Mitchell Maddness

Alive and Well......

2011-07-22T00:26:00.008-07:00

Well, it's no shocker that I haven't written in awhile...I do believe the last post was written just after Christmas of 2010. My only excuse - - we had a rough year, and I didn't have it in me to write. Alas, all is well on the homefront, and I've found my desire to blog again.

We are happy to report that we are still in Kent - A.K.A. "Paradise." Having grown up in Kent from the 7th grade on, I swore that after high school I was getting the heck out of dodge and leaving the rain behind me. I did just that. A few short weeks after graduation I was off to college in another state, starting college in the summer! Over the last 17 years I have been all over, trying out every climate! Little did I know that as I would age, the rain wouldn't matter, being close to family would. Although we loved Arizona the most, we ached to be closer to our families. Last summer we made the decision to head back up here and give Seattle one last try! The kids were so excited to be close to their cousins, (Chris' kids.) We've been back just over a year now and can report with confidence that we will stay in Kent forever! It simply is home. If only we knew what was best for us a decade ago.

As I said before, the kids are loving it here. We moved into Chris' neighborhood a couple of weeks ago, and we can walk to see the cousins. What else could a kid need?! They are enjoying their summer off. The best part about it is Aunty Amy is our childcare provider, so when Brandon and I are at work - the kids spend the day over there! We truly are lucky. For those of you who know Amy - - there is simply no one like her - - she is the most perfect person in the Welch family, and we would all be lost without her. Her education is in elementary education and she is teaching our children far more than we could! Our little Owen has a little crush on her too. No one can mess with his "Aunty Tamy"!!!

Porter continues to love reading and thinking! He is the brains of the family. We're hoping he'll far surpass his parents in intelligence! He turned 9 this summer and his favorite thing to do is work on patches for Cub Scouts. Last week was Cub Scout day camp and he had a blast. He is still the sweet obedient child that he has always been.

Tess is 6 now and just finished Kindergarten. She loves her life and has a huge personality. She has made the life decision this past week to become a rockstar. Watch out world, Tess Mitchell is the next big rocker! She informed me last night that she plans on becoming a rockstar, selling cookies for girl scouts, and then rounding out her stardom with a turn on 'Dance With The Stars!!!" Looks like we need to start the voice lessons, register for girl scouts, and then find a way to get her on Dance with The Stars - albeit in a MODEST outfit!!!

Owen is well....OWEN! It's crazy to think he is 4 already! Time sure does fly when you are having fun. He is the funniest little kid EVER! He keeps us on our toes and thrives on attention. He loves to be around the big kids, and will tell you that Porter is his best friend, but his mommy is his "sweetheart." I sure hope he continues to think I'm a sweetheart when he's 16! He is doing well with his pre-reading skills and is learning to spell like a champ with a spelling game we have. The object of his attention lately seems to be Amy and all the things he plans on buying her for her birthday! I sense an Aunty/Teacher crush!

Brandon started a new job on June 3rd with Boeing. It was a long process to apply that started back in October, but it finally panned out. We are so grateful to everyone that helped us in our pursuit of employment for Brandon after his lay-off last year. It was a long 14 months, but the spiritual blessings and experiences we went through during those months are priceless. What a faith perfecting experience that was to go through. He is working on the P-8 Poseidon model, and is really enjoying his job there.

I am still with Dr. Tanner and plan to stay there for the long haul. He is so good to me, and I truly love the women I work with. It's a great environment to work in.

Well, I hope this finds everyone doing well and happy. I have every intention to update this more frequently and I expect you all to keep on me to fulfill that promise!

xoxoxoxo, Julie and the fam!

Happy Holidays from the Mitchells: we are still alive!!

2010-12-30T14:38:00.013-07:00

I know it has been MONTHS since I wrote on here.....alas....I have no earth-shattering excuse. I've just been busy. These last six months have flown by, yet they've been long at the same time! Go figure. Such is life with a young family. As most know, Brandon was laid off from his job in commercial construction in the spring after a long battle regarding the dishonestly in the company he worked for, and we moved back up to Seattle in pursuit of more work. Phoenix is flooded with these construction guys that are out of work. Although it was hard to leave Arizona, where we saw my grandparents quite frequently, we have really enjoyed being back "home." We have a plethora of family and friends here that have made this rather difficult year for us a great time. We whole-heartedly agree that far worse things could happen to our little family. Brandon has been pushing his resume for months now, in a whole slew of different fields, and we're hoping something comes up soon. He's been doing the Mr. Mom thing in the meantime. I was extremely fortunate to find a wonderful job here. We are both so grateful that I've got a great skill that I could tap into in a time of need. I'm back with Dr. Tanner in Issaquah and loving it there. Funny how things work out, I started with him back in 1996, and I plan to finish with him - or whoever takes over after him - a long time from now!

The kids are thriving at school and thank us daily for moving back to Seattle! We are only about a mile away from my oldest brother Chris and his family, who have 3 kids somewhat close to our kids' ages. They are fortunate enough to attend the same elementary school as their cousins. Who wouldn't love that? Porter is 8 and in 3rd grade and excelling as usual. He is our studier and thinker. We are both certain that this trait, most definitely, did not come from either of us! He is a super sweet child, who loves his Legos more than life, and loves to read. He is loving Cub Scouts and is only a couple projects shy of advancing to the next level. He is quiet and obedient. It's amazing how much he reminds me in every way of my brother Kevin. It's so neat to see family traits passed down. I'm proud to say that he is the bestest big brother any kid could ask for.

Tess is our 5-year-old little diva. She is so much fun, so girly, and so bossy at the same time! That, we are certain, comes from me! It's like watching a mini-me on a daily basis! What goes around, comes around...isn't that the saying?? She is in kindergarten this year and is really enjoying learning to read. She loves to socialize and won't let anyone do her hair but her. She loves to draw and color. We're seeing a little artist in our future! She loves that her father lets her choose her own outfits to wear to school. He will allow combinations that I would never let her walk out the door in! He wants her to be happy, I want her to match. This is why little girls love their dads!

Owen is 3 and is attending pre-school at my brother's house. His wife, Amy, is amazing and has her own pre-school. He knows all his letters, colors, and loves to sing the alphabet song. She is so good with him. We are fortunate to have him attend her school. He loves packing his backpack around and doing his "homework" when the other kids sit down to do theirs. He is the life of the party here at our house. He is so full of life and fun. He is definitely just like his father. He says the funniest things and has the amazing ability to make you feel like you are his favorite person. Just don't ask to borrow his Batcave or any of his Superheros. Those are off limits!

As this year ends and a new one begins we feel grateful for our family and all our loved ones. You all make life fun and enjoyable. If we've learned anything in the last year, it's that the people in our lives are the most important. Our relationships with others are what counts most. Money can be re-made. Our integrity is what matters. Standing up for honestly is what counts. We are grateful to have the Gospel in our lives and the example the Savior set forth for us to follow. We can only pray that we are doing our best in that endeavor. We hope this finds everyone doing well and happy! We look forward to another year with all of you in our lives! We plan on partying like it's 1999 tomorrow, and wish the best to you all as well!

xoxoxo,
The Mitchell Family

2010-09-02T22:46:00.005-07:00

"If I could deliver you a boquet of freshly sharpened pencils, I would..." If you can guess which movie that quote came from....you win a special prize from me! Anyhow, without further ado....SCHOOL STARTED THIS WEEK! I can't quite decide what is my favorite part about school starting. The smell of new school supplies, the excitement of labeling all the kids' stuff, or the sheer joy in their eyes as they walk into their classroom for the first time!

The start of this school year marks many special things for us. It is Porter and Tess' first year at their new school, Tess enters kindergarten, Owen started pre-school, and the best part......The kids are at the SAME SCHOOL as their cousins, and Owen's pre-school teacher is his Aunty!

They are loving school, and Tess has informed me that the school bus is, "The best thing EVER!" I wonder if she will feel this way when she hits high school......I remember the bus being the WORST thing ever!!

Other than school starting, not much else has been going on. We've really enjoyed our time here in Seattle so far. I'm loving my job and we're all having a blast being near so much family again. We look forward to fall and the change of seasons that we missed during our time in Arizona. We hope this finds everyone doing well! We love you all!

xoxoxo

A Fresh Start

2010-07-20T20:35:00.005-07:00

I know this year I don't win the award for updating the blog frequently.....it's been a rough year!

I am happy to report that things are going much better for us. We moved back to Kent, WA in June to look for work. We knew we'd have better luck here than in Arizona! After a few weeks of interviews, I ended up back with Dr. Robert Tanner, DDS in Issaquah, WA, this time as his office manager. (This is my FOURTH time working for him! I started out at age 19 scrubbing instruments, moved to dental assistant...and now on to admin!) I'm on my second week and really enjoying being back at work. It's been a fun role reversal for Brandon to be home with the kids. The kids are loving having daddy home. He is still pursuing work, but at least I'm out there and have a GREAT job. I can't begin to say how grateful I am that I have a good skill where I can go out and find a good paying job for our family in a time of need. It just reiterates the importance of women having the ability to work and provide when called upon. It has been a huge blessing to our family.

We are LOVING being near family again. We truly have realized how important it is to have them so close. I have told Brandon that we better learn to love the weather here because I don't want to leave ever again!!

We had the honor and blessing of Porter being baptized in June. What a super cool experience for the whole entire family! We feel fortunate that so many family members were able to participate in his special day. Thanks so much to everyone who was there!

I promise to keep this updated more frequently. There is just too much going on in our little one's lives that I don't want to miss documenting....must make note to self to not slack off again!

We hope this finds everyone doing well and happy. I will post a bunch of pictures on the side of the things we've been up to!

This too shall pass.....

2010-05-13T11:58:00.003-07:00

As most know, I used to be quite good at keeping this blog chock full of info and pictures about the Mitchell household. Not so much now.....We've had a few rough months here, but alas, we are all alive and doing just fine. I, in no way, intend to whine or complain....simply to start over. We've had the opportunity to reflect on what is real and important in our lives, and the bottom line is:

#1: We have each other, our children, and our extended family and friends who love us dearly.

#2: We will get through this awful mess.

#3: In 6 months we will have a whole new set of problems, so why whine??!!!

#4: We can rest our heads at night knowing we did the right thing. We have our integrity intact, and heaven help us, our children will remember that their daddy stood up for what was right, no matter the consequence.

For those who don't know....Brandon started noticing some financial improprieties at the company he was working for about 18 months ago. He brought it to their attention on 4 separate occasions. The last time it was brought to their attention, chaos hit the fan.....and needeless to say.....they did all they could to shut him up and prevent him from calling the clients that it had affected. Long story short, he lost his job over the situation, but we did what we had to do to rectify Brandon's role in the whole darn mess!

So, we are embarking on a new chapter in our lives and looking for work. We will let you all know what the outcome is when we know! Most likely, we will be heading back up to Seattle where we have the support of family and more work opportunity.

JULIE'S BirthDay

2010-03-08T18:49:00.010-07:00

As most of you know, today is Julie's birthday. She is 34 years old and looks more beautiful now than the first time I saw her. Each year she asks for two things for her birthday. In fact, she asks for the same two things for her birthday, Mother's Day and Valentine's Day. One, for me to shave. Two, for me to write her a note. To my shame, I have not always delivered. So I am going to step out of my comfort zone and let everyone know what this woman means to me. Here I go... (I better score points for this)

It was the first Sunday in January of 2001, this was the first time I had ever seen Julie Welch. I couldn't have pictured anyone more beautiful. In the singles ward we belonged to, my brother was the ward mission leader and Julie was a ward missionary. Because we had Elders instead of Sisters for missionaries, Julie was blessed with the task of rounding up guys to go on splits with the missionaries, something no one wanted to do. As ward mission leader, my brother stood up and announced that who ever went on the most splits with the missionaries for the rest of the month would win a date with Julie Welch. I signed up for every split for the whole month.

I couldn't wait to cash in my date with Julie so I called her to let her know I would be taking her out for my prize date the next day. This was the first time we had ever spoken to one another. I took her to Dairy Queen the very next night and nine days later I asked her to marry me.

We would leave for college, have three kids, move A LOT and eventually settle down in a small community outside of Phoenix, Arizona. We are coming up on nine years of marriage this May.

Julie and I have very little in common. She likes romance and drama movies, I like kung fu and action movies. She likes pop music, I like country. She likes to read and I think books are for nerds. But for some reason or another we can always talk and always hold hands when we are walking together.

Julie always wants more romance in our lives. She likes to ask the question, what makes her different from the girl next door, or, why do you love me? (death questions to a man)
My response is most always the same...silence. (the death response for a man)

Julie, I don't know why I love you. I know all the reasons I fell in love with you, from your smile to the way you correct all my grammar mistakes. But what happens when you care for someone and LOVE doesn't mean what you truly feel. Why hasn't anyone invented the feelings that come AFTER love. This is how I feel about you. I see you as a mother with our children. I see you as a helpless romantic and as someone who has dreams and desires for her life. I loved you when I married you and my feelings are far past how I felt that day.

You are a wonderful person and have such a way with others, I could never have. You are truly the best thing in my life and I threw on some of my favorite pictures of you and of us. I also tried to add a song for you as well. Happy birthday and I hope this buys me another 9 years... I love you. (I was unable to post the song on the blog so I will do it on Julie's face book page)

Marathon Rookie: A Beginner's Story

2010-01-18T16:04:00.008-07:00

So, the idea of posting my thoughts about this experience has been on my mind quite a bit in the last few months. At many a pivotal point in my life I've sat down to write my "bucket list" as they are called these days. I recall writing one in high school, college, after my mission, and even one after I got married. Who knows where all of those are placed today. They're probably stuffed in a random box in the garage, or long since gone to a landfill or recycling site of some sort. I've made my fair share of unfulfilled goals, many of which I simply cannot remember. One had stuck in my mind for years......the MARATHON..... Who in their right mind says they are going to tackle such a physical feat?? CRAZY PEOPLE!! That's who. Hindsight is ALWAYS 20/20, and I realize this is something I could have tackled YEARS AGO, especially when I was single, in college, and HAD TIME TO SPARE!! Alas, my social duties called, and that was my priority. Silly girl.....
Last May I was sitting on the COUCH watching my favorite show, "The Biggest Loser," and saw the final contestants complete a marathon. As I sat there, eating a snack no less, I said to myself, "Self, I can do this!" So, the next day I joined the Arizona Road Racers and signed up for my first 5k in over 10 years. It was time to get my bootie running again. I consulted with my marathon hero, my cousin Sam, and received some wise council on how to start. I laced up my shoes and hit the road. Those first few miles were brutal. What had I done to myself? How did I get so out of shape??!! What on earth am I doing out here?! Those contestants on The Biggest Loser work out for HOURS on end each day....they lift weights.....I'm just a nobody who got off the couch and said I was capable..... I had much work to do. Unfortunately, I had no Mr. Miyagi to train me. I just had a desire. To make matters worse, I had posted said goal ALL OVER FACEBOOK so now I was committed! There was no turning back!
I consider myself fortunate to have met a great gal at our daughter's dance studio. Her name was Becky, and she too had just made the same goal. She was in FAR BETTER shape than I was - and still is for that matter - She took me under her wings and encouraged me to show up at the gym day after day......we ran all summer and built up our mileage. As the months passed by, I had the guts to run in several races, including a half marathon in 100 degree weather....a feat I will never do again..... Alas, the running got easier and the time slipped by. Brandon was a huge support as dinner was constantly prepared late, I was gone many a Saturday morning in the wee small hours to run for HOURS ON END, and lots of whining over sore muscles and black toenails! He caught the bug himself and hit the lakes and pools around here to start working towards a triathlon. He even competed in a 2000 meter open water swim. His birthday present was a schnazzy road bike, that he plans to put many a mile on this year.

January came, and the BIG DAY came..... I was so nervous I wasn't thinking straight. What a cool experience is was to be there with THOUSANDS of people! Even John McCain himself was standing atop a platform waving at us crazy people starting a race through the boring city streets of Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Tempe. The race began, and I took off. At first I was filled with emotion as I looked around and saw the amazing amount of NORMAL people out there running right beside me. You don't have to be an elite athlete to do this. It just takes staying power. The miles began to tick by, and I was doing great. I hit mile 20 and HIT THE WALL. We've all heard of it....that place where you feel like your body needs to stop, and it's up to your MIND to keep going. All those weight training sessions that I skipped came back to haunt me. In all my months of running, I got cocky and thought that if I just focused on the long distance running part, who gave a hoot about strength training. So, let's make that Lesson #1 learned: LIFT WEIGHTS!!! I had followed a training guide for beginners, mainly focused on completion of the race, which I was totally fine with. What I hadn't anticipated was the desire that crept inside of me on race morning to just run the hardest I could, for the longest amount of time! DUH!! I think they call that lack of pacing..... So, Lesson #2: If you want to run LONG and HARD, then one must TRAIN long and hard!! This next go around, you bet you'll see me lifting those weights and doing my core workouts like I was SUPPOSED to do the first time. Isn't that what we tell our children? "Can't you just do it right the first time?!" If only we all listened......
Alas, sore muscles and all, I made it to the finish in 5 hours and 32 minutes. Not exactly Olympic timing, but MY timing. That is what mattered, that I had MADE it there! I was balling as I crossed that finish line. All I could think about was the fact that I had done it. I had set a goal and I had achieved it. Sure, I made a truckload of mistakes along the way, but when one stumbles, one picks themselves up and tries again. So, here I go again.....this time I have my sights set on the Tucson marathon in December, and who knows what else. All I know is that I'm not stopping. The running bug has caught me and is here to stay.

2010 Fiesta Bowl!

2010-01-18T15:54:00.002-07:00

One of the perks of Brandon's job is an occasional set of tickets to one of the many fantastic sporting events that comes to the grand city of Phoenix. This year we were MORE than blessed to receive tickets to the Fiesta Bowl. As you all most know, Brandon is an AVID Boise State fan. Needless to say - he was TOTALLY EXCITED for the game! Here's some of our good times watching our favorite team WIN!!!

Boise State played Texas Christian University......whose mascot is some sort of frog.....LAME!

The men in action!

Awwwweee, don't we look good in orange and blue?!

Check out the sea of orange behind us. Boise State fans are in a class of their own; loyal as ever!

Thanks again to Dan for our tickets!!!

Happy New Year 2010!!!

2010-01-02T15:23:00.004-07:00

We're happy to report that we rang in the new year happy and healthy......with an end of the year trip just days after Christmas to the ER.....yep, that's right.....I said it........THE EMERGENCY ROOM....... I'll start with a little back-up......Like MOST MOTHERS in America, I've put off buying Legos for a multiplicity of reasons, all of them rooting in safety. I'm paranoid that someone will swallow one, step on one, or worse.......stick one in one of the many orifices of the body......but, our oldest, Porter, is 7 1/2 now, and we felt we owed him huge. So, along with Santa, he was granted a long-standing wish of achieving such gloriously, over-priced items. He hit the jackpot this Christmas. His ever-amazing father, spent the majority of Christmas day putting said Legos together for the child in awe. As most curious sisters are, Tess lingered for days, eyeing such wonderful items that she was to stay clear from. A few days after Christmas, Brandon was out cycling, Owen was watching a movie, Porter was at the dining room table with his Legos, and Tess was playing quietly in her room with her new dollhouse and princess dolls. I had a thought....."Wow, all the kids are playing so nice....I think I might go take a nice bubble bath." Brandon walked into the bathroom a few minutes later to inform me that he had returned from his ride, and was leaving for a jog. He told me the kids were still all doing well, and leaving each other alone. Not 2 minutes after I heard the front door shut, Tess came running into the bathroom screaming, "I'm so SORRY.....It's STUCK, MA......HELP ME!!!!" To which I replied, "What is stuck??!!" "A LEGO," she exclaimed! I jumped out of the bath, grabbed a towel and the tweezers, and laid her on her back. I could not get to the darn, baby-blue sucker. Needless to say, she wasn't exactly the most cooperative of patients.......So, panic sets in and I immediately see visions in my head of her face swelling and dire infection setting in. I dressed in a fury, got everyone in the car, and raced to the Urgent Care. After much prodding, and a whole lot of screaming......we were on our way to the hospital.....the darn thing would not budge. Several hours later, the ER doctors and nurses were unsuccessful as well. They tried their hardest, but patient compliance was most likely their hardest obstacle. We left with the Lego still firmly holding on to the inside of her left nostril. Long story short, we got lucky the next day, and were able to retrieve our little friend......and lo and behold......IT'S NOT EVEN A LEGO!! Who knows what the darn thing is. Porter said it was from a Kinex set, who knows! So, you may ask, "What is the moral of this story?......." Moms NEVER get to take a break without some sort of dire consequence!

If anyone can identify this object, please call the Mitchell household.....

On New Year's Eve we took the kids to a fun restaurant here in town where we ate outside and made some s'mores!

Tess' marshmallow caught on fire!

This is going in the BLACKMAIL archives.....Owen loves Tess' new princess barbie dolls! He's been known to take them to bed at night!

PROOF!! Tess and Porter made it to MIDNIGHT!

Our New Year's Eve festivities were filled with games!!

Tess got a Build-a-Bear gift card from Papa and Grandma for Christmas. Here she is giving her new Hello Kitty a bath at the store! What a fun experience.

On New Year's Day we took the family to the movies with some good friends of ours. The boys saw Alvin and the Chipmunks and the girls saw The Princess and the Frog!

We hope everyone is having fun starting on their new goals for the year! We love you all!!

xoxoxo

Happy Holidays from the Mitchell Family!

2009-12-22T12:37:00.013-07:00

Once again, we are going GREEN with our holiday letter!! I love being able to fill everyone in on our year through a TON of pictures!! I am going to put these on in NO PARTICULAR ORDER....to place them all in order, would require way too much thinking on my part, and blogger doesn't allow all the pictures at once! We hope this holiday season finds everyone doing well and happy. I love this time of year and the focus on giving to others, and remembering what's important in our lives. We are so grateful for all that we have, especially our healthy, happy children, and a loving environment to raise them in. So, here goes........2009 for the Mitchells.......

This was taken on a sunny, summer day in front of the Mesa Temple. All three are getting so big!

In February we took a long road-trip to Seattle. My youngest brother, Adam, returned from his mission in Portugal, so we went to welcome him home! Of course, Dad took us adults out for some FINE seafood to celebrate! This is at Salty's.

Just outside of Salty's. Every winter Brandon grows a beard.......

While in Seattle, we were able to see my grandma. It was sure nice to visit her!

Tess decided to give dance a try this year. This was just before her spring performance. She was so excited!

Our FAVORITE thing to do here is head south to Tucson to my grandparent's place and hit the pool! We call them Fafa and Punkin.....sweet nicknames given to them.... I had to get a picture of Fafa in the pool....rarely does he go in!

As most of you know, Brandon and I have hit the ground running this year with getting outdoors and getting in shape! Here is Brandon at a 2,000 meter swim that he did this fall. His goal for 2010 is to beat his time from this year! He's also working towards a triathlon.

This is Tess and her two besties from Dance. This fall they performed at a Daimondbacks game and had a ball! For the coming year, she wants to try sports. So, we're headed to the land of soccer and T-ball in 2010 for her! We'll see which one she likes most.

We had a way fun visit in October from Amy, Chris' wife. Amy and I have gotten quite close over the years, and it was fun to have her here to bond with. I coerced her into a race with me. We had a blast!

Here she is with the kids....don't mind Porter's sour face.....you can't make everyone happy!

Owen found the baby powder and went to town one day!

Owen turned 2 in March, and all he wanted to do was head to Agua Caliente in Tucson, and feed the ducks! We can't believe he's about to turn 3 now! He's in the midst of potty-training and catching on like a champ!

Porter turned 7 in June and had some friends over for a super fun sleepover. We hit the pool, a movie, and the off-road track over by our house. Needless to say, those boys were TIRED when the party finally ended!

Adam flew down here for some R&R after his mission, and we took him down to see Fafa and Punkin. This is at Agua Caliente, our favorite park. He was here for 2 weeks, and we enjoyed our time with him.

We also were blessed with a visit from Kevin in July. He had just returned from Iraq. We loved having him here, and I was more than thrilled that he had made it home safe. I cried like a baby when I saw him walk off that plane!

Adam and the fam at Fafa and Punkin's house! Adam just recently left for basic training in the Navy. We wish him luck and safety on this new adventure in his life!!

We took the kids for a hike at Lost Dutchman State Park near our home. We sure love being outside! We love it here in Arizona.

When Kevin was here we took a super cool drive along a string of lakes just north of our house. The kids had fun learning how to skip rocks with "Uncle Manny!" Owen deemed him Uncle Manny because Kevin bought him a Handy Manny toy....go figure.....but, hey - we LOVE nicknames in our family, so it will last!!

The best part of our block fence.....CHALK DRAWINGS!

Everything is more fun when Dad is helping!

Porter is in second grade this year. He's at a new charter school, and doing quite well! We're very happy with the switch in schools. He just won the spelling bee in his class and will be competing against the whole second grade on January 11th!

Tess is in a Montessori pre-school and is excelling there. She's already reading 3 and 4-letter words! We are so pleased with her teacher, and the progress she is making. Watch out kindergarten.....Tess will be there soon!

Tess broke her arm this spring. Honestly, we were completely surprised that it took this many years for someone to finally break a bone!

The kids have the BEST FATHER EVER. He improvised his own slip-n-slide out of painter's plastic, dish soap, and the hose! Even our neighbors were watching from their upstairs windows! Everyone had a blast!

Easter 2009.

My parent's moved back to Seattle this year from Georgia. They drove through Phoenix on their way home, and we got to spend a couple of days with them. It was so fun to have them here!

Porter has gotten all his "smarts" from Papa! Here they are putting together a science project!!

We sure enjoyed our time with my folks. The kids loved having Lucy, their dog, here too!

While in Seattle, the kids put on a play for everyone. Here they are with their cousins.

Miss Tess turned 4 in February, which means she's approaching 5 soon! We can't believe how fast time is flying by for us.

We had a fun visit from Nana in September. We always love having her here. She keeps us busy, and keeps us up late playing cards! We took her to our favorite country restaurant here in town for some good cookin' and some country dancing!!

Brandon and I ran in the Saguaro National Park Labor Day run in Tucson. It was so fun to finally do a race together. We look forward to doing many more together in the future. I am running in a marathon in January, but I can't quite get him to do that long of a race.....maybe in 2011!!

Well, it's been a fun-filled, adventurous year for us! We're looking ahead to a new year full of new goals, challenges, and change. May the Lord be with all of you in the coming year as you embark on your adventures. We love and miss everyone!

xoxoxo,
Brandon, Julie, Porter, Tess, and Owen

Well......It's About Time!!!

2009-09-30T13:18:00.006-07:00

They say there is way more joy in the journey than in the final destination......so, following true to that adage, we've been ENJOYING OUR JOURNEY!!! I used to be so good at keeping this updated, alas, life has caught up with me, and I've gotten myself behind once again! For those of you who follow me on Facebook - you've seen what we've been up to! So, to fill the rest in on our happenings, I've added some pictures, in no particular order, to get you up to speed on the Mitchell household!

I ran my first HALF MARATHON in late August......in stinkin' hot weather! But I did it! Now....on to the next!

Nana came for a visit in early September, and we had a ball wrestling, shopping, playing cards....and all around enjoying time with her!

Porter and Tess chillin' with Nana!

We drove down to Tucson too see my grandparents for Labor Day, and while we were there......Brandon and I ran the Saguaro National Park Labor Day 8 Miler. We had a ball running together and enjoying the scenery in the park.

Here we are coming across the finish line!!

There's nothing better on a HOT DAY in Arizona, than sugary, frozen treats! Tess, Porter and Owen are chowing down!

Thanks to our good friends, Chris and Becky, we've found our new favorite hot spot in town.....San Tan Flat.....it's a yummy place to hang outside or inside and eat. We had to take Barb when she was here. We knew she'd love the country atmosphere. We even went back late one night so we could do some mean country dancing!

Tess' dance group had the opportunity to dance at the Diamondbacks game on September 21st. It was so much fun to see her out on the field doing their number! Here she is with her two besties from class....Kynslee and Gabrielle.

As most of you know, Brandon and I have dived in head first into the much loved outdoor fitness world here in Arizona. Brandon swam in a 2,000 meter race a few weeks ago, and finished good and strong! We were so proud of him.....2,000 meters is a LONG swim! I'll keep you posted......he got his birthday present a few weeks early......and is now the proud owner of a fancy new road bike......watch for news of his first triathlon coming soon!

The kids are all doing really well. Porter and Tess are both excelling like crazy at school, and we're happy to report that 9 weeks into the school year, no one has gotten sick! knock on wood..... Owen is enjoying all the activity and energy that the older kids bring home. He loves working on his letter sounds with Tess as she practices hers. I've got 15 weeks till my marathon and am looking forward to completing that!

We hope everyone is doing well and happy! We love and miss you all!!

Watch Out Pre-School...Here Comes TESS!!

2009-08-03T08:25:00.004-07:00

Well, our sweet baby Tess started Pre-school today! She's attending a Montessori school taught by a good friend of ours, and she LOVED it today! We're so excited to see how she progresses throughout the year!

The family tradition, posing in front of the door!

Another studier is born. We wish Miss Tess a fun and happy school year!

xoxoxo

On Our Way to Harvard......

2009-07-31T08:45:00.003-07:00

In accordance with Welch family tradition, we take pictures of the kids by the front door on the first day of school! Yesterday was Porter's first day of SECOND GRADE!! He started at his new charter school, and we're happy to report that he LOVES it there so far! YAY! We'll keep you posted on his progress as the year continues.

It was sunny out, thus the squinting.

Good luck, Mr. P - we know you'll be the smartest kid in second grade!

xoxoxo

Graffiti: Mitchell Style!

2009-07-21T10:56:00.008-07:00

We've had quite a bit of rain the last 24 hours, which cooled the weather down for a little while. I told the kids to take advantage of it and play outside. We broke out the sidewalk chalk, and they went to town on our fence!

The best part of their art projects......is the ability to simply hose it off, and start over!

Race #2

2009-07-18T16:12:00.002-07:00

I'm sorry to report that we forgot the camera this morning.......BUT......The good news is that I had two handsome gentlemen running with me today! Brandon and Big Mike (my father-in-law) ran a 5k with me today! I ran just a few minutes ahead of them, but we all had a great race and were happy with our times! Woot Woot....the motivation is still there!!

Our Visit with Kevin!

2009-07-16T10:38:00.004-07:00

As most know, my brother Kevin has been in Iraq for the last 15 months, and we hadn't seen him in over 2 years, so we were SOOO EXCITED for our visit from Kevin. He was 9 when I graduated from High School, and we hadn't spent a whole lot of time with him in the last little while, so it was so nice to hang out and get to know him even more. I still remember my sweet baby Kevin who loved to let me snuggle with him. I loved being the little mama to him! We're so grateful to have him back, and for him to have made it through 2 deployments....safe.

Fafa and Punkin came to see him on Tuesday. We always love to see them, and it was nice for them to reconnect with Kevin.

Wednesday, Kevin and I decided to load up the kids in the car and drive the APACHE TRAIL. It's just about 100 miles in a loop that takes you through some beautiful Arizona country. There was a 22 mile stretch that was a dirt road, and a single lane at times. It was SO COOL! The views were stunning. It was a great thing to do on a hot day. I tried to sell Arizona to Kevin at least a dozen times along the way! We'd love to have him live down here.......hint hint!!

We stopped at one of the lakes along the way. The kids had a ball throwing rocks in.

I headed up to a bathroom....and when I got back.... the impromptu swim had begun!

Owen LOVED the water, of course - he's our little fish!

It was a long drive, going quite slow most of the time, but WELL WORTH IT for the views!!

We hit the pool a few times, and enjoyed lots of Kevin's FINE cooking! It was a great visit. We loved having him here and the long hours of chatting. He'll spend the rest of his leave in Seattle and then head back to Tennessee. We hope he enjoys his time to relax!! WE LOVE YOU KEVIN!

Happy Birthday Porter!

2009-07-16T10:16:00.003-07:00

I know this is a bit late, but Porter had his birthday in June......and we had his little party on July 3rd. All he wanted this year was a fun sleepover with his best buddies from Surprise. So, we drove up there and picked them up on a Friday, filled them with sugar, swimming, a movie, and a quick trip to see the monster truck at the nearby motor-cross track.

The boys loved seeing how big the truck was compared to them!

The sleepover was a success......and they were asleep by 10pm, and made it till 5:30 am before awaking! I thought it would be much earlier, so we got lucky!! Dallin and Rhett's folks made the trek out here on the 4th to pick up the boys and have dinner with us. It was way nice to see them, and we had a great time. So, THANKS GUYS for coming!! Happy Birthday again Mr. Porter - WE LOVE YOU!!!

Keepin' It In The Family.....

2009-07-04T08:15:00.007-07:00

This post is a shout out to Ashley and a tribute to Britten and Porter! Several years ago, Porter and Britten were playing at Mike and Ashley's home. The kids always played well together, so they were playing while Ashley went about whatever she had going on. Suddenly, she realized it was just a bit too quiet - and went to check on the kids. This is what she found.

They had found the baby powder!! I'm told it was quite the mess, and a pain to clean up!

So, the other day, the kids were playing and Brandon and I were downstairs chatting. It was then that we realized Porter and Tess were downstairs playing, and Owen was upstairs ALONE.....QUIET...... We ran upstairs......and this is what we found....

Alas, the family baby powder lives on!!!

xoxox

A Fun-Filled Family Day!

2009-06-13T13:24:00.003-07:00

We decided a few days ago to venture out today and have some good family time. The weather is so nice here right now (we love it in the 90's), and knew it would be a great day to get outside and catch some rays. We started our day with a trip to the Phoenix Zoo. My parents got us a year pass for Christmas last year, and we try to go as much as possible. The kids love it there, and we all love looking at the many animals. Owen is getting so independent now, and was THRILLED to be able to walk most of the zoo. We even ran into some friends from Surprise while we were there, which - - -no pun intended - - was a nice surprise!

The zoo has a great children's area, and once Owen saw the slide - he was hooked. I had to grab him, howling and screaming, to get him to leave! We'll be sure to head back there many more times this year!

On the way home, we stopped off at the Mesa Temple to walk the grounds and take the kids to the visitor's center. Brandon and I are both giving talks in church tomorrow on families and the Temple, and thought it was an appropriate time to take the kids there again and teach them the importance and the holiness of the Temple. I just love this picture of the kids.....they are getting soooo big and sooo old!

Our big news this week is that we finally got Porter into a charter school we'd been on the waiting list for. I had checked out two different schools, and had him on the list at both...but was really hoping for one called Eduprize. We got the call a few days ago and were thrilled that he got in! He starts in August. We'll keep you all posted on how he likes it. We're excited for him to have a more intense academic program. That little boy sure loves to learn and simply cannot get enough. Our little NASA scientist in the making is sure excited for his new school!

We hope everyone is doing well and happy and we send our love on to y'all!!

xoxoxo

Tess' First Recital

2009-06-13T13:01:00.003-07:00

Brandon and I received a call late Thursday night from someone in the bishopric asking us to give talks this Sunday. Naturally, Brandon said yes.....So, today - I'm taking the only NATURAL course of direction, and procrastinating writing my talk! Why, do you ask, do I do this? Cuz, I'm still mulling over in my mind, exactly what words I should share! So, what better way to use my time, than update the darn blog that has been so sorely neglected. Once again, I'll post several different events today to make up for the lost time.

Our sweet, darling baby Tess had her first dance recital a few weeks ago, and did a WONDERFUL job! She was in a tap number to the tune of "Singin' in the Rain." It was soooo adorable to see her up there on stage dancing with her little friends. We weren't allowed to take our camera inside, but we did manage to sneak a picture of the final bow. We are so proud of her and how well she is progressing in dance. She loves it, so we plan on keeping her in it as long as she wants.

As you can see, she's one of the few that actually got the concept of bowing!! Fafa and Punkin drove up here from Tucson to be with us at her performance, and that was such a nice treat for Tess. Our good friends, who are our neighbors as well, watched the boys for us, so Porter wouldn't have to sit through the recital, and Owen could play at home. THANKS GUYS!! Us adults had a blast watching all the performances, and had a whole slew of laughs in the process. Those little ones are sure fun to watch!

Good luck Miss Tess as you continue to progress in dance. We love you sooooo much!!

xoxoxo

Happy Memorial Day 2009

2009-05-25T16:30:00.002-07:00

First off, I want to thank everyone in our family and our friends that are serving our country and have served our country in the military. We love and appreciate what you have done to ensure our freedom and our safety here in America. What a huge blessing and example you are to all of us. For our 3 family members who are away in Iraq and Korea - we love you and pray for your safe return. I pray our boys can grow up to be men like you.

After my race on Saturday, we headed down to Tucson to spent the long weekend with my grandparents. They have a pool in their community and we planned to spend the weekend relaxing. We made it to the pool 4 times! We had SO MUCH FUN......and were THRILLED when Fafa decided to join us in the pool. He doesn't usually go into the pool with us - so it was a REAL treat.......so.....FAFA - - - be prepared to swim with us AGAIN!

Just having fun in the sun!

Fafa on his way to see if Owen would swim with him. Owen LOVED the water.....but had it in his mind that he would ONLY swim with me!

Tess is doing so well swimming with her floatie. They start lessons on the first of June, so I'm excited to see how much she progresses this summer.

Porter is our little fish and loving jumping off the side of the pool into the deep end with his noodle!

Owen was sure a hard sell on leaving my arms....it took quite a lot of coaxing!

We had a wonderful weekend and want to say thank you to Fafa and Punkin for a great time. We hope everyone enjoyed their weekend. We send out hugs and kisses from everyone!

RACE DAY: May 23, 2009

2009-05-25T16:21:00.003-07:00

Well, as most of you know I've decided to take up running seriously again, and this time I'm aiming at a marathon. After much advice from others who have taken the plunge and succeeded in completing a marathon, I decided to start with some small races. I ran my first 5k since college this last weekend and had a ball! I'm even super happy with my time. Here's a few pics, although not entirely flattering, of the big day!

Shortly before take off - I was way nervous.

And.....off I go......

Rounding the last corner before the finish line - This is what I call the "ugly and hot" shot!

Headed to the finish line!

I DID IT!! Walking back to the stroller and my supportive family! Thanks for being there you guys!

Papa and Grandma Came!!!

2009-04-26T12:03:00.004-07:00

Well, much to our delight, my parents are moving back to Seattle to be closer to all the family out West, and for Papa to work for a new seafood company. We were ECSTATIC when we found out that their travels back home would include driving through Phoenix! They arrived here Friday afternoon and left this morning. We had a WONDERFUL visit with them, and we're already anxious for another visit soon. We felt especially lucky because this time, they were able to bring Lucy (the family dog) with them! The kids loved having her here......so.....we're thinking a four legged addition to our family might be in the works fairly soon!

Our rowdy bunch with Papa and Grandma!

Tess sure had fun hangin' out with Grandma! "Hey girlfriend.....ready to kick it??!!"

We've always said that Porter gets his good looks and his brains from Papa! Here they are making a telegraph together.

Lucy had a whole slew of attention while she was here. I'm sure she'll sleep all the way to Seattle!

We wish them well on the last few days of their trip, and pray they make it in safely. FYI: If you are looking for a gorgeous home in Brunswick, GA - let us know! We know a great one for sale!!!

Other than our visit from my folks, we're just doing our normal thing here. School is out on May 22nd, so we're looking forward to having Porter home during the day for lots of playtime. Brandon starts his new project - which is only 1.1 miles from the house in two weeks, so we're WAY excited for that. It will be nice for him to not have a commute for the next 10 months or so.

We hope everyone is doing well! xoxoxoxo

Happy Easter 2009

2009-04-13T10:46:00.003-07:00

We had a wonderful relaxing weekend here at the MItchell household. Fafa and Punkin (my grandparents who have SWEET nicknames) drove up on Saturday from Tucson to spend Easter with us. We had a lot of fun coloring eggs and playing games. We really enjoy the time we have with them when they are here.

Easter morning brought our little hunt and some good old fashioned relaxing! We don't have church till 2pm, so we enjoyed our morning. The Easter Bunny brought the family a really cool Book of Mormon game, so we played that all day.

We hope everyone had a greatl Easter this year!

Owen sure loved coloring eggs.

Our happy painters!

The search begins!

Owen had a ball looking for all the hidden eggs!

Miss Tess had a good time too. She loved her pink basket even more!

Our sweet children with Fafa and Punkin. We sure loved having them here for Easter weekend!

Tessy and Punkin!

What a handsome group of men!

2009-04-10T23:52:00.001-07:00

Brandon's Homemade Slip-n-slide!

2009-04-05T19:09:00.004-07:00

I know this sounds cheesy, but I am continually reminded how fortunate and lucky I am to have Brandon as my husband. I have never met anyone so fun on so many levels. He looks at life as something to enjoy and to cherish along the way. He LOVES creating memories for the kids, and I'm constantly reminding him that he is their FATHER and not their older BROTHER! Sometimes I feel like I have an extra child to keep an eye on! This evening, I heard him go outside and start gathering the kids together....we had decided it was time to bathe the kids and we were going to do it together....I didn't hear them coming up the stairs, so I went outside to see what was going on. To my amazement, not to my surprise, he had rolled out a HUGE roll of plastic that we had outside for some random project, and was spreading it out and holding it down with some extra wood we had. As I walked outside, Porter came running past me with the dishsoap in hand. I was instructed to grab the hose, as Dad was showing the kids "the time of their lives!" He proceeded to instruct them how to PROPERLY go down the homemade slip-n-slide. It was hilarious!

The Busy Girl FINALLY Broke Her Arm!

2009-04-05T15:15:00.005-07:00

Well, life here has been pretty hectic lately. The weather has turned FANTASTIC, and we've taken advantage of that. A few weekends ago, we headed just 14 miles north of here to the Lost Dutchman State Park, and took the kids on their first hike. We didn't make it very far, but we sure enjoyed it. Fortunately, we live close and plan to head back many more times.

As most of you know, Tess started ballet in March. A little over a week ago, she was practicing some sort of spinning around, and promptly tripped over her ankles and came cascading down on her right elbow, which happened to hit the baseboard. She howled in pain for quite some time. Once the swelling started, I realized it was more than the mere "owie" and rushed her to the nearest Urgent Care. Sure enough, she broker her humerus just above the elbow. She'll be in a cast until April 28th.

We're Still Alive!!

2009-03-20T20:58:00.004-07:00

I come to all of y'all asking forgiveness for my slothfulness.....I do realize it has been an month and 5 days since I last posted ANYTHING. This is quite unusual for me, as all who know me, know I never run out of things to talk about. We've been really busy!! We went to Seattle for a week and a half, and then my baby brother Adam came to visit for two weeks. In the meantime, I only had like a ZILLION pictures to sort through, and every time I sat down to do it, I got overwhelmed. I told myself I couldn't go to bed tonight until I was completely updated......hopefully I will finish before the sun rises!

As most of you know, my brother, Adam, spent the last two years on a mission in Lisbon, Portugal and came home in February. We planned a family trip to head up North and see the fam and welcome him home. We were crazy enough to drive the whole 1600 miles in two days. As our luck doesn't seem to run out, we were all sick the WHOLE time we were gone. Wouldn't you know, the ONE big trip we plan this year, and we're all on our death beds with the flu the whole time. I'm sure we were rotten company. It was indeed fun to see everyone though and enjoy time with family. We took a leisurely 3 days to travel home, which was a wise choice. Needless to say, we are not making any big road trip plans for at least a year!

We knew Adam's time in Seattle would be full of lots of family, so we bought him a plane ticket to come down here and spend some time with us. We also wanted to take him to Tucson to see our Grandparents on the Welch side. We LOVED having him here. He brought a wonderful spirit into our home, and we enjoyed our quality bonding time with him. I am 10 years older than Adam, so I dearly remember him being little, and I still see him as a sweet little boy about Owen's age. I just can't wrap my brain around him being almost 23! We wish him the best of times as he starts school at BYU Idaho in April. We love you Uncle Adam!!

Our other big event in March was Owen's birthday! Our "Big Cheese" turned 2! He is growing up so fast, and we simply cannot stop it. I wish we could just push the pause button on his little life. He's at such a fun age and a terrible age at the same time. We LOVE this age! We took down his crib a few days ago and he's loving his new "big boy" bed. Next step is potty-training......which I'm assuming will take FOREVER. Every time I try to introduce him to it, he has a cow.

This week we were also blessed with the news that Brandon's second mission president has been called to serve alongside the area presidency in Asia, based in Hong Kong. We are so excited for them. We LOVE the Arnolds and want them to know they will ALWAYS be in our prayers. Only they know how much of an impact they made on Brandon's life, that in turn has blessed our family. We adore you both!

We hope everyone is doing well and enjoying their families. Please keep us posted on what you have been up to! Now that I've redeemed myself, I shall once again keep this updated! I posted a slide show below of some pictures from our trip to Washington.

xoxoxo

Our Trip To Washington: It's ABOUT TIME I posted some pics!!!

2009-03-20T19:02:00.001-07:00

Our Yard: A Work In Progress...Next Step: A decorative fence around the A/C unit, and a pergola!!

2009-02-15T11:00:00.001-07:00

Tess' Birthday - All Tess wanted was to celebrate her birthday with her great-grandparents.....we even had a separate cake at home!

2009-02-14T12:13:00.001-07:00

25 Fun Facts About The Mitchell Family!

2009-02-02T14:00:00.014-07:00

Last week I participated in a fun little activity with a whole slew of friends and wrote a list of 25 facts about Julie. I thought it would be a fun to post some fun facts about our little family here on the blog.....sooooo.......here goes:

1. I have never seen Brandon without grey hair. He started greying at age 19.

2. I have always dreamed about running a marathon and doing the STP (Seattle to Portland cycling race)

3. Porter learned to read in one week, literally.

4. Tess is the only lefty in our little family.

5. Owen spent the first 3 months of his life sleeping in his car seat. He refused to sleep anywhere else.

6. Brandon can fix ANYTHING. I swear, that man knows how to fix anything and use every sort of power tool that exists. He has hung all our lights and fans, put in our yard, painted the whole inside of the house, and even built a frame for some artwork. The list could go on forever!

7. I drank caster oil to induce labor with Tess....and it worked! I also drank caster oil to induce labor with Owen......and it didn't work.

8. Porter is the best child EVER in the car. You could take him cross country in the car and he would look out the window or read a book the whole time. The only time you'd hear from him is when he's hungry or has to use the bathroom.

9. Tess is the only child that Brandon has been successful at teaching to cross her eyes! It drives me nuts when he tells her to do it, because I know it's not healthy - but she can do it on cue.

10. Owen is our entertainer. He will say anything you tell him and loves to pretend to be just about anything. This morning he has been playing "dog" for about an hour! He crawls around with his tongue out and then barking. He also does sweet ninja moves!

11. Brandon loves muscle cars and working on cars in general. He is constantly looking online at car parts, and researching things he can do to restore his old truck that he got from his step-dad. He has already replaced the carburetor in that truck, and is planning on doing the full overhaul on it once Porter is old enough to do it with him.

12. I am deathly afraid of the dark, and I've been known to sleepwalk on occasion. I once got out of the house when I was young and woke up on our neighbor's porch as I was about to ring their doorbell.

13. Ever since Porter was little, he's only wanted ONE type of haircut. He loves that he has two uncles in the military and has always wanted his head buzzed. So, we bought a pair of clippers, and Brandon does his hair every two weeks!

14. Tess talks in her sleep. She does this about every other night. It's actually quite funny. She will have a full conversation with herself about just about anything. A few days ago she actually said she just "had to have a pony!" She was convincing Brandon to buy her a horse!

15. Owen is a "Momma's Boy." He will not share my lap or my time if he doesn't have to. He can be playing just fine on the other end of the house, but if he sees someone on my lap, he will promptly shove them off to sit with me. When it's time to snuggle or relax, he wants to be with me. Which....of course.....I LOVE.

16. Brandon can grow a full beard in just about a week. He loves having a beard, and I love it on him too. His beard has 4 distinct colors in it as well; red, brown, black and grey. It grows in thicker around his mouth, as he had a goatee for years when he was young.

17. I love to learn and use my brain. If I could have, I would have stayed in college forever. Right now I'm taking a course to become a Medical Transcriptionist and I'm enjoying the new things I'm learning.

18. Porter loves to study and learn. If you were to give him the choice of playing a game or reading a book, he would chose to read. He loves anything that has to do with space and has often said he wants to be a NASA scientist. Brandon and I have both decided he gets his smarts from Papa Larry.....there's no way he got it from us!

19. Tess is a "Daddy's girl." She loves being with Brandon and looks up to him like he's the king of the castle. Every morning she asks how many more hours until Daddy gets home. We are constantly having to explain to her why daddy has to work!

20. Owen thinks he is the head of the household. At a mere 23 months, he has taken full control of the house. He is super bossy, and quite comical at the same time. If he doesn't want to eat something, he just pushes it away and says no. If he doesn't want to sit in his high chair, he simply won't cooperate. He's VERY independent.

21. Brandon is the best husband and father. He is very considerate and thoughtful. He tells me thank you every day for dinner. He loves to chat and we talk constantly. He is continually thinking of fun things to do with our children to create memories.

22. I'm a great multi-tasker. I love having a clean house, clean clothes and being at places on time. I may look frazzled as I balance these things, but I'm quite calm.

23. Porter has an impeccable memory. He can recall details of his childhood thus far that are amazing.

24. Tess is the most vocal child of the three. She has an opinion on everything and is known to say the funniest things. Just this morning she ran up the stairs while I was still getting Owen dressed for the day, and proclaimed that she "was late for lunch!" Mind you, it was 6:30 am, and I hadn't even made breakfast yet!

25. We are honestly surprised we have not had to head to the ER with Owen yet. He loves to climb and jump. I have to keep a close eye on him now that our upstairs is open to the downstairs. He hasn't tried to scale the railings yet, but he loves to throw things over it. They are building a new hospital a mile from our house, so that will be a blessing in the future!

I hope you enjoy reading some fun info on us! I posted a whole slew of pictures of the new house as well on the right. We're still finishing up the kids' rooms, so those pictures will be coming soon!

Take Me Out To The Ballgame.....

2009-01-18T09:42:00.003-07:00

We are pleased to announce that Porter made the Principal's Honor Roll at his elementary school! We love that he enjoys studying so much, and are so very proud of him!
Watch out NASA.....Porter dreams of being a scientist for NASA.......the honor roll is just the first step!
We feel fortunate to live only 20 minutes from Nana Barb's folks in Mesa. Yesterday we headed out there to watch Poppa Gil play softball in a tournament. It was so much fun! We thoroughly enjoyed watching all the older gentlemen play.
Of course, Grandma Edna spoiled us with some treats and toys for the kids. We had a nice visit back at their place after the game.

Check out that guy in uniform! He played so well, we were so proud to be there supporting him!

We are thrilled to be back in our routine here at the Mitchell household and are anxiously awaiting our trip to Seattle in February. The kids continue to grow and develop and keep us busy. Tess will be 4 in a couple of weeks, and that simply doesn't feel real! And our sweet little Owen will be 2 in March.....crazy how this is going so fast for us. We're just trying to enjoy the moment and help them progress as best as possible. We hope everyone is all doing well!

In Search of Snow.....

2009-01-04T08:48:00.003-07:00

Brandon has been dying to drive up North and find some snow for the kids to play in. As a boy, he grew up in Idaho where there was PLENTY of snow in the winter to play in. So, he understands a child's fixation with the fun white stuff! We LOVE Arizona and the weather here, but thought it would be fun to give the kids a taste of the cold! Brandon decided that yesterday was the day, so we loaded up and headed north. It only took 3 hours to find a decent amount of snow! We pulled over into a National park, and quickly bundled up in our coats!
We lasted MAYBE 10 minutes in the cold! We don't even own boots or gloves! It was a super fun family activity and drove home remembering why we love the warmth in Arizona so much! All in all, 7 hours in the car......10 minutes in the snow.......a tank of gas.......some junk food.......TOTALLY WORTH IT!

Christmas 2008

2009-01-04T08:30:00.002-07:00

We had a wonderful Christmas this year and the kids were thrilled to get riding toys from Santa. Miss Tess had been asking for roller skates EVERYDAY for at least a year, so the big man figured it was time to give in!
We were blessed to have Fafa and Punkin join us for Christmas. We always love having them here. We're excited for our big road trip in February to Seattle! Watch out Fafa and Punkin, it will be a loud ride!
Within the first few seconds with her gear on, she was on her bum! She's getting better, next step - OUTSIDE!
Owen LOVES his new bike! He would ride it all day if you let him.
Our tree turned out so nice this year. Brandon is so good at taking his time and making it look so nice. I felt I should take it down cuz he went through all the hard work of putting it up.....let's just say - it was a HUGE chore to take down and get out the door!!
Hhhmmm.....how many men does it take to put together a trike??!!
Santa brought goodies and new underwear in our stockings this year!
Porter wasn't quite sure how he felt about being upgraded to plain white undies! I guess we're getting too old for the character underwear!
Owen was just happy to get some candy. And yes......Santa got him underwear too.......Santa knows that Mommy is anxious to get Owen potty-trained!

Once again, we had wonderful time during Christmas and feel blessed to have shared it with my grandparents and everyone else we chatted with on the phone and the ichat. It's sad to see all the decorations tucked away and our home back to normal. I love the Christmas season and am always sad when it passes.

Happy Holidays From The Mitchells!

2008-12-21T19:29:00.010-07:00

As we pause to celebrate the birth of our Savior this year, we are reminded of His life and all that He has taught us and done for our lives. We are eternally grateful for his sacrifice and the path that He laid ahead for us. We feel fortunate to have the opportunity to teach His principles to our children, and set them up for success in life as well. We hope that this holiday season finds all of our dear friends and family happy and well. We are loving getting all of your holiday greetings and pictures in the mail! I love the updates on everyone's kids. It's crazy how fast time seems to be flying by.

We've chosen to do our family letter here on the blog this year so all can see whenever they choose. We've got some good pictures to sum up 2008 in our little household that we felt had to be included in our letter! So, here goes.....

We celebrated Tess' third birthday in February at Fafa and Punkin's house. She was thrilled to have everything pink! She is growing fast into a very independent little girl. She loves to color and can already write her name. She tells me everyday that she wants to go to a "real" pre-school and not just do her studies with mom! We love watching her personality develop more and more each day.

Owen turned one in March! It's crazy to think how fast time is flying by. He is such a BUSY boy. He insists on doing everything on his own and is dying to talk. He's constantly learning new words and putting them together. He still loves his blankie and any car he can find. His favorite thing in the whole world is his mommy - oh and balloons! He goes nuts when he sees a balloon! He loves animals and playing.

We had a visit from Nana Barb in February and had a ton of fun with her! We love it when she comes and spoils us with attention. Brandon and I love it that she'll stay up way late playing Phase 10 with us! We're anxious to see her again this coming February when we head up to Seattle.

My grandparents, whom we call Fafa and Punkin, live just south of us in Tucson. We see them as MUCH as we can! We love playing with them and hearing all of Fafa's super cool stories. We love Punkin's cooking, and she and Owen have a special little bond. He loves her SO MUCH! He has always been drawn to her, and we love that they are so close.

We had a super fun visit from my mom in March. We loved having her here as well, and we feel bad that we gave her a cold! We enjoyed hanging out with her. She taught Brandon and I how to play Skip-bo and then we spent HOURS playing it! We had a great time. We're excited to see her and my dad when we head to Seattle to welcome Adam home from his mission. They live in Georgia now, but are heading up there so we can all be together.

We had a great visit from Brandon's folks as well in August. They actually took Porter and Tess with them for almost a week while they went to Texas to see Uncle Mike and his family. The kids had a ton of fun with them, and I had some sweet bonding time with Owen while Brandon was out of town on Business. We're looking forward to seeing Grandma again in March when she comes to see us.

Porter played T-ball this spring and LOVED it. He's way excited to play again this coming spring.

Porter turned 6 in June and we took a bunch of his friends to the local fire station for a tour. He was the only one who was able to wear the Captain's hat. He is growing up to be such an intelligent little boy. He loves to study and is already working on division and multiplication. He loves to read and write as well. He loves to read about the universe and keeps telling us he wants to be a NASA scientist. We'll see if he holds true to that dream! We love that he loves to learn and are trying to do everything we can for him to help him continue to progress.

We LOVE the weather here in Arizona!

We took the kids to San Diego in July and spent some time at the beach and then a couple of days at the San Diego Zoo. We had a great time and made some long lasting memories as a family.

Brandon took an introductory course in Scuba this summer and is anxiously awaiting to start his official classes. He had to work out of state for a few months this fall, so those will be coming this Spring.

Brandon's work party this year was at the Phoenix Zoo last week. The weather was fantastic and we had a great time.

Our big news this year is that we FINALLY decided to settle down and buy a house! We've been here 3 weeks now, and are getting settled in. We are so grateful to be able to have our own home and are trying to put our personal touches on it.

We have much to be grateful for this year and are thrilled to say that all are happy and healthy. We are loving this time in our lives as we watch our children grow. As a couple, we've never been happier and that is good news as well. We wish everyone a Happy Holidays and hope that you all know how much we love and think of you!

A New House, A Move, Breakfast with Santa and a Partridge in a Pear Tree!

2008-12-10T19:29:00.004-07:00

What can I say? This picture speaks for itself. Owen was NOT happy to meet Santa this year! Porter and Tess, on the other hand were thrilled to meet him and tell him what they wanted.

Even Owen wouldn't eat what they called "sausage" at the school breakfast! The pancakes weren't that bad. But....then again....hard not to go wrong with flapjacks!

You gotta love Brandon's scruff from a few days of not shaving! The kids were SO excited to see Santa, they barely ate.

Outside the new house! If you look close on the left side you can see one of our wussy plants. Time to hit the store for some Miracle Grow.

The new diggs....just before the cleaners went in to clean before we closed. We promise to post final pics.....once we are done with the painting we started.......we had some MINOR color issues....okay, maybe they were MAJOR. Don't ask! Let's just say, we learned our lesson not to buy multiple gallons of paint before testing on walls.

We have been in the new house for almost two weeks now and are loving getting settled. Tomorrow is Brandon's work party at the Phoenix zoo, and we are all looking forward to seeing the animals and the lights at night. We'll take lots of good pictures.

We hope everyone is doing well, and promise not to be lazy about the blog now that we're unpacked!

Who Needs Entertainment?

2008-11-09T18:26:00.001-07:00

Welcome Home Daddy!

2008-11-08T23:13:00.002-07:00

Well, as most know, Brandon has been working in Idaho for the last 3 1/2 months, and he returned home today for good! We are thrilled to have him home. We missed him like crazy, and having him gone helped us realize how much we love and appreciate him.

We drove out to the house today to check on the progress. I posted a slideshow below of some random pictures we took today. The one of the field is what is directly across from the house. We have a great view from the master and the living room up front! The flooring should be going in next week, so stay tuned for more pictures. We close on the 25th, so the end is coming soon!

Update on the House!

2008-11-08T23:07:00.002-07:00

Halloween 2008

2008-11-02T07:45:00.004-07:00

Owen was our little fireman, too bad he didn't want to wear his hat. He looked too cute!

Thanks to Aunty Melanie, Tess was a beautiful version of Belle! She felt like a true princess!

Porter was our resident fireman in training! His little fire extinguisher was actually a sort of squirt gun. It was kinda fun!

We had a WONDERFUL Halloween this year. We missed the church's trunk-or-treating activity cuz we were off getting Brandon at the airport. So, we took the plunge and hit the neighborhood on Friday night to take the kids to our friends' houses to do the real thing. The weather was fantastic and we had a ball running down the street and getting lots of yummy candy!

Mitchell Crabfest!

2008-11-02T07:33:00.004-07:00

Brandon went to D.C. early in the summer on business and had the opportunity to have a huge crab meal in Baltimore. Ever since he got home, he's been dying to take the kids to have their first crab eating experience. We've been looking forward to it for a long time, and figured this weekend was a good time to do it since he's been gone for 3 months now, working in Idaho. It was a fun family experience that I'm sure the kids will always remember. Tess was really excited until she actually saw the crab legs! She was content to eat her clam chowder and that was it. Porter LOVED it, and ate his and Tess'! Owen was scared of the claw, but enjoyed the crab meat and the bread. Everyone's favorite part was watching the live lobsters in the tank. Porter kindly asked me on our way out when we were going to come back to have lobster! I told him to save his allowance for a year and then we could go back!

2008-10-29T08:14:00.002-07:00

I know I've been really bad this month about posting pictures of the kids and writing. It has honestly been a busy month for us! Brandon is still finishing up an elementary school in Rexburg, and I've been busy keeping the kids happy and volunteering at the school. We are getting anxious for Brandon to be back home full-time, which should hopefully happen in a few weeks. He's actually flying in today for a long weekend with us. For those of you who don't know, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Brandon. He turned 31 on Saturday. It's crazy to think we are well into our 30's now! He likes to rub it in that I was there before he was. Age? What's that??!!

The kids are doing really well. Porter is loving first grade and is kinda sad to be leaving his friends in his class, but is excited to start a new school after Thanksgiving. He continues to excel in his studies and just recently got his report card. His lowest grade was a 98%! We're hoping he continues this desire to study throughout his schooling years.

Tess is doing well at home learning pre-school with me. Her writing and drawing is really improving. It's so fun to see them grow and change. She has hit that age where all she wants to do is talk. She is constantly talking about whatever from the time she gets up to the time she hits the pillow at night.

Owen is becoming quite the little man and wants to be in complete control of his environment. We've learned that he is quite the climber and mischievous one. He is constantly getting into things he shouldn't and trying to pull things apart! He still has two big loves in his life - and those are his blankie and his momma. He hollers like crazy if I catch him washing his blanket, and he is jealous of anyone I snuggle with!

We're headed out to see the house on Thursday and will fill you in on the progress there later this week!

Have fun getting ready for Halloween!

Washing the Blankie.........

2008-10-08T08:19:00.006-07:00

Our sweet Owen is so attached to his blanket that he even takes it outside at times. This morning, I couldn't take the dirty blanket anymore. I kindly coerced him to give it to me. Then I proceeded to put it in the washer. To my dismay, he saw what I was doing, and promptly had a cow. Being the awful parent that I am, instead of consoling him, I grabbed the camera! I did give him hugs and kisses when I turned the camera off.

Ridin' The Trike!

2008-10-07T11:35:00.005-07:00

I caught Owen riding on the trike this morning, and had to take some video of it! I love how he runs over his blanket, realizes that he wants it, and then keeps going! Don't mind the pink pacifier.....it came in the last pack I bought...no worries.....he only uses it at home!

Update On The House!

2008-09-24T10:25:00.003-07:00

Obviously, this is the front of the house.

This is the big window in the Master bedroom and the view.

This is taken from the front living room - and the open rail shows the bonus room area.

Our back yard! Not super big, but much bigger than what we have now!

This is taken from the bonus room looking down on to the front living room.

Last Friday night Brandon surprised us and came home for the weekend. We took advantage of him being home to head out to the house and take a peaksy. So, here's a few pics of the palace. It's not the whole house - but parts. Don't ask me why we didn't take any of the rest of the house?! We'll head back in a couple of weeks and take more pictures then!

Letters To Uncle Adam!

2008-09-15T18:30:00.005-07:00

I have a ton of things to post, but wanted to do this one first. We've had two family nights in a row working on letters to Uncle Adam who is on his mission in Lisbon, Portugal. Porter drew a fantastic picture and it didn't photograph well, so I took a little video! We love you Uncle Adam!!

Owen's New Trick

2008-09-10T09:55:00.004-07:00

Owen loves to race himself! He'll stand by the door and yell, "Go, go go!" Then he takes off running!!

It's time for the Happy Dance!!

2008-09-05T08:31:00.000-07:00

I just had to take a second to point out that Owen is 18 MONTHS OLD TODAY.......and we all know what that means........NURSERY!! I am so excited for this Sunday to be able to attend all the classes at church!!!

Labor Day 2008

2008-09-01T20:23:00.005-07:00

Well, where do I start?! We had a FABULOUS Labor Day this year! We started off our day with a trip to the local zoo with some friends and had a ball there. I'll spare you all pics of the animals, because I already posted animal pictures from our trip to the San Diego Zoo. The zoo was great and we headed out after it got hot. The kids loved running around with their buddies and looking at the animals. I think they had more fun at this zoo simply because their friends were there with them! Owen was able to see the animals better at this zoo too, because they were closer to the walkway. Everyone had so much fun that Porter and Owen were asleep minutes after getting back into the car!

After lunch and a short nap, we headed over to our good friend's parents' home for a bar-b-que and pool party. It was the PERFECT way to cool off and end our day. We had some great food, great company, and great swimming! Days like today remind us why we love Arizona so much. Gracias to the Matsons for a fabulous day!!

As most of you know, Brandon is helping out on a project up in Rexburg, Idaho and has been coming home on the weekends. We miss him terribly during the week, but are hopeful he will be able to come home for good sometime in October. We've been spoiled in August with him coming home every single weekend. This month will be a little more sparce. Having him gone helps us appreciate how much we love him, and enjoy the time we have with him when he is home. School is back in sesssion, so that is

helping me keep a solid routine with the kids. I spend my evenings chatting with Brandon on the phone and watching entirely TOO MUCH HGTV!

Our building permit finally went through with the county and they started on our home last week. We drove out to see it on Saturday and were excited to finally see more than dirt! We're hoping to be in the end of November or early December. We'll keep you all posted on our progress.

We hope everyone is doing well and happy. HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAPA MIKE! We sure miss you and hope all is swell in Korea. Happy Labor Day to everyone as well!

Watch Out Harvard....Porter Is Almost There....First Grade Started!

2008-08-18T20:55:00.004-07:00

We all know how much Porter loves school. Secretly at night, Brandon and I dream about him going to an Ivy league school. I guess that means we need to sock away a TON of money for tuition!! Anyhow, he was SUPER excited as the days approached for school to start. Much to his delight, it came right after our trip to California and his trip to Texas to see Uncle Mike.

He is now in Mrs. Needham's first grade class, and has already had a slew of homework. He loves to sit and study, and makes sure he gets more than the required amount of reading done at night! We loved his Kindergarten teacher and are grateful for the foundation she laid for him in getting him ready for first grade. So far we are loving his new teacher too. She seems excited about what she does and is truly concerned for the learning that each kid does. We look forward to working with her, and many fun school projects! (For those of you who don't know.....Red is Porter's favorite color! He was so excited to get red converse!)

Mitchell Family Vacation 2008

2008-08-12T15:06:00.004-07:00

Well, we've been home for a couple of weeks now, and I figured it was about time that I wrote about our trip! It's about a 5 hour drive to San Diego from here and the kids did extremely well in the car. This was the first time any of us made the drive from Arizona to San Diego, so it was fun to see all the sights. We even went through a few border patrol checkpoints!!

The kids were so excited to stay in a hotel and eat all our meals out! We spent our first day at La Jolla Shores beach. It was quite crowded, but we didn't care. We were just excited to swim in the ocean and build a sand castle. As you can see from the first slide show, all the kids were buried in the sand for fun pictures! Owen LOVED the water and at one point, just ran off towards the water right after we set him back down on our towels!

Then, we spent two days at the San Diego Zoo. It was a gorgeous zoo full of vegetation and lots of hills. Our legs were killing us by the time we were done. The kids loved seeing all the animals and had a ball walking all around. We learned a ton about where all the animals came from and their efforts to release them back into the wild. On the last day at the zoo, we went on the double decker bus tour and the kids had a ball riding on top. Everyone's favorite animal was an otter that LOVED people. On his little info card it says that after he was rescued, they got him healthy, and then tried to release him back into the wild - - unsuccessfully - - - He was too attached to humans! He was super sweet and loved coming up to the glass and almost chatting with the kids!

We also had a chance to ride a little train at Balboa Park and played on the playground there as well. At one point, Tess had to go to the bathroom but refused to use the public one. She said she could hold it.......and then a few minutes later wet her pants in a panic! Poor thing, she thought she was going to be in trouble. We assured her that accidents happen, and I took her to the car and changed her! After everyone was back in the car and fast asleep we headed to the San Diego temple to check it out. It was a beautiful sight.

We had a great time as a family and feel fortunate that we made it there and back safely. We have already started talking about what to do next year!!

The San Diego Zoo

2008-08-12T14:55:00.001-07:00

San Diego Trip!! First Round of Pictures!

2008-07-30T16:36:00.000-07:00

Finally.......Our Own Home!

2008-07-20T08:13:00.004-07:00

Well......yesterday we put money down on a house!!! YAY - that means, in a few short months.....you all can actually write our address in your address books in......PEN! I've joked for years that when I give out our address to always write in pencil, hence, it will change. So, this is a big step for us. We both love to move around and have enjoyed living in several different places in our lifetimes. We are committing ourselves to being in one place for a long time. It's actually quite liberating! D.R. Horton is building it for us - kinda ironic, cuz Brandon used to work for them.

We will be leaving our beloved Surprise to be on the east side of Phoenix, closer to work. We are headed to the community of Queen Creek. We've heard wonderful things about the area, and already have a friend living there who has coaxed me for over a year to move out there! I'll post some pictures of the model home, but we are doing a few things different. Keep watching for updated pics! It should take about 4 months or so to build, so we will keep everyone updated on the progress......so, for now.....this is what it looks like.....

Watch Out American Idol!

2008-07-09T09:26:00.002-07:00

Call The Press......Owen Is Walking!!

2008-07-09T09:09:00.004-07:00

Owen is way attached to his blanket!

He is SOOO CUTE when he walks. He wobbles!

You can see, he's learned to get the remote and hang on to it: a true Mitchell Man!

So, Owen decided last Thursday night when Fafa and Punkin were here, that he would walk for them. We've tried for months, and lo and behold - he'll do it for Punkin! It was really exciting and we were all yelling and clapping. So, for the first couple of days he thought he had to clap while he was walking! He's learned that he doesn't have to do that anymore and is cruising all over the place now. Yay Owen!

My Sweet Brandon

2008-07-09T08:59:00.005-07:00

As you all know, I hit the jackpot when I married Brandon. He is so good for me in so many different ways. One thing I love about him is his constant desire to be learning something new. I love to read, and am constantly working on a book with at least several hundred pages...... Brandon decided this week that he wants to try and read more. He's not exactly the biggest reader around. So, he headed out to the library the other night to pick up a couple of books. To my delight, he came home with two books. One was a Russian language book for him to brush up on his Russian......the other..........was a book on speed reading! I thought that was kinda funny and had to share it! Kudos to him for trying to race through something he doesn't particularly enjoy!

Go Diamondbacks!

2008-07-09T08:52:00.004-07:00

You can see how close they were to the field!

Last week Brandon got way lucky and was able to get two SWEET tickets to a Diamondbacks game. He got them, literally, 3 hours before the game and surprised Porter with a trip to the ballpark. They had a ton of fun! What little boy wouldn't love a day at the ballpark with their dad?!

El Coco Loco

2008-06-29T10:08:00.003-07:00

Call me crazy, but I love to create fun memories for the kids through learning interesting things about our world and our environment.......so.......this weekend, I bought a coconut. It was $1.29 at the farmer's market - and a cheap fun activity. We had never brought a whole one home, so the kids were totally excited. We told them their was "milk" inside, and we held it up to their ears and shook it so they could hear it. They thought that was sooo sweet!

Brandon took one of his construction pin drivers (which I'm sure he didn't wash....) and a hammer and went to town poking some holes in the top. He then poured the milk into some cups, and had the kids try it. They were all excited to have some coconut milk, only to find out that it was nasty! After breaking the coconut into pieces, we all had a hayday eating it. (except daddy, of course, the picky one who doesn't like it!) All in all, I ate the majority of the coconut!

So, grab a coconut for a great family activity!

The Big Party!

2008-06-25T11:50:00.004-07:00

Saturday was Porter's big birthday celebration. He had a bunch of friends over and we all headed to Fire Station #303 here in Surprise. The kids got a big tour of the station and all walked away with fire hats and some cool fire safety coloring books. Brandon carried on his tradition of making a fun cake....thus the fire truck cake! Brandon, you are the best dad ever! (and husband too! ;) Everyone came back here for games, pizza, cake and ice cream. It was a blast! We thank all of Porter's friends for coming!

Are you for scuba?!

2008-06-25T11:43:00.007-07:00

I thought everyone would enjoy seeing some pictures of Brandon's first go at scuba diving last weekend! He had a ball trying it out and is now determined to get me into it. Watch for details on that!

Happy Birthday Porter!

2008-06-20T13:41:00.006-07:00

AWE!!! Our very first baby is 6 years old today! No way! I can't believe it! In honor of his special day, I thought I'd post some pictures of him through the years! One of my favorites is the picture of Porter all covered in baby powder after him and Britten got into a bottle of it! But.....my very favorite is the one of Porter and my dad. I have always loved that picture.

I just want to take this time to tell Porter how much I love him, and how much I desire for him and his future. He is such a special boy, who, more than anything, wants to make me happy - - - and that is priceless. We have high hopes for him and know he will succeed in anything he does. He has a WONDERFUL example in his daddy to follow, and make good choices in his life.

WE LOVE YOU PORTER!

Happy Father's Day!

2008-06-15T09:55:00.007-07:00

Happy Father's day to all the special men in our lives! You all deserve a day to rest and be pampered - and to grill! Brandon was out of town all week, so he's tired and thrilled to have a day of pampering from us. It's just our luck - all three kids are sick! So, we're all just taking it easy today. Tess and Owen have double ear infections and Porter has a bronchial viral infection. We're just crossing our fingers that Brandon and I miss the little bugs in the house. I'm doing my usual constant cleaning to help kill the sick bugs!

As you can see from the above picture, Brandon is making the most of today wisely! He's got jetlag from his trip! He went to Kansas City, MO, Baltimore, MD, Safford, VA - and a little sight seeing in Washington D.C. I'll post some pictures from his trip in my next post. The kids were so excited to see him after he was gone for 6 whole days. I'll admit, I was pretty darn excited to see him too! He got the kids T-shirts from his stay and they have both informed me they want to wear them all week long! Porter and Owen's swimming lessons start this week. That should be a fun experience. We'll take lots of pictures and video clips to post on the blog.

The highlight of my week has been tracking down some friends from my mission. I had the opportunity to talk to a gal yesterday for almost an hour. She was one of the young women in one of my wards, and is now all grown up! She spent several years in London for schooling, so it totally threw me for a loop when talking - she sounded British! I love you Diana!!

Well, I think we finally have a child whose attached to a blanket! Baby Owen has been carrying his favorite soft blanket around the house all week. It's kinda cute and kinda dirty at the same time. I'm gonna have to steal it from him when he's sleeping to wash it! It reminds me of Adam when he was little. He had this yellow blanket that he took EVERYWHERE. It got all ratty, and my mother just had to cut strings off as it unraveled (it was knit). I'll never forget one day my mom decided to wash his blanket when he was up, and he was literally hanging on the washer screaming for the whole cycle. He simply couldn't live without his blanky! Boy, how he's grown!

Porter and Tess had fun this week making a Father's day gift for Brandon. They made a coat of arms type of thing. I'll attach a picture. They picked out stickers of all the

fun things Brandon likes to do and put them on it. It was a lot of fun. We had a hayday with the glitter glue. I'm still finding "sparkles" on my skin! For those of you who don't know, we have a family tradition that Brandon started last year, where just before Mother's day and Father's day - we take the kids to the store and let them pick out whatever they want to give their parent for a gift. It's funny to see what they buy. Tess is still picking out things that she wants, Owen gets help, and Porter is getting better about thinking about what his parent would want! So, this year, Tess got Brandon a pink Disney princess playground ball - Porter picked out a cool mesh bag with racket balls in it for when Brandon plays racket ball. Owen picked out a T-shirt and hat that said #1 Dad! All in all, Brandon loved his gifts.

Well, we hope everyone has a great week!

Summer is Here!

2008-06-08T13:44:00.004-07:00

Well, it's official - it's Phoenix - it's in the hundreds - and summer has began! It's time to brace ourselves, cuz 100 degrees is low! Although, I've found that once it hits like 107 - it all feels the same. After living in up North for most of my life, I'll take the heat anyday! I hate rain and I hate snow. It's pretty - but that's about it! My tan has never looked better than since we moved here!

We've just been up to the usual summer activities here at the Mitchell home. We spend lots of time at the sprinkler pad and swimming out back in the big kiddie pool. Every morning, after breakfast, I take the kids on a walk before it gets too warm so they can practice riding on their bikes, and Owen can cruise in his new stroller! Our goal is to get Porter off his training wheels this summer. Tess has been dying for some roller skates, so I think we'll buckle and buy her some this week and get her started on that! That should be fun.

Just one more week until swimming lessons start, and we're all getting anxious. I'm curious to see how Owen does. He loves getting in the pool in his floatation device.....so, we'll see how he does when he attempts to put his head under the water! The kids are doing well and loving playing together and making messes faster than I can clean. We're having a ball and hope everyone has a fantastic week! Happy Birthday, Uncle Kevin! We love you and miss you.

Kindergarten Graduation

2008-06-02T12:15:00.004-07:00

Well, I finally pulled the pictures off the camera of Porter's Kindergarten celebration. Here's Porter with his teacher - who we adore! We had a great time, and Porter was really excited to participate in the program with his classmates. They sang and had a slide show. The evening was finished off with treats. In the slide show Porter said his favorite part about Kindergarten was Science! He is having fun at home, and is already asking when school starts again!

7 years of marital bliss!

2008-05-27T10:03:00.006-07:00

Apparently, according to society, Brandon and I are supposed to be "itching" and heading for the door! We hit 7 years in our marriage yesterday, and I know I speak for both of us, when I say - we've never been happier. Marriage is all about learning and growing together, and we feel fortunate that we've grown in the same direction. We both laugh at how we've changed and concede that we, indeed, have changed for the better. We've had our ups and downs, as everyone does, but are loving our time together, and are looking forward to many, many ,many more years as a couple and a family. It's crazy how time has flown, and now we have 3 fantastic, and super cute, children. They mean the world to us, and we're trying our hardest to provide a happy and healthy home for them. Of course, like any other parent, we are re-living our childhoods through them as well! We've hit the ground running with parenthood and are loving it. We'll be the first to admit, we make mistakes, but we are trying.

This last week was a huge milestone for Porter. Thursday was the last day of school - and he's now officially done with Kindergarten and on to First grade in the fall! He's so excited to call himself a first grader now. Now, if he could only master tying his shoes! We'll get there. It was sooooo hard to say good-bye to his Teacher, Mrs. Encarnacion. She was AMAZING and the best teacher we could have ever hoped or prayed for. In fact, I've convinced Brandon to commute to the east side for work so we can stay in Surprise, so Tess and Owen can attend Kindergarten with Mrs. Encarnacion. Let's hope she's still teaching for at least 5 more years! We'll see how his commute goes, and then start house shopping again.

Tess is thrilled to have Porter home during the day, although today, I'm debating on wether she likes playing with him or simply bugging him! (how's that for a run on sentence!?) Tess continually amazes us with her little personality and her likeness to the old Dennis the Menace books or today's David Gets in Trouble book. She is CONSTANTLY getting into things. She is the most curious child I have ever known. We love her dearly and know we are in for a big ride with her being our only girl and the middle child to boot!

Big Cheezums - aka - Owen, is doing well. He has been in heaven since yesterday afternoon when Fafa and Punkin showed up! They were on their way home to Tucson from Vegas and spent the night with us. They had gone to a wedding there. We always love having them in our home, even if it's just overnight. We went to their house last weekend, so we've been spoiled this month! We'll probably head back down there in July sometime. Now that Owen's head is buzzed he's looking more and more like Porter everyday. He's cutting some new teeth right now, so he's not too happy about that. He has been really cuddly, which I love! Bring on the teeth!

Everyone is getting excited for swimming lessons that start in a couple of weeks. We'll keep you posted on how those go! We love you all and hope everyone is doing well.

Owen Got Buzzed!!

2008-05-19T19:18:00.003-07:00

Well, as family tradition allowed, Brandon got to Owen's head before I could stop him this evening. I felt a flashback to a cold winter morning in Rexburg, when Brandon took Michael's clippers to Porter's head! This evening, armed with his own new set of clippers, Daddy took on his fatherly role to my sweet Owen. He has now been officially inaugurated a Mitchell! For those of you wondering, yes, I did save a pile of his hair in an envelope for my scrapbook! He took it like a champ and didn't start fussing until the very end. What a cute little boy! My baby doesn't look like a baby anymore. Honestly, he looks more and more like Porter everyday. He is, literally, days away from walking. He's trying so hard, so keep watching - anyday now, we'll have video to post. Cross your fingers!

Porter is in his last week of school. He has done so well this year, we are so very proud. This Wednesday night he has a special Kindergarten celebration. I'm assuming it's somewhat like the Kindergarten graduation I participated in some 26 years ago! He's been practicing one of the songs he's singing all day. "Start spreading the news, I'm leaving today - - I'm gonna be a part of it - - First grade, first grade!!" Our major goals for the summer are to master tying his shoes (he's struggled with that), and to read as much as possible! He's excited to get registered in the summer reading program. He's also informed me that he wants to do as many projects as we can all summer! It's Arizona, soooo, we'll spend some quality time inside doing homework if that's what he wants.

Miss Tess is excited to have Porter home during the day. She has really missed him. She'll have fun working on projects and coloring as well. She will participate in the summer reading program too. I can read to her and we can count those minutes. I signed up all three kids for swimming lessons in June, and Tess is probably the most excited out of all of them. This will be her first year in lessons and she can't wait!

As most of you know, I quit my job and will now be home full-time with the kids again. We are all excited to have mommy home all the time again. Owen really missed his mommy, and has been in heaven since I've quit. I'll admit, I've been in heaven too! You don't realize what you have sometimes until you are gone for awhile. I feel blessed to spend my days with these kiddos! They are a ton of fun.

Brandon is FINALLY just about finished with the Mayo clinic building. He should be on to his job in the office as a Project Manager in just about two weeks. Everyone at Okland says this project has been fraught with more architectural issues than any other they have done, so anything he does after this should be a breeze!

We look forward to a summer full of free movies at the local theater, splashing at the sprinkler pad, and trips to the library! We'll keep you posted on all of our happenings!

Long Live Baseball!

2008-05-03T16:02:00.003-07:00

Well, we're right in the middle of T-ball season here in Arizona, and we're confident in saying that Porter has found his new passion. He loves baseball! We're excited that he's found a sport that he enjoys immensely. He lives in the best state for play fields, so this should be a fun journey for him. I was able to get today off to attend his game and took lots of fun pictures! School is out on the 22nd, so he's a bit sad at the prospect of not having class everyday for awhile. He has loved Kindergarten.

Tess is doing well and trying to be the head cheese here at home, which is no surprise to those who know her. She is her mother in another body. She wants to be in charge and have things her way! She's loving that Owen is more and more playful each day. She loves going to her best friend's house for day care 3 days a week. She has also found her first crush - her sitter's husband! As we were leaving yesterday, she made a point to yell out to him and tell him she loved him!

Owen is doing fantastic. He is getting more confident in standing and walking alongside things - sooooo - hopefully he'll walk before he enters Kindergarten! He'll be 14 months old on Monday, but we're not worried. He's progressing! He loves playing and wrestling with his siblings.

Brandon and I are doing well. We're both way stressed at work, and feel privileged that family life is going well to offset all the chaos at work! We hope everyone is doing well and happy, and I promise to post more often - it's just been busy!

Leatherheads

2008-04-06T22:05:00.002-07:00

If you are looking for a fantastic and funny date movie, you've gotta check out Leatherheads. We saw it this weekend and loved it! It's full of witty humor. Grab a date and head to the movies!

Running Up The Down Escalator

2008-04-06T14:53:00.003-07:00

So, as most of you know, I went back to work two weeks ago. I've worked in the dental industry off and on since I was 19 and chose to go back to that. I'm now working in an office that is in the local mall. It's not the best office, in fact, it's the worst office I've ever worked in. The files are a mess, the computer is a mess, and we have several doctors who come and go and the patients are all confused, and I even had an assistant walk out one day this week, cuz she was so frustrated. I've been hired to help clean up the place, which is no easy or overnight task. All in all, it's the worst job I've ever had, but then again, no one can replace Dr. Harris and his staff up in Idaho! I sure miss them!

Being in the mall, we are located upstairs next to Dillards right next to some escalators. I started on the 22nd of March, and since about noon that day the up escalator has been broken. I'm not sure if they are waiting on parts, or what the deal is, but they haven't worked on it at all this last week and who knows when the thing will be working again. I like to park at that end of the mall because it makes leaving work and getting home easier and faster, so I'm forced to go in the door I want - walk a little ways to the elevator, and then backtrack to the office. Several times in the last two weeks I've been in a bit of a hurry and decided that I was fit enough to run up the down escalator. On my first try, I thought, "this is no big deal, I've seen them walk up the down escalator on The Biggest Loser and it didn't look hard!" So, I went full force running up them cuz they were going so darn fast. What I didn't realize when I figured this would be an easy task was the fact that once you reach the top, you literally have to leap to get off the darn thing. After almost killing myself and then panting like I'd just ran a marathon, I made it. All who were watching got a lovely eye full, I'm sure. It was quite funny when it was all said and done, and I made it to work on time.

Sooooo, my point in sharing this story is that I've found that life is absolutely full of times when we feel as if we are running up the down escalator and taking forever to reach the top. Then when we reach the top, it's even harder to get off than it was to climb all the way up. Oftentimes we get in to things that we don't know how hard it will be, or what the whole experience even entails, but the rewards outweigh the risks. It's a blessing to not know the obstacles you may face along the way, because, had you known, you would never have embarked on the journey to begin with. I mean, really, would anyone try parenting if they fully comprehended how hard it was? Probably not. But what a shame it would be to rob myself of this fantastic experience I'm having raising our kids if I had held myself back because of the stress it would one day cause me over things such as potty-training, tantrums, and wearing princess dresses to the grocery store. I served a mission for our church and there is an unwritten rule amongst those who have returned from a mission - you don't tell outgoing missionaries how hard the whole experience is, cuz they would never go. Anyone who has gone will tell you how, on a multiplicity of levels, it was the hardest time of their lives. BUT, they will also tell you they wouldn't trade that time in their lives for their left leg. So much was learned and so much personal growth happened in that time in our lives, that we want others to do the same for themselves.

So, my invitation to all of us this week is to look at the stresses we are dealing with right now, and simply look at them as the stairs on the escalator - they are going somewhere, and they are most likely going against you, but there is joy to be found somewhere at the end of the line. You may even enjoy the bumpy journey that you are taking. As silly as it was for me to run up those darn things, I've done it twice since. I actually enjoyed it!

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-03-24T14:11:00.001-07:00

Grandma Came!

2008-03-21T13:21:00.006-07:00

In honor of my mother, who we just had a visit from, I've put these little puppies on our background! She loves her dog Lucy, and this is the closest I could come to setting our backdrop to our recent visit from her! She loves penguins too, but I couldn't find one! Anyhow, Grandma came in on the 11th and stayed until the 17th. We had a lot of fun with her, but we gave her our little cold bug and got her sick! We owe her a big apology for that! Sorry Grandma! We love you and hope you are feeling better. It was nice to see her since we hadn't seen her in almost a year. The kids had fun doing some crafts with her and even made a yummy popcorn treat together. It was nice to visit and catch up on each other. One of these days we need to make it to their new home in Georgia. We haven't been there yet.

Tess had her first teeth cleaning last week and did wonderful. I was actually shocked that she sat still and cooperated with the whole experience! She came home with her bag of goodies, ate the floss, and has been cleaning the tile with

her new toothbrush. What a good little cleaner!

Porter also had his first T-ball practice and was sooo excited that he now has a cool baseball hat. It's gonna take some practice to get the hang of running fast around the bases, though! After he got to first base they told him to keep on running and so he proceeded to keep running straight instead of heading to second base!! Time for dad to have some practice in the back yard!

Owen, sweet Owen, still won't walk. In fact, he doesn't even want to stand up. He scales the furniture standing on his knees and crawls like mad all over, but simply refuses to stand up and walk. If you have him stand up next to something, he'll do it for about 10 seconds and then wants down. One of these days, he'll realize how fun it is to move a bit faster. I'm not worried - I was a late walker - so maybe he's just taking after his Momma.

Brandon and I are doing well. We're just trying to get everyone healthy again. We all got some colds while my mother was here and we've been hacking for almost a week. We're hoping this is the last cold for the winter. It's supposed to be 88 today, so I'm hoping the heat kills the bug in our home. My big news is that I donated 11 inches of my hair this week to Locks of Love - which makes wigs for children who have lost their hair during chemo and for other reasons. I now have a fun new short hair-do!! I also decided to go back to work part-time for awhile to put some money aside for a new home, so I got a job again in dentistry. The kids are excited to spend a couple of days a week at their favorite friend's house. She used to teach first and second grade, so we're excited for Tess to have some pre-school and Porter will have some fun stuff to work on during the summer too. Maybe this will convince Owen to sleep in his port-a-crib that he hates so much! We'll keep you posted!

Well, I promise I won't take so long before I post again - It's just been busy here!!

We love you all!

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-03-21T11:51:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday Owen!

2008-03-05T20:20:00.004-07:00

We really can't believe our baby turned 1 today! It is really crazy how fast this last year has gone by. When he woke this morning, I ran into his room singing Happy Birthday, and he immediately stood up in his crib and started dancing to the song! He is such a fun little boy. We feel so fortunate to have him in our family. Porter made sure that Owen got to do whatever he wanted to all day long. Porter even asked me when he got home from school if I made Owen take a nap! I had to explain to him that Owen is still little and wanting to take his naps! I think his favorite part of the day was the constant singing. I told Tess that every time we walked past Owen we had to sign Happy Birthday. He loved it.

Owen enjoyed his day and was thrilled to have chicken and rice for dinner. He loves anything with rice. He loved all of his presents and new clothes. We finished off the day with cupcakes and some fun visits with family on the ichat and the phone. He was pooped and ready for bed by 6:50! We sure love him and are looking forward to many more birthdays together.

Okay, Just Shoot Me Now!

2008-02-24T12:44:00.004-07:00

As if this winter couldn't get any worse in our household with sickness.......now Porter's cough has turned into pneumonia. I just simply cannot win. I scrub the house daily, bought a new vacuum, bought a new washer and dryer, feed the kids right, load them up with orange juice and some random extract Amy told me to give the kids, and bathe them daily yet - they are still getting sick. We are averaging attending church every other week and sometimes less cuz someone is always sick and we're not wanting to infect anyone else. We've informed our bishop that we are indeed not inactive, we'd rather be at church, but we're at home with sick kids (Owen and Tess both even had pink eye)!! And to top it all off - LOST is driving me crazy!! What's up with Kate having Claire's kid?? And what about the Oceanic 6 are now 8? Why on earth is Sayid killing someone for Ben? If anyone has these answers, please enlighten me! I can't believe there is another two years after this season for a full resolution of these issues that are making me grind my teeth at night!

So, aside from our issues mentioned above, things are at least progressing here in Mitchell land. Owen is crawling more on his knees and we're surviving to say the least! Brandon's job on the Mayo clinic is humming along and he's getting anxious to finish it soon. We've finally gotten back into our normal routine after being spoiled from Nana for over a week! We had to re-train the kids after she left. Grandparents always give extra special attention and spoiling, so detox must happen after they leave! I've found my self praying for our hot summer to kill all the sickie bugs that keep coming into our home!

Hopefully this week will be full of happy times and no more trips to the doctor. Let's at least hope that come Thursday night, LOST won't give me heartburn!

A Visit From Nana!

2008-02-16T22:33:00.001-07:00

We had a wonderful visit this week from Nana Barb. She flew in last Friday, the 8th, and left this afternoon. We were thoroughly spoiled and had lots of her yummy cooking! There were tears to be shed when she left, and now we are looking forward to the next time she visits. Up until Thursday we had fantastic weather and were able to spend a lot of time outside, which really made the visit nice.

Last Saturday we all headed to Tucson to have a little birthday party for Tess with Fafa and Punkin. Punkin made Tess a special cake, and Nana provided the princess crown - so she was all set! We all had fun and Tess

made out with some fun new clothes. She has been really enjoying her new bike. She's already biffed it a few times, but gets right back up and keeps on going. We're really proud of her for trying so hard.

Porter had his Valentine party on Thursday and had a ball. He came home with a bunch of Valentines and has been slowly picking away at the candy when I allow him to have a treat! He's loved having Nana here, and made all of his Valentine crafts at school for her!

Chocolate Thunda, Owen, is doing well. He's still growing like crazy and developing a way fun little personality. He's army crawling all over the place and has made big improvements this week with his standing up next to things. We're getting there!

Brandon and I's big news here is that we FINALLY got a Mac computer! We've been dreaming about one for quite some time, so we

feel like it's our new baby. Maybe we should give him an official name with the Mitchell surname! We'll keep you posted on any new e

mail accounts or what I decide to do with the blog. I may go the distance and actually do a full website for the family and then ditch the blog. I'll let you know what I decide to do. Email me if you

have a webcam and want to chat and we can exchange "handles" - bjpmitchells@yahoo.com.

Brandon bought me my birthday present early and now I'm the proud owner of the new pink Nano! I'm learning how to use it and having fun. Brandon made me an 80's workout mix today and I'm enjoying the fun stuff on it. My goal this week is to memorize the words to Ice Ice Baby! Chris would be so proud! I'll let you know how I do!

For Valentine's, having a sitter here - Thank You Barb!! - we went out with some friends for dinner and had a blast getting to know them better. It was nice to have a night out. I also went the distance with our family tradition and made the kids a fun breakfast and used food coloring to make everything pink and red. They loved the pink pancakes, but Tess wouldn't touch the pink milk. She said if it wasn't strawberry milk, she wasn't going to drink it! Next year I'll know to buy the strawberry milk!

Anyhow, that's it here for now.

Word to your mother!

Happy Birthday Tess!

2008-02-06T20:23:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful day we've had here at the Mitchell home! Tess turned 3 today. It's crazy to think our baby girl is that old already. It feels like yesterday when I was out walking in a foot of snow in Rexburg trying to induce labor - - - and it worked! Tess had a fun day picking all of the activities to do here at home today. She got to have a little friend over tonight and we all went to Red Robin for dinner. The big prize was her new bike! She has been wanting one for quite some time, so it totally made her day. Thanks to Papa and Grandma - she's all set with a helmet and knee pads. Thanks to Uncle Chris and Aunty Amy - she has a fun basket and a crazy loud horn for her bike. I think she's set! She's really looking forward to Nana flying in on Friday. She will be here for 8 days, so we are all really excited to see her. We're all headed to Tucson Saturday to have a little birthday party for Tess with Fafa and Punkin.

Not much else has been going on here. We've all had our colds a few times over. I ended up with Strep, Porter had another ear infection, and Owen ended up with pink eye! Knock on wood, but I think we're all on the mends now. I sure hope so! It's starting to warm up here, so that should help.

Porter got registered for spring T-ball. This will be his first year playing T-ball, so we're anxious to see how he likes it. The season doesn't start until March, so stay tuned for more info on that. He's looking forward to a little Valentine party in his class next week.

Owen continues to do well and is growing daily. He's really got his little army crawl down pat. He will get up on his knees and rock back and forth, but he's not gutsy enough yet to get those knees moving. He's just following the path of his two siblings and getting mobile a little late. No complaints here by me. Once they are mobile, there's no stopping them!

We hope everyone is doing well and enjoying all that cold weather up North! We'll be thinking of you when we put on our shorts next month! The kids send kisses to everyone!

It's About Time!!

2008-01-17T11:56:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, I keep saying I'm going to be better about this and write more frequently. I will, I've just been lazy. It's certainly not from a lack of time. Things are busy here, but not that busy! We're finally back into our normal routine with school back in session. After some yucky colds right around Christmas, we got everyone all better for about 2 weeks! Tess and Owen are now down with colds again. We need cold season to be over! At least through all of this I haven't gotten sick.

Porter is loving that school is back in session. He continues to do well and just got a report card last Friday with all high marks. He's our brain child. We're still trying to figure out where he gets it from - it's certainly not from either one of us! We keep telling eachother that we need to save every penny we have for the tuition at Harvard for him!

Tess, despite her little sniffles, is still in charge and running her kingdom here at home. She is the princess and the president all rolled into one. Girly and tomboy all at the same time. She loves playing with her dress-ups, but thoroughly enjoys putting on all of the construction stuff and playing at her "jobsite" (which is porter's tool bench.) She does have a kitchen in her bedroom, but she seems to be taking on her mommy's traits of minimal cooking! She's looking forward to her birthday on February 6th. She'll be 3!

Owen, aka "Chocolate Thunda", is doing well even though he's gotten quite a bad cough. He loves playing with the kids and gets especially excited when Porter gets home from school. His new favorite thing to do is taking a bath. He loves to sit and play with the bathtub toys and he screams when you take him out of the tub. We've recently wised up and took anything remotely in resemblance to a cup or a bucket out of the tub. I was having a hard time getting him to take his evening bottle, when it dawned on me one day that he has his bath right before bedtime. He was drinking the bath water! Not only is that totally nasty, it was filling up his belly.

Brandon is doing well and has been super busy at work. They finally had a big pow wow with the owner's of the Mayo clinic to get him the info he needed to get this building done. So, he's now on track to finish it the end of March. Stay tuned for our next location! We've been told it may be Denver, but you never know till the last minute, so we'll see!

I'm doing fine, although I'm deeply disappointed that I have to wait ALL THE WAY UNTIL Jan 31st for the season opener of Lost. I just assumed it would start at the beginning of January and then found out the tragic news........At least the Biggest Loser is on - my favorite show ever! One of my new year's resolutions was to do a triathlon this year, so I've been trying to get ready for that. My body is killing me and I'm trying to remember that this is a cool goal and that I need to stick with it!

We took the kids to Mesa last Sunday to see Barb's parents. We hadn't seen them since last March, so it was fun to hang out and catch up. They have a home in Renton, WA, but spend their winters here in Arizona. We love visiting with them. They are such an inspiration to us about beign physically active and healthy. They are in their 80's and still running track, playing golf and Gill plays in a softball league!

That's about it here in Mitchell land. I'll be sure to write more soon!

Happy New Year!

2008-01-03T09:18:00.000-07:00

Well, we hope everyone has started the new year with a bang! I'm sure a plethora of resolutions are in the works and the motivation level is high! It is here - we'll see how long it lasts! We had a wonderful Christmas with my grandparents and our little family here. The kids loved all of their presents. We took everyone to the Mesa Temple Christmas night to see all of the Nativity scenes they had on display and the lights outside. It was really pretty and the kids throughouly enjoyed it.

Porter has been off from school and it's been fun to have him home. I've enjoyed not lugging everyone around to the school twice a day! He got a guitar from Santa and has started his lessons with Brandon. He's so excited to learn. He is getting antsy to return to school. He loves all the fun learning and projects he does there. We've done some fun things here, but it's not the same! He goes back on Monday.

Tess received a big dress-up chest from Santa and has been engrossed in her princess dresses and shoes (she got the shoes from Papa and Grandma) since Christmas day. We have to convince her every time we want to leave the house that she can't wear them in public! She also has to take her bath and get ready for the day in the morning before she can put one on! It's fun to see her all dressed up and walking around in her little outfits. The really funny part is when the shoes she's picked out don't match her dress and Porter informs her of it by bringing her the proper pair!

Baby Owen got a rocking Bull from Santa and has fun riding on it when he has some help. I think Santa saw it and simply couldn't resist it! He'll grow into it shortly. He loves having some new toys too. Aunty Melanie made him a new tie and he was decked to the nines for church on Sunday. He's finally over his ear infections and is feeling like his little self again. He so much fun and is growing like crazy. I can't believe he'll be one in just two months. Crazy how time flies.

Brandon and I are doing well. We REALLY enjoyed the holidays with the kids. It's so much fun watching them sqirm with anticipation and then see them squeel with pleasure when the moment finally occurs. Brandon tossed and turned all night long on Christmas eve. He finally leaned over at like 6 am and told me he was waking up the kids if they weren't up by 7! He did end up waking them up! We're loving this time in life with the kids.

We hope everyone is doing well and good luck setting your goals for the year!

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-23T17:26:00.000-07:00

To say that we are boiling over with excitement here, is an understatement! Tess asks me every morning if it's Christmas yet! Porter at least understands the days of the week, and has a coutdown running. Owen, obviously, doesn't know what's going on and just loves looking at the decorations and the lights! We can't wait to see him open his gifts. He's gonna go nuts with the paper!

It's been a busy week getting ready for this next week. Baby Owen's ear infections came back, so that's been sad to see him sick again. He's on a stronger antibiotic now, so we're hoping that helps. He's such a sweet boy, even when he's not feeling well. He was in heaven on Friday night, because I let him sleep with us! I didn't get any sleep that night - I spent the whole time looking at him! I just don't want him to grow up!

Porter's pancake breakfast at school was a lot of fun. He was also able to wear his jammies to school on Friday and the whole school watched The Polar Express. He was so excited when he came home to tell me they had given him hot cocoa and cookies during the movie! He's home now until the 7th, so that will be nice.

I got my lovely goofy gift in the mail yesterday - it's a "beautiful" pink christmas wreath. As much as I "love" it, I'm giving it to Tess. She thinks it's sooooo pretty. So, now we have to hang it up in her room! She's really hoping for some girly dress up stuff from Santa, so we'll see!

We had a visit Friday night and Saturday from Kate and Keven, my friends from Seattle. It was fun to have them here. We all went bowling on Saturday and had a blast. We had a great time with the kids making cupcakes for Kate's birthday. Her birthday is Christmas eve and we didn't want her to feel like we were forgetting!

We're looking forward to seeing Fafa and Punkin on Christmas day. I think the kids are more excited to see them than to open their presents. That is just fine with me! We feel so fortunate that our children have such a close relationship with their great-grandparents.

We hope everyone enjoys their holiday festivities and traditions. We are grateful for the opportunity to celebrate the birth of our Savior and to take some extra time to talk to our children about the real meaning of Christmas. The gifts are fun, but they are not the real reason for this enjoyable time of year. We're grateful for all that Christ has done for us. We love you all and want you to know you are in our thoughts and prayers.

xoxo, The Mitchell Family

Santa's Theme Park

2007-12-16T12:07:00.000-07:00

Well, we've been really busy getting all ready and excited for Christmas. The gifts have been coming in the mail, and thus, torturing the kids like crazy!! It's been so fun to put them out and see the turmoil they are going through because they can't open them yet! We're planning on spending a quiet Christmas at home and then awaiting the arrival of Fafa and Punkin on Christmas afternoon.

Last night we took the kids to a large Christmas fair in Chandler. It was so fun to take them on the kiddie rides and see all the fun lights. Tess loved the rides and has officially taken the title as "daredevil" in the family. She went nuts. She wanted to go again and again on everything. Porter loved the rides as well, but enjoyed his cotton candy most of all. Brandon spent a whopping $3.50 on Tess' cotton candy, only to have her tell him it was yucky and it ended up in the garbage. Brandon and I happen to agree with Tess on the nastyness of the stuff. Sweet baby Owen rode in his little sling on my hip and literally looked at the lights the whole time. We were there for about 2 hours, and he didn't make a single sound.

Porter is looking forward to a pancake breakfast that his teacher is putting on at the school on Wednesday for parents and students. He sure loves her and thinks anything she does is wonderful. He'll be off as of Friday afternoon and doesn't go back until the 8th of January. It will be nice to have him home for a couple of weeks.

We're all excited to go pick up our tree this week. We've been waiting to get the tree until it was closer to Christmas. We decided to be corny Northerners and buy a potted palm tree in celebration of our first Christmas in Arizona! We know it needs to be planted soon after purchase, so we've opted to wait until this week to buy it. Tune in next week for pictures!!

We hope everyone has a fun week with their final preparations for the big day! We love you all dearly!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-26T13:18:00.001-07:00

Well, I must admit that I've been slacking on this the last couple of weeks. I've been having a lot of fun writing for Amy and I's new website and that takes up a lot of my time. If you want to take a peek at it, it's http://www.raisingafamily.net. It has been so nice for me to have a creative and academic outlet on a daily basis. I've really missed the writing I did in college, so it's been a blast.

You know, you hear people talk about peaks and valleys in life. I really feel like we are having a great peak time here at the Mitchell household. Sure, we have our issues, but things are going really well. We're really loving Arizona and the routine we've gotten our little family into. Everyone is doing well except for some little colds. With the weather cooling off here, we've all caught a bit of a bug.

Porter is loving Kindergarten. He's doing so well and we really are proud of him. He's become quite the little reader. He's constantly looking at words in books and on signs and sounding them out. I think he's gotten his mommy's love of reading early on! He loves to do his homework and recently asked me what a nerd was. I'm not sure where he had heard the term. So, I explained to him that a nerd is someone who is really smart and loves to do homework all day, everyday - so his reply was - "Well, then, I'm a nerd!!!" It was really cute. He had a little Thanksgiving play at school and he was a pilgrim. He looked so cute in his little costume.

Tess is doing well. She's getting more inquisitive everyday. She's really starting to pay attention to her letters and pointing them out as she sees them. She loves working on her colors and doing little coloring projects at home with me. Her vocabulary is growing like crazy too. She's constantly surprising us with new sentences. She has finally gotten confident to go to nursery or have a sitter without crying, so that's a HUGE step for her. It's been really nice for us too!

Baby Owen is just too darn cute! He finally cut his front two teeth this last week and that was a chore to say the least. He has taken the term "blowout diaper" to a whole new level. It's been a lot of fun cleaning up after him! He was in seventh heaven this last week as we went to my grandparents for Thanksgiving. If he's near his Punkin, then he's a happy camper!

Thanksgiving was a wonderful day. Punkin and I spent the day cooking and then we all spent the evening eating! Everything turned out way yummy. The next day we took the kids to Agua Caliente Park again to feed the ducks. We love it there and the kids had a ball. Last time we went Owen was much younger, so this time was fun to see him try to talk to the ducks. His eyes were huge the whole time! Tess has gotten gutsy with the ducks as well. I swear, she was soooo lucky none of them bit her little fingers. She'll hold the bread in her hand and have the ducks walk right up to her and then she barely throws the bread! I think she likes having them get close to her.

We hope everyone had a great holiday and are doing well. I promise to not take so many weeks in between posts again!

Happy Halloween from the Land of Sun!!!

2007-11-04T17:26:00.000-07:00

Well, I must say, after having Halloween in the rain or snow my whole life, it was nice to have it sunny! Owen dressed up as Julius Caesar, toga and all, and he fit right in with the weather! Our ward had a huge trunk or treating activity and the kids had a ball and came home with a ton of candy. On Halloween night, we got maybe 20 trick or treaters, so we ended up with a whole slew of candy. Now, a few days later, the candy has been handed to a friend who is a school teacher and the rest hit the trash this morning after the millionth sugar high. I had had it, and chucked the rest!

We let the kids dress up again yesterday morning before we headed to Tucson. They wanted to show Fafa and Punkin their costumes. We had a great day with my grandparents and even went swimming! It's so weird to do that in November, but we certainly aren't complaining. We moved here for the sun and intend to enjoy it! We're headed back there for Thanksgiving and I'm looking forward to cooking with Punkin. The kids sure love it there and we feel fortunate that our children have such a unique relationship with their great-grandparents. Not many children get that. I sure didn't.

We had Porter's first parent/teacher conference a week ago. That went really well. He loves school and his teacher said he takes his schoolwork very seriously. He's one of the top 3 kids in his class and she told us he's one of her favorites too! As a parent, that was really fun to hear.

Tess is still running the castle here. She is defintely in charge and will come tell me even if she thinks daddy is "bossing" her. She loves making Owen laugh and wrestling with him. I think she's really enjoyed that he's gotten more playful. She loved being a cowgirl for Halloween and now I have to plan all of her outfits around her new pink boots!

Owen is doing really well. He's on the verge of cutting two more teeth. He absolutely LOVES playing with Porter and Tess. They constantly have him laughing. He's really trying to lift up his body in a crawling stance, but he's just so darn heavy it might take awhile! So, he just scoots backwards or rolls all over the place.

Well, we'll think warm thoughts to pass out to everyone! Enjoy bundling up and scraping snow off your cars.....I'll think about you while I put on my sunglasses to drive!

We love you all!

A Weekend with Fafa and Punkin

2007-10-22T08:53:00.000-07:00

Well, we had a busy weekend here at the Mitchells! Brandon had a few days of meetings in Salt Lake City last week, and then I flew in Friday morning to join him in Park City. So, Fafa and Punkin came up from Tucson to stay with the kids. The kids were soooo excited to have them all to themselves.

Brandon's company put us up at The Canyons resort in Park City on Friday night. It was a really nice place. We were able to see some friends that we went to school with, so that was a lot of fun. He works for the same company and they are living in Virginia right now. We hadn't seen them in 2 1/2 years, so it was really nice to catch up. After some shopping and sight seeing, we met up with my Aunt and Uncle and cousins in Sandy on Saturday afternoon. It was a lot of fun to see them as well. We were up until the wee hours of the morning Sunday talking. We sure love seeing them and we're hoping they head down this way for Christmas. We were also wonderfully, maybe, surprised with two inches of snow that night as well! We literally froze in Utah. We are definitely acclamated to our warm Arizona weather.

Alas, we were anxious to make it home to our children. We missed them terribly. We were happy to have some time together, but relieved to make it home safely and be an intact family again! The kids had a ball with my grandparents. They had lots of fun going to the park, coloring pictures, wrestling with Fafa and eating yummy treats. Owen loved his time with his Punkin so much that he barely recognized me when we walked in the door! She even let him sleep in their bed Saturday night - - which he NEVER does!!! There is defintely a special bond between them. We sure appreciated them taking care of the kids. They are the most wonderful great-grandparents any kid could ask for. We never worried about them being safe.

So, it's back to the grind this week. We had some teary eyes this morning when they left. We promised the kids we'd head to Tucson the first weekend in November so they could see them again. Now, I just have to convince little Owen that he can make it that long before he sees Punkin again!

We love you all!

The Joy of Nostalgia

2007-10-11T09:38:00.000-07:00

As I laid in bed last night listening to the hum of the baby monitor and not really quite relaxing as I was listening for Owen, who is teething, I got into one of my crazy notstalic moods. (How's that for a run-on sentence!?) Those of you who have ever corresponded with me through mail or emails know that I LOVE to write and I take my time to explain any idea or memory that I want to get across. I love detailing life and events. I've always been a fiersely loyal journal writer, until lately! What I miss the most about college is all the research and papers I had to write. Call me crazy, but that's what happens when you spend your childhood reading books - and your adulthood too. I am a self-professed nerd who loves to read! So, bear with me as I take the opportunity this week to rattle off about a multiplicity of things that have been on my mind lately. Feel free to read as much or as little as you like!

Yesterday, as I was pulling out of the driveway, I looked over my shoulder to see if there were any children on the sidewalk, and I noticed the three carseats in the back of the car. I had a small moment of nostalgia thinking about the three owners of those precious car seats! I truly think that motherhood has been the best thing I've ever done. Believe me - I'm not the best - or even close - but I love being a parent. In my family as a child we had an interesting dynamic in the sense that there was a 7 year gap between the older children and the younger children. If you take a moment and look at the majority of family photos from my childhood, you will find a child attached to my hip. I was a little mother to my 3 younger brothers and absolutely loved that role. I took it very seriously. I had a special sense of needing to protect them from a very young age. As an older sister I had several opportunities to babysit them. I was super paranoid to leave them unattended at any moment - even as they got older. I remember one Saturday morning - gosh - I don't even know how old I was - I think I may have still been in High School. Anyhow, I had NEVER ever left them unattended and just once I decided to take a shower. I figured I could take a short one and be out in 10 minutes tops. (mind you, the kids were older, I think the youngest was probably 7 at the time) Well, I got out of the shower and the house was dead quiet. I panicked. I ran through the house to find no one home. I about fainted and went into a tailspin of panic. I ran out of the house screaming and running up and down the block. Our neighter, Steve Maurer, heard me and started helping me look for the kids. We couldn't find them anywhere. Meanwhile - I had only put on clothes - I don't think I had even combed my hair! Eventually, I decided to get in my car and start looking for my mother, who had been at the church building for some sort of meeting that morning. I got to the church and their was no sign of the family car. As I was on my way back to the house I happened to notice the car at our local branch of the bank. I parked quickly and RAN inside with my hair dripping wet and all! Right there in front of my eyes was my mother and my little brothers sitting at a desk opening up bank accounts for the boys! Long story short, I will never forget that. I'm sure my neighbor and my mother won't either!

My own grandparents have said that they thought I'd never want my own children, because I had already helped raise 3 boys! Very shortly after Brandon and I got married we BOTH had the itch to have a child. Porter was born one month after our first anniversary and we've had two more since in only 6 years!! It's been a crazy, busy ride, but it's been amazing. I had a professor in college that always used to say that the joy in life is in the journey - not the final goals. Absolutely - he had it right. We're not stinking rich and I'm no runway model, but I have everything I could ever want right here at home. I am just as protective of our babies as I was of my brothers and am constantly telling them they can't go anywhere without me. In fact, we took the kids to the park last night, and as we were walking there we noticed two little boys probably Porter and Tess' ages running in the neighborhood alone. Porter looked at me and asked, "Hey Ma, why are those kids alone?" These kids are so much fun. They crack us up daily with the things they say and the questions they have about life. I have the best husband I could ever ask for. I dated a multiplicity of men, but the second I met Brandon, I knew he was different. I was smitten instantly and I still am. I remember going home after our first date and telling my mother that I was going to marry him. He has turned out to be a wonderful husband and an amazing parent. Those children look at him like he's pure gold. They would do anything for him.

Anyhow, It looks as though I may need to finish my ramblings on another day. This has gotten a bit longer than I thought! Just know we've got 3 little souls here flourishing in our home! They send out kisses and hugs to everyone. I just need to sit down and start writing our own litte family history story while all these little kid memories are fresh in my mind.

I love you all dearly!!!

Family Home Evening

2007-10-01T20:11:00.000-07:00

Well......I know it's been two weeks since I wrote - - - excuses - - - we've been busy and we've had a bit of some sickness in the house as well. Alas, I am back and all is well in Mitchell land.

We had a great Family Home Evening tonight with the kids. We've been really bad in the past about doing that on a regular basis, and have recently vowed to change our ways! Our big lesson tonight was on tying our shoes! Porter is at that right age and we know it takes a lot of practice. He'll get it eventually. Tess even tried as well, which was really fun. Owen opted out - he was more interested in his little dinosaur with tags on it! The kids thought the best part was the treat, of course. We had Nestle crunch ice cream bars - Daddy's favorite. Personally, I loved listening to everyone sing the little speckled frog song!

Soccer season is going really well. Porter, despite being the youngest, shortest and slowest kid on the team, is doing really well. His favorite position to play is goalie, which he does really well at. He's getting faster and more aggressive with each practice and game. We are so proud of him and he loves it. He continues to love school. He comes home each day and sits right down to do his homework. His teacher told me the other day she loves talking to Porter simply to watch the expressions on his face! He's always showed all of his emotion right on his face!

I started watching a friend of our's child last week and Tess has really enjoyed having him at our house everyday. He's 18 months old and his name is Owen as well! She likes playing with him and that has helped her have a playmate while Porter is gone at school. Owen's mom is a school teacher, so he's gone just after Porter gets home from school, so that's nice for me as well. She continues to love to ride her bike and eat strawberries whenever she can. She calls strawberries "strawberry shortcake" because she loves the character Strawberry Shortcake.

Owen is still the perfect little baby. He is ALWAYS sooooo happy. I can't believe he'll be 7 months old on Friday. He's fully rolling all over the place! It took him a bit longer cuz the poor thing is so chubby! He now has two teeth and is jabbering all the time. He's been eating solid food for awhile, but tonight we gave him mashed potatoes for the first time, and you'd think he was in heaven! He LOVED them!! He kept opening his mouth and he'd bark at me if I didn't feed it to him fast enough! He's growing up too fast. What he does that I love best are his kisses. He'll practically suck on your cheek and laugh at the same time. It's way cute.

Well, we hope all is well with everyone and I promise to work on some great oration for the next entry!

xoxoxoxo

What Would Jack Bauer Do????

2007-09-16T19:10:00.000-07:00

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!!!!

2007-09-09T15:55:00.000-07:00

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!!!

2007-09-02T18:40:00.000-07:00

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!

School Time!!!

2007-08-19T14:39:00.000-07:00

Well, the big week arrived and started with a bang! Porter was so excited he was up by 5:30 on Monday and ready to go by 6! Three hours later, he was finally there and I was balling. Brandon took the day off so he could be there to see him off to school. We were able to take him into his classroom and help him pick out his spot to sit. He was so excited to meet everyone and even one of his friends from church is in his class. His teacher is hispanic, so we are thrilled that he will be learning some spanish, more than just what mommy has taught him. After his teacher assured all the parents that their kids would be safe, we had to leave. When I picked him up at the end of the day, he was wasted! By Wednesday night, he slept for 13 hours straight! He finished out the week strong and is loving it. He is attending a brand new school, so a few things still aren't quite done - including the kitchen and cafeteria. It should be done this week and Porter can't wait for Pizza day!

Poor Miss Tessy was so lost this week without him. She has no idea what to do with him gone. She spent a lot of time coloring and playing with me. One day, all she wanted to do was sit and cuddle with me while I read her a bunch of books - for several hours! I've also caught her trying to get Owen to do more than he can and he ends up crying! She will get used to it, and now is the perfect time for me to start some pre-school with her to help keep her busy. The highlight of her week was getting a new carseat! She loves it because it's pink!

Bubba Fats Owen is still growing like a champ and moved up in size on his carseat as well this week. He also got a new high chair and is loving that too. He's such a sweet happy baby. Today he had an accident at church that went through all his clothes, and of all days, I had forgotten to put an extra outfit in the diaper bag - so he got to attend the last hour in his diaper! Everyone loved seeing how chubby he was with all of his rolls!!!

We took the family for a drive yesterday and went to see the Mesa Temple. The kids loved the paintings at the visitor's center and we walked around the grounds and took some photos. It was a nice family outing to show the kids the temple here.

So, we're all geared up and ready for another week of school! I'm still getting used to having Porter gone and realizing that it's okay. He has already done a lot and is anxious for another week of class, PE, art, music and library time. He said that so far his favorite part about kindergarten is that he doesn't have to take a nap!

We love you all and hope you have a great week!

xoxoxoxo

It's official - we're legal Arizonians!

2007-08-12T20:36:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I flaked out last weekend and didn't update the blog. I didn't realize until Sunday that the batteries were dead in the camera - and then Brandon left Monday for Nashville and took the camera with him!!

Brandon spent Monday and Tuesday in Nashville on business and was able to see Kevin (my brother) while he was there. It was a last-minute and short trip, but fun to see Kevin on short notice. The kids and I spent the week hanging out and enjoying Porter's last week at home before school starts. Tomorrow is the big day, and I tell ya, tonight might as well be Christmas eve. Porter was sooooo excited when we tucked him into bed tonight. I was kissing and hugging him, and he leaned towards my ear and asked, "Hey, Ma, do I need to set my alarm? Do I have to get up early?!" It was so cute. I simply told him that school didn't start until 9am and that we live a mile from the school, so he would be fine getting up at his usual 6am! Anyone who knows us, knows that we love routine and all three kids are in bed by 7pm on a normal day - so we always get up early. So, it was cute to me that he thought he may need to set an alarm.

We finally buckled and made ourselves legal Arizonians by changing our licenses and registering the car! I believe we were supposed to do it in the first 60 days....... So, that put us somewhere like just over 4 months late!! So, it's official! Who knows how long it will be, but we hope to make it somewhat permanent. We'll know in the next couple of weeks if Brandon's next job is here in Phoenix or out of state. We'll keep everyone posted.

Tess is in for a big shock tomorrow. I'm curious to see how she handles having Porter gone all day. She's not a solo player, so, we'll see! Owen had a doctor's appointment this week and weighed in at 20lbs 7oz at just over 5 months old! He's most definitely our chubbiest baby yet!

We hope everyone is doing well and look for the big update next week on Porter's first week of School!!!

xoxoxoxo

Laundry

2007-07-29T19:18:00.000-07:00

Well, this week I've decided to do something a little different instead of the usual spout-off of what we've done this week.

I had one of those Oprah "ah ha" moments yesterday while folding laundry and wanted to share it with everyone. So, here goes......

I, as most women, struggle with the desire to do the household laundry. A few weeks ago, I decided that I needed to change my attitude and try to look at the task of laundry and other household chores as something other than chores. In the process I've learned a great deal about the joy of taking care of my family. So, bear with me as I compare our family life to the task of laundering our clothing.

As I sorted out a few days worth of laundry yesterday morning, I was pleased (maybe) to find my husband's dirty soccer socks, swimming suits, and now Tess' pretty princess underwear. The dirty laundry is a direct correlation to all the fun times we've had as a family at any given moment. We were able to witness one of Brandon's final soccer games this week, play in the water a bunch, and Miss Tess hasn't wet her pants since Monday and is the Queen of potty-training! I have the habit of folding our laundry on our bed and have spent many an hour folding and thinking about our family as I fold. It's been enjoyable to see the folding go from just Brandon and I's stuff to adding Porter, Tess and now Owen. What a huge milestone for us this week to add little girl underwear to the batch. I found myself cheesily nostalgic yesterday as I realized we've hit another stage in our life with our baby girl now a big girl. I almost want to freeze our children in childhood so they never leave my side and I can continue to control the environment that they live in. The clean laundry is the anticipation of all that is to come in the future - or shall I say - the preparation for all the things we plan to do in our time. In two weeks, we'll be adding Porter's school uniforms as school starts. Crazy how time is flying here. I know someday I will miss the swarms of laundry I find myself doing on a daily basis. For now, I will relish in our memories as I do the laundry!!!

Anyhow, enough of my soapbox, as you can tell, we've had another great week. We're so proud of Tess. She has done such a wonderful job this week potty training. I finally decided to get serious and trash the pull-up - which is officially a waste of time, if you ask me. So, she went to the panties on Monday and after wetting like 12 times, hasn't since then! The boys are doing well and loving playing together. Owen loves the attention Porter gives him and Porter loves being the big brother. I think Porter will be a lot like Chris, who as most know, loves being our older brother and protector.

We hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the summer. Tune in next week for more Mitchell news - and maybe more ramblings from me - - -

xoxoxoxoxo

Water Week!!

2007-07-22T14:02:00.000-07:00

Well, everyone knows how us Mitchells LOVE the water - - - this week was no exception! Porter finished off his swimming lessons and passed with flying colors. We are so proud of him. He did a wonderful job and is now looking forward to going to Tucson and swimming with FaFa and Punkin so he can show off his new skills! His exciting news was that he got registered yesterday for fall soccer! Stay tuned, his season starts Sept 9th, so we'll have lots of fun pictures and stories!

We actually had a really busy week. Tuesday was our movie day, and sad to say, probably our last. Miss Tess just doesn't like to sit still for too long and it's getting hard for me to manage her and Owen at the same time. She just wants to dart all over the place and I just can't run after her with a baby in my arms! We had a HUGE milestone with her last night - - - -she went potty in the potty chair for the first time!!! Hopefully we can keep this ball rolling with her! We made a really big deal out of it and got her all excited.

Wednesday our friends from Queen Creek came over for a play date. We took them to the sprinkler pad and had a ball. Afterwards, we came back and played and had lunch. It was a lot of fun. Ethan and Porter are almost the same age, and Tess and Ella are close in age too, so they play together really well. In fact, Rustin and Owen are only 6 weeks apart - so everyone is basically the same age which is nice!

Yesterday we drove to a neighboring city and found a new sprinkler pad. It's a bit bigger than the one we have here and the kids loved it. I even got wet while putting Owen in the water several times. He loved it. It was fun to go with Daddy so he can see all the fun the kids have there too. We finished off our day yesterday with a family trip to the library. So, we're all set on reading materials for a week or so! The kids love to look at books and pick out new ones each time we go. Mommy and Daddy love to read too, so we had fun looking for some new books. We even walked away with a great grilling cookbook. Anyone is invited to dinner to check out Brandon's grilling! He's the best!!!!

Little Owen is still doing great. I had to pull out the next size up in clothes from the garage again. Brace yourselves, he's now dived into the 18 month clothes!! They are a little big, but some of the 12 month stuff is small - it really just depends on the brand and with summer clothes, you don't have to worry about length. He's just a thick boy!!

Well, this week should be another fun one! Tune in next week for details!!

xoxoxoxo, the mitchells

It's Swim Time!

2007-07-15T16:35:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been another hot week here in Surprise, and it's no doubt that we are definetly in the middle of summer! We are doing the best we can to stay cool and are more than happy to pay our high electric bill! We didn't do much more than the ordinary this week, but had fun all the same.

Tuesday I took the kids to the movies again and they actually got to see a movie that they hadn't seen before. We then met up with Brandon for lunch, which was fun. It's always nice to see him during the day. Wednesday we did our weekly trek to the sprinkler pad. I always have to drag the kids home. They absolutely love it there. I may start taking them more than once a week before school starts for fun.

We got exciting news this week - well, at least I think so - Porter has to wear a uniform to school. I've always loved that idea and so we went to a uniform sale this week and just need to pick up a few more items. He is getting sooooo excited for school to start. I am too, because you can tell he's getting tired of Tess picking on him all day long! So, we have just under a month until he starts.

Porter started his swimming lessons this week and is doing GREAT!! I'll take some pictures this week at his last lesson and post them next Sunday. I keep forgetting to take the camera! We are so proud of him. He has just about mastered the "doggie paddle" and can swim pretty good under water, which is a huge step for him. I've actually been able to convince him to now put his head under water in the tub to wash his hair now! (Now I just need to convince him that taking a shower is like a sprinkler!)

Tess wanted nothing to do with the potty this week - - - What happened to girls being easier to train than boys??!!! I guess with Tess - everything is different! We'll give her a couple of weeks break and then try it again. Anyone with suggestions, please let me know!

Sweet little Owen is now eating his rice cereal twice a day. He just loves to eat! We've decided he'll be our football player for sure. He's doing really well and loves any and all attention he gets from his siblings.

Brandon and I are doing great. They actually poured the foundation on the Mayo Clinic building he's working on this week, so that was exciting. They had to do it in the middle of the night because of the heat. My week was the usual, although I've added a bunch of exercise to meet some personal goals. I hit my goal for the week, so that made me happy.

We hope everyone is doing well. The kids send kisses and "bear hugs" to everyone!

Until next week........

2007-07-08T10:06:00.000-07:00

Agua Caliente

We had a great week here in Surprise! Brandon only had to work Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, so we got to have Daddy home for more days than not. Brandon and Porter went to see the new Transformers movie on the fouth of July and they had a ball. Brandon said that Porter's eyes were glued to the screen the whole time!! We had a relaxing holiday and other than the movie, we played with the kids and hung out and had a family day here at home.

Friday morning we headed out for Tucson to spend a couple of days with Fafa and Punkin. (My grandparents - they've got great nicknames!) We LOVE to see them and are grateful they live so close. A few hours later and lots of kiddie songs in the car, we were there. Brandon and Fafa took Porter and Tess swimming while Punkin, Owen and I hung out at the house. Punkin is Owen's favorite and he was very happy to see her. After swimming and playing for awhile Brandon and I took off for a date. (You can't go to their house and not let them watch the kids. They practially forced us to go out!!!) It was so nice of them to offer to watch the kiddies while we went out. We went and saw Ocean's Thirteen, which was fun.

We all got up early on Saturday and headed out to Agua Caliente Park. It's a 101 acre aquatic/riparian habitat surrounded by the Sonoran Desert just outside of Tucson. It was a way cool place; like a little oasis out in the desert! Punkin brought bread and the kids got to feed the ducks, which they loved. Punkin, Porter and Tess were also interviewed by a reporter for the Arizona Star, so we'll have to watch Thursday's edition to see if they made the cut!! We really enjoyed our time there and plan to go back when the weather gets a little cooler so we can stay and have a picnic next time.

We are looking forward to Porter's swimming lessons that start tomorrow. We'll let you know next Sunday how they've gone. I'm going to try to get Tess to cooperate with potty-training again starting tomorrow. She was interested for a few days, and then changed her mind - so we're going to give it another go. Owen turned 4 months old last week and started cutting two teeth. So, as long as we keep the teething tablets and tylenol handy, he's seems to be handling it well.

The kids send hugs and kisses to everyone! Until next week.......

Summer Fun!

2007-07-01T14:18:00.000-07:00

We've had another fun week here at the Mitchells. It's getting REALLY hot here and we're adapting our daily routine to accomodate that. We're finding fun things to do in the water and inside as well. Tuesday I took the kids to some friend's house in Queen Creek for a play date. That made for a fun outing and I also got introduced to a digital scrapbooking program, so now I've found my new project for a while to catch up on all of the million photos we have! We went to the sprinkler pad again on Wednesday and again yesterday with Daddy. We sure love that place and go as often as we can. I think we'll start out our fourth of July this week with an outing over there!

Porter got to go to a birthday party Wednesday for one of his new friends. He had a lot of fun and came home all excited about his new friends. He has one more week until his swimming lessons start. He's getting anxious for that. We found out this week that school starts Aug 13th, so only 6 more weeks until school starts. Starting so early is weird for me being from Seattle. Up there they don't start until after Labor day and then are in school until the end of June! We'll be done here by May 22nd!

Tess is getting to be more of a handful everyday. She truly epitomizes the terrible two's. One minute she's great and then next she's super unhappy! We love her just the same! She loves to explore and entertain us whenever she can. She is constantly doing something that makes us die with laughter.

Little Owen is getting bigger and bigger everyday. I started him on rice cereal this week because he's always sooooo hungry! He's doing well with it so far, so hopefully, that should help keep him full! He will be 4 months old this week. I absolutely love this age. It's one of my favorites. He's so fun as he's interacting with us and smiling and jabbering all the time.

Brandon and I are doing well. Brandon continues to enjoy his new job and has spent a lot of time practicing his guitar this week. He really enjoys to do that and write music as well. As I said before, I've found my new hobby in digital scrapbooking. I enjoy it because I can work on it in small incriments. It's soooo much more convienient than getting all of my papers and junk out all the time. We enjoy most spending time together and with the kids. We hope everyone has a great 4th of July this week. Happy Bar-b-queing!!

Happy Birthday Porter!!

2007-06-24T16:40:00.000-07:00

Well, we had a really fun week here at the Mitchells! The highlight of the week was Porter's birthday, but we did a lot of fun things to celebrate. Tuesday Julie took the kids with some new friends to a movie and lunch at one of the local elementary schools. One of the theaters in the area plays a kiddie movie that has already been released onto DVD for free on Tuesday mornings for a fun outing for kids. They showed the movie "Barnyard" and the kids had a lot of fun.

Wednesday, which was Porter's birthday, we started off our day with an outing to a local sprinkler pad nearby. It's like a big sidewalk area with water features that the kids can run through and play with. We had a blast. That will be our regular Wednesday morning activity with our new friends here in Surprise.

Wednesday night we celebrated Porter's birthday just us as a family. Yesterday was the big PARTY!!! FaFa and Punkin drove up from Tucson to join us and we had 5 of Porter's new friends come over for a party. We colored, made party hats, played candyland and chutes and ladders, played with porter's nerf dart gun, decorated cupcakes, ate the cupcakes with ice cream and opened the presents and then played with the presents. Everyone went home happy and loaded with sugar!

We then got to enjoy the rest of the day with my grandparents. We loved having them visit. Little Owen sure has a special bond with his great-grandma and loves to be held by her. Last night Brandon built a big fort with chairs and blankets in the living room and slept under it with the kids for fun. FaFa and Punkin left this morning and many tears were shed by the kiddies as we said good-bye. We promised to head to Tucson for a visit in the next month or so, so the kids will be looking forward to that.

Life sure is busy here and as the weeks go by sometimes I wonder how fast these little one's childhood is slipping by. I can't believe how fast Owen is growing up. He's gotten so cute and so fat!! We sure are grateful to have them. We wouldn't trade anything in the world for them. Everyone sends their love and kisses and hugs from the kids!

Happy Father's Day

2007-06-17T17:25:00.000-07:00

We hope everyone had a wonderful father's day. We sure did here at the Mitchell household. We have a tradition of letting the kids individually pick out their gifts for their dad - and they can get what they want - no matter how silly it may be. I told the kids yesterday to pick out what they thought dad would love. Porter got Brandon two bags of his favorite chips, Tess got him a bat and a wiffle ball, and Owen got him some detail supplies for the car!! I thought they did pretty well. (For Mother's day, Porter had gotten me laundry soap and Tess had bought me an order of french fries!!) I'm curious to see what they pick out as they get older. We made daddy a big breakfast and let him take a big nap this afternoon. The kids also got him an apron for when he's grilling and decorated it to look like Superman, but it said SuperDaddy instead.

Our week here was pretty usual, although it has gotten really hot here! We only play outside in the early morning now. We're still enjoying the sun though. Porter is really excited for his birthday this week and has been asking how many days have to go by until the big day. Tess officially mastered her tricycle this week. She's such a fast learner. With minimal instruction, she's now wizzing all over forwards and backwards and in circles. Owen continues to be the perfect child. He slept for 11 hours straight last night, which was soooo nice. He loves to talk and smile at everyone!

We hope everyone has a good week. Tune in next week for a detailed report on Porter's birthday!

We've Been Shot!!!

2007-06-10T19:40:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy week here at the Mitchell household. We spent lots of time playing at the park and enjoying being kids. We got our new library cards and signed Porter and Tess up for the summer reading program. Wish them luck as they work to earn things like a pass to the zoo or a Cold Stone gift certificate and lots of other fun stuff! We also got Porter registered for some swimming lessons. Tune in starting July 9th for updates on that. He'll be in a daily class for two weeks starting then. It should be fun!

Little Owen met his new doctor and was not too pleased about the shots he recieved this week. He howled, but took it like a trooper. Porter, on the other hand, howled worse when he received his Kindergarten shots the next day. At times like those, I wonder how on earth my mother did this with 5 children!!! Needless to say, Owen weighed in at a whopping 16 lbs 5 oz. Our children never fail to pull in big numbers on the scale! Porter survived and is looking forward to waiting a LONG time before he has any other shots.

As for Tess.....or shall I say, "Messy Tessy", she's had a usual week for her - full of teasing everyone, bullying Porter, kissing Owen and running the show here at home. She truly has complete control of us! I can't quite decided if we've been blessed to have our only girl be our middle child as well. We've been double hit! A few days ago, things got quiet and I went searching for her - only to find her stripped down naked and sitting on the toilet. I looked at her and she said, "I go potty!." So, I took her off and we started potty training. We'll see how long this takes. Wish me luck!

Brandon and I are doing well in our roles as referees and crowd control. We love the chaos that we've brought to our lives with these little ones and look forward to the new things that happen everyday.