Caleb pitched for the first time at one of last week's games. He struck out two and held the (bad) score even. Sarah loves to bat and does a decent job at at it too. She usually makes it to first base.

The fancy anniversary dinner, prepared by the children in its entirety.

Caleb and the latest death machine, along with his friend Cooper Schaefbauer. For any nervous grandmas out there, it is a trail bike not motocross. That basically means the top speed is lower and it can't burst in power as much, but can sustain a certain amount of speed for a longer time. It is not street legal. It's perfect for tearing around empty fields and small ditch jumps.

200cc one down, four up (I'm so proud to be a Mama that knows what that means and can do it now!) Kick start, which takes a few times to get the knack of it but makes a person feel tough if you can do it.

So, we bought the dirt bike on Wed and it rained that day and the next. By Friday, all three of us drivers had a blast giving it a whirl. Caleb's whirl was a bit too big though.

Remember it was our first day on it, okay? Caleb did a little bump/jump and then tried to slow down. Unfortunately, he pulled the throttle all the way instead of the brake and then took the next much larger jump, one he never intended to take.

Final diagnosis was a pulled groin muscle. He was on crutches for a day and a half until it loosened up. Doing great now.

Hello,

Summer has been entertaining, but what season isn't? My Mom came to visit for Sarah's birthday. That's when we discovered the air conditioner no longer works, after 28 years. However, the weather has only been in the 80's so we survive nicely with ceiling fans and open windows. Maybe tomorrow it will be a new one. Regardless, we loved seeing Grandma and hanging out.

I dyed my hair again. Remember this is the year of the hair for me. It was supposed to be Ultra Sun Light Blonde. Sarah and I had a fabulous time playing hairdresser in the bathroom but the color is...ummm...more like Gentle Marmalade. Although I like it personally, many have told me that the brunette was better, even more natural. Like some people aren't just born with orange jello in their hair! I suppose I'll dye it again in a week or two. It's kinda fun messing up though. People smile.

Steven was playing catch with Sarah to help her in softball. She got hit on her legs. She got hit on her head. She got hit in her stomach. Eventually, Steven asked her if there was anywhere she hadn't been hit. "Yeah," she replied, "my hands!"

Her birthday switched her age into the double digits like the rest of us. I don't think babies are supposed to do that either. Anyways, she planned a Jungle Safari birthday party. We made animals out of pizza supplies and baked them for a snack later on. We played Blob Tag where each person tagged just becomes part of the big blob of people chasing the free ones down. The kids liked Bandage Tag where you have to hold the spot where you were tagged for the rest of the game, hopefully it wasn't a leg! Then we had a giant Jungle Scavenger Hunt around the neighborhood. They finished up with a Wild Game Feed (remember the animal shaped pizzas they made and then Zebra Cakes, of course). Sarah loved it all!

I'm also sending you the link to the professional portraits we had taken at JCPenney. If we normally give them to you, we have them and will get them to you. The website just shows low resolution so you don't copy them. I just thought you might like to peek at the growing kids. Click the link if you want to and then enter my name in all caps. We just ordered the plain ones.

Caleb hasn't visited the ER again for a couple weeks now. Unfortunately, we have run out of medium sized bandages. He's 13, almost 14. Older and wiser moms: Will he grow out of this, assuming he survives?

Lovin' life,

Blessings,

Marcia for the Swann's

----- Forwarded Message ----
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Sent: Wednesday, May 21, 2008 9:45:08 AM
Subject: JCPenney Portraits Images for MARCIA SWANN

Dear MARCIA SWANN,

Welcome to SmilesByWire, the Internet-based portrait viewing and ordering
service for JCPenney Portraits.

To get started, click below and enter your Customer Name (MARCIA SWANN):
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Hello All,
I'm not sure about how to vacation. Obviously, the children and I have more free time than Steven does. So, should we make it a habit to indulge in vacationing without him? A couple weeks ago we did. My brother and his wife kindly gave Caleb a week at Horsemanship Camp and my parents graciously helped us get there and back. Caleb loved the camp, the horses, the friends, but not the driving. He is adamant that we will not own a horse because they are definitely too much work though.:) Sarah and I enjoyed time with mostly Laurie and Sam the happy baby. All in all, a fairly relaxing week, although I didn't finish any of the books I had brought along nor make any progress on the afghan supplies. My infamous crochet bag has seen many miles. No major projects have emerged from its depths. This fact disturbs my curious husband. I simply remind him that we also have never been in an accident with it in tow. He doesn't find that nearly as comforting as me. Back to the Iowa vacation. However, Steven we left behind and he tilled, raked, manured, and seeded our entire lawn. A daunting task for any family and a bit more for just one person working solo. But we missed each other so much that it dampens even the brightest of trips. Reunion is sweet. We arrived during the church service, at which point he made a beeline to welcome us home with a hug and a kiss. (say, "ahhh")

This being a full week, we opted to celebrate our anniversary a day early on Monday. I dressed up in a new fancy dress (purple velvet, v-neck and satin trim, ooolala) to which Steven promptly said, "I should change, shouldn't I?" at the sight of me (Score One!). We ate at a new restaurant for us and enjoyed the time together immensely. Afterwards, we picked up Shantell and Lane (they were the foster kids who stayed with us last summer) and brought them home to visit for the week for the purpose of attending VBS. Okay, I'm almost to my point. On Tuesday, our real anniversary, the kids sent us to our room to watch a movie. They said to dress nicely. When we were told to come out, the dining room had magically transformed into a white light and candles romantic restaurant. Caleb had been the chef/coordinator, Sarah the decorator/waitress and the two little kids were the entertainment with finger puppets, music and dancing. A marvelous evening! It more than rivaled the evening prior, albeit, not quite as much alone time. :) No doubt about it, we are soooo spoiled! But it's fun to live a blessed life!

Looking forward to baseball, softball, and sprinklers.

Blessings,
Marcia for the Swann's