hello old friend

ahhh.. naptime for Lauren, and I can breathe easily for a little while.

The past few weeks have been hectic in the Swayze household and will not calm down until April, due to Easter coming up and our new building opening up at church. Shewww... plus, throw in a baby shower, surprise birthday party, Easter, weddings... and the list goes on.

Let's see... and update from when I got my stitches.

1. My finger is doing well, easier to type with because it is completely callused over and starting to peel off. Continues to look disgusting and is dried out, but I keep it covered with bandaids.

2. Speaking of Lauren, she turned 14 months old and continues to work on becoming a professional crawling baby. She ran a fever a week ago, and cut another bottom tooth. Her fever was the only problem she had, so, Mark and I took advantage of her falling asleep on us. She hasn't done this since she was a wee-baby, and it felt so wonderful! I will always cherish moments where she falls asleep on me. We also decided, through prayer and advice from some wonderful friends, that Lauren will not be participating in "day school" next year. It was a tough decision for me because I want her to be able to interact well with other children, but we are going to look into some other choices for her. Plus, Mark has Thursdays and Fridays off of work, so that is when we usually do our "family fun" activities. And, when our friends question our decision, which they do, we just tell them that if they want to pay for it, then Lauren can go. Gets them quiet real fast.

3. We threw a surprise birthday party last night at our house for our 2 girl friends that have the same exact birthday. It was wonderful and they were both equally surprised. I have started the tradition of making birthday cards... which, I might add... are HILARIOUS and a lot more personal than store-bought cards, and I started the tradition of giving "Missie's Favorite Things." (Much like Oprah's favorite things.) I try to keep the gifts around $5-10, and it doesn't have to be anything fancy. Actually, right now, one of my favorite things is the Swiffer Dusters. They are WONDERFUL, and only $3-4, depending on where you shop. (Cheaper at Wal-Mart.)

4. Mark has been in and out of town several times since the last update, but will remain in town until April, when we go to a wedding in Dallas. His work schedule has been busy due to the new building and figuring out all of the staging, lighting, sound equipment, etc. But, he loves his job and he loves the Church, and he loves glorifying our Lord through music, so, we cannot complain one bit.

well, I hear Lauren stirring.... not a long nap at all, maybe she will go back to sleep, but I need to get off and get some dishes done before my mother-in-law comes to watch Lauren so we can set chairs up in the new gym... fun fun fun times!