This little santa is all Christmas'd out!  We had a great Christmas and holiday season spent with family, and friends.  We are all so blessed to have you in our lives!  We wish you all a great new years!

Have a Very Merry Christmas

From our house to yours!

Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year

love,

the Switzers!

You Gave Life to Me

I was born 25 years ago! I think as the excitement comes so does a sense of stillness in my heart. Being adopted has been an amazing part of my life, my parents were choose by God for me and I thank Him for them everyday. 

But today is a day in my heart that I truly wonder about someone I've never known, but is part of  me forever.  Once you give birth there is a forever connection to that person, and even though that woman has not been an active part of my life I think and pray for her often. 

I think in my past sometimes I've wanted to meet her but never really known what to say.  About a year ago my mom showed me this song by Mark Schultz Everything to Me.  He talks about how he began writing the song and how a lady pointed out to him that the birth mom's of adopted children are very special, and after seeing it from this perspective I began to have a change of heart myself about my own adoption story.  This song captures such a specialness to birth mothers and gives them to true selfless thing they've probably done in their whole life.  After having a son of my own, i truly understand the sacrifice my birth mother did to give me a life she knew she couldn't. 

So this birthday I choose to remember and be grateful that she really did give "everything to me" when she gave me up. 

Aiden's First Hair Cut

Its a little late but since its all quite here at home i thought i'd take this opertunity to blog about Aiden's first hair cut, it was ironically enough on his 16 month birthday!  We took him to an italian man here in town that has his own little barber shop.  Aiden did pretty well and it came out great!  So here are a few pictures from the special day!

we call this the "before"

Sitting like a good boy!

  

the hair i saved for the baby book<3

All done!

Ok i give up on trying to arrange them haha but you get the idea!

Thanksgiving checklist...

Family....check

Food....check

Laughter.....check

Football....check

lots of love to share this special holiday with my family......check!

Here is a peek at our post turkey snuggles ;-)



Happy Thanksgiving all, give thanks for all we really do have.

the rite of passage at P4k

Miss Nancy sits at the front desk giving out stamps to kids each day, and today my little baby became a boy in her book as he got his frist stamp!  It's always the little things that go straight to a mommy's heart! 

The Long Awaited...

A little late, but better late than never.  I promised a few of you some Halloween pictures for your viewing pleasure so here they are...enjoy!

 

As a Christian I choose to let my children celebrate Halloween as long as it stays fun, what are your thoughts/ ideas on the topic? 

Fall

Fall is a season that I love yet hate. I  love the smell of applesauce cooking, watching the leaves turn colors, feeling the crisp air in the morning and tasting all the awesome flavors of fall.  I am however not so much fan of the upcoming winter that soon follows this time of year.  Already I have seen a few snow flakes!! crazy but it is that time of year.  I look forward to the holiday's with family though, and still like the time outside while its still not freezing!  Here's a few pics of our fall adventures...

Halloween pictures coming soon...

Spelling really is everything...

I never been a true Mcdonald's fan, always knew there was somthing a little funky with their meat...looks like someone let the secret slip ;-)

cuddletime

Since I've not been well, less than helpful around the house these days with my knee and all, ,my awesome husband does it all.  As a mom who did a lot with Aiden and the house, i find it hard to sit back and let Brandon do so much all by himself.  Aiden has become such a daddy's boy over the past few weeks as well, because well hes become his main caregiver.  At first it was hard to let go, but I guess as he becomes a toddler I'd rather have him a daddy's boy than a mommy's boy.  Now i just have to convince him to have a girl so it evens life out a bit ;-)

One way that I've found to be a help to Brandon is to keep Aiden with me on the couch while he, gets ready in the morning, makes dinners, laundry,etc.  In this I have found such a great investment in this rare time together.  My baby is growing up before my eyes, so I want to spend every second I can investing in his life.  I think I have always "spent time" with Aiden but i think when you can't do the other 50 other things you're thinking about in your head and you can concentrate only on your son, it really chances those times together.  We sit on the couch, and we cuddle watching some TV together, he 'talks' to me ( i call it telling me about his day), or we'll read books Bubbles Bubbles by Elmo is his favorite <3  I have found just a true value in this time we spend together.  I don't get to see him all day long like I had before getting injured so I truly am learning how to cherish my time with him.  It was interesting because also during these past few weeks I had a friend, Paul Peterson blog about the value of putting your children to bed, and again spending those moments with them and truly treasuring those.  I pray that I continue to hold on to this time and even when life becomes busy again that I take time out of each day and truly invest in the presious life that I created and want to help grow up to be the man of God he deserves to be.  So heres' to cuddle time with my boy!!

Facing the fears you never even saw as fears

Today I'm still a little unsteady on my "crutches" i should say.  I went to the Dr. and everything looks fine, he says I'm just very tense.  I learned a lot that a lot of my pain is from how tencse, scared and rigid i am, and i need to basically "loosen up".  So my mom came and stayed with me for part of the day, and she asked if i wanted to get lunch out, or eat in.  instantly i said eat in, i can't outside, i may fall, it may hurt so much i cry, so much unknown is out there, i can't possible go out, right!?!?  Well basically we talked a lot about facing our fears, the fear mostly right now of giving up control.  I have been in control mostly of my body due to everything that has taken place to cause me to not trust others with anything, and as she pointed out, today i have no choice but to trust those helping me, trust the doctor, and ultimately trust God. (smart woman she it ;)) 

So today i let go, relaxed and and faced the fear, even as small as leaving the house, but ya know what?? I DID IT!! mostly you prob. think I'm crazy, but that's fine because there was such a liberating feeling in knowing that i can do this, I'm going to be ok, and i can trust people, even after being hurt. 
God works through all, and it all works out!

The first, hopfully not the last

I'm attempting this once again, to blog, to keep track of life.  I've tried it in the past then forgotten about it.  I  like to read other people's blogs though so i thought well i should just really do my own, enough crazy stuff happens in my life i'm sure someone may find it funny.  So heres to a new start with a new blog.

Currently i sit in the one or two places i've been since thurs, my couch or my bed.  My surgery went well, so now its on the road to recovery.  Lots of pain meds, long naps, and tv watching, and now blog writting!. :) 

Happy Monday to all you hardworking folks out there!