Our 2009
>> Wednesday, December 30, 2009
We had a very busy 2009, we spent a lot of time at the zoo and aquarium. The boys had some major milestones. Brice finally started talking more and began calling me Boss, we're still laughing about that one. Rogan began to crawl and started walking this month. He is also starting to use more words. Brice started swim lessons and loves the water. We found a church we enjoy attending and the boys have fun in their Sunday school classes.
I started another blog, Adoptive Momma of Two and have corresponded with people from all over about adoption. I continue to blog about current events and issues in adoption. I was blessed to be able to stay home with my boys for another year. I spend my days playing, blogging, taking photos and just enjoying my life as a mom to two active boys.
Brian's store Out South Wine & Spirits celebrated one year of business in November. We are also going to be starting another business. Brian resigned from his law firm this month and will be opening his own firm with two other attorneys in February. His firm will be Neuens, Mitchell and Freese.
We took a couple of vacations. Brian and I went to Seattle in April and we took a family vacation to Texas in July. We were also able to meet up with most of my family in Texas over Thanksgiving.
In July, we lost our Fisher, he was a good dog and Brice's buddy. Maggie has proven herself to be a very patient ol' dog and lets Brice torment her daily.
Our sleeper sofa continues to get regular use. The Grandparents are here every month to visit their grandsons. They love to see the kids and spend as much time with them as possible.
We have had a great year, the above is just the highlights. We're looking forward to 2010! Happy New Year everyone!!
Look Who's Walking!
Rogan is on the move...finally! He started walking the week before Christmas and hasn't stopped. I guess he finally built up enough courage to do it on his own. He has had the ability to walk for quite some time but wouldn't unless he was holding onto you, your pinky finger at least. As soon as you would wiggle your little finger loose, he would drop to his knees and crawl. I guess he decided it wasn't really that far to fall and he could do it all on his own. Merry Christmas to us...we have a toddlin' toddler!
Exploring what he can get into next...
He's multi talented, walking and drinking his milk...
Still using his arms for balance...
Hmmm, wonder what there is to walk to out there?
Read more...
A New Look
>> Tuesday, December 29, 2009
I spent some time yesterday and today updating my blogs. They both have a new look! Starting the new year with updated blogs. Hope you like them!
Read more...My Blogs
>> Monday, December 28, 2009
Trying to find some new templates. Blogs will be looking sort of plain for a bit...
Read more...A White Christmas
>> Saturday, December 26, 2009
We had a very nice Christmas with Brian's parents.We had a blizzard on Christmas Eve. We haven't heard the official accumulation totals our guesstimate would be about 6 to 8 inches.
Unfortunately, Rogan started to get a runny nose on Christmas Eve and we did end up in the ER on Christmas day because he had begun to wheeze and his symptoms were getting worse pretty quickly. Luckily, he only has bronchitis.
We ate a lot, played games, watched movies, and played in the snow.
Christmas is Coming!
>> Monday, December 21, 2009
It's almost here, and we're a little behind. No surprise. So instead of cleaning, doing laundry, Christmas shopping, and getting ready for guests...I'm blogging. Yep, that's how responsible I am. My kids are in bed, I just read them 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. My poor husband is at yet another holiday function for work. This time of year is not all that fun for him, he has a lot of mingling to do.
So here's where we're at, we've not purchased one Christmas present. Nope, not one. Yep, it's Dec 21st and not one. This is the norm for us. We get it all done in one night, in a few hours. We make a list, limit our shopping to a couple of stores, avoid the mall like the plague, and we're done.
Usually we're done before now, but in previous years we have been able to take the kids with us and get away with purchasing gifts in their presence and they are none the wiser. Brice is 4 yrs old now and we can no longer do that. So...we are waiting for the grandparents to arrive and babysit their grand babies so we can get to it and do it!
Don't worry, the boys will have toys come Christmas day. I have faith in Ol' Saint Nick.
My Funny Boys
>> Wednesday, December 16, 2009
My boys crack me up every day. Here are a few examples of their latest funnies.
1. Last week Brice acted up in swimming lessons and had been in trouble. When his dad came home from work he asked Brice what had happened in swim class and why he had been trouble. Brice's response "I already know row, row, row." Row, row, row is the phrase his teacher uses to get the kids to paddle with their arms. Apparently, he mastered that skill.
2. I took the boys out to eat the other day and they had been good so I bought a couple of cookies at the counter to take home and have for dessert. They are both cookie monsters. When we got into the car Brice said, "Ohhhh Boss we got some cookies!" while shaking his fists in front of him trying to contain his enthusiasm. I started to back out of our parking place and when I turned around Brice said, "Come on Boss hurry we got cookies!"
3. Rogan had been napping and I opened his door to peek in on him today. As I slowly opened his door and looked into his crib he was lying there smiling up at me and he quickly blew me a kiss. Awww, melts my heart. Such a sweet boy.
4. Lastly, we were grocery shopping today. We were on the cracker aisle and Brice said he wanted some Cheez-Its. I picked up a box and put them in the cart. Brice started to cheer for me and said, "Woo hoo Boss, way to go! You did it!" Grocery shopping is much easier and a lot more fun when you have your own cheering squad.
Never a dull moment with my boys. They keep me smiling and laughing. I sure am a lucky Momma/Boss.
Christmas Light Display
We took the boys to the huge light display at Rhema Bible Church on Friday. Part of the display is set up for you to get out of your warm toasty vehicle and walk through the lights. We bundled up and experienced it all. It was a lot of fun.
Oh Brice
>> Friday, December 11, 2009
I'm in the laundry room folding laundry, Rogan is napping and Brice is playing quietly in his room...or so I think. Brice comes into the laundry room and says "uh Boss, look". He is standing there holding the curtain rod from his bedroom. It is bent in half. How does he do it? How did he even get up there? Amazing. He's in timeout now.
A Lazy Bunch
The boys and I are still in our pjs, it's 10:30 a.m, and we're okay with it. Being so lazy is pretty unusual for us, we generally get around fairly early. We woke up early, but haven't bothered to get dressed. Maybe it's the cold weather? We've been watching some Christmas movies (the old claymation movies that are on TV every year) and playing in Brice's room. The boys just went down for naps. How convenient that they are already in their bed clothes! I guess it's time to get around and accomplish something today. We plan to head to the Rhema drive through light display tonight. I hope to have some good pictures to post afterward. Brice may go into cardiac arrest when he sees all those lights. He is so excited he can hardly stand it!
Read more...
My Boys
>> Friday, December 4, 2009
My boys play hard all day. They go non stop until they can go no more. Nap time generally occurs when they fall where they are. This week, we've been running around a lot and getting ready for Christmas and a quick day trip back to Missouri. A couple of photos below of my boys collapsed from a hard day of playing together. Also an attempt at a Christmas photo of the boys, Brice really isn't choking his little brother as it may appear. He really does love his little brother.
Christmas Card
>> Thursday, December 3, 2009
We took a self portrait last night for our Christmas card. It took only a few minutes and turned out pretty well, we think. We could not believe the boys actually cooperated. Brice jumped into place and said, "CHEESE!". We'll get them sent out soon and I'll post the final product after they have all been mailed.
Read more...Are You All Right?
>> Wednesday, December 2, 2009
We had Thanksgiving dinner at my cousin Tracee's house this year. After a big dinner we decided some of us would take a walk to the playground nearby and let the kids go play for a while. We get to see Tracee and her husband Derek on a regular basis because they live only a few minutes away from my parents. Tracee is about 5 months pregnant and her belly has really started to show.
Tracee, Brice, my mom and I had walked out of the house ready to head to the playground. We were waiting in the driveway for a few others to join us when Brice looked at Tracee, pointed to her belly, and asked her "Are you all right?" I guess he finally noticed her belly and thought she had something wrong with her.
Poor boy he's never been around pregnancy before. As far as he knows, you go on vacation, fall asleep at a water park, and wake up to a baby brother. That is the way it worked for him.
Elves
>> Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Just because they are so hilarious! Click the link below to see the Mitchell Family Elves
http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/52qLh7HagyzoJudsT1k9
Family
>> Monday, November 30, 2009
We had a fun Thanksgiving! My 83 year old grandmother was able to come to Thanksgiving this year. I believe this holiday was the most time I have been able to spend with my grandma in years; if not ever. We played a lot of cards, told a lot of stories, remembered my grandfather, and she got to know my boys. Great Grandma and Brice became good buddies.
We had about 20 family members at my cousin's house for Thanksgiving. There were several members still missing, who were not able to make the trip and we missed them. We played games, took the kids to the playground and ate so much food it was embarrassing. I think fun was had by all.
Family can be a lot of fun, this is the most fun we have all had together in years. Hope everyone else's Thanksgiving was as enjoyable.
My Crew
>> Friday, November 20, 2009
I live with my own little construction crew more like destruction, but whatever. They've been working on my dining room table this afternoon. My own little Handy Manny's.
Rogan
>> Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Rogan had his 15 month well baby check up today. We were actually about a month and a half behind. We have all been sick off and on and I wanted to make the little guy was 100% before getting his shots. We had a slight concern because he is not walking yet. He stands alone and will walk if he can hold onto your finger. So, he is fully capable just not confident. Dr. Exon said it sounds like he needs a motivational speaker to get started. He was not concerned about him not walking. He stated many kids do not walk until they are 18 months old. So we may have another month or two of this crawling stuff. He's so fast on his hands and knees I think he feels he can keep up with his big brother easier on all fours.
Other than that, he was perfect. He is up to 25 lbs 6 oz and is 32 1/4 inches long. The 65th and 75th percentiles. He eats well and is less picky than his big brother. He's a climber and we're pretty sure the Christmas tree is going to be an issue this year. He weaned off of his bottle without a fuss and took right to a sippy. Neither of my boys took to pacifiers so we didn't have to mess with those. We're working on drinking from a cup without spilling too much and using utensils. He is even brushing his own teeth.
Rogan is all smiles and personality. Gotta love those dimples!
The Zoo and a Little Christmas
>> Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Last Saturday, we drove to Oklahoma City to meet my parents at the zoo for the day. It's kind of a meet in the middle, but not really because my parents have to drive farther than we do. It was our first day of cooler weather, but still nice enough to enjoy ourselves and being outdoors. We of course had a great time.
I am really enjoying Brice at this age. Of course, I've enjoyed every stage of my boy's lives, but he has become a lot of fun recently. He loves Christmas lights and we have taken little trips during the day just to see Christmas decorations. We have gone to Lowe's, Wal-Mart, the mall, and Hobby Lobby to look at the decorations. He turns down the aisle and all you hear is him gasp, then he'll say something like "guys, guys look at this" or "oh wow". You would think the holiday inflatable section at stores is Disneyland. Oh how fun.
We know this phase of his is going to be short lived so we are thoroughly enjoying it. There is a large church here in Tulsa which has a drive through light display. We cannot wait to take Brice to it this year. Brian is planning to decorate the outside of the house in a lot of lights this year. He wants to make sure Brice gets all the twinkle lights his little heart desires. I have a feeling we might be in for a Griswold Christmas.
It's Anna Day!
>> Monday, November 16, 2009
I've always loved my birthday and I'm kinda of obnoxious about it. I can't help it, I don't know why. My parents never made a huge deal of my birthday. I am an only child, but my birthday was never celebrated anymore than anyone else's. I just happen to love the idea that we each get our own day each year. It makes my day a little more special to know I might be thought of a little more today.
I don't care about the presents, cake, or other material stuff that comes with having a birthday. I don't want for anything. I live a great life. I do love the fact that my husband will be home a little earlier tonight to take the kids and me out to dinner. Brian being home early is a special bonus of it being Anna day. It's the little things that make my birthday special.
What We've Been Up To
>> Thursday, November 12, 2009
We've been busy and having lots of fun since my last blog post. Here's what we've been doing...
Brice has started swimming lessons and he is having a blast. He's improving and has become very comfortable in the water. He is now swimming underwater with his eyes open. His swimming class had safety week this week and wore their clothes into the pool. They wanted the kids to know what it felt like to swim fully clothed in case they ever fell in. They also taught them how to reach for someone if they fell in and to pull them out of the water. The kids had a blast saving their teacher and pretending to fall in and be saved. Brice did have a mishap before class. He didn't understand he would be swimming in his clothes and tried to pull down his sweats on the pool deck, but his swim trunks came with them and he flashed the whole swimming pool. He was completely unfazed and was headed for the water anyway. Luckily, I caught him and managed to get him dressed. It was hilarious.
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