The Happy Mitchell Family

More Overheard

2011-10-07T16:01:00.000-07:00

Tate to Ellis in the back seat of the car: "Ellis, you're my best friend."

Ellis from the back seat nodding his head in agreement: "You're right, Tate! I am your best friend!"

Mommy from the front seat: "That's right, boys. You will be best friends your whole life."

Tate: "Ellis, you're my whoooooooole life."

Preciously perfect.

GloryEvelyn, Tate says you are a princess. And you are. You are a sweet joy. You will have a little sister in a little over six weeks.

Tate, you put your shoes on all by yourself for the first time today.

Overheard

2011-05-30T22:47:00.001-07:00

A couple of things I have heard in the last week from my boys that made me smile...

From Ellis...

(showing his visiting buddies Annalise and Noah his map)

"You see, this is a map. Let me show you. You start...with Texas."

That's my boy! He knows the best place to start. :)

From Tate...

(looking at my varicose vein and spider stricken right leg, ugh...someday, it will be fixed, sigh)

Tate: Mommy, are these your colors? (pointing to the varying shades of purple and blue)

Me: Yes, those are my colors.

Tate: I looooooooovvvvvvveeeeeee your beautiful colors. I like your colorful pants!

Only my Tate could see beauty in something that is painful and less than appealing to see.

I LOVE my busy, rambunctious, curious, thoughtful boys!

Just today...

2011-05-21T19:43:00.000-07:00

A few pictures from today of a few happy kids with two happy parents...

On the front porch

Painting with water

Messy GloryEvelyn

Watching for Daddy to come home from work (I did not pose this!!)

Be on the Lookout...

2011-05-13T22:40:00.000-07:00

Yup, it's 12:40 AM, and I am blogging.

I just got done cleaning up (well, cleaning up good enough for the night). Granted, I had a nice couch conversation with Kent and watched a rather inspirational 20/20. I love news shows! So admittedly, I have not been cleaning since the kids went down.

You see, I need some help Mitchell Family blog readers. I am on the lookout for the following. I am willing to trade any of my talents for any one item on my list.

My talents, you ask?

1. Couponing

2. Bargain finding

3. Making Goodwill furniture look like...well, not Goodwill furniture

4. Craigslisting

5. Great conversation about classic literature

6. Taming curly hair

7. Trivia questions concerning "Saved by the Bell"

There are more fantastic ones (what can I say, I am blessed), but it is late, and I need to get to the true heart of this post.

Which is, of course, what I need:

1. automatic high chair cleaner outer

2. automatic mop

3. automatic vacuum

4. automatic broom and dust pan

5. automatic laundry putter upper

You will note one similar word here which is automatic. Meaning I do nothing. Meaning when the mess happens, when the crumb falls, the magic happens, and it is whisked away. Meaning after I have happily washed, dried, and folded (yes, I actually enjoy this) the laundry, that amazingly, arms extend from the air, take the laundry from me, and place it in the appropriate spot.

Oh, also an automatic potty trainer would be nice. Tate is wearing me out a bit.

Please leave comments as to where I can find these amazing devices.

The Truth...

2011-05-11T11:04:00.000-07:00

No, this is not my child. (although it looks a bit like GE, yes??)

But I totally get this picture. Three years ago, I would not have understood it. I would have given it a miniscule chuckle.

Now?? Three years, three kids, and one baby in the oven later, I think it is hilarious. Out loud laughed. I especially appreciate that this totally-had-it mother had the presence of mind/conscience to at least tape a beloved companion next to her child. By the neck.

Every so often, someone will make a comment to me like, "You always have it so together. How do you do it?" or "You are always so organized." I always debate at those moments as to what to say...do I tell the truth and let them know that I forgot it was Western Day at Montessori last week, and my son went with a zoo shirt on that has a stain at the bottom? or do I look bashful and relish in my own pretend glory?

My very favorite is when I have events at my home, such as baby showers or birthday parties, (which by the way, I love planning and creating events like that), and someone says to me, "Your house is so clean! That is so amazing that you can keep it looking like this with all of these kids!" Again, I go through my inner debate on what to say...should I just wave my hand and pretend I snap my fingers like Mary Poppins and wha-la, it is clean? Or should I invite them over later, after the people have gone home, after the kids have walked around for about five minutes, or after a snack, much less a meal? That person would probably be shocked! It always amazes me the havoc that three children can bring to a clean house.

So the jig is up. No, my house doesn't look like it does when I have parties. It doesn't really look like that...ever. In all reality, I have probably stayed up the entire night before cleaning it. I love having my home look like a magazine for a few hours, but I wouldn't trade the craziness and busyness of life now for a magazine cover home. I know that before I know it, these years will be gone, and I can have my house as clean and tidy as I like it.

When I had Ellis, and found out we were expecting Tate so quickly, I knew I had to make a decision. Either I am going to be super stressed out (which my kids will feel), and worry about every little toy in its place, and my laundry all done, or I can go through my life, enjoying my husband and my children, knowing that they are more important than any cleaning agenda or what anyone else thinks of me or the state of my home. And guess what? We have all survived, happily and healthily. The kids are full and safe and healthy and clean. Kent has only run out of underwear and had to wear a jock strap to work once, the house is tidy (in a messy sort of way), not perfect, and we are relaxed and happy. Yes, probably weekly, I have to look around and take a deep breath, and after seeing this picture, I may need to consider duct taping all of the kids to the wall so I can get some things done around here, but I constantly have to remind myself of the bigger picture.

Kent and I were talking recently about how Ellis is old enough now to make memories. Will he remember if there were a few crumbs on the floor or some mail stacked up on the counter?

Of course not.

Case in point...

I recently attended the Mother's Day Tea at Ellis' preschool class. The kids were to write what they liked about their mother or what they were thankful for about them.

Most of the kids wrote things like, "She washes my clothes" or "She makes me lunches".

Ellis wrote, "She plays with me and sings with me."

Now this is not to say the other Moms don't do those things, I am sure they do, but it meant so much to my heart that that was the FIRST thing Ellis thought of. He is internalizing the time I play with he and Tate and GloryEvelyn and sing silly songs.

This is hard to do at times when you can see stacks of work all around you.

I am still learning how to balance everything, and at times, I do feel I am faltering in some areas. I like to be organized, but by no means, do I have it all together.

But I do have a happy husband and three precious joyful kids. That's pretty much all I could ask for.

Oh, and to be able to snap my fingers like Mary Poppins.

A Mother's Instinct

2011-05-08T18:23:00.000-07:00

Note to Readers: No judgment for what I am about to tell you.

I enjoy a Lifetime movie every once in awhile.

I'm not talking about the cheesy made-up storyline flicks, but ones based on true stories. I happened to watch one last night, and I can't stop thinking about it. It's called The Delimar Vera Story, and you can read more about what really happened here. Basically, Delimar Vera was ten days old when she died in her crib in a house fire started by a faulty extension cord, or so her mother thought. Fast forward six years later, and the mother randomly sees a young girl at a birthday party. She looks at her and instinctually knows it is her daughter. Telling the little girl she has bubble gum in her hair, she pretends to remove it, and pulls a few strands to save them. Mind you, this woman (at the time) barely spoke any English but she had seen enough "American crime shows" to know that you needed hair to get DNA. Miraculously, the mother is right! The little girl at the party IS the daughter she thought had died. An ex-wife of a distant cousin set fire to her house years before to cover up taking the little girl. (the kidnapper is now in prison) Mother and daughter are reunited and begin their lives together again.

Can you imagine?

Isn't that an amazing story?

I do believe in a mother's instinct. I remember before I had Ellis, that even though I had read some books, and thought I had a plan, I soon realized that putting those ideas into action PLUS trusting my mother's instinct was the happiest solution for most problems.

Sometimes mothers just know things...

like getting upset over messes is silly and fruitless,

little boys that have beautiful hair eventually do have to get haircuts,

and may need a little candy to get them through,

getting appliances like a hand vac for Christmas is no big deal, (though there may or may not be a message connected with that gift :) )

heels and gardening tools can go together,

I couldn't do it without this guy, love you Kent!

little boys ideas may be ingenious

but must be stopped before they occur,

of course, not before you take a picture, (do you see what is about to happen here?!)

Edible Arrangements are better when shared, (and are a great Mother's Day surprise!)

and finally,

Children are always a welcome blessing!

Kent and I are so so thankful for the news of a new precious bundle. Baby number four is coming November 2011. (we are really spacing them this time, a new Mitchell record! a whole 18 months apart!)

Thank you, God, for motherhood.

New Camera

2011-04-21T18:33:00.000-07:00

After a whole month with no camera, I finally buckled down and bought a new one. We have been full-on planting the past month or so in our no landscaping front yard and planting a garden in our backyard. It is so much fun to have so much space for that now! So while I was finishing up some planting in the front yard and trying to keep three small children out of the street, I managed to get some pictures. I am very pleased with the quality of the photos! The resolution is awesome!

Two boys lookin' for trouble

Tickling - Tate was the instigator, of course

Ellis looking like a sweet boy

Beautiful Tate

GloryEvelyn's famous scrunch nose smile

She actually took the most steps I have seen her take today!

Tate's Second Birthday

2011-04-05T18:51:00.000-07:00

We are backing up a little because I wanted to post pictures of Tate's second birthday...

Tate had a Very Hungry Caterpillar birthday party this year. He loves the book, and it was fun to put together the activities for our special little guy. We had just moved so the house was not in much order, but noone seemed to mind the boxes in the corners. Oh, and one other small thing, we had no heat...in January. Luckily, it was a warmer day so it seemed fine, but being as cold-natured as I am, I, of course, was freezing. But it was still a fun celebration of our little Tay-tay. We love you, Tate! You are our adorable, silly, curly headed, tender guy.

What we will remember about your second year:

1. Your "rotating hand"...when we lay down with you, we know to be ready for your rotating hand...stroking an arm, a cheek, a face. It is soooooo sweet.

2. Your wild wild blonde hair which we finally cut for your second birthday. Daddy and I joke that God knew you would be the middle child and gave you something extra unique. Literally everywhere we go, people comment on (and touch) your hair. You get alot of attention because of it.

3. Middle child you are not. You can hold your own with your brother and you know just how to get his goat. Watching you take his Jack, calmly wait until he notices, and then run like the wind is quite funny. Speaking of Ellis, you two are quite inseparable.

4. How much little girls love you...maybe this is a sign for things to come?? Little girls love you... toddler girls, elementary school girls and up, you are a loved little guy. And you eat it up.

5. You think you are very funny and comment often about how silly and funny you are.

6. Your deep and tender love for GloryEvelyn. I love this about you. You are constantly petting her, hugging her, and talking to her in your squeaky voice.

7. Your expressiveness. Your brown eyes have so much soul and depth in them. You can tell the whole story with your little beautiful face. You are such a special part of our family, and you are so so loved!

Caterpillar Birthday Cake

Birthday Table

Make your own snack: Banana Caterpillars

Make your own snack: Butterfly Sandwiches

Butterfly and Caterpillar Craft Table

Painting with fruit

Birthday Guests

Enjoying cupcakes

Really enjoying cupcakes

Tate and LivyAnne who are only one day apart

Working on making snacks

Party favors: the kids matched their names to the other half of their butterflies...according to my nephew Braden, this is not really a party favor (oops!) thus making our party a "small celebration"...seven year old translation: no party favors = small celebration, cool party favors = real party, HA!! :)

Singing "Happy Birthday"...Tate didn't blow out his own candle this year but he didn't seem to mind. Ahhh, big brothers. :)

Effie's Baby Shower

2011-03-22T08:12:00.000-07:00

We arrived home safely from New York yesterday - more to come on our terrific trip soon!

My sweet friend, Effie, is due in April with Baby Girl Kieta (her son, Noah, named "Big Noah" because we have so many boys named Noah in our life, is eight months to the day older than Ellis). We had her baby shower at our house, and it was a great way to light the fire to get things presentable around here! We still have a long way to go, but there are a couple of pictures in here that show a little of what we have done thus far.

Can't wait to meet you Baby Girl Kieta!

*you can click on any of the pictures to enlarge them; once you do that, you can zoom too!*

Effie and Hostesses

Beautiful spread on my fabulous eight foot farmhouse table in our dining room (my birthday present from Kent! we are still working on finding the right chairs for it)

Delicious treats

Entryway (well, part of it)

Living Room

Ellis' First Soccer Game

2011-03-13T20:22:00.000-07:00

Our Little Soccer Player

Ellis Zack's first soccer game was yesterday. We were really excited, and Ellis had been talking about it all week. Ellis had done great in the two practices we had, following directions super well, and kicking the ball great down the field.

So we were jazzed.

Saturday, the big day. We get there. We put our orange and black uniform on. We have our cleats. (which Ellis calls "shoes with legs") We have our shin guards. We begin the game.

We start off with a bang.

After seeing Ellis run off the field to get "his ball", and then kicking someone else's ball down the field that he snagged from the sidelines, we realized...we didn't really play with one ball during practice. Every kid had his own ball going down the field, kicking it in between the cones, etc.

So Ellis is wondering why he has to chase his ball when there are at least twelve other balls in his sight.

We lost the vision for awhile after the first few minutes of the game. It was much more fun to kick the ball with Daddy, Papa Buck, Uncle Christian, and Braden on the sidelines. But we rallied again, and Ellis Z warmed up a little more at the end. I have included some highlights of the game including Ellis throwing the ball in and a super fun game we like to call "see what happens when you cover your eyes and run down the field." Enjoy.

Coach Joseph and the Tigers before the big game

The Tigers and...Tate

(who wants to play so badly, he can hardly stand it)

Ellis and sweet buddy, Grayson

Papa Buck and GloryEvelyn cheering on the Tigers

(I had a hair clip in GloryEvie's three strands of hair, which ended up clipped on PB's hat)

Daddy and Ellis post game

Highlights of this reel...Ellis' big kick (out of bounds), a big sneeze, and his little dance

(Sorry for my cheering)

Highlight of this reel...Tate casually sauntering on the field as if he is supposed to be there - this was a continuous problem.

It's hard to tell from this eight second snippet, but there was a portion of this game that EZ ran back and forth with his hands covering his face.

Kent and I's sixth anniversary was yesterday also - our anniversary picture officially requires more than one hand now. Three kids, three homes, and three jobs later, I still can't believe I get to be married to him!

Bible Teaching 101

2011-02-10T12:06:00.000-08:00

My friend Effie and I were sharing stories of the joys of teaching our children about the Bible. I mean "joys" sarcastically and literally. Bible stories are something you should talk to your children about, right?! We read them out of our favorite children's Bible storybook here. But we are quickly learning there can be a lot to explain in what an adult may consider to be a simple story with a well-meaning ending. Ellis is a big three year old now, and while it is so fun to see his mind beginning to really reason, his comments can be a bit difficult to reply to. For example, this is a conversation in reference to the story of Joseph.

Mommy: (abbreviated version of the story) So his brothers put Joseph into a pit, and then they sold him, and the men they sold him to took him away from his home. But God was with Joseph in the pit, and God was with Joseph when he was traveling, and God was with Joseph in his new home.

Ellis: Joseph's brothers put Joseph in a pit? A pit in the ground like a hole in the ground?!

Mommy: Yes they did.

Ellis: I put Tate in the pit.

Mommy: Oh no, we would never do that. That would be very unkind to Tate and a bad decision. You would feel very sad in your heart just like Joseph's brothers did.

Ellis: But Mommy, God will be with him in the pit in the hole in the ground. God will be with him! And that is so great!

Uhhhhhhhhhhhh....

So Says Ellis

2011-02-10T11:53:00.000-08:00

Ellis: Mommy, is this fabric? (pointing to my foot covered by my tights)

Mommy: Well, yes, but these are called tights.

Ellis: (tilting his head to the side surveying my covered legs and feet) Tights are big socks. Yes, tights are big socks. Those are biiiiiiiiiiiiig socks.

So says Ellis.

The End.

Dear Ones,

2011-02-06T01:19:00.000-08:00

It is quite late...after 3 AM. I painted half a room before I ran out of paint, typed an email about a friend's baby shower, and have enjoyed the last hour and a half of quiet reading. Yes, I will be tired tomorrow (or rather today), and sweet Daddy is going to work at 6am returning Monday pm! But sometimes, I relish these times because it gives me time to think and to pray. Real time. Not five minutes squeezed in here and there.

I wish that in my reflections all I could think of were the wonderful things I did this week as a Mommy and a Wife. But I can't...I think of the times I was frustrated (whether inward or not!) and should not have been. I think of the times I dreamed of sitting in a quiet Starbucks sipping a latte and reading a book when I was surrounded by laundry, poopy diaper after poopy diaper (Tate, your time is near to get full-on potty trained!), and the at times seemingly insurmountable task of getting my house organized how I would like it to be. As much as Kent and I talk about how wonderful and fleeting this time is, and how we want to just freeze a three year old Ellis, a two year old Tate, and an eight month old GloryEvelyn, it can be easy in the chaotic times to wish for more "me time", quiet time, couple time, reading time, creating time, and to lengthen the time between clean shirts and dirty shirts. As much as I treasure this phase of life, I know I miss moments by wishing for quiet Starbucks times. And I don't want to miss any moments...

There is no doubt I will fail sometimes in various aspects of "good" Mommyhood and Wifehood, but I hope that each day when you go to sleep, and each day you awake, you feel and know how much I love your four sweet faces. With all my heart.

Ellis, I love that you asked for twenty kisses tonight before you went to bed. And that you sat on a basket and watched Mr. Juan whack at our nearly 100 year old shower tile for at least an hour and a half today, while he patiently answered all 10,000 of your curious repetitive questions.

Tate, I love that you tried to make GloryEvelyn stop crying in the car today by smiling at her and tickling her feet. I love that you gave me several kisses and hugs today without prompting. I love that you worked so hard on the matching puzzle and was so thrilled with your success.

GloryEvelyn, I loved the same things about you today that I love about you every day. You are enduringly sweet, infectiously happy, and unceasingly smiley.

And my Kent, how could I ever do this without you? I loved how you encouraged me today, how you affectionately tugged at my braids, how you happily went to run errands with the kids and I after seeing patients all night when you could have stayed home and napped, and how joyful you looked watching the kids play this afternoon. You are the most amazing person I have ever known.

Brothers, Buddies, Battlestar Galactica

2011-02-04T07:55:00.000-08:00

This post title only makes sense if you watch The Office.

Ellis and Tate are quite the pair...neither of them lack personality...or mobility...or loudness. They are so close in age (14 months) that I know they will never remember life without each other. They share a room, which is nothing short of pure free entertainment with the video monitor. In fact, just yesterday, after they had woken from their naps, Ellis and Tate had some fun with their full length door mirror. This consisted of making funny faces and doing silly dances, Ellis being a jumping bean on his bed while Tate held onto his waist for dear life, and Tate falling down and asking Ellis, "will you give me kisses?" Ellis has such a dominant personality that we wondered when Tate was a baby if he would just fall into the background, but we could not have been more wrong. Tate has a mind and a will of his own, and is quite stubborn and persevering. He keeps up with Ellis just fine, and is a loyal buddy to his brother. If one is at Montessori, the other is asking, "Where's ___?" "Can we go get ___?" It makes me a little sad to think of Ellis going to kindergarten someday, for more reasons than this, but I do think it will be hard on Tate. They are always together, always excited about playing with each other, and always coming up with hair-raising ideas. As soon as the lights go out at night, Tate says, "want to play in the bouncy house, Ellis?" Kent and I are typically outside the door saying no and to go to sleep. I will never ever forget them holding hands curiously exploring our new house, Ellis whispering, "come on Tate, hold my hand, let's go" while they crept around peering in all the rooms. Though there are pros and cons to kids close together or kids far apart, I do see the benefits of being so close in Ellis and Tate. They never really dealt with jealousy of another sibling being brought home, and are quite compassionate towards each other and their friends. Most of the time, they share their things quite easily, and have grown up with things being "theirs" instead of "mine". Of course, they have their little squabbles, but there is no doubt that they are blood brothers. Thick and thin. For better or for worse. And I'm sure that one day, they will think Battlestar Galactica is pretty neat.

Sharing the same chair watching Signing Time

Watching the Workers

Oh if I only had a dime for all of the pictures I have taken that look like this!

First Day of Montessori Spring Semester

At the Farm - Fall 2010

Big Thank You Hugs

Giggling in front of the Christmas tree

Speaking of brothers, happy birthday to my little brother, Andrew, who now has a Baby Andrew! I am so thankful for all of my brothers, and I truly am grateful that I GET to be their sister. Being siblings gets better with age as families grow, and it has been one of the greatest joys, strongholds, and blessings of my life. There is no doubt in my mind that I am a better wife and mom because of my brothers and all they have taught me.

A New Start

2011-02-02T08:05:00.000-08:00

It's been so long since I have posted...time has really gotten away from me. When I first started to get behind on blogging, I thought I would catch up, but as more time passed, and I had more and more to catch up on, I got bogged down with all I needed to post. So here's to a new start...

Alot has happened since I blogged last...mainly, a new baby. Glory Evelyn Mitchell was born on May 4, 2010, weighing 7 pounds 11 ounces and measuring 20 inches long. Kent's first words were, "It really is a girl!". There is no doubt whose daughter she is...Kent's. She looks just like him, though when she was born, we really thought she looked like her namesake, our sweet Granny (MaryEvelyn). GloryEvelyn has the "bright blues", our name for her beautiful eyes, white blonde hair with a bit of strawberry, and fair skin. She is eight months now and is just a plump bundle of happiness and joy. She has been my easiest baby by far! And I have to say, I am enjoying having a little girl so much. Sweetness and light, that is our little GloryEvelyn.

This is a pretty typical picture of her with her wide open mouthed smile.

Christmas 2010

Tate just turned two in January and is known for his crazy ringlet curly hair. (which we sadly cut just a couple of weeks ago, though it is still very very curly) He is quite the little mischievous imp, and is Ellis' loyal partner in making messes and getting into trouble. "Thoughtfully determined" still fits him, though I think "headstrong" fits the bill more often. One of my favorite things about Tate is how he treats GloryEvelyn. He absolutely adores her, frequently patting her on the head and getting right up in her face to talk to her in a high-pitched squeaky voice. Tate is left-handed and really does everything with his left hand. He likes bananas more than anyone I can imagine, and answers most every question with an enthusiastically loud "YyyyyyyyyyyEAH!!"

Pre-Haircut

Kent made these pipe cleaner glasses for Tate, and he just loves them!

Ellis turned three in November and has not slowed down. In fact, we joke that Tate and Ellis together sound like a herd of elephants running across our old hardwood floors. He has definitely inherited what my brother Christian calls my "undying optimism" and generally greets life with positive gusto. He still loves all things transportation, everyone he meets is his friend, and over Christmas, he began writing his name well. Three has made him really seem like a big boy, though his big cheeks leave just a little bit of baby. He follows a string of ideas of what we should do with the same question every time, "would that be good?!" These ideas typically involve going outside, painting, getting cookies with sprinkles, or riding in Daddy's Jeep.

Christmas 2010

Ellis participating in his Montessori Christmas program

In other family news, we bought a new home (or new to us rather, built in 1919) about six weeks ago and have been incredibly busy fixing it up to our liking. :) Of course, we had to do not so fun things like getting a new roof, and repairing the mortar that was in bad shape, but we have gotten through that now thankfully. I, of course, am busy with the kids, but enjoying making over my new home. (pictures to come!) Kent is still enjoying his new partner position at his practice and doing seminary part-time.

I am excited about blogging again, more coming soon!

Giggles and Bubbles

2009-11-08T19:37:00.000-08:00

Two brothers having a great time in the bathtub last night. (Tate gets a little choked up at the beginning, but is trying to splash at the end - so cute! Also notice Ellis giving Tate the duck and whale. :) ) These two little boys playing together is a JOY to watch - brothers are so great!

A Little Football Player and a Little Puppy

2009-10-30T07:57:00.000-07:00

These might be some of my favorite pictures of Ellis and Tate ever! Our sweet friends, the Triggers, found these little TCU football uniforms and held one for us for Ellis. Kent surprised me and had Ellis run in the room with it on, and he looked so so darling. He LOVED his jersey and his helmet, and has coincidingly developed an obsessive love for football. There has been more than one night or nap he has stayed up "talking football" in his bed. It typically goes as follows: "Wanna go to the football game? Yes, you do! Yes, you do! Come on! Running, kicking, running, kicking, sack! Helmet, band, TCU! TCU! TCU! Go Frogs!!" It has been super fun for me to take him to the games, and he is completely enthralled!

Little Puppy Dog

Ellis had to get in on Tate's photo shoot

Laughing -when Tate laughs, he brings in his little arm like that

Tate really looks like me as a child here, minus eye shape

This is Kent's favorite.

First Haircut

2009-10-28T21:46:00.001-07:00

Still catching up on stories/pictures...

After several phone, email, and in-person interventions, Kent and I finally ceded to cutting Ellis's hair. It was getting rather mulletesque, but all my mother's heart could see was a bald baby for the first fourteen months of life. Nevertheless, a highchair (restraint), a little TV (distraction), and Mommy's haircutting scissors were in order. I figured it HAD to be easier than cutting Kent's hair - no moaning or sharp intakes of breath when he thinks I have the scissors too close to his face. Hard to believe I have been doing it for nearly seven years! Ellis came through like a champ and much to our happiness still managed to keep his curls. He is not quite ready for a big boy haircut yet - he still has too much of a baby face. :)

Feeling very proud of his long locks pre-haircut

From the back pre-haircut - this looks so much longer in pictures to me than it did in real life - probably the reason for the multiple interventions. :)

Wet hair pre-cut...I know, it was SO long!

A very stylish look a la Mommy. :)

Little imp afterwards

This went into EZ's special box.

Just some randoms...

Ellis doing some "work" - notice how his foot is propped on the chair :)

Tate and Daddy sleeping - it's rare to get one of our kids like this :)

Ellis at Montessori Music Night (you could wear your pajamas)

My favorite comments heard at our house today:

"Ellis, you are not a dancing bear, get down." (Kent's response to Ellis trying to stand and balance on his big blue ball.) I have laughed about it all day!

"Mommy, water please?" before I could answer, Ellis says apparently imitating what he thought I would say..."Okay Ellis, just a minute, just a minute, it's no problem, just a minute." Yikes! However, Ellis easily surpassed this a couple of weeks ago when he lowered his voice several octaves after he asked Kent for something and said "okay, okay".

The Latest

2009-10-02T14:32:00.000-07:00

Although I still need to back up on some stories and pictures, I thought I would do a post on"the latest" aspects of Tate and EZ's lives...

Tate...

What a giggler! All you have to do is look at him and he giggles, it is so cute. He is a "fast crawler" now and pulling up on everything he can (including Kent's leg hair). Sometimes I think he will be walking any second. He loves loves loves to jump and is a big fan of the Jumperoo. He eats like a champ and especially enjoys anything with meat. We are working on the sippy cup, and he is sorta kinda getting the hang of it. He adores Ellis and crawls as fast as he can after him. One night, we thought we were feeding Tate too early because he wouldn't eat, so we let him down to play. A few minutes later, Ellis went and got Tate's food and the spoon, sat Tate down, and started feeding him. Tate opened right up and ate his dinner. It was a mess, but it was so sweet, Kent and I didn't have the heart to stop it. Tate's hair is a shade darker than Ellis', but it is curly which is darling. I think I'm going to have another giant footed boy- his feet are big and thick. He loves to be upside down and is still my little doll baby.

EZ...

What a joy he is! He is my little learner and loves to talk in complete sentences - "This is a Mommy", "This is a Tae-Tae", "This is a truck", and is still pretty loud. :) He loves numbers and counting, and he can count by himself to 40 (we add ten about every week lately). He knows most of his upper and lower case letters (he only misses V, calling it a Y), and the difference between his left and right hand and feet. He is going to Montessori again a few hours a week and LOVES it - he often talks about his friends there and names them all. His favorite CD right now is one that puts Scripture to music - he wants it playing if he is in his room. He is teaching Tate sign language, and it is so darling to see him showing him "more" and "all done". In fact, he wants Tate around him all the time - playing with him, in the car, everywhere...he always makes sure we have Tate with us. As crazy as it can be having kids a year apart, I see how it has shaped Ellis in many ways - he shares pretty easily, and is very gentle and caring with babies. It is really wonderful to see them palling around together - I know Tate is anxious to walk so he can move quicker! Ellis is still large and in charge, weighing in at 35 pounds and sporting an 8 extra wide shoe size. :)

Not a day goes by that Kent and I don't think about how thankful we are.

Newborn Baby Visits

2009-09-28T18:29:00.000-07:00

It seems like awhile since we took this trip, but I need to get caught up on summer fun. We made a trip to Austin to see Kent's cousin, Matt, and wife, Gretchen's new baby GIRL (yes, the spell is broken, and apparently, it IS possible for a Mitchell to produce a female). Her name is Miranda Gail, and she is BEAUTIFUL. I mean, really...not many newborns are that pretty. We enjoyed so much our time with them and could not believe what a champ Gretchen was just a few days after having a baby, her first one at that.

The second baby we got to see were our sweet friends John and Julie's new baby boy, Hunter. He is definitely a contender for best behaved baby of all time, and seems to be a total sweetheart. Ellis loved hanging out with his buddy Noah, and thought all of his toys and books were so neat. :) Kent and I treasured our physical time with John and Julie, and it was really fun to share our two boys together.

Ellis, Kent, Cousin Matt, and new Baby Miranda

Baby Miranda, Matt, and Gretchen (this is their backyard view!)

Family Pic with the incredible view

Julie and I with Baby Hunter

Two Buddies

Ellis sporting Noah's sweatbands - he thought they were awesome!

And last but not least, our first trip to the Austin Cookie Lounge . It was full of deliciousness, and Kent and I decided it is a fun date night place - two babies make it a little hectic. When John and Julie went, they decided "it was the best $6.00 cookie they ever had". :)

The milk came in these cute cow containers!

Kent's Cookie Creation

My Cookie Creation (which of course was better :) )

Soooo....Behind

2009-08-24T07:28:00.000-07:00

Yet again, too much time has gone by between posts. We have had such a fun filled and active summer. I hardly feel like I am ever in the house or at the computer. Where to begin...our backyard is finished minus a few minor decorative details (pictures to come), and we are enjoying it so so much. Little boys need backyards!!

~~~~~
Tate: Tate is seven months now, has been crawling a bit for about a month (he is super good at crawling backwards!), and continues to be a happy boy. Sometimes I call him "my little yoga baby" because he is constantly doing what look like yoga positions - he really has an incredible "down dog". :) He particularly relishes attention and lights up like a Christmas tree if you just look at him. Lots of adoring looks are sent his big brother's way, and it is so fun to watch their relationship develop. Something really interesting to watch is them develop their own "twin language". Obviously, Tate cannot talk yet, and so they have invented sounds that mean something though I haven't figured them out yet. I hope to get it on video at some point - it is fascinating! Tate is growing and growing and continues to be a great eater, though that took some work. I am in the throws of making gourmet baby food (not really :) ) twice a week, and have been enjoying watching him try new things.

~~~~~
Ellis: Still a little active man...He is 21 months now, and I keep thinking he is going to be two before I know it. He is still talking up a storm, and loves learning new words/concepts. He can say his "ABC's" (we always forget D and H), identify eleven shapes (triangle, circle, square, rectangle, oval, rhomboid, pentagon, hexagon, heart, star, and diamond - we are working on octagon) and can rote count items to ten. He also knows his name and how old he is. This July, he went to a Montessori camp and LOVED it. Since he had never done anything like that before, I was nervous, but the first day I went to pick him up, he was running around their awesome playground saying "yea, yea, yea, yea" over and over. :) He went for four weeks, two days a week for two hours. It was such a fun experience for him, and we especially enjoyed his new phrase from Montessori, "I did it!" "Mr. Social", he knows no stranger, and continues to say "hi" to everyone, though now he has added the phrase, "how are you?" He usually hopes you will ask him that so he can reply "happy!" or sometimes "good!" - both are stated emphatically. We are continuously laughing at his idiosyncrasies and antics - I can hardly imagine 24 hours going by that we didn't have an "Ellis Story".

~~~~~
Kent is still working hard and starts seminary tonight. He is taking two classes this semester and is really excited about them. He played in a basketball league this summer which he really enjoyed, but had to stop before the season was over due to his knee acting up again. He is becoming quite the chef on our new grill and is cooking up some delicious meat most nights!
I am doing well...now that Tate is sleeping better during the day, I feel much more sane/rested. :) Managing both boys and home seems to be much more than a full time job at times, and I go to sleep most nights lamenting things I did not get done. :) like this blog. :) More than anything, I am continually filled with gratefulness for my family and home, and joy over raising these two great boys.

Here are some great pictures from the pool this summer!

4th of July

2009-07-09T06:26:00.000-07:00

We had a terrific 4th of July at the annual Branagh party, eating great food, playing "cornhole", watching Ellis love every minute of the baby pool and the "shower" (his word for the hose), and enjoying sweet friends. I am so sad we did not get a family picture, but the following are some pics of Ellis having a very fun day, plus a great picture my friend Kat got of Tate and I. Thanks Kat!

Little Cutie

2009-07-07T10:49:00.000-07:00

Tate is my little "doll baby" and is getting lumpier and lumpier. :) These pictures are a month old so we have added more rolls now, but they show some of his expressiveness.

Trip to Houston

2009-07-06T10:11:00.000-07:00

Before our trip to Houston for Andrew's medical school graduation, Aunt Ginger came in town, and she got to meet little Tate. :) We loved seeing you, Aunt Ginger!

We couldn't go to Houston without stopping in Katy to see Kent's cousin, Gabe, his wife, Marsha, and their little boy, Jackson. Jackson and Ellis are close in age so they really enjoyed each other!

Mitchell Men

Ellis was fascinated with Jackson's bats.

Jackson liked Ellis' curls. :)

Tate was all smiles as usual...

with lots of expressions.

Daddy and Ellis at a park in Houston.

Ellis' favorite part of the hotel was standing on a ledge in our room and looking down at the cars. He is really into all things transportation these days.

At Andrew's Graduation Dinner

Graduation Luncheon The Graduate! We are so proud of you, Andrew!

Many many thanks to the newly engaged (YEA!) Matt and Abby for watching the boys so we could have a kidless dinner and graduation! We love you!

Just some random pictures...

Ellis before his swim class clapping for himself and saying "yea!"
I made a little ponytail out of Ellis' blonde locks one afternoon. :)

Calling All the Ladies...

2009-06-16T18:33:00.001-07:00

Tate Atticus Mitchell could be your "Future Mr. Right"....Livy Anne? :)

So sorry for the long blogging hiatus. Where is the time going? I wish I could type a long heartfelt post, but alas, my time at the computer is limited...so quick update...EZ, always the little joy, just finished swim class, is becoming more "little boy" and less baby by the day, says "HI!" to everyone we see (literally!), and is an amazing little sponge for new concepts and words. Tate is drinking us out of house and home :), louder than Ellis (if you can imagine), sleeping better (praise the Lord!), and the happiest baby on the block. :) We are working on our backyard - Ellis needs a safe place to play! - and hope that will be done in the upcoming weeks. Kent and I are two tired happy parents, and as Tate turned five months a few days ago, we acknowledged that this is the longest we have ever gone not pregnant. :) A big shout out to Uncle Clayton who put the fire under me about updating the blog...I don't know that I could make it without a dim lit video message from you!

Just some favorite pics as of late...

2009-05-23T07:55:00.000-07:00

Here are some of my favorite pictures from the past month...

Patting Little Brother

"What are you looking at, Tate?"

We have really enjoyed getting to go to Braden's teeball games!

At the Zoo

Transitions

2009-05-20T07:13:00.000-07:00

The past month has held alot of transitions at our house. Tate is at the age where his whole life is basically one transition to the next - schedules, feeding times, how much he eats, when he sleeps, etc. But Ellis Z has had two major life changes...1. no more highchair, he learned how to get himself out of it, and 2. no more crib. A few weeks ago, I just happened to look at the monitor at about 6:30 in the morning, and he was over the side. I just said "oh my gosh" and ran down the hall with Tate in one arm and miraculously managed to catch Ellis with the other arm. He thought it was hilarious, but I have seen too many famous Ellis "I wonder if I can fly if I jump out of this" episodes to think it was funny at all. By this time, Kent was in the room - I looked at him and said "it's over". We know our son, and him jumping off the rail of his crib with arms outstreched, face forward, is not something we would ever want to happen. So we moved from the crib to the toddler bed...it was a harder transition than I initially imagined, but EZ managed to adjust fairly quickly. Kent had an episode with him where he put him back in his bed almost a hundred times...I am not kidding.

The big boy table was a bit of a transition, too. We have had to and are still working somewhat on him sitting at the table for the whole meal - i.e. you can't walk around the room with a bite, and then come back for more. When he is done, he says "all done, excuse me", and is allowed to get down. It's pretty cute...He also eats breakfast with Daddy almost every morning - Daddy looks pretty cute in the tiny chair, too. :)

We also now have the "crayon box". Ellis has gotten really into coloring and after finding crayons and his "art" in some places where it shouldn't be, we confined crayon usage to the box only - it works great!

We are amazed at Ellis' little absorbent mind right now - he learns new words every day, and knows words we are somewhat surprised at. He loves to talk about numbers, colors, and shapes. So far, he knows yellow and blue (those are his favorite), and identifies red, blue, and purple fairly consistently. If you count "one", he will count "two, four, five". :) Not sure where the number three went. For shapes, he concretely knows circle, oval (shockingly, he can tell the difference), and "pie shape" - that's exactly what he says "pie shape"!

Tate is a happy little guy - another one known for his big open mouth smiles. He rolled over from tummy to back at 7 weeks 5 days, and now rolls from back to tummy also. He is also scooting now. He is VERY social, and is quite the talker! We hear sounds from him that sound like real words, I'm not kidding. I don't know that his first word will be "pine cone" (Kent's first word....supposedly :) ), but we laugh at the conversations he has with himself, his toys, and others. Baby "Tae-tae" is also another strong little guy, and LOVES to stand. It is his favorite position!

Ellis in his crayon box

Tate standing up - 13 weeks old

He loves his tongue :)

"Kissing" his new table
Using the Swiffer

Accomplishments

2009-05-18T05:51:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday, my youngest brother, Clayton, graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Baylor University. We were excited for Clayton, and excited to have everyone together, a rarity. Clayton has already moved to Pennsylvania for the next few months to be in a show up there, and he has been enjoying it. It is fun to live in a different state and be the "Texas" guy. :) I think it is total truth that you never know how much you love your state and how proud you are to be a Texan until you live in another one.

~~~~~

Of course, we are so proud of Clayton and all of his accomplishments, and we are so excited for his future and all that God has for him. He is an outstanding guy with a heart of gold, and a passion for all he does - I am truly thankful that I GET to call him brother. That was pretty much the focus of my heart when I was waking up at 5:30 and making all of the preparations of taking two babies on a day long road trip.

~~~~~

But during the ceremony, I caught a glimpse of a moment I will never forget. Have you ever captured something special that you were so glad you got to see, but were not a part of, that you almost felt you intruded?

~~~~~

I am sitting next to my parents in Baylor's basketball stadium, and we are all waiting for Clayton's name to be called. Then his handsome smiling face flashes on the large screens, and we hear it, "Clayton Reed Ellis". We cheer, we yell, we clap...it's over. He walks down the stairs, gets his picture taken, hugs several professors, finds us and waves, and goes back to his seat. I settle back in my chair, it's done. Now we have two more hours of listening to people's names that we don't know. :)

~~~~~

I just happen to look over...my parents are looking at each other, my Dad takes my Mom's hand, and with both sets of eyes loosing tears, says, "we did it". It was beautiful.

~~~~~

Clayton is the youngest of us four "Ellis kids", and there is no doubt that the amount of work it has taken to get us all through school, numerous activities, and college, has been extraordinary. The truth is, I know that not all kids get to have parents like mine. I also know that my family has been like any other one, not perfect, with its own set of problems. But at that moment, two people, that have had five children together, four living, could look at each other with such commonality...two people that wanted to raise children that loved the Lord and had good educations so they could be successful...completed that goal. Clayton walking those thirty steps across that stage into adulthood closed a very long thirty eight year life chapter of raising children.

~~~~~

The gravity of that moment struck a chord in my young mother's heart. Now I get so excited over babies rolling over and saying new words, but I know the time will come, I can hardly imagine, when I will see my own son walking across a stage.

~~~~~

One small step for Clayton in the grand scheme of life, one giant leap for our parents.

Easter 2009

2009-05-05T09:13:00.000-07:00

Cousins

Opening his Easter basket which consisted of...what else? books. :)

Easter egg hunting was VERY muddy this year so we had lost our pants by the end of the day. Luckily, Ellis Z had some good looking socks on. :)

Happy 32nd Birthday, Daddy! (April 13th)

Easter Fiasco 2009

2009-04-26T08:52:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I am way behind on blogging, amongst other things like emails and thank you notes...I have so many cute pictures and stories...yikes...maybe I will catch up by the time Ellis goes to kindergarten. :)

Hard to believe it has been a year since these pictures were taken. It is NO SMALL feat to get these kids on this bench, happy, and looking at the camera at the same time. In fact, it hasn't happened yet...maybe next year...enjoy the pictures from Easter Fiasco 2009.

We have added two new characters to the players this year! I think if you would have told Amelia and I on the day pictured above last year that we would be adding another one of our own to the mix the next year, we probably would have laughed. In order from left to right are Little Noah (Amelia's son, 1 month), Tate (3 months), Big Noah (Effie's son, 2 years), Ellis (17 months), Annalise (Amelia's daughter, 19 months), and Grayson (Courtney's son, 20 months). This is probably the best picture we got, and consequently, the first picture taken. It's funny that we keep going and going taking pictures, earnestly hoping we capture a moment when they are ALL smiling, ALL sitting down, and ALL being still! Maybe next year, we will take one picture and call it a day...doubtful. :)

So much personality comes through these pictures, it is so funny to see their facial expressions. Big Noah is wanting to be done with pictures already and go play, while Ellis puts his hand on Annalise's leg to assure her all is well, and this will be over soon. Effie's arms and hands made a debut again this year. (see pictures from last year above :) )

Big Noah and Ellis are checking Tate out, while Annalise is relaxing and Grayson is perfecting his karate kicks. I wish you could see the amount of jumping, waving the arms, and name calling the Moms are doing. I love Grayson and Ellis' reactions to the commotion. Tate and Little Noah look like they are going to join hands in support. Amelia is trying to keep Tate from crushing Little Noah, Big Noah thinks two little babies are interesting, Ellis has dropped his hat and is gauging reactions, Annalise is doing her sweet little girl face, and Grayson is thinking about going overboard.
Tate is getting tired of this and holding Little Noah's hand, Big Noah has about had it, Ellis and Grayson are still taking it all in, and Annalise is thinking.
Big Noah has escaped, Annalise is still thinking, and Grayson has decided to change things up a little by standing up. Meanwhile, Little Noah and Tate are having their own private conversation.
Tate loves his big brother, and Big Noah has swiped Ellis' caddy hat.

But he gave it back and even put it on for him! Tate and Little Noah are further in cahoots...Annalise is the only one cooperating for the picture. Grayson has now resorted to "patting" Annalise on the head and is looking to see Courtney's reaction. Ellis and Tate are wiped.
The newest little cuties
And it's over! So now Ellis can climb!

Amelia and I post Easter fiasco for a yummy Chic-fil-A breakfast with our awesome strollers!

First Easter Egg Hunt

2009-04-07T14:39:00.000-07:00

Sunday marked Ellis' first Easter egg hunt when we headed out to the annual event at TCU. (I thought it would be a good trial run for the real deal this Sunday :) ) It was so funny to me to look out over the Sadler lawn and think about how many times I studied there, and now my own little boy is treading the same ground. I truly had no idea how wonderful my life would be...

I had heard that it is typically pretty packed so we got there fifteen minutes early. This was a bad idea...restraining Ellis from this beautiful green lawn covered in bright plastic eggs was quite a chore. He was not happy about it at all (see pictures below...lovely). But he had a good time holding the eggs - he got two! He also really enjoyed seeing Superfrog and REALLY REALLY loved the Easter bunny. In fact, he started crying because he wanted to see him so bad, and we had to wait in line.

Our sweet little guy's blonde curls

Impatience Picture #1

Impatience Picture #2

And we're off!

Explaining how this works...

Ellis is constantly making friends :)

Always on the run

We got two eggs!
Fascinated with the furry hands
Content
Giving a high five

Friends that have carried over from TCU days - Emily and her son, John Reid, and Whitney with her daughter Livy Anne (who is a day younger than Tate!)
Ellis and Superfrog
Looking like a big boy

Exersaucer Round 2

2009-04-06T19:55:00.000-07:00

Well, we have whipped out the exersaucer again...since Tate LOVES to stand (we're talking wants to stand to eat, to burp, and just generally all day long), we decided to get it out even earlier than we did with Ellis. And he loves it!

Model Baby

2009-04-04T19:19:00.000-07:00

Tate really loves his rainforest bouncer - he often looks like the baby that could be on the box he smiles at it so much!

I also included a picture of a little cowboy with his "Big George"...not to be confused with "Night Night George" or "Fireman George". "Big George" was purchased a couple of days ago when we went to Barnes and Noble to read books. It is very rare for me to purchase a toy for Ellis when we go to the store. However, virtually every time we go to the bookstore, we get a book. :) But he saw Big George, and it was total and complete love at first sight. I relented, and I didn't regret it for a moment. :) Those sweet smiles and giggles and hugs he gives him are precious to watch.

Some of Ellis' favorite things as of late...
1. Going in Mommy and Daddy's bathroom and saying "echo" over and over.
2. Making animal sounds...this is wonderful, but there is a slight problem...Ellis thinks all animals should make sounds now, so when we are reading a book, and he wants to know what sound the peacock, panda bear, koala bear and camel make, Mommy is scrambling...I mean, I'm sure these animals make some sort of sounds...any ideas on this one would be great, please leave a comment. :)
3. Saying "up please" and getting a boost onto the couch to sit with Mommy and Daddy - in his own space, of course. He also loves to sit in his armchair that is his size.
4. Getting in Tate's Bumbo and really general interest in any of "Baby Tae-tae's" toys like the exersaucer, bouncer, etc.
5. Reading our Easter book and looking at the pictures about Jesus - his favorite page in this little book is the one where Jesus is holding the sheep. I will be in the middle of the story, and he will want to flip back to the page of Jesus with the sheep over and over.
6. Singing any and all songs. Some favorites right now are "Jesus Loves Me", "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" and "Trot Old Joe", a song from music class about a horse named Joe that "rides better than any horse I know" and is "the best horse in the country" - he likes saying "Whoooooaaaaa, Joe" at the end. :)
7. Matching - especially matching balls. All basketballs will be together, all footballs will be together.
8. Making environmental sounds - this is actually pretty interesting...we will be outside or wherever, and Ellis will hear a bird tweet or a big truck go by, and Ellis will imitate the sound immediately how he hears it. For example, we were in the car today, and Kent tapped his horn at a person who was not paying attention, Ellis immediately went "eee, eee" from his carseat. It's pretty neat, and of course, we think he is very smart. :)

Reflections

2009-04-03T12:54:00.001-07:00

PS - Tate had his two month appointment and checked out just great! We have another big one - he's in the 90th and above percentile; in fact, he was three ounces bigger than Ellis was at this age...hard to believe!

Dreamland

2009-03-29T11:43:00.000-07:00

I went in to look at Tate a few mornings ago, and the early morning light coming in through his window looked so pretty...the pictures don't really capture it, but it was really beautiful to see my sweet little son touched by the soft rays.

Ellis and Jasper

2009-03-27T07:05:00.000-07:00

Jasper is Ellis' buddy that lives a few streets down from us, and we also go to the same church. Ellis got to hang out with him the other day, and they enjoyed some snack time together at Jasper's little table. I was super impressed with Jasper as I watched him "set the table" and "clean" it. He is in a little Montessori program, and he has learned all of these neat things from there. Ellis is actually going to go to a little Montessori "camp" in July, and I am excited to watch him learn all of these great new things!

PS - Isn't that little wooden table and chairs set darling? I am on the lookout for one!

More Playtime...and a little Sleepytime

2009-03-26T14:51:00.000-07:00

I love this picture!

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's...

2009-03-24T20:42:00.001-07:00

SUPERBABY!!!

Check out how stiff and straight he makes his little body!

Playtime

2009-03-23T11:28:00.000-07:00

Can't believe I am blogging right now...if you could hear my house at this moment, you would understand - think Ellis' music CD (rather repetitive/slightly annoying Spanish song on right now), Ellis joyfully squealing with glee over the fact that I am letting him run around with and hold my lint roller (thrilling, I know), and Tate's sweet little baby sounds...all of these noises sound great typed out separately but imagine them together...sounds pretty crazy. :) But I am taking a few minutes to blog...it can be rather therapeutic...so here are some pics showing a little of life at the Mitchell's.

Ellis Z is enjoying getting into his little chair now...he stays in it for a total of three seconds, but nonetheless, he gets in it.

He also is enjoying partaking in Tate's toys...we often find him bent over like this looking at things.

Tate is a strong little cutie - he holds himself up really well and for a long time!
Tate enjoys watching his big brother.

God Made Spring

2009-03-16T07:33:00.000-07:00

Ellis brought home his FIRST EVER artwork from church yesterday. We have done little projects at home, but he has never done it somewhere else and then brought it home. I was very happy to see his sweet little crayon scratches on the paper, and then thought that I needed to post some comments from Ellis' Sunday school teachers at church. They are always quite humorous...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1. Teacher talking to me after Ellis' stay in the Toddler 3 room (which is two and two and a half year olds - he had to be in there because all of the other rooms were full)...

"I cannot believe he is only fifteen months old! He could do everything all of the other kids could do!"

Kent and I breathed a sigh of relief after this one...we were nervous about him being in with older kids for a few reasons...1. Ellis hasn't been exposed to "older kid stuff" much, and we didn't want him to see anything/have anyone do anything to him that would hurt his feelings or anything that he would bring home :), 2. two year olds in Sunday school are expected to sit down at tables, listen to a story on the floor, etc. and well...Ellis is Ellis. But his teacher said he did everything just great! Captivated by Jesus at an early age, I guess - ha. :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2. Teacher talking to me after Kid's Night at church...

"You have your hands full! Boy, is he busy!! (then sees me holding Tate's infant carrier) OH MY GOSH, YOU HAVE ANOTHER ONE??!! A NEWBORN??!! Honey, you need some rest! I don't know how you are doing it, he never stops moving! It took two of us just to keep up with him! Are you just exhausted?" (by the way, at that point, she took a breath :) - that was all one mouthful)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

3. Teacher talking to me after church last week...

"He is so busy! Are you at home with him ALL DAY? You are?! Wow...Well, he ate four cups of Cheerios, what an eater! He also enjoys making all of the other kids laugh...he would pop out from behind one of the toys and make the other kids laugh. He had everyone cracking up, he is quite a personality!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

4. After Women in the Word...this has been my favorite comment as of late...

"We have missed Ellis so much the past few weeks (we missed some weeks due to Tate's birth), we were so glad he was here today! He is just such a joy, what a happy guy. He never stops smiling or laughing, he is a true joy to have in here. We love him."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

5. After church this week...

"Oh my, he is so so busy. He never stopped moving the whole time, he just zoomed around everywhere. He ruled the room, that's for sure."

~~~~~~~

That's our Ellis Zack. :) God made spring, God made him, and fashioned him just like he is, and we are so thankful!

PS - Tate was in the nursery this week. His teacher said "he was a smiling sweetie" and "he was the only one that didn't cry." :)

Cuteness

2009-03-14T10:55:00.000-07:00

Ellis' Sweet New Ride

2009-03-11T10:52:00.001-07:00

We have had such a wonderful time lately being outside! The weather has been BEAUTIFUL and has reminded me yet again why I love Texas so much. Eighty degree weather in March is pretty fantastic. Ellis LOVES to be outside...loves it...he wants to be outside all the time no matter if it's dark or light, hot or cold, windy or rainy...he gets upset if we come in from errands and I don't let him play outside. But lately, I have been happy to oblige because it has been so sunny and warm. (although today is cold and rainy...boo) In fact, on Monday, the kids spent virtually the whole day (except for napping) with me outside. I even pulled Ellis' highchair on the porch for his meals. I got suddenly inspired by the many neighbors that have their yards beautified for spring, and so, I am attempting to learn more and become a master gardener. :) Planting and growing things and all things green is somewhat relaxing and fun for me. My Dad is quite the green thumb, and I enjoyed most of the yard work I was "encouraged"/made to do when I was a kid. (I say "most" because I absolutely loathed pulling the weeds in a small alley next to our house - I swore as a kid there were bugs back there noone had even seen or heard of...big scary bugs...I'm serious, they were SO big and prickly!) Anyway, we now have pretty pots with pretty plants and I hope to keep them pretty all summer. :) Planting was only one of our outside projects as of late, however, we also made this awesome car for Ellis out of a box. I emptied this box selling things on Ebay and almost threw it away when I got an idea. So Ellis and I painted it blue and decked it out to be a fabulous mode of pretend transportation just for him. :)

He usually goes in and out of the "doors", but decided to just step over the side of the car for this picture. :)

Not real sure what that face is all about :)

The Front of the CarBoth sides of the car open :)

The back of the car complete with personalized license plate and bumper sticker. The license plate stands for "EZ Money" - a nickname for Ellis from Kent's Uncle David. The bumper sticker is a cute little monster - Kent's idea since "Monster" is something Kent calls Ellis sometimes...in a very happy way. :)

And the inside of his ride...I will make a fun steering wheel that turns eventually, but for now, the best steering wheel picture I could find on the Internet was one from a BMW. (don't get your hopes up, Ellis! :) ) Also notice the plush interior (really a folded up fuzzy baby blanket)

Ellis is also super into getting in and standing/climbing on things - here are a couple of pics demonstrating this predilection.

He loves to get into his baskets in his play area.

And the Bumbo is for Tate of course, but for some reason, Ellis has found it fascinating again. You should see him get in and out of this thing - hilarious!

PS - Just wanted to send a shout out to Uncle Clayton who just got his FIRST REAL JOB!!! Clayton will be graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Baylor in just a couple of months (hard to believe!) and is taking a job at Hershey Park in Pennsylvania in the show "Milkmen". We are very proud of him! We enjoyed getting to see Clayton in his very last college performance - the picture below was taken afterwards.

Two Babies in the Bath

2009-03-09T06:36:00.000-07:00

Bathtime...it's taken on a new element of craziness. As strange as it may sound, it takes alot of energy and planning to get these boys bathed at the same time. It feels kind of like a workout. :) But it can be done!

The picture below in particular makes me laugh. I love Ellis' look in this picture because he has just been splashing really hard and making some big waves :), and I captured the moment he realized he was making alot of commotion in the water. He's looking at me like, "Is this okay, Mom?" :) Tate is looking right at the camera here! Very cute. :)

First Smiles

2009-03-06T11:58:00.000-08:00

Just a few pics of Tate's first smiles, Ellis' overall happiness, and Ellis and Tate together. We are continuing to adjust - I truly do not know where the days are going - isn't Tate like three days old? :) - we are still working on getting a routine down and experimenting with feeding times and nap times, plus getting all errands done, music class in, etc. Whoosh! The days go fast...I think in a few more weeks, things will feel more normal and hopefully less hectic. :)

Ellis is saying "sock" here and pulling Tate's sock off. :) You can see his mouth in the "s" sound.

A Few Late Night Pics

2009-02-27T20:46:00.000-08:00

Just a few pictures of Tate and his Daddy! We enjoy our time in the evenings getting to know our newest little guy! I tried to capture his little smiles...he has quite the belly and chin(s) now. :) He is also quite strong! We marvel at how strong his back and legs are for a little baby (it reminds us of another little guy we know :) )

Two Little Boys

2009-02-25T21:44:00.000-08:00

Ellis continues to love and "discover" Tate. What fun!
PS - Pardon the water from lunch that Ellis Z is wearing in these pictures. :) Also, Ellis had his 15 month appointment and is doing great! Still at or above the 90th percentile in all areas.

Ellis in the Sand

2009-02-18T20:31:00.001-08:00

Ellis got to play with his buddy (and future wife - move over Grayson!), Annalise, and have his first experience with sand recently! At Annalise's house, they have a great sandbox that you can STAND UP at! For anyone spending any time with Ellis, you know this is very important as sitting down is a rarity for him. He doesn't really sit down to do anything...at Christmas, he got a big pad of paper and some crayons/paints. I was envisioning us taping the paper down onto the floor and having a wonderful time creating beautiful masterpieces. :) But Ellis bent his little legs and stretched his arm as far as he could to the paper, quickly realizing that squatting to color is no fun. So I have resorted to taping it to walls. :) He had a wonderful time "figuring out" this thing called sand, rubbing it in his hands, scooping it with the shovel and cup, and his favorite, throwing it. I, of course, immediately came home, got on the computer, and found the perfect sand/water table for him (with an umbrella for his fair skin!) for us to get when the weather is warm in a few months. (although it has been so beautiful lately!)

Kent and I continue to love watching Ellis with his little brother. For being a little bit of a brute ;), Ellis is very gentle with Tate. He likes to stroke his head and point to all of his little body parts. My favorite thing he does right now is when Tate cries, he runs over to him with great urgency and says, "happy, happy, HAPPY!" over and over as if he is willing Tate with all of his being for him to be happy. :) His newest phrases are "Don't tou.....ch" (there is usually a lag for the "ch" sound) and "Don't do" - things he hears frequently, I guess. Ha! I also love it that every time my cell phone rings, he says "Daddy". With my speech and language background, I was a little worried he would be behind in language skills (a common problem for kids who develop physically very quickly), but he loves learning words, tries so hard to repeat everything, and is doing terrific! He has always studied Kent and I's mouths when we were talking to him, even as a little baby. In fact, sometimes he will have us say a word over and over, observing our mouths, until he can say it. If it is too hard for him, words like "dinosaur", etc., he will just smile and run away. :) He can say about twenty-five words now, and we are still working on the sounds for some like "ba-ball" is "basketball", etc. He still babbles to himself, especially in his bed, mixing real words with his little language - we love all of his little baby sounds! Kent and I know that this time is so fleeting!

PS - Exciting news!! Tate has given us a few smiles. It is SO wonderful when your little baby reaches the point where he starts smiling at you. It makes how tired and wiped you feel vanish in an instant!

Tate Atticus - One Month

2009-02-16T07:50:00.001-08:00

Hard to believe it has already been a month! Really, really, REALLY hard to believe! But we are loving our little Tate and enjoying the craziness of two baby boys! Tate is an eater like his brother, and weighs a little over ten and a half pounds now.

Ellis at Play

Ellis loves to stand IN and ON everything!

He loves ringing his bells!

He is getting more and more hair, and I love the little ringlet curls it makes in the back.

And he is still a very happy boy!

Meanwhile, while Ellis is getting more hair, Tate is losing his. So far, he is just losing it on top, so it looks a little funny to just have hair on the sides and in the back. :)

Here are Ellis and Tate's one month pictures side by side. They definitely look similar!

Two Little Cherubs

2009-02-14T07:53:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day! I finally got some good pictures of the boys together (it was no easy feat, let me tell you, and there were still many, many blurry ones :) ) and wanted to share them. My desire was to actually make and send cute Valentines with the boys' picture on them out this year, but alas, it just made it to the "desire" point. Ellis had a cold when we got home with Tate, and sadly, Kent and I have both gotten it. Kent has had it way worse than I have, and we both have cyclical days of feeling like "walking death" and feeling like we can make it through. So all of that coupled with a newborn AND a fourteen month old, coupled with no heater and moving into a hotel and then the guest house, has led to me sending valentines to everyone we love through this blog post. :) Enjoy our two little cherubs.

I also wanted to include pictures of Ellis and Tate's valentine for Daddy this year. He loved it! And a special thanks to Daddy for the delicious chocolate chip pancakes he made for me this morning! :)

Tate's First Bath

2009-02-10T12:58:00.000-08:00

He liked it way better than Ellis - no crying at all!

Typical Ellis and Tate Picture

2009-02-09T15:02:00.000-08:00

See what I mean?? :)

Ellis and Kramer

2009-02-07T10:07:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, when Ellis woke up from his afternoon nap, I got him up, changed his diaper, and set him on the ground in his room. I went back to the Family Room where I had been feeding Tate and watching TV. The TV was on silent, and the show "Seinfeld" had come on. I heard Ellis' heavy footsteps :) coming down the hall, and right when he walked into the room, Kramer (a character on the show Seinfeld), burst through the door of his friend's apartment on the television. Now for those of you who have never watched the show, Kramer is a very dramatic guy...he's got tall wavy hair that flops around as he enthusiastically talks with his face and hands. Now mind you, the TV is still on silent so all Ellis can see is this guy who looks like he is going a little nuts. :) I wish I hadn't been feeding Tate because I so would have loved to get this on film, but Ellis started CRACKING UP. I mean, laughing super hard...he didn't stop for a few minutes (until Kramer left the apartment), but oh my gosh, it was so so funny.

It has been a little difficult to get pictures of Ellis and Tate together because Ellis is always zooming by. :) I finally managed to get one, but of course, you can't see Tate's face...better luck next time, I guess...

Ellis is starting to pay a little more attention to Tate. He has these cards that have a word printed on them, and then a picture of the word like "train" or "banana", etc. Well, when Tate is on his playmat, I set up black, white, and red art cards that I printed for him. The other day, I noticed Ellis getting his word cards and dropping them one by one on Tate's playmat. I thought it was so sweet, and it was totally unprompted!

Here is Baby Tate Atticus at three weeks old. He has that little baby rash on his face like Ellis did. The doctor says there is nothing we can do about it, and it is from the hormones he gets from me...wish I could fix it, but I know now from experience that it just takes a little time to go away!

PS - Happy Birthday to my Dad tomorrow!!

Adventures!!

2009-02-03T19:04:00.000-08:00

For the past week and a half, the Mitchell family has been uprooted due to our heater going out in what was possibly the worst ice storm in Texas in a few years. We migrated to a hotel, driving very very slowly as the ice was coming down. Once it had cleared somewhat, we went home, and I sat in the car with the kids while sweet Kent de-iced the guest house steps where we have been staying. Finally, our heater is fixed, and we are back at home. It is very very good to be back to some normalcy. When you have a newborn, it is not the best time to get kicked out of your house! Plus Ellis was going somewhat nuts being confined in such small spaces! The following pictures are of Ellis Z in the hotel room sporting his camo backpack and camo coat. He looked so darling and so big boy that we had to take pictures, and he was very proud of himself! Special thanks to Matt and Gretchen and Gabe and Marsha for the camo things! (Speaking of Matt and Gretchen...we are so excited that there is going to be a GIRL in the Mitchell family! Can't wait to meet her!)

I also wanted to post pictures of Cousin Braden's 5th Birthday Party! Ellis had a GREAT time playing horseshoes and riding his first pony! It was so funny because Ellis had never seen a horseshoe game before, and he picked a horseshoe up and put it right around the post! I was super impressed, but Kent said it was because of his Mitchell genes; apparently, horseshoe expertise is an inherited trait. :) (he still had the goose egg on his head at Braden's party)

And of course, I had to include some pictures of our newest little bunting, Tate Atticus. We went to his two week appointment and he weighed over nine pounds (he has gained over half a pound since birth) and was 21 1/2 inches (that's an inch and a half in two weeks, but we think he probably wasn't measured accurately at birth - it's hard to get them all stretched out when they are just born :) ) We are so thankful for another healthy growing boy!!

P.S. - A very HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Uncle Andrew tomorrow! We love you!!

First Family of Four Outing

2009-01-26T12:05:00.000-08:00

So we made it out last night for my brother Christian's birthday. It was nice to get dressed and be out for a bit. The boys got to wear their matching outfits, which I love! They only have two of them, and Ellis' head is a bit big for this hat so I figured I should get at least a little wear out of it. Also included are more Tate pictures...

Today is my first full day 100% by myself. We are missing Kent...It has been a bit crazy, with both boys crying/needing their diapers changed/needing to be fed all at once at one point. But we made it through that short little episode and everything is going as smoothly as it can with a 14 month old and a newborn! I mean, I AM blogging, right? :) (Tate is napping, and I have gated Ellis so he can run up and down the hall/play in his room which will keep him occupied for a little bit; therefore, I can eat lunch and blog! :) )

More Tate Pictures!

2009-01-22T12:49:00.001-08:00

Tate is pretty wide-eyed and bushy tailed! :)

He really looks at things just like we noticed Ellis did - Kent thinks maybe even more so
We're thinking these eyes may be brown, but the jury is still out - they still look blue sometimes...Kent says they are "muddy" :)

Getting a sponge bath

On his playmat

Sleeping with Daddy - Daddy thinks this qualifies as "tummy time" - it doesn't :)

Kent says this looks like my newborn picture - he calls me "Hoy Chen", hmmm.... - although he doesn't really look like it in this picture, Tate looks alot to me like Kent's newborn pictures

BIG yawn!!

Tate Atticus Mitchell

2009-01-20T12:57:00.000-08:00

Ellis is a big brother!! Home again, home again...

Tate Atticus Mitchell was born on Wednesday, January 14th, 2009, at 12:18 p.m. He weighed eight pounds eight ounces and was twenty inches long. Some things we instantly noticed...1. HAIR!!! We couldn't believe the amount of curly hair the boy had since we are so used to bald Ellis! 2. olive skin - he has more of my coloring, 3. he looks like Ellis, except for the hair and fuller lips, 4. we've got another one with BIG feet and hands!!, 5. he could hold his head up right after hie was born, just like Ellis, 6. he has "no eyebrows" like Ellis - they are very light. He is a healthy boy, and we are so thankful! We are at home now and adjusting to a new chaos. Kent is home this week for the most part so that has been wonderful to be together. It has been very different coming home WITH a baby TO another baby though...our house is not near as quiet! But it has still been filled with lots of laughing over Ellis' antics, lots of oohing and aahing over Tate and two tired parents. :)
Ellis doesn't pay too much attention to his little brother...I laughed when I was telling my Mom this, and she said, "Of course he doesn't! For all Ellis knows, Tate is just a "Curious George" that moves and makes noise!" He looks at him occasionally and enjoys poking his forehead once in awhile, and that is about it. However, he did say "baby" when I walked in the room with Tate earlier today so I think he is understanding more and more. I am convinced that Ellis grew to be about twice the size he was before I went into the hospital by the time I came home. I still cannot believe how big he looks to me now. It's amazing...he is all about words and sounds and movement, more so by the day. We took both boys to the doctor yesterday (Ellis decided to get a cold the day we came home, go figure, and Tate needed his three day checkup). It was our first family outing, and Kent was exhausted after a ten minute wait in the waiting room. :) He looked at me and said, "How did you do this when you were so pregnant with Tate?" I smiled at him and said, "How am I going to do it by myself now that Tate is out?" Of course the answer is, that you just do it, day by day, figuring things out as you go...things like scheduling feedings around Ellis' schedule, something I am constantly mentally pondering...The doctor said Ellis just had a little cold, and that Tate looked like another little champ. He was almost back up to his birth weight (all babies lose weight in the hospital), and checked out perfect!
I am feeling better each day, having had a much smoother delivery this time than the last. Of course, I am still sore, and definitely tired, but I am finding the Lord being gracious enough to give me a boost of energy when I need it, and to rest when I can. Kent is elated with his two boys, and is super helpful to have at home. We will miss him so much when he goes back full time.
It is hard to believe that Tate is here, and that we have TWO boys. We have called Tate "Ellis" a few times, since it seems like yesterday (and it almost was!) that Ellis was a newborn baby. We are so thankful for all of the prayers and support and love we have been given. I don't know how much I'll feel like blogging in the coming weeks (Kent made me a cup of coffee which enabled me to make this post :) ), especially once Kent is back at work full time, but I'll try to keep everyone updated. Enjoy the pics of our new family member - we love him!

Tate's Nursery

2009-01-07T07:10:00.000-08:00

So after many requests, I am finally putting up the pictures of Tate's nursery. Since I love home decor stuff, and being creative is somewhat of an outlet for me, I have really enjoyed it. And Kent has been patient with my many late nights. :)

View from the door

Closeup of the vintage rattles hanging from the branches above Tate's crib. I found them at the flea market when I was pregnant with Ellis. The branches are real - I painted them white with floral spray. The curtains are made by Mommy. :)

The picture pin board (to the left of the glider) is one of my "curbside finds", as Kent calls them. I have been known to bring home all kinds of things from the side of the road...old doors, etc. And then they have become things like headboards and desktops! I found this old picture frame, painted it chocolate brown, cut foam board to fill the "panes", and mounted batting and fabric on the foam board. Voila! A super cheap and easy, yet cute, picture board. :) It is housing Tate's sonogram pictures and a picture of his big brother right now.

I got the idea for the "art gallery" on the way home from one of Ellis and I's walks to the museum. We had been to the Kimbell Art Museum on the free day :), and he was so fascinated by all of the colors in the art that I thought it would be a great idea for a nursery. Stimulating yet calm at the same time. So I nailed up a branch and hung the art prints mounted on foam board from it using fishing line.

This is one of my favorite parts of Tate's room - his little reading area that is just his size. :) I painted the name mural on the wall (a LENGTHY project) - it has the meaning of "tate", and next to "atticus" is a quote from "To Kill a Mockingbird" that Kent and I both love - the character "Atticus" in the book states this line frequently to his children and lives it in front of them.

The lamp is another flea market find, and I made the lampshade for it.

These are just little hangers that I made and some super neat hooks from Urban Outfitters.

In Ellis news...he has quite an egg on his head right now from a hard tumble he took into a door. It was terrible...he cried, I might have teared up a little bit ;) , and it completed a trio of bruises on his forehead right now. He is really into running on his tiptoes, and he can go FAST. Therefore, he tripped himself up and just plowed right into the door of our bedroom. We whipped out the Boo Boo Bunny, and all was better. His 13th month has been all about running on his tiptoes, books, and words! He is really into reading the same book over and over (Kent and I have several memorized), and his vocabulary increases every week. One of my favorite things that he does right now is when you are reading to him, and he sees a hat, he will go get a hat and give it to you - duck, ball, anything. If he has it in his play area, he will go get it and give it to you. I was so proud he was connecting that all by himself! He is still ninety miles a minute, rarely sits down (he even stands up while you are reading a book to him), and generally makes most tired just watching him.

We are getting more and more excited about our soon to be family of four with each passing day!

Little Monster on a Horse

2009-01-02T06:47:00.000-08:00

I still love hats...I mean, love them. When you have a little boy, hats are really the only clothing "fun" Mommies are allowed to have. :) So when I saw this hat and matching"Little Monster" shirt, I knew it was just for Ellis. Kent sometimes calls him the "Monster", due to his past roaring and overall physicality. :)

PS - HAPPY 5TH BIRTHDAY, BRADEN! WE LOVE YOU!!! (and can't believe you are 5!!)

Always on the move!

Pre-Christmas Christmas :)

2008-12-30T06:36:00.000-08:00

My brother, Andrew, and his wife, Meredith, came in from Houston for Christmas a few days early so it was really fun to spend time all together, a rarity! My older brother, Christian, his wife Elise, and their two boys, Braden (4 - almost 5!) and Landon (2) came in from Fort Worth, while my youngest brother, Clayton, is home from Baylor for Christmas. We gathered at my parents house and had a terrific time together. Here are some highlights...one set of pictures is from our Christmas celebration and one is from a late-birthday celebration for me.

Birthday Celebration Pictures

Dashing from the picture

Uncle Andrew and Aunt Meredith with our little toothy boy :) Mimi and Ellis

Uncle Clayton with our little dalmation :)

Running around with Daddy...constant running!

Family Picture

Christmas Celebration

My Mom and I

Belly picture - almost there!

Daddy and EZ playing with his new rocking horse

Chefs Braden and Landon

Ellis playing with his pounding peg toy, a new favorite

Holding a wooden wise man :)

Kent and I...his legs are going to sleep :)

The Yearly "Ellis Kid" picture (in order of age, no less) - Christian and Elise, Kent and I, Andrew and Meredith, and Clayton

Christmas 2008

2008-12-26T08:26:00.001-08:00

We had a great time on Christmas Day with Ellis - a special day for our little family. Enjoy a few pictures below.

Our Christmas Tree this year - our first cedar!

Stockings hung by the chimney with care :)
Tate's not even here yet, but Santa thinks he will be a good boy; and of course, EZ has been good. :)

Santa's presents for Ellis Zack - big pad of paper for creativity (Santa shops at Office Depot?!), crayons, finger paints, a cell phone and keys that look like Mommy and Daddy's, books, and a blue guitar (which he has hardly put down!)
Opening his stocking

Ellis and the Christmas Tree

2008-12-24T10:20:00.000-08:00

When we first put up the tree, Kent and I were a little afraid our very physical son was going to pull it down! But he has been surprisingly gentle with it, and with a little training and redirection, has only broken one ornament (which was easily glued back together).

As I cannot travel at this point, being as "fully pregnant" as I am (Christmas card reference :) ), the Happy Mitchell Family is looking forward to a quiet Christmas at home. It will be fun to be with Ellis, since this will be our only Christmas with just him, watch him open his gifts, see what Santa brought him, and have a little family day together. And of course, Kent can wear his red sweatpants all day!

Merry Christmas from all four of us! :)

Ellis' Last Music Class - Fall 2008

2008-12-23T13:56:00.000-08:00

Just some pictures of EZ's last Music Class. He is still loving it...I did want to write down some "Ellis-isms" from Music...during Music, most children are sitting with their Mommy/caregiver the majority of the class, except Ellis...he still likes to stand in the middle of the circle, turn slowly, and smile at everyone. A favorite time of ours is "Rocking Time" (I am being sarcastic) - the teachers turn out the lights, so the kids can happily look at the Christmas lights and cuddle with their Mommies. Again, not Ellis. My "don't even think about restraining me or make me be still" child handles it for about two seconds before he is in the middle of the circle again, slowly turning or running circles around the room. He does love the instruments, any bell, or anything that shakes, and especially has enjoyed the song, "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" this semester. It is going to be interesting in the spring with two babies...I am hoping I have scheduled Ellis' class at a time where I can put Tate in the corner to sleep while we participate. We'll see. :)

Speaking of Tate, we are getting closer and closer, and Kent and I are getting more and more excited to see this little guy! It was a little funny to add another stocking to our mantle this year...I definitely did not think I would be doing that this Christmas! I did want to share something special Kent said the other day. We were talking about having this second baby, and having TWO babies at once, and he said, "Two boys close together, just what I've always wanted." Just another one of those treasured things he has said that I keep close to my heart as a wife and Mommy. I am thankful.

Trip to the Farm

2008-12-12T07:35:00.000-08:00

family picture by a holly tree in the woods

in Granny and Papa Zack's gazebo

walking together

pointing to an airplane

belly showing :)

skipping around

this may be one of my all-time favorite pictures - a handsome Daddy and a handsome boy!

walking back

Since we have been married, Kent and I established a family tradition of going to the Mitchell Farm in east Texas to get our Christmas tree. It is truly one of our favorite things we do all year. We feel a little like the Ingalls family marching in the woods in search of the perfect Christmas tree. These trees definitely have a "charm" about them since they are never really the perfect Christmas tree shape like you would find when buying a Christmas tree in front of the mall or whereever. We have had some that look like a big pine bush, and a couple of years where we tied a couple of trees together and inserted branches here and there to give it more of that Christmas tree shape. This year, however, we branched away from pine, and got a cedar. It smells WONDERFUL, and we are really enjoying it. (pictures to come later)

I have posted some great pictures I got of Ellis and his Daddy tromping around the land, and also some family pictures. It was really fun to take Ellis out there and show him around. (while precariously avoiding cow manure :) ) Most of his Daddy's favorite childhood memories center around the swimming hole, and other adventures he experienced with his cousins, Matt and Gabe. We always enjoy walking around, seeing the old cemetery, and hoping to find some long lost treasure. :) (not to mention the impending feast we always have, and visiting with Ron and Nan, Granny and Papa Zack)

Posts are farther apart than I would like, but Christmas, putting together Christmas cards (my goal is to have them out by Monday), getting room/clothes/house ready for baby #2, taking care of Ellis, and being nearly nine months pregnant is keeping me busy. :) My pregnancy is still going well, and I am at the point where random people start telling you that you must be having twins, can't believe you're not a month overdue, etc. :) I am tired at times, but realize that it may show a little when a lady walks up to me in Kroger and says, "Honey, you look tired!" Ellis is still non-stop movement, and I love every minute with him. He is getting really verbal and says more and more new words. We were especially excited when he said "Jesus" in reference to the baby Jesus a few days ago. He also can say duck, doggie, and cracker now.

HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY, ELLIS ZACK!!!!

2008-11-25T12:33:00.000-08:00

We're back in Blogging World!! With our computer being down, Ellis' first birthday, and being 6 weeks away from baby #2 (AHH!!), it has been a little crazy around here! Ellis turned 1 on November 12th, and we had a great time celebrating. It is SO hard to believe his first year has passed already - it went so so quickly. The following are some pictures of his party...Ellis' first experience with any kind of sweet was his birthday cake. I have never seen a child so nonchalant about it. There was no excited digging or shoving cake in the mouth or anything thrilling like that. His attitude was more like, "What's the big deal? I'd be just as happy with a piece of fruit!" (much like his father :) )

Meanwhile, we are getting ready for son #2, furiously working on the nursery, etc. (pictures to come later) I am definitely nesting and knew it to be true when I woke up at 6:00 am last week with a furious desire to clean the baseboards in our hallway. I am feeling good, albeit tired, and cannot wait to see this little guy's face. Ellis is saying several words, and I am enthralled daily in his little mind eager to learn and figure things out. I am cherishing these last days with it being just the three of us, yet am so excited to get "our boys" together. Kent is still plugging away at his new job, and I am so proud to say that he passed his Pain Medicine Board! That is such a praise that he does not have to study for that for the next ten years! Therefore, the "Happy Mitchell Family" looks forward, and though we have our trials and tribulations like everyone else, we cannot help but look at our lives and be eternally grateful to our Father who has given us so much - most importantly, our little family.

I have been reflecting lately on Ellis Zack's little life and what a light it is to ours. I am so thankful for our precious son, and for his health, and for all of his sweet sounds and idiosyncrasies. It is an enormous blessing (and responsibility!) to be a parent, and one that is a joy to our hearts. So in honor of Ellis' first birthday, a letter from Mommy and Daddy...

Ellis Zack,
From the moment we found out about you, to the moment we saw your tiny little beating heart, to the moment we heard your little heart, to the moment we discovered you were going to be our son, to your birth, to this very day, second, and moment, we have loved you. Your little life has given your Daddy and I great joy - a joy that gives every single day. Through all of your stages, we have rejoiced. Your life has challenged us both to love the Lord more, and love each other more - probably our number one responsibility as parents of the gift of you! We treasure all of your days, can't wait to see your round chubby face in the morning, and excitedly tiptoe to look in on you every night to see your peaceful slumber. We thank Jesus every day for your health and life and pray you grow to know and love Him. We love you, our sweet son.
Love, Mommy and Daddy

Ellis' Birthday Banner

We had pictures printed of every month of Ellis life - so fun to watch him change!

Since Ellis is our little lion, he had a lion themed first birthday. His cupcakes turned out darling, but took way longer than I expected. Way worth it to a Mom though who loves her son. :)

Party Table

Ellis' individual cake

View of the "party room" :)

The kids all got to decorate a pumpkin to take home as favors. They were so darling when they were done - I wish I had a picture of them!

Pumpkin Table

The Birthday Boy! (in awe of everyone looking at him :) )

Ellis playing with Annalise Since Ellis' birthday is so close to Halloween, I thought it would be fun for the kids to get a second wearing out of their costumes. Annalise was a strawberry . :) John Reid was a goldfish and was enthralled with Ellis' tail. :)

John Reid as a goldfish

Grayson was a candy corn, and there were so many other cute ones that I sadly didn't get a picture of including Ellis' cousins as Bob the Builder and a cowboy. :) Too busy being Hostess/Mommy. :)

Visit to the Pumpkin Patch

2008-11-04T12:54:00.000-08:00

Ellis had a great time at the pumpkin patch with his cousins Braden and Landon! We went out to this really neat farm that had lots of fun activities for the boys to enjoy. This was a big day for EZ because we also went to the TCU game afterwards.

"Hmmm...I wonder if I can lift this... "

"I think I can!"

Sitting amidst the pumpkins

This tastes good!

The dirt is fun, too!

Getting a great picture with three boys under five is not easy!

Funny faces This picture cracks me up. Landon looks confused, Ellis looks lost,and Braden looks like he is practicing for his future first grade school picture.

"See Mom, a pumpkin!"

This is the best pic of the three boys - Landon (2), Ellis, and Braden (4)

Ellis has two pointer fingers going in this one :)

Trying to get them focused :)

Playing in the hay

Laughing at other kids
Happy at the TCU game

Goodbye Jeep, Hello Toyota

2008-11-03T15:14:00.000-08:00

On October 20th, Kent and I officially sold my Jeep and bought a Toyota Rav4! It was exciting and a little sad all at the same time. (Kent could not figure out why I was sad, he said it was past time :) ) I knew it had to go, but it was the first big thing I ever bought myself, and I have had alot of life changes while driving this car! But I am thrilled to have something that is really safe, gets GREAT gas mileage, easily fits two carseats/stroller/groceries, and cute. :) I am thankful.

Our Little Roaring Lion

2008-10-30T20:01:00.000-07:00

For Halloween this year, Ellis is fittingly going to be a lion. He is quite infamous for his "roaring", plus the fact that he has a ridiculous amount of teeth for an 11 month old (12 and more coming through!). I found this costume and immediately fell in love with it because of the big mane that a. covers Ellis' bald head and b. works perfectly with his sweet round face and chubby cheeks. I have to say, when we put it on him, Kent and I have a hard time stopping laughing. Seeing him walk around in it is hilarious!

The following pictures are from a photo shoot we had outside a week or so ago in the "jungle" with his costume on. :) Also, I included some pictures of this week's music class when the kids could wear their costumes. Ellis and I walked in, and there was a den of lions!! :)

The Many Faces of Our Sweet Lion

The Quintessential Ellis Picture - big open mouth smile with lots of teeth!
I so wish he hadn't been moving when I took this picture (I have alot of blurred pictures :) ), but he is mid-laugh.

Music Class (Ellis, Walton Thomas with his grandmother, and Wes)

Post Music Class - have I mentioned that Ellis doesn't really like to be held? ;) He wants to be down and moving!

Ellis' Dedication

2008-10-29T10:50:00.000-07:00

We recently had Ellis' Dedication at our church, meaning we publicly announced our dedication to raise him in a Christian home and to love Jesus! It was a special day for us!

The verse we chose the pastor to read for Ellis was Psalms 37:31-32:

"The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom,

And his tongue speaks justice.

The law of his God is in his heart;

His steps do not slip."

We pray he grows to be a man of wisdom, integrity, and faith (like his Dad :) ), and that as parents, we have the wisdom and grace to raise him to be this kind of man. We are so grateful for all the love, support, and prayers we are given from family and friends!

Really??

2008-10-28T06:38:00.000-07:00

Mothers beware! of Happy Bellies baby cereal...it's not as happy as it sounds. :) Since I am an official coupon cutter now (and by the way, we cut our grocery bill in HALF for the month of October compared to September, woohoo!), I happened to get a coupon for this brand of organic baby cereal. So I bought it, opened it up, and this is what I found.

I mean, REALLY?? This was ALL that was in the can!! Needless to say, I will not be buying this $4.00 cereal again that fed Ellis a total of three times!

And you better believe, in true Grace Mitchell fashion, they are getting an email! False false packaging!

What's Not to Love?

2008-10-25T06:59:00.000-07:00

Nearly every day, Kent and I are struck with how grateful we are for our son. There are so many "little" things he does that probably only a Mommy and a Daddy can truly appreciate and be fascinated by. :) So this morning, now that I have put the sweet little guy down for a nap, I thought I would write down some things I love about my eleven month old little boy.

1. I love how he wakes up EVERY morning and from EVERY nap happy and smiling from ear to ear.

2. I love how he does his "happy dance" dozens of times a day, which consists of joyful flailing arms and legs.

3. I love how he says "mama", "dada", "baby", "cracker", and "go".

4. I love how he finds a way to stand in the middle of the circle in music class and slowly turns to look at everyone and smile at them.

5. I love his little laugh of excitement at nearly everything - a sound only Ellis can make, such a distinct laugh!

6. I love his sense of adventure, although it is a bit scary sometimes. This includes climbing over any obstacle full speed ahead no matter how long it takes him, launching himself off of any couch, ottoman, or anything of heighth with arms outstretched. (with Mommy or Daddy catching just in time, their hearts pounding!)

7. I love how Ellis loves to carry anything around the house, whether it be a book, one of his socks, a small hanger, or a toy.

8. I love how he tries to say any word I try to teach him.

9. I love how he gives kisses - mouth open wide, the more slobber, the better.

10. I love how he likes to look at things from all angles - he will lean or turn upside down any toy or book to look at it, turning it again and again.

11. I love how he listens and looks at books and actually stays still for at least a few minutes before bed.

12. I love that he is constantly moving, even though it can be exhausting.

13. I love how he says "dada" to every truck and man that comes down our street when we are sitting on the front porch in the rocking chair waiting for Kent to come home from work.

14. I love that we will be out running errands with me holding him, I will be concentrating on shopping or whatever, and he will lean over until he gets my attention, smiling his big open mouth smile. Then he will resume looking around at his surroundings - he just wanted to smile at me and be smiled at.

15. I love how excited Ellis gets when we play "roll the ball".

Many more things I could list, but one of my favorites is to watch Ellis play with his Daddy. Is there anything better than watching a Daddy that loves his son so much?

Little Marion Barber

2008-10-24T14:20:00.000-07:00

Ellis is such a mover and such a bulldozer that we sometimes jokingly call him "Little Marion Barber". Therefore, Kent got Ellis this little jersey he likes to wear on Cowboy game days. :)

Our New House - Part 2

2008-10-22T09:33:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of posts - things have been quite busy at the Mitchells while we have been searching the world over for a new car with a. more space, b. that can fit two car seats, c. that gets great gas mileage, and d. doesn't rattle and has consistent air conditioning. :)

I have included pictures from the "back of the house", minus Ellis' room and new baby's room, which are still being worked on and put together. Plus I had to put a couple of pictures of Ellis in with his love, Curious George. :) Though Ellis doesn't watch TV yet, I look forward to watching Curious George with him someday - that show is soooo cute!! :)

"The Boys" Bathroom

Kent and I's Bedroom - still work to be done here

And finally...our new Master Bathroom!!
Luxurious Bathtub :)

Kent loves having a big shower!

This is the before picure of the Master Bathroom. Yes, this used to be the whole thing! We knocked out one of the kitchen pantries to make the big shower, a set of storage cabinets, and totally reconfigured the space to get the room we have now - still not giant but very sufficient!

Our New House - Part 1

2008-10-08T07:18:00.000-07:00

Per many requests, I am posting pictures of our new house! It is an old home, which we LOVE, though it is a bit younger than our old house (1926) - our new house was built in 1930. We really love the Tudor cottage look and have enjoyed playing that up with porch furniture and landscaping. It really feels like home now. Construction is mostly done on our Master Bathroom (just a few more small things to fix) so it is nice to have our house to ourselves during the day, without workers tromping through with all of their white dust! We have had a great time decorating and turning our home decor findings into what doesn't look like we paid five dollars for at the flea market. :) I made curtains for most of the windows, and overall had a terrific time putting things together. We are so thankful for our home, and we are excited to spend many years here!

Before Picture - We have since painted the trim brown and green and stripped and stained the front door an espresso brown.

View from the Front Door - the blue room is what we call the "Art Room"

The Art Room looking into the Family Room

The room is named the Art Room because we have the writing/art/drafting desk in the corner there by the window, and the musical instruments are displayed in this room.

You look through a large archway from the Art Room to the Dining Room.

Family Room/Kitchen

Kitchen
Family Room looking from the hallway

Ellis' Play Area - one of my favorite things about this house!

Hallway/Picture Gallery :) (you can see my fun maternity picture my friend Sara did for me when I was pregnant with Ellis)

The Third Trimester Begins!!!

2008-10-07T11:55:00.000-07:00

Ellis' First Real Shoes

2008-10-05T16:22:00.000-07:00

My brothers and I can remember many a trip to the StrideRite shoe store growing up. We would climb the kid sized stairs to sit on the "trying-on bench" with the rainbow painted behind it and happily chat with the store's owner, Raul. Kent and I have put off getting Ellis his first real shoes for a couple of months because it was still pretty warm, but since Ellis has been walking for awhile now, we decided it was time. He doesn't want to be held much and really prefers to be running around. This is fine in the house, but outside and in public places in general, we would rather have him wearing shoes. He is doing really well holding our hand though, and we get comments sometimes when we're out from people who can't believe someone that small is walking around holding Mommy or Daddy's hand. :) Therefore, the time came for Ellis' first trip to StrideRite. His feet are already too big for the beginning walker shoes so we had to move to the toddler options. We picked some out, tried them on, and though Ellis had to re-balance a little, he was walking like a champ with them on. In fact, he walked around staring at his feet which was really pretty cute :), and generally seemed very pleased with himself. (as you can see from the pictures) Though Mommy and Daddy both have wide feet, the salesperson was a bit surprised a 10 month old could wear a size 6 EXTRA wide. :)

PS - Happy Birthday, Mimi! We love you!!

Looking Grown-Up

2008-09-30T20:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Ellis and I were at Babies R Us, and we were offered a free picture at their portrait studio there. We took the offer, and this was the best one. Ellis looks so big and tall in it - almost makes me sad. He will be all grown-up before we know it! How we treasure all of his days!

PB&J

2008-09-29T13:44:00.000-07:00

Ellis has added a new love to his eating repertoire - peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. After precariously and watchfully testing out peanut butter, Ellis has graduated to a full on PB&J sandwich. The other day, I was telling Kent that Ellis had eaten a WHOLE pb&j sandwich for lunch, along with cheerios, fruit, and yogurt. Kent then informed me Ellis had eaten more than he had for lunch the day before. :) He is quite the eater, and I have yet to find something he really does not like. (we'll see though as he gets older :) ) Even though it has been a bit more work making all of his food, I don't know any different, it has saved us alot of money, it is better for Ellis, and we skipped the whole troublesome "moving to real food" stage. If there is one thing I need to thank though in this food endeavor, it is my Beaba Babycook. (plus probably Ellis' pediatrician, who reinforced my desire to make Ellis' food) We don't use it as much now as Ellis doesn't need things mushed much anymore, but it has been with me through it all. :)

This thing cooks and chops in one fatal swoop, stick it in the dishwasher, and you're done. It is great! No multiple pots and pans plus blender, just one wonderful appliance. Hope it can make it through the rest of our kids. :)

Ellis Laughing at Spanish

2008-09-26T12:31:00.000-07:00

The other day, I heard Ellis cracking up and realized the Spanish button on his music table was stuck. He was laughing so hard, and I was so excited I got to get some of it on video. I am kind of behind the stool so he can't see me because I knew I would distract him. :) The best part is when the button stops going, but Ellis keeps laughing just thinking about it. Pretty much a sure way to lighten your day and smile is to listen to a baby laugh. :)

Ellis' New Sensory Wall

2008-09-25T06:38:00.000-07:00

After I noticed how much Ellis loved playing with doorstops, I went to Lowes with him to pick out some neat things for him to touch, unlock, open and close, etc. Let me tell you, he loves it. I plan on adding more things, (probably some more doorstops - those are his favorite :) ) but this little section of his play area gets alot of attention these days!