The Swayzes

Kroger Bag

2009-05-11T18:45:00.002-05:00

http://www.designareusablebag.com/vote-for-designs/bag.aspx?BagID=45553

Vote for my bag!

Carter update...

2009-05-10T17:29:00.002-05:00

Carter has been putting on his tennis shoes by himself these days. However, sometimes, he just gets lazy and wears our shoes, since they do not require as much work to put on. Here he is sporting the latest fashion for women's New Balance:

BASKET! That's code for "put me in the laundry basket!" (and either build a tent around it or rock him back and forth.)

We just can't get enough "teddy bears." (aka chocolate chip Teddy Grahams)

Carter's 1st haircut

2009-03-20T19:55:00.005-05:00

I know what you must be thinking. FIRST haircut?! Yes, Carter got his first professional haircut on Tuesday. Since Richard and I were out of town and Carter was hanging out with Grammy and Papa J, I thought it would be a perfect time to get Carter's hair trimmed. This way, if Carter was terribly upset with the process, I did not make it worse by freaking out on him. He did just fine. Yea!

Here is the before picture:

During the haircut:

The after shot:

Swayze Photography

2008-12-05T18:30:00.002-06:00

Since Richard decided to start his own photography business, we have been focused on working on that website and ultimately neglecting our blog. I promise to do better. :)
Richard's website looks great and you should check it out!

Carter's 2nd Birthday

2008-11-15T21:07:00.005-06:00

We had Carter's birthday party last month on the 19th. Since we were busy with presents and people, we forgot to take pictures. Luckily, my mother was there with her camera. She emailed her pictures, and yes, it has taken me this long to actually sit down and upload them. Sorry about that. Here are the highlights...

Carter actually did not want his piece of cake. He had a birthday graham cracker instead.

Vivian did enjoy her cake.

Carter does look a little scared in this picture, but both kids were having so much fun outside with his car.

Early Birthday Present

2008-10-06T19:23:00.008-05:00

Carter received one of his birthday presents from his Grammy and Papa J today. After very little begging, Carter was allowed to open his gift early. For almost 3 hours tonight we have been doing nothing but sliding. If we have stopped sliding, it was only to watch the Backyardigans from the top of the slide. Carter finished his dinner in record time and immediately began sliding once he was released from the table. I have never seen him eat chicken nuggets so quickly!

Here is a picture of Carter's new place to watch his shows:

For a brief moment, he wanted to have his nightly "upside down" time:

A glimpse of our sliding good time:

Thanks for my slide, Grammy and Papa J!!!

Update...FINALLY

2008-09-03T20:39:00.003-05:00

Quick update: We have all moved and settled into our new apartment in Oxford. I am teaching 7th grade English at Oxford Middle School and Richard is working out his next move in life. :) Carter s now going to school at Mother Goose daycare. Since he has been home with Richard for the past 9 months, this has been a big adjustment for both Carter and Richard. (I think Carter is handling it better.)

Here are some up-to-date photos of Carter just in case you have forgotten what he looks like:

Carter was fascinated with his "aunt" Corrie last week. I'm sure that he was trying to get her to go somewhere in this photo. :)

Grammy, let's go swimming!

2008-07-20T15:55:00.004-05:00

Carter took his Grammy to the pool all weekend. Here are some of the highlights from his swimming adventures:

Here's Carter and his Papa J:

Our walking miracle

2008-07-15T21:55:00.004-05:00

My family's walking testimony is Richard. Many of you may know about Richard latest excursion in the 4Runner; however, I still would like to pay tribute to our miracle.

Last Thursday (7/10), Richard was on his way home from his cleaning out his studio in Clinton. While driving home on I-55, Richard lost consciousness. The 4Runner traveled from the right lane on I-55 North to the opposite side of I-55, crossing the median and missing multiple light poles. Heading the wrong way on I-55 South, the vehicle continued in a northwest direction and left the interstate. He then ran through a fence and somehow crossed a three-foot-deep ditch. H then crossed the frontage road and drove through an open pasture, heading straight for a row of trees. Luckily he missed the trees and just hit a parked car outside a chicken-processing plant.

Richard has very little memory of the events after his accident. He remembers waking up in the ambulance. He remembers seeing me in the emergency room. He does not remember the conversations that I had with him at the hospital.

We were referred to a neurologist to see if he could figure out why Richard would pass out. The doctor said that everyone on Earth is entitled to one random seizure. Since Richard already used his in 2000 while serving as a summer missionary in Chicago, he is now being treated as an epileptic.

Everyday, I look at Richard and feel very blessed. I do not know how Richard survived his joyride. I do not know how he does not have any injuries. There is no worldly answer to any of my questions. I am now trying my best to let our lives get back to normal the best they can. Normal this week is an MRI on Thursday morning and an ambulatory EEG over the weekend. I will update the blog when we know more.

If you ever need to be reminded that God is in control, just think of Richard, our walking miracle.

Bye-Bye Halo

2008-06-10T21:04:00.003-05:00

(Note: When I was typing the title of this post, I had the tune from "Bye-Bye Birdie" in my head.)

Some of you may not know this, but when we decided to move to Vaughan, we invariably sacrificed a couple of amenities. One being a quick trip to, well, anywhere. Kroger, CVS, and that once-a –month Wal-Mart trip will have to be made on the way home from school (in Flora) via Madison to avoid the extra hour round-trip to buy milk or whatever. The other, and Richard would say more important, that I want to bring up is our Internet service. Since we are out in the middle of nowhere, we are forced to use our satellite provider for our Internet access. Since the Internet connection will be slower, Richard will have to give up his world of Xbox Live. Richard has 2 weeks left with his Halo friends. (I have always been thankful that Richard’s escape took him to our living room floor and not to the local bar.) I can only feel a bit sad, as I sit on the couch writing this with the sounds of capture the flag in the background, for his ending his access to his other life. TheArtistSwayze may have to retire for now, but Swayze, the artist, will be working hard during his “free time” in the country.

To add some humor to this post, I would like to share some observations from watching Richard play Halo 3. For the first time, he is letting the audio from the other players to come through the speakers on our television. I am amazed at how funny these guys are. I guess it would be the equvalent to listening in on your husband/boyfriend's conversation with a bunch of his friends in any situation. (Except for the constant "One in lobby." "One in open." "Sword in lobby." "I'm dead." statements.) I can tell when the other guys' wives/girlfriends call them away from the game. It makes me smile. :) I have to be honest when I say that I have never really understood what the big deal is about Halo. However, I am positive that Richard would say the same thing about sewing. :)

Cardboard Testimonies

2008-06-05T14:06:00.002-05:00

This video is 8 minutes long, but it's worth it! God's love is amazing. I have been blessed.

Swimming lessons

2008-06-02T20:48:00.004-05:00

Carter has NO fear when it comes to the swimming pool. (Note to self: Never get swimming pool.) My mother or Richard always had to be on the side of the pool, since Carter would want to get out of the pool, just to walk/jump back in to me. Here are some photos from our swimming fun and pictures of Carter in his swimming outfit before Grammy took him to the pool the next day (as we are painting the new house).

Richard's latest photography

2008-05-17T20:52:00.003-05:00

Happy Graduation!

2008-05-12T20:39:00.002-05:00

Emily finally graduated! She is now a MASTER of education, complete with "nerd" sash.

CVS-ing...again!

2008-05-06T21:46:00.003-05:00

Seriously, if you haven't jumped on the CVS bandwagon yet, you are missing out! I am so excited about my trip to CVS today. I would say I'm such a nerd for trying to be frugal, but with gas prices as high as they are, I have to do what I have to do!

(On a side note, I had a student today ask me what a "hybrid" was. Her family owns/runs an oil company.)

Here's what I got:

Before coupons and ECB's, the total was $33.90.

I only paid $1.63! AND I earned $27.93 in ECB's to use next time. I feel as though CVS is paying me to shop at their store.

Just relaxing for a bit...

2008-04-21T12:59:00.002-05:00

This is the only picture Carter would let Richard take before realizing that he was not running around the house. Do not worry. Carter immediately began running around the house after this was taken. :) (PBS can only hold his attention for so long.)

So you want to be a librarian...

2008-04-20T07:28:00.003-05:00

To add an endorsement to my teaching license, I have to either take 18 hours in that specific subject or take a comprehensive Praxis exam. Earlier this year, I thought that it would be a good idea to take the Praxis II - Library Media Specialist. My goal was to pass, get a job as a librarian, and have a school district pay for my second Masters. :) As usual, I did not even think of studying for this test until two nights before. What was I thinking?! I looked over the study guide that ETS (the company that makes the Praxis) sent me. This book provided an OUTLINE of the topics I needed to look over my CLASSROOM WORK to study. I have never taken a library media class in my life! I began to search the internet for any help I could find. I found a website that listed a lot of information that I MIGHT need to know. These forums also informed me that most of the people who posted something did not pass the test the first time. I got scared! On the day of the test (March 15th - "Beware the Ides of March!"), I spoke with the 2 other women in the room that were taking the same test. The first woman was a current librarian taking the test for a 2nd time and the other was the manager of a Sylvan. WHAT?! The LIBRARIAN could not pass the test the first time! Long story short...the test took two hours to take and four weeks to get the results. As I opened the letter this morning, I knew that whatever I got was just fine and was what God wants to happen. (I thought the same thing when I failed the LSAT exam.) To pass the Praxis test in Library Media, I had to make a 590. I got a 680! WHAT?! That is crazy! I actually passed this test with a larger margin than my English test. That made me laugh. :) So, if I ever get the chance to surround myself with books all day, I have that option. It's nice to know I have options. :)

Emily is the ENTIRE English department?!?!

2008-04-19T19:57:00.003-05:00

Yes, that is correct. I accepted the secondary English teacher position at Tri-County Academy for the upcoming school year. I will be teaching English I, II, III, and IV. I will have 2 English IV classes and 1 each of the rest. I think I will also be teaching a writing/speech class, but I'm not sure about that one. Since we are moving to Vaughan in June, it seemed only fair to the guys (and our gas budget) to work closer to home. I have added the link to my new school on the left. If you are not familiar with TCA, check it out! I am excited that I get to say "Go Rebs!" again.

Our trip to CVS

2008-04-19T16:30:00.002-05:00

My mother loaned us her CVS card and a $10 off a $50 purchase coupon. I said to Richard, “I can spend $50 at CVS! Let’s go!” My goal was to only buy those items that would give me earned cash back (ECB’s). We were to keep making purchases until we ran out of ECB’s. Since today was the last day of the current CVS sale, my selection was limited. My plan did not go as well as I had hoped; however, for the amount of stuff we left with, I think we did ok. The total for everything in the picture was $137.68, and we paid $62.42 out-of-pocket. We saved around 55%. Not too shabby for going into CVS without any ECB’s to begin with.

Since I am such a nerd, I took a picture of our shopping trip. (The flash does not like the plastic wrapping. )

I am in awe of how well some people do at CVS. For more (better) tales of how to save money, go to one of my FAVORITE blogs: http://www.moneysavingmom.com/

Vote for our Kroger bag!

2008-04-18T19:28:00.002-05:00

http://www.designagreenbag.com/vote-for-designs/bag.aspx?BagId=657

You can vote once a day, so bookmark the site! I just put one of Richard's latest photo on the bag without a caption, but it says so much on its own, there is no need for words. :)

Easter picture

2008-03-25T21:02:00.003-05:00

My mother took all of the pictures of Carter over Easter, so I am not sure when I will be able to download them. :) Here is the one photo I do have, which is cute enough to make up for the missing photos:

Out with the old. In with the new.

2008-03-18T11:03:00.003-05:00

As Richard and I were packing up some of Carter's clothes that are out of season or he has grown out of, I noticed that I have a lot of onesies for my 17-month-old. I don't know why I thought buying onesies for a child that I can barely catch to change his diaper! A onesie just adds another step that we don't have time for. :) Some of these onesies have never been worn and Carter can still wear them, so I got creative today and decided to alter a few of my favorites. I only finished one before Carter took a nap, and knowing me, it will take me 3-4 days until i get to the next one. :) But I wanted to share with you my accomplishment today.

Here is the picture of the onesie before:

Here is the shirt after my alterations:

Notice the fancy stitching. :)

The one thing that I did not remember until it was too late was that I should sew before cutting. :) Thank goodness that this is a vintage-looking shirt; otherwise, the 1/2-inch difference on each side might seem worse than it actually is.

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

2008-03-07T18:41:00.004-06:00

Let me remind you of the first major incident that occurred at our daycare.

Carter "fell" or "tripped" or whatever. I never got a straight story about this one. Carter still has a scar from this "accident."

Now, here is why we pulled Carter out of his daycare:

What you are looking at are the marks left on Carter after 4 continuous days of "children" in his daycare class biting him. From what I was told earlier, it has been just one child. Again, I cannot get a straight answer from these people. Since the daycare decided to implement a new "biting policy," the child who is doing the biting is allowed in interact with the other students for up to 3 weeks without removal.

I am sure that the other parents that read this blog will agree that we cannot continue to send Carter to a daycare that does not have his best interest at heart. I cannot send my child somewhere that I do not have the guarantee that he will be safe everyday.

Now I understand that accidents happened, but if your daycare does not have a plan on how to stop the biting from happening and only a policy on what to do once it happens, this seems backwards to me. Obviously, an 8 to 1 ratio is too high for a one-year-old classroom. Obviously, the class needs to be smaller, or there needs to be more than one daycare worker in the room at all times.

We did leave without notice and I am hoping that they try to get the "money owed to them" from us. I would love for the Clarion-Ledger, DHS, BBB, WLBT, etc. to hear about the child neglect and abuse that is allowed within the walls of Old Fannin Preschool.

Great side dish!!

2008-02-27T15:37:00.003-06:00

I modified this recipe, trading the coconut for shredded cheese. It was really good!! I'm sure that the coconut tastes excellent. Richard just doesn't like the stuff. :)

Curried Lentils with Butternut Squash

1 cup lentils
1 small butternut squash (1 ½ lbs.), peeled, seeded, and cut into chunks
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 Tbs. curry powder
1 tsp. grated fresh ginger
Salt and pepper to taste
Toasted coconut, optional

1. Butter an 8”x11” baking pan and set aside. Combine lentils and enough cold water to cover in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium; add butternut squash. Simmer until squash and lentils are tender, about 25 minutes.

2. Drain. Put chunks of squash in a medium bowl, then mash roughly with a fork or potato masher.

3. Heat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, combine lentils, squash, and remaining ingredients except coconut. Spoon mixture into baking dish. Bake 20 minutes. Top with coconut, if using. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

And there he goes...

2008-02-17T18:27:00.003-06:00

We changed the setting on our camera to "in motion" to try and catch a few pictures of Carter. As usual, he was on the run. This was the best picture taken. It sums up what we do all day - chase our toddler. :)

Teacher Appreciation Day

2008-02-14T19:56:00.004-06:00

My art students were in charge of creating door decorations for each teacher and administrator in our school. I am so proud of the work they did. Here is how they decorated my door:

One of these things...

2008-02-11T19:59:00.000-06:00

is not like the other. One of these things just doesn't belong.
Actually, a few of these things don't belong in this toy. There is also a spoon stuck in there that you cannot see. Carter thinks it's funny to put lots of things inside this toy. We think that he has accidently thrown away the other balls that should go in there. :)

Weekend with the grandparents

2008-02-10T19:28:00.000-06:00

Carter went with Grammy to Meridian this weekend to see his great-grandparents. Here are the pictures taken when Carter was not running around the house:

Carter doesn't like to share his couch. :)

Mardi Gras

2008-02-10T19:10:00.000-06:00

Here are some pictures from the Mardi Gras ball we attended at the IP Casino in Biloxi:

Erin and Benson

Shane and Emily

Just a few photos from the parade in Gulfport:

Dad, enjoying the parade

I don't know what to say about Richard. :)

Sushi again!

2008-01-24T21:10:00.000-06:00

We are becoming experts on timing the sushi rice, so it doesn't take us an hour and a half to make four rolls of sushi. :) Tonight, we tried something new. I followed the recipe below, only adding zucchini and carrot to one roll and avocado and cucumber tot he second roll. The rolls were quite tasty. I would have taken a picture, but I was really hungry. :)

Spicy Tempeh Roll

prep time: 30 minutes | cooking time: 10 minutes once rice is prepare | makes 4 rolls

These rolls have a succulent meaty texture thanks to tempeh, which not only tastes awesome but is high in fiber and a complete protein!

Equipment:
Bamboo sushi rolling mat
Really sharp serrated knife
Rice cooker or pot for rice
Large preferabely glass bowl to cool rice down in
Small saute pan
Tongs, if you are going to be roasting the nori

Ingredients
For the rice
1 cup sushi rice made with 1 1/4 cup H20, prepared according to package directions
About 2 Tbs Rice vinegar (do not use regular or any other kind!)
1 tsp sugar

4 sheets nori*

For the filling
1/2 package tempeh (4 oz)
1/4 teaspoon sesame hot chili oil or to taste
1 1/2 Tablespoons vegan mayo
1 green scallion, white part removed, sliced lengthwise into narrow strips
1 Tablespoon black sesame seeds if put inside of roll, or 1/4 cup if used as coating for "inside-out"

Directions
For the rice
Prepare rice according to package instructions. It should be something like 1 1/4 cup H20 to 1 cup rice. Cook till rice is tender but firm, even a little dry.

Empty hot rice into a large glass bowl. Sprinkle with about rice vinegar and 1 tsp. sugar. Fold rice gently with a large spoon or rice paddle. Rice should be moist and have a mild vinegar flavor. Cover with plastic wrap. When rice is slightly warmer than room temperature it's ready to work with.

Meanwhile prepare the filling
Steam and cover tempeh in a small saute pan with enough water to cover it till tender & not bitter (about 10 minutes). Mash with mayo and sesame chili oil
to taste. Layer with scallion, sprinkle with sesame, or make inside out roll if feeling Iron Chef tonight

*If you like, use a pair of tongs to roast the nori sheets over the oven flame for 2-3 seconds.

Carter feeds himself again.

2008-01-22T21:05:00.001-06:00

For dinner, Carter had oatmeal. He loves feeding himself, but, as you can see, he has yet to master a clean way of eating. We love it when he reaches into the bowl and grabs the oatmeal with his fingers. :) He's such a sweet baby. Here are the highlights of our oatmeal adventure:

Finished purse

2008-01-21T11:01:00.000-06:00

I made a swing bag for Erin for Christmas. Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures of it. Since it turned out so well, I decided to make one for myself. Here is the picture on the cover of the pattern, so you know what it was supposed to look like. :)

Here's the finished product:

The patterned called for the purse to be reversible, so that's what I did. However, I like the outside pattern so much, I'm not sure if I will ever turn it inside-out. Here is a peak of the pattern inside:

Master Sushi Chef

2008-01-12T20:05:00.000-06:00

Richard has become the master sushi chef of the house! My rolls still fall apart! Here is what Richard created tonight (California roll):

Sushi

2008-01-09T21:37:00.000-06:00

Table for two? That will be a 90-minute wait.

Richard and I made sushi tonight for the first time. Wow, we are learning so much from cooking these days. Who knew that sushi rice takes so long to cook?!
We made two different kinds of rolls: a California roll and a roll with carrots and zucchini. Both were very yummy and filling. :)

Here is our final presentation of our sushi:

Carter decided to feed himself...

2008-01-08T19:57:00.001-06:00

Turning Japanese

2008-01-08T19:44:00.000-06:00

I decided that I would kick it up a notch tonight and cook my first vegetarian meal from scratch. Oh my goodness! This meal took me over an hour. It was worth it though. We had "beef" and broccoli stir-fry and fried rice. I chopped a lot of vegetables, including cabbage. :) We are going to be eating fried rice for a long time! And for those of you wondering how Richard is coping with my becoming a vegetarian, he really enjoying this meal!

Here is a picture of the fried rice:

Here is a picture of the "beef" and broccoli stir-fry:

FYI, "beef" = veggie beef strips

bath time

2008-01-07T19:59:00.000-06:00

Carter sometimes loves bath time. Usually, he loves getting a bath for about 5 minutes and then he thinks it is funny to try to get out of the bathtub on his own. :)

Richard's new website

2008-01-02T21:09:00.000-06:00

Richard now has his own blog, displaying a collection of his artwork. Check it out!
http://richardswayze.blogspot.com/

Richard's Graduation

2008-01-01T11:25:00.000-06:00

Richard likes to upload our pictures from the camera onto his computer and then delete them from camera. This causes delays in my posting certain pictures on our blog. Here is a perfect example. Richard graduated from MC with his Master of Fine Arts (and with a 4.0) on December 14th. I had no pictures to show for it, since he has put them on his computer. So here I am on his Mac (and trying to figure out why he likes this thing so much) and posting the "stolen" pictures. :)
We are all so proud of Richard and his accomplishments!

Modern Drive-in

2007-12-28T19:33:00.000-06:00

Carter decided tonight that he did not want to sit on his couch to watch the Backyardigans. He thought that his car would serve as a better seat. :)

Christmas

2007-12-27T23:06:00.001-06:00

Here are a few pictures from Christmas and a funny video of Carter dancing (please excuse the background noise):

The last days of school

2007-12-17T18:47:00.000-06:00

We only have 2 1/2 days left of school before Christmas break. ( Whoo-hoo!) Since we have already calculated grades and turned in our progress reports for this 9 weeks, no teacher wants to start a new unit/chapter, and no student wants to really work. We can show movies in our classroom as long as they are historical and PG/PG-13. Since I mostly teach English, the movies I have are adaptations of books that we will read next semester. I cannot show those; I need to save those! I have been struggling with what to let my students watch. After much thought, I came up with Freedom Writers. After watching this move, I was inspired and determined that I too can make a difference in the lives of "unreachable" students. If you have not seen the movie, I highly recommend it. Here's the trailer:

Carter has no fear!

2007-12-10T21:42:00.000-06:00

Last Friday, Carter decided that he would introduce his forehead to the cubbies at daycare. (Consequently, I was in a small car accident on my way to pick him up.) When Richard went to get him, Carter looked terrible. However, if you have met him, you know that this accident did not phase him one bit. Ms. Terri said that he got mad when they wanted to put ice on his head or put Neosporin on his cut. Here's a picture of C's booboo. (This was taken with my phone, so excuse the quality.)

A blast from the past...

2007-12-09T21:03:00.000-06:00

As some of you may know, I once lived in Clinton and had the "privilege" of being a member of the Clinton High School marching band for one year. :) While searching through facebook groups, I stumbled upon a group for Clinton High School Band Alumni. This peaked my curiosity, so I decided to check it out. I found links to videos. One of which I am in. Even though you cannot tell which trumpet player I am, rest assured that I never missed a competition and I can guarantee that I am marching (and maybe playing) during this show. It was a long show, so if you don't have 10 minutes to spare, you can skip this one. But for all of you band geeks out there, it is a really good show! :) Enjoy!

Carter's Christmas photos

2007-12-04T20:00:00.000-06:00

These are the photos I decided from for our Christmas cards. Hopefully, they will arrive soon, so everyone can get them in a timely fashion. :)
(For those of you that have moved, please let me know, so I can get your new address.)

Carter's blog

2007-12-04T19:57:00.000-06:00

As much as I love Carter having his own blog, we are going to stop posting his stuff separately. From now on, you only have to visit our blog to see what's going on in the little man's life. Our blog about "The Swayzes" is going to include all of us. :)

Elf Yourself!

2007-11-29T21:09:00.001-06:00

This is SO funny!!

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1113217739

More cute pictures!

2007-11-26T22:44:00.000-06:00

My love affair with truffled macaroni and cheese...

2007-11-26T19:18:00.000-06:00

To celebrate our anniversary, Richard and I ate dinner at Thirty-Two, the restaurant on the 32nd floor of the IP Casino. I think I can speak for both of us when I say that we had one of the best meals we have ever had! I had the halibut with lump crab meat on top. It was a great piece of fish! Richard had the filet mignon and a sea-salted baked potato. He said that it was the best steak he ever had, and I have to agree that it was pretty tasty. But wait, I haven't gotten to the best part! Now, normally I would not spend $6 on a small bowl of macaroni and cheese, but this particular mac and cheese dish had the word "truffled" in front of it, so it must be extra special. Calling this macaroni and cheese extra special does not do it justice! It was AMAZING!! I would have to say that for the few minutes that I did not share my side dish, I did not even know that there were people around me and I stopped talking to Richard. :) Truly, this was the best macaroni and cheese I have ever eaten! If you are ever in Biloxi, I highly recommend Thirty-Two. :)

I am going to see Aunt Erin this weekend!!

2007-11-08T22:45:00.000-06:00

We are going to Birmingham! I cannot remember the last time I went to Birmingham, because I was very young. We are going to celebrate Aunt Erin's birthday, which was on the 1st. So, Happy (late) Birthday, Aunt Erin!!

help end world hunger

2007-10-24T19:46:00.000-05:00

www.freerice.com

For each word you get right, 10 grains of rice is donated to the United Nations World Food Program.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

2007-10-16T22:46:00.000-05:00

Here's what I looked like on the day I was born:

And this is what I look like now:

BEING 1 IS FUN!!

Carter's 1st Birthday

2007-10-14T22:48:00.000-05:00

FROM CARTER:
I had so much fun at my party! All of my grandparents and great-grandparents were there to help me celebrate. I go lots of fun toys (too many to mention all of them). Thank you to everyone who got me presents and sent me cards!!!

Here is the firetruck that Mommy and Daddy got me:

Grandpa Steve gave me this Tigger (which I attacked as soon as it was opened):

Mimi and Pop gave me a "Little Superstar" stage. I have already been singing with the microphone and dancing the the music!

Here are some more pictures of the party:

Oh, I forgot to mention this. I LOVE CAKE!!!

We celebrated Richard's birthday early.

2007-10-14T21:22:00.000-05:00

Since we had the families over for Carter's birthday, I thought that it would be a good idea to get Richard his own cake and balloon and presents. :) (Richard's birthday is next Thursday.) While Carter was being cleaned from his triumph over his birthday cake, we enjoyed some cupcakes. Here is a picture of the cupcake cake I got Richard:

(Pictures of Carter's birthday party are posted on his blog.)

Emily's new favorite artist

2007-10-09T18:27:00.000-05:00

I LOVE Ingrid Michaelson! You have probably heard one of her songs on either Gray's Anatomy or the Old Navy commercial. I just wanted to share he with you because I think she's note-worthy. :)

Here's her song "The Way I Am."

Congratulations Brad and Maggie!!

2007-09-29T19:07:00.000-05:00

Baby Parker has joined the Ingram family! He is adorable! Check out Brad and Maggie's page for pictures. :)

Better uses for the laundry basket...

2007-09-27T22:49:00.000-05:00

I love sitting in the laundry basket. It's a great place to relax and drink my milk.

The laundry basket also makes a great car! Tobey doesn't like my laundry basket car, but I love it!! I have the best daddy. :)

Maxed Out

2007-09-23T15:59:00.000-05:00

This movie really made me not ever want to use my credit card ever again. If you haven't seen it, I definitely recommend your watching it. Personally, we have never had to deal with debt collectors and I hope that we never do. The debt collectors in this movie make no apologies and seem to love what they do, which is very disheartening. Here's the trailer for Maxed Out:

Donald Duck is funny!

2007-09-22T22:51:00.001-05:00

I like Donald Duck. He's funny.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Your Next American Idol

2007-09-22T22:51:00.000-05:00

I like singing. It's one of my favorite hobbies. I can't wait until Mommy and I can sing in the car on roadtrips!

My toy basket...

2007-09-20T22:58:00.000-05:00

Not only is my "Cars" toy basket great for holding all of my toys, but it's also fun to crawl into and watch Elmo through.

2nd play date with Vivi

2007-08-27T22:59:00.000-05:00

I'm so glad we stayed with Vivi and her mommy and daddy for Mommy's 10-year high school reunion! We had such a good time playing together!

Fun at my great granny's house...

2007-08-14T23:00:00.000-05:00

I've got talent!

2007-08-14T22:59:00.000-05:00

New Computer!

2007-08-10T11:03:00.000-05:00

I posted the question of which computer to get in January, and after a long debate with myself, I am now the proud owner of the Dell computer below. And yes, it's red. :)

I'm still getting used to Windows Vista (that was not an optional feature). However, I have enjoyed my first hour with my computer. I'm setting up my electronic grade book and attendance records, and I'm being such a nerd about this thing. (Richard will probably continue to tell me how superior his Mac is to my PC.)

I Can Has Sweet Potatowz?

2007-08-09T23:01:00.000-05:00

My 10-year high school reunion

2007-08-09T20:43:00.000-05:00

Here is a picture of Richard and me at my high school reunion last weekend. It was interesting to see people from high school again. If you haven't gone to yours yet, I urge you to go. I really didn't want to go at first, but I'm glad I did. The old clicks still exist (I stuck like glue to mine) and I think I talked to the preps more over last weekend than I had the entire time we were in school together. However, I owuld like to believe that everyone really wants to know what you are doing, where you are living, etc. Well, at least I wanted to know. I wanted to compare.

New pictures!

2007-06-30T23:01:00.000-05:00

I can help pack!

Are we ready to go yet?

Hanging out with Mommy and Spike (my dinosaur).

8th grade and 10th grade reading lists

2007-06-30T22:00:00.000-05:00

I am updating the current reading list for the required book report my 8th and 10th graders have to do during the fall semester. In my opinion, the lists they have need to be updated. I have a lot of freedom at the Ed Center, but I don't know what I can and cannot change about the course just yet. I am hoping that once I present these lists to the principal, she will not make any changes. Here are my lists (if you have suggestions for additional books, please post a comment).

8th grade reading list:

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
The Red Pony by John Steinbeck
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell

10th grade reading list:

Hoot by Carl Hiaasen
The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton
Eldest by Christopher Paolini
The Crucible by Arthur Miller
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
A Separate Peace by John Knowles
In the Time of Butterflies by Julia Alvarez
Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom
The Princess Bride by William Goldman

Forward mobility, Check!

2007-06-08T17:15:00.000-05:00

"From God, the Machine" - A Studio Thesis by Richard Swayze

2007-05-09T13:20:00.000-05:00

Thesis (cont.)

2007-05-09T13:16:00.000-05:00

Thesis (cont.)

2007-05-09T13:11:00.000-05:00

Double Decker

2007-05-03T17:16:00.000-05:00

Here are some pictures from my weekend in Oxford...

Happy Family

2007-05-03T16:03:00.000-05:00

During our walking tour of Ole Miss.

1st playdate

2007-05-02T17:17:00.000-05:00

Here I am with my new friend Vivian Vasilyev. I just call her Vivi. I am 13 days older than Vivi. I can't wait to see her again in August when Mommy and Daddy take me back to Oxford for Mommy's high school reunion.

Look how cute I am!

2007-04-09T17:18:00.000-05:00

So Ross doesn't have to look at Corrie twin anymore...

2007-04-09T09:31:00.000-05:00

To see more pictures of Carter, go to his blog! :)

Corrie's twin

2007-03-29T10:32:00.000-05:00

Corrie's twin came into the office today. It freaked me out and I couldn't stop looking at her. Let's compare the two. The first picture (acquired from facebook) is a picture of the girl from today. She is on the left.

Now, here is a current picture of Corrie (she's on the right for those of you who don't know her).

Isn't that amazing?! This girl is even an Ole Miss graduate. Strange, huh? It's like Erin having a class with Emily M. Welch while we were in school. My name is Emily N. Welch. The other Emily was only a year younger than me.

Everyone has a twin. Have you met yours?

Fun at Aunt Erin's house

2007-03-26T17:19:00.000-05:00

Check out my video (it's long but worth it):

Look at me!

2007-03-19T17:20:00.000-05:00

Here I am enjoying squash, one of my favorite vegetables, and a day in the sun!

other baby

2007-03-06T17:22:00.000-06:00

That other baby won't come play with me!!!!

The baby's bedding is going to stay!

2007-02-22T09:00:00.000-06:00

After much discussion (and I appreciate the help from y'all), I have decided that the bedding is going to stay the same until Carter moves into a "big boy" bed. Maybe by then he will be old enough to tell me what kind of a room he wants. :) I can only imagine what he will want to put in his room then. :)

Should it stay or should it go?

2007-02-20T12:57:00.000-06:00

Lately, I have been thinking that I should have taken more time to create Carter the nursery I think he deserves. I spent months agonizing over what to put in our little girl room and we spent a lot of money to create the most wonderful designer nursery. When we had to redecorate for Carter, the urgency to have a finished nursery set in and his nursery was completed in 2 days, compliments of Target. I now want to change his nursery completely. But who am I redecorating for? Will Carter even notice that his bedding has changed? I think I’m just trying to be an equal opportunity mommy. Everyone gets the same quality stuff. If I do for one, I should do for all. What do y’all think?
-Emily

4 months old!

2007-02-19T17:24:00.000-06:00

Mommy and Daddy have finnaly taken new pictures of me! Haven't I grown up SO much?! Who do you think I look like?

an unfortunate email

2007-01-31T15:16:00.000-06:00

If you have gone to school for 7 years to become a pharmacist, you should know what a sterility test for the IV room is. Unfortunately for me, the wording of my email to the entire department started a mass panic. Here’s what it said:

Over the next couple of weeks, Don Rubin will be contacting those who need to participate in the sterility testing. Not everyone will need to take the test; however, for those that are contacted, this test is mandatory.

Thanks,
Emily

According to many, I have just given one of the older pharmacists control of the future generations of our department’s families. At least I bring humor to this department.

Mississippi Collegiate Art Competition

2007-01-26T15:42:00.000-06:00

Richard is too modest to post this, so I going to do it for him.

Richard has been accepted for the Mississippi Collegiate Art Competition, which is hosted this year by the Meridian Museum of Art. This is not an easy competition to get into; the acceptance rate is about one in eight.

The exhibition opens at the Meridian Museum of Art on February 10th. There will be a reception from 2pm-4pm and an awards ceremony at 2:30pm. The exhibition will be opened from February 10th to March 10th.

This is the portrait that will be entered in the competition:

more pictures

2007-01-19T17:25:00.000-06:00

Carter has his own blog!

2007-01-19T08:27:00.000-06:00

Check out Carter's new blog for updates!

3 months old

2007-01-18T17:26:00.000-06:00

PC vs. MAC

2007-01-18T16:16:00.000-06:00

I am in search of a new computer. I have built 2 identical systems for the same price. It all comes down to choosing between the Mac and a Dell. Any suggestions?

2007-01-12T14:28:00.000-06:00

2007-01-12T14:18:00.000-06:00

2007-01-12T13:39:00.000-06:00

Recent Work and a Competition

2007-01-12T12:09:00.000-06:00

This post serves 2 purposes:

1. To show you recent work.

2. To get feedback on which ones are good so that I can decide next week which ones to enter into the MS Collegiate Art Competition. I think I get to enter 3 works for one fee. So comment if you like any...but please, don't comment on the crappy ones...I already know which ones are the crappy ones.

Richard

PS- I hate day old peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

Look what I can do!

2007-01-10T12:57:00.001-06:00

Trey wanted to know what Carter had accomplished lately, so I decided to share a list of things with everyone.

Carter's accomplishments over the past few weeks:

1. He can now hold our head up while someone is carrying him...for a little while.
2. He can recognize mommy and daddy and the many funny faces they make.
3. He recognizes toys that he likes, especially his dinosaur Spike that his Aunt Erin gave him for Christmas.
4. He has found his hands and likes to put them in his mouth.
5. He has decided that cough medicine is gross but the bubble gum medicine is really tasty.
6. He knows how much mommy and daddy hate poopy diapers, so he is letting the day care change those. :) God love him for that!

More developments to come soon!

Carter @ 2 months!

2006-12-29T13:17:00.000-06:00

Our little monkey

2006-12-09T12:38:00.000-06:00

Congratulations Corrie and Justin!!!

2006-12-09T12:23:00.000-06:00

Our friends Corrie and Justin got married on November 19th! They are such a beautiful couple! We love you guys!

Carter's Favorite Things

2006-10-29T15:26:00.000-06:00

Hi, my name is Carter Swayze. Here are a few things you need to know about me:

1. I like to sleep.
2. I like to eat. Preferably every 2-3 hours even though the hospital said I would want to eat every 4 hours. I'm a growing boy after all.
3. I love my Mommy.
4. I like making dirty diapers for Daddy.
5. I like staying up late and watching Star Wars with Daddy. Daddy says that the Force is strong with me, but I think that he's just confusing the Force with my gas.