The Mitchell Mob

January

2012-02-02T09:09:00.000-08:00

One of my New Year's resolutions is to keep friends and family updated with pictures better than I have in the past. Another resolution is to use my REAL camera more and my iphone less for pictures. So, a little late since it's technically February, but I'm doing it, right?! :)

Here's a recap of January...

Parker turned 11 months

Jonathan turned 30 with a 3 Amigos bash

Family trip to the zoo

When brothers play...

We celebrated Jonathan's grandparent's 70th Wedding Anniversary!

All the great grandkids!

And there's our January in review! We're gearing up for Luke and Parker's birthdays and party!

Parker is 11 months!

2012-01-19T14:12:00.000-08:00

At 11 months, Parker

is in size 5 diapers (but they’re a little big)

is in size 12-18 month clothes

weighs 22 pounds

is drinking half formula, half whole milk

eats anything in front of him (cheerios are a favorite!)

needs a hair cut (but Mommy just can’t do it yet!)

likes to use a lego as a passy

loves to pull out all the toys in the living room

has 2 teeth (working on possibly the top, front 4)

pulls up on EVERYTHING!

takes steps as long as he has something to hold on to

can escape from the barricade Mommy has set up

says ‘ma ma’, ‘da da’, ‘uh-oh’

signs 'more', 'all done'

nods to say yes when we ask questions :)

loves to get into anything his big brother is in

loves to swing

Parker, you are such a happy boy and such a joy to our family! We love hearing you laugh (even if it's fake!) and talk to your brother. I just can't get over that you are almost one. Stop growing up!! We love you baby boy!

Three Amigos 30th Birthday

2012-01-16T20:55:00.000-08:00

I know it has been forever since I've posted, but I wanted to start fresh in the new year and hopefully I'll slowly catch up on updating from the holidays!

Jonathan turned 30 on January 9th! When I asked (really informed) him about a party he said he would love to have a party based on one of his favorite movies... The Three Amigos.

I thought what a perfect theme for you.. but how the heck do you turn that into a party theme without it turning into a regular fiesta? Well, I don't know if we really succeeded but he had a blast!

Here are the invitations I made... because let's be honest there's not a lot of 3 Amigos themed things out there!

I turned our living room into El Guapo's birthday scene by putting up streamers and tissue poms. We even had a mariachi band!

Then, thanks to my AMAZING mom and sister, our 3 Amigos had incredible costumes! They painted the jackets and pants by HAND!! And my mom made the cumber-buns, ruffled shirt and ties. For my little boys I bought sombreros at Card and Party and covered them with black fabric. Jonathan had actually made a sombrero before for a talent show while he was in high school and created his from a cardboard box. Then we covered it with black fabric. I bought a pack of stencils from Hobby Lobby and stenciled different designs on each of their hats.

I dressed up as the singing bush and used a green feather boa and Christmas garland I found on sale. :) It was quite itchy and got in the way while I ate so I took it off before I got a picture of it.

I had Jonathan pick his favorite scenes from the movie and we put together a video with all of those clips to play in the background during the party.

I thought it would be fun to go back to our childhood with busting open a pinata.

Of course we had Mexican food along with Dos Equis and Margaritas. But the dads decided to split a banana :) This picture just cracks me up!

We wrapped up the evening with presents....

And some Just Dance 3!!

Even the little ones got into it!

Bekah couldn't pass up the opportunity to compete against the birthday boy!

We had such a great time and Jonathan had a blast. He told my mom and sister that they had given him his Halloween costume for the next 5 years! :)

Pumpkin Butterscotch Cookies

2011-09-02T11:27:00.000-07:00

It's that time again! Even though we have had triple digit temperatures the stores are gearing up for fall. Yesterday when I was doing my grocery shopping I saw this...

My precious two year old looked at me like I was crazy as I let out a squeal in the middle of aisle 5 of Albertsons. You see, my husband's favorite dessert is cookies. And a dear friend gave me a cookie recipe that has become one of our family favorites! I probably made Pumpkin Butterscotch cookies every other week last fall (I'm sure it had nothing to do with me being pregnant). These cookies are so scrumptious you'll let out a squeal when you see canned pumpkin in your grocery store. You have got to try these!!

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and grease the paper.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt & cinnamon together in a medium bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the eggs and sugar until smooth and lightened in color, about 1 minute.

On low speed, mix in the oil, pumpkin and vanilla until blended. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed during mixing.

Mix in the flour mixture to incorporate it.

Then take a break to feed this little one... Oh wait that was just me :)

Mix in the butterscotch chips.

Scoop out about 1/4 c. of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the cookies at least 2 1/2 inches apart.

Bake the cookies one sheet at a time, on the middle rack of the oven, until the tops feel firm and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry, about 16 minutes.

This is the hardest part! Cool them on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then use a wide metal spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Or just burn your tongue trying one because you can't wait for them to cool!

Dust the cookies lightly with powdered sugar.

I may have eaten 3 cookies right after they came out of the oven....Welcome Fall!

Pumpkin Butterscotch Cookies

Makes 22-24 cookies

Ingredients

2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 large eggs

1 c. sugar

1/2 c. canola oil

1 c. canned pumpkin

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 c. butterscotch chips

powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and grease the paper.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt & cinnamon together in a medium bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the eggs and sugar until smooth and lightened in color, about 1 minute.

On low speed, mix in the oil, pumpkin and vanilla until blended. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed during mixing.

Mix in the flour mixture to incorporate it.

Mix in the butterscotch chips.

Scoop out about 1/4 c. of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the cookies at least 2 1/2 inches apart.

Bake the cookies one sheet at a time, on the middle rack of the oven, until the tops feel firm and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry, about 16 minutes.

Cool them on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then use a wide metal spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Dust the cookies lightly with powdered sugar.

The cookies can be stored in a tightly covered container at room temperature for up to 4 days (but I doubt they will last that long!).

Update on the Mitchells

2011-08-03T11:18:00.000-07:00

I can hardly believe Parker will be 6 months on the 11th! He is rolling over a lot now and loves to play in his activity chair. He is getting a lot better at eating cereal and we should be starting other solid foods soon. He absolutely loves his big brother and will watch his every move.

Luke is getting so tall (we just had to buy him size 9 shoes!!). He loves wrestling with his daddy and playing (any type of) sports. He has also started taking an interest in entertaining his baby brother. He likes it when Parker grabs his finger and likes to make him laugh.

I am staying busy balancing my precious boys and my business. I really enjoy getting regular opportunities to be creative. Check out Mitchell Made Creations blog for pictures of my latest orders.

I have also loved my ladies summer Bible Studies

Jonathan taught during the first Summer Session and is now preparing for his Fall courses. He loves to run and play basketball at Hardin-Simmons. He also loves playing with his boys and I love having a front row seat!

I am reminded daily how blessed I am to be a wife to an amazing man who leads our family the way Christ desires and to be a mom to sweet, growing and quite entertaining boys.

Parker at 5 months

2011-07-21T09:41:00.000-07:00

At 5 months, Parker

is in size 3 diapers

is in size 9-12 month clothes

weighs 17 pounds

has lost his hair on the top of his head

likes sitting in his activity chair

pulls out his passi and puts it in his mouth backwards

loves playing with toys

puts everything in his mouth

might be working on some teeth

has rolled over once

still hates tummy time

eats every 3-4 hours during the day and wakes up once at night

loves playing peek-a-boo with his big brother

Parker at 4 months

2011-06-13T11:12:00.001-07:00

Parker turned 4 months old on June 11th.

At 4 months, he...

is in size 2 diapers
is in size 6-9 month clothes
weighs 14 pounds
is starting to lose his hair
does not like being restricted (in the car seat, bouncy chair) but wants to be free to squirm around
is grabbing his feet whenever he can
can grab toys that are in front of him
laughing more and more
still sleeping great but now prefers to have his blankie to go to sleep
eats every 3-4 hours during the day and has started to wake up more often during the night (growing spurt maybe?)
adores his big brother

It is amazing to see his little personality develop and hear him try to express himself with his “words”. He is such a happy baby and we are reminded everyday what a blessed life we have.

Parker is 3 months old!

2011-05-12T08:18:00.000-07:00

Parker turned 3 months old on the 11th and I can’t believe how fast the time is flying. I think all parents say that but I think the second child grows up faster than the first!

At 3 months, Parker

is in size 1-2 diapers
is in size 6-9 month clothes
weighed 12 lbs at his 2 month appointment but I’m sure he’s added a couple of pounds :)
loves his bouncy chair, but hates tummy time
is getting closer to rolling over
smiles and laughs all the time
is a great sleeper (Mommy loves it!)
eats every 3-4 hours during the day and only eats once at night (early morning)
loves watching his big brother
can sit up in the Bumbo

He is such a joy to our family and my heart melts every time he smiles at me. We are so grateful the Lord chose us to raise him to honor Him.

Easter 2011

2011-04-25T13:02:00.001-07:00

This Easter was Parker's first and a little different because we got to stay at home. We decided a day trip with two little ones on a Sunday didn't really sound like a lot of fun! So we got to go to our home church and we made it to the early service, 8:00 AM!! The service was amazing... from what I could tell from the Mother's room. :) They preformed a drama and had worship songs and preaching throughout. It was so powerful to see the sacrifice Jesus made for us then hear why He did it then worship Him through the song "He Loves Us." It was all very moving.

When we got home, Jonathan read the Easter story from Luke's Bible. And when we asked Luke, "What happened three days after Jesus died?" He responded excitedly, "He rose again!!" Even though he doesn't understand the weight of that statement just yet... it still melts my heart. :)

Then Luke and Parker got to open their Easter baskets. I don't think Luke remembers doing that last year, but he was excited about getting new goodies none the less!

Then we headed outside and took some family pictures.

That afternoon we were getting ready to host our Life Group's Easter get together (which had to be rescheduled) but ended up hanging out in the closet waiting for the tornadoes, hail and thunderstorms to pass over us. We did get to watch the hail fall before we had to take cover.

All in all it was an Easter full of memories!

PlayDoh and Cookies

2011-03-29T07:43:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been trying to do things with Luke that only "big boys" can do. He is doing much better with Parker but every now and then he gets clingy (usually when Parker is fussy and I'm holding him).

While we were at Target the other day, I saw little Playdoh kits with a few different colors and some numbers to imprint into it. I was probably a little too OCD about covering everything before we started but Luke loved it. I was too chicken to pull it all out when I was by myself with both boys during the day... just in case Parker got fussy. So I played with Luke for a little bit while Jonathan took pictures until it was time for Parker to eat. The next day I covered Luke's highchair and let him play there by himself. He did great and it kept him entertained for quite a while!

A few days later I pulled out my cookie cutters and asked Luke if he would like to help me make cookies for dessert. He said yes but I'm sure he didn't know what he was getting in to! He got to pick three colors for the cookie dough and a few different cookie cutters. He helped me spread the flour, then roll out the dough and then cut the cookies out. He did not like the flour getting on his sleeve! Haha! But I do think he enjoyed the experience and of course eating his creations! :)

I finally feel like I have my head above water with both boys. There are still times that Luke has a two year old moment when I'm feeding Parker and can't do anything about it. I think he's figured that out! :) More than anything we are loving being a family of four and taking it all in!

Family Pictures

2011-03-16T17:21:00.000-07:00

This week we got Parker's newborn pictures taken along with some family shots. A friend from high school has a photography business (Bella Photography) and did a great job! It was quite the ordeal getting Parker to stop crying and Luke to smile. Parker is probably going to be hooked on mylecon and Luke probably has 12 cavities from all the cookies we bribed him with! :)

Here are a few that Courtney got!

An Update on the Mitchell 4

2011-02-21T19:32:00.000-08:00

This past week has been a whirlwind! Parker was born on the 11th and we were home the next afternoon.

Then Wednesday I was hit with a horrible migraine. It got so bad Jonathan had to take me to the ER. They gave me meds through an IV and we were home by 8:30 pm.

Thursday morning my migraine was back but not quite as intense. Later that afternoon I got sick and my head was still killing me. I took the medicine the ER sent me home with and after an hour of no relief, we called the on-call doctor and he told me to take two Hydros on top of the other two pills I had already taken! I was hesitant to take that much medication but was hopeful some relief would be coming. It didn't come and Jonathan took me back to the ER. They submitted me and I stayed in the hospital until Saturday evening.

They finally diagnosed me with postpartum preeclampsia after they figured out my high blood pressure wasn't affected by my migraine. Postpartum preeclampsia is the combination of high blood pressure, migraine and vision problems. When I asked how long to expect it to last they said I hadn't been normal up to this point so they couldn't say for sure. They're estimate was anywhere from 3-6 weeks. Yippee!

I had a bit of a breakdown Sunday morning when I found out my mom planned on returning back to Palestine. :) She graciously stayed to help us out! By Monday afternoon/evening my head started to get really bad. In the midst of all my craziness, Jonathan became sick with a stomach bug! It was quite pathetic with both of us laid up in bed!

Jonathan called my doctor Tuesday to see if they could work me in any sooner than my appointment on Thursday and we got in that afternoon! I was very comforted by my doctor who took time to take my blood pressure repeatedly, ask the right questions and answer any additional questions we had. He ended up doubling my blood pressure medicine because I was on the lowest dose possible.

That seems to be working for my migraines and mostly for my blood pressure too. Every now and then I'll get a high reading but most times I'm manageable! Jonathan is now feeling better and is back to work. His coworkers have also been gracious covering for him while I was in the hospital and when he got sick. We are so blessed for all the help we've received!

I am now getting to adjust to our family of 4 and being home alone with the boys during the day. Today was actually my first full day with the boys and the only casualty was my iphone that Luke dropped in a glass of water. :/ It's actually still working but showing lots of errors. :)

Stay tuned for pictures!

Parker Landon is here!

2011-02-14T11:31:00.000-08:00

Our baby boy is finally here! We got to the hospital Friday morning around 5:30 AM and got checked in to our labor and delivery room. They started the pitocin around 7 AM and my doctor was in shortly after that to check me. I was dilated to 4 cm and he broke my water.

The contractions were coming every 2-3 minutes and were moderate. I decided to see how long I could go without an epidural and when they started to get intense I asked the nurse to check me and see how much longer it would be. When she told me I was a 6 and it would probably be another hour at least, I decided it was time! That was probably a mistake to wait that long now that I look back... It was hard to stay still for the epidural and bend over through my contractions. Once I had that baby I was good! I did have the shakes pretty bad, which made my mom and Jonathan nervous, but I wasn't in any pain.

Since I got my epidural later, I couldn't feel the contractions or really any pressure. My nurse checked me and I was at a 10 and had no idea! I pushed on a few contractions and my nurse decided to call my doctor. Parker was here about 20 minutes later.

Friday, February 11th at 1:29 PM, 9 lbs even and 20 1/4 inches long!

We were able to go home the next afternoon! It was so nice being able to take a hot shower in my own shower! Recovery has gone a lot better this time than I remember with Luke.

Luke doesn't know what to think of his baby brother just yet. We have had to bribe him to take pictures and show any affection toward his brother! :)

Both the boys happened to be in red pajamas this morning so we decided to take "Valentine's Day" pictures. The first two pictures were without a bribe and last one he was promised a toy!

The Waiting Game...

2011-01-31T06:53:00.000-08:00

Last Tuesday, I went to the doctor for my 37 week checkup. We found out that I was 3 cm dilated and 50% effaced. I was very surprised to hear that and started eating spicy food, pineapple, walking, etc. I had a few contractions after the appointment but nothing long enough or consistent enough to send me in.

Then the ER visit happened Thursday night so I wasn't focused on trying to get Parker to come. Then by Friday afternoon, Luke had developed a pretty bad cough. We thought it was just allergies at first because of the congestion, runny nose and sneezing. As the coughing got worse we called the on-call doctor and he called in a steroid for what possibly could be croup. If getting stitches wasn't scary enough for this pregnant mommy, the helplessness of not being able to take my baby's cough away was! Poor Luke had a rough weekend (along with Mommy and Daddy)!

Jonathan and I slept in Luke's room so when he woke up coughing in a panic, we would be right there. He stopped having the bad coughing attacks Sunday night but is still coughing a little from the congestion this morning.

When it looked like Luke was turning the corner yesterday, I began walking like crazy and bouncing on my pilates ball. So much so that I strained my round ligament muscle....darn it! That was not pleasant. I have given up on bringing Parker here with the old wives tales. I go back to the doctor tomorrow afternoon to see if I've progressed anymore.

I'm a little anxious about when Parker will come because Luke's birthday party is in 5 days!! I really don't want to be in the hospital for Luke's party or his birthday on Sunday. I can say that I know it's all going to work out and be fine, but it's hard for me to really believe it! :) Stay tuned for the update!

Our first trip to the ER

2011-01-28T16:37:00.000-08:00

Warning: Pictures show blood! Bekah this is for you! :)

Last night Luke was running around and tripped and hit the corner of our bookshelf. He sliced right above his right eye. We got out the ice and tried to stop the bleeding. After a while it kept swelling and opening up more and more. I texted our pediatrician friend a picture to ask if he needed stitches. He decided to come over and get a better look at it. When he got there and looked at it he decided it would be better to put in a few stitches to close it up. Luke did great while Justin looked at him! What a blessing to have a great friend like that! Here's the before shot:

Once we got into the room, Luke had to put on a gown. I thought that might be a possible meltdown since he had to take off his pjs but we called it his "special shirt" and he instantly fell in love with it! :)

Then we had the special stickers on his belly (heart monitor) and special sticker with the light on his thumb (pulse maybe?). He did GREAT!!! Until it was time for the anesthesia shot... He cried like any kid would getting a shot that big and said, "Hold you Mommy!!!!" It was horrible since I couldn't pick him up with all the wires on him!

After a few minutes he was out and Justin started putting in the 2 stitches. Jonathan watched... I knew better! :) It went really smoothly and Luke was probably only out for about 45 minutes.

Right about the time Luke was coming to I started to get really light headed. I tried to tell Jonathan but couldn't get the words out. I ended up blacking out and the nurse gave me some oxygen. Poor Jonathan was trying to keep my head from falling over and make sure Luke knew we were there as he was waking up. We were again grateful Justin was there to be another familiar face for Luke. I was fine after a few minutes and think it was just the adrenaline wearing off.

He wanted to go see Dr. Justin:

Luke was pretty entertaining in his grogginess! And did great handling the coming out of the medicine. We were home by 11 and put him to bed. We checked on him a few more times before we went to bed and he was doing fine.

He woke up this morning being his normal self which was such a relief! This is what it looked like this morning.

We were so thankful that he hit where he did and not on his eye. He just might have a black eye just in time for his birthday party! :)

New Adventure!

2011-01-25T11:31:00.000-08:00

I have recently embarked on a new adventure... opening a small business! It absolutely terrifies me and definitely pushes me out of my comfort zone. Not to mention I'm about to have a baby!

I'd love for you to check out my stuff!

http://mitchellmade.blogspot.com/

And if you're on Facebook look up Mitchell Made Creations and "like" my page!

Finishing up some projects

2011-01-23T14:12:00.001-08:00

There have been a few things that have been on my "To Do" list before Parker's arrival.

- We've moved Luke into his big boy bed and redecorated his room

- We've set up Parker's nursery and washed his clothes

- I've made signs for both the boys rooms

- I put all of our home videos from 2010 onto DVDs to make room for videos of Parker

Today I finished the boys brother shirts. I saw some shirts on etsy that I loved but I just can't spend $20 per shirt right now (we're about to have 2 in diapers!!).

I followed a tutorial on appliqueing from Life Frosting blog. I found a package of 5" x 5" fabric squares at Hobby Lobby for $3. I picked 3 of the least girly ones. :) I got Luke's shirt from Hobby Lobby for $3 and already had the white onesie for Parker. I bought half a yard of Wonder Under for $1 (that stuff is amazing!!). I figured out what size and font I wanted the letters to be and cut them out on my cricut. Then I traced the letters on the back of the fabric. It turned out being easier to hand stitch the letters on the shirts for a little extra security than to sew them on.

Surprising, it didn't take long to finish at all! And I only ended up spending $7 on both shirts! That makes this Mommy very happy. :) Here's the finished products:

Some of the other projects that I have left to do are:

- finishing up stuff for Luke's birthday party

- making candy bar wrappers that say "It's a boy!" to take to the hospital

- taking down my craft table/station in my bedroom (tear) to make room for the bassinet

- and if there's time, I'd like to make a few more meals to put in the freezer for after Parker

It's about to get crazy for the Mitchells!!!

Boys Rooms

2011-01-15T13:31:00.000-08:00

One of the big things that had to happen before Parker arrived was moving Luke to a big boy bed so Parker could have the crib. We talked up Luke's big boy bed a lot and he has done great! There's only been one time that Luke got out of bed a few times, but other than that he loves to climb up and snuggle under the covers!

I came across Psalm 127:3 a few months ago and wanted to make signs for each room.

"Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children are a reward from Him."

I had quite a few hiccups with these signs (as many of my projects have)!

I started with Parker's.

I spray painted it blue then got out my stencils to paint on the letters. The paint kept bleeding outside the stencil and it frustrated me to no end. So I traced all the letters from the stencils and then hand painted all of them. That required a few coats and then I painted Modge Podge over it as a sealant.

Then I moved on to Luke's sign.

I spray painted it orange and decided, after how Parker's sign went, I would cut out the letters with my cricut and Modge Podge them on. However, after I cut out all of my letters, taped them on and started to paint on the Modge Podge, the letters started to bubble beyond repair. UGH! This just happened to be the night that my Mom and sister surprised me by coming to Abilene to help out with all of my projects!!! Just in the nick of time! We scraped off the letters that had bubbled, lightly sanded the rough areas and re-spray painted it for a fresh start. I then got smart and got vinyl for my cricut to cut the letters out. That way we could just stick the letters right on!

Mom attached the hooks and wire to both signs and hung them both for me. We were so productive!

I bought new shelves for Luke's room that could handle more weight and painted them lime green to match his big boy bedding.

I will eventually take down his baby pictures and put up vintage, wooden cars and trucks that are primary colors. I found some at Pottery Barn Kids that I loved but they're not available anymore. Not that I could justify spending $25 on each car.

I'm keeping my eyes open for a cheaper version or something I can paint that would resemble the originals.

Parker's shelves are the ones I used for Luke's room, I just spray painted them to match his sign. Another project for Parker's room was his name. I ran across the idea to cover the letters with yarn on this blog.

I love how Parker's turned out but it was soooo much work!

So that's pretty much the boys rooms make overs. I feel so much better having Luke's room pulled together and the nursery ready for Parker's arrival! I also managed to recycle the sign I made for Luke's 1st birthday into a door sign for when Parker gets here!

Before:

After:

2010 Mitchell Family Recap

2011-01-04T13:45:00.000-08:00

Last year was by far our craziest, busiest and exciting year yet!

My baby boy turned one in February and I got to plan my first real party. Jonathan continued to work diligently on his dissertation and his papers for publishing.

In March, we continued the job search and were feeling a little discouraged. Jonathan committed to teaching summer classes at Richland Community College. And we welcomed a new nephew.

April was crazy! Jonathan defended his dissertation and prepared for graduation in May. We celebrated Luke's second Easter with family. And Jonathan signed a contract with Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas. We also signed a contract on a new house!

Jonathan graduated with his Doctorate in Applied Mathematics from Southern Methodist University in May. We celebrated with friends and family over lunch.

In June, we started preparing for our move to Abilene. We also found out that our family of 3 would soon be a family of 4! We had to learn how to function with Jonathan working until 10 pm all week.

July, we started moving things to Abilene. We bought a new car and tried to spend as much time with friends and family in the Dallas area.

August was quite a hectic month as well. Jonathan wrapped up his summer courses the day before we moved. We moved to Abilene and Jonathan started teaching at HSU.

In September, we started to slow down a little bit! I found a OBGYN, Jonathan continued to love his job and Luke and I found a play group to play with. We finally felt settled in our new home and new town.

October, we had our Reveal Party to share with family and friends what sex baby #2 would be. We also enjoyed showing much of our family our new home. Luke also got to participate for the first time in trick or treating. I don't know that he was fond of giving away his candy. :)

We loved getting to see all of our family in November for Thanksgiving. It was such a huge year to look back on how much the Lord had blessed us.

In December, we did a lot of traveling for all of our Christmases and were all sick on top of that. Traveling is starting to prove to be more difficult for me. Luke moved to his big boy bed and we started getting ready for Parker's arrival.

Like I said, 2010 was quite a whirlwind for the Mitchell Mob. We learned about God's grace and provision through our trials. We learned to trust Him for direction and timing. And we were reminded of how blessed we are to have encouraging and supportive friends and family. We look forward to what's to come in 2011 starting with Parker Landon's arrival!

December

2011-01-03T06:19:00.000-08:00

December seemed to be a rough month for us with traveling and sickness. But on the bright side, Jonathan finished his first semester at Hardin-Simmons University. I am tracking through the 3rd trimester and Luke continues to grow and learn everyday.

My parents came to visit us the second weekend in December and we got to show them our favorite park and the zoo. Luke loved having an audience besides Mommy and Daddy. :)

Showing Mams and Pops the flamingos and ducks at the zoo.

Dad trying to provoke the peacock that was loose.

Playing in the fort Mams and Pops built for Luke.

Then we left our house on Wednesday, December 15th to go to Carrollton and visit Jonathan's brother and wife. Part of Jonathan's Christmas present was going to a Dallas Mavericks game and we were glad Sam and Jenn got to go with us. It was Luke's first experience at a Mavs game and he absolutely loved it!

The next day I got sick and just laid on the couch all day. It didn't help that I started having Braxton Hicks contractions too! That scared Jonathan. :) I was sick for about 48 hours so it continued when we went to the Mitchells in Fort Worth for Mitchell Christmas weekend. Luke started running a fever Friday afternoon but didn't have any other symptoms.

Saturday we opened presents with the Mitchells and had our Christmas meal together.

Opening his stocking.

Luke LOVED his baseball "glub" and baseball.

Papa and Gramma got Luke his own bike!

By that night Luke started throwing up. That was the saddest experience I've ever had (I'm sure the pregnancy hormones didn't help)! That was the first time Luke's thrown up and he was so scared, poor baby. It took everything in me to not break down when he did!

Sunday morning Luke was still a little sick but was getting over it. We decided to stay at the Mitchells and not risk going to church. By Sunday night it was Jonathan's turn. He was still feeling yucky Monday morning which was when we were scheduled to go to Palestine for Taylor Christmas. He wasn't feeling 100% so he asked me to drive to Palestine. Jonathan rested the rest of the day and was feeling better by Tuesday.

We did Taylor Christmas Wednesday night with my immediate family. Luke got a lot of fun things!

Luke's own work bench! I think Daddy was just as excited as Luke :)

Luke got his first piggy bank from Dave Ramsey aka Mams and Pops

And he got his first real guitar from Granny.

We got out my Grampa's hunting hat and Jacob and Luke modeled it for us. :) So sad Luke never got to meet his great Grampa but Luke has definitely taken over as the "ham" in the family for him.

After we opened our presents, we headed to Beaumont for extended Taylor Christmas. It was a late night and rough on my dad who got our sickness next. :(

We opened presents the next morning with the family.

We have many goofy people in our family :)

We came back to Palestine Friday afternoon and celebrated my parent's 27th anniversary with just the 8 of us. That evening we went to the Christmas Eve service at my parent's church. I even got to sing a song with Bek during the service.

Saturday morning my parents and Bek went to deliver goodies to people working on Christmas day (firemen, police, hospital, etc) then came back to the house for breakfast with the Hinson crew. The rest of the day we got ready for Christmas lunch and had great quality time with the family.

Sunday morning I woke up and couldn't walk without a lot of assistance. Probably all the traveling. I sat with a heating pad on and off all day. And by Monday morning I was a little better as we headed back to Abilene. We were so happy to be back home!

We set up all of Luke's toys he got and took down Christmas decorations. I went to the doctor for my 33 week appointment and found out that my glucose test results were elevated so I had to take the 3 hour glucose test. AWFUL!!! But I did just find out that I passed so no gestational diabetes but I do have anemia. That explains why I'm always weak and light-headed! I'll start iron pills today.

December had it's ups and downs for us, but we had a great Christmas and great family time! Luke was so fun this year with presents and Christmas decorations. He would point out Christmas lights on houses when we would be out driving and loved having a Christmas tree in his room. When I would ask who's Christmas tree that was he would say, "Uke and Pahkers!" I hope he's that willing to share with Parker after he gets here! :)

We hope you and your family had a great holiday season!

the Mitchells in November

2010-11-30T12:25:00.000-08:00

Goodness, another month has flown by! Here's what we were up to this past month...

Jonathan has been winding down his first semester at Hardin-Simmons and has a lot of funny stories as a result! He still loves the work environment and the people he works with. Now he is getting ready for finals.

Katy has now entered the third trimester or "uncomfortable" stage in pregnancy. Parker is already measuring over 14 inches and is almost 3 pounds! She has updated Parker's baby book and enjoys taking Luke to play group at the play ground.

Luke is learning more and more how to be Mommy and Daddy's helper. He likes words like "mine", "Uke (Luke) do it!" and "all by myself" a lot these days. We have already entered into the "terrible twos" even though he has 3 more months until it's official.

Playing hide and go seek in Mommy and Daddy's closet.

We enjoyed all of our Thanksgivings over the past week and a half. And it was fun to see Luke interact with all the cousins this year. He is quite the picky eater so he missed out on all the yummy food!

We have also put up our Christmas tree and lights outside. Luke even has his own Christmas tree in his room this year. He loves everything Christmas! And wants the lights on the tree and house to be on all the time. We even enjoyed our first fire of the year last night!

October Festivities!

2010-11-03T06:30:00.000-07:00

We had a very busy, fun-filled October! This year Luke was old enough to participate in so many more things.

We started out the month by visiting our friends the Matthews and the Lonergans in Plano/Dallas. We hadn't seen the Matthews trio in a while and I was in baby heaven! And Jess brought sweet Fynley over and it was so fun to see her little personality developing!

My pantless son listening to Ashlyn reading

Ainsley and Asher

Luke and Ashlyn playing with sweet Fynley

My precious friends Jess and Kandace

Then we had the Reveal Party to announce we're having a BOY! I posted more pictures on my Party Blog here.

Everyone biting into their BLUE cupcakes!

Then we took Luke to the little Pumpkin Patch here in Abilene and bought him and Parker their own pumpkins.

Trying to find the right pumpkin

Showing off his and Parker's pumpkins

And Luke got to help carve the pumpkins this year too! Of course we had to choose a Mickey Mouse for one of them (Daddy worked very hard on it)! And Mommy did the silly face. Luke didn't know what to think of all the gooey stuff but he had fun exploring!

Helping with the cleaning out

Daddy with his Mickey Mouse pumpkin

Helping Mommy with her silly face pumpkin

The finished products! We were pretty proud since it was our first pumpkin carving :)

We were excited about trick or treaters on Halloween too since we were in a house instead of an apartment. Jonathan saw my 3 big bags of candy I bought and thought I was crazy... needless to say we'll be getting 4-5 bags next year! We decided that since we didn't have a fall festival to take Luke to we would dress him up with what he already had. So he got to be a Honduran soccer player (thanks to Aunt May's mission trip earlier this summer). He loved carrying around his soccer ball and saying "soccer player!"

Our little soccer player

Trick or Treating at our neighbors

Showing his skills

Checking out the candy bowl

Luke handing out candy... he would only hand it to the little kids :)

At the end of October, Jonathan had his 10 year high school reunion. We went to the football game Friday night and Luke loved every second! He loved sitting by the band and watching them play and dance. He kept saying "march, march!" After the game we put Luke down at Jonathan's parents house and headed out to a restaurant to visit with some of Jonathan's old friends. It was a lot of fun to hear old stories about how he was in high school and meeting some of his old friends.

It seems like every month we watch Luke develop and grow by leaps and bounds! He seems to be excited about being a big brother and says "Parky Andon belly, right there!" all the time. He is amazingly good at all sports so we're anxious to see which he will choose down the road. He sings songs while playing his toy guitar and does a little dance with it sometimes. :) We are looking forward to more family time in the coming months as the holidays quickly approach!

The Big Secret

2010-10-11T17:25:00.000-07:00

So we went to have THE sonogram last Tuesday and I can honestly say that I have not let it slip once!! That's a huge deal for me! :) It helps I have a whole party planned around this particular secret.

The baby looked great! And it was so fun to see baby kick and punch on the screen and feel it. The doctor said that my placenta was about 1.9 cm away from the cervix and they usually like it to be 2.0 cm. He was pretty sure that it will move but just to make sure we'll have another sonogram on November 15th. That means we get to see baby again! :)

I'm gearing up for the reveal party this Saturday and trying to space things out so I'm not overly stressed come Saturday morning. I can't wait to see it all put out and together! I'll be sure to post pictures along with the BIG NEWS!!

Here's one of the pictures we got from last week!

Sorry it's so blurry, it's from my phone!

Family Update!

2010-09-16T11:31:00.000-07:00

The Mitchell 3, soon to be 4, have been very busy lately! Here's an update on everyone...

Jonathan - is loving his job! It is such a blessing for this new position to "fit" so well. He is enjoying the classes he is teaching and loves how tight-nit the math department is. Jonathan has also been working very hard in our yard. We recently landscaped the front yard with some shrubs and pavers and added a few shrubs in the back.

Katy - is adjusting to a small town very quickly! I absolutely love the feel of Abilene and have become pretty familiar with how to get around. I am also LOVING having a house (surprise, surprise!). I have really connected with a childhood friend of Jonathan's who lives in Abilene. It's been nice to find friends so quickly.

Luke - is constantly growing and developing. He is a little ball of energy and loves to pull out all his toys just to put them back. We have started going to a play group of about 4-6 kids and Luke is learning how to share and take turns. :)

Baby #2 - is growing right on track. I started feeling the baby move a few weeks ago and I always anxiously await to feel the next kick! I had my first appointment in Abilene this week and really liked the doctor. It was a big relief to find a doctor so soon! We should have "the sonogram" when I'm around 20 weeks.

So that's a little update on the Mitchells. Check back for details of the Reveal Party for baby #2!

Blog Reading

2010-09-07T08:28:00.000-07:00

I stumbled across this blog about a year ago and her story just grabbed me. I have sobbed my guts out reading about their little Audrey and praised and laughed with her through more recent stories.

Angie, the blogger, is such an inspiration and encouragement to me. The way she is able to see what the Lord is teaching her in all of her family's happenings amazes me and I wish I was better at that for my family.

Today I read her entry from earlier this summer about when one of her daughters, Abby, broke her arm. The picture she paints for a parent's role in their child's spiritual walk is just beautiful. It convicted and pushed me to constantly be ready to "be the holders while our children commune with the great One." Check out her blog Bring On The Rain for the whole story and bring your kleenex!

Weekend Projects

2010-08-29T17:29:00.000-07:00

Projects this weekend:

1. Hanging things on the wall!

2. Straighten the garage

3. Outside projects

Pictures in the entry and hallway

Hung crosses on the wall in the dining room

This was after Luke went to bed... that's why all the toys are put away!

Straightened garage... there's even room for 2 cars now!

Jonathan did an incredible job on the pavers in the back!!

And we have grass in the front and back! Yay!

Pictures of the House

2010-08-26T19:04:00.001-07:00

Ok, so don't judge me but here are some pictures of our house. I haven't hung but 2 things on the wall... that's what this weekend is for! :)

Front door

The hallway

Luke's room

Guest room for a few months, then nursery

Luke's/Guest Bathroom

Kitchen

Master Bath

Our bedroom looks like a tornado went through it so we'll just wait on pictures of that room! And here are some pictures of the Mickey Mouse pancakes Daddy made for Luke. He didn't really know what to think at first! :)

We’re Here!

2010-08-24T14:10:00.001-07:00

We have finally made it to Abilene. It was a stressful time of Jonathan wrapping up summer courses in Dallas, packing and moving all with me being pregnant (and moving very slowly!) and having a very curious, fast-moving toddler! :)

We are so blessed to have amazing family who would drop anything to help us out! My poor sister-in-law saw far more of that disgusting apartment than I ever knew existed. :) It made a world of difference to have people there to watch and entertain Luke while I directed and unpacked.

We have only managed to hang one thing on our walls so far, but we’ll get there! We are all loving having so much room to ourselves. Jonathan has done an amazing job of laying pavers in the back to extend our back porch. We love having a yard and a garage!

Jonathan begins teaching at HSU today and is very excited to get started. He’s really enjoying how he fits with the university and the faculty and staff have been so kind to all of us. When Luke was sick last week, the dean of the math department prayed for us during their meeting! We love the community and family feel already. We definitely like that it takes less than 10 minutes to get across town! :)

Here's a picture of our helper. I promise to post more after we decorate a bit more.

the Mitchells ... out west :)

The Mob is Growing!

2010-07-06T09:45:00.000-07:00

We recently found out that Mitchell baby #2 is on the way!!!! We are super excited and can't wait to love on this new little miracle! The estimated due date is 10 days after Luke's birthday! So we're guessing I'm around 8 weeks.

We found out at the beginning of June and will be going to the doctor on July 12th. I can't wait to see the baby on the sonogram! I don't think Luke really understands yet but he can show you where our baby is! He can also say "big brother". We are thrilled with all the new changes coming our way and will continue to keep you posted on baby, house, move to Abilene!

The Mitchell 4 :)

Graduation Party

2010-05-16T07:03:00.000-07:00

We had Jonathan's graduation party yesterday and it was great! I was a bit flustered at first because the ceremony went 2 hours long and was supposed to go an hour and a half at the most! It stressed me out a bit to be one of the last people to get to my own party!

So now that I got that out, on to the party stuff....

Here are the tables. I wanted the "chalk board" look for the tables so I covered the tops with black paper and put chalk on each table for people to leave messages.

The centerpieces were soup cans filled with sand. Pencils were hot glued to the can, then I scrunched some notebook paper down in there and put the sign in on a skewer. I covered the rubberbands holding the pencils in place with black tulle. Then put blue and red paper shreds around it.

Here are the favor bags that were filled with Smarties and Air Heads.

The tag read:

"For all of you AIRHEADS

Who don't have a clue,

Who've perused the thesis

And are quite baffled too,

Find enclosed with our love

Some SMARTIES to chew.

You may even get a Diploma or two!"

I didn't get a picture of all the food before people dug in (mainly because I was running around like a crazy person) but I had to get pictures of the food name signs.

We had Centroid Caesar Wraps & Chain Rule Chargrilled Wraps

Chebychev Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Notation Nuggets, Fractional Fruit, Chaotic Attractor Chips, Diff Eq Drinks

The finished product - graduation cap cookies!

My mom made the stand for me. It was a block of styrofoam then balsa wood around the sides. I tied tulle around it to help it stay together. The black beads were a fun new find! Look here for more info.

I was so pleased with how everything came together! I am so appreciative to my family for all the help setting up!!!! And all the people who stepped up and helped do last minute things after we got there (you know who you are!) My husband was so sweet through all the planning too. :) He was very grateful for all the hard work I'd put in to my party... I mean HIS party!

Congrats to Dr. Jonathan Mitchell!!!!

We're so proud of you!!!!

Now on to my next big project.... moving to Abilene!

T - 2 Days

2010-05-13T10:48:00.000-07:00

One of the things I'll be making for the graduation party is graduation cap cookies. I was originally going to do this from Bakerella....

Then I saw this in one of my cookie cookbooks and decided to switch because Jonathan's favorite dessert is cookies...

But I was told by my cookie-loving husband that this one was TOO much cookie! Can you believe it? So I decided to morph the two ideas together.

This is a picture of the pieces ready to be assembled...

When I was playing around with option #2 I didn't like the icing look (mainly because I'm a perfectionist and couldn't get the icing smooth enough!). So on my final product, I dyed the cookie dough red so I didn't have to ice anything! And baking the "bottoms" of the caps in cupcake papers it made the ridged look like the Reeses! I was very pleased! So I made all 50 of these a week or so ago and froze them so I would just have to assemble. Now that they are thawing on my counter I'm a little nervous... I'm just hoping they don't sag or break and then we will have to make 50 more tomorrow night before the party! ugh!!!

Oh and I got a few pics of my little helper....

Just precious if I do say so myself! :) He didn't really help I just wanted to post some pictures!

I'll post the finished product soon!!

Gearing up!

2010-05-09T15:15:00.000-07:00

What a crazy weekend we just had!! We went to Palestine Friday to celebrate Mother's Day with my mom, then drove to Conroe on Saturday to celebrate Cheyenne's 4th birthday, then back to Palestine, then drove to Carrollton today for our nephew Ben's baby dedication. Now we are finally back home and I got to celebrate Mother's Day with my baby boy and some Pei Wei! :)

Now that we're settling back in I'm getting geared up for Jonathan's graduation party this Saturday! I can't believe the day has finally come! I remember when he started this program and seeming like we would never move on to the next chapter! :) I'm so proud of him and all he's accomplished. I envy his determination and drive.

So I think I'm about ready for the party and wanted to show you the disaster (aka Party Prep Room).

Stay tuned for the final product!

Math Themed Graduation Party Preview

2010-05-04T13:56:00.000-07:00

So I think I have everything ready to go for next weekend which is good because we have a crazy schedule ahead of us! Just wanted to show you a preview of the centerpieces...

Jonathan helped me with the equations (of course!) and I have tables 1-8. Can't wait to show you more but you'll just have to come back later!

We Have a House!!

2010-04-22T07:03:00.000-07:00

Just an update on the latest on our house hunting in Abilene.... WE HAVE A HOUSE!!!! But was it a trip! Wooo!

This house is brand new (build in 2009) so we've been going back and forth with the builder. To sum up a very long, grueling process we have a house and a brand new fridge! It's a three bedroom, two bath house with a good backyard. We don't have any grass so that will be one of the first weekend projects we have ahead of us! We'll also need to put up blinds first thing.

On a side note... when we went to look at the house for the first time Luke was making himself at home walking around and by the time we were ready to go Luke decided he wasn't quite ready. He walked into the laundry room, shut the door and proceeded to fill his diaper. We joked later that he was marking his territory and it was a sign! Turns out he knew all along where he would feel comfortable! :)

We'll send out more pictures as we get them and as we put it all together.

Kitchen

Living Room

Job Update!

2010-04-20T13:29:00.000-07:00

Jonathan has accepted an associate professor job at Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas! He will be teaching College Algebra, Calculus 2 and Trig. We are excited to be able to say we're EMPLOYED!!!!

We've started house hunting and found some great ones! We are trying to get the $8000 tax credit by having a signed contract by April 30th and closing before June 30th. When we met with the lender he informed us that we can't close on a house before June 19th because of Jonathan's contract with HSU. So we'll have to close between June 19 - June 30th.

We'll keep you posted on the outcome of house hunting soon!

Thanks for all of your prayers and support!!!

Update on Mommy and Daddy

2010-03-19T19:52:00.000-07:00

Since my last post was really long and all about our sweet baby boy, I thought I would have a separate post for an update on Luke's parents. :)

Jonathan is getting closer and closer to graduation! He is in the final stages of compiling his dissertation and will defend at the end of April. He continues to work hard at school, his dissertation, papers to be published, tutoring along with balancing family time. He is such a hard worker and it really inspires and encourages me.

He is still in the process of job searching. He was asked to visit Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas for a two-day interview and he felt like it went well. That was at the end of February and we still haven't heard back from them. He has recently been invited to Hardin Simmons University in Abilene, Texas for an interview. I will be going with him to look around Abilene. He has accepted a summer job at Richland Community College here in Dallas and will go through August.

These past few months have been very hard on us. We have been stretched thinner than we both thought possible! But the Lord is good! And sovereign! And provides! As hard as it is right now I find joy in knowing that God is in control of everything! We don't know where, when or who Jonathan will be working for but we have a peace, that can only come from our Father, that everything will work out and we will be fine. There's not enough space on this blog to write out all the little ways God has been faithful to our sweet little family and we don't take that for granted.

Ok now that I'm off my soapbox :) on to me!

I absolutely love being home with Luke! Playing with him, reading to him and being just plain silly with him. It's a lot of work and Jonathan is gracious to understand that somedays I just don't get around to the kitchen and that some nights are just going to have to be frozen pizza nights. I enjoy my little projects....frames, cards, goodies.

My current project focus is on Jonathan's graduation lunch. When he found out we were doing this he asked, "You're not going to go all out are you?" To that I replied, "Well of course I am honey! That's what I do!!" So I'm working on some creative ways to turn Jonathan's work ("Modeling Antigenic Variation in a Malaria Infection with Immune Response and State-Dependent Delay") into a fun graduation lunch party for all the rest of us air heads! :) It's quite the challenge! I'll be sure and post pictures of the outcome.

I am also doing the Women's Ministry Bible Study again this semester at our church. I have really enjoyed the study and absolutely love getting to know the sweet ladies in my group. I also love that my group consists of young moms, moms of teenagers, single ladies and grandmothers. I also go to a ladies dinner once a month at the home of an elder's wife. I enjoy that sweet alone time with just the girls too! We always end by sharing our struggles and prayer requests. I'm realizing more and more how important alone time with the girls is!

So that's a quick update on our lives. We'll be sure to keep you posted on the job front with Jonathan. We are so thankful for your love, encouragement, support and prayer!

Also, here's a link to some of my recent projects.

Luke at 13 months!

2010-03-19T19:18:00.000-07:00

It's so crazy to watch this little miracle keep growing and growing! I am still shocked my baby is one and it's already been another month... 13 months!!! Oh my goodness soon he'll be going to kindergarten and then graduating high school! Ok so maybe I'm getting a little ahead of myself. :)

Jonathan and I find out everyday just what a bundle of joy our little Lukester is! He is talking constantly pointing to the things he can say: ball, 'chee' (tree), 'melmo' (elmo), mama, dada, 'dada' (hat), dog, book, 'oosh' (shoe) and 'nana' (banana). These are just a few that he says really well and doesn't include all the words he thinks he can say and tries very hard at. The funny thing is he calls hats 'dadas'. Well I think it's funny...but Jonathan takes it personally. :) I think it's cute. He just knows that his Daddy wears hats all the time.

Luke is walking everywhere and climbing and falling and getting banged up like little boys are supposed to. He is also trying to figure out just how far he can push Mommy and Daddy but mainly Mommy. I often spank his hand easily 10 times in a row because he repeatedly disobeys me. You might wonder does a 13 month old really understand what he's doing is wrong? My answer... YES!!! After every touch of the computer or touch of the trash can he likes right at me to see what I'm going to do about it. I swear I see myself in my baby child already and it makes me nervous for the teenage years! Jonathan and I continue to discuss and pray how to best parent Luke. Hopefully he will turn out alright! :)

We gave Luke his first haircut tonight. I just about cried while I was cutting those precious baby locks off. He did pretty well. He squirmed around but there were some brief moments where he sat perfectly still! He just looks so big now!

Here are some recent pictures and videos:

New haircut

Resting his head!

Getting some pointers from Pops!

Luke's 1st Birthday Party

2010-02-14T18:47:00.000-08:00

My baby boy's first birthday has come and gone. I can not believe he is a year old now! Where did the time go? I feel like I've said every month. Luke has been such a blessing and joy to us during his first year and we look forward to watch him grow up.

Ok enough of the sappy stuff! :) We had a great party! Luke did amazing during the party considering it was during his naptime!!! Here are some pics!

All the food and drinks

Luke's Birthday banner I made

The cake table

The cake

The picture display of Luke's 1st year

The sign in and favor table

The door sign

The birthday boy

About to open presents

Giving Luke his cake

The birthday boy as a smurf!

The clean up!

It was a true success! And I loved getting to plan my first family party! I always love to have a party to plan so .... stay tuned for Jonathan's graduation from SMU in May! :)

Luke's 1st Birthday is almost here!

2010-01-21T16:03:00.000-08:00

So I've been planning like crazy for Luke's first birthday party. I know that he will totally not remember anything about it but I just love a good excuse to decorate for a party! :)

We'll be doing different colored polka dots for the theme. We're getting Luke a ball pit so I thought that would be a fun "polka dot" item that I could decorate with. Here's his invite and my inspiration for everything... I blurred out the address and phone number

I'm making a Happy Birthday banner, photo banner to show pictures from Luke's first year and all kinds of goodies and favor boxes! I'm getting really excited and I'll be sure to post lots of pics of the party! So stay tuned!

Luke's 1st Christmas!

2009-12-31T13:16:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Luke's first Christmas this year and he really seemed to love it! I will admit that it seemed he loved the wrapping and tissue paper more than the actual presents but oh well! We had our family Christmas really early this year since we had so many with our extended family. Luke loved reaching into his stocking and pulling something new out. He really loved his walker that Santa got him!

We celebrated with the Taylor side the week before Christmas. Luke got some great clothes and a pop up tent! He didn't know what to think about it at first but he absolutely loves climbing in and out of it! He also got his first basketball goal that all the adults broke in for him. :) My grandmother got Luke toys that I used to play with as a child. A popper and a pull along phone! Luke loved them immediately and knew exactly what to do with them!

The weekend before Christmas we had Mitchell Christmas. We acted out the nativity drama as a family. Luke was a sheep and Jonathan and I were shepherds. We enjoyed our time roasting marshmallows for smores and catching up with our family. Luke got lots of books and some cool clothes. He got a Spiderman warmup suit that Jonathan was very jealous of! :) The adults got to play the newlywed game which was a blast! We enjoyed learning things about each other.

On December 21st we left for Salt Lake City, Utah for a family ski trip with my family. It was my dad's whole side and the Hinsons and Nicholsons. Going through security was definitely a shocker! We took up about 10 bins, no exaggeration! Luke did AMAZING on the flight! He slept the whole 2.5 hours!! It was quite a challenge carrying a snowboard bag, 2 carry ons, a huge suitcase and a diaper bag! Did I mention we had a stroller and a carseat too?!?

Jonathan had a great time snowboarding all week. He hadn't been in 3 or 4 years. I stayed at the condo with Luke and my mom. We are the ones who don't ski! I did get to go snowmobiling with the group while my mom watched Luke! That was a lot of fun!!!! Jonathan was so sweet to let me drive as much as I wanted since that was my only entertainment. I don't want to brag or anything but I did get it up to 70 mph! :)

Luke had an amazing 1st Christmas! I love that he had a white Christmas on his 1st year!! We really loved spending so much time with our family! I love the holidays mainly for that reason! We hope you all had a great Christmas!!!

Mitchell Update

2009-12-09T08:54:00.000-08:00

Oh my goodness it's been a while since I've updated our blog! Here's a brief run-down of what's been going on with us!

On November 1st Jonathan and his brother, Samuel, ran a half marathon. They both did great! Samuel had run it last year and it inspired Jonathan so much he wanted to run it this year.

Luke had a great first Thanksgiving and we enjoyed seeing family in Ft. Worth, Palestine and Beaumont. We also gave Jonathan's parents a 40th Wedding Anniversary party the same weekend we did Mitchell Thanksgiving.

Luke even got his first taste of Aunt Dee's famous banana pudding!!

Luke is growing more and more every day. He has 3 teeth now and we often call him snaggle tooth because his one tooth on top is off to the side! :)

He is also walking around pretty good for a 10 month old! He started taking a few steps around 9 months and now he is really doing well.

We are packing for a ski trip now that we will take to Salt Lake City, Utah with my whole family. We'll be gone for a whole week so I'm a little nervous about packing for a 10 month old for that long! Stay tuned for a few pictures of Luke in the snow! :)

We also just took our Christmas card pictures so I'll post those soon too!

Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-15T14:51:00.000-07:00

We had a great time at the Dallas Arboretum in the Pumpkin Patch. We got some great pictures of our little family and Luke. Enjoy and Happy Fall!!!

Luke in the hood

2009-10-15T14:44:00.000-07:00

So we're starting to pull out the winter clothes and trying them on Luke. He absolutely hates to wear hats and pulls them off the second I put them on him. But I did find out that if it's a hoodie it slows him down quite a bit! :) Here are some pictures of one of my faves.

Bekah's 18th Birthday!

2009-10-01T07:24:00.000-07:00

We celebrated my sister's 18th birthday last weekend in College Station. I put together a type of scavenger hunt and each place she ended up she got money to shop! :) She had a lot of fun and I had a great time planning it! Here were the clues I gave her and the places we ended up:

Clue #1 - To start your day in an awesome way

Think how you would pay on the Milky Way.

Answer: Starbucks

Clue #2 - You may be mature cause you're big 18,

But all kids at heart enjoy this scene.

Answer: Toys 'R' Us

Clue #3 - You may think at 18 that you are of age,

But legal is really forever away.

We know that shopping is all the rage,

So we're bending the rule on your special day!

Answer: Forever 21

Clue #4 - Because it's your birthday we're whooping it up,

And taking you some place that's fun.

To outfit you so you're peeps say what's sup,

You'll be sportin' your colors when done.

Answer: Aggieland Outfitters

Clue #5 - All over the state at your house or mine

We'll never achieve the right goal.

I can cook, I can grill and it tastes mighty fine,

But I'll never recreate that dang roll!

Answer: Texas Roadhouse

Luke liked the butter!

Clue #6 - Your train has come in, it’s time for some cheer

Aren’t you glad we’re not in a rut

You can shoot, you can eat, but you can’t drink a beer

You can roll down the lane, you can putt

Answer: Grand Station Entertainment

The birthday cake!

Looks like Fall??

2009-09-10T09:39:00.000-07:00

We have really enjoyed our summer and now are adjusting to the fall schedule. Jonathan is teaching Calculus I at SMU this semester while he is researching and working on his dissertation. He is still tutoring when he can and has really gotten into his new hobby of running. He is signed up to run a half marathon with his brother, Samuel, on November 1st. I am so proud of the discipline he has! He's doing great and shaving off time every time he runs!

I am going to a women's Bible Study at our church this fall called Near to the Heart of God. The women's minister wrote the curriculum and I have enjoyed reading through the Psalms. I am still scrapbooking when I get a chance and I am even working on scrapbooking my mother-in-laws family photo albums. It's been a lot of fun looking at pictures of Jonathan when he was little. :) I have also joined Twitter recently. Look me up (mitchellmob)! That has been very different trying to learn everything, but it's been so fun seeing what's going on with friends and even some celebrities! :)

Luke is doing great! He continues to grow and develop. He is crawling EVERYWHERE!!!!! I have figured out a way to barricade him in our living room so I can do dishes and not have to worry about him crawling to the bathroom or his room. He is pulling up on everything too. I swear he thinks he can walk already! And it actually might not be too much longer. He takes steps when Jonathan or I hold his hands. He brings us such joy and we are so blessed that he has been entrusted to us.

Here are a few recent pictures...

End of Summer

2009-08-22T19:16:00.000-07:00

We have had such a blast with Luke this summer! From swimming, to traveling or just hanging out at home. Luke is now crawling EVERYWHERE!!!!! He is also pulling up on everything he crawls to and he thinks he can walk! :) He reaches out to you like he is going to take steps and has full trust that you will catch him! He keeps me on my toes!

He is loving butternut squash! I am planning on starting spinach next week! We'll see what kind of faces he'll make with a green veggie! He is growing so fast...I can't believe he's six and a half months old! He is such a blessing and we are so glad he is our little miracle!

Here's some of the latest pictures....

Luke is crawling!

2009-08-12T16:02:00.000-07:00

I finally got Luke crawling on the video camera!

Trying to Escape!

2009-08-12T15:55:00.000-07:00

We just recently lowered Luke's crib since he is sitting up and crawling. He has figured out that the bumper pad can be pulled down. This is what I found when I came in after one of his naps!

Solid Foods and Sitting Up!

2009-08-08T13:59:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago my friend Jess came over to help me make baby food for Luke. We had a blast and I really enjoyed the experience. I made enough butternut squash to last until after Labor Day! We tried the squash first and Luke really liked it. He made a funny face at first, but kept opening his mouth. :) A few days later we tried pears. He made more of a funny face with the pears than the squash! Here are a few pictures...

Luke just turned 6 months old this past week! I can not believe he is already a half a year old. Time has really flown by. He is such a joy to me and Jonathan and we are so blessed by our little miracle. He never ceases to amaze us with his entertainment.

He just recently started to sit up on his own. He is still wobbly but can get from the crawling position to the sitting up position all by himself! I have lined our entertainment center and the hearth of the fireplace with pillows just in case! He isn't quite crawling yet, but likes to get on his hands and knees and rock back and forth. He even gets up on his hands and FEET sometimes! Here are a few pictures of him sitting up...

I can even sit on top of my Daddy!!!!

Seeing the cousins

2009-07-27T07:12:00.000-07:00

This weekend we got to visit with some of Jonathan's family. They don't get to see Luke very often so we were excited they got to see all of his "tricks"! :)

After our visit we went home and Daddy did some work around our place. Luke watched very intently so he could be Daddy's helper someday! It all seemed to wear him out...

4th of July

2009-07-08T05:17:00.000-07:00

Luke's first 4th of July went great! We drove up to Richardson to watch some fireworks. It was so funny to watch Luke watch them! It wouldn't be for long periods of time but he could see them and would watch! :) Here are some pictures!

Crazy Summer!

2009-07-02T19:50:00.000-07:00

It feels like we've all been going, going, going for so long!!! I know I keep saying it but it's hard to breathe going that fast! :) After our 2 year anniversary trip we had my sister Bekah's high school graduation on June 5th. We are so proud of her! She graduated 13th in her class and is going to Texas A & M in the fall. Here are a few pictures...

The next weekend Jonathan planned a great bachelor party for my brother, Jacob. They shot guns, went out to the lake, grilled out and played poker. What more could a guy ask for? We drove back to Dallas that Sunday (June 14th) and I came back to Palestine Monday, June 15th to help Megan get ready for the wedding.

That Wednesday, Megan had her bachelorette party with us girls. We went and had detox done on our feet! It was a little strange and gross! :) We followed with lunch, then getting our nails and toes done. We went to Tyler for dinner at Villa Montez which was wonderful!!!!! We stayed the night at Jacob and Megan's new apartment that night and choreographed Megan's surprise dance for Jacob. We had a ball! Here are some pictures...

Friday we went to the church Jacob and Megan were getting married at to decorate and then headed over to the reception site to decorate for that! We had the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner that night followed by Megan's lingerie shower.

We started the day of the wedding off with a girl's breakfast! The amazing Alex M was there to start of the great day. Check out his blog for a preview. The wedding was perfect! And it was a great celebration complete with lots of tears and laughs! Take a look at these...

2 Year Anniversary

2009-06-11T08:48:00.000-07:00

Jonathan and I celebrated our two year wedding anniversary on May 26th. We left Luke with my parents in Palestine and headed to Kiepersol Bed and Breakfast in Bullard, Tx. We had a wonderful time just being us!

We had a great room with our own hot tub overlooking the lake. We were right outside their restaurant where we had an amazing dinner! Jonathan started with duck cigars with plum sauce and I started with their lobster bisque. Jonathan and I both had steaks and shared the Godiva chocolate cake! It felt good to splurge a little! :)

Here are a few pictures from our stay...

Slowing back down....well for a while

2009-05-25T18:41:00.000-07:00

The majority of our craziness has passed...yay!! Jonathan and I have gotten very good at breaking down and putting up Luke's travel bed. :) Here's a little recap of our May so far...

May 2nd - Cheyenne's 3rd Birthday Party!

May 3rd - Jacob and Megan's Couple Shower

May 9th - Bekah's high school prom...where she won Prom Queen! :) We turned my parent's living room into a restaurant for dinner for Bek and 20 of her friends.

May 14th & 15th - Bekah's Senior Dance Recital. She had many different numbers including a tap duet and solo. Jonathan had never seen her dance so I was so excited he got to her senior year! I was so proud of her! Luke even got to meet one of my best friends from high school, his "Aunt" Cindy.

May 16th - Jacob graduated from Stephen F. Austin State University with his Bachelors in Business Administration! He not only graduated...he graduated in 3 years on a golf scholarship! We are so proud of him!!! :)

May 16th - 21st - Jonathan went to Salt Lake City, Utah for a conference. Luke and I stayed with my parents in Palestine so we would be taken care of! :) We had a great time and then we surprised Jonathan at the airport when he flew in!

May 26th - Our 2 year anniversary! Jonathan and I left Luke with my parents and we went to Kiepersol Bed and Breakfast in Bullard, Texas. It was absolutely amazing! It was hard to leave Luke, but Jonathan and I had a blast by ourselves. :) I will have to post pictures later when I find our camera! :)

Today, May 28th - we are helping our friends Tim, Jaya and baby Neela move to Austin. When we are done with the moving we will head over to the Taylors. They haven't met their new cousin Luke!

Stay tuned for pictures of Bekah's high school graduation (June 5th), Jacob and Megan's wedding (June 20th), Luke's baby dedication / Jonathan's 1st Father's Day (June 21st) and my birthday celebration (June 22nd)!

Lately...

2009-04-29T05:37:00.001-07:00

It's been a while since I have updated on here so I thought I would take a moment to do that before our weeks and weekends get crazy!

Luke is doing just great! He is smiling and talking and interacting with anyone who will give him attention. We went to the CEF (Child Evangelism Fellowship www.fortworthcef.com) appreciation banquet last week to support Gramma. She toted Luke around to every table I think showing him off. So much so that later in the evening when I was changing Luke in the bathroom a lady I had never met walked up and said, "You must be Luke!" He has been rolling over from his tummy to his back. He is constantly moving when we have him on his blanket on the floor.

Jonathan is steadily working on his research. He continues to get more tutoring clients and helps out with our youth group at church.

I am enjoying being a stay-at-home mom to Luke and try to keep up the wifely duties around the house. I am trying to keep us organized as we approach a busy summer season! We have Cheyenne's birthday party May 2nd, Jacob and Megan's couple's shower May 3rd, Palestine Prom May 9th, my first Mother's Day May 10th, Bek's Dance Recital May 14th & 15th, Jacob's college graduation May 16th, Jonathan to Utah to present his research May 16-21, weekend in Austin for Memorial Day, our 2nd wedding anniversary May 26th and then .... there's June!

So stay tuned for many more pictures coming up!

Luke's 1st Easter

2009-04-15T19:29:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Luke's first Easter starting out in Palestine with my family. We had our traditional Easter dinner Friday night and had a great time with everyone. Then we headed back to Dallas and had Mitchell Easter on Sunday. Luke did great through the church service! And even slept through the powerful worship. We then had lunch and an Easter egg hunt with the kiddos. Here are some pictures.

Luke's 1st trip to the park!

2009-04-04T17:24:00.000-07:00

Luke absolutely loves being outside and today we got a chance to take him to the park.

He got to swing with Mommy!

And he got to climb with Daddy!

Enjoying the wonderful weather! :)

Luke had about all the fun he could stand and Daddy and Mommy thought his first trip went great!

Luke's first photo shoot!

2009-04-03T20:45:00.000-07:00

Here's a little preview of Luke's photoshoot we had today with Connie Roper. She was amazing and really fun to work with! We can't wait to see the rest of them!

The cast is OFF!!!

2009-03-31T18:37:00.000-07:00

So as many of you know, Jonathan had ankle surgery a week and a half after Luke was born. It has definitely been an adjustment! It is his right ankle so Jonathan could not drive for 6 weeks. Let's just say that my arms got a work out putting Luke in the car so much! :)

Today Jonathan got his cast off...YAY!!!!! He even drove us home from the doctor's appointment. He has to wear a lace-up brace and he will go to a session of physical therapy tomorrow and then will start a home program. Thank you for all of your prayers, support and help the past 6 weeks.

Free from work!

2009-03-25T13:00:00.000-07:00

Well our prayers have been answered! I am sitting at home right now with my sweet little baby because my work told me I didn't have to finish the 2 weeks! :) Thank you Lord!!!

My mom, "Mams", was a great help these past few days that I had to work. Jonathan is still in his cast from ankle surgery and can't drive himself. I don't think that Mams was miserable though!

I am so looking forward to officially taking on the "stay-at-home-mom" title. Luke is an absolute joy and I enjoy his company! :) Thank you all for your prayers this week!

"Mom" haircut

2009-03-18T06:20:00.000-07:00

Well I made the decision to cut off all of my hair last week. I was so tired of putting it up everyday and never fixing it because it took too long! I love it and I think Luke is finally used to it.

I have been able to stay at home with Luke for the past 6 weeks and have really enjoyed it! The second picture shows what a typical day contains for us right now! I just stare at Luke and laugh when he does funny things! Next Monday I will start back to work and will definitely miss seeing him all day! I'll let everyone know how my first day goes next week. Please pray that I will not be too sad during the day while I'm at work! :)

Happy 1st Birthday Ashlyn!

2009-03-14T15:00:00.001-07:00

We had our first little outing as a family today...we celebrated Ashlyn's 1st Birthday! Luke slept through most of it, but Mommy and Daddy enjoyed talking to other parents. Mrs. Kandace did an amazing job and we definitely enjoyed ourselves!

One Month Old!

2009-03-09T08:08:00.001-07:00

I can not believe Luke is already 1 month! It feels like the time has flown by. At his 1 month appointment he weighed 9 lbs 6 oz and measured 22 inches! He talked to the doctor the whole time and his notes from the appointment said he was a talkative baby! He is definitely like his daddy!

He is starting to smile more, especially when Mommy steals his kisses. :) He picks his head up and will hold it out so he can look at your face. He also loves looking outside.

We have taken a few trips and Luke seems to love being in the car. I think Mommy and Daddy have finally gotten the packing down (everything but the kitchen sink!). We are enjoying our little bundle of joy so much and feel so blessed we were chosen to raise this little miracle!

Welcome to our Mob!

2009-03-05T10:19:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Mitchell Mob's blog! You might be asking yourself..."why the Mitchell Mob?" Well Jonathan had the idea of looking up what groups of animals are called. Mob is the name of groups of emus, kangaroos, ducks, deer and whales. :) Not that any of those animals are our favorites; "mob" is just easier to spell than the Mitchell Pandemonium (parrots)!

We hope that you will enjoy getting to see Luke and our family grow...eventually. :) Stay tuned for more fun pictures and stories of our sweet little family!