Can't do it justice

I have been looking through my  300+ Utah trip photos this evening and have decided that I am not up to posting any tonight.  I can't do it justice.

I am just too tired.  I am still feeling dizzy and exhausted from our trip home.  I can't seem to shake it.  It is so annoying.

So my house is going to stay cluttered, my suitcases are going to stay packed and pawed through, and my pictures not posted, for  another day.

We did survive the tornado.  We were cramped in our downstairs hallway last evening for over an hour.  We were totally starving, so we made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and watched tornado videos on YouTube via Ryan's "smartphone."  It completely freaked us out as we heard the violent thunder and raging wind above our heads. It was so much fun.  Just like telling ghost stories over a camp fire!

Ryan and I sat and asked each other questions like, "On a scale of 1 to 10, how scared are you?"  The answer for both of us----"5".

Thankfully the storm finally passed and we emerged safe and sound.

Today we got another fun package in the mail!  We have been so spoiled lately.   Thanks so much Pat for thinking of Grace on her birthday.  Her favorite was definitely the pink punch balloon; and as you can imagine, Jace loved the car.  He played with it all afternoon.

Picture of a cute boy, with a new car, on a cluttered floor.

"This car has a key and comes apart--see look Mommy"

"Mommy, look at all these McQueen stickers I put on my shirt all by 'myselfs'!"



Back to real life!

They played 'til they dropped!

Our 2.5 hour flight home on Friday from Houston to Cedar Rapids in a small "puddle jumper" plane was rough.  I got TOTALLY motion sick and almost threw- up in the little blue sack.  It was the longest flight of my life. That has never happened to me before.

When we finally landed I could barely walk to the car with the whole world spinning around me and an overwhelming wave of nausea hitting me.  Somehow Ryan got us all loaded in the van and got us home.  I crashed in bed for a couple of hours while he made dinner, went to the grocery store, and played "Transformers" with Jace.  He is so amazing. 

Early Saturday morning he had to report to the hospital for "Mid-face" trama call.  We always dread when his service has trama call every three-four weeks.  He is not allowed to leave the hospital until his 30 hour shift is over-and it is usally crazy busy and traumatic. 

I was so worried that I would be sick and not able to care for my children for those 30 hours.  But I woke up Saturday feeling good enough to get around a little bit.  It was a very long 30 hours though.

We have a  tradition of meeting for dinner in the hospital cafeteria if Ryan is free, and then going outside to play in the hospital park.  When the kids and I met up with him last night, he was of couse thrilled to see us, but stressed.

He had treated a patient that had crashed on his ATV leaving him in a vegetative state.  He was not expected to make it.  Ryan's job was to close all his lacerations before surgery.  Just as he was finishing, he nicked himself with the needle he was using.  This patient was Hepatitis C positive so Ryan had to admit himself into the ER for tests and treatment.  His blood was drawn and tested for HIV and the whole works.

When we met he had a  bag of meds in his hand that he was taking, which were making him sick.   He was still waiting for the results of the HIV test.  Which came back negative, but was still so scarry waiting for the results.  Now a 6 week wait for the Hepatitis results.  Luckily suture needles have a low transmission rate.

It is Sunday evening and I am off to my basement.  The sky has gone dark and thunder is rumbling.  The tornado sirens are going off and Ryan's phone just got a text to take shelter immdiately.  I am not kidding. 

Welcome back real life--oh how we love thee!

Our time in Utah was so wonderful and fun.  I will be posting pictures all next week so stay tuned!  (If we are not swept away.) 

Are you freaking out yet Mom?  Ryan would never tell you any of this--hence why I blog!

Do I have any final words you ask?...Can't think of anything profound to say, but Ryan is glad that at least our house was already messy.

And P.S.--NEVER get on an ATV!  per the Dr.'s request.  He's seen too many mutalated bodies in his short 11 months of ER time.

Every Robin needs a Poppy!

A Poppy is a wonderful thing. Everyone should have one.  The only problem is, they are hard to come by.

They are one in a billion-really.

They run Tool Centers that have amazing "shameans" in them.

   The "shameans" pick up the boxes and then

lift them WAY up high.

   They also have nifty carts with RED wheels that scoot Robins

round and round, and up and 

                                                     down those Tool Center isles.

We are sorry, but this Poppy is ours.  You really can't have him.  We are keeping him all to ourselves.

Could it be more perfect?

After leaving the comfort of her bed in Iowa at 4:45am yesterday, Gracie found herself touching down on the ground at the Salt Lake City airport around 9:30am mountain standard time.

Soon after she found herself in the loving arms of her Grammy Jill and Poppy Will.

Grammy Jill, with Poppy's help, had turned their pad, "the batcave" into a birthday girl's wonderland.

We were greeted with balloons and presents and a gorgeous birthday cake from Backman's Bakery.

Homemade crepes followed for breakfast.


Christopher Robin watching Grammy intently as we drooled over the fresh berry goodness.



Grammy Jill, you are looking smokin' hot these days! Wouldn't you agree Poppy?

Crepes worth dying for-I am not kidding.  I really haven't tasted any better.

                        

While Daddy and Rue were opening this...

Christopher Robin was doing...

this!

To spend Rue's first birthday with Grammy and Poppy could not have been more perfectly perfect.

Happy Birthday my Rue, I love you. What a sweet blessing you are.

FINALLY!

Grace entertaining herself while mom runs around like a chicken with her head cut off!

Blogger has been performing maintenance for the last 30 hours, so I have not been able to blog. Not sure if this happens regularly. But things seem to finally be up and running.
Anyways, I'm  BUSY BUSY BUSY!  Packing and cleaning.  I will be taking my laptop and hope to blog next week while in Utah.   

Good news,   I can now upload pictures from my laptop.  So whatever blogger was doing yesterday, seemed to solve that problem.

Dear Auntie Jen, 

We got the funnest box from you on our doorstep this morning.  How perfect!  A movie for Jace to watch on the trip, and I loved the outfit for Grace!  I will call you probably next week from St George.

Love , Frances

More later everyone.  I am seriously NOT ready for our  4:45am departure in the morning.  I am going to have happy children tomorrow.  Can't wait for that!  Grammy,  please come play with Grace for me today so I can pack. 

Oh, did I mention that friends of ours are staying in our house while we are gone?  Seemed fine when I volunteered, but now that I am bathroom scrubbing, packing, laundry washing, and everyhing else, I am realizing that I AM CRAZY!!

So on that note have a great day everyone!

Cameron and MaKenzi -- Wishing you  a very HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!  Shouldn't you have like 5 kids by now?

Robin teaching Rue

Jace loves the ever so important job of teaching Gracie how to walk.

They walk and walk

 and then tumble to the ground.

Robin then tries to hold off Rue as she struggles to get her fingers on his curly golden locks.

But eventually she tackles him to the ground and rips it all out!

The last time

This is a picture of the last time we were all together as a Swigert clan.  It was Grace and cousin Aubrey's blessing day on  Sunday, June 13, 2010.  Aubrey and Grace were born 4 days apart!

Shortly after this photo was taken, Ryan's older brother Jason (holding other infant--Aubrey) moved to Arizona to accept a job as an Internal Medicine Doctor, and we left for Iowa City to start Ryan's residency.

I especially like how both Nicole and myself (mothers of the two newborns) have our shoes off in the picture!  That's from being barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen for so long we forgot what shoes felt like!

Actually it's really from EXHAUSTION and STRESS.  Both of us moved across the country 2 weeks after giving birth.   I have no plans to ever do that again--it was enough fun to last me a life time.

Well, next week the entire Swigert clan will be together again.  Ready or not Utah, here we all come!

This time we are taking our fun to the Sherwood Hills resort near Logan, Utah.  That's right.  A little golfing, relaxing by the pool, game playing, visiting the Logan cemetery.  It's all going to be done in excellent Swigert fashion, and hopefully without any "Swigert luck!"

Catching some much needed rest at Ryan's sister's house after our trek from Richmond, VA to Utah. (Here is some proof Jen, that I wasn't holding up so well without my Frances!!)

"Ahhh, I love my cousin Lizzy!  What a great place to pick my nose."

"Isn't it so nice of her to cart me around on her back? And she has the perfect sleeve to wipe by buggers on!"

Doesn't the Dr. look dashing, and oh so proud?

THE END

Cameron, no standing on your tip-toes for the next family photo.  You are making everyone else look short.