The Swift Family Blog

So back to the grindstone in September. This semester has proven to be a busy one, and Joshua has had to put in a lot of hours away from home, split between commuting to Tulsa for a clinic internship on Mondays and Tuesdays, completing internship applications, research, and attending classes here in Stillwater the other days. But we have treasured our time together as a family, and the kids and I have found ways to occupy our time when he’s gone—we take a lot of walks, go to the library for story time, spend time on callings, experiment with new cooking recipes, play games, and sing songs. Julia and Ethan are so special; Julia loves Ethan and tries to care for him as well as she can by holding his hand, giving him hugs, and sharing toys with him and comforting him (and alerting me) when he cries. She also has started to learn to clean up around the house and loves to help cook and do whatever we’re doing. She enjoys talking on the phone to grandparents, playing mommy to her baby and pretending to get ready for church by gathering together an ensemble which includes her purse, dress, keys, sunglasses, and other such accessories. She is really becoming a beautiful, kindhearted girl. Ethan has learned to roll over, although he rarely lets us see him in action. He is a really happy and easygoing baby, and will smile and laugh in reaction to any facial gesture you might make at him. He brings such a special spirit of joy into our home. And he sure is handsome! We love our children; they mean everything to us and we are so grateful for the privilege of being their parents.