Shining Bright in San Diego

I love this missionary girl of mine.

the memo on shoes

One of our men at the wedding missed the note about BROWN.

I may be married to him, but I'm NOT taking credit.

Everything happens for a reason, right?

(right?!?)

Even if the reason is to laugh a little.

#latergram : apple picking

A few weeks ago we went apple picking.

It's one of our very favorite family traditions.

 Our fake adopted daughter (REAL friend) Ellen met us there.

Ellen and Leeli are BFFs.

They can't wait to get the party started whenever they're together.

The thing is,

there are a lot of RULES at this orchard we love...

we joke about the challenge it is for this particular group to have to follow so many rules.

#kiddingNOTkidding

(they climb each other instead of the trees)

So there we were, 

minding the rules and enjoying tradition,

when what to our wondering eyes should appear, 

but our fake FAMILY!

They may or may not have had plans to pick apples on the very same Saturday, 

and decided to surprise us in our happy place.

We like to call them the Swiftcombs.

That's what they call us, too.

There was frolicking in the apple orchard

On the hay ride

and racing through the corn maze.

It was the most REAL fun to be had on a Fall Saturday.

Thank you Mr. Dub, 

for ensuring that tradition 

is a priority.

XO

Perfect TEN.

It's not a small thing to consider how quickly a decade can go by.

Our caboose turned ten today.

At 12:05 pm.

Ten years ago at noon I was on the operating table waiting to see our little boy, who we were told might not be born alive, or would most likely not live much past his birth. 

Here's the short version of why we consider our Morning boy to be our miracle:

At the first and only ultrasound during my pregnancy with him, the ultrasound technician spotted four choroid plexus cysts, or pockets of fluid on his brain.  We were told that these cysts were most likely a marker for a condition called Trisome 18. It was a frightening few moments that turned quickly into an opportunity to exercise our faith. Since this was fairly early in the pregnancy, Mr. Dub and I decided quickly not to spend our energy for the remaining four and a half months worrying about something over which we clearly had no control. I did NOT go home and look things up on the internet. I did not have any further testing, and I made up my mind that we were NOT going to despair over something that we could do nothing about.  We DID share our story with only four individuals who we knew would guard our secret as sacred, and who would be able to help support and sustain us during a busy and uncertain time.  We decided no one else needed to know, and no one else needed to worry.  We made plans to have our family close by at the time of delivery.

And OH! did we feel tremendous JOY when our last little guy was born healthy and strong. He is a gift. I'm grateful for EVERY.SINGLE.MINUTE of the last ten years.

 Today, he enjoyed phone calls from loved ones

 A new tin lunch box he's named Reynaldo

 Big sisters at home who mix things up a little

 Good friends who make us laugh

 (we are happy to return the favor)

and a made-to-order chocolate chip cookie ice cream cake.

HAPPY Double Digit BIRTHDAY M.B.!!

XOXOX

She's sweet; she's sixteen

 For what it's worth, I think this sixteen year old daughter of mine is pretty fantastic. She turned sixteen in the middle of a LOT of chaos this year; (wasn't she just turning eleven?!?) remodeling a house, moving a daughter across the country to college, and gracefully handling a terrible case of pneumonia that lasted more than two weeks.

 She just strapped on her birthday sombrero and we fiesta'd.

Happy Birthday Rooney!

(more on granting her birthday wish in a future post)

You're sweet AND sixteen.

XOXOX

Class of 2014

It's graduation weekend!

Senior Awards Ceremony

This is one of my very favorite nights of the whole year.

I feel like maybe I say that a lot.

But this one is special.

It's a rich and rewarding experience to sit and listen to the scholarship presenters talk about why the scholarships and funds were started and what and/or who they represent.

Our cute graduate was the recipient of quite a few.

My heart just about burst out of my chest every time I heard her name.  I know how hard she worked.

Congratulations my sweet daughter!

You've carved out your spot in the Class of 2014.

You're a GEM.

XOXO

Wishing on a star

It's been 15 years of dance recitals.

 Tonight is the final curtain for this ballerina.

She'll be performing her senior solo.
Also,

in the storybook ballet portion of the evening, the dancers will perform Pinocchio.

Our ballerina will be playing the little wooden boy.

We'll be wishing on our favorite star.

(pictures to follow)