Homesick boys & Donuts

Drew drew this picture at church last week.

And this one.

And, then he wrote this note to me. Heartbreaking.

Max saw Drew's artwork, and decided to join in by drawing this (I love that apparently during the summer in Georgia, we are all sweating, but we still have smoke coming out of our chimney)! Life will always be more fun at "Grantpa's" house regardless of where we live. However, if we don't get a little closer to Utah when we move, these boys will be devastated!!!

I had to document this. This is the way Mitchell eats donuts, it cracks me up. He refuses to eat the inner ring of the donut for some reason, it doesn't matter if it has frosting or not. I love it.

All done!

Not that we're complaining, we always get to finish them off for him.

Happy Halloween!

Thing 1 and Thing 2

Mitchell was Spider Man this year. Every day he came up with something different he wanted to be. When it came time to dress-up, luckily he chose Spider Man because we have two SM costumes. Me...I made a mini witch hat with some fabric I had at home, it's all I had energy for this year :) I was in charge of the Ward Halloween Party, and our primary program was the following day. We managed to pull it off, but it was a bit stressful.

Halloween night. Getting ready to fill the buckets.

We met up with some friends for dinner and went trick-or-treating with them. The kids had the best time and got LOADS of candy. It was chilly, but it didn't slow them down any.

Mitchell and his BFF, Tysen. These two are such good friends...we're going to have to adopt Tysen when we move, Mitchell won't survive without him!

The kids loaded up in Ms. Kelly's car for a ride back down the street.

We ended the night by the fire at the Murphy's home. Good times!

Happy Birthday, Max!

Max turned eight in October. He chose a ginormous chocolate chip cookie for his cake.

His birthday gifts included hoodies, legos, a wallet, soccer ball, money, a robotic bug, etc...

I make my kids wear this crown on their birthdays...they don't like it as much as I do :)

Our kids get to choose what we have for breakfast on their birthday too. Max chose George's famous chocolate waffles (which is basically a chocolate cake for breakfast, topped with cool whip and crushed oreos). Max made it through half of his waffle and said he was ill. It's worth it though, they're so GOOD!!!

We are so proud of Max and the wonderful boy he has become. We are excited for him to be baptized and know he has been looking forward to that day for a long time. He is now a Boy Scout also, which he thought he'd NEVER be :) Max is very entertaining and keeps us hopping. He is constantly asking questions that are way over my head (so grateful for google)! He is very curious about the world around him and how it all works. He loves to make people laugh, and so far is not at all impressed with girls. He's a super fast runner, and typically wins every race he runs with his friends at school. He is WONDERFUL at making his bed, and keeps his room very tidy. Max is a very deep thinker, and is usually lost in his own little world...it's not rare for us to have to "bring him back." I have no doubt his little world is full of many fascinating things :) Happy Birthday Max!

"Twinkle, Twinkle, Wittle Star..."

Silicone or Soda?

I've always said I would give up just about anything before I'd give up my soda. However, I may just give up soda for a little chunk of silicone. We officially got rid of Mitchell's binkys yesterday. They were very "old" and all six of them just "happened" to break the past couple days. It's heartbreaking really. Heartbreaking for Mitchell, but mostly heartbreaking for me. I'm not sure it's worth it to be honest.

Our love affair with the binky started long ago. I loved the smell of them (sweet baby's breath smell), and loved to watch his mouth as he sucked on them.

And, I did what I swore I'd never do. I let him keep it longer than I normally do, because he's my last and I can't bear the fact that he's growing up (just like I swore I'd NEVER get a mini-van, etc, etc, etc...).

We learned to play tricks with it...

And used it to stop the little guy from putting anything less desirable in his mouth.

He found them anywhere they were, and was willing to be in uncomfortable situations just to have one to munch on.

Those little silicone things gave us many hours of contentment...

and traveled with us wherever we went.

Now we have a three year old who refuses to take naps unless I'm right next to him, takes two hours or more to fall asleep, and can't seem to find a way to self-soothe. He doesn't cry himself to sleep at night, he just talks and talks and talks and talks and is SUPER wired.

Poor kid.
Poor me.
Oh, the joy of silicone.

A Trip For Joyce

Mitchell and I just got back from a four day trip to Utah. A trip for my Grandmother, Joyce Bell Mitchell, who passed away last week. She and my grandpa were married for 64 years, what a story! It was so good to be in Utah with my family during this time. My sister and I (and a few friends) were fortunate enough to help my dad on the farm while his sisters took care of funeral plans, and attended to my heartbroken grandpa. We only had a few days to spend together, but they were full, very memorable days.

My grandma and grandpa at our wedding in 2008. My grandmother was such a spit fire, she will be missed terribly.

Our dear friend, Melissa, and my sister working for my dad. They did such an awesome job and sold loads of produce. My family, and a few good friends, really pulled together to help my dad with the farm. My nieces and nephews, along with some neighborhood kids, were also there picking raspberries all day on Monday. It's amazing how generous people are with their time, people just showed up and asked what they could do. We're so grateful for all who came to my dad's aid.

We even got Mitchell involved. He helped Ty get the sweet corn ready to bag and sell.

Paul, Ty, Ben, and Dustin running peaches. I ate an obscene amount of fresh fruit and veggies while I was there. I had tomatoes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. So delicious!

Mitchell and Ty Man at my grandmothers viewing. Mitchell was so good, as long as Ty was by his side. Everyone LOVES Ty, he's so good with all the kids.

My dear grandpa at the cemetery. His poor heart is just broken, and he feels so lonely. He and my grandmother had a unique marriage, in that they spent most of their 64 years TOGETHER...day and night. They farmed their whole lives, and he isn't sure what to do without her. I love him so much, he was so good to grandma.

The flowers were so beautiful ( and my dad was the one in charge of them). Well done Jeffrey! (He may have had a little help from my mother too :))

My brother, my grandpa, and their pale bald heads.

Mitchell admiring the flags.

Family photo.

The night of my grandmother's viewing, my dear friend, Kenon, had a baby girl. She's so tiny and so beautiful! I was grateful to be there to see my grandmother off, and get to hold this new little life. Congrats Scott and Kenon!

It's amazing how many four wheeler rides Mitchell can fit in in just four short days ;)

When we got back to Georgia, Drew was so excited to pick one of only FIVE tomatoes we managed to grow this year...

Until he turned it around and it looked like this. Dang, you really would never know I am a farmer's daughter. I told my grandpa he would be disappointed in my harvest this year. Thank goodness I ate about 30 tomatoes while I was gone. Maybe next year.

On Friday morning, George and the boys went to "Breakfast with Dad" at the elementary school. They love spending this time with George, it's something they look forward to every year. This is a picture of them (and friend) with the cardinal, the school mascot.

And of course, Chopper was there from the Gwinnett Braves.

Happy 3rd Birthday Mitchell!

Mitchell turned three on Sunday. I'm still in denial, I can't believe how fast he's grown. It's so hard to see the baby of the family grow up...I'm desperate to find a way to make him stop. He's not too fond of getting older either, he still refuses to say he's three. So for now, we're pretending he's still two. Mitchell wanted a Monster Truck cake, a "Hee-Haw" (aka Toy Story) cake, and a Lightning McQueen cake. He couldn't make up his mind, so we did all three. He had a Monster Truck cake, and cupcakes with Cars liners and Toy Story inserts. He helped Cambrie make the cupcakes...he was so proud!

Presents on Sunday morning. He wouldn't come in to the room until we got rid of the balloons...this kid HATES balloons. So strange. However, he ripped in to the gifts after the balloons were gone, and then ate Cookie Crisp for breakfast (our kids get to choose their favorite sugar cereal on their birthdays. Thanks to my parents, Mitchell fell in love with Cookie Crisp over the summer).

New shoes (which he can run VERY fast in by the way...just ask him and he'll be more than thrilled to show you again, and again, and again).

Monster jammies.

Hat from Drew and Max, Monster Truck from Cambrie, and "Hee-Haw" tent from George and I.

Mitchell's old frog rain boots have completely fallen apart, so we had to replace them. He even got a matching umbrella with his new boots...he's all set for our Georgia rain storms. And yes, he wore these to church on Sunday :)

Monster Truck Cake...cutest smile EVER! Gosh, I love that boy.

Blowing out candles with best friend, Tycen, close by.

The Murphys and the Waisaths came over to celebrate with us. It's so nice to have such good friends, we have so much fun with these families. It's hard not to have family around for birthdays, but our friends do a pretty good job filling in.

The Waisaths gave Mitchell this awesome cardboard spaceship that he can color by himself. We've colored for days, it's so much fun!

What a fun kid. We love you so much Mitchell, and are so glad you are a part of our family. Here are a few things we'll always remember about you being two... 1. You still LOVE your binki, and your mom is too smitten to take it away 2. You call Toy Story "Hee-Haw," and so does everyone else in the family now. 3. You call Drew "Drewbie," just because you heard grandpa do it all summer  4. You love to take showers with Drewbie  5. You love playing on iPads, Kindle Fires, and computers (along with your new Mobigo)  6. You love popcorn  7. You're obsessed with this really LAME movie called All About Monster Trucks, and can't get enough of it  8. You love Monster Trucks, Trains, "Hee-Haw" figurines, cars, motorcycles, tractors, and dump trucks  9. You have a hot temper  10. You rinse your dishes and put them in the dishwasher without being asked  11. You lick the frosting off of cake and cupcakes, but never eat the cake  12. You LOVE playing ball with your brothers  13. And you like hanging out in Brie's room with her and her friends  14. You love "bunny milk" aka Nesquick  15. You like to put your hands down my shirt (any woman's shirt actually) 16. You always remind me that girls have boobs, and boys have pecks  17. When you get really mad, you scream "EVER" at the top of your lungs (still not sure what that's supposed to mean). 18. You love to cuddle, sleep with mom and dad, and you love to laugh.  19. You play with your ears when you're tired, and if you're laying with mom and dad, you play with our ears too. 20. You're SUPER smart, loving, handsome, fun, and talented...just like your mommy!