Pirate Island Progress

We are excited for the progress being made at Pirate Island. A lot has happened there in the past 2 weeks. Roy has been busy. In the picture he is standing in what will be his rather long and skinny office. They are still aiming for a mid-March opening.

Twins

This is Aspen and Elisabeth at dance. They could be twins!

Bedtime

I love rocking my girls. Usually they fight over who gets to sit on my lap, but once in a while they will cooperate and share. This particular night, they both actually fell asleep.

Christmas Morning

Here are some pictures of Christmas morning.

Christmas from the McCluskeys

Elisabeth and Rebekah got a neat gift from Roy's parents. It is the doll bunkbeds that Jaynann, Roy's mom, had as a child. It was made for her by her grandfather (so that's Elisabeth's and Rebekah's great great grandfather). It came with the original bedding that Roy's grandma, Virginia Jolley, made for it (plus some additions). We were so excited to get something so special. Roy's grandmother, Gwen McCluskey, gave the girls each a doll to go with the bunkbeds. Brent and DeAnn (Roy's brother and his wife) and their kids sent the girls a really neat book called Return to Fairyopolis, and gave all of us a neat 4ever5 Christmas tree ornament. They are so thoughtful!

Swensen Family Christmas Party - December 19, 2008

At our Swensen family Christmas party the kids all got new pajamas and did a book exchange. It's a fun tradition every year. We also eat the same meal we have been having since Laura was young. Tradition is a big deal in the Swensen family. :) Roy spent much of the evening holding Chandler, grandchild #25. We were so happy to finally meet the newest little Harward. It's always fun to get together with family.

Elisabeth's Charlie Brown Tree

Elisabeth is so creative. The guy at the Christmas tree lot gave her the top of a tree that he had trimmed, so she made her own decorations for it. She even put it out for Santa to put her presents under on Christmas Eve.

Christmas Catch-Up: Gingerbread Houses

Every Thanksgiving weekend, we get together with all of the Swensen cousins (except Marci's kids this time) to decorate gingerbread houses. It's always a lot of fun for the kids. Roy helped this year, which was nice! It doesn't show in our picture, but one of Santa's elves was up on the roof watching during our outside group shot. He checks on the Swensen cousins once in a while to see if they are being naughty or nice. I guess they were nice cuz Santa showed up at everyone's houses.

"So that's who he reminds me of..."

This is not a political statement, but just one of those "ah-ha" moments that cracked me up so much I just had to share! I have been wondering who Barack Obama reminds me of ever since he came onto the political scene, and I finally figured it out!



I really hope it's not a sign. :-)

I HATE SEIZURES!

This is our niece Cassidy. She is currently at Primary Children's with seizures just like Samuel was last year. We are really worried. Please say a prayer for her. She was there 4 years ago with grand mal seizures, but they have been well controlled up until this week. She developed kidney problems a few months after her seizures in 2005, so it creates an even more difficult situation for her. We believe that Samuel's and Cassidy's "conditions" are genetic and related, and that possibly at least one other child in Laura's extended family may have the same thing (genetic testing is still underway). This is so scary for our family.