Lazy Summer Days

Some days are lazy and some days are so full I collapse at the end of the day from sheer exhaustion. We are having a good summer despite our current unemployment status. There are no new updates there...we are looking into options for Matt to go back to school and hoping that we can get Matt Mitchell Photography off the ground. We are eternally grateful for the amazing friends and family in our life who have gone above and beyond during this time. Just thinking about the generosity and love brings tears to my eyes. Thank you, thank you, thank you from all of us here at Chez Mitchell.

We have had another visit from the tooth fairy, although she was a night late. I guess she is super busy during the summer months. Piper is as adorable as ever with her gappy smile. I am still blown away that she is now losing the teeth that I sat up with her while she painstakingly cut them the first time. Such a bittersweet thing to see your children grow up.

Speaking of growing up I will have two kiddos at school this year. Maddax will be going to PRE-K from 8:45-11:45 Monday-Friday and he is super excited!! Grandma and Grandad are taking him back to school shopping and it is all he can talk about these days. He carries his list with him and is so proud to tell people he will be at school this year. I, on the other hand, break out in a cold sweat when I think of my little bug not being with me. The best part of having a child with a Fall birthday is that you get to have them home with you an extra year and I have treasured my time with Dax. I am happy to see him excited, but again the bittersweetness comes in.

By the close of this year we will have a 2nd grader, a 5 year old preschooler (look Ma, a whole hand!) and a newborn! WOW!! We are so excited for all that we have been blessed with and at the top of that list is our children. They drive me crazy but they also drive me...to be a better mom, wife, daughter, friend and sister. They make me feel like anything is possible and that is a gift that I just could not grasp until I become a parent.

In other news...we went to a church event last night where we were told to expect a special musical guest. The speculation was that it would be David Archuleta (American Idol runner up and fabulous singer!). I was skeptical but thought it was a brilliant idea to put the rumor out there. There were tons of people at the stake center and none of us were disappointed when at 7:05 David walked onto the stand. He spoke about his journey to where he is now and how Heavenly Father played such a large role in helping him know what direction to take. He was a great speaker and I loved looking around at all the people there and seeing so many kids actually listen to every word he had to say. Of course he also sang a few hymns and they were amazing! After the meeting closed we had a chance to meet him and have our photo taken. Piper was totally star struck. Her eyes got huge, her mouth dropped open into an O and she was unable to speak. It was adorable and I so wish I would have been able to use my own camera to get pictures. With so many people they just shuffled us in and out and had a set up with a photographer there to take our pictures. It was quite the Thursday night treat and as soon as I get the picture I will be sure to post it.

Well there is a quick update. I will post more this weekend and add a few pictures of the kiddos and maybe even a growing belly shot of me and baby girl. Baby girl now has a new name, by the way. We have decided to name her Phoebe Ann. We all love the name and feel that it is the perfect fit to our family. The best part is that we are able to honor my Nana and Matt's grandma with her middle name. They are both amazing women and I am glad that my daughter will carry their legacies with her name.

Calling the Tooth Fairy

Piper lost her first tooth tonight. This tooth has been pretty wiggly for a while now and we have been long awaiting this day. We had some friends (Hi Ostrom Family!) over for dinner and the night started with Piper being super excited about the super wiggly of her tooth. She got her little treasure box with a mirror attached out and sat in front of it and wiggled and wiggled. Matt suggested she chew a piece of gum and see if that helped. We all sat down for dinner and not more than three bites into the meal out comes the tooth. Hysteria followed since a lost tooth comes with a bit of blood. I helped her rinse her mouth and help stop the bleeding. She was soooo excited, but also a little bit freaked out.

We bought a tooth fairy doll for her a few weeks ago in anticipation of the tooth fairy's impending visit to our house. So tonight before bed we tucked the tooth in the front of the doll's dress and sat her on top of the pillow next to Piper's sweet little head. I really can't believe that my baby girl has lost her first tooth! I remember when she cut that tooth and now it is gone and she has moved into a new stage.

On a sweet note...tonight when Matt was tucking Pi into bed she said, "Daddy I want to save my tooth fairy money for something special like helping out since you lost your job." Cue the tears! How awesome and also heartbreaking at the same time. She is a special girl and we are glad she is ours.

Recession Photo Session

The economy got you down? It has hit us here at chez Mitchell in a big way. Some of you already know but others may not, Matt was laid off unexpectedly last Friday. We were totally caught off guard! With a baby on the way the timing is pretty awful, but there is never really a good time to lose your job. Matt came up with a brilliant idea to offer discounted photo sessions and pictures while he has some off time.

Here is the deal; a photo session, one 8x10, two 5x7's and 12 wallets for $60! Seriously!! So if you have been wanting to have family pictures, baby pictures, maternity pictures, just random Wednesday night pictures, now is the time! The session will be about an hour in length and can be where ever you would like photos done- park, your backyard, etc. And if you want the quintessential Florida family beach shot that can be done for an additional $15.

Here are a few samples of Matt's work.












Be sure to send me an email sarzoe81@yahoo.com, give me a call or track me down and let me know when you want to book your session. We sure appreciate all the love and support from our friends and family. Thanks!!

Happy Birthday, Annastyn and America!!

We are currently driving home from a wonderful 4th of July and birthday weekend. We headed up to Inverness on Friday afternoon to spend the night at B&B's. We arrived, dropped off all of our stuff, fed the goats (and Barrett) and piled back in the van to head to the Inverness 4th of July celebration in the town square.

Granddad and Barrett share a snack


Feeding time for the goats!



How cute is this little girl?!



Me and my girls



We met up with Brittan's family and set up our lawn chairs and blankets and waited for the firework show to start. The kids got their faces painted, stuffed themselves full of funnel cake and popcorn and had a great time with the glowsticks that were passed out.

Barret's Rocket


Fun with glow sticks




Soon the sky was dark enough for the show to start. We all ohhed and ahhed as the fireworks exploded in the sky above the lake in front of us as the PA system played classic patriotic songs. I admit that as I watched the fireworks above me and listened to songs about America, a tear or two welled up in my eyes. I love the 4th of July and I love this country. I hope that as our kids grow we can instill in them a love of country and a gratitude for the many brave men and women who have, and are currently, serving our country to allow us these continued freedoms. I thought of my Grampy who was a World War II vet and I thought of the many friends we have who send their spouses, children, siblings, etc. to serve right now. Thank you on behalf of the Mitchell family.

Explosions in the sky



When the show was over we packed up and braved the crowds back to our van. Luckily we were able to follow B&B down the back roads and avoid the majority of the traffic. Yea for small towns and BIG fireworks displays--the evening was perfect! When we got home it was pretty late and we were certain that the kids would fall fast asleep, yeah right! How can you sleep when there are cousins to play with and giggle with?! We piled the kids into the hallway upstairs with blankets, sleeping bags, pillows and loveys and only had to tell them 101 times to close their eyes and go to sleep. Eventually the girls were able to drift off, but a certain little boy found his way downstairs to watch Daddy and Uncle Brian skateboard on the wii. Dax at one point needed to give a tutorial on just how to nail the tricks and after we hit the "well past midnight" mark we all headed to bed.

We woke up early this morning to Dunkin Donuts, OJ and fresh fruit. YUM! We all got into our swimsuits, doused ourselves with sunscreen and piled back into the van. We were heading to the Rainbow River for a 2 hour float down the frigid river. And frigid it was! The river is 68 degrees year round and on a day when the temperature hit 100 it felt like 40! My poor toes were numb as soon as they hit the water. We rented inflatable boats for the kids to ride in and that was the way to go, no need to get wet at all. Soon though the sun was beating down on us and it felt nice to be floating down the cool, clear river. We saw a baby turtle and lots of seaweed, but all the other critters were in hiding on such a populated day. Piper, Campbell and Anna Mae got out of their rafts and swam for quite a while, but Dax wasn't having it. At one point he tried to go from one boat to another and fell in...he yelped and scrambled over to me to be lifted out of the cold water.

By the time we reached the end of our journey we were hot and hungry! We headed over to Mimi and Poppa's house for hamburgers, hotdogs and ice cream cake to celebrate Annastyn's birthday. Anna Mae is four years old and loves dresses, as anyone could plainly guess by looking at her gifts. After yummy ice cream brownie cake the kids hopped in the pool for more swimming, albeit at a much warmer temp, and Matt headed off to take pictures of Brittan's parents farm.

Make a wish


Lucy


Horses




We are now driving back home and keeping our eyes peeled for fireworks over the interstate. The weekend was wonderful and just what we needed. We love our time in Inverness and each time we are there we vow to not let it be a long time before we are back again. This evening before we left Annastyn asked if we would come back next week--we'll do our best to be back soon. Thanks Uncle Brian, Auntie Brittan, Campbell, Annastyn and Barrett!! We love you guys!!