What Would Jack Bauer Do????

For all you TV junkies out there, I pose the question to ask yourselves in any difficult situation - - - -What would Jack Bauer do???? Jack, the man of all men - who can save the day in a mere 24 hour period...... My own sweet Brandon, contemplated during church today the idea of if he made WWJBD bracelets.....would they sell??!!! I kindly reminded him that he may be the only man pushing 30 that idolizes Jack Bauer from 24! I told him that he was our hero and that was all that mattered! We've reached a point in our home where Brandon must call on his own hero to get him through his next assignment........yes, our sweet non-scout, is now the Cub Scout Master in our ward's chapter of the BSA (Boy Scouts of America)!! I am thrilled for him and he's excited to learn the things that Porter and Owen will be getting into in a few years. He's so good with kids of all ages that I know he will do well. If you like, send him an email of encouragement when you can!!!

We're doing great here in Mitchell Land. Owen weighed in this week at 21lbs 14oz - so he's still a contender in this season's football choices for MVP. He cut his first tooth on Monday and his second tooth today. Just this week he's turned into a big mama's boy as well. He constantly wants me to hold him and if I walk past him and don't acknowledge him he screams at me!

Tess is doing well and loves to play with her brothers. She's been totally engrossed in coloring this week, that I had to make another trip to the store for more coloring books!! Brandon took her to the video store this weekend to pick out a movie and she rented Beauty and the Beast - we're now on our third time watching it!! When is it due?????!!! Soon, I hope!

Porter had a busy week at school and had another soccer game yesterday. They won and he had a lot of fun. He actually came in contact with the ball this week! For those of you who haven't seen him play - he's always the short, slow one on the field - - so to see him start to get aggressive and go after the ball was fun. At least this year he's not chasing his shadow or picking grass during the games or practice!! Such an improvement since he was 3 when he started!

On Monday we had a fun visit from my cousin Sam who lives in Olympia, WA. He was here in Phoenix for some sort of Accounting training/conference thingy. I'm not sure what it was, but he came over for the afternoon. We hadn't seen him in 6 years, so it was really nice to catch up. So, here I'm officially dedicating myself to keeping in touch better. I'm not so good sometimes.

Brandon and I are great, just pluggin' away at life like usual. The kids keep us busy and that's exactly what we signed up for, so we're happy to do so. We love that they are starting to have things going on in their own little lives. It's been fun to see Porter start his own "networking," if you want to call it that! He has made lots of friends at school, and one classmate is on his soccer team, another in his class at church, and he sees some others at the play place at the gym that Brandon and I work out at. He even says his new best friend is a kid named Travis - we'll see who it is next week! As long as he's not telling me who his girlfriend is, he can change his best friend anytime he wants!

We send out hugs and kisses from our babies to everyone! Have a great week!

Nana!!!!

Well, the highlight of our week was seeing Barb in Sedona on Monday. We had never been there and really enjoyed the little town. It was really fun to see Nana again as well. We hadn't seen her since Owen was like 3 weeks old, so he had really changed a lot in the time that has passed since then. Porter and Tess loved seeing the motorcycles and simply hanging out with their Nana for awhile. Lots of tears were shed as we left, but at least she knows how much we love and miss her!

Porter had his first soccer game yesterday and he played really well. It's so fun to watch him play because he's the shortest and slowest kid on the team - and he simply doesn't care! He just plays his little heart out and loves every minute of it. It was quite hot, so we kept everyone hydrated and covered in sunscreen. We look forward to more games and are hoping it will start cooling off pretty quick! He continues to love school and is soaking up everything he is learning.

Tess is doing better with having Porter gone. As the weeks go by, she'll get more used to it. It helps that Owen is getting more playful and loves to laugh at everything she does - so she's getting attention from him. I've really tried to keep her busy and do fun things with her and that is helping. Her favorite thing to do is help me load the washer and dryer, cuz she feels like she's a big girl doing laundry.........if only she knew what she was starting.......she'd wait a few years!!!

Owen turned 6 months old last week and his little personality is just booming. He LOVES to watch Porter and Tess and laugh at everything they do and say. They in turn, love the attention from him, so that keeps him going! He's still struggling to move around, but he's getting there. He's still eating a ton and loving his solid foods! He has a round of shots this week and he'll be weighed as well, so stay tuned for the results!

Brandon and I are doing well. Just the usual for us. We just love to watch the kids and see how much they change daily. It's funny how much they can entertain us and how much they pay attention to what we are talking about and what we have going on in our lives. Both Brandon and I have been trying to be healthier and to lose some poundage - and yesterday I sat Porter and Tess down at the table for lunch and gave them both a peanut butter sandwhich and an individual baggie of chips - - - Well, I walked away to do something else and I overheard Porter asking Tess how many calories were in her bag of chips!!! I about died laughing. I guess it's good to teach them good habits now!!

We love you all and will catch ya next week!

xoxoxoxo, the mitchells

Watch Out Dave Beckham, Here comes Porter Mitchell!!!

Well, soccer season has begun in Surprise and Porter is stoked and ready to go!! He had his first soccer practice on Thursday and has been talking about it non-stop since then. His first game is the 8th and then he has one every Saturday until the end of October. We'll keep you posted on his season's stats. He continues to enjoy school and is sad that he doesn't have class tomorrow.

Tess is still struggling with having Porter gone during the day. I'm really trying to keep her busy and helping her understand that now this is special "mommy-Tess" time, so it's fun to have him gone. I wonder if she'll love him this much when they are teenagers!

Owen is doing well and turns 6 months old on Wednesday!!! We can't believe how fast he is growing. He's really trying to move around, but his little body is so chubby, he's having a rough time! He continues to be the happiest baby and super easy to tend to.

We are so excited for our little day-trip we have planned for tomorrow. Nana Barb, from Seattle, is on a ride trip with her Harley group and has a two day stop in Sedona, AZ - so we are driving up there to see her. We were going to surprise the kids, but I couldn't keep the secret for more than a day, so we're all excited to see her. We'll take pictures so everyone can see!

Brandon and I are doing well and just pluggin' away at keeping everyone fed and happy! We hope everyone is doing well!

Catch ya next week!