Mitchell Gang

Blogging Again

2010-08-25T13:26:00.000-07:00

It dawned on me today that I haven't updated my blog in a while. When I logged on and reviewed my last post it was March, 2009. Wow, that was a long time ago. I guess I need to do a better job at sticking with things. That's always been a life long challenge of mine. Too much has gone on over the last 18 months for me to go into detail so I will start from now.

Bradley & Aidan both started back to school on August 17th. Bradley started 7th grade and Aidan started Kindergarten. As usual Bradley didn't want me to take his picture but I did anyway. We have to get one every first day of school. He has to get up at 6:30 to leave by 7 so it was early in the morning.

Seems that he is really enjoying school so far. He likes the social aspect more than anything. He is anxiously awaiting wrestling season to begin. He still thinks girls are gross and he has names for all the girls in his grade. Arin & I were telling him that if he picks on a girl that means he likes her and visa versa. He didn't seem to agree with me. Let's hope his non interest lasts for a long time.

Aidan of course was ready & willing for his picture. That kid is such a HAM!!! He was very nervous and didn't know how he was going to make it thru the day without a nap. Ha! That's my baby. His teacher is Mrs. King. He told us all summer that his teacher would be Mrs. King and I said we will see at open house. And, to our disbelief, his teacher is Mrs. King!!! Maybe I need to have Aidan pick me some lottery numbers. Aidan was more excited about the new shoes he got for school and eating school lunch. Typical Mitchell if you ask me.

I guess I didn't load the first day of school pics yet so this one from his birthday will have to do. He did turn 5 on August 12th. I can't believe he is 5. And to be totally honest he is the funniest kid I have ever met in my life. Who would of thought his rocky start to life would create such an amazing little boy!!!

Lyla, aka Ju JUu has started going to the babysitter for 2 days a week while I work. Seems she loves it there and the very first day we went to meet the sitter & her family Lyla walked in her house like she knew everyone there. This is very odd for her because she is usually climbing up Arin's leg or hiding from stranger. But, not at Misty's house. There are several other kids there so it is serious play time for her. Thankfully we have a wonderful sitter who takes pics of Lyla in her finest moments.

I think this has to be one of the best pictures of her, ever. Just love those baby blues. And, trust me they get her whatever she wants. There are so many benefits to being the baby & being a girl!! Especially when you are Daddy's girl.

I started working for a CPA back in the winter. I only work 2 days a week when it isn't tax season. This has been a tremendous blessing to have the summer days to spend with the kids at the pool. I have to admit I hated the pool closing. We spent 3 or 4 days a week at our city pool. My kids loved it there because it has a beach like entry and I can just sit in the shallow water with Lyla while she plays. Aidan has no fear and did have to be rescued one day when he got in the water a little over his head. Bradley has perfected his front flip and really looks good. He loves going to the pool but only if his friends are with him. Then I don't see or hear from him for quite sometime. My goal for the summer was to have fun and that we did. Not only did we swim our days away but we went to Bama, and floated down the Illinois River. I have those pics too but again need to load them.

That's about all I can get in for today. Hopefully I can keep my commitment to myself and update my blog on a more regular basis...

I can drive!

2009-03-10T18:09:00.001-07:00

As of yesterday afternoon I can drive. I can't tell you how excited I was to hear those words. I went to see Dr. Ponder for my 6 week check up. He said I no longer needed a walker or cane. I also got to see the xrays with the new metal hip joint. It was kind of neat. I am still kind of sore and feel like it is really tight. Hopefully, I will be pain free soon enough. It has been such a long time I can't imagine life without my hip hurting. I hope that I can get a little more motivated and get exercising.

Lyla is trying to walk. She would rather crawl around but when Arin and I sit on opposite sides of the room she walks from one of us to the other. She loves to take things out and put them back. For example, she dumps her snacks and then picks them up one by one. Her allergies have been bothering her these days and she seems to always have a runny nose. Even though I love Spring I can't wait for summer to arrive so these allergy problems go away.

Aidan is going to 3 year old preschool. He seems to be doing very well. He is learning his alphabet and tells me what letters look like and what sounds they make. He has learned the letters P and V. He gets very excited when we talk about going to Pre K. Since we live right around the corner from the elementary school we see his big boy school all the time. They just passed the vote which will allow us to have all day K5! Too bad he doesn't start K5 in August.

Arin is coaching Bradleys baseball team and that got under way last week. We practice twice a week. Bradley is playing for the U12 team again and most of our kids from last year came back. Bradley really wants to play 2nd base but we will have to do lots of work. I think that watching him play baseball is my favorite. I am sure this baseball season will not be as enjoyable since Lyla will be running around the ball park. I may not get to watch much of the game.

Spring break is next week. We thought about going on a day trip to Eureaka Springs but I want to save that for when I can go hiking. I think we may take a day trip to Dallas and to Ikea. I have never been to an actual store and I love looking at the website. Maybe we can round the kids up and get an early start to the Ikea store. I am sure we can spend the day there just looking at everything.

It is getting close to bed time and Lyla is ready for her cup of milk. Aidan is ready to snuggle and Bradley needs some help finishing some of his work. Hopefully I can get some pics uploaded soon...

until next time...
dianne

It now has been 1 month

2009-02-26T07:13:00.000-08:00

Yea, I made it thru the first month of my THR. For those of you not quite sure what THR is I am referring to Total Hip Replacement. Just a little easier to type. We have had a wonderful experience with others helping us out thru this tough time. I never realized how much brininging dinner was such a help to us. I didn't have to cook and it helped so much. I still can't drive and really haven't been bothered except when either myself or one of the kids have an appointment. I feel like I am getting around pretty well but did the ultimate THR no no last night. I am not supposed to bend over. Well, I was rocking Lyla and she dropped her cup. So, silly me just bent over at the waist and then I felt why I wasn't supposed to do that. I iced down last night and then keeping my butt in bed this morning before I head to PT.

The kids have been adjusting very well. I am sad that Lyla has now become a daddy's girl. She has been holding a grudge against me. Aidan on the other hand has been one to want to take care of me. When I got in the bed last night he said it is going to be okay mom, I am here. He gave me a kiss and snuggled close for bedtime. What a lover he is becoming. Bradley has really helped with my putting my walker in and out of the car and helping me put on my shoes and socks. He kindly told me yesterday that I needed to use my ped egg. Thanks Bradley for bringing my rough feet to my attention. I made sure to tell him that my feet are dry because I can't bend over. So, if he wants to put lotion on for me he is more than welcome. He didn't find that idea too exciting.

You would think that the THR would be all that is going on with us but Arin's school is in full swing and he is on the road to walk in May. Bradley got really sick over the weekend and got some bacterial infection. His fever got up to 104.8. He really scared me but we finally got it down with a cool rag on his head and motrin. Lyla had an upper respitory infection and sounded like darth vader. Aidan has really been the only one who has stayed healthy. I proabably shouldn't say that I may curse myself.

Bradley's basketball season is over and we finished in 3rd place. It was nice to have Arin as coach and all the kids wanted to know if he would coach next year. I just went ahead and said yes he will. Baseball season will be starting within the next week or two. The exciting thing about this spring is that Aidan will be playing Tball. He is very excited about playing baseball. I am just not sure how well he will do at paying attention.

I have PT today so I need to start getting ready. I even get to go to Target and pick up refils. I love going there since they have the electric wheel chair. I want to get some updated pictures on her soon so keep an eye out. Lyla has started to walk so maybe I should make sure the camera is charged.

love to all,
dianne

You may now call me the "Bionic Woman"

2009-02-08T08:30:00.000-08:00

I am now 11 days post surgery. I have to admit having an entire hip replacement is very painful. More than I can put into words. The surgeon said my hip looked awful and it was deformed. He said there was also some dysplacia. We are still not sure about how AVN even started but there is a chance it was from my car accident or from pregnancy. Either way the pain that I had been struggling with for the past 3 years is gone. Now I am not going to say that I am running miles and miles but it is just a different pain.

I came home from the hospital on 31st and felt great. It did have a lot to do with all the drugs they were giving me but I was up and walking an doing my PT. The first 3 days at home were great. I felt great. I was in pain but it was being controlled thru meds. I was able to do my PT exercises at home 3 times a day and then going for walks up and down the driveway. Around 6-7 days post op I started having serious pains. Almost like a charley horse but it would take my breath away. I had blisters form around my incision and I was feeling that I had been hit with a baseball bat. Thankfully my Mom and Dad were here and able to drive me to the surgeon. He seems to think that I just over did it and needed to rest more than I was. So, after 2 days of serious bedrest I am feeling much better.

I still am not able to bend over, get dressed or do anything for myself but I can tell that the muscles are getting stronger. My kids have been so patient and understanding. I really don't know how we could have gone thru this without my folks being here. My mother is an amazing woman and she still continues to surprise me and motivate me. As usual my dad kept the humor level up for our event. I was so very sad to see them leave yesterday.

Arin will be off work this week. He is so gentle with me and helps me do anything I ask him to do. he even reminds me how not to hold my leg and such. I love having a nice big man to take care of me. I have no worries when he is taking care of me. I am so blessed.

well Aidan and I are dozing off so I need to put the laptop down. I will update when I go to the doctor on Monday. I have 16 staples which are getting removed....

thanks to all of you that have called, sent cards, brought meals and for those who have remembered us in your prayers. We love ya'll....

Dianne

the final countdown

2009-01-27T22:33:00.000-08:00

Okay well here we are. I am less than 12 hours away from dropping my kids off at the sitters so I can have my hip replacement. I thought this would be a neat way for me to keep note of my surgery and day to day events after having a Total Hip Replacement. My surgery is scheduled tomorrow at 3 pm at the Bone and Joint Hospital. This is located on 10th and Dewey in downtown OKC. Arin is coming with me to hold my hand and to also make fun of my on the pain drugs. I am feeling very nervous about the surgery, the pain and the incision. However, I am really freaking out about my kiddos. As you all may know I am a control freak and if I don't have everything taken care of to the minute I am going to worry. We seem to have this week under control so hopefully the next 5 will go as smoothly. Since it is now midnight I can't have anything else to eat or drink. I will be fine thru the night but tomorrow morning will be rough. I did get Lyla's hair clips made so Arin will pull her bangs out of her eyes. I even made him the kind he likes instead of the big ole boutique bows that I prefer. We are all packed and ready to go. I did get everything in the house cleaned except for the inside of the fridge. That isn't a must so it can be put off. I can't find a dang straight back chair with arms and still need an elevated toilet seat. My father in law said I could just wear diapers.

well I am finally winding down and dozing off. I was so freaking nervous the past few hours and wound up eating an entire bag of chocolate covered pretzels. My goal is to update this blog on a daily or weekly basis so keep a look out for a new post. Hope everyone is doing great. Peace, Love and Happiness,
Dianne

2008-10-25T19:20:00.000-07:00

Tamra tagged me in this one word only meme - I have to answer each question with only one word. Then I pass it along to others to do the same. Here it goes!

1. Where is your cell phone? diaper bag
2. Where is your significant other? Texas
3. Your hair color? Dark Brown
4. Your mother? Nana
5. Your father? Pappaw
6. Your favorite thing? crafting
7. Your dream last night?
8. Your dream/goal? Volvo
9. The room you're in? Living Room
10. Your hobby? beading
11. Your fear? snakes
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? debtfree
13. Where were you last night? home
14. What you're not? thin
15. One of your wish-list items? car
16. Where you grew up? Ohio
17. The last thing you did? rocked
18. What are you wearing? jammies
19. Your TV? Off
20. Your pet?dog
21. Your computer? Laptop
22. Your mood? tired
23. Missing someone? friends
24. Your car? Minivan
25. Something you're not wearing? shoes
26. Favorite store? Old Navy
27. Your summer? fun
28. Love someone? hubby
29. Your favorite color? Purple
30. When is the last time you laughed? today
31. Last time you cried? Last week

And now I get to tag someone else
Annie Emmertson
Holly Martineau

Go Pokes! Go Pokes! Go Pokes, Go!

2008-10-06T12:48:00.000-07:00

Arin and I had a game with NO KIDS! It was so much fun to spend some time together. We ate lots of M&M's, peanuts and frozen strawberry lemonade!!Staci, Lolly and Beth "Pistols Firing"

Just like every Saturday we spent this past Saturday in Stillwater watching our beloved Cowboys. This game was so much fun due to us playing our first conference game and playing Texas A&M. Well we had no problem beating the football team but we couldn't touch the band. If you haven't ever seen their band than you are missing out. They were awesome. I tried to take some pictures but our camera is on the blitz. We are so glad to have a Saturday at home but will still be cheering on our Boys in Missouri.

Two babies and a toddler

2008-10-01T20:22:00.000-07:00

We had our friend RayLynn spend the day with us today. She arrived around 9 and stayed the entire day. Lyla and I had so much fun having another baby around. As you can see Lyla fell asleep jumping in her jumparoo. She was still jumping after she fell asleep. I let her sleep until lunch time and when I picked her up she was still asleep, jumping none the less. It is a good thing I borrowed this from the baby room today. She loves this thing more than food. RayLynn was a wonderful addition to our day and she kept me entertained. While Lyla was sleeping RayLynn and I made lunch. So, what do you feed two babies and a toddler? Mac and chees and mixed veggies. These babies loved their mac and cheese but the veggies were the biggest hit. As you can see RayLynn didn't hesitate. I sure wish Aidan loved his veggies like the babies but I was lucky to get him to eat something besides Doritos. Of course he wanted me to take pictures of him only. I have created such a ham. Instead of saying "cheese" he says, "cheeseburger". After our friend left we were able to get Lyla to lay down for a long overdue nap. We had to run and get The Garrett kids which made for an interesting dinner. While Lyla was asleep and Matty watched tv, Caleb and I made meatloaf. Now Caleb in a huge fan of mashed potatoes but he said he has never eaten meatloaf. I found that hard to believe since he is a meat and potatoes kind of kid. Of course when he asked to help cook I couldn't say no. I made the meatloaf mixture and then let him form it. As anyone would, I sent him directly to the bathroom to wash his hand. Once his hands were cleaned he dug in. Caleb was kind of hesitating putting his hands in the meat mixture. Once he got started I think he had some fun. He smooshed and I peeled potatoes. We decided to create a snake meatloaf. Caleb is very artistic and did an awesome job creating the snake. He didn't get to eat with us but I thought I would take a picture of his creation. It actually tasted really good. Too bad he didn't get to share. Looking at the picture I see it looks more like a dragon than a snake but hey the idea was there. There is no meatloaf left so even if it doesn't look that great I got no complaints about the taste. Now it is pretty upsetting when your 10 month old is happier about what you cook than your 10 year old. Maybe it is just the age but man I was ready to strangle him tonight. I think he complained about everything. Once dinner was over we headed outside for some fresh air. Since Libby got hit by the car she has been very afarid to leave the porch. So we sat on the front porch and ate popsicles. Libby paced back and forth and Lyla crawled around looking for catapillers to eat. I loved Libby's face as she layed under us. She looked up at me with her poor, pitiful eyes. I just had to snap a picture of this face. She is telling me that she doesn't want play dates anymore and that I need to give her the meatloaf scraps. How could you say no to this face? Arin finally made it home around 9. This makes for 2 long days this week due to school. I am ready for him to graduate. Too bad it hasn't gotten bad yet. I think the worst is yet to come. Well I better get to sleep or sleep while I can. All the kids are in their own beds and no one is crying, YET!

Lyla loves new food

2008-09-19T16:18:00.000-07:00

Lyla has no teeth but she loves new food. Today for lunch she ate sweet peas, applesauce and avocado. Yes, avocado! I just sliced it and scooped bites out for her. She would get so upset when I would not feed her fast enough. She love beans, rice and tonight her new obsession is Hummus. I didn't really think she would like it but I gave her a bite and she polished off the bowl. So now she is eating whole wheat crackers dipped in hummus. I should be happy she is not at the picky stage yet but it does make it difficult since she won't eat any baby food. I think she likes the peas because she can feed them to herself. It is so cute to watch her tiny little fingers pick up peas.

We had to take Aidan in for his ultrasound on his eye. There was no fluid which means it is benign. He does have an "ocular drusen" in both eyes. I am supposed to talk to the doctor on Monday but from what I have read it is no big deal. I think it is just calcium deposits. I don't think we will need to do glasses but I will know for sure when I talk to the eye doctor.

There is no football game this weekend. Although the weather is beautiful I am glad that we have a Saturday to stay home. I think we are taking Arin to breakfast tomorrow to celebrate his 35th birthday. He is getting so old...

I need to get going and check on Ju Ju. She is way too quite.

Love to all,
Mitchell Gang

Count your blessings name them one by one

2008-09-15T20:07:00.000-07:00

ahhh...all 3 kids are asleep and ALL of the laundry is folded. Not put away but folded. I really do not like putting away laundry. I love the smell of clean clothes and love doing laundry but putting it away is a big no no for me. Needless to say there are 5 piles of clean laundry in my living room right now. Well maybe we should make that 10-12. About 2 per person depending on where the pile is and what is in the pile. Kids clothes don't seem to stack very high especially baby clothes. Maybe that means I need to put them away tonight. I think Arin would have a stroke if he came home and I had folded and put away all of the laundry in one night. Maybe for his birthday I will do it all in one night and not let it wait until the next day. Ummm...maybe not.

It was our usual monday. Aidan had an appointment at Dean McGee Eye institute for an exam. We showed up promptly at 10. I was very proud of myself getting there on time with 2 kids. But, guess what, the appointment was at 1. Great job! So, we headed off to get diapers and lunch. We made it back to the eye doctor early and wound up staying there until 4. Ugh, I mean who ever thought it can take over 3 hours at the eye doctor. On the positive side Aidan's vision is good but they have to do an ultrasound to verify what the doctor is seeing is calcium deposits and not something else. We have the ultrasound on wednesday.

I got the box of winter clothes out for Lyla. I found these super cute Nike shoes that I purchased when I was pregnant. They are so stinking cute. White with a pink swoosh. She wore them today and looked like such a big girl. She is no longer satisified with just sitting on my lap. She has to be down on the floor. She is pulling up on everything and puts everything in her mouth. I admitted last night that she is way more spoiled than any of my other kids. I told Arin I thought it was due to me being at home with her. He made the comment that he can tell she is with me all the time. He said she is a Drama Queen. I made sure to remind him that he loves everything about this Drama Queen.

Today was one of those days where I felt like I could never get the house picked up, laundry finished, kids in bed or anything else for that fact. Frustrated would be a good word for it. My friend Kara asked us to go out to eat with them. I had to decline due to my mental state and patience with my children. When we got home I made the boys go outside and play. I was also thinking to myself that it was too bad that Lyla couldn't go out there with them. I just wanted to get into the bed, turn off the lights and sleep the rest of the day. The more I thought about being stressed the more stressed I became. So as I was washing dishes I realized that instead of being so stressed over everything why not remember what I am grateful to have. So, the point of this blog today is for me to count my blessings. I know that once I sit down and write out what I am grateful to have in my life the better I will feel. So the bullet points listed below are some of the many things I am grateful to have.

My Blessings

Arin
Bradley
Aidan
Lyla
Libby
my comfy house
a washer and dryer
a dish washer
food to eat
running car
cable television
phones
bleach and laundry detergent
Ozarka water
coca cola
family
Cricut
OSU football games
friends
computer and internet

and, of course ,the fact that I know that my heavenly father loves me. That there was a time in my life when I was not making the best choices and he still loved me. He loved me so much that he forgave me for all of my stupid mistakes. It feels so good to know that I was given a chance to start my life over. I was given a second chance. I know that life is going to be hard because living right is not easy. So, when the going get tough I just remember that I must be doing something right. Because it sure is easier to be living making poor choices than being alive making the right choices.

I feel so much better now that I have put my mind back where it belongs. Also, I just finished the chocolate peanut butter milk shake my hubby brought home. Nothing like chocolate, peanut butter and blogging.

Until next time...

The Mitchell Gang

Monday, Monday!

2008-09-08T19:28:00.000-07:00

I hate Monday. Yes, I can use the word Hate and mean it. Monday is the day that Arin has school. He is currently in graduate school for his masters degree in education. He leaves the house around 8 am and gets home around 10 pm. Just a very long day for all of us. Thankfully today I ran a bunch of errands and Aidan went to play with Calvin. I am indeed grateful for my sister in law Beth. Our trip to Target wasn't so bad when I didn't have wild man to chase around the entire time. As I ran after Aidan it dawned on me that we have turned into that family that I said I would "never" become. I am the mom at the store whose kid is running down the aisles and pulling items off the shelf. It really is upsetting that I can't take him many places without him running crazy. I guess I never understood what it was like until I had a child with such a strong spirit. I always thought those kind of kids just needed to be disciplined. That is the last thing I am lacking. You know when you are always told " you will get paid back one day". My payback would be Aidan. I think that is why he is so stinking funny because it keeps me from either hanging him from his toes or pulling my hair out. Or some days, both.

Last night I got a 3 or 4Th wind and decided to organize my craft room. Here lately I have called it my "crap" room. It was 1am when I looked at the clock and decided I should go to bed. I wish I could get that energy earlier in the day. During the organization process I seem to always find these great little items. You know the ones that you get because they are on clearance and then you wonder where they went. Well mine get sucked into the craft room. I did get fabric put with fabric. My beautiful desk was dusted and cleaned and my ribbon is half way organized. It is much better than it was yesterday morning but far from being done. I realized that need a big tub for fabric. I have way more than I thought. I also have tons of scraps. But, I love fabric scraps. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE them. One of my favorite projects has been making these adorable shirts. I take scraps of fabric and make cute, little embellishments. I have made 3 baby onesies which have turned out awesome. I made Lyla an OSU onesie and then my friend Chrystie a onesie with a butterfly. I even stepped it up a notch and put flat back crystals on the wings. She seemed to like it. I am now moving onto cutting the material with my Cricut and then I would have some seriously cute shirts and stuff. I just wish there was more time in the day for me to make all the cutsie things I love. I also wish I had some more crap to add to my collection. I have been able to justify that I make most of my gifts so it is a cost benefit for the family. I wish I could find that other mother who wants to come over and craft with me. You know the one that will bring her kids and all of our kids will play together great. We would create beautiful items and even make enough money on the side to support our habits. Maybe I should get out of the house a little more and network myself.

One thing great about September is football season. We were able to attend the first OSU home game in Stillwater. Man, it was great fun. Bradley was able to experience his first Big 12 football game and watch his uncle play on the team. He painted his face orange and black and wore his jersey. We did arrive early enough to see "the walk" and tailgate some yummy food. "the walk" is what happens when the players leave the student union and walk to the stadium to get ready for the game. All the fans line up on the sides of the street. The band leads the way playing the fight song and other crowd pleasing, football music. This was the neatest site in the world. Bradley and I were front and center to all the players walking by. We even got to see Andy. He however could not hear us yelling his name due to the other 45,000 people screaming and yelling. I think Bradley was a big overwhelmed. The game was great. We won!!! Our next game is home and in fact our next 3 games are home. Big plans on the horizon for tailgating this weekend. My BIL Dennis is an awesome cook and he is talking about doing it up right. Maybe this weekend I will remember to bring my camera.

My little princess Ju Ju is growing up so fast. She is crawling around the house and gets into anything she wants. She has pulled herself up several times and stand for several minutes. She just can't figure out how to sit down. I am sure we will be onto bigger things in a few days. Ju Ju now hates baby food and demands real food. I made her chicken and noodles last week and she licked her bowl clean. I also have been giving her organic sweet peas from the can. I think she likes them so much because she can pick them up with her tiny little fingers. So, ju ju is now eating whatever she wants except for honey. She loves cheese grits, toast, pancakes, peas, apples, grapes, cottage cheese, yogurt and whole fruit Popsicles.

We did get Bradley's new bedding since he had a huge nose bleed in the night. He had perfect aim on the bedspread, sheets, pillows and wall. I have never seen such a mess from a nose bleed. Cleaning it up was one of those times where you do something in the middle of the night and then when you wake up you can't clearly remember what happened. Oh wait, maybe that is just me after I take an Ambien.

I need to get busy and make bows that were ordered a week ago. I need to get my butt in gear but it is going to be hard to do during football season. Go Pokes!!

Until next time,
The Mitchell Gang
Arin, Dianne, Bradley, Aidan, Ju Ju and Libby (the new boxer)

It's Football Season!!!

2008-08-28T20:50:00.000-07:00

I am not quite sure if I have ever been this excited about football season. This weekend kicks off college football. In particular, Oklahoma State Cowboys football. My youngest brother in law Andrew is playing for OSU as an offensive lineman. His first game is saturday in Seattle, WA. Arin, Justin and their folks flew out to see the first game. I think Arin and Justin are more excited than anyone. I mean not only are the Cowboys playing but their little brother is on the team. We all will be watching the game on saturday and will be at all the home games. Keep an eye out for me on t.v.! You need to look for the crazy lady with all the kids. Shouldn't be to hard to find.

School has gotten off to a great start and life is settling down a bit. Bradley has an awesome teacher and love the fact that his Dad is teaching at his school. Aidan started back to MDO/Preschool for 2 days a week. While he is in his class I am taking care of the babies who are all under 1 year. Me and Ju Ju hang out and take care of all those sweet babies and I get paid for it. You can't beat that. It has been nice to get out of the house and meet some new people.

Well our dog situation for Bradley got changed and we found him a 2 year old Boxer named Libby. We had been waiting on our english mastiff but our friends that were bringing him to us had not been able to drive here. So, we just decided to bite the bullet and adopt Libby. She is fawn and so pretty. She was a little nervous for the first week or two. She seems to be settled down a bit now and has made herself at home. She is very protective of us and when we have other kids over she is always watching them. Libby is a sucker for someone to talk to her. If you dare make the mistake of even speaking to her she is putting her paws around your waist and asking for some lovin'.

The most exciting even to happen today was Lyla pulled herself straight up and walked around the side of a toy. Now, I don't know if you would call it walking but she scooted to the side of the toy and she was up on her feet holding on for dear life. She was so proud of herself she was just smiling from ear to ear. I guess this means she will be walking soon. I am not sure if I am ready for that. Her favorite things to do lately is patty cake and eskimo kisses. She can tell you NO with the shake of her head. And, believe me she knows when to tell you NO. She hates having her nose wiped with a tissue and she shakes her head back and forth telling me NO. Ju Ju loves her some kisses. I have never seen a baby put their face down in front of yours for you to kiss her. When I pick her up and talk to her she gets her eyes all scrunched up and then kind of hids her eyes with her hands because she is just so excited that I am going to kiss her. Whenever someone is going to kiss her she leans in for the kill. Sometimes she gives me these big, wet, soggy ones. But, most of the time she is just leaning her face into mine to get all the lovin' that is available. I sure have me a drama queen. I guess that is what I should expect.

Aidan's friend Logan came over tonight to play. They had the best time playing outside and they even got to take a bath together. Logan said this place is cool. They shot nerf guns at the door, rode scooters, watched Batman and ate. Aidan just loves having someone come over and as soon as they come in the door he takes them by the hand and says "let's go to my room". I guess his room has something great in it that I don't know about. I do know that the play room looks like I had 13 kids in their tonight. That was not the case and we are looking at maybe 60 pounds of stinky little boy. I made them get into the bathtub early because they both smelled like wet dogs. You know that smell after a kid has been playing outside. Sometimes Aidan comes in the house with black feet and a soaking wet head. Man I wish I had some of that energy.

Of course I am up too late and need to get to bed. I have to complete my visiting teaching tomorrow and I am taking the kiddos with me. Jade is spending the night with me on friday while Arin is gone. You know, you would think I would love Arin being gone for 4 days but it really is lonely. The house is quiet and missing something. I have such a hard time sleeping when he is not at home. I think all 3 will be in the bed with me for the next 3 nights. Sounds like the best night any woman could ask for.

Keep an eye out for those Cowboys especially #72, Andrew Mitchell. Until the next time...

The Mitchell Gang

"Go Pokes"

Summer has ended...

2008-08-14T07:08:00.000-07:00

Our summer has ended and I am HAPPY! I guess I feel like life will get back to "normal". Whatever that word means anymore. I know it has been a very long time since I have updated my blog but we have been so busy this summer. We spent the first part of the summer at baseball games and the pool. June came and went and so did baseball season. Early in July we headed to Alabama to see Nana and Pappaw. Me, Aidan and Lyla rode back with Annie and her girls while Bradley was in the Parkes car. Needless to say it was an adventure driving back with 3 adults and 11 kids. We had car trouble and had to spend the night in Ruston, LA. I got so sick and was of no help driving but thankfully the kids were great. We had planned on coming home in 2 weeks but we just couldn't bring ourselves to leave. So, our plane tickets got changed and we spent another 7 days at Nana and Pappaw's house.

When we arrived in Bama' I got some sleep and tried to feel better but it only got worse. Thankfully my mom and dad were there to drive to Nashville and help with the kids. The kiddos were great for the 6 hour drive to Nashville. Which I might add turned into an 11 hour trip. Our weekend with Jim, Brenda and Adam went fast but it was so great to see them. Bradley was very excited to see Adam and Aidan had fun entertaining Jim. It rained while we were there so no swimming in the pool. Our hotel was less than attractive and at that point I didn't really care where I was sleeping just that I was sleeping. Ju Ju slept with her Nana at night and snuggled very close. I think Nana enjoyed it as much as Ju Ju.

After our Nashville adventure we had an early birthday party for Aidan. He insisted that he have a Hulk party and Hulk cake. Nana and Pappaw reserved the Splash Pad and we had a great time. Arin was upset that he missed out on the "Papa's Pizza". Many of our friends and family made the trip to the Splash Pad to help us celebrate Aidan's 3rd Birthday. The best part of the party was when Aidan decided to sing happy birthday to himself. I guess that is the way to do it. Aidan loved playing in the water with his girlies "Taylorpaytonhayden". For those of you that don't know that means Taylor, Payton and Hayden. Aidan seems to put them all together in one name. To him they are one person.

Bradley spent his time at Nana's playing with Alex and John. I think he was at the neighbor's house more than he was at home. They went swimming and spent hours playing video games. I know they miss each other so much. We took Bradley school shopping while we were there. I can't believe my baby is in 5th grade. He had fun picking out all of his school clothes and was so grateful for the chance to get clothes from Abercrombie. Aghh...what has happened!!!

Ju Ju loved being with her Nana. I think my mom held her all the time or had her on her hip. If nana walked by Ju Ju and didn't pick her up she would start fussing. It was quite amusing. Ju Ju loved the carpet so she could doher army crawl. She ate lots of good food like chicken and dumplins, mashed potatos and beef tips in gravy. That girl loves her some food. It wouldn't be a trip to bama without a visit to the doctor. Lyla came down with a double ear infection and was quite fussy for a few days. Thankfully, we got better before it was time to board the plane.

We finally made it home despite the drama with our flight. Almost missed it but, our luggage didn't make it until the next day. Flying with 3 kids was a story in itself but they were great and Bradley really was a great big brother in helping Aidan. I would have blown a gasket if it had not been for Bradley.

While we were gone Arin was able to spend his time on his studies. He had a huge work load and way too much homework. I think if we were home he would not have finished. As usual my super smart husband made an "A". We are so proud of him. Arin also got a job teaching at Nicoma Park Intermediate. This is the school that Bradley attends along with some of his cousins; Jade, Chloe, Matty, Caleb. The only schoolager we are missing is Addy and she goes to school on base. Arin was also able to paint our bedroom and bathroom. It was so nice to come home to a clean, freshly painted house. After the kids were home for a minute it didn't stay very clean.

Last weekend grandma had her first annual "Camp Grandma". Every grandchild except Lyla and Owen were campers for a night at Grandma Laurel's house. They ate off tin plates, wore bandanas, had a campfire and sang songs. Bradley was the fire keeper and Aidan was the camp clown. Grandpa had sleeping duty with the kids. They all started out in the tent but with 100 temp. it was too hot to sleep outside. The kids packed up their sleeping bags and moved into the nice cool house. The next day the kids had a huge breakfast and a scavenger hunt. They seemed to love it at "Camp Grandma" and can't wait to do it again. While having all the kids together we took advantage of having Aidan's birthday party. We had pizza and cake and most of all chaos. He had a good time but they were all tired.

School started this week and all is going well. Bradley rides to school in the morning with Arin and is so excited about having his Dad as the PE teacher. He was glad to have Arin back at school with him again. Aidan is adjusting to having the boys gone and spends his days playing with Calvin. I think Aidan dreams of Calvin. Life seemed to be back to a normal pace but, Ju Ju came down with pneumonia and spent the past few days at OU Childrens hospital. We came home yesterday afternoon and we were both glad to be home. Aidan spent his birthday on August 12th by having breakfast at classic 50's diner with Bradley, Arin and Grandpa Tedd. Aunt Beth and Aunt Merri brought cupcakes and a balloon to MDO for Aidan to share with his friends. Later that night the boys came to the hospital to see me and Lyla.

Today we are spending our time cleaning the house and of course playing with Calvin. The boys have been playing in the tent and are ready for a nap. Ju Ju is glad to be able to play in the floor with her toys and scoot all around the house. Libby has been pacing the floor with these kids here. Tomorrow is Friday and we are looking forward to our weekend together. I promise I will get pics on here as soon as I can load them on the computer. Until next time...

The Mitchell Gang

I got Tagged

2008-03-28T08:11:00.000-07:00

You've been TAGGED! Copy this and paste it into a post.A: The rules of the game are posted at the beginning.B: Each player answers the questions about themselves.C: At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blog and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

10 Years Ago: On March 28th,1998 I was very pregnant with Bradley and little did I know he would be arriving in about 2 weeks. I was working at Victoria Secret Catalogue and living with my mom and dad. We were all so very excited about Bradley's arrival. Little did I realize he would change my life forever...but, in such a good way.

On My To-Do List: Today: Laundry, finish cleaning the house, shower, bathe Lyla, get out summer clothes and put away winter clothes and if I am lucky take a nap with Aidan.

Before I die: Have a beautiful flower garden, visit South Africa, finish my education, own an old farm house with lots of beautiful land where it can always be filled with family and friends.

5 places that I've lived: Middletown, OH, Bath, ME, Dayton,OH, Mobile,AL and Nicoma Park,OK

5 jobs I have had: Babysitter since 9, Blue Ball dairy Bar, The Finish Line, Victoria Secret and World Omni Financial.

What I would do if I became a billionaire: Get out of Debt, find a great old farm house and update it to look like something out of Better Homes and Gardens, Put money back for my kids missions and college, take care of my close family and friends and donate to a select few worthy charities.

Bad habits: I must have a coca-cola or I am a grump, shopping, eating when I am stressed.

Things I enjoy: Watching Aidan do anything, Making Lyla smile, Watching Bradley play any sport, Laughing with Arin, eating chocolate with carmel and drinking a Coca-Cola with good ice...yummy,yummy!

Things people don't know about me: I am very emotinal when I am tired, my feelings get hurt easily, I take things was too personal, I yell at my kids when they are stressing me out and I hate putting away laundry.

Now it is your turn to get tagged...I pick Annie Emmertson, Liberty Applegate, Lynne Benham, Alan Cawthon and The Cowarts

Baby JuJu heads to the beach

2008-03-27T19:47:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful time at the beach with Nana, Pappaw and Adam. It was a blast. Lyla got crazy in her bikini, Aidan loved the waves and Bradley's favorite was the indoor pool. Bradley and his cousin John Michael were able to be thrown and flipped in the pool by dad and Adam. They even attempted to chicken fight. We stayed in a condo on Orange Beach. It was just beautiful. When Lyla woke up for her 7 am feeding I would sit in the living room to watch the ocean. It was just a beautiful sight. We spent our first few days at Nana's house in Daphne and then headed to the beach for 4 days. The first day there was late but then it rained on Wednesday. Arin, Adam and all of the kids went to see a movie while me and Lyla hung out with Nana and Aunt Michelle. It was so nice to spend time with my mom and my sister. Her new baby Maggie is so much fun and has the biggest thighs I have ever seen. She is such a happy baby and just loves being a baby. I can't wait for Lyla to get those big, chunky cheeks. I could just kiss her face off. Finally by Thursday the sun came out. It was a gorgeous day despite the wind. Baby JuJu even hung out at the beach in her little cabana. Adam got blistered and also bit the dust while he tried to skim board. I will attach the video once I figure out how my camera loads on the pc. Arin was excited because we were able to eat at Mellow Mushroom, again!!! He loves pizza, especially their pizza so it really made him happy to have it 2 times while we were in Bama. Aidan loves pizza as much as his dad. I have put a picture of him on here eating at Mellow Mushroom. You can see the pure enjoyment in his eyes. On friday night we had an "early" birthday party for Bradley. I can't believe he will be 10 in just 2 weeks. Most of his friends from Mobile came over for his party. He was so happy to see the Emmertson's, Parkes' and Singleton's...we even had some friends from the neighborhood over including Alex and our friends Mary and Lacy. I think his favorite gift was his webkin. He has really enjoyed taking care of it and we are spending time together playing games and creating his webkin house. On Saturday Arin was able to go to the shooting range with Shawn, my parents neighbor. Arin woke up at 7:00am just to go shoot a 50 caliber Barrett...this thing is HUGE...needless to say Arin had some exciting events on his vacation. Sadly we loaded up the van later that day and headed towards Longview, Texas. We were able to get some sleep that night and then head home on Sunday. Since I am married to the biggest Zoo lover in the world we had to stop at Arbuckle Wilderness in Oklahoma. We were able to hand feed camels, buffalo, emu, goats and giraffe. Aidan was scared out of his mind. Bradley had a camel stick it's head in our car to get some food and Arin got slimed by a buffalo. Arin's favorite part was being able to hand feed the giraffe. He stood up out the sunroof while he fed it. That was the end of SB2K8 for the Mitchell Gang. How blessed we are to be able to travel to see our family and create these memories for our children. It was so nice to see my parents. I really miss my mom and love every minute I spend with her. It is just so comforting to have her near me. My kids love her too...The only way I could get Aidan to leave "nina's" house was to tell him we were going to see Papa and Grandma. We know who he loves. So much more is going on but we will leave that for another day. Love to all...

We are loving the warmer weather...

2008-03-10T18:46:00.001-07:00

This crazy Oklahoma weather has got us all mixed up. Last week it was warm one day and then freezing, snow the next. We did get to enjoy our warm weather by going to the park. I had promised Aidan all day that we would go to the park if he took a nap. It seems I always have to give him a bribe to take a nap. Whatever works. Snow was predicted but they were so wrong about that. Aidan seems to have no fear when it comes to the Jungle Gym and Bradley loves the monkey bars. He and his friend Zach came to the park with Aidan. They were more concerned with playing basketball than anything. I am still not understanding why they have a park without a basketball hoop but the boys let their imaginationl take over and were using the trashcan as a basket. Aidan loved the swings and especially loved it when bubby pushed him high! He was said "do it again" everytime he wanted to go higher. I think at one point I got kind of nervous. We also got to spend some time with our cousins Addy and Calvin. Since Aunt Beth had baby Owen last week Addy and Calvin were able to come over and play. Addy loves Lyla and she wanted to hold her the entire time. I need to keep her around more often to help with the babies. Addy loved posing with princess Lyla and we took many great pics of the two of them. Calvin wanted to be with the girls and you can see him trying to sneak in the picture. Lyla loves all of her cousins especially if they talk to her. She is starting to smile and make noises. She tries to move her lips and I swear she is trying to talk. She also loves her PoPo...She just sits and laughs at him when he talks to her. Princess Lyla is getting big and getting a little chunky. Arin found a dimple in her left knee and a fold on her right leg. We have a crazy week this week with getting ready for our Orange Beach vacation and my surgery. Hopefully we will get some great pics from the beach...much love to all...

Look at my hair do...

2008-02-29T09:21:00.000-08:00

I don't know if ya'll can see this or not but Aidan decided to put gel in hair. I had decided to get a bite for breakfast since Lyla was sleeping and Aidan was behaving...that was very short lived. When ever there is silence you know Aidan is into trouble. I made my way into the bathroom to find Q tips on the floor, dental floss all over and then the beautiful hair do. I have to say that he did make it look just like daddy's...Once we got the bathroom cleaned up I sat back down to finish breakfast. I guess it really was too good to be true because Lyla had started crying. Aidan does not like it when the princess cries. So, he thought he would be helpful and pick her up since she was crying. He "very carefully" (aidan is not careful about anything) picked her up from her swing and proceeded to "carry" her to me. Since Baby Ju Ju was upset we needed to take care of her. Breakfast for me got put on hold and then we moved to the bedroom to calm sister down. This other picture is of Aidan saying "cheese" with Baby Ju Ju... he said here take a picture of me and Baby Ju Ju...then he climbed over her several times trying to get his proper pose. Instead of getting upset I just decided to take a picture and laugh. He sure makes my day so interesting. I love the little joy he brings and all the little moments he reminds me of how great our life really is. What a sweet spirit Aidan is...

Finally back to normal

2008-02-29T06:21:00.000-08:00

I know it has been many days since I have updated but life around the Mitchell house has been a little less than fun. I am finally recovering from the stomach flu. Bradley finished up his basketball season with a close loss and Aidan has been enjoying playing outside. I don't know if I have ever seen a child get as dirty as he does. Due to the ice storm we had TONS of branches in the backyard. Arin decided to burn the branches and who would have thought it but Bradley was the fire man. I was at a relief society activity but Arin said Bradley was adding branches, and watching over the fire the whole time. He even got made when he had to come in. So, the next night out little fireman wanted to start another fire with his friend Austin. We have a pyromaniac...Since they couldn't start a fire they decided to shoot BB guns in the dark. Just after I had finished telling them not to shoot at each other Bradley comes inside to tell me that there is a little problem. Austin had been shot between the eyes with a BB...how crazy is that. Oh, i felt so bad since this was the first time he had stayed at our house. It was a bloody mess and Austin milked the attention. He turned out okay. Not really much exciting going on since the BB gun accident. Now that Basketball is over we have our evenings free. Kind of boring and weird. This is the first friday night we haven't had basketball practice or somewhere to go...who knows maybe we can go on a date. Well a date with the princess. I am not quite sure if I can go anywhere without her or should I say leave her with anyone. She is growing like a weed and up to 10 pounds. Her face is starting to fill out and she is getting little folds here and there. She is still really small compared to other babies. I guess she will just be petite...Lucky her. I just wish that one day soon she will start sleeping a little more at night. It is every 3 hours and she wakes up starving and screaming at us. Arin said it is like she is upset that we are not standing around waiting on her to wake up...Sounds about right. Already a Drama Queen...just like here mama...this is the most recent picture of Lyla...i need to take some newer ones today...i will post those as soon as I can...love to all

2008-02-17T15:34:00.000-08:00

As you may know Aidan LOVES John Deere tractors. His grandma Lolly bought him and Calvin matching shirts that say "Play in the Dirt". He had to put it on the day he got it. He has a new thing with showing off his new t-shirts. His favorite are the ones that say "Mr. Funny", "Mr. Happy" and John Deere. He is also into wearing cool socks. When he showed his teacher his new play in the dirt shirt, she said that was very appropriate. Aidan loves to get dirty and he even asks to get dirty. What a silly boy. His favorite socks are orange with pumpkins on them. They were for Lyla but he took hostage of them before I could put them up for her. Take a look at the picture he is pointing at his new shirt. This is how he shows off himself...

Here is Bradley playing basketball...He seems a little upset due to being thrown around twice. Of course, I was the mom in the stands screaming and yelling. I think we had the worst referees possible. They missed so many calls from the other team. We began to wonder which kid was his on the other team. It stinks when the boys play their heart out and then we have bad refs.

We are finally on here!!!

2008-02-17T09:13:00.001-08:00

The Mitchell Gang is finally starting a blog. After reading my friends and finding how easy it is to catch up I decided this would be great for our family. I am home sick today from church with some stomach bug. YUCK!!! I have slept more than I have in weeks and still don't feel rested. Yesterday we went to Bradley's basketball game. They lost but this was the best they had ever played. We were missing some of our players so we didn't have any subs. Bradley fouled out of this game also. Aidan loves to go to basketball games. Not only to cheer for Bubby for to get a Gatroaide. That is the first thing he asks for the minute we walk into the gym. Since it is cold and rainy here we decided to go to the indoor playland at the mall. Man this place is nice and they have these bench seats all along the side for parents. Lyla and I sat and watched Aidan play for hours. He really loves to play and run. By the time Bradley got finished shopping with Dad Aidan was ready to wrestle. However, once Bradley was down on the floor it seemed he was a magnet to all other toddler boys wanting to wrestle. I wonder if it is a genetic thing for boys to be so rough? Lyla is smiling so much these days. I think she laughed a little yesterday. She has been so content since we got her belly all worked out. With me not being able to nurse we were having a lot of problems finding a formula for her to eat. We have spent most of her life trying to find the perfect one and about 3 weeks ago we switched to Goat's Milk. She loves it and can actually digest it...Keep tuned in for more from us. Love to all...