Tuesday, October 30, 2007

the weekend

Not much to report, so here are a few pictures from the weekend.

went to a cornmaze/hayride/bonfire - this is our friend Katie

the boy is making a comeback! If you look closely you can see that the picture caught his drool in mid-drop. So gross.


mom & bo at the neighborhood fall festival. he loves me.

That's all for now, will update later :)

Monday, October 29, 2007

like a baby

Things around here these days are funny. We have a little girl who has discovered that she would like things to be a certain way & when those things don't happen just as she had hoped - we often have a breakdown. I hear myself saying on many occasions, "Honey, are you having a hard time because you are not getting your way?" And then there is a little boy who will break into giggles if you just glance in his general direction - completely satisfied. All he really wants is to be held. Or just looked at, really.
It's amazing how quickly we humans grow out of that stage. It seems we spend the rest of our lives trying to get back into the mind of a 6 month old. Content. Grateful. Just where we are. At least I feel that it is where i find myself most of the time. Trying to keep myself in check. It's easy to run down the road of "If I only had (fill in the blank) I would be happy." But again, I find the Lord teaching me through my children. Humbling me in the presence of a baby.
Yesterday was one of those moments with the kids. Our little girl struggling to smile - everything not going her way - even in the midst of doing all of her favorite things.
& our little boy just being dragged along & thrilled about it.
Here's the picture we snapped.
Priceless.

Which one are you?

Friday, October 26, 2007

she's definitely a girl!

Lu & Bo were headed to their Gram & PaPa's house so Lee & I could be somewhere the other night. The kids were literally going to eat dinner, play, go to bed & we would pick them up about 2 hours after they had gone to sleep. I told Lu to gather her things - any stuffed animals she may want with her. I turned around to get Bo's pajamas, because that's about all he needed, & Lu says, "Zip it up, Mommy." You couldn't even see her bag because there was so much stuff to be "zipped up." So, with a look of amazement & trying to hold back my laughter & wishing someone were with me to witness this I say, "OK, let's just find another bag." And this is what we went to Gram & PaPa's with that night. Keeping in mind that her PJs are not in either of these bags.

There's no question that we have a girl on our hands.

FYI

If you've been following the blog since the beginning, which is really not that long ago, then you know about Troy & Mary. I actually did an entire post about them. They're pretty amazing people - you should get to know them.......and YOU CAN! Troy started blogging again. Crazy that "blog" is a verb. It would have been a word that could get you put int he corner back in our elementary school days & now it's a legit action word. Anyway, Troy & Mary have a blog. You should check it out - see link to the left.

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Opportunities

When Lu was a baby I remember letting her get herself into a pickle from time to time.....if she was trying to roll over, I wouldn't immediately help her. If she went for the light socket, I let her so that she could feel the pop on her hand (by me) in my presence & learn from it rather than move her away & risk her shocking herself when I may not be right there. I can remember being so grateful that I was right there to alleviate a worse outcome. And letting her struggle to roll over or crawl rather than save her from the struggle, though difficult for me as her mom - I knew it was to help her. These toddler years have made all of that thinking a little cloudy......OK, a LOT cloudy. I don't know which way is up anymore. And maybe some of that has to do with this little guy who entered the picture & took my total focus off of her. But she is into everything. Testing the waters left & right. Defiant at times & I just want to throw up my hands & say "Come On!" and "You've got to be kidding me?" And maybe those words possibly have come out of my mouth ... to a 2 year old.....yes, i know, not the best chosen words in training this precious child that the good Lord has trusted me with. But I was reading something the other day about "opportunities." And a light bulb came back on in my head. That's what this is.
Motherhood. Growing up. That's what these frustrations of toddlerhood are. They are not frustrations...or at least they shouldn't be. But rather opportunities. Every time she makes a mistake or even is blatently defiant, she has given me an opportunity to show her that I love her unconditionally & sometimes I love her so much that we have to stop & deal with the consequences of that behavior. Like when she went for the light socket - the pop on the hand, though hurt as it may, could save the bigger hurt from ever having to happen. And she may never ever know that.

And I think of God. Has He "popped my hand" a few times in my life & it felt like pain, but in reality I could have been saved from a bigger pain?

Opportunities. Will I walk forward from tomorrow on & see each frustration she gives me as an opportunity to show in many different ways just how much I love her. And will she in turn, eventually...maybe, learn to respond the same way? I can hope, right?

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Where's Bo?

"So, Where's Bo?" I've been asked a couple of times. It may seem that I am favoring 1 child over the other & this is just not true. Bo....is still sick. But if you are really wanting a picture & to know the where abouts of the runny nose little guy . Here he is.


Precious thing.

He looks like this all the time, because he simply cannot breathe out of his nose. Poor guy.

creative?

I am always amazed with the way Lu chooses to do things - simple things like...putting on a shirt or eating - the way she does it sometimes has me convinced that there may be some extra creativity in her veins. Which will make for a very crafty household.....which puts a big smile on my face. She's an artist! Just look at her.

So intent in her painting. Mixing the colors just so. We bought some new paints yesterday - not your basic water colors, but the real deal-crayola-tempera-bright-colored- paint-on-real-paper paints. Exciting stuff.

So, I put it all out for her mind to start working - we went over the painting rules, she repeated them to me - we're good. I left the room for a moment & came back to see that she had poured the contents of the water to clean her brushes all over the paints. Clever...I guess. Maybe the step of moving the brush to another location to clean them was tiresome so she combined the steps together.....OK...i get it. So, we made a new rule. Let's not pour the water out of the cup. Clear. Concise. Feeling good.

I sat with my little genius for a little while & watched her paint & then scooted out for a moment to unload the dishwasher. When I was finished I walked back in & sat with her at her little table & noticed the water was gone. "Where's the water, Lu?"

"I drank it!"

Never saw it coming.....

Game over.

We'll try again tomorrow.

Monday, October 22, 2007

the adventure

I looked at a picture of Lu & me at the hospital when Bo was born & she looks so young to me. Just 7 months ago. She & I spend a lot of time together - we spent much more time before Bo came into the picture, especially during those last few months of pregnancy when the house was under renovation & I was craving all sorts of crazy things...she was the best lunch/snack/ice cream/cupcake at 10 in the morning date. We spent many days frequenting the local playgrounds & I was always at her heels. Helping her up, dissuading any feats that seemed too mature for my very young & fragile daughter. Well, when Bo was about 2 weeks old, we all went to the park - my philosophy is that we've got to learn how to work this whole life thing together so what better time than the present, right? So we headed to the playground - a 2 year old, a 2 week old & me. It was time for Bo to eat, which placed me seated & a little too out of control of Lu than I am used to being......I was always at her heels, remember? So she went for this climbing wall sort of thing & she was too far to hear me tell her not to do it & I couldn't get up & stop her.....so I prayed. "Lord, please give her the wisdom to step down. Lord, please turn her around...." But she continued up & up.....& up & she did it! I couldn't believe it! And i sat there & wondered......could she have done that all along?

And in that very moment - she grew up. I realized that she was capable of so much more & I was thrilled to see all that it was. Lu has been a different person since Bo was born. We all have, of course - but his just being born actually gave her more freedom - allowed me to see her with new lenses.....everyday I try to remember that & let her loose just a little more....a little more. And sometimes she falls & she learns from it. And so do I. I have learned that she is so brave. I want to be brave like that. God is teaching me so much through this child. I can only imagine what is to come with this baby boy. I pray that I will never stop learning. That I will always be aware that just when I think I have it all figured out.....there's more. There's so much more. The Creator is the so incredibly creative that how could I possibly ever have it all figured out?
What an amazing adventure this is! I pray that each day I would take it on with such unabandoned enthusiasm....
like Lu.

Saturday, October 20, 2007

today's post is brought to you by the letter "P"

So we woke up this morning & decided that the letter of the day would be "P". We Mitchells do this from time to time - dedicate entire days to letters. So, today it was "P," which turned out to be quite convenient since Lu & her Daddy had a date for Pancakes this morning followed by some playtime on the playground. So Lu put on her big girl panties, a shirt & pants & they were out the door. But of all things the Pancake machine at McDonald's was broken? What else can you order a 2 year old for breakfast that starts with the letter "P" - mom might have gone with the Parfait...but this is Dad & he doesn't gravitate towards the healthy....so biscuits it is! It's amazing how many things begin with the letter P! Fascinating really. Please. Pillow. PaPa. Pet. Purple. Pink. We had Peanut butter & Purple jelly sandwiches on the Porch for lunch. Pleasant. There were Potty breaks on this day dedicated to P. And then when all woke up from sleepy naps....we drove 1,000 miles to the Pumpkin Patch & you'll never guess what was there.....Pigs! And another Playground! And, of course, Pumpkins. Which, I must tell you, Lu was not much interested in. We headed home & had pasta for dinner, which was honestly just a coincidence, but worked out nicely. Said our prayers and they are off to dreamland. Just a fun memory of a day for us. I promise not to Sesame Street you every day....but who knows, maybe I will :)

Thursday, October 18, 2007

true love


Being a parent is different than I ever imagined it would be. From the very moment my 1st child was born, I held her & was overwhelmed. My eyes were opened to something I had not fully understood until that moment.
Someone loved me this much.
I imagined my mom holding me for the 1st time....she loves me this much! I never knew that love could feel like that. To hold Lu & then Bo, knowing that this perfect moment would be just a memory someday & we would experience our ups & downs & they would do more than just stare lovingly at me & fall asleep in my arms. No, they would grow & say things like, "No!" & "I don't want to" & many others things that i'm so looking forward to.....but I would always love them like this. What a gift to get just a glimpse of that kind of love. There are times that I become fearful for things that may happen to my family....a protectiveness that came when I became a mom. The stakes get a little higher each time a new person comes into my heart - and the tendency is to hold on & keep everything the way it is - safe, comfortable. There is a real danger in loving people so much....or I should say loving people the way we think they should be loved. Whenever I get fearful, Lee reminds me, "God loves her/him more that you ever could." Hard to believe.
Or at least it was until I held those babies. It was a love that had been in my heart all along & yet I had never ever seen it. And I could have gone my entire life without knowing it. But by God's sweet grace He gave me a tiny glimpse into His heart & His love for me.
He loves me this much? The God of the universe loves me this much?
No....He loves me so much more.

tired & crazy



So, for as long as Bo has been in this house - which is since he was about 3 months old - he & his sister have shared a room. It has been nothing but wonderful. We all have loved every minute of it. She loves having him right there, he loves having her right there. I love going into their rooms late at night & just staring at both of those little beds in that little room with those little people dreaming away. It's been one of the best decisions we have ever made. No hiccups at all! Until 2 nights ago. Normally, if 1 of the kids wakes up with a bad dream or just wakes for no reason - it doesn't effect the other in the least bit. But for whatever reason, Bo woke up with a stuffy nose 2 nights ago. Screaming.....not able to calm down, which just makes it worse & me trying to explain this whole process to a 7 month old isn't helpful....so he screams, gets more congested, screams, etc..... and Lu starts crying. Wailing. Because "Bo cryning, Mama Bo cryning!" I thought it was sweet that she was so concerned, but I'm not sure that that was the heartfelt motivator behind her tears. Frustration, more likely. 2 nights now. Sleepless Mitchells. Not something we're used to around here. So I'm tired....and i feel a little crazy. Tired & crazy. So, the kids are separated until the sleeping resumes.

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

bo's gotta girlfriend

.....and I must say, I approve. Ansley Combes is "good people." I laughed with a friend recently as we joked that now that we have kids of our own, we believe that arranged marriage isn't such a bad idea :). But after watching these 2 together, it seems that they may choose each other all on their own. What is this - babies courting? Very physical, these 2. Ansley & Bo are only 26 days apart, which means that Ansley's mom & I were pregnant at the same time & I'm thinking these 2 must have gotten familiar with each other during their times together in the womb somehow....otherwise, i have a very forward little man on my hands. I mean, how funny is that? But, I have got to hand it to him - the boy's got great taste.

Now, if i'm posting these pictures 13 years from now it will not be nearly as amusing.....but we'll enjoy the baby years for what they are.
They do make a nice couple, don't you think?

so, they really get bigger

I look at Bo & then look at Lu & have a hard time remembering her being that small. Not that Bo is that small & maybe that's the problem.....but seriously, how did she grow up so fast. I mean, I know she was smaller - I have pictures & I do remember.....but it's hard to look at her face & think it was ever any different. Her pants are too short & I'm thinking "how did that happen?!" I look at Bo & cannot imagine what he will grow into - what will he look like? what will he be like? I think he will be a tenderhearted snuggly boy who will want to be hugged all the time & I'm ok with that...but that's not the point here. The point is each day they are getting bigger & I'm finding myself holding on to the "little" days. They are slipping away from me & I know I'll never get them back. Lu reminds me in subtle little ways that she is growing up. Like, she used to say "gump" for "milk" - i have no idea why, but she did & we loved it & now she says "milk". Just like that - "milk" like a big girl. And I can't get the "gump" back - & I didn't think I ever would want to, but I really really do. At the beach last week, we were walking & she discovered our shadows. Such a cool thing to be there for. Shadows are fun. And as she stood there staring at herself in the sand I snapped a picture. No big deal, just wanted to capture the memory.....but when I came home to look at all of the pictures I noticed something different. She's bigger in her shadow. It's amazing! Like getting a little glimpse into the future! And a sweet reminder that these days are precious. That these days count & mean something. I wonder what she will remember & I wonder which memories will truly impact her as she grows. I wonder if this memory will stick? Probably not......for her. But it has certainly made a lasting impression for her mom.

Monday, October 15, 2007

good friends

Meet our friends - Troy & Mary Gronseth Ahhhh...Troy & Mary. What a gift to have you with us for 5 wonderful days! Thanks for the planes, trains & automobiles you took to be with us. It was a precious time for us all! Here are some fun pictures from the trip!

And a question to ponder....from the 400s.....If you were a WWE Smackdown champion wrestler, what would be your name & calling card?
Think on that one......
We miss y'all (or "you guys" if you're more comfortable with that :) )