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

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!!

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......

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!

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

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!

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!

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!!!