Ezra

Introducing Ezra David Swisher

This past weekend we traveled to Pennsylvania for Ezra's baptism and a weekend of fun with the rest of his family, Todd & Miriam, Jeremy & Carina. James did a great job during the 10 hour car ride there and back and only had a few complaints...our road trip buddies, Todd & Miriam, may have a different story on this.

Ezra has such personality in his expressions; his favorite hobby thus far is to rapidly kick his little legs while trying to reach the bears on his mobile. James just shook his head watching the poor guy try because he's been down that road before and knows little Ez will never reach them.

The proud mother..

Here, Ezra gets acquainted with his Godparents, Todd & Miriam.

James loved wrestling around with Abby. I told him that he's only going to endure the first ten-or-so years of his life with girls being stronger than him.

The guys built a fort for the kids in the backyard out of some hollowed shrubbery.

Here are James & Clay standing in front of the Swisher's new home. It was smaller than we thought it would be but hanging the laundry on that string attached to the rear view mirror really saved a lot of space.

"Hi, I'm Jeremy & Carina. We're always in love and we always like to cuddle."

Then we were off to a beautiful & nearby state park.  The event taking place here really captivated us city folk..........

Yikes! Welcome to the wild! The Swishers fried that thing up and tried to feed it to us for dinner.

Jude makes sure we're following the right path by rapidly pointing at the sign while we all walk by-- good thing because I could have taken a left into the lake or a right onto that busy street.

I think that Abby has changed the most of all the Swishers since they've moved. She's quite feminine and speaks enthusiastically, in full sentences, on her love for the color pink.

Look at this loner! James had never seen so many sticks in his entire life--he was in heaven.

James catches Jude in the middle of a pretty cute pout. I've noticed that James will attempt to comfort others when they are upset. His comforting usually includes handing that person a toy or a stick, but he can also pat on the back or hug or kiss.

Buck up, man! These are your glory days! Don't worry, he recovered quickly.

Then it was time for Ezra's baptism on Sunday morning. The baptism was moving and beautiful. Clay and I were so thankful to have been there to see Ezra baptized.

"Hey, Mom, being baptized is a lot of work!"

It was sad and strange to see the Swisher's belongings in another house far, far away but I suspect we'll be having many gatherings like this throughout our lives. Thank you for a wonderful trip, Swishers, and for holding us close these days--we love you.