Our Family Holiday Photos

December 2010. We decided at the last moment to go ahead and get our family's photo taken like we usually do each year. Since our baby is due in a month or so, I didn't know if I wanted family photos with me 9 months pregnant in them, or family photos in January with a newborn (who for those that have done family photos with newborns, they look like little tadpoles among giants in group shots). So my sweet friend Kim took our family photos with short notice. She did a great job, especially since she calls herself an amateur and won't take payment for photos. I am impressed. I am happy we did take the photos and kept our family photo with a Christmas letter tradition alive. Jeremy was in a silly mood during the photo shoot, which kept it light hearted in the freezing weather. We hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!

CDSA Creative Dance December Performances

December 2010. At Christine Donnell School of the Arts I teach Visual Arts and Dance to kindergarten (3 classes), First Grade (1 class), Fourth Grade (2 classes) and Fith grade (2 classes). I teach there each week as a certified teacher for a day and a half.

Since I am pregnant and due in January, I crammed a creative dance unit/performances for 4th and 5th grade classes to the first semester of the school year. My kindergarten and first grade classes we dance and do art each week.

Space is always a challenge at our school, so the performance ended up being close to Winter Break. I was very impressed by my 4th and 5th grade classes. They were creative, hard workers, great with ensemble work, willing to risk and try new things, good attitudes, and true performers. One of my 5th grade classes finished their second dance (a tap/hip-hop dance inspired by syncopated rhythms and Charlie Chaplin silent films) the day before we performed it. All classes didn't get to have a dress rehearsal till the just before we performed.

Our school year theme is "Rhythm." So the 5th grade performance was inspired by rhythm in dance (breath rhythms, even and odd rhythms, flowing rhythm/triplet rhythm, accenting beats in rhythm, and syncopated rhythm). There were 5 dance performed. The students always rise to the occasion. I was the narrator and drummer and musical technician for the performance, which was tricky, but the dance gods smiled down on us and it turned out great.

For 4th grade we performed a creative dance performance inspired by the history of Idaho, with a square dance (our state dance) and the Idaho state song at the end of the performance. I was very impressed by these students too. They all had great memories of the dances, great creativity, risk taking skills, respect towards peers and me, and were mature performers. I was pleased with the success of the performance.

Both dance performances were professionally video taped, which I feel so lucky to have and have for the students. I now need to find a professional photographer. I always just hand a teacher or parent my still camera just before the performance and beg them to take a few snap shots. I know, I need to plan ahead a little better. Goal for 2011.

After our dance performances we go back to the art room, which the students are excited for too. I will miss my classes while I am on maternity leave.

Jeremy's Birthday

November 2010. This year we threw Jeremy a stay at home family birthday party. We pumped up the heavy metal music for when he entered the house and then surprised him in the kitchen with our festive party for him. It wasn't the huge bash I was hoping to throw him (the odds were against all of my great party plans), but it was fun to have help from the kids and celebrate as a family.

Grandma Karen's Birthday Party

November 2010. Grandma Karen is always thinking of others. Even for her birthday she always plans a place that is fun for the kids. Here is a photo at her birthday celebration at the Bounce House. Happy Birthday Grandma Karen! We love you!!!!!!!!!!!

Noah's PTA Reflections Art for Fall 2010

Noah created three pieces of art for the PTA Reflections 2010 art contest. The theme this year was, "Together we can..." I was proud of his hard work and thoughtfulness in creating the art, titles, and artist statements that related to the theme. He knows parents can't help. And one time I really wanted to and was getting a little too pushy about my oppinion on his art technique, so Noah turned to me and said, "Remember Mom, you can't help me, maybe you should leave." He did it with a smile and I replied back, "You are right, it is hard to not help, I better leave and let you finish it alone." And he did.

The first one is an oil pastel drawing of a tree and then painted with water color paints. His title is, "Colorful Tree," and his artist statement is something like, "Together we can plant trees to keep our earth green." The next is a landscape painting of an Idaho mountain photo I have. He created it with Elmer's glue on 100% cotton muslin fabric to create a contour line drawing of the landforms and then he painted it with watered down acrylic paints. His artist statement is about, "Together we can spend time as a family outdoors." and he goes onto to talk about how we like to do things like hiking, biking, fishing, and camping in the mountains and McCall is one of our favorite places. The last one is a landscape of Moab, Utah, a red rock scenery with a clear waterfall and pool of water. His artist statement was something like, "Together we can keep our earth's water clean." This year, Noah learned a lot on how you don't always win. Last year he won twice, with art and photography. This year he entered three and didn't win any and he worked really hard and thought his were better than some of the others that won. This was a first as a parent for me too. Teaching your child how to loose gracefully even when it was a hard loss and they did an awesome job. I want him to enter it every year, even if it doesn't mean he wins. We will see.

We framed his tree painting and put it in his baby sister's room so we can always enjoy it as a family. It matches her decor perfectly and I told him I was glad we still had it because if he had won, it would be onto other PTA Art contests and we wouldn't have the original.

Swenson Halloween 2010

If you know us, then you know that the kids and Mom LOVE Halloween, and Dad is usually a good sport to go with the flow. This year we attended our church Halloween carnival and trunk or treat, and the kids did a little trick or treating with Grandpa Val and Dad on Sunday. It is tricky with Halloween on Sunday. Church and Halloween don't mix very well. But I love them both! I was a pregnant evil goth queen (it was the only costume I could find that fit me). Noah was an astronaut. Paige was a Ladybug. In one of the photos you can her try to take flight. Jeremy was Mr. Burns from the Simpson's.

We were going to go as a family of Alice in Wonderland (Noah the Mad Hatter, Paige Alice, Mom Queen of Hearts, and so on, but we couldn't find costumes in the correct characters and sizes. So I let my kids pick their own costumes at the costume shop. I was happy with their choices (because some costumes out there, as a parent I am not ready for).

Grandpa Val and Grandma Marcia came and stayed Sunday with us. It was nice to have them visit and share in the holiday fun.

For one of our October FHE we carved apples into witch heads and watched the apples aged and get brown and wrinkly. Then we made witch bodies, clothes, and put googly eyes on them. The kids loved them and their carving skills with butter knives are not bad. I was impressed. For another FHE we carved pumpkins and roasted pumpkin seeds. And for another October FHE we made treats and Booed! people in our neighborhood. Well the kids did all of the secret agent delivering of treats. They dressed up in costumes so no one would know who they were if they were seen. We went a night when it was dark. I laughed so many times to tears as I watch them BOO! someone. Sometimes they went to the wrong house, or got caught, or couldn't find the car when they were done, or did a great secret job, and it was adorable to watch. Jeremy wasn't as amused by it all as I was, but it was priceless. We try to make this a tradition. More because mom loves a good laugh and the kids like to have an adrenaline rush.

Noah Playin Y basketball

Saturdays in the fall became our day to watch Noah play some basketball. He had many neighborhood friends on his team. His skills are getting better and better. Especially considering we don't have a basketball standard for him to practice with or parents that plays b-ball. We love watching him work hard, make friends, improve in his b-ball skills, and have fun. I need to get a faster action taking camera so I can get better shots of him playing. I seemed to be two seconds behind the action.

Paige is Noah's cheerleader and likes to call out encouragement from the sidelines.