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!
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Nana!!!!
Well, the highlight of our week was seeing Barb in Sedona on Monday. We had never been there and really enjoyed the little town. It was really fun to see Nana again as well. We hadn't seen her since Owen was like 3 weeks old, so he had really changed a lot in the time that has passed since then. Porter and Tess loved seeing the motorcycles and simply hanging out with their Nana for awhile. Lots of tears were shed as we left, but at least she knows how much we love and miss her!
Porter had his first soccer game yesterday and he played really well. It's so fun to watch him play because he's the shortest and slowest kid on the team - and he simply doesn't care! He just plays his little heart out and loves every minute of it. It was quite hot, so we kept everyone hydrated and covered in sunscreen. We look forward to more games and are hoping it will start cooling off pretty quick! He continues to love school and is soaking up everything he is learning.
Tess is doing better with having Porter gone. As the weeks go by, she'll get more used to it. It helps that Owen is getting more playful and loves to laugh at everything she does - so she's getting attention from him. I've really tried to keep her busy and do fun things with her and that is helping. Her favorite thing to do is help me load the washer and dryer, cuz she feels like she's a big girl doing laundry.........if only she knew what she was starting.......she'd wait a few years!!!
Owen turned 6 months old last week and his little personality is just booming. He LOVES to watch Porter and Tess and laugh at everything they do and say. They in turn, love the attention from him, so that keeps him going! He's still struggling to move around, but he's getting there. He's still eating a ton and loving his solid foods! He has a round of shots this week and he'll be weighed as well, so stay tuned for the results!
Brandon and I are doing well. Just the usual for us. We just love to watch the kids and see how much they change daily. It's funny how much they can entertain us and how much they pay attention to what we are talking about and what we have going on in our lives. Both Brandon and I have been trying to be healthier and to lose some poundage - and yesterday I sat Porter and Tess down at the table for lunch and gave them both a peanut butter sandwhich and an individual baggie of chips - - - Well, I walked away to do something else and I overheard Porter asking Tess how many calories were in her bag of chips!!! I about died laughing. I guess it's good to teach them good habits now!!
We love you all and will catch ya next week!
xoxoxoxo, the mitchells
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
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Watch Out Dave Beckham, Here comes Porter Mitchell!!!
Well, soccer season has begun in Surprise and Porter is stoked and ready to go!! He had his first soccer practice on Thursday and has been talking about it non-stop since then. His first game is the 8th and then he has one every Saturday until the end of October. We'll keep you posted on his season's stats. He continues to enjoy school and is sad that he doesn't have class tomorrow.
Tess is still struggling with having Porter gone during the day. I'm really trying to keep her busy and helping her understand that now this is special "mommy-Tess" time, so it's fun to have him gone. I wonder if she'll love him this much when they are teenagers!
Owen is doing well and turns 6 months old on Wednesday!!! We can't believe how fast he is growing. He's really trying to move around, but his little body is so chubby, he's having a rough time! He continues to be the happiest baby and super easy to tend to.
We are so excited for our little day-trip we have planned for tomorrow. Nana Barb, from Seattle, is on a ride trip with her Harley group and has a two day stop in Sedona, AZ - so we are driving up there to see her. We were going to surprise the kids, but I couldn't keep the secret for more than a day, so we're all excited to see her. We'll take pictures so everyone can see!
Brandon and I are doing well and just pluggin' away at keeping everyone fed and happy! We hope everyone is doing well!
Catch ya next week!
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!
Sunday, August 19, 2007
School Time!!!
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
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
Sunday, August 12, 2007
It's official - we're legal Arizonians!
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
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
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Laundry
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
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
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Water Week!!
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
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
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