Random Photos...

Just a few photos I wanted to share...

KATIE READING TO BRADY


ASHLEY WITH BRADY


"LEAVE ME ALONE!!"


CHILLED OUT

The Price Of Children

This came across my email and I loved it so much, I had to post it here...it's SO true, and really touched my heart!

The Price of Children

The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to age 18 and came up with a figure of $160,140.00 for a middle income family. Talk about price shock...and that doesn't even touch college tuition!!! But $160,140.00 isn't so bad if you break it down. It translates into: * $8,896.66 a year,* $741.38 a month, * $171.08 a week,* a mere $24.24 a day *and just over a dollar an hour!! Still, you might think the best financial advice is: "don't have children if you want to be rich." Actually, it is just the opposite, if you have the correct definition of "rich." Let's see what you get for $160,140.00: * Naming rights: first, middle, and last! * Glimpses of God every day. * Giggles under the covers every night. * More love than your heart can hold. * Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs. * Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies. * A hand to hold, usually covered with jelly or chocolate. * A partner for blowing bubbles and flying kites. * Someone to laugh yourself silly with, no matter what the boss said or how your stocks performed that day. For $160,140.00, you never have to grow up. You get to: * finger-paint, * carve pumpkins, * play hide-and-seek, * catch lightning bugs, * never stop believing in Santa Claus. You have an excuse to: * keep reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh, * watch Saturday morning cartoons, * go to Disney movies, and * wish on stars. You get to frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator magnets and collect spray-painted noodle wreaths for Christmas, hand prints set in clay for Mother's Day, and cards with backward letters for Father's Day. For a mere $24.24 a day, there is no greater bang for your buck! You get to be a hero just for: * retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof, * taking the training wheels off a bike, * removing a splinter, * filling a wading pool, * coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs and *coaching a baseball team that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream regardless. You get a front row seat in history to witness the: * First step,* First word,* First bra,* First date and * First time behind the wheel. You get to be immortal. You get another branch added to your family tree...and if you're really lucky, a long list of limbs in your obituary called grandchildren and great grandchildren. You get an education in psychology, nursing, criminal justice, communications, and human sexuality that no college can match. In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there under God. You have all the power to heal a boo-boo, scare away the monsters under the bed, patch a broken heart, police a slumber party, ground them forever, and love them without limits...so one day they will, like you, love without counting the cost. That is quite a deal for the price!!!!! Love & enjoy your children, grandchildren & great-grandchildren...it's the best investment you'll ever make!!!!!!!!!

Thanksgiving in March...

It has been SUCH a crazy past few weeks! It seems like each day is gone before I even have a chance to catch my breath (hence no blogging for 2 weeks now)! You'd think that with hours being cut at work, and me having Thursdays off every week now, I'd have MORE time...but I don't. I'm so busy trying to get "home stuff" done on Thursdays (laundry, cleaning, grocery shopping, spending time with Brady, etc.), that the day is gone before I know it. I'm also cooking a lot more than I used to, which I enjoy, but it takes up time. With the economy the way it is, we're eating at home MUCH more often than we used to. As much as I hate to admit it, we had become a "fast food" family, and were eating out almost EVERY night during the week. With work, kids' sports, homework, various other evening activities, AND a newborn, it was much easier to pick up something on the way home from work, or grab the kids and head out to dinner. Time's they are a-changin', though. Now we RARELY eat out. Instead, I cook big meals at home that we can eat off of for several days. We are also not spending as "freely" at the grocery store as we used to. I'm buying based on what's on sale or what I have a coupon for, and the kids have had to learn that they can't just fill the cart with all their favorites. Turkey was on sale this week so today I made a full "Thanksgiving" feast...turkey, mashed potatoes, rice, giblet gravy, green beans, cranberry sauce, and rolls. We all pigged out...and gave thanks that in such tough times, we have food on the table again this week!

Happy St. Patty's Day

Compliments of Angie, I couldn't resist posting this photo...

My Hero

This is my dad...my hero. He was killed 11 years ago (Feb. 19, 1998) in a plane crash. Love and miss you, Dad...wish you were here!

When It Rains, It Pours...

The sun is shining brightly, but it's storming at the Sweatt house!!! I didn't realize how spoiled I'd become until my laptop "bit the dust." Now I actually have to sit at my desktop computer instead of having the luxury of blogging, emailing, and surfing the web from the kitchen, my bed, my back patio, the toilet (just kidding on that one!), or various other locations in the house. Since last week, every time I try to boot up, I get an error message saying that there is a hard drive issue and I need to contact the manufacturer...NOT GOOD! I bought the extended warranty for it...but as MY luck would have it, I cannot find my warranty paperwork or my receipt. I had it in-hand a few months ago when I needed to order a new power source for the laptop, but now I have no clue where it might be! Speaking of "biting the dust," Dylan's Ipod Nano is also on the fritz! It was one of his "big gifts" for Xmas and he's only used it a few times. It appears to have a short in it, but trying to get a hold of Apple is like trying to reach the President. No matter what number you try to call, you're routed to an automated troubleshooting line (which we've tried, but being the "technology-challenged" folks that we are, we've had no luck with that).

In other "stormy" news...hours are being cut at work. It's a sign of the times, I guess. Instead of laying ONE PERSON off (we're a small company), everyone's hours are being cut a little until business picks back up. Most likely, everyone will take one day off during the week. The bad news is...it's a reduction in income that will make things even tighter than they already are. The good news is...I'll have a day during the week to spend with Brady, catch up on chores, pick Dylan up at school, and run errands. Hopefully the economy will improve and the reduction will be short-lived...although unfortunately, I think things are only going to get worse under our country's current "leadership."

Better keep the umbrella handy!!!

Growing Like A Weed...

Brady had his 2-month check-up last Wed. He's now 10 lbs. (double his birth weight) and 22&1/2 inches long!! I can't believe how fast he's growing! My arms and back are WELL aware, though...I'm starting to notice soreness after I hold or carry him for extended periods of time. He's still congested so they swabbed his nose to test for allergies. Turns out, he just has a "lingering cold" (yeah..."lingering" for 4 weeks now)!! He also got his first round of childhood shots, which probably hurt me and Gerald worse than it hurt Brady! :-( I hated to see his tiny little legs get stuck with 4 needles...UGH! For that reason alone, I don't think I could ever be a pediatric nurse!

Here are a few random pictures from the past week that Angie emailed to me:

Sweetness At Its Finest...

Peaceful Angel...

It Ain't Over...Till It's Over

Just when I thought it was over, we're sick...AGAIN! And unfortunately...(ugh!) I've got it this time, too. Luckily, I'm not too sick to function; just sick enough to feel pretty lousy! My sinuses are throbbing, my throat hurts, and I can't breathe! Brady's congestion is back (poor baby), and Dylan has been coughing up a storm, complaining of a sore throat, and running a fever!

Gerald and Austin have remained pretty healthy this time around. Lucky for them because Austin went to the National Underclassmen Football Combine on Saturday and performed so well that he got the MVP award & a medal!!! This opens up a lot of doors for him being able to play college football! Here he is, sporting his new "bling" (he IS excited...he just likes to "play it cool" in pictures)...

Lastly, I couldn't resist sharing a few candid shots from this past week...

FACE OF AN ANGEL

THE GUYS (with a rare smile from Aus)

ROCK STAR DYLAN