The Swarrell Life

This spring has been particularly productive as I putt around the yard and try to whip things into shape. I have a little extra time these days, so I may as well put it to good use: This is our garden for this year, with tomatoes, several kinds of squash, peppers, eggplant, basil, carrots, radishes, fennel, tomatillo, chives and oregano. Digby likes to help. Or play. Or whatever gets her attention. She's a 115 lbs of lap-loving fun! A pick-up, a dog...sounds like a country song! But this one has a happy ending. I put my new wheel barrow to use (it's not so bright green anymore!) moving these big-@ss rocks. Poor wheel-barrow. By the way, can I say @ss on this blog? Yeah, Digby was helping here too. There was this song by Linkin Park where the lyrics go, "one step closer, and I'm about to break!" That's how I felt with these rocks. Here's the end of day 1. Next step is to peel sod and get those blueberries in the ground. Until then, I'm going to get some...

I start this post with the above photo because there is a simple reason why I can celebrate father's day as a father for the first time. I am a father now, which can be a little daunting to think about, and I have a beautiful daughter to prove it. My wife and my daughter are the main reasons that I can celebrate. So it is not just my day, but OUR day. I am a lucky man. Here are two good reasons to celebrate father's day: my daughter and my dad! Father's day was right after my cousin's wedding, so we all had a father's day breakfast at the Marriott in downtown Portland. It was a GREAT buffet, with omelets, salmon and cheese blintzes. Yum! We had an impromptu photo shoot while Trinity was in her Diaper. Like most babies, she loves being naked! After we came home, I was surprised by Autumn with a new wheelbarrow for father's day! It sounds goofy, but I have wanted one really bad for a while now. Thanks snookums! So, here we have more random cuteness: she looks like...

So my cousin go married last week in Portland. Sooooo, we packed up the car and the baby and headed off down the road. The cool thing was that it was a bit of a family reunion since most everyone was going to be there. In fact, I think everyone was. Here she is with her dad giving her away: Here comes the bride, and isn't she lovely! Here was the ceremony, which was held at the World Trade Center in downtown Portland. I do believe that this was Trinity's first wedding. Hence the excitement. Here's the father of the bride. Not Steve Martin, my uncle Brian. Uncle Bill and Aunt Jackie lovin' on Trin at the reception. It was a pretty cool place for a reception, it was a room with all these poles coming down through the whole place. Lots of windows, very hip. Trinity loves her Oma! The bride and groom. "nuff said. Me and my cousin Rich. He is better known as the grabber. Ask me how he got that name. I dare you. My sis and the bride lookin' good! Trinity has her Oma ...

Our good friend Angela moved last weekend to pursue a new career and be closer to those she loves. We'll miss Angela very much, she is always so upbeat and fun to be around. I know Autumn will miss her as a running partner too. So Angela, tell us how you REALLY feel! Kim and Quin. Cute kid, but he better stay away from my daughter! Kathie cuddling with Trinity, so cute! Here is the office crew giving us the most serious faces they can... The pictures that follow are a series... It's hard to find good help these days! Seriously though, Angela was great to work with and was a great friend to many. WE'LL MISS YOU ANGELA!!!

My friend Chris bought me this headband for running. It is very handy for keeping the sweat out of my eyes. But, as usual, Trinity makes it look better: Athletic headbands with dresses, faux pas or fashion statement? Autumn brought home some bubbles from the store the other day, which has turned out to be great fun for all of us! Trinity likes the bubbles! Ahhh, it's coming to get me! Ahhh, it got me!

It is also known as Stage IV brain cancer. My friend Tim just had a tumor removed. Glioblastoma multiformae (GBM) was the diagnosis. There are some experimental treatments. Tim's wife Jana wrote this on Tim's Facebook page: This type of tumor is VERY aggressive and is an infiltrating tumor, meaning that it is interwoven throughout the healthy tissue in the brain. Without treatment, the doctors feel that Tim has a few months to live. With the standard care for this type of tumor, 25% of patients are alive 6 months after diagnosis. There are two new clinical trials - experimental drugs - that Tim is eligible to participate in. Each one has its drawbacks - financial considerations, time commitments, side effects and general quality of life issues. I don't relate to this very well. I only met Tim a short while ago, but he made a huge impression on me and will always hold a special place in my heart. He is a really special person, the kind you don't meet more than a few tim...

As you may or may not know, we have the cutest baby on the block. The other day she learned how to make noise with plastic cups. She thought it was pretty funny. She has the cutest giggle Also, Trinity has a new jumperoo. This is a great discovery for Trinity, she LOVES jumping in it! Even the hiccups don't slow her down!

We took Trinity in yesterday for her 6 month appointment with the doctor. Everything checked out okay and she had her third set of shots too. Poor girl had just fell asleep when we arrived at the doctor's office. Then she was poked, prodded and poked. But she's a great little trooper and, as usual, charmed everyone in sight. Her official stats: Weight: 16lbs 4oz (50th percentile, up from 40th percentile so I guess she's eating okay) Length: 24.5 inches (25th percentile, up from 10th) Head Diameter: Unknown, although she fell from 75th to 60th percentile according to the doctor. I forgot to ask the number. How does this all happen? I will let you in on a great secret: Autumn and Trinity are a great breastfeeding team. Autumn is very dedicated to it and I appreciate it very much. I think that breast milk is the best thing you can give your child. Sometimes you can't, which I understand. But there is a bonding issue that is awesome to watch. So we are also saving excess br...

Last weekend there was a 5k Dog Fun Run/Walk that you can bring your dog along, but don't have to. There were separate categories for having a dog/not having a dog. My friend Chris and I have been running at lunch and Chris is doing as many 5k runs as he can. So we did this event, although neither of us felt like dragging our pups along. Neither would have lasted much over a mile. Here we are in good form: This was right near the finish line, only a little ways to go! Woohoo, we're done! Autumn and Trinity ran it with the jogger for the first time...a little different, but Autumn placed first for people without dogs! Go Girls! Here is our proud little girl after her first 5k run out of the womb!

DISCLAIMER: THIS IS A LONG POST! It was San Diego. That's where we went for a week or so. Autumn had a conference and so Trinity and I went along for the ride. It was a great time, with many, many firsts for Trinity. The pictures below are just a snapshot of a great family trip! A friend of mine got us GREAT seats at a Padres game at Petco Park. They were playing the Cubs. I don't know who won because we left during the seventh inning stretch. It was already way late for Trinity to be up and the lights and crowd were not helping her wind down. Still, it was a great night; baseball games have a certain romance to them that most other sporting events don't. I wonder if it's because of the pace of the game. There is space in between where conversations can happen. So there is magic on and off the field. Beautiful. Just like my daughter. An added bonus is that I was able to tell Trinity about the basic rules of baseball. You can never start too early. One of the places we ...