What??????

So, apparantly this is what happens to Bennett

when we leave him at Grandma's for the weekend.

They play dress up! I think his aunties and uncles

had something to do with this little crown.... just wait

until we are alone with your children!!! hehehe

random pictures

Dale and I at Trevor and Margriet's wedding


The beautiful bride and groom.


Bennett and Emily at Grandma's house. They
were pretty funny. Each was quite concerned that
the other might take their snack... no fear, Grandma
has enough snacks to feed the 5 thousand:)


Yes Megan, I do believe dad looks just like
Gazoo from the Flintstones....sorry dad, but
it's true!


Bennett was chasing peacocks at the zoo in Winnipeg

ups and downs

This past week has been filled with ups and downs for the Swager family. We drove to Winnipeg last Wednesday, where we stayed for a night. Then Dale and I flew to Edmonton from there. It was so great to be away just the two of us, knowing that Bennett was having a great time with Grandpa and Grandma vanLeeuwen. We were able to reconnect with a lot of old college friends and we were just really having a great time....until Dad calls Dale and asks for our license plate number....Yes, our car was stolen right out of their driveway. So, there we were in Edmonton, while mom and dad were trying to make police reports, etc. There was nothing we could do while we were gone, so we just tried to enjoy the rest of our little vacation. Trevor and Margriet's wedding was absolutely beautiful. Margriet was gorgeous as usual, and we had such a great time. We flew back Sunday afternoon. Turns out they found our car, however, it was totalled. The kids that stole it took it for quite the ride apparantly. The front end was completely smashed, the air bags all depleted, the back windshield shattered, and the list goes on. There really aren't words to describe the feeling of being violated and having your "things" stolen. Bennett won't remember the books he once loved were covered in beer and cigarettes, he will forget his favorite CD's and might forget his favorite little dump truck, but Dale and I won't forget too soon.
So mom and dad drove us back to Iowa, as we had no way of getting home....we are now car shopping, which is kind of fun and kind of depressing all at the same time.
So, amidst all the police reports, insurance claims and phone calls, we remain thankful for all that we have. Things could be worse, right?????

Where does the time go?

So here we are... August 20th (happy bday Sharon!!!) and the kids in Sioux Center will be going back to school on Wednesday! Crazy how fast the summer flew by.

We haven't been camping in about 7 weeks or so... our weekends have just been so busy and the weather too hot to camp. Dale has just finished his softball season, so that will free up our Monday nights. We still have kickball on Tuesday nights for a month or so yet (yes, kickball, the game you stopped playing in 3rd grade!).

Bennett has kept us hopping lately. He is just so incredibly curious and a little too brave for our tastes. We have spent numerous afternoons at the local pool, met friends at the park and kept up with our Wednesday morning playgroup.

This weekend Bennett will be spending at his Grandpa and Grandma vanLeeuwen's house while Dale and I head to Edmonton for a wedding and a little mini-vacation. It will be our first time away from Bennett over night, but we are very much looking forward to a break.

Below are a few recent pics, I will have more next week, stay posted!