The Mitchells

I Like To Move It Move It...

2010-06-17T06:33:00.000-07:00

Yet again, it's time to move!! Thankfully I didn't unpack too much after the last move, though I'm kicking myself for unpacking things that I've yet to use. I suppose there was no way for me to know we'd be leaving this house so soon.

Yes, we're moving for the 2nd time in 6 months. Yesterday we signed the papers on our new home. It'll be nice to have a place of our own again. It'll be nice to have a little bit of extra room to move. It'll be nice to have my FIRST EVER COVERED BACK PORCH!!!! Woooo hooooo!!!! I'm a little excited about that. I'm not sure if the message conveys well via blog post.

With this excitement comes worry, though I think I'm the only one worrying. I worry when handling money. Especially the large sum it'll take to pay this baby off. When we sold our first two houses I felt free. Now that we've taken on another mortgage, I feel like a slave once again. Being a "worst case scenario" type of thinker, mortgages are murder on the nerves. But I have to remember that I'm not in charge of all of this. God has been faithful to provide for my family over and over again. He's yet to allow the worst case scenario (though I doubt that'll be the case forever). He has, however, allowed things to get bumpy. During those times He provided for us richly and I actually felt most content. I suppose that when we find our ultimate joy and comfort in Christ, the rest is just window dressing. I'm learning day by day to not only be content with my lot, but embrace it. It's by grace alone that I'll take my next breath, much less pay my next bill. And when the worst case comes along, I'll know that my riches truly lie in my Savior.

So, anyway, that's what we're up to. Closing was yesterday and we'll start moving in next Wednesday. I'll try to remember to take pics and video. I have what I think will be a fun idea for a video to chronicle this event. I'll try to edit and post it as soon as we get internet going in the new house. Be looking for something on the blog by the first of July (which in "Keri time" will most likely be the first of January. Ha). Until then...

Oh, hi there.

2010-05-19T07:13:00.000-07:00

Buenas dias! I'm rusty on my Spanish, so I hope that's appropriate. Man, it's been a really long time since I've posted. Very poor form, I know. So what's been going on?

Well, Anna has almost completed her first year of school. She has only two weeks left. She started the year at Speegleville Elementary with Mrs. DeHay. I must say, I totally loved that school. Small, friendly, and probably has the best principal ever. It's such a small school that Mr. Eberlein had Anna's name memorized by the end of the second week. He was very personable with the students. And her teacher was a 30 year veteran and super cool. I just can't gush enough about Speegleville Elementary.

We moved just before Christmas break, so Anna began Gatesville Primary after the New Year. The transition wasn't as hard as I thought it would be for her. Mrs. DeHay had indicated that Anna was painfully shy, so I worried a little that she would fall apart having to leave the school she began the year in. That wasn't the case at all. I'm sure her new teacher, Mrs. Smith, was a big factor in her quick adjustment to new surroundings. Mrs. Smith is one of the 5 nicest people on the planet, to be sure. Soft spoken and super sweet, her style connects well with Anna's "school self." "School self" differs a bit from "home self." Ha.

So, yes, we moved back to Gatesville. We decided it'd best to live a little closer to Justin's job and actually become part of the community in which he works. It's been nice to be so close to family and friends that we hadn't seen as much as we'd like since marrying and moving off to the big towns of Oakalla and Waco. We miss Waco, certainly (I think I miss it more than anyone else in the family), but I think we've adjusted to the move just as nicely as Anna has adjusted to school. We've rented a nice little house for the time being. It's on a game ranch, so we have to live behind a high game fence. It annoyed me a bit at first, but I've since gotten used to the idea. It's certainly nice to let the girls go out and play without fear of them getting into the road.

What else? Hmm. Well, let me just post a few pics and you'll get the general idea of how our year has gone.

We celebrated the Mitchell July birthdays at the Shop.

We enjoyed Independence Day fireworks @ Speegleville Elementary

The girls dressed like the Chick-fil-A cow and got free chicken!

Splash park and a special visit from the Leutwylers!

We visited the Dr. Pepper Museum. The horse was made from Dr. Pepper bottle caps!
We visited the Waco suspension bridge and fed ducks by the river
Anna's first day of kindergarten!

Laura Kate and Kolby visited the Baylor Bear mascots

We took a trip to Kaska Family Farm

Anna lost her first tooth!

We had snow!

Mommy went with some friends to see NEEDTOBREATHE. Mommy likey.
Anna and Laura Kate helped Daddy clean fish during white bass season. Actually, they just played with the poor fish.

That sums up our year in pictures! More recent and exciting news soon to follow...

Life with an "e*panda"

2009-05-28T09:54:00.001-07:00

Actually, it's an expander, but Anna can't say that very well. In fact, she's having a little trouble saying quite a few things! She got her expander put in on Wednesday morning. She was prepared and excited to get to the dentist that morning. She was very brave. She even got pink rubber bands on her front brackets. I've been pleasantly surprised with how very well she's handled the whole ordeal. Instead of getting frustrated at not being able to pronounce words correctly, she's having a blast with it! She likes to say things that sound the funniest over and over again. S and T seem to be the toughest for her, though the x in expander is also a challenge :)

After researching the appliance, I fully expected Anna to be experiencing some discomfort at the very least. But, when I spoke with the dentist he said that she shouldn't really feel anything. Maybe just a little pressure when we turn the key once a day. This morning she didn't make a sound when I turned the key. She said it felt a little weird, but that was it. I suppose getting all of this handled at a very young age cuts down on the difficulty and pain of expanding the palate.

The one frustrating experience she has had was eating for the very first time after having the expander inserted. We treated her to pizza and A LOT of it got stuck between the roof of her mouth and her expander. She wanted me to clean it out after every bite. When I tried to convince her to wait, she got irritated and decided to eat only yogurt. Of course, Justin's old saying "She'll eat when she's hungry" proved once more to be very true. By dinner time she was eating like a pro. Of course, she wants the food cleaned out the very second the meal is over, or she'll walk around making a sucking sound trying to rid herself of the pesky pieces.

God has been faithful to answer our prayers on this matter, and He's done so in spades! As Henry Blackaby said, "Oh, God, if I ever give You a request and You have more to give me than I am asking, cancel my request." We asked that she not be afraid. She was excited. We asked that she be able to handle the pain. There is not pain. We asked that she not get too frustrated by speech impairments. She's having fun with them! God certainly had more in mind than what we asked. Consider our previous requests canceled :)

Sea World and Spacers

2009-05-14T13:07:00.000-07:00

The last several weeks have been busy, busy, busy. Highlights have been:

1. Anna's Kindergarten Round-up- I took Anna to register for school on May 7. When we arrived in the cafeteria, it was really loud. The teachers took the students to the library so that the parents could fill out paper work. Anna was a bit nervous at first, but once she spotted her friend and neighbor, Kade, she felt a little more at ease. By the time I went to pick her up, she had gotten so comfortable she didn't want to leave! The highlight for her was the animals in the library. A sugar glider, various birds, fish, frogs, a ferrets, and 3 guinea pigs. She has informed me that she'd like to visit the library often.

2. Sea World- On May 9, the Mitchells and the Benskins went to Sea World in San Antonio. It was a long, hot day but we had tons of fun. The girls really enjoyed that animals, shows, and rides. I think we have roller coaster riders in our midst. Mommy is going to have to toughen up and not be such a chicken, methinks.

3. Mother's Day- I had a great Mother's Day. Anna made me a card the week prior, brought it home without me seeing it, hid it in her room for an entire week, and then remembered to give it to me Sunday morning! I was so proud. She's growing up so fast. We spent the morning recovering from our trip to Sea World, then headed to Gatesville for time with moms and grandmothers. Then, Sunday night the girls spent the night with Maw Maw and PaPa David, and Mommy and Daddy got to go out to dinner for Mother's Day/Anniversary! It was nice.

4. Spacers- Anna will be getting a Rapid Palatal Expander put in the top of her mouth on May 26th, so this past Tuesday she had to have spacers put in. It took less than five minutes to insert them (they basically like little rubber bands), and she was extremely proud of herself for being so brave. The dental assistant said Anna would be pretty sore on Wednesday, but she hasn't complained at all. She described being a tiny bit uncomfortable when I asked her Wednesday morning, but she hasn't mentioned anything on her own. The fun part will come the next two weeks, when she has a mold made of her mouth on the 19th and the actual expander inserted on the 26th. And, in saying "fun part," I AM being sarcastic :) If you think about it between now and then, please be praying for her, as this will be uncomfortable and frustrating for her for a little while. The expansion will be a bit painful and the expander itself will affect her speech. She only has to have the expander in for 3 weeks, so that's a bit of a relief.

The start of the day...

Anna helps daddy hold the snake

The Viva Show- by far my favorite

The guys would swing...

then launch themselves into the air...

Believe- the Shamu show. Not as great as I had hoped.

But Laura Kate liked it.

Chinstrap Penguin

Puffin

Anna and Laura Kate enjoyed the "stinky" penguin and puffin exhibit.

Getting ready for the 4-D Pirate Adventure movie

Alligator Alley

Journey to Atlantis...Anna rode this! She's much more brave than her mommy.

Mother's Day at Grandma's. Cousins Shannon, Corbin, Laura Kate and Anna

Grandma

Mother's Day at Granny's

Mitchells + Leutwylers = Fun!

2009-04-28T13:48:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday we went to visit our good friends Dusty, Diana, and their kiddos. We had a great time playing the Wii, running through the sprinkler, and just relaxing and talking. Not only that, but they fed us steak! It was yummy. When the girls left, they were exhausted. When Justin and I woke up the next morning, we were sore. His soreness was probably due to the thrashing he received from Logan, Dalton, and Kaleb. I suspect my soreness is from boxing Dusty on the Wii. My shoulders STILL hurt! Atleast he was kind enough to let me beat him. Good times :) We're blessed to have such friends.

Dalton and Diana play the Wii

Anna looks on

Princess Rayleigh

Dalton

Justin and Laura Kate

Dusty runs from the sprinkler

Logan is a dinosaur

Laura Kate didn't want to play in the water, so Kaleb kept her company

Kaleb shows off his muscles

All of the kids show how strong they are

Happy Rayleigh, pretty in pink.

Time for a "running race"..

..and yet here we still are.

Easter

2009-04-28T13:05:00.000-07:00

Sorry it's late. I've been scolded for not updating the blog. I apologize.

We had a great Easter- wonderful message Sunday morning and fun times with family. It was cool and a rainy that morning, so the girls wore jeans instead of dresses. We got up early and went to the first service at church, which is something we don't usually do. There were a lot of people there! I was pleasantly suprised. The egg hunt took place during Sunday school. I had one child in my class...little Larkin. She's such a sweet baby. I'll miss her when her when she and her family move to Alaska this summer. They could have picked somewhere closer. I'm just sayin'...

We spent the rest of day in Gatesville, which is always fun. We spent the morning with my family at my sister's house, then made our way over to Justin's parents' for the dinner. Nana and the Benskin were there as well. We are so blessed to be close to most of the folks we love.

By the way, my girls don't look at the camera now. Have fun looking at their profiles or the tops of their heads!

This is Larkin. Isn't she darling?

Aunt Kayla and cousin Sara dying Easter eggs.

Laura Kate decorates eggs.

Baby Maddie

Getting ready to hunt.

Candy! Eggs! Let's eat!

It's Friday, but...

2009-04-10T09:09:00.000-07:00

The Zoo

2009-04-01T12:45:00.000-07:00

Justin is now working Tuesday-Saturday, so Monday is now sort of like our Saturday. So, on Monday we took a trip to the zoo. The weather was perfect-a little overcast, cool (not cold) breeze, and the sun poked out just enough to feel good and not get scorched.

After our trip to the zoo we visited Chick-fil-A for lunch. I'm sure you're surprised by the revelation. Justin went fishing as soon as we got home and the girls were supposed to nap. Well, that never happened. When I finally let them come out of their rooms, we all loaded up in the truck and we headed for the discount movie theater for an evening of "Bedtime Stories" and hot dogs. Very cute movie, mediocre hot dogs.

"These aren't the colors I picked out."

You can stop looking. The kids "found Nemo."
"Crikey, it's a croc!" No. It's actually an alligator.

This actually started out as a neat picture. The cougar's face was right next to Anna's. I suppose she didn't want her pic taken and this was her silent protest.

Buzzards on top of the Mexican Eagle exhibit. They were everywhere, actually. I guess the zoo just threw them in free of charge.
Psychedelic: I like how this pic turned out. Anna was trying to interact with the otters, but they were napping and wanted no part of it.
This is what we saw as soon as we entered this particular exhibit. Anna said "Mommy, that's a paddlefish. You can use it to spank our bottom." What kind of mother must I be?
Laura Kate's new friend
He whispers in her ear and she replies: "Uh huh. I see. Hmmm. I'll need to think on that one."
Here is Anna's new friend. As soon as we walked up to the glass, this guy sauntered over and cozied up to the glass. I couldn't decided if he wanted a hug or a snack.

Anna was willing to lend an ear and figure it out.

Spring Fun

2009-03-30T14:36:00.000-07:00

We've really enjoyed the beautiful weather. It's brought out buds on plants, our neighborhood rabbits, and opportunities for time spent with good friends.

On the March 14 we were blessed with a visit from our good friends the Leutwylers. It had been quite a while since we'd had the opportunity to just hang out, so it was good for all of us...especially the kids.

The following week we got together with our friends Tena for a picnic in Poage Park. After lunch and some quality time with the big slide, we headed to McDonald's for ice cream. Ms. Tena is a brave woman to sit next to a 3 year-old with an ice cream cone!

One afternoon the girls and I decided it was too hot to play outside without water being involved. Eventually, a run through water turned into a full-on war between Anna and the water sprinkler.

On the 21st, the girls and I attended our very first motorcycle rally with Justin. He set some trikes out in the park to promote Mitchell Family Motor Trikes. The girls played games, taking 2nd and 3rd out of 8 in their age group. We had awesome (though entirely overpriced) food. Laura Kate got stung by a bee. We got to see motorcycle riders play games on their bikes, like seeing how slow one could go without touching the ground. That had to be the best one. And we were crispy at the end of the day. All in all, I'd say we had a full day!

The Mitchell Family Theme Song

2009-03-13T09:57:00.000-07:00

The Gunk Family

2009-03-12T12:28:00.000-07:00

I think we're going to temporarily change our name from The Mitchell Family to The Gunk Family. Things have been pretty interesting around here over the last few weeks. We've had, seemingly, everything that's been going around, as well as things that aren't going around! First Justin and I get the stomach bug, then Anna gets pink eye. I get a cold. Anna gets a cold. Laura Kate gets pink eye. Justin gets a cold. We're keeping the doctors and pharmacists in business, let me tell you! Praise God for His mercy...no one has had to be admitted to the hospital!

Through it all, attitudes have been really good. It was pretty traumatic for Anna to have drops in her eyes, but otherwise she was very pleasant. I took Zicam, so my cold never really got bad and I never really got cranky. But the most interesting thing has been Laura Kate's reaction to the eye drops. She sits still, rarely fusses, and even got excited about getting her drops last night! She's an odd duck, I must say. And I mean that in the best way possible! I suppose after some of less than pleasant things she's experienced, a few drops in the eye are no big deal.

And, thankfully, her eye isn't this red and swollen anymore. Or as she says, it isn't "swallowen" anymore. Now Justin has come down with the yucky cold. Sore throat, earache, body ache...poor guy. He's a trooper, though. He went into work just a couple of hours late today. And he made a sale! A great reward for a hard working guy :)

She Said #1

2009-03-03T06:13:00.000-08:00

My kids are hilarious, even when they aren't trying to be. So, when I don't have time to write much or I want to record something for posterity, I'm going to institute a "She Said" series. Since I spend 15 hours a day with them, I have plenty of material! Here's #1. This morning Laura Kate, while drinking her milk at the dining room table, said:

"If I take a lot of drinks, I'll PEE!"

Yep, pretty much. Spot on analysis, LK.

New Trike Shop and a Visit With Maw Maw and Pa Pa

2009-02-27T18:58:00.000-08:00

Wednesday we took a trip to Katy, TX to deliver trikes to the newest Mitchell Family Motor Trikes location. It really didn't seem like it took that long to get there. We enjoyed getting a tour of the building and the camper David and Katy will be living in for a little while, as well as having lunch together as a family. I've already decided the girls and I will have to tag along any time Justin makes run to Katy. Here are some photos Katy took while we were there:

In case you're wondering, the girls sitting in a Stallion trike. Sadly, I'm afraid of traditional motorcycles. But I totally enjoyed riding this thing!

Enjoying a Sunny Day

2009-02-26T12:45:00.000-08:00

Today is a beautiful day! We have taken full advantage of it so far. I jammed out to Needtobreathe while pulling weeds (you can read all about that on my new blog). The girls road their bikes, explored, and jumped on the trampoline (I joined them after weeding duty...now I'm exhausted!) We even found something that looked quite promising...

Alas, it turned out to hold nothing more than a few leaves. The picture is a little lopsided, I know. I'm not sure if this nest is new or abandoned. We'll keep an eye on it and keep you posted.

The girls LOVE to push each other down the hill in this wagon. Up until Anna's birthday I got a little nervous when they did this because the wagon sometimes flipped and it's contents (my child) would spill out onto the driveway. Boo boos-r-us. Well, Anna got a helmet for her birthday, so my nerves rest a little easier. Elbows and knees my still get scraped up, but atleast noggins are now safe :)

More Birthday Fun

2009-02-16T08:08:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures from Anna's birthday party Saturday. We had pizza, cupcakes, and some surprise guests! It was a great day.

Anna and Justin strike gold early
Sara enjoys a cruise with Chuck

Jordan gettin' crazy on the four-wheeler

Ayla unleashes her inner racer

Maddie gets her party on

Laura Kate gave up playing games to entertain her baby cousin

Jordan and I take on Justin and Anna. The agreement was that we'd accelerate and the girls would steer. Of course, Justin cheated :)

PIZZA!

Kara and big sister Emma enjoy a slice

The kids jam with Chuck

Anna gets a little overwhelmed, so Jordan shows a little love

Anna's wish: "I wish my mommy would let me eat all of these cupcakes. Here comes the sugar!"

Presents! Incidentally, we've watched the movie 29 times since Saturday. Thanks, Mom ;)
You know, Maw Maw always manages to find cool Color Wonder stuff. She's quite smart, that Maw Maw.

Happy Birthday Anna!!!!!

2009-02-12T12:28:00.000-08:00

This was taken just a minute or two into Anna's first day at home :) She was a little less than 48 hours old.
2 months

10 months 15 months
20 months (and about 5 minutes before her first haircut!)20 months
2 and 1/2

3rd birthday

4th birthday

Wow. Five years of my life have totally flown by. Words simply can't express the emotions that flooded over me yesterday morning when I sat down and thought about my baby turning five. We have been through a lot together. Anna had a short frenulum (or tongue-tie) when she was born, so that made nursing and gaining weight extremely difficult. Poor baby was practically starving, so she was quite cranky during her early days. Once we got that fix, at about three months, she became almost a whole new baby. Anna has always been bright and mischievous :) An amusing combination...when it doesn't cause trouble ;) And she really leaped into her role as big sister. She is both bossy and loving, as I suppose most big sisters are. I don't think there is anyone Laura Kate respects more. I really can't think of a good way to put into words what the last five years have meant to me. She's been my life. I love her so much and am SO thankful to God for the blessing of having her in our lives. I have no doubt in my mind that the Lord has great things in mind for her.

So, enough mush :) Wednesday morning, Anna was greeted with a bright, shiny, new bike! In case you can't tell by the picture, it is the coolest bike ever. It's decked out in pink Disney princess accessories and accompanied by cool pink princess safety gear. We were gone most of the day yesterday, so today she was able to ride. I'm really pleased with how well she likes the bike. She didn't want to get off! I foresee hours of riding fun, which is the way any five year old should want to spend her days.

A quick story relating to the bike: yesterday morning after scoping out the sheer coolness of the bike, Anna offered Laura Kate a ride. Anna hadn't even had a ride herself, mind you. I praised Anna on her kindness, telling her how surprised and very proud I was of her. She quickly replied: "Thank you Mommy. I've changed." "You've changed?" I asked, somewhat confused. With a look as serious as it could be, she said "Yes, I've changed. I turned five."
I tried not to laugh, but it was pretty hilarious. If only turning a year older could completely change one's attitude. I would really start looking forward to my birthdays. Later in the day, Anna was being mean to Laura Kate. I told her that I was surprised because I thought she had changed and was going to be more considerate of her sister. She replied: "Well, I'm going back to being a little bit mean." This is the stuff I have to deal with and retain a straight face while doing it. Good luck to me.

We didn't have a party yesterday, but we did go to Ashely's house for a visit. After finding out it was Anna's birthday, she threw a sort of impromptu birthday party. After lunch, the kids decorated sugar cookies and Ashley gave Anna a lip gloss and fingernail polish set. Sugar and cosmetics...Ashley couldn't have done better than that in a million years, as far as Anna is concerned! We really did have a great time. I wish I had pics to post.

Saturday is p-day: party day! We will be having lunch at Chuck E. Cheese. I don't think any five-year-old could possibly turn down pizza and cupcakes. It should be fun. The last time I went to Chuck E. Cheese I was actually pregnant with Anna. I took Justin's little cousin Kimberly there for lunch one day during the summer. She was just about Anna's age at the time. She had a blast, and I think Anna, Laura Kate, and Sara will as well. I'm really looking forward to it. Hopefully I'll be a good mommy and remember to take plenty of pictures. I'll try to have them posted by Sunday afternoon.

Showin' Love

2009-02-02T07:58:00.001-08:00

In every relationship, there are ups and downs. For a 3 and 4 year old (mine at least), it can get pretty intense. But, for all of the times they get upset with one another, the overriding theme of Laura Kate and Anna's relationship is love. They love spending time and playing with one another. For the most part, they look out for one another. They often feel lost without each other. I feel so grateful and blessed that they not only love but LIKE each other. My prayer is that their relationship only grows stronger as they grow older.

The girls dance to Wiggly Safari. The Wiggles and Steve Irwin all on one DVD. You really can't beat that!

Lazy Day

2009-01-31T12:30:00.001-08:00

This morning we went to Gatesville. Justin had to meet a customer at the shop, so the girls and I went to visit Maw Maw and Paw Paw. When Justin had concluded business, we went out to Justin's parents' old house where the Murphy family now lives. They have all sorts of farm-type animals, some that belong to them and some that they are sort of babysitting. The girls had a good time looking at and playing with the animals. Laura Kate even rode a horse. I got to visit with David, Katy, Dennis and Leann. Justin and Bobby went out into the pasture to check his deer camera. All he saw were raccoons :)

So, now we're home and I'm trying to figure out what to do with the rest of my day. I have housework to catch up on, but what fun is that? The girls have occupied themselves playing. And Justin has found something to keep him occupied until dinner....

If you were ever curious to know what Justin does on weekends when there is no fishing or hunting to be done, see above ;) Just kidding. Or am I?

Thawing Out

2009-01-29T12:32:00.000-08:00

There isn't much new going on here in the Mitchell house, except that we are no longer frozen solid :) The temperature was 23 degrees when we woke up this morning. We had to chip the ice off of our legs in order to get out of bed ;)

Thankfully, it is currently 51 degrees outside. Not the tropical paradise I was hoping for, but we'll take it. Hopefully we'll get out and play this afternoon. Nothin' doin' yesterday. The trampoline had a sheet of ice on it. Would have make a nice mini-skating rink, but when it melted it was a wet mess. Cold and wet aren't a good combo in my estimation. Everything is currently dry, so looks like outdoor play will be a go.

I haven't taken any pics lately, so there aren't any to post. When I have the camera, nobody wants to look or pose. When something cool happens, I don't have the camera. This is the story of my photographic life. Filled with frustration and regret...ha ha.

While trying to think of something cool to share, I actually thought of something. It came to me just now, not 12 hours later (as it often does). I've taken up guitar. Yes, I wanna be a rock star. Well, maybe not. It sounds cool in theory, but let's be honest, I'm not the hippest chick on the block. And, if we're continuing down the road of honestly, it's not likely that I'll posses one iota of talent. That's ok, though. My primary goal is to be able to play a few of the many acoustic guitar parts in worship songs that I absolutely love. The guitar will be sort of another outlet for worship. My dream goal (if there is even such a thing) is to form a band of cool mom musicians. Maybe Deana on the keyboard, Kristen on the drums, Kelly on bass, Carolyn and me on guitar, and Diana and Adriana can share lead vocals. Adriana was, afterall, the best vocalist at the Sausage Festival! *It was the Sausage Festival, right?* Nancy can be our business manager. Tena can be our technical manager. Faith can be our production manager. Band name suggestions are welcome. I have no ideas at present. Aah, I can see it now...

Justin enjoys working for his parents. He's dealing with customers more now, so that's been a welcome change. He's now an "air man" (full of hot air) and he calls salesmen. He seems as though he likes this aspect of the business just as much as doing trike conversions. I think it's a good thing to be well-rounded in business. He knows a bit about every component, which makes him versatile.

Well, I suppose that's all for now. I hope everyone has a great weekend :)

Long Overdue Pictures

2009-01-12T13:58:00.000-08:00

Pictures, yay! We had such a wonderful Christmas: relatively stress-free, good food (in large quantities), and wonderful family with whom to celebrate Jesus' birthday. There aren't many pictures of our little Christmas celebration at home and very few of Justin, myself, or the other adults on my side of the family because I failed in photog duties. Lo ciento. Most of the pics that were taken at my house were taken by my dad. Gracias, Daddy-O. And, thankfully, my ever reliable and thoughtful mother-in-law was good enough to send hers to me. Enjoy...

This picture pretty much sums up my children :)

LK raids her stocking

Little Mermaid wanna be

More dress-up clothes

Ballerina Princess Laura Kate

Justin tends to think we're going to have problems with Anna in the boy department. I don't know why. She isn't cute, or anything ;)

Pop Pop and Dad spend quality bonding time together. Or is that a food coma? Hard to tell

Laura Kate tells daddy a bedtime story. It works!

LK rockin' the Nemo hat

Laura Kate sits down to lunch at her cousin Sara's new Dora table. Dora fanatics of the world unite!

The weekend before Christmas, my grandparents came for a visit. The girls enjoyed being spoiled.

Laura Kate was immediately obsessed with this Sleeping Beauty nightgown. She talked about it and carried it around ALL DAY LONG. She cried when I finally had to wash it.

Ayla makes a...carpet angel. No white Christmas for us.

LK snuggles up with Flash. Notice Anna is nowhere in sight. Unfortunatly, her fear of dogs trumps time with Aunt Cori.

More quality time with Aunt Cori and Flash

Dustin, Justin, Travis, and David

Joey, some trouble makers, and Aunt Amy

Aunt Jean, Nana, and Aunt Wally

The Moore ladies...and a Moore-Diaz lady :)

Aunt Ruth...gotta love Aunt Ruth

Justin's cousin Jamie and her husband Dustin. So sweet!

Uncle John and Melodie's husband Marcel

More sweet Moores: Aunt Amy and Uncle Gordon

Aunt Jean recites the Nativity story, a Christmas tradition

Future volleyball super star...

make it two future volleyball stars.

Christmas Goodness

2008-12-23T11:03:00.000-08:00

This afternoon, on our way home from being assaulted at the doctor's office (flu mist/shot) and the grocery store (one lady continually ran over my heals! ouch!), we were in the car eating a very balanced and nutritious lunch-McDonalds. All of a sudden, Anna begins to talk. Below is the conversation between the two of us. I didn't coach her with any of this. I suppose it's all from memory. Now, she's only 4 and she's probably just repeating what she's heard. But, I have to tell you that it nearly made me cry and I am looking forward to the day when she can say this and mean it as a committment to her God. We've always prayed, from before their births, that the Lord would grow our girls into women who love and serve Him with everything in them. Seems like He's working on it.

Anna: Mommy, I believe in Jesus.
Me: You do?
Anna: Yes. I believe he died on the cross.
Me: Yes, he did. Why did he die?
Anna: To save us.
Me: Save us from what?
Anna: From our sins.
Me: Do you love him.
Anna: Yes.
Me: Would you do whatever he says?
Anna: Yes

I can't remember a whole lot about the conversation after that point. It was a little overwhelming for me. I guess that the moral to the story is this: your kids listen to every word you say and watch everything that you do. This happens to be one of the good things that Anna has picked up on. Trust me, she's repeated the bad as well. Hopefully she sees more good than bad. I also hope that she can come to know what is now "head knowledge" for her as "heart knowledge." If you don't already know the Truth as "heart knowledge," if you don't already have a relationship with the Son of God and therefore God himself, I hope you come to learn, know, and develop these things. And, I hope that this season of celebration helps facilitate that in your life, not distract from it.

Below are some notes I took during Billy's sermon last week and a few things I looked up on the internet. I hope you enjoy them:

Matthew 1:20-23
An angel is speaking to Joseph in a dream: "Joseph, son of David, do not be afreaid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son; and ou shall call His name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: "Behold the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which translated means "God with us."

Jesus is:

*Jesus- "The Lord is Salvation"

*Immanuel

Regarding Matthew 1:23: "Immanuel," meaning "God with us" carries the implication that God is sovereignly working His purpose in the lives of His people to protect them and work through them. He will fulfill His promises no matter how earnestly men may oppose them (See Ro. 8:31 and following). The reference in Matt. 1:23 teaches that Jesus in His Person is truly God, but it also includes the idea that God’s plan of redemption is unstoppable and that our ultimate security and provision is in the Person of Christ. from biblicalresources.info

"God with us"-
*wasn't an angel
*not subordinate deity
*did not "grow into God" by doing the right things
Fully human-
*didn't put on a "man-suit"
Approachable-
*there was no one in the Bible who wanted to see Jesus but was afraid to approach Him"
^...or touch him, for that matter. I looked up the word "touch" in Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, and there are 9 references to times when people sought to touch Jesus in order to be healed. Of the 9, there are 2 references that are the same in 2 different books. But, the 9 references were only for "touch." That didn't cover "touched," "touching," or "toucheth."
Ever present- all of the time
*in your pain
*questions
*problems
*hurts
*loss
*financial troubles
*doubt
*and He's there in His promises
from Billy Edwards' sermon, BMBC, December 14, 2008

My prayer is that everyone can look past the lights, food, and presents. That we can not worry about how perfect everything is, or even who is coming over to visit. Let our focus be on the only true and relevant aspect of Christmas: the celebration of the birth of Jesus, the Christ-the Messiah, the Son of the God, the Salvation for all men, Immanuel-GOD with us. He is the only gift that matters on this side of heaven. He is the only source of redemption, the only way to the Father, our one shot at eternal life with the Creator of the universe. That's good stuff. May your Christmas be filled with Good Stuff :)

Merry Christmas!

Love,

Justin, Keri, Anna, and Laura Kate

Christmas Nostalgia

2008-12-17T13:54:00.000-08:00

Anna's first Christmas-2004 (10 months old)

Laura Kate's first Christmas-2005 (2 months old)

First Christmas together! (Anna's 22 months old)

Christmas 2006 (2-almost 3)

Christmas 2006 (14 months)

Christmas 2007- The Mitchells get "elved" and get jiggy

Christmas 2007 (3-almost 4)

Christmas 2007 (2 years, 2 months)

Christmas 2007- Our niece Sara's first Christmas (8 months)

Deck the...living room

2008-12-12T12:27:00.000-08:00

This is daddy's and the girls' first stab at assembling the Christmas tree.
The Christmas tree fairy (far right) was an essential component in the process ;)
And there was light
How pretty
Baby Maddie!
Proud aunt :) I think Laura Kate's enthusiasm for Maddie borders on obsession, but I suppose that's a good thing
Big sister Sara
Anna's t.v. face
Rockin' out on Rock Band. I'm obsessed. Someone please save me from myself! (p.s. notice I'm sporting my Third Day concert tee...I'm channeling Mark Lee)

We've Got Another Niece!

2008-12-10T21:14:00.000-08:00

Madelyn Grace Kiphen was born Wednesday, December 10 @ 4:11 a.m. She weighed 7 lb 14 oz., measured 19 in., and is as sweet as she can be.

After a week of waiting, my sister Kayla finally had this baby! She didn't have to be induced, which is what we were all praying for. Kayla is doing really well. She sounded great on the phone and looked good in person. She's a little sore, but didn't really seem tired. Both mom and baby are fantastic, which is wonderful. Little Maddie is so pleasant...so far ;) I got to hold her for quite a while. The girls were intrigued. Anna was a little nervous and didn't want to touch her. Laura Kate was ready to hold her and take her home. As a matter of fact she even asked Kayla if we could take Maddie home! Anna just wanted Maddie and Kayla to have dinner at Chick-fil-A with us. I think both of my girls have a little bit of baby fever. Both asked for a baby as soon as we left Kayla's room. If it were only that easy :)

Not a whole lot has been going on other than waiting for Maddie's arrival. The girls and I did some Christmas shopping on Saturday. We had a good visit with my friend Tena on Monday. Maddie was born today. And my dad should be here on Friday. Looks like every other day we have had/will have something going on :) Fun stuff.

Oh, and check out my Twitter Updates on the left side of the blog. I'll probably update these a lot more often than I actually post. This way, you'll get to read about what we're doing minute by minute or hour by hour!

Beware: LOTS of photos!

2008-12-02T07:00:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been a while. Usually, when it's been this long between postings, there really hasn't been much going on with the Mitchell clan. Not so this time. We've had a busy last few weeks. We've had the opportunity to enjoy time as a little family unit and with our larger, extended family as well. And, of course, we got to go see Third Day (the crowd erupts into applause and chanting)!
Our time of adventure began November 16. Justin came home from a weekend at the deer camp. After lunch he decided that we all needed to go back to the camp and spend a few days. So, we feverishly packed some clothes and headed out after dinner with our small group. We arrived at the camp around 10 p.m. It was COLD, let me tell you. Justin didn't want to use the central heat for fear of using up all of the propane, so we slept with space heaters on. We froze. The next night was a lot better, though.

Here is the campsite. Behind the big awning is a little pop-up camper, and to the left another big camper. We stayed in the one you see.

This is the inside of Steve's camper. Steve is the brother of Justin's friend Matt. He told Justin he could make himself at home...so he did. This is the view from the back of the camper looking toward the front. A bedroom with two bunkbeds and the bathroom were behind me.

Justin prepares breakfast in the campsite's state-of-the-art kitchen on our first morning at camp. The biscuit bottoms burned, but the bacon and eggs were perfect.

Anna enjoyed the comfy accomodations.

After breakfast, we went on a walk. We had intended on getting as far as Justin's tree stand. A little over halfway there, Laura Kate grabbed onto a small cactus. I didn't see it happen, but Justin said it was like slow motion and he couldn't do anything to stop her. He had just pointed out several types of cactus for the girls to avoid. You can rest assured Laura Kate won't make the same mistake twice. We rushed back to camp to pluck the hair-fine spines from her hand. You can see in the photo above that she's still favoring her left hand. We decided to drive through the pasture after that.
This is the first of many "sparkly" rocks Anna and Laura Kate collected. Ever since my friend Tena brought the girls "purple sparkly" rocks from Terlingua last year, they've been obsessed with rocks in general. We may have a couple of future geologists.
Touring the pasture by truck, we spotted three deer. One buck ran out in the open just long enough for us to get a good look at him. Laura Kate spent the two days that we were there worried about "bucks." Every questions was related to bucks. She was afraid of them for some reason.
The girls very favorite pasttime was throwing rocks into the little tanks just a few yards from the campers. They would stay our there for hours if we let them. It was good that they enjoyed it so much, because there wasn't much else to do while we were there.

Tuesday was our last day at the lease. Bright and early Tuesday morning, Justin took a doe. After her cleaned and quartered her, we went into town for ice and breakfast. We also toured the little museum there in Goldthwaite. It was big, but it had some pretty neat things in it. We left after the final hunt Tuesday evening and had dinner on the way home. Wednesday morning we got up bright and early to take the girls to the Mayborn Museum. They love that place. I've been there a handful of times and manage to find something I missed in the previous visits. Wednesday evening we dropped the girls off with Justin's parents and headed out. We drove a couple of hours to get a jump on our trek to Arkansas. It was pretty driving once we crossed the state line. Once we got to Little Rock, we got out and drove around a little to check things out. We had a little time to kill before the concert.
Ok, so now we get to the good stuff. Really, it was all good, but the concert was pretty awesome. It was held at The Church at Rock Creek. The church was beautiful. The people were really nice. And the opening acts were great. Above is Revive, a group from Australia. I had never heard of them, but we agreed that we needed the CD after we heard them play.
Same story with Needtobreathe. I didn't think I had ever heard of them, until they played "Washed by the Water." I had heard that song on the radio several times and never knew who sang it. I must say, Bear Rinehart (lead singer) can sing...and play for that matter. His little brother, Bo, isn't too shabby on the guitar either. There was one thing that I didn't dig too much. They played a few "fun" songs, as they called them, that I didn't really like. I told Justin that they didn't play enough Jesus to suit my taste, but all in all they rocked.
Aaaaa, to the main event. These pictures really didn't turn out the way I'd hoped. It was either to0 dark or too bright (as you'll see in a minute). Anyway, this is the opening number, This is Who I Am. Love this song.
"Dr." Mark Lee (as Mac called him) on guitar. They may not have Brad Avery to do solos anymore, but Mark can hold it down. I was very impressed.
David and Tai during Call My Name, I think. See, this photo is too bright. Oh well. So the guys played a few songs and then the whole place goes pitch black. When lights come back on, there aren't many and they are coming from a few yards from me and Justin. They weren't at the front the of room, but right in the middle. Next thing you know, Mac Powell is standing right in the middle of this sea of humanity. Brave man.
Here he is playing the first verse of "I've Always Loved You" by himself. It was pretty neat. The other guys joined him shortly to play the rest of the song accoustic.
I believe they did a three song accoustic set, but it's hard to remember. You should be impressed that I even remembered the chronology of these photos :) Anyway, this was pretty awesome. At this point I had left my seat to get a better shot of the band. I was about 5 feet away from them here.

This was one of my very favorite parts of the concert. It was really nice to be able to get close and hear the music with kind of a club or coffee shop feel. Near the end of the set, Mac teased the people right behind him. "Don't you have enough pictures yet?" he said. "You are like the paparazzi!" Funny guy. They all seemed so nice and down to earth, like guys you go to church with and hang out in small group with.

So, we're back. We picked up Laura Kate Sunday in order to take her to Temple for her scope on Monday morning. Good news! She ended up not having to have the scope!!! Dr. Pohl said that he didn't want to torture her if she hadn't been complaining of a lot of pain. She hadn't complained of more than an occasional upset tummy since her ER visit. We spent the rest of the day with my mom in Gatesville. She braided Anna's hair. Anna loved it and has asked me to do it since. Unfortunately, I don't know how to braid. Bad mommy.

Now we jump three days to Thanksgiving. I'd like to say that the highlight of the girls holidays is seeing their family. Don't get me wrong, the girls love their Nana and aunts and uncles, but there are two individuals who make holidays special for the girls. One of those is little Flash. She is Uncle John's corgi and she is a cute as she can be. For a dog who doesn't live with kids, she does really well with the girls.
The other individual is Ayla, their cousin. The earth revolves around Ayla when she is present. She's such a sweet kid and she's really good with her little cousins. Below, she's raking up leaves...

to jump in. They worked pretty hard on this little pile. They enjoyed every minute of it.

After lunch, the girls took a ride in Uncle John's Mini. You can see little Laura Kate's eyes peeking over the side of the car.
Stylin'

And away they go.

Fast forward a couple more days to Saturday after Thanksgiving. We took the girls to the Craft and Children's Fair at Homestead Heritage near Gholson. They had a blast. There was a lot to see and do. Above, we watched a horse-drawn rig plow a field. I believe that all of the fields at the homestead are plowed by horses.

We also watched some dogs work goats. I didn't really get any good action shots, but here you can see this one stalking the goats. The dogs' focus was amazing.

Anna and Laura Kate's very favorite stop was the petting pen. Laura Kate was actually the one to be a little shy during this activity. Anna jumped right in. I know she would have picked up one of the kids if I had let her. She loved them. I'm sure that thrilled her daddy. One of his dreams for them is to raise and show goats. He loved it as a child.

I didn't get a very good angle on this one, but here is Laura Kate dipping a candle. They had to get back in like and do this about 30 times. Laura Kate lost interest after about 10...

but Anna perservered! Her candle was, consequently, bigger than Laura Kate's.

This is the team of Belgians (I believe) that pulled our wagon for the hay ride. They are massive horses, and probably the prettiest I've seen.

Our destination on the hay ride was this bluff overlooking some of the farmland belonging to Homestead Heritage. It was beautiful and peaceful.

The girls really liked this fountain. The water from this fountain powered the gristmill where the residents of Homestead Heritage grind the wheat and corn to make their delicious baked goods. You can buy the flour, mixes, or baked goods themselves, but they're really expensive. They are all natural and have no pesticides or preservatives. Everything, from their livestock to their crops, is grown organically.

This is the last stop we make, the gristmill. I believe the boy inside said it was moved from New Jersey or New York and is over 100 years old. It's beautiful, as is most of their buildings. From what I understand, they've also moved old barns and other buildings from up north and refurbished them. We definitely enjoyed our visit and would love to go back.

So that's what we've been up to over the last 2 weeks. We've had fun reconnecting as a couple and a family. We surely have a lot to be thankful for.

A Change of Pace

2008-11-12T13:04:00.000-08:00

Today was cloudy and mild. We enjoyed a little bit of time outside.

Laura Kate was having a good time on the little see-saw thing, until Anna got on. Big sister can get a little crazy. Right now she's begging to get off.

Anna can now go as high and fast as her little heart desires.

Laura Kate moves on to the slide. No telling what mischief is being cooked up in that brain.

Ah ha. That's the mischief. She isn't allowed to climb the slide that way.

Anna, again, feels a need...a need for speed (a little Top Gun, anyone?).

The girls asked me to take a picture of some migrating birds. They were fascinated with the V-formation, which led to a teachable moment. You probably wouldn't have had any clue that this was what the picture was if I hadn't told you, huh?

We decided after coming inside that we needed to bake something. I don't typically like to bake with the girls. There is a thing I have with mess, I don't like it when they make it and I don't like to clean it up. Well, I'm letting go of that, so here we are. Instead of "Charlie's Angels" we've got the whole "Mommy's Angels" thing going on. Incidentally, this was taken just a few minutes before Laura Kate abandoned our effort. While the oven was pre-heating, it began to smoke. Evidently, when I cooked sausage balls Sunday night some greased leaked onto the bottom of the oven. As smoke poured out of the oven, the smoke alarms began to go off. Fun stuff. We opened the windows to help air the house out, but Laura Kate decided this was all too much fun for her. While Anna was working hard...

Laura Kate was hardly working. She was out like a light.

Anna cuts...

and counts the scones. We were only supposed to have 12, but we ended up with 17. Hey, the more the better.

Once she got everything laid out on baking stones, we started the clean-up. Anna washed dishes...
while I cleaned the oven. This is Anna making fun of the smell (don't worry, it's cool at this point) before I commence scrubbing.

Now we can finally finish up the scones. Anna puts the finishing touches on and...

pineapple scones nearly as sweet as that little face. This was our first time to tackle scones, and they turned out pretty well. Good news: they're delicious. Bad news: they're delicious. I've had two already! I suppose Anna and I should be nice and share with Justin and Laura Kate...maybe.

"But, I'm Not Sleepy..."

2008-11-10T15:03:00.000-08:00

...famous last words. Isn't it amazing how, though your children "really aren't tired", they tend to fall right asleep at naptime? It's shocking, really ;)

Getting Into The Christmas Spirit A Little Early

2008-11-07T11:13:00.000-08:00

This morning I began getting out fall/winter clothes and putting away summer clothes. The girls were with me when I came across these dresses. Of course, they had to try them on. Each dress is one size too big for the respective girl, but they certainly don't mind. My friend Faith gave me these two dresses last year. They belonged to her two girls, who are about the same difference in age as Anna and Laura Kate, except that her yougest, Megan, is 4. Aren't they as cute as they can be? They are already gearing up for Christmas. The last couple of years have been a bit of a struggle. Anna is so focused on gifts that it consumes her for months, literally. We have been trying to explain how Christmas isn't about receiving toys and clothes, but about the gift God gave us in sending His son Jesus. We're to celebrate that gift and share it with others. Well, last year it fell on deaf ears. This year we're not making much more headway. I know she's little and it may take a while. But, we're plugging along, hoping it sinks in eventually! The girls are also excited about filling up their shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child. We've done that every year since Anna was born, and the girls love it. This is Laura Kate's first Christmas to really understand what's going on. I hope it builds their character and helps them focus on what's really important during this time of year. They're so precious and full of life. I look forward to seeing what God will do in and through them as they grow.

Timely Food for Thought

2008-11-05T09:51:00.000-08:00

Quote from Billy Edwards, senior pastor, Brazos Meadows Baptist Church -on the election:

"One thing, however, has already been decided: God is on His throne, Jesus is Lord of all, and the church is the one hope for the world. Those things are true no matter who is president! I've told you this before...I've lived through 6 Republican presidents and 4 Democratic presidents. And honestly, not much changes. Neither can give us salvation. Neither can give us deliverance. Neither can give us hope that matters. Neither can make iron-clad promises. Salvation and deliverance and hope and promises come through Bethlehem, not Washington!" "I am a citizen of the United States (proudly), but I'm not at home here. My home is in the Kingdom of God, which is both here and in the future; which supercedes nations and borders and political causes. The older I get, the more I feel like an alien, for I long more and more to be home. I don't plan on going home anytime soon, so I am yielding more and more of my life to God today. I gave my life to the Kingdom of God years ago; I re-up that commitment right now. Join me."

Wow. That's good stuff.

Social Studies, History, and Bible Study Make For a Full Day

2008-11-05T05:24:00.000-08:00

The girls and I show off our "I voted" stickers

This morning the girls had a little social studies lesson. Following Laura Kate's dentist appointment (which went really well), we headed to our polling place to cast our vote. Of course, when I say we and our, I mean me and mine. No voter fraud here:) The girls were intrigued with the voting machine. They were really quiet and stayed right next to me. I was grateful for that. Of course, I spent a good deal of the morning (before voting) explaining what we were doing and why. The concept of "country" is still a little too big for them, I think. They understand city and state, but country is still a little confusing. As is Earth, for that matter. They do know that a globe is a representation of Earth. I think they're doing just fine :) On a side note, I did not vote for the president elect. I didn't think he was the best choice for our country for a lot of reasons, not the least of which are national security concerns. However, I think we should respect the office. He will be president, our president. And it was an historic election. The first black president is absolutely nothing to sneeze at. 61% (according to GMA this morning) of his voters were not minority, they were white. I hope this election puts to bed the notion that our country doesn't have the ability to see past skin color. God made us black, brown and white and expects us to love each other because He first loved us and we're His creation. I agree with the late Dr. King that it's not the color of one's skin, but the content of his character that is of importance. Evidently our country does as well. We have come a long way in 50 years. From segregation and voter intimidation to an African-American holding the highest office in the land. Partisan politics aside, that's pretty awesome. That's our history lesson for the day.

On a different note, we have Laura Kate's scope scheduled. It will take place on November 24, first thing in the morning. She's not really been having stomach pain lately, so we've been second guessing whether or not we need to have the scope done. It's not something we're thrilled about having her go through. And, it's not like we can pay our copay and have the procedure done. We have a deductible to meet since our insurance reset in October, so there's the financial aspect as well. I have to keep telling myself what I told Justin: if the GI specialist wants it done, you do it. Scott and White will just have to put it on our (ever growing) tab! Could that be the math and science lesson? I dunno.

We just have to have faith that we're doing what's best for our little one and that the Lord will provide the means by which to do that. In Philippians 4:19, Paul tells us that "my God will meet all you needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus." A GI scope isn't a want, I can guarantee you! It's a medical need. I like what Jesus says about the Father supplying needs in Matthew 7:9-11 (emphasis mine): "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" So we ask Him to provide what we need.

I've been doing the the Experiencing God study by Henry and Richard Blackaby. If you haven't done it, do so. I promise you'll be grateful that you did. Here are my thoughts about our situation, based on what I've come to understand: If we accomplish a task by our might and resources, how is that glorifying to God? It isn't. People don't recognize His power in that instance and aren't drawn to Him. He wants to accomplish things through us that we are incapable of doing on our own so that His power is showcased and people can experience Him in a way they couldn't have otherwise. I can assure you that our (the Mitchells) emotional and financial resources are limited. I've wondered why Laura Kate just doesn't get completely well. We've asked for healing. You've asked for healing. I know and believe He could do it if He so chose. Perhaps it's to increase our faith. Perhaps it's to demonstrate His power and resources, since ours are limited, and increase your faith as well. It's probably both. I assure you that we are not without some times of stress. Truthfully, those are times of weakened faith that call for repentance. However, at our core we believe God is good and He loves us. He's our Dad in heaven. Our dads here on Earth took good care of us when we were kids (and continue to). Oh, how much more can we depend on our Dad in heaven! Bible study-check. Whew...busy day :)

Fall Fun: updated-new picture

2008-10-31T18:55:00.000-07:00

Fall is here? There are some days when it feels that way, and others (like today) when you wouldn't really know it, except that their is a slight hint of a cool breeze in the evening. The girls and I spent a little over an hour outside after dinner this evening. We really enjoyed the weather and lack of flying bugs that a little freeze ushers in. The only bad thing is that the very same freeze that killed the bugs also killed some of the plants in my garden that were still hanging on.

Well, before I get to the really fun stuff, I'll give you a little Laura Kate update. Thursday we went to see Dr. Hogg who is Laura Kate's pediatric nephrologist. He said that the blood in her urine isn't particularly concerning. The markers he looks for in determining a problem are protein in the urine, kidney function (as indicated by a urine test), and blood pressure. He said all three factors were excellent in Laura Kate. So, her kidneys are fine. He said she has IGA nephritis (atleast I think that's what it's called) as a result of the HSP. When she got that little cold a couple of weeks ago, it irritated something inside her kidneys and caused the blood. He also said that we shouldn't be surprised if we see that again whenever she has any upper respiratory issues. So, that's a weight off of our minds. AND, Laura Kate got along quite famously with Dr. Hogg. You would think they had always been the best of friends.

Now we have to focus on the gut issues. Wednesday afternoon, Dr. Pohl said that he wanted to do an upper and lower GI scope. Yipee, sounds like fun, huh? I'm not too thrilled about it. But, you have to do what you have to do. He said he'd sedate her, then put a soft tube down her throat to have a peek, then go in from the other end. Yikes! They'd have to put me to sleep, too! I'll let you know when I have more details on when that'll take place.

Now for the fun stuff. Wednesday night our church hosted a fall festival as an alternative to a Halloween celebration. That was good, since our girls don't go trick-or-treating. They had the opportunity to dress up and play with their friends. We had a great time, and the weather was beautiful. I was pleasantly surprised that we didn't all freeze when the sun went down! Here are some pics and commentary:

Sleeping Beauty and the beautiful ballerina make their fall festival debut

After wearing themselves out on the inflatable slide, obstacle course, and moon-bounce, the girls enjoy a relaxing hay rideBelieve it or not, a hayride has a way of building up an appetite! Everyone took a quick break to enjoy a yummy hot dog and watch the sunset.

We made our way inside to see how we would fair at the games. Laura Kate threw the ball into the bucket on her second try. She didn't get that kind of skill from her mother!

After winning some cookies at the cake walk, Anna decided she'd like to have her face painted. We settled on having her hand painted. What sort of drawing did she choose? Why, a pink princess crown of course! Was there really any other possibility?

Anna and her friend Lexi. I always like for Anna to hang out with sweet girls like Lexi. I suppose I secretly hope they rub off on her, ha ha.

Anna and Kara. These two are a hoot to observe. Anna is loud, Kara is quiet. Kara is adventurous and brave, Anna can be a little too cautious. But, they get along really well. They've been friends for half of their lives, which is only 2 years, but that's a long time for 4 year-olds :)

This is Laura Kate and "her Ms. Jenny." Jenny was LK's VBS teacher. She was evidently an excellent teacher, since Laura Kate still remembers her memory verse: "Teach me what is right, God." Psalm 86:11 Of course, that's the condensed version for 2 year olds :)
Anna and Ms. Andrea. Andrea was Anna's Sunday school teacher for 2 years. She was awesome with the kids and Anna adores her.
Baylee, Anna, Layla, Kaylei, and Laura Kate...such little cuties! These three girls are sisters aged 2, 5, and 3. They and our girls have started hanging out over the last few months. They are such sweet, well-behaved little ones. I had the youngest, Baylee, in my Sunday school class until she moved up to Justin's in June. She's was very shy, but she's really come out of her shell!

Princesses as far a the eye can see: Kaylei, Layla, Laura Kate, Anna, and Jordan. Jordan is another little one who's been friends with Anna for a long time. If I'm not mistaken, they've been friends since before their first birthdays! Anna is truly blessed with such sweet little buddies.

A Trip to the Dentist

2008-10-28T13:46:00.000-07:00

This morning, all three Mitchell ladies went to the dentist. I take the girls to a pediatric dentist. They love it there so much that Anna excitedly told her Sunday school teacher how pumped up she was about going. The Sunday school teacher asked me if Anna had ever actually been to the dentist before. I explained that she had, and that we hope she hangs on to such enthusiasm for dentist appointments!

Well, Anna checked out just fine. Healthy, shiny, pearly whites. Laura Kate on the other hand...that's another story. You know what? The kid can't catch a break. Oh well, what doesn't kill her will make her stronger, right? Oy. Anyway, she has three cavities. After the hygienist told me (and while I was picking my jaw up off of the floor), she explained that 3 of LK's molars hadn't developed properly. There were spots where the enamel was really thin and it caused cavities. She said they are very tiny and weren't caused by poor dental hygiene, which of course made me feel better. So, next Tuesday we go back to have them filled. They are going to gas her (which sounds terrible) to ensure that she's relaxed. While they are in there, they are going to clean her teeth again. The hygienist said that LK was as still as a three year old could be, but since they're going to gas her (still sounds terrible) and she'll be really relaxed, the hygienist is going to clean a little more thoroughly. I don't know about you, but the idea of nitrous oxide for a little bitty one makes me nervous. Oh well.

Tomorrow we head to Temple to see Dr. Pohl (GI doc). Thursday we're back to Temple to see Dr. Hogg (kidney doc). Laura Kate really likes Dr. Pohl. However, she and Dr. Hogg have a rocky history. Now, I'm going to preface this all with my observation of Dr. Hogg: he is a very kind gentleman, probably in his sixties, with white hair and a British accent. I found him pleasant and not intimidating in the least. Now, the two times he visited Laura Kate in the hospital she was none too happy. The first visit she yelled to him "Leave me alone!" Mind you he was sitting on the other side of the room and had not yet made a move to examine her. If you know Laura Kate at all, you know that is out of character for her. The second visit, she did what we called "The Popeye." She pretended she was asleep and would occasionally pop open the eye closest to the bed to have a peek at what was going on. Of course, she was convinced she had everyone fooled. Then there was one day when we met him out in the hall as he was on his way to see another patient. She hid behind me when he addressed her. Now that you know that history between Laura Kate and Dr. Hogg, you know that Thursday ought to be quite interesting.

If she comes to your mind in the next couple of days, pray for our little trooper. She's got a few more hurdles to jump in the next week. And pray for Anna as well; that she doesn't feel lost in the shuffle and that we don't make her feel that way. My kids are so cool. They are so tough. I feel honored to be there mom :)

As Gomer Pyle would say: "Suprise, suprise, suprise!"

2008-10-27T06:28:00.000-07:00

As you may well know, a week in the life of a Mitchell family member is not without surprises. Thursday evening found us partying and having a good time. Friday evening found us in the emergency room. The birthday girl was suffering from dehydration due to non-stop vomiting...fun stuff. We tried as best we could to manage things at home, but she couldn't keep anything down. So, we finally made our way to the Temple Scott & White ER at around 1:30 a.m. Our ER doc was actually one we saw quite often during Laura Kate's many hospitalizations, so that was nice. She knew exactly who we were and what LK's history was.

Dr. Saenz postulated that LK either had a stomach virus or was having some residual GI pain from the HSP and the pain presented itself by way of nausea. Anyway, LK got some IV meds and fluid, and it was like she was a whole new critter. She perked right up, literally. She sat up and began chatting with everyone. She felt good and was ready to go home. A few hours and many sips of Gatorade later, we were on our way home. What was Anna doing in the meantime, you might ask. Well, our beloved eldest daughter was a regular night owl. When I woke her up to get her dressed, her little brain clicked on and didn't shut off until we were well on our way home to Waco. I suppose the sleep she got from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. was sufficient to keep her rolling through the night. Our ER room had satellite t.v., so she watched Even Almighty, Enchanted, and some Disney cartoons. Justin and I caught a few precious moments of sleep while we waited. All in all it wasn't too bad.

After we were released, Anna promptly requested breakfast at McDonald's, to which her daddy readily complied. Anna ate her McGriddle and hash browns as she watched her first sunrise after pulling an all-nighter. She handed me her various wrappings, thanked us for breakfast, and fell asleep almost immediately. I think about 9o seconds elapsed between her last word and her first snore. It was pretty amazing. Her pleasant attitude throughout the early morning hours made the whole ordeal so much more bearable.

So, how is Laura Kate now? Well, after about 3 hours of sleep Saturday morning, her engine was revved up and ready to go. Had you never known what had transpired in the 15 hours prior you wouldn't have imagined anything had been out of the ordinary. She wanted to eat, color, jump on the trampoline, anything that kept her brain active and her body moving. She is simply amazing. She was well enough to attend church Sunday morning. Following services, we were treated by the Hedges to lunch at Don Carlos'. It was pretty good. Pretty darn good, actually. I think Justin has decided we'll definitely go back. We had a nice, long nap Sunday afternoon. Then we enjoyed waffles for dinner, followed by a family viewing of The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything. By the way, I highly recommend the movie. The songs are awesome. Steve Taylor and the newsboys did a song (Anna quickly identified Peter Furler's voice; I've raised the girl well), and Mike Nawrocki as Mr. Lundt sang a remake of "Rock Lobster" by the B52s called "Rock Monster." Classic Veggie Tales wit and creativity.

What started out a little rocky turned into a really fun and relaxing weekend. I told you God is good.

Here are a couple of pics for your viewing pleasure:

This morning the girls had story time and a "picnic" in Anna's room
This picture was taken in February. The girls were in love with some weeds that sported little purple flowers and picked them by the handfull.
Laura Kate, Anna, and cousin Ayla at Travis and Cori's wedding in March
Laura Kate and Anna get their groove on at the reception

May fun :)

Anna climbs the rock wall at gymnastics. This was taken in June.Laura Kate, almost one month before her illness, watching big sister at gymnastics.
Daddy reads Laura's Star to the girls before bedtime
Two of a kind
Laura Kate's first encounter with curlers. We were getting ready for Melody and Marcel's wedding, which was in September.

Happy Happy Birthday, Baby!

2008-10-24T06:29:00.000-07:00

Wow. 3 years of my life have flown by at the speed of light. Little Laura Kate is quite the big girl now. Once again, yesterday was a reminder of just how good God is to us and how immensely he's blessed us. We certainly don't deserve it, but He never fails to give.

To use Laura Kate's words "I can't believe today was my birthday! It was a beautiful day." I couldn't agree more. We had a small party for her, no little friends, just family. The menu consisted of pizza, cupcakes, and chocolate chip cookies. In the mind of a child, you can't beat a spread like that. Heck, in my mind you can't beat that! It was really nice to visit and share the joy of a well and cheerful Laura Kate with those closest to her (who could make it).

I preface the pictures with this: In most instances, Laura Kate is completely incapable of looking at a camera. Anything you say to her in regard to that goes right over the top of her head. To top it all off, our camera flashes twice, so even if she were looking, by the time the picture is taken she's already moved on. This being the case, we didn't get many postable pictures :) Here is what we did get:

This is Tinker Bell. She speaks birthday well wishes. The girls are in love with her. I'm not sure if this was a very wise purchase, but it's too late for second guesses :)

We sing "Happy Birthday" as Laura Kate stare intently at her cupcake. Maybe she's making a wish.

Anna is staring intently at Laura Kate's cupcake. Maybe she's thinking "Three more seconds and I'm going to blow that candle out!"

My little niece, Sara, lives by the mantra that if you can't wear the icing, what's the point in eating a cupcake?

Her First LeapPad from Maw Maw and Paw Paw. Gotta love educational toys. My kids are more tech savvy than I.

Contemplating what it means to get big girl panties from Nana on her birthday. Yes, she is completely potty trained and no, you can't have too many panties.

This is the Princess Jasmine puzzle Laura Kate picked out and we purchased. She was excited when she opened it, as though she'd never seen it. I asked who that was from. She replied, "It's from HEB!" That triggered a roar of laughter. Out of the mouths of babes...

The best gift is a thoughtfully chosen one. Here, Laura Kate is holding popcorn. Popcorn has to be one of the girls "most favoritest" snacks of all. Mrs. Nancy knew that, and she included it in a gift bag with lots of other very fun items. For all of the money we spend on them, they seem to love the most simple things.

Do you remember those big balloon with rubber bands attached that you could punch, kind of like a punching bag? Well, I hadn't seem one in 15 years, probably, until last night. Mrs. Nancy got one for each girl. They are enamored. Here, Daddy is teaching Laura Kate how not to use it (as in, beating someone with it). Below, Anna tires to take a big enough breath to blow it up in one try.

One of Anna's very favorite things to is to make a funny face when you take her picture.

Laura Kate and Maw Maw Katy

Laura Kate and Uncle Matt

Laura Kate and Mrs. Nancy

Paw Paw David, Laura Kate, and Mr. Melvin

The family

As the evening came to a close and everyone had cleared out, Paw Paw David read birthday cards to Laura Kate. Our birthday girls was pretty well worn out at this point. A fun, yet bittersweet, day drew to a end. Kids are such blessing, but soon they have to grow up. It all happens entirely too fast. Reminds us how important it is to revel in the here and now.

There's a light at the end of this tunnel...

2008-10-22T07:17:00.000-07:00

That's one of my very favorite songs...Tunnel by Third Day. I love Third Day. If all goes well over the next couple of weeks, we'll be going to see them in concert in Little Rock, Arkansas. Anyway, I chose that title for this post because it popped into my head as I was thinking about posting. We've been a little harried and worried around here. Things seem to pile up and not stop. But, we have it a lot better than so many other people. And there is a light at the end of this tunnel. All that we go through it but a vapor in the context of eternity. For reasons unfathomable, God has chosen to adopt and bless us. He takes care and provides for us. And, no matter what happens here, we have eternal glory to look forward to. That's some pretty good light.

So, I come to the other purpose for this post-a Laura Kate update. I'm ready to stop giving these. It's all pretty good news. Dr. Bierwirth wanted to examine Laura Kate yesterday afternoon. She had a fever at the end of last week, then it came back Monday night. He was concerned about infection, so I took her in. Everything looked ok, but he was afraid that since he couldn't get a urine sample to test from her, she might have a bladder infection or UTI that he could positively diagnose. So, he went ahead and have her an antibiotic. Last night her fever got pretty darn close to 105, so I think (and I'm not a doctor, so my thoughts don't count for much) that she probably does have some kind of infection, and not just a cold. I think she's pretty well over her cold. She's just coughing a tiny bit, probably getting up any drainage that was in her chest. This cold was remarkably mild. Gotta be happy about that!

Hopefully Laura Kate can have a fever free birthday! That's what we are shooting for right now. It's hard to believe that she'll be 3 in a little over 24 hours. On the other hand, so many people can't believe she's only 3. She's such a mature, patient little thing. We've always marvelled at just how laid back and pleasant she is. These recent little trials have made those invaluable character traits. She's such a big girl. We're so proud. We'll be sure to post plenty of pictures of pizza and cupcakes tomorrow ;)

AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

2008-10-20T08:36:00.000-07:00

Well, Laura Kate does not have to remain secluded. That's really good. Fantastic. Yes, I talked to her doctor (not the on-call we saw Saturday) this morning, and he said that she could be around other kids as long as we were cautious. I'm just ready to pull my hair out. I wish they would make up their minds! One tells you one thing, another tells you something different. It's enough to drive someone as neurotic as myself into depression! On the other hand, I just want to get up on a couch and jump like Tom Cruise. Can anyone say "bipolar?" Of course, I raise questions about potential illnesses and the effects on her kidneys (like what just happened), etc., but I have to get the answers from the nephrologist. Ggggrrrr. I'm taking a deep breath now. God is in control. And thank goodness for that. I just might implode, were I on my own.

No, it really is good news. I just feel like a flaky nut. I tell you all one thing, then another, then the first thing again. You know what, just don't listen to a thing I say anymore. Look at the pictures of the babies and enjoy those. When you see that I'm ranting, just smile and nod. It's works for Justin ;)

Here are some random pics of the girls from the past:

Recent pics

2008-10-18T11:40:00.000-07:00

Laura Kate on the computer. Maybe she'll be a wiz like her Maw Maw :)

No matter the circumstance, you can always get Anna to smile when you pull the camera out.

Anna and Laura Kate have "school"

The girls cuddle up to watch a movie. I wish they were this sweet to each other all of the time!

NO MORE MEDICINE! PRAISE GOD!

2008-10-13T06:46:00.000-07:00

Laura Kate is officially off of steroids!

Last dose

We're throwing this bad boy away! No more meds! She's all better!

A Life More Ordinary

2008-09-30T06:13:00.000-07:00

I've had a lot of questions about how Laura Kate is doing, and have gotten a little behind in updating the blog. Sorry. Well, back on the 15 of September, we had an appointment with Dr. Bierwirth, LK's pediatrician. He said she looks wonderful (aside from having steroid face), and that he and the GI and Kidney doctors agreed to begin tapering her steroids. Instead of 6 weeks of a high dose, followed by the taper, she was adjusted to a 6 week course...total! We were pretty excited.

So, we are here, two weeks later, with only two more weeks to go until she's off of the steroid completely. Today, as a matter of fact, we cut her dose in half again. The doctor said that we could take her places, like out to eat, but that we needed to avoid contact with other children. Some people have asked about this. The reasoning behind it is that, little kids can be carrying viruses and things before they show signs of being sick. They proceed to put their hands and toys in their mouths or noses. They transfer their germs to all sorts of things, and then other little kids come behind them and pick them up. Dr. Bierwirth wants to avoid Laura Kate being a picker-upper :) , since her immune system is a little down.

Once she completes the taper, she should be ok. With so many things going around right now, we may opt to keep her out of nursery-type settings for a few more weeks past the taper. We'll just have to wait and see.

The girls are doing really well. They've both mellowed out considerably. We aren't having many meltdowns, and they are getting along really well. And, they're feeling great, which takes a load off of my mind. We've been enjoying the "cooler" weather. We try to be out as much as possible. We've also had a few visitors. A friend of ours asked if we could have people come see us with Laura Kate's condition being as it is. I told her that I usually made folks swear an oath of wellness before being admitted into the house ;) Yesterday, my mom and sister swore such an oath, so we had a nice little gathering. The girls have really missed their cousin Sara and enjoyed seeing her. Below is a picture of this most motley crew:

Laura Kate-2 and11/12, Anna-4 and 1/2, Sara-17 months

We have another little cousin, Madi, on the way. She's set to make her arrival December 3rd...one day after her dear Aunt Keri's birthday. This time next year we will be in for quite a bit more mischief...if that's even possible.

Fun Finds Us

2008-09-10T09:20:00.000-07:00

Things have been a little restricted around here in terms of what we can do and where we can go. But, somehow fun always finds us. The girls always have ideas of activities they can do...although they aren't always practical :)

Since Justin had gotten behind with some of his lawn clients, we have had to spend a few nights without him. Not to worry. Our new girls' night tradition is movie night. The girls are on a popcorn kick. They wouldn't mind eating it four or five times a day, so I've reserved it for snack time and movie night. And, movie night it extra special because they actually get to eat AND drink in the living room...note the spill-proof sippy cups below.

We've managed to keep busy these last few weeks home. I've had time with the girls that I've lacked in months past, even before Laura Kate's illness. Being confined has forced me to exercise more patience. I have to close my mouth and open my ears a little more, which is something we have to tell the girls sometimes :) I believe it's brought the girls even closer together. Of course the still argue some, but I think they value the time they have together a little more. Or maybe I'm just reading too much into it :) I've found such joy in just observing the girls individually as well as together. I've said it once, and I'll say it again: Anna is getting so big! Not only physically, but mentally as well. She never ceases to amaze. She expresses the most creative thoughts. Her imagination never switches off. And her singing has picked back up. I would love to get her into some kind of music or voice lessons when she's the right age. I would like to encourage her to pursue her interests as much as possible. She's such a ham!

Laura Kate is also blossoming. It's amazing how different the girls personalities are. Laura Kate is still a laid back, go with the flow kind of kid. She'd just a soon sit quietly by herself, reading a book, as she would be the center of attention and have a rip roarin' time. Her imagination is almost the caliber of Anna's, and she's acquired her sister's desire to sing and dance. But, I see Anna more as our performer and Laura Kate as our bookworm :)

I just can't imagine being anywhere else right now. I've not only learned more about children than I ever would have as a teacher, but I've learned a great deal about myself. I think of everything I would have missed working, and tears come to my eyes. I've been so blessed staying home with them. The Lord has confirmed time and time again that this is what He wants for our family. Yet, I fear I've squandered a good deal of that time, and I have only one year left with Anna! It's hard to believe she'll be five soon. But, I can't dwell on the mistakes and wasted moments. I just have to keep moving forward and make every minute of the next 11 months count :)

First Day of "School"

2008-09-02T11:04:00.000-07:00

If Anna's first day of kindergarten is anything like this morning was, we'll have an interesting year, to be sure. Today was day one of "preschool" for Anna and Laura Kate. A few months ago I bought a school house calendar for the girls. It has the calendar, months, holidays, weather chart, the whole nine. It was only $12, so I picked it up. I just now got around to mounting it onto a cork board. I spent until 3 a.m. (I had a cappuchino from McDonald's at about 8 p.m...big mistake) getting the pieces that we needed for this morning laminated with contact paper. Not as easy as it looks. The rest I'll take to the teacher store and get laminated by the machine. I don't even want to see contact paper for a while.

Anyway, this morning after breakfast we started school. We had calendar time, where we sang the months of the year and days of the week in English and Spanish, we counted how many days were in the month of September, discussed Labor Day, and observed the weather for today. After that we had prayer time and a bible story. They colored corresponding coloring pages. Anna and I worked on letter sounds, beginning word sounds, and handwriting. We had taken a break and were just about to move on to numbers, when she started whining.

But, she is a smart little cookie. My expectations of her are so high. I hope we can both come to a middle ground and work from there. I'm excited to see how quickly and how well she'll pick up on the things we'll do...as I know she will. Aren't kids amazing? Their brains are like little sponges. And Laura Kate's is more like a steel trap. She's like an elephant, she never forgets.

Speaking of Laura Kate, she's doing well. She (and we) is tired of being stuck at home. Hopefully we can get her back to more strenuous activities soon. I think that will help take her mind off of the fact that we aren't going and doing as much as we're all used to. I also think the steroids are making her face swell. It's like her cheeks are on, er, steroids...I guess they are.

Justin and I enjoyed a few hours out yesterday. Our dear friend Nancy called up, unexpectedly, and offered to watch the girls while we got out of the house. We went to eat and catch a movie. We saw Traitor. It was decent. More than anything, we appreciated a little bit of time alone. The girls had fun as well. Nancy read to them, painted with them, and they all played Candy Land. When Nancy left, Anna said she was disappointed- "I wanted Ms. Nancy to stay the WHOLE day!" I'm sure that could be arranged at a later date :)

More to Ponder

2008-08-29T13:37:00.000-07:00

This morning we had a follow-up appointment with Laura Kate's pediatrician, Dr. Beirwirth. He and the nurses were all so pleased to see Laura Kate. They all gathered around her both before and after her appointment. "I can't believe how good she looks" was the most common comment. It was so neat to see how her illness and subsequent recovery had affected them as well as us. They are all so precious.

Anyway, Dr. Bierwirth encouraged me to keep things in perspective. She looks good now, but there can always be another relapse. Hopefully not one requiring hospitalization, but we can't completely rule it out. He also explained that the aggressive course of steroids that she is on will suppress her immune system. We obviously need to avoid anyone who is sick. This being the case, he has suggested that we not take her to the church nursery, or anywhere else she can come in contact with ill kiddos. Of course, this is really hard on us. I miss my Sunday School class and the fellowship of our small group. Our mothers of preschoolers bible study begins in two weeks, as well as story time at the library. All of the things I has looked forward to seem to be off the table right now. But, more importantly, it's hard on her. She's tired of being sequestered. She's ready to get back on the go and see her friends.

She'll be on the high dose until mid-October, then we'll start to taper them off. This means it could be as late as mid-November until we can have her completely off of them. One thing that I hadn't thought of until this morning was flu shots. I've gotten the girls' flu shots every year since they were old enough to get them. This year, I won't be able to get Laura Kate's as early as we have in years past. The immunization won't do her any good if she's on steroids. With her immune system being suppressed, it will make her more susceptible to the flu virus, not to mention her body's lowered ability to fight it off if she does get it.

I know it's early to be worried about this, but it does give me something else to ponder and pray about! It looks like, though she seems to be on the mend from the Henoch-Schonlein Purpura, there will still be some fall-out from it for months to come. We won't be out of the woods for a while.

What a pessimistic blog! I guess I'm really just asking for your continued prayers. I know your faithful to offer them, and God's faithful to listen, even if He doesn't always act.

Seeing the Light at the End of the Tunnel

2008-08-27T15:32:00.001-07:00

Phew. I'm a little whipped. We just got home for our last (and hopefully final) hospitalization. We're pretty optimistic this time. Laura Kate looks great, she's eating well, and only complains of a little tummyache...nothing that requires intervention. No new rash, no swelling, no severe abdominal pain, no nausea. She's been like this since last week, really. Things started to improve Thursday, and just kept getting better. While she was in the hospital, they had her on an ng tube to boost her nutrition. She was fed through the tube day and night for a couple of days, then nights only for the remainder of our stay. Again, she looks great. The cheeks we know and love are back :)

This whole experience has been humbling. The Lord made us very aware of our deficiencies, and provided us with the strength to get through it all. We've received praise for our bravery and strength, but I can tell you that we have not gotten through this due to anything good in us, excepting Christ. He has used all of our friends and family to comfort and encourage us, as well as people we don't even know. We've had stories of people from all over, who don't know us except through mutual friends, who have prayed for and inquired after us. It's amazing. It's a prime example of God's people coming together.

We also came to realize just how many sick children there are. Laura Kate's plight was nothing in contrast to so many others. It made my stomach hurt and heart ache to see them or hear them crying out. Though she was in pain, it was short lived and not life threatening. So many children are not that fortunate. I feel like the Lord has used this to strike a chord in my heart. What will come of it, I don't know. I feel like we will all benefit from this experience. I know God has a plan for my girls, and I know this experience is a vital piece of that...to whatever end.

And Laura Kate has made some new friends. Felipe, one of her nurses, quickly became one of her favorites. From the very beginning, she asked "Where is my man?" She would inform me that "my man gave me medicine to help my tummy feel better." Or "my man is my friend." If she saw him in the hall or at the nurse's station, she would exclaim "There's my man!" She had so many other great nurses, like Lindsey, who Justin said came in and sat down for a visit one day. She also poked her head in even if she wasn't Laura Kate's nurse that day. We were so blessed by the doctors, nurses, and CNAs at Scott & White. They took excellent care of our little one. They made a big impression on her, as well. Who knows, perhaps she will become a doctor or nurse because of this experience. She already knows some of the lingo, and can point out the location of the heart, lungs, stomach, and intestines on a model of the human body. Pretty impressive, no?

Well, I can't think of anything else worth saying, except THANK YOU to everyone who is reading this right now :) And, as always, God is good.

Be Careful What You Wish For

2008-08-16T14:43:00.000-07:00

As a follower of Christ among other followers, I've noticed folks want a good testimony...something inspiring and amazing to share about what Christ has done for them. I've been no different. I've thought that if only something dramatic had happened in my life, the Lord could use me so much more effectively. Well, I think I have enough to work with now. I'm good. We can stop for a while.

Laura Kate went back into the hospital today. She had just been released from the hospital this past Thursday. We'd had a day at home. She's pretty miserable, nauseated and dehydrated, and in some pain. We're about ready for all of this to be over. The good thing is that it will be over, "soon" is just a relative term. As in, not forever, but sooner rather than later.

So back to the original premise, the Lord has worked in our hearts and the hearts of others through this ordeal. Things we've experienced and seen have been so heart-warming and humbling. But, I've decided not to desire a good testimony any longer. This one will be good for now, thank you ;)

Where did July go?

2008-08-09T09:35:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone. As you probably know, we've had a pretty interesting month. July started out quite normal: a night out for fireworks, a trip to the museum, lots of fun and sun.

Anna pretending to pump water Laura Kate "churning butter"

But, on the 13th, that all changed. Laura Kate began to get ill. At first, she had a stomach virus. By the 16th, she had to be hospitalized for dehydration. We got her home the next day and she still didn't feel well. She was pretty lethargic and complained of a severe tummy ache. By Saturday the 19th, we were back in the hospital...this time Scott and White in Temple. She had developed Henoch-Schonlein Purpura, a type of vasculitis. This caused her immune system to attack the small blood vessels in her body, causing rash-like bruising on most of her body. Also she experience joint and facial pain and swelling, abdominal pain, and nausea.

Left side of her face swollen due to HSP Three weeks later, and feeling a little better!

After two hospital visits and an emergency room visit, she has been doing pretty well. We had a little scare yesterday with nausea and vomitting, but she came out of that pretty quickly. Her stomach is still bothering her, but that is to be expected. We'll have ups and downs, but eventually she WILL get better, so that's quite a comfort. Another huge thank you to all of you who have and continue to pray and offer help and encouragement!

Meli, Anna, and Laura Kate. You can still see some of the "rash" on Laura's legs and feet.

Now we have a different kind of excitement around the Mitchell house. We've adopted a cat, Meli. Anna named and fell in love with her pretty quickly. She is a very sweet and mellow cat. She is excellent with the girls. All she requires is food and love, which is in good supply here. Having her is helping us to teach the girls responsibility. They are in charge of feeding and watering. We'll see how well they do and for how long ;) For now, they are taking this on like big girls!

Wilhelm Family Reunion

2008-06-08T19:00:00.000-07:00

"Maw Maw" Katy (Wilhelm) Mitchell (Justin's mom), "Nana" Madalene Wilhelm (Justin's grandmother), Laura Kate, and Justin

Today we attended the Wilhelm family reunion. We really had a great time. It is usually held out at Justin's parents' house. Now that they no longer live in the country, a different location was chosen, Mike and Amelia Bogard's house. The food was great, Mike and Amelia have wonderful shade trees in the back yard to block a little of the sun and heat, fellowship was wonderful, and Keith brought the ponies. Needless to say, the ponies were the highlight of the reunion for everyone under the age of 20. I've included some pictures of the girls on Bubbles (white) and Bingo (brown and white). Anna spent the better part of 2 1/2 hours on one pony or the other. I was impressed how quickly she warmed up to them. That just isn't her nature. But, she is getting to be a big girl, after all :)

Laura Kate and Bingo

Laura Kate and Maw Maw Katy

Anna and Maw Maw Katy

Anna on Bubbles

Anna and cousin Riley

Keeping Busy

2008-06-05T09:08:00.000-07:00

Having both girls home is wonderful. However, they start to get a little stir crazy doing the same old thing. We finally bought the girls a trampoline this past weekend. They love it. I'm pretty sure that they've jumped on it every day since Justin and Anna put it together. Since part of Anna's gymnastics class includes trampoline, she has been doing so many fun things that she has learned. Flips, splits, things that she would have been terrified to try 4 months ago. Laura Kate is really enjoying it as well. She would jump around the house before we bought the trampoline. She said she was a frog. Now, on the trampoline, she's a little joey jumping on the bed (from a Wiggles song).

A good friend of mine, Tena, has joined in my quest to find constructive activities for Laura Kate and Anna. So far she's bought them necklace kits and sent several kid's craft links. She owns two dalmations, Misti Blue and Garth, so the girls were treated to a dalmation activity today. Of course, Anna's dalmation is Misti Blue and Laura Kate's is Garth. I'm so lucky to have such an involved friend! I'm not very creative, so I need all of the help I can get!

This girls say "Thank You Ms. Tena!"

Born To Be Wild?

2008-06-03T19:06:00.001-07:00

We at Mitchell's Trikes and Bikes guarantee that you will look this good on your new purchase!

The End

2008-05-16T14:10:00.000-07:00

Today was Justin's last day of work at Oncor/TXU. His supervisor and co-workers hosted a celebration lunch for Justin. The girls and I were invited to attend. First we ate- the food was delicious- then Justin's boss, Kevin, said a few words of enouragement and congratulations on his new career. I'm so thankful that Justin had the opportunity to work for a man such as Kevin Verrett. He is a good, godly man. Justin has been able to seek wise council from him these past 6 years. His co-workers also gave Justin a card and gift. You could see that his fellow employees enjoyed working with him and that they were going to miss such a dependable and hard-working guy. I felt very proud of my husband :)

So, now we turn the page and enter into the next chapter. Monday morning is trike-building day! I'm excited for Justin. He's looking forward to working with his Uncle Pat and his brother Travis. I'm sure being around Mom and Dad will be ok, too ;)

Justin also has his lawn business to keep him busy. The business seemingly popped up out of nowhere. One day he told me he wanted to mow yards, and it seemed like the next day he was fully outfitted with equippment and customers and on his way. At first, I wondered how a lawn business would fit into our lives. Justin was already busy at work and made enough money to keep us living comfortably. We wouldn't get to see him much once he started doing yards on the side, therefore the money didn't seem worth it.

It turned out to be quite a blessing. I'm convinced that the Lord put the desire in Justin's heart for a reason. He knew that the income from the lawn business would make it possible for Justin to quit TXU and work for the Mitchell's, something that had been coming up quite frequently. Just like many things in life, you don't always understand situations at first, but you eventually see how beautifully the Lord orchestrates events in the lives of his children. His kindness exceeds what we deserve and His provision is endless. Man, is He good :)

Welcome to Our Blog!

2008-05-13T13:16:00.000-07:00

Thanks for stopping in to have a look at our new blog. With Justin's new job building trikes and the possibility that we will be relocating, I thought this would be a good way for family and friends to keep up with our faith journey. It really is that, a faith journey. The Lord has been re-arranging things in our lives in such a way that we are in for a ride that will certainly test our faith in Him. Our prayer is that we'll come out on the other side having glorified Him. More to come...