The Swarrell Life

So this post is a little late...I have been a little unmotivated since Autumn came home. It's been nice to just spend a few minutes with her in the evening instead of updating the blog. So it goes. These pictures are from last week, Trinity received a package on the porch from my mom. It's a Valentine's outfit...but as usual her favorite part was the tissue paper. We can't let her have that without her eating it yet, so it's not quite as fun for her as it could be, but she does love opening presents. But then again, who doesn't? She just has an infectious smile. I look at pictures of her and it makes me think about being with her when she is playing or exploring. She makes these squealing noises when she crawls because she is so excited to do it. I think it makes me a little younger to be her dad. Autumn was helping Trinity draw. She did...a little. Mostly she wanted to eat crayons. At least they're non-toxic...right? She actually did do a little drawing. We...

Autumn came home yesterday and finally the house doesn't feel quite so empty. My friend Jon asked me how things went and I told him that both work and home felt empty. You see, most of management at work was on the same trip that Autumn was on. So both places carried an emptiness throughout the week. But they all arrived back in one piece and we're all happy they did! Here's someone who was pretty happy:

So Autumn called this afternoon from Atlanta...then she called again from Atlanta...woohoo! That means she's coming home tomorrow!

So today marks day seven for the Honduras team, as well as their last clinic. Yesterday they saw 450 patients, which is ridiculous and they must be exhausted, so who knows what happened today. They also drove back to San Pedro Sula, where they will fly home from tomorrow. Actually they won't get home until Saturday, which means a long journey home. I am so excited to see Autumn and the rest of the team and hear how things went. I am also excited to see Trinity and Autumn back together. It has been a great week for me with Trinity, I love all the daddy-daughter time. I'll miss that when Autumn returns, but not as much as I have missed Autumn! Okay, so I probably should have washed her face before the picture. It's a very "dad" thing to do. Either way we have one very cute, happy, well fed Trinity-bug.

Autumn called again this evening, through an internet deal that lets you make free calls. I guess it's like Skype or something. Either way, it was really nice to hear her voice and tell her that I love her. The team in Honduras saw 450 patients today. That's a lot. Trinity and I did a couple of laps today with her lion. We walked all the way around the kitchen, down the hall and past the bedrooms. I did a little steering, but no pushing or stopping necessary, Trinity was in control! She was sliding around in her pajamas, but wasn't deterred from her mission. It is so much fun to watch her do this. I know it means that she'll be even harder to keep up with, but who cares? Watching her grow and develop is such gift. I didn't get any pictures this evening because I had a thing to go to and Autumn's mom came over to watch her. But here's one from the great send off, right before the team left for Honduras. It's a good picture of my girls

Day five in Honduras and all is well. I hear the team is doing well and spending some time on the coast. Nice! Meanwhile, it is in the 40's and sloppy here in Baker City. The sun was shining though, so I can't complain a whole lot. Trinity is walking a little more today, so that's a fun exercise! I can see now how much trouble we are in. I know that I put more than one picture up...again. So it goes. This was my view for quite a while this evening as Trinity pushed her lion all over the place, zig-zagging across the living room. She even made a run for the kitchen. Her control is much better and she rarely lets the lion get out of control. Lion tamer, that's my girl! Here we are at the end of the evening, getting ready for story time. We read four books tonight, which is about par for the course. I think we read five last night. She sure loves her books!

Okay, so I said that I was going to only post one picture each day. I am posting two today, because Trinity took what I think are her first real walking steps. Before it has been a few steps and then falling into either someone or something. Today she was leaning on the chair when she let go, turned around and walked over to her toy lion. She did lose her balance a little at the end, but righted herself without falling over. The pictures below are the best I could do. And yes, she did all of this while holding a balloon. Autumn e-mailed today, which was great. The team is going to Puerto Cortez for three days, which looks like a nice place to be for three days. Autumn says that she is feeling the best that she has felt in weeks, which is a real answer to prayer. I really miss her and I can't wait for her to come home, but I am happy that she is feeling better. I know that will help her be able to enjoy her trip a lot more. I am looking forward to hearing all about the trip!