Campfire Chic

I love that Shane is such a doer. He works so hard at getting things done, and with such diligence. I am definitely the dreamer and he the doer in our relationship. One day, I mentioned that I would like to have a small fire pit in our yard to have our own family weenie roasts, and he went ahead and built me one within the week! I love it! It's rustic, and totally campfire chic. Our first family night at the fire pit was a huge success. The kids got bored with it, so Shane and I stayed outside (alone) until the fire was out, like good, responsible citizens.

I especially love Sasha's scarf, draped over the branch for the tree stump.



Sunflowers

One of the most difficult things about living in Manassa is that I am so far away from my family. I do not get to see them nearly enough, and each visit seems too short. My parents came in August to spend some time with us, and to enjoy their guest room, which Sally-Mom was entirely responsible for. We completely re-decorated the room a year ago when she came to visit, so we all call it, "Sally-Mom's Room".

Occasionally, my parents are lucky to visit during the wild sunflower season, and this visit found those lovely, yellow flowers everywhere. My Dad took some gorgeous pictures of the girls in the fields near our home.



Emma & Sasha

Me, and my beautiful daughters.

Smiling with Papa.

Emma, Sally-Mom, Sasha, Jenny.

My Mom and I in front of the red door. The day I painted it, 2 Amish kids came over to watch. Seriously. They were mesmerized by the bright, naughty color, I suppose.

90s Nostalgia

This one is a little intense, and you won't quite "get it" if you don't download the songs I make reference to.

It's so funny how the 90s are back "in". I guess I shouldn't be surprised... the 70s were the bomb when I was a young adult of the 90s decade, and it's been 20 years, so the 20 year nostalgia cycle is repeating itself with my generation trying to figure out how time has passed by so quickly. It amazes me how I can hear a song from those years and be completely taken back to the feelings, thoughts, and attitudes indicative of that time in my life. Music is so powerful, and has especially carried me through trials, experiences, and events of my life. The writer of a blog I follow (Momastery) posted about an old favorite song by Alanis Morisette, Thank You. She was really feeling it, so I thought I would get out my old CD case and find my copy of her Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie CD. Search, rumage, search, dust off the case full of 100+ CDs, & found it! Funny, Alanis is naked on the front of the CD, and I am immediately reminded of how this bothered my little sister, Julia, 5-years-old at the time. Sasha (now 5-years-old) comments about the nakedness, and I give her the Mom answer instead of the deep, college student answer I gave years ago). I play the song, and Sasha dances with me to it's catchy beat, and I feel just like I did at 21, except with a different girlfriend dancing alongside me. Sasha is super cute with her grown-up dancing that a 5-year-old would only be capable of if she were a little sister, and she catches on to the words "thank you" and comments that this is a good song about good manners. Dance, dance, dance... I'm loving it! And the words mean so much more now, with a few decades of experience underwing.

How 'bout getting off of these antibiotics
How 'bout stopping eating when I'm full up
How 'bout them transparent dangling carrots
How 'bout that ever elusive kudos

Thank you India
Thank you terror
Thank you DISILLUSIONMENT

Thank you frailty
Thank you consequence
Thank you THANK YOU SILENCE

How 'bout me not blaming you for everything
How 'bout me enjoying the moment for once
How 'bout how good it feels to finally forgive you
How 'bout grieving it all one at a time

Thank you India
Thank you terror
Thank you DISILLUSIONMENT

Thank you frailty
Thank you consequence
Thank you THANK YOU SILENCE

The moment I let go of it was the moment
I got more than I could handle
The moment I jumped off of it
Was the moment I touched down

How bout no longer being masochistic
How bout remembering your divinity
How bout unabashedly bawling your eyes out
How bout not equating death with stopping

Thank you India
Thank you providence
Thank you DISILLUSIONMENT
Thank you nothingness
Thank you clarity
Thank you THANK YOU SILENCE 

(The ALL CAPS are for when she really belts it out).

We continue with the next few songs on the CD, and Sasha loses interest as some of the songs just sound angry and out of control, the Alanis Morisette can get at times. She leaves the room, and I turn to the song That I Would Be Good, a heartfelt, emotional song that I haven't heard in at least 13 years. All of the sudden, I am crying in a mournful way that is reminiscent in nature. The words are speaking to my heart again, but this time, they remind me that those old hurts and struggles are not my own any longer, but that new ones are in their place. Here I am, years later, and not much has changed. Life is still full of trials and struggles, and they seem so overbearing at times.

that I would be good even if I did nothing
that I would be good even if I got the thumbs down
that I would be good if I got and stayed sick
that I would be good even if I gained ten pounds

that I would be fine even if I went bankrupt
that I would be good if I lost my hair and my youth
that I would be great if I was no longer queen
that I would be grand if I was not all knowing

that I would be loved even when I numb myself
that I would be good even when I am overwhelmed
that I would be loved even when I was fuming
that I would be good even if I was clingy

that I would be good even if I lost sanity
that I would be good
whether with or without you
(Lovely flute solo, here).

So, this is when I become a great deal wiser as I realize that I am still the same girl I was then, because I will always be her. Life goes on, ever changing, ever painful, yet ever wonderful, ever joyful. I've solved all those 20-year-old problems, and that is why they seem so trivial in nature now. And the challenges I face now, will seem trivial when I reminisce about them in 20 years, or so.

Here are the girls I most loved singing and dancing with way back when!

Kyndra Lund & Caroline Eccles (Snow Cousins)

And just to keep this post a little less intense: here I am doing The Firm workout video in the dorms of The University of Utah. I especially love the matching scrunchee.

When I was chosen to be the hot, single girl in Van Cott Hall's copied version of MTV's Singled Out, I said that my lifelong dream was to star in my own workout video. I guess that truly, not much has changed! And I will get that body back, because I am just as determined to succeed now, as I was back then.

Soccer Mom

I am officially a Soccer Mom! I don't exactly know why I'm so excited about this. I mean, I've had the minivan to go with this title for quite some time, but somehow I just feel that getting to call myself a Soccer Mom means that I am finally in that phase of life that I was so excited about when I first had my sweet, little baby, Emma. It sneaks up on a woman, you know? First, you have these little kids that can't do a darn thing for themselves, or you, and you wonder if it will EVER end: sleepless nights, poopy diapers, play dates that really include you, endless messes, and the whining, (oh, the whining!!!) Now, I am in full-on carpool mode, rushing my kids off to this activity, that sport, as well as music lessons, church activities, and the many dance classes I also have to teach (so that they can have that opportunity). So, here are the pictures of the three cutest kids ever, and their soccer teams.

Emma- 3rd from the left, top row.

Shelton- 2nd from the left, top row, flexing.

Sasha- on the right end.

Soccer is new for us because this is the first year that Conejos County is involved. Some awesome Soccer Moms were tired of driving to Alamosa (30 miles away) for soccer practices, so they formed our own league. (Thank you Melissa Mortensen!) We still drive to Alamosa for games on Saturday mornings, but they are all between 9am-12pm, so it doesn't feel like too much of a time commitment. My kids have all enjoyed it, but Shelton particularly loves it. It is the perfect sport for him as he loves to run and run and run, "Just like the 5 Little Pumpkins story, Mom!" Shelton says. (He is a Sowards, and Sowards are born runners. His only complaint with his new PE teacher is that she does not make them run enough laps. Too funny!) He has played so well, scoring goals, and getting good with his footwork. He also has the trash talking down, and I love to hear his juvenile taunting as he rushes past me on the sideline. He thanks the other team for kicking the ball out of bounds, gives them a thumbs-up when they miss a goal, and tries to make them think that he is the best soccer player ever. What a goof! Shelton's coach is David Ayala, who happens to have grow-up in South America where soccer (futbol) is the thing to do. Ironically, he is the Bishop that my brother, Jared, served with in Oceanside, CA. His wife is from the San Luis Valley, and they decided to move back here about a year ago. They are great people, and we are blessed to have them here. 

Shelton's team is very competitive, WITH EACH OTHER!!! They all want to score the goals, so they steal the ball from each other and throw in an elbow or two, to do so. 

Here is Sasha, about to score a goal! She is on the Bear Cubs team, which is an instructional program. She is one of the oldest cubs, as she just recently turned 5, and she has got the goal scoring thing down pat, as well as playing defensively, so that the other team will not steal their treasure. Cute!

Getting Dirty!!! The Mud Run

Shane and I have been wanting to start a new hobby together. I realized that besides being extremely attracted to each other, having our cute kids in common, and being very into our religion, we don't have a lot in common. We like to watch movies together, and sit next to each other at night, iPhones in hand, laughing about things on Facebook, but other than that we don't have any hobbies in common. So, we decided to start running together, and have been doing so for about  2 months. We have been training for a Mud Run that was put on by Kim's Fitness, where I do my exercise and Zumba classes. The Mud Run was a few miles from our house, behind M Mountain, at the SRS Motocross track, on Saturday, September 15th. During this past exercise session, I almost won a weight-loss contest after losing 10 pounds, but another gal beat me by .3%. I was disappointed by this, but was anxious for Shane to win the race, and show everyone that SOWA POWA is real! I worked very hard training for this race by trying to lose weight for the contest, and got in between 6-10 workouts/runs each week for 8 weeks. It certainly payed-off, as I was able to improve my time by 5 minutes from the first time I tried running the dry portion of the race. I ran the entire Mud Run race, a 5K distance with a challenging climb over M Mountain, and some intense obstacles in the muddy motocross track, in 33:50, and came in 9th place overall. Of course, my studly husband won the race, and completed it in about 27 minutes. He was worried about running because he has been busy and hadn't run in 2 weeks before the race, but his amazing running abilities were enough.

Here we are! Before the race, in the freezing cold.

Ready to run!

My good friend, Julie, is ready to roll as a volunteer. She would be running, but her back is in need of surgery, so she cheered all of her workout buddies along like a true champ.

Here he is! The champion.

The Shanes! My Shane, and Julie's Shane.

Manassa 1st Ward girls represent!

Moi, Ginger Thomas, Shannon Jarvies (they both beat me, but not by much).

Here I am, posing after my first running race, ever. Ever!!!

And finally, here we are, the dirty couple.

I realize that he is a lot dirtier than I, but even in a Mud Run, I'm a lady.

Sasha at Primary Children's Hospital of Aurora, CO

Sasha's appointment at Primary Children's Hospital of Aurora, CO, was next on our list. Sasha has had some trouble with a community-based MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) infection for the past year. Her doctor, Uncle Martin Sowards, didn't culture it until June 2012, but the infection has returned every 2 months since October 2011, along with ear infections, sinus infections, and bladder infections. We went to see an Infectious Disease Specialist to help us eliminate this problem that has Sasha suffering from uncomfortable, painful sores on her bum. Sasha was thrilled to not get any shots at this appointment, and was treated very well by all of the staff. We were prescribed some new topical ointment, and Dr. Sowards was given some advice on another antibiotic to try if the infection returns. It will most likely be back next week, if the pattern continues. I'm nervous, but feel better equipped to treat the MRSA.

Here she is! She got to ride on one of the wagons provided to make the experience at the hospital a bit more fun. Of course, she brought her new American Girl doll, Mia, with her.

Off to Denver

Sally-Mom saved my sanity last week by flying into town, renting an SUV, and driving Shelton, Sasha, and me to Denver for a few days. I was incredibly nervous about this trip, and she was a great support to me. We weren't necessarily going for fun, but she made it more enjoyable with some fun shopping trips, and a 3 day stay at The Embassy Suites, one of my kids' favorite hotels to frequent. This trip was carefully planned to take Shelton & Sasha to some medical specialists in the Denver area.

Shelton's appointment was with Dr. Searing, an Allergist at National Jewish Hospital. We went to the Highlands Ranch location, a posh Denver suburb on the south side. First, he was tested for asthma, and just as I thought, he does not have asthma at all. Next, he underwent an allergy test after an interview to get an idea of what allergens have been affecting him. I explained how Shelton has been fighting seasonal allergy symptoms since he was 1, and he has taken Zyrtec nearly everyday since, then, as well. A few times, he has had major reactions to nuts, and has had symptoms such as, a swollen tongue and throat, hives on his body, and vomiting afterwards. Out of 32 allergens tested, he had a reaction to all but 6. It was awful to watch, and I get a little teary-eyed just thinking about it, now. They pricked his back with needles that had the allergens on them, and within a few minutes, he was exhibiting the anticipated hives.

Shelton's back, after about 3 minutes.

Poor guy! This is after 8 minutes, and he was miserable at this point.

They washed off his back after they measured each hive at 15 minutes.

We learned that Shelton is allergic to all of the grasses we tested, all of the trees we tested, as well as all tree nuts, sunflower seeds, dust mites, household dust, cockroaches (thank goodness we don't have those), molds (including penicillin, just like Daddy), and cats (major!). He is not allergic to almonds (they are actually more of a seed than a nut), and he is not allergic to peanuts (a legume). Just to be safe, we will tell people not to give him any nuts, and even products with traces of nuts. Pecans were one of the biggest allergens with a reaction, and that is what I think he ate on Thanksgiving 4 years ago when we spent most of that day in the ER with major allergy symptoms. Shelton's Dr. prescribed an epinephrine pen for emergencies, and we are going to try some new allergy medicine and nasal washes and sprays before we try allergy shots, etc. 

After the allergy test, they did another asthma test, but Shelton does not have allergy-induced asthma.

This is the nose-plug he wore during the tests, and he got to keep it.

He enjoyed the asthma testing, as it is on a computer in a game form. He thought it was great fun. 

During Shelton's appointment, Sally-Mom took Sasha to the American Girl store in Highlands Ranch, and spoiled her rotten. She got to pick out a doll, and after much deliberation, chose McKenna, the 2012 girl of the year doll. She loved her hair, and wants hers to be just as long someday. The fun thing is that McKenna's hair and eye color are very similar to Sasha's, and she also got to pick her out some glasses, so she is basically a mini version of Sasha. She thinks that she will call her, Mia.

Here is Sahsa and her doll, Mia, at P.F. Changs.

Spirit Week!

For Homecoming week at Centauri High School, they have special dress-up days to promote school spirit, and this year, they invited the Middle School and Elementary Schools to participate. It was a lot of fun at our house, getting ready for each day.

Nerd Day!

Emma rocked this day, and polished off a few apples to give to each teacher throughout the day. Yup, she was a perfect brown-noser! Shelton wouldn't dress-up on this day, because he "is NOT a nerd". Too funny!

We decided that Emma looked too cute to be a nerd, so we made some nerd glasses with an old pair of sunglasses. She was still really cute, but a little bit more nerdy looking.

Super Hero/ Super Villain Day!

Emma was a perfect Cat Woman.

Shelton got into this day as Iron Man!

(Sasha REALLY wanted to dress-up as a Princess on this day).

CRAZY day!!!

Mr. Crazy.

Originally, Crazy Day was supposed to be "Dress like a Teacher Day", but the district was worried about this being done in a negative, condescending way (ya think?) so they changed it. Shelton still wanted to dress-up like Mr. Cantu, the spouse of his teacher, Mrs. Cantu, and it took some convincing to get him to change his outfit plans. Eventually, he succumbed to peer pressure when I told him that his friend, Tyson, was dressing crazy. 

Sasha insisted on dressing crazy this day, and put together an outfit like Emma's.

She even wore her glasses on this day, which is crazy for her, as she doesn't like to wear them at all.

Hawaiian Day! Emma and Shelton are "Hangin' Loose!"

They have to to Hawaiian Day, Colorado-style, so they are wearing jackets to keep warm on this chilly morning. Brrrrrr! Shelton needed some allergy medicine after this picture, because Tiger rubbed up against him, and he is allergic. It was still a good day. 

Sasha needed a picture to show her wearing her glasses 2 days in a row!!!

What a cutie!

The last day of the week was Red, White, & Black Day, but I must have forgot to take pics. We went to the Homecoming Game on Saturday, and watched the Centauri Falcons win over Lake City. The kids got their faces painted, and got to run in at the beginning of the game with the football team! Shelton changed his mind at the last minute, but Sasha and her friend, Reese, ran in holding a handsome football player's hand. At half-time, the kids got to lead in the Homecoming Royalty Floats on a tractor-pulled hay truck. Again, Shelton passed on this opportunity, but Emma and Sasha looked so cute waving to the crowd from the truck. Of course, Sasha and Reese were the daring children riding on the tailgate, with their feet dangling off. Julie and I were a little nervous, but Emma and Asia were close by, keeping them safe.

What a fun week! We were glad to be involved in the festivities. Shane enjoyed going to the game, and wore his old Football practice jersey. When the Homecoming royalty was announced, it was reminiscent of his high school days, when he was crowned Homecoming King. I married the legend of Centauri: Football Hero and Heartthrob. Lucky me!

Back To School 2012

Getting back to school was a welcomed change at the the Sowards' home, this year, just as it always is. After a plethora of Summer activities and great fun, we are ready for the structured routine of the school year, and the kids are ready to see their friends on a daily basis. This year, Sasha returned to Little Treasures Pre-School for Pre-K. She is just a few months younger than many of her friends, and missed the cut-off for Kindergarten, which is June 1st, so she has had to make some new friends this year. That hasn't been a problem for this sweet, little girl. She is in Mrs. Price's class, and has made friends with several girls that have been in my ballet classes the past few years.

Here is Sasha with her cupcake purse, filled with real make-up.

This was a gift from Grandma Sally, for her birthday.

Shelton began first grade this year, at Little Treasures Elementary, in Manassa, CO. We are so blessed to have our kids attend this fine school, which has been a National Blue Ribbon School for many years. He is in Mrs. Cantu's class, and some of his good friends are: Rye, Holly, Corbyn, and Tyson. This year is unique for Shelton, as his big sister, Emma, is not at school with him. In fact, all 3 of my kids are at different schools this year, which makes things a little crazy at times. The next time this happens, Emma will be in High School, Shelton in Middle School, and Sasha in Elementary School. Yikes!

Here are Emma & Shelton on the first day of school!

They ride the bus each day, and leave our home at 7:15am.

Look at how grown-up Emma is! She is now in the 6th grade, and is attending Centauri Middle School, in La Jara. This school is adjacent to Centauri High School, which is where her Daddy went to school many years ago. We live in a pretty small, close-knit community, and everyone knows who Emma is because of her "famous" Dad, who she happens to look like. When they see her, some people will say that they know who she belongs to because they can see her Daddy in her. She is enjoying Middle School, and has adjusted to switching classes and using a locker. She says that in Middle School, it is so much easier to stay organized and focused on each subject. She has been placed in Advanced Math, but that is the only subject that offers an advanced option at her small school. Her electives are: Rocketry, Art, and Band. Her Art class is in the High School building, and this was a little tricky to figure out at first, as she was late for her next class a few times the first week of school. In Band, she is learning to play the clarinet, and loves it, so far. Middle School rocks!



Sasha is 5!

My sweet Sasha is 5! She has been very excited for her birthday to get here because her birthday is the last of our family birthdays each year, with Emma's in May, then Shelton & Mom in June, and then Dad in July. September seems to be very far away, and while she doesn't understand what I mean, I tell her that it is nowhere near as long waiting for it now as it was when I was pregnant with her. That was a long, hot Summer, for sure. I had some fun birthday invitations made for her party, and we did it a little early so as to avoid the craziness of the new school year and the already busy Labor Day weekend, with two of my nieces getting married. She invited 12 girls, and 8 were able to make it: Paige, Peyton, Reese, Kayla, Becca, Karissa, Chloe & Aspen.

Here is Sasha posing in front of her beautiful Barbie cake.

We began the party with a fabulous game of dress-up with our huge, dress-up trunk. Each girl had plenty of options with clothes and accessories, and came up with their own amazing outfit. After that, we put on the iTunes (Sasha's choice) and had a Dress-up Diva Fashion Show. The girls were so cute, and loved getting the spotlight for a few minutes. The only problem was that Sasha could have taken 10 turns if I had let her! After that, we played Freeze Dance, and I taught the girls our Zumba routine for Krazy, by Pitbull. They loved it! Our party nemesis was the church lawn sprinklers, and they went on while the girls were dancing on the grass, which made for an exciting scramble of little girls running back to the pavilion.

A picture of the Barbie cake, made my my Visiting Teacher, Camberly Anderson.

The marshmellows on the platter were meant to be a decoy from little fingers in the cake,

and this worked very well: they loved snacking on them as they ogled over our fancy Barbie.

After games, we had lunch (flower shaped sandwiches, chips, pretzels, and Capri Suns) and then enjoyed the lovely cake. It was a big hit with the girls, and tasted divine. We ended the party with Sasha opening her gifts, and then the giving out of treat bags to thank her friends for getting her such fun presents.

Sasha and her cousin, Paige, showing-off some of the dress-up outfits after the party.