Picture post - Colter turns 2!

There is no breaking news for this blog post. Just keeping myself from letting the blog languish for months at a time.

Colter did turn 2 on Sunday, and Thad made us some amazing bbq pork shoulder that just melted into your mouth and had amazing flavor. My mother in law made the Pablo cake below.

From Drop Box

We're gearing up for some camping over Labor Day weekend, and I am so ready for a couple nights in the wilderness and cooking over an open fire. Oh, and the beer.

So without further ado, here are some other adorable pictures!

Colter B being adorable and crossing his arms

From Drop Box

Elora riding her tricycle in heels

From Drop Box

Pretty girl going to the pool

From Drop Box

My handsome birthday boy

From Drop Box

Scheming

During a recent camping trip Thad brought up my "score-keeping" in our relationship. "Score-keeping" is where I keep track of every time he gets to go do something fun, without children or the need to hire a babysitter because these types of fun activities don't include me. Now, I'm not calling my husband a liar, because I AM, in fact, keeping score, but it's easy to keep score because I NEVER SCORE. Ever. Everytime I've gone anywhere, I either take my kids with me and arrange for childcare in my hometown so I can go out for an evening, or I schedule a babysitter for both of us to go out, or he just goes and does whatever activity it is without the worry of a wife and kids tagging along. And I've had enough. ENOUGH. Imagine me as J.Lo in a movie by the same name. I'm fed up.

Admittedly, this isn't anyone's fault but my own. I don't blame Thad for wanting to chew his own arm off with a desire to do something fun; the man works his ass off for us all the time. But I do blame myself for not making it more of a point to find things to go do by myself. Because I also work my ass off for us, all the time. So I'm forming an action plan.

This year has been all tied up with saving my time off to have surgery. Well, currently that surgery isn't scheduled until November, and I have some excess PTO to do away with, so I have a couple ideas rolling around in my brain.

A good friend of mine mentioned the possibility of a trip to Vegas with a group of her friends for her birthday in October. I'd consider making the trip, but I'm definitely leaning more towards staying a little closer to home. Vegas may be an awesome place to go and have a good time, but I can't really imagine myself there without either my husband or a group of my own friends, at least not for expense of plane tickets and a hotel room. I'm a fuddy duddy, but that can't be helped.

The other idea I've been bouncing around is a winter trip down to Los Angeles. The only reason I'd even entertain this idea is because Allegiant Air offers some cheap airfare down and back, but they don't really have super cheap flights until January. So this idea is still in the running, but doesn't solve the immediate problem of wanting to do something NOW.

The other idea involves me, a gal pal or two, and Chico Hot Springs. This is the one I'm most inclined to do, since it's closer, more affordable, and allows me to drink in a pool, but it will mean coordinating with Thad because he goes hunting ever year with one of his friends. I wouldn't even consider Chico until the weather gets cooler, so October is my tentative idea for this trip. Sort of a mini-"Boobs Voyage" party.

So there, as long as it's written down, it's basically set in stone. Mary Rose is going to make it a point to spend a weekend this year doing something SHE wants to do. Now I just have to DO it.

As for August, we have Bluesfest, Montana Fair, Colter's 2nd birthday and Thad's on-call filling up every weekend until Labor Day. But Mary Rose is a thinker-aheader, a planner, a font of ideas for the future. Labor Day weekend is going to be a FOUR DAY WEEKEND, thanks to my foresight and PTO planning skillz (street cred!). Casa Swan will be loading up and making it's way to a mountain. Not sure what mountain, but my plan is that we will spend at least two nights roughing it in the wilderness with Morgan, the Blanche DuBois to my Tammy Faye Bakker craziness, and her lover Joel. Morgan is a wonderful planner, even better at the art of planning than yours truly, and I utilize her planning skills for birthday parties (I am terrible at throwing my kids parties) and other various situations that require someone to poke me into making decisions.

Thanks, internet, for allowing me a vent for the frustration that stems from being a fabulous martyr! You can barely make out the marks on my hands from where I nail myself up on a cross on a daily basis! LOLing like crazy!

PS It wouldn't kill husbands to try to take their wives out occasionally without making them do all the work. So if you're a husband (which I doubt I have many of in my readership), surprise your wife sometime, even just get the kids out of the house for an evening and make dinner at home. You'll TOTALLY get laid.

Weekend always end with "end"

Isn't that a depressing post title? It feels depressing on a Monday, more so than on a Friday, when the weekend is fresh and new and filled with promise. On Monday the weekend is filled with "I wish I would have"s and work.

My mom and dad (plus Tona) spent the weekend with us, and it was pretty nice. Thad had to go work in Miles City all weekend replacing computers, so the kids and I enjoyed some time with Nana and Papa Wade, as well as Tona. We were more of a hindrance than a help when it came to getting Tona's school shopping done, but I blame that solely on Colter B.

Speaking of Colter B, he's getting some two-year molars now. It's really annoying for parents to get lulled into a false sense of security when it comes to teething, when in fact there are bigger, badder, MO FO-esque teeth lurking in the back of a toddler's mouth.

In summation: Mondays suck, and two year molars suck DOUBLE TIME.

Happy lunch hour!

This picturesque setting is where I come and lounge when I'm on a break at work. It smells like pond, of course, and there are ducks all over place, swimming and splashing and.... well, doing duck stuff.  Today is a lovely day to just watch ducks swim, but alas, I must go back to work.

Maybe I Will

I'm seriously considering returning to higher education. There are several reasons for this "decision" (I say that word using it as the loosest definition of what it means possible), none of which are very interesting. But since you're so interested here are those boring reasons:

-The desire to make more money. I'm not numbering this list, but you can consider this the unofficial #1 reason. I've gotten better at being lower-middle class, but I'd really like to reach upper-middle class income again, like back in the days. Or, dare I say it, lower-UPPER class. Did that last sentence just give you shivers, or is it just me?

- I want to utilize the sweet skill I've got. I know I'm not all that and a bag of potato chips, but I'd also like to believe I'm a slightly bright. I have a head full of facts, ideas, useless trivia, that I use to about 43% of it's capacity on a daily basis. I'd like to increase that to 76%. That expectation seems low enough to be reachable.

- I already have some credits. I have some credits with a few various institutions that I could probably apply to whatever I pursue, at least get me one year away from an associates degree. Those credits are like money in a bank that is accumulating no interest, but since it's there I might as well access it. I can't use those credits to buy groceries, but I could use them to make more money to buy groceries, which is just as good.

That's actually a pretty short list, but it's simple and it is to the point. My employer offers a tuition reimbursement program, so I could look into that and see if I can dip my toe in the lake of online college in the spring. For now I'm actually going to try a Continued Education course offered by my local library, Parmly Billings Library. If you don't have a library card, I would suggest you get one. They are pretty much the bees knees.

On the home front, Colter is sleeping in a big boy bed! He may not be going to bed before 10 pm on a nightly basis, but by God he is sleeping in the big boy bed. His vocabulary has expanded, not by leaps and bounds, but when he give you a kiss he says "ank you", he says "bye!" with fervor and zeal, he loves to answer questions with "NO WAY", and when it's bedtime, or an hour and a half AFTER bedtime, he says "nigh". Potty training will be our next adventure, but I've been in no rush to start potty training before he turns 2. Which will happen in 19 days! I can't believe the little spud is that old, it seems like yesterday Elora was kissing my belly and we were getting a baby room ready.

Guess who looks just like his daddy?

From Drop Box

Big Boy Bed Blues

From Drop Box

This would be his pouty face

From Drop Box

Elora got to run with her dad in the Dirty Dash this weekend. He ran the actual 5k Dirty Dash, complete with hay bale obstacles, mud pits, military-like walls and tubes to crawl through, beer chug, water slide, and MUD PIT. Elora ran in the Piglet Plunge, and boy she sure did a good job. She's reluctantly athletic, she doesn't actually WANT to do a lot of athletic stuff, but when she does she rocks it. I foresee a lot of this type of contrast in her future.

Elora, pre-race pose

From Drop Box

Mommy's little mudskipper

From Drop Box

Not quite filthy yet

From Drop Box

100% FILTHY

From Drop Box

We've got at least one more weekend camping trip planned at the moment, Labor Day weekend. I can't wait, even though we don't know where we're going, I'm so excited to get back on a mountainside that I could practically spit.

Alright, Elora just told me dinner is ready, so it's time to wrap this up. Have a groovy evening, do something nice, like eat ice cream or take a nice long shower.

My fren' Jen

So it isn't very often that I get to spend time with one of my nearest and dearest friends- Jennifer J.-M.  Jen and I have known each other roughly 9 years now. I know that because she was at my wedding 8 years ago on 8/30/11, and she has known me as both "Mommy Dearest", but also "Stone Cold Lush". 

Jen was in town recently for a much anticated Montana vacation. I booked in advance and secured myself a kid-free, spouse-free evening of sitting with my friend, picking amazing juke box music and searching for the name of the South American women that wear bowler hats on my wicked awesome smart phone.

Before we knew it, it was after 9pm and the air was ripe with desire.  Desire... for karaoke.  We headed to the Play Inn, where you don't even need a book of songs to peruse when you know what the eff you'e doing.  We both selected two songs. In no particular order:

Mary Rose - Midnight Special
Jen - Renegade
Mary Rose - Ballroom Blitz
Jen - Fancy

I can say- truthfully and honestly, that I had no idea that Jen had the PIPES that she does. This is the girl that I could barely get to sing backup on "Night Moves" 7 years ago but now she's belting out Reba like she had actually pimped out her own girl child. 

After a night of frolic we came back to Casa Swan and sat by ourselves by the firepit and watched lightning and clouds and the full, full moon as it lit up the night-time sky.

Jen, I can't wait to come see you again, hopefully in the near future, but even if the earliest I get to see you is Christmas I look forward to the

From La Madre Loca

precious few minutes I get to spend, giggling and chortling with you.

As a testament to how much effort I'd put in to writing a blog just for Jen, I did this entire blog entry on my smart phone after 3 having beers at a baby shower.

Love,
MR

We kick karaoke ass



Fear and loathing in the Play Inn

From La Madre Loca

Where does the time go?

So July is nearly over and I have hardly posted at all this month. Sorry, blog, for ignoring you for so long, but here is a nice long one for you.

This month has been pretty busy, even if we're just busy with doing nothing. The Swanz (I'm adding the z because it gives us street cred) went camping this month for the first time this summer, and had a big blast. Camping included lots of awesome food (thanks to Mrs. Violett and her keep-it-new-by-keeping-it-in-the-box cook stove), some fun kids to play with (also provided by Mrs. Violett, and also Mrs. Ballew), and some hiking. Elora hoofed it the whole mile up the trail to find the Pine Creek Falls which were BEAUTIFUL.

Both kids did really well on the hike, but Elora really took my breath away with her observations and her stick-to-it-iveness.

After we got thoroughly filthy on the camping/hiking expedition the 3 gathered clans decided to make a pit stop at Big Timber water park on the way back to Billings/Colstrip. I had almost wiggled out of it when the kids were asleep when we pulled up to the park, but once they woke up we knew our plans to try to escape were all for naught. But after getting my sweaty body into my one piece bathing suit it felt totally worth it to clean myself off for the first time in 36 hours hours using a public swimming facility.

I've never been a huge water slide person, but I think that after this trip Big Timber will probably be a destination for The Swanz (street cred!) again in the future. They have a slide with rafts that we all enjoyed, and the kiddie pool was a hit with the younger Swan. Elora went down lots of slides with her daddy, and looked like she was having a pretty good time.

We made it through our work week after the refreshing and relaxing time spent in Pine Creek, and this last weekend we just kicked at home, Swanz-style (more street cred!). This "style" includes beer, blow up kiddie pools, and usually something Thad has cooked in the smoker. I got to enjoy a kid-free trip to the farmer's market with my MIL Saturday, followed by picking out new glasses at Sam's Club. And my new peeps are going to be AWESOME.

The next few weekends will be pretty much filled with various activities, hopefully including more camping. Colter turns the big TWO August 21, no party planned as of yet but we might find something awesome and fun to do to celebrate it when it rolls around. Any fun suggestions would be appreciated!