Christmas Highlights

Snow Angels

The first major snow fall of the season came this weekend to the girls delight (and Mommy's driving dismay). They couldn't wait to get their cold weather gear on and head out into the snow. My sweet hubby braved the freezing cold temperatures and took these photos so I could blog about my little snow angels.
When was the last time you made a snow angel? I can't remember when I did, I'll have to get bundled up and join them next time, I'm sure it'll still be exhilarating even at my "old" age.

I just love this picture and these two darling girls!

Baptism Day

What a special day for a special girl. Paislee got baptized and confirmed on Saturday, December 6th. She was so excited, you could feel the joy just flowing from her. We spent the month of November having FHE going over the aspects of baptism, so she would fully understand the choice she was making. We're so proud of her for the decision she made to be baptized and how hard she has been trying to be so much more mature, helpful, and loving to her brother and sister.

Don't these two photos just say it all? Inside you just know she is hopping up and down waiting for her big moment.

Tree Trimming Time

Each year we pick out a tree that looks an awful lot like Daddy, tall and skinny. This is one thing that Jake is insistent on and I don't push too hard to get my way, a fresh, live noble fir is the only tree for us. One of my favorite moments to capture with a picture each year is Jake centering the tree, this year Grant decided to help Daddy, I just missed the shot of his little head lined up next to Jake's under the tree : (.

Ella loves hanging the ornaments on the tree, you can tell which ones she hung because they are usually clustered together on the same branch. I try really hard to let my type A personality go into hiding during tree trimming and then when the branches get too heavy and the ornaments fall to the floor I redistribute them in a way that I prefer (don't tell the kids).
Pure concentration, plus she's standing on a chair which means that there are ornaments about 4 feet up the tree!!!
Ella is our official star topper, this is always the last thing to go on the tree at our house.

Here are the girls playing Vanna and modeling our tree. I love how proud they are of their accomplishments. Isn't there something totally calming about a lit tree, a fireplace roaring, a cup of cocoa and a clean house? I guess 3 out of 4 aren't bad!

Thanksgiving in Corvallis

This year for Thanksgiving we traveled to Corvallis, Oregon to visit Jake's sister Angie and her family. Traveling was "terrific" and it took 12 hours to get to their home (it should only have taken 9 at the most, at one point we went 1 mile in 20 minutes). The kids were so relieved to get there and Clara (who is 9 weeks younger than Ella) was waiting up so patiently to see her cousins.

Thanksgiving dinner was great! The food was delicious and there was plenty of it. I want to add a disclaimer, no food was wasted on Grant's plate, he ate every bite. After dinner we participated in a Butler family tradition, a pinata. This was our kids first pinata experience and they loved it! Each child got a chance to whack the pinata and they dove for that candy and the toys.

On Friday we headed to a local bounce house where we all worked off our Thanksgiving pounds. The kids ran around like crazy for an hour and wore the parents and Grammy Shar out! Paislee had fun making new friends, Ella was all over the place, and Grant was hesitant at first and then had a blast once he figured it all out.

The weather was really nice, lots of sunshine and the kids spent a lot of time outside playing. We also took them for a walk through a local wetland, it's amazing how green everything is there and a nice change from this desert climate.

We spent a lot of time just visiting, playing the Wii, and hanging out. For Kenyon's birthday Jake, Kenyon, Angie and I went and saw Twilight, I'll keep it brief....I was disappointed!

We are so lucky to have so much family to celebrate the holidays with. Thank you Kenyon and Angie for welcoming us into your home, feeding us well, and entertaining us thoroughly, we love you guys!

A Hannah Montana Party

For Paislee's 8th birthday party we had a Hanah Montana bash. Honestly, an easy theme and one that kept the girls entertained non-stop for an hour and a half. We started off with Hannah coloring pages while we waited for everyone to arrive.

They played hot potato with a microphone. I thought that they would pretend to sing to the Hannah songs that were playing while they passed it around, instead it was seriously get this out of my hand as fast as possible, throwing it at each other. Ella was the hot potato champion!

Paislee and our neighbor girls Ally and Jordan.

And finally we ended with a quiet episode of Hannah's latest adventures on the TV. I'm not sure how many of you get to watch this in your homes but it's pretty funny, however Miley Cyrus seems to be growing up a lot faster than my girls (she just got her drivers license last week on the show) and I'm not sure how much longer it will be appropriate for my kids to watch.

One of their favorite activites was decorating their own cupcakes with purple and pink frosting and sprinkles, but hands down was making their own body glitter. We used cute little metal jars with glass lids, filled them 1/2 way with Aloe Vera Gel and then let them add their own glitter and stir it up. It worked really well, the girls love slathering themselves up with the stuff.

Sometimes I think, poor Grant, but he slept through the pink and purple, the glitter and the giggles. He did get a cupcake though, food makes him so happy.

The "Big Bear" Battle

We have a new resident in the Mitchell household...meet Big Bear!

Jake's Aunts, Terri and Susie, made this big guy for his second birthday many years ago and he's been a large part of the family ever since. Jake and his siblings would use him as a security blanket when they were sick. Sharon would strap him into a seatbelt and take him to the school for their Teddy Bear Picnics, he always turned heads.
I've been told over the last three years that he would end up at my house. As you can see he is kind of ginormous and doesn't really fit in with my decor, so I resisted. Really resisted, saying that he would end up in not so friendly places if he made his way to our home. Circumstances have changed, Jake's Grandma moved into as assisted living home this past weekend and Big Bear became homeless, then he snuck himself into the trunk of Jake's car and into my house when I needed the trunk for groceries. The girls used him as a pillow to watch a movie last night and tonight they've been climbing all over him. Ella learned a new song today at preschool (to the tune of "I'm A Little Teapot"): I'm a little Indian on the go, here is my arrow, here is my bow, when I'm out a hunting here me shout, BEAR AND BUFFALO, YOU BETTER WATCH OUT! We've been stalking Big Bear and shooting our pretend arrows at him while we shout (at the top of our lungs).

And I've learned that he is an excellent way to take out frustrations; the atomic elbow, round house kicks, pile drivers, frog splashes. Jake just shakes his head and chuckles quietly, I guess we've come to a stalemate.

My Favorite New Home Appliance

I don't know who came up with this idea but I love this thing. It's a swiffer vac, it replaces your broom. I HATE sweeping, I tolerate vacuuming so this gets my sweeping done without all the effort. I just had to post pics of it 'cause I love it. It picks up all the tiny little dust that your broom misses and cereal size pieces. Now someone needs to make something along these lines for wiping off the counter, 'cause I HATE that too.

4-4-4 Tag

I was tagged for the first time today. This photo is of Grant while we waited for the girls during swimming lessons. One thing I notice about this picture is that he doesn't have very much hair here. He doesn't have very much how now, but quite a bit more than he did in this picture. Four people tagged: Angie, Morgan, Carissa, and Melissa

So here's what you do, post the 4th picture from your 4th folder then tag 4 people.

Turkey Count Down

I apologize that there are quite a few posts to catch up. We have such a full and busy life that I know if I don't get these in now I'll have way too many to post next week.

We thought it would be fun to make Turkeys to count down the days until Thanksgiving. We are so excited for Thanksgiving this year, we will be spending it in Oregon with Jake's sister. They have a little girl that is a few months younger than Ella and all of the cousins are going through withdrawals. I'm exciting to have 5 days off of work to spend with my family.
The kids thought of something for each feather that they were thankful for. Some of the items they said were: the seasons, grandparents, family, clothes, scriptures, home, Heavenly Father, baptism, helping others, prayers, kindness, the Holy Ghost, the creation, and our Savior. It's nice to count your blessings and hear what your kids are most thankful for.

Ella and I with her turkey. Moments like these are monumental for Ella and I. We spend most of our time at odds with each other, struggling for control. She has such a strong personality and spirit and I'm a little bit of a "Nazi Mom" that we play tug of war a lot. I love it when we are able to enjoy each other and work together like this; we are both a lot happier when we do.

Paislee and her turkey, they turned out to be a lot bigger than I had anticipated.

8 Years Old

Paislee celebrated her 8th birthday this past Sunday. One month from today she will be baptized! All these changes are very exciting and make me feel so very old. Here she is posing with one of the cutest dresses I've ever seen, thanks Grammy.
As you can see she is thrilled with her 8 year old status. She attended her first Activity Day activity at the church on Wednesday and loved playing with all of the other girls.

She also received her very first set of scriptures. She loves reading with the family every night and is constantly impressing us with her ability to read all of the difficult words. Last night she realized she could mark her favorites with her new pencils and I'm afraid her book will be rainbow colored before too long.

Why horse-opoly? Those of you who may not know Paislee but know me may wonder why my child has a horse game. She is actually obsessed with horses and all other animals. From a very young age she liked them. Her bedset even has horses on it at her Santa Claus request in 2006. We have stables, horses, feed buckets, cowgirls, outfits. This poor kid knows that I'm very allergic to them and has already apologized for the fact that she will have horses at her house when she grows up.

We are having an all girl Hanah Montana bash next weekend so this was a very simple cake (you have to have cake ON your birthday).

Halloween Backyard BBQ

On Halloween we had a fun pit stop at Jake's parents house in the middle of our running around. We cooked hot dogs and sausages over the open fire and watched the girls play in the leaves.

Grant and Grammy on the trampoline. It's funny how kids have strong, positive connections with most family members and then this magnetism with others. Ella and Papa are like this and have been since she was a baby, now we have Grant and Grammy who share this strong connection. Then there's Paislee who loves everyone equally and 110% without hesitation.

Grant eating and smiling sweetly for the camera. I think October 31st will be the last day in a long while where we didn't have to wear coats outside.
Ella ingoring her dinner and posing for the camera.
Paislee, Ella, and Papa patiently waiting for their dogs to cook.
We were having so much fun that we went back and played some more after the trunk or treat was over.

Animal Control

Two precious kitty cats, one pink and white, the other black and white. When the girls came up with these costumes I was thrilled, easy and inexpensive! They turned out to be the cutest little cats around.
This one can be a bit of a diva, but we love her sparkle.

The rough & tough puppy enjoying his first Halloween treat.

This is a photo of Paislee taken by Miss Ella Jeanne, not too bad.

Here's our little zoo of animals, Jake and I definitely have our hands full with these three rambunctious kids. But moments like these make it all so worthwhile.

Halloween tradition is that we visit Great Grandma Mitchell first, this year she had two visitors we hadn't met yet, Aunt Terri and Aunt Therese. We seriously whirlwinded into the house and 30 minutes later whirlwinded out again, hopefully Grandma wasn't knocked over. Then we head over to Jake's parents house. This year we had a fun BBQ outside in the leaves (those pics to come). And we finished it up with a Trunk or Treat, you honestly can't beat that. 1 hour of walking and handing out candy and you leave with a full bag and saw lots of friends. We were home and had the kids in bed by 8:30, that I think is a very successful Halloween!

Silly Jack-O-Lanterns

We carved jack-o-lanterns Monday night for FHE and had so much fun. Paislee is finally old enough to get her hands dirty and loved scooping pumpkin goop into the garbage can (that means my hands stay clean from now on)!
Even if Ella were old enough to scoop goop I sort of think she'd avoid it; she's such a girly princess little thing.

The girls get to choose what sort of face they wanted, here's the kissy lips from Ella's.

Paislee supporting the "surprised" face from her Jack-O-Lantern and Ella with the "kissy" face plus eyelashes.

So instead of frightful jack-o-lanterns our front porch displays these adorable silly faces!