Beware: LOTS of photos!

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

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..."

...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

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

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

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 :)