing his thing.

Mama and Adam.

Adam looking serious, but still cute!  He gets very fascinated with the camera.

Daddy and Adam - I LOVE this one.

We are so thankful for Susie.  She is such a good friend - and photographer!  Thanks for sharing your gift with us, Susie!

Home Improvement

This weekend, we did some home improvement.  We've been talking about planting outside for a while, since it's something we both enjoy.  I'm glad Phil is around, though, as I know nothing about plants.

  

Phil started by weeding the little area in front of the house and putting in some new soil.  He planted seeds for some petunias, marigolds, and zinnia.

Adam supervised from his spot in the shade.  I think he wanted to play in the dirt.

The finished product!  We also went and got edging stones and put those in, along with the stand and plant by the post.  I'll take more pics when the flowers (hopefully) start to grow.  Phil will have to watch me so I don't somehow kill them :) 

We also got some curtains for Adam's room to make nap time a little easier.  It's getting dark later now, which is great, but that means it's still pretty light out for his 8:00-8:30 bedtime. 

We had great fun, but I think it made us even more excited to buy a house so that the changes we make are ours.  We half jokingly/half seriously talked about digging up the edging stones and taking them with us when we move.

Month Number Five for Mr. Adam Carl!

Can you believe it's been 5 months?  We can't!  Here's an update on our little man...

Hi everybody!  I'm 5 months old!

Enjoying the sunshine with Mama.

He's teething!  We think he will get his bottom two teeth first.  So.........

We wish he'd do a little less of this...

And a little more of this.

His favorite toy, by far, is a rubber giraffe named Sophie.  It's a traditional french toy and was given to him by Vergie, a friend of the family who taught French for many years.  I'm sure you've seen it in a lot of his pictures, as he really likes to have it with him.  Now that he's teething, it serves a new purpose for him.  Apparently it feels really good on his gums!  Poor Sophie...

He isn't a thumb sucker and still doesn't like the pacifier, but is often seen with his fingers in his mouth. 

More fun facts:

1. At the doctor this past week (routine check-up), he weighed 17 lbs. and was about 27 inches long.  He's still in the 95th percentile for height, but is now in the 77th percentile for weight.  So he's not a fatty!  Doctor said he looks great.  

2. We seem to have finally found a medicine that helps his tummy feel better.  Just in time for him to start teething!  It's always something, huh?  

3. He rolls over, and over, and over now!  Both front to back and back to front.  I have a video of it that I'll try to post soon.  

4. He is really fascinated with food.  He stares at Phil and me when we eat, so I think he is getting excited for solids.  We start in just one month!  

5. He's getting really strong!  He can lift his chest off the ground when on his tummy and will sometimes hoist himself onto one of his knees too, like he's trying to crawl.  He also does little sit ups, and can get his back surprisingly far off the ground.  I think he really wants to get moving!  

6. He really loves when we toss him up in the air - smiles and laughs every time.

He's Invited!

Adam was invited to his first birthday party!  His friend Molly turned 1 this past week.  

Here's the birthday girl digging into her cake!

Opening her present from Adam.  He was a little overwhelmed in the toy section, mostly due to his inexperience with girls' toys.  He picked out a purse that talks and teaches you stuff.  It has some important accessories that go inside like money and lipstick (plastic...don't worry).  Molly seemed to be very excited about it.  You can't tell from the picture, but she was kicking her legs like crazy.

Apparently Adam made a good choice...EVERYONE wanted to check it out.

Phil and Adam were very excited to be at the party.

Two of Susie's sweet girls enjoying their cupcakes.

We let Adam ride in his actual stroller (not in the infant seat snapped into the stroller) for the first time.  He could have done it a while ago, but it's just so convenient to snap in the seat.  We thought he would like this better, though, since he can see everything.  We'll leave the adapter bar in for a little while longer, though.  (Sorry about my white legs in this picture...)

I think the stroller was a hit, as far as Adam was concerned.  Note the dead dandelion in the cup holder on Adam's right.  It was a gift from Molly's brother Jackson (age 2).

Happy Birthday, Miss Molly!

Park Date

Some of my girlfriends and I met at the park with our kids today to celebrate the beautiful weather - 80s, Yay!  The park was pretty cool, and I think Adam will dig it when he gets big enough to play on all the equipment.  

All the peeps and our picnic lunch.  Notice Adam has an abundance of lady friends.  We are thankful for Lucas and Axel (on the left) to balance things out!  Adam soaks up all the attention, though, from his little girl friends, who call him "Baby Adam."  They love to take care of him - so sweet.

The girls eating their yummy sandwiches enjoying the sunshine.  Notice the big slide in the background.  One of the longest I've seen in a while!

Adam hanging out on the blanket.  Notice he is eyeing the ladies, who were sitting over to his right.

I'm Not Bluffing...

But these guys might have been!  Last Friday night, Phil hosted poker night at our house.  It was a fun night and we are hoping to be able to do it again.  Phil even got felt for the table and made a poster with the rules on it.  With the addition of our friend Andy's fancy poker chips, we were in business!  Unfortunately, Phil did not win, but I personally think he was just backing off to lure everyone back ;)

In Case You Need a Laugh Today...

I don't think this even needs a caption...