The last time I posted was nearly a year ago. That's a dirty, rotten shame, because it means I've missed a lot of Joshua's growing up. I've been active on Facebook, but that's much less helpful in chronicling the events in the Swan house. I'll look back on there and see what we've been up to.
Don't feel obligated to read. I just want a more permanent record than FB.

February

• Saw The King's Speech with friends.
• Experienced brain cell shortages. ("Just called Katrina about five times, wondering why my daughter wasn't responding. Probably because her name is KATY.")
• Katy got two broken teeth and three cavities repaired. No clue about the broken teeth until she told the hygenist to watch out for the sharp ones in back.
• I was held hostage and forced to join the evil crew of Mrs. Captain Tooth Pirate and Bad Spiderman.
• Joshua started clapping (on the 23rd).

March

• Joshua fell asleep in his jumpy seat while I was in the shower.
• Stephen made strawberry jam.
• Joshua started pulling up to standing.
• Spent Spring Break time with Sally & Marvin where Katy and I got our first pedicures.
• Visited the ER with Caleb.
• Joshua said Mamamamama (2nd word, on the 27th).

April

• Introduced Ken & Sarah to the wonders of IKEA.
• Katy told me that if God had made the world an ellipse, Uncle Scott & Aunt Jodi would live closer.
• Went to Katy's kindergarten roundup at Lakeview.
• Joshua taught me the importance of securing the lid on our homemade laundry detergent.
• Katy told me that when people say "Praise the Lord!" after an scare, they really were just nervous about something, and then it didn't happen.
• Caleb said, "How do I look? Cool as nice and lookin' good."
• Katy bolstered my self esteem by telling Caleb that "this [Leapster Explorer] could even make Mommy smart."
• Joshua joined the Toothful Club (on the 20th).
• Caleb decided to turn four years old, much to Mommy's chagrin.
• Totally got up at 3:50AM to watch the royal wedding. Laptop in bed and all.

May

• Kicked off the month by moving in with Ken & Sarah so we can build next door.
• Caleb said, "Momma, wilw you come he'p me? My [toy] horse keeps tip-overing. I sink his wheels are confected."
• Spent a few nights in the basement when the bedrooms reached 85 degrees.
• Practiced my tick-removal skills.
• Started working at the church as the Children's Director.
• Proctored a final for Ken's class.
• Katy's last day of preschool, much to Mommy's chagrin.
• Stephen's 36th birthday.

June

• Barista-ed at my niece's open house.
• Enjoyed an America's Got Talent season, to which Katy said, "I guess America has a LITTLE talent."
• Caleb melted my heart with, "I'll pray for you, Momma. Dear God, thank you for my momma because she is so pretty, and I love her big much."
• Caleb got a colonoscopy. Whoopee.
• Put batteries in Caleb's toy. "Thanks, Momma! I'm so PROUD of you!!"
• Laminated 60 feet of VBS posters.
• Celebrated Joshua's 1st birthday!

July

• Overheard from Katy to Caleb. "Pretend you were a boy wolf and I was a girl wolf, and I fell in love with you, but you had to go to the bathroom and then I kissed you after you washed your hands."
• Had flashbacks to a few years ago when I took my baby down from the top of a six-foot ladder.
• Went to the Wabash County fair.
• Celebrated our TENTH anniversary with a night in Fort Wayne at the same B&B where we honeymooned.

August

• Caleb won the huge prize from the Summer Reading Program at our library - a new bike!
• Katy started kindergarten.
• Had a blast at the State Fair.
• Katy lost her first tooth (on the 26th).

September

• Had an awesome Grandparents Day at church. Highlight was having grandparents pray for grandkids.
• Went to WMCR (a married couples' retreat) and got appointed to the planning committee.
• Took a Spanish-speaking mom and her son in our van on the preschool pumpkin patch trip. It was a great chance to practice for me.
• Went to the Come to the Fire conference. Totally recommend it! Came home to Caleb asking for an "Africa-cot."
• Celebrated Katy's 6th birthday.

October

• Celebrated my 32nd birthday.
• Caleb ignored my warning and tried to climb the short dresser. He tipped it, of course, but I think he learned his lesson.
• Had a church retreat where the kiddos were WishGirl (who looked a lot like Batgirl), the Green Lantern, and a cute, cuddly bear.

November

• Replaced my own taillight on the van. :)
• Kiddos got to play with some close-in-age cousins at Thanksgiving.
• Caleb was upset at a consequence I had given. He said, "Mom, because you said that, I don't believe in you." "Ok, Caleb. Thanks for telling me. Now go brush your teeth."

December

• Joshua moved to a big-boy bed.
• Caleb successfully climbed the basketball at the mall's soft play area.
• Katy lost her second tooth (on the 6th).
• Church kids gave an amazing program!
• Katy was crushing on Dr. Oz.
• Stephen and I got a guitar for Christmas (from ourselves).
• Celebrated Christmas and traveled to Virginia to visit Scott and Jodi.

January

• Life has returned to normal minus Ken & Sarah, who are in Florida.
• Joshua, who discovered how to operate doorknobs AND locks, had to be moved to the big kids' room in a pack-n-play.

Conversation I just had with Caleb upon opening a new package of Toy Story 3 underwear.

C: We have to smell it.

Me: No, you don't have to smell underwear before you wear it.

C: But there's food on it.

Me: (After looking at the other side of the package and seeing the logo) No, that's Fruit of the Loom. Those are the people who made it. It's not scratch 'n' sniff underwear.

C: But I'm going to smell it.

Me: OK.

Being depressed is terrible.

Being depressed and having no one to turn to would be much, much worse. Thanks to the friends and family who have been so helpful over the last several months, whether they're aware of their helpfulness or not.

The last while has been difficult to process. I'm much better at just going day to day and not thinking about my life. So I've been avoiding blogging, longish emails, and really anything beyond a quick status update on facebook. I am a little sad about that because I like to use the blog to record the haps in our family, and I've missed a lot of haps since August.

Here's a whirlwind catch up -----

AUGUST: Back to school for kiddos and Momma! I am teaching one morning each week at Lakeview. Elementary Spanish has always been something I enjoy teaching, so I'm glad to be able to keep up with it. The class periods are 20 minutes long, so that keeps me hopping. The older two are in preschool on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Joshua only goes when I'm teaching. It's uber-convenient to be able to drop all the kiddos and work at the same place.

SEPTEMBER: My not-so-little baby girl turned five. Holy moly. She'll be off to kindergarten next year. Yikes!!! We were also excited to be able to have Grandma up north to celebrate her 80th birthday. All sorts of her friends were able to come and visit for a little while in Muncie. Toward the end of the month the kiddos started swim lessons @ IWU. Glad for them to be more comfortable in the water.

OCTOBER: We started and ended the month with homecoming celebrations, first for IWU and then ONU. In between, we visited Shawn's tent at Mississinewa 1812, held a campout of our own for the Caravan students from church, took a preschool field trip to the pumpkin patch, and celebrated my 31st birthday.

NOVEMBER: Life picked up speed in November as it often does in the holiday season. In addition to teaching at Lakeview, I've been doing observations for IWU's education department. I really enjoy the chance to help teachers who are still shaping their educational outlook. Those beginning teachers aren't necessarily eager to be observed, so most of the sessions were crammed in toward the end of the semester. Lesson learned. I'll contact them this semester. :) One of the highlights of family life during this month was Stephen's extended family gathering in Columbus. It's something we look forward to every year.

DECEMBER: After we finished all the responsibilities of early December, we headed out to Virginia and spent a week with Stephen's entire family at Scott's house. Our kiddos loved it, especially since those are the cousins who are closest in age. We enjoyed walking around Colonial Williamsburg, attending church with Scott's family, etc., but the family time was the best part. After we got back, we celebrated two Christmases with extended family and then my extended-extended Cole family.

JANUARY: Life has settled back down to mostly normal. I'm glad. Of course, mostly normal involved Caleb falling from the bunk beds and splitting his head open on Katy's dresser. Sigh. Just getting a jump on that deductible, right, Buddy Boy? :) Joshua is sitting up now, and he will probably start taking off crawling soon. Here's a shot of my three adorable youngsters.

While, yes, it may seem like an alternate reality, it's really just me having time to post two days in a row.

Actually, it's Random Dozen Day, back again like a breath of fresh, creative air. Back again like those 10 pounds of baby weight around my middle. (Maybe not quite like that last one. I actually enjoy the R12.)

1. When was the last time you laughed until you cried?
Don't remember. Lately, dealing with postpartum depression has been more "cry till you laugh." But it is much better now than at first.

2. If you found $10 today, what would you do with it?
Buy lots of Pepsi.

3. Do you volunteer anywhere?
No, but I'm hoping to be able to help out @ my school this year. We'll see if that works out.

4. What is your favorite summertime veggie or fruit, and how do you eat it?
STRAWBERRIES. I love them just about any way I can get them -- fresh out of our garden, sliced, over ice cream, slightly sugared for juiciness is my favorite, I think.

5. Is your social sphere (circle of friends) small, medium or large?
Fairly small. What I lack in friends I make up for with family, of which I have an abundance in the immediate area. I'm not sure if this is good or bad, since I hear a lot about women and how crucial their girlfriend relationships to them. I really feel like I'm on the outside looking in on that matter.

6. When was the last time you attended a family or school reunion? How did that go?
Stephen's family had an unofficial reunion last week, and it was great. The things we did aren't always how I would have planned my free and/or vacation time, but it was with people I love.

7. When you're feeling blue, what is the best way someone can cheer you up?
Hmmm...

Pepsi. See #2.

8. Have you taken a vacation this summer?
Yup. Grand Haven, MI. See also #6.

9. What is the most unnecessary item you carry with you all the time?
My nail clippers. But when I DO need them, it's usually fabric-snagging kind of urgent.

10. What is the best summer flick you have seen so far?
Well, of the whoppin' two I have as choices, Toy Story 3 wins. It's got sentimental value as TS2 was the first date movie, and TS3 was the last official date night before Joshua was born.

11. Describe a perfect summer day.
It would be not hot. Probably in Ireland or something, because their idea of a heat wave is 80 degrees. Maybe Alaska.

12. Please a share a favorite photo from the summer so far!
Will post asap.