Half way there!

I think I have been pretty consistent with all of my children when it comes to scheduling, sleeping, eating, bottles, etc...They were always on a fairly strict feeding schedule (it worked wonders!), they have always gone to bed on their own (my sanity) and I followed other orders pretty much by the book. Janie stopped the bottle right at a year and Owen and Kyle stopped as soon as they could drink out of a sippy (14 months). I do however certainly have my downfalls and the main one is the binky. Janie did not give hers up at night until 4yrs old.

My goals for the summer are #1 getting rid of binkis (the boys are now 3yrs and two months old) and #2 potty training. I am proud to say each has accomplished one. Owen has been about three weeks without the binky after losing his last and final one at Janie's softball game. Kyle is officially 7 days into potty training and has had 3 accidents, none of which have been in the last 3 days. So, so far so good. Owen continues to show no interest in the potty and Kyle will be dependent on the binky until I take it away or he loses it(we are down to 2).

Now let's see how the other half goes...




This is Kyle showing me tricks on hes skateboard, aka - xylophone

Happy Memorial Day!

We enjoyed a weekend full of relaxation (yes, I slept 9 hours every night), swimming and fun with friends. We also dove big time into the potty training. Kyle is doing excellent and Owen won't have anything to do with it. He still has never gone on the potty! We are giving Kyle bribes (M&M's) everytime he goes. Tonight he was squeezing and saying MMMM&MMMM! Bad mommy or desperate?

Update from the Mitchells!

It has been a bit since I have had time to blog so I thought I would send an update out before I hit my 20 days straight of working 12-20(yes, 20) hour days!

Owen - The cast has now been off almost 3 weeks. Owen is doing wonderful. He improves every day. He really started walking on Monday. He looks like a duck and I sometimes find myself explaining (although I shouldn't) why he is walking with a HUGE limp. I expect this for at least another month or so. Hopefully the foot will turn in again. This is not stopping him from jumping on the trampoline or climbing out of bed(the net is now back up). He is a champ and I am so proud of how we all handled this. The support we received from family and friends is so appreciated!

Kyle - Kyle, Kyle, Kyle...Ya know, he is crazy! He is almost ready to have the training wheels off of his bike, he has mastered a front flip on the tramp and he continues to test me every day. Actually, he is very sweet most of the time.



Janie - Gymnastics competition ended last weekend. She had a great season and has mastered her back handspring on floor, cartwheel on beer, front handspring on vault and kip on bars. This doesn't mean we are done for the year. We now start 4 hour a day, 3 day a week practice for the summer in preparation for next years competition (if we stay with it) which will include out of state travel.

She started softball so we now have two games a week. It is so fun for all of us. Despite the crazy schedule and games not getting over until 9pm, we have a good time and she enjoys it. Soon she will be done with school for the year and officially be a 3rd grader! Crazy!




Mike and I are both good. We feel that we have entered into a new stage of life - running kids! We are looking forward to some good time together this weekend before I depart to work for the next month.

B-day and Mothers Day

My baby girl is officially 8 years old! We celebrated with family this past weekend and she will have a couple of girlfriends over for a sleepover this weekend. I am so proud to be the mommy to such a great girl!

Speaking of moms~did I ever say that I have the best mom in the entire world? Seriously I wonder sometimes how I got so lucky. I can't imagine a day without her to share my happy times and my challenges. I love being a parent with the guidance that she has given me. She is truly amazing I am so blessed to be the daughter of such a wonderful person!

This is what happens when you try to get a picture of Grammy with the three grandkids three and under! Happy Mothers Day to my hero, my mother!

The Cast is off!

The cutting of the cast

Owen did get his cast off Monday and he is now the lightest thing I have ever lifted. He did well and the Dr. was happy with the progress. Of course in the X-ray, I still think the leg looks broken! Here is the outlook - he will start to move around quite a bit in a week or so. He should be walking well and living "typical" in about a month. He will walk with a limp for about 3-4 months. For now, he is pretty slow going. It is kind of similar to when we brought him home with the cast. He is sitting now and actually army crawled about 3 feet today. He is super cautious and has to gain a lot of trust in himself and his leg. No folks, he is not walking, yet! Honestly, if one more person asks me "is he running around yet", I think I may lose it! I know, it is a valid question but since he is soooo far from walking, I guess it frustrates me. I mean he broke the biggest bone in the body. If an adult did this, they would be hospitalized for 1-2 months and down for 6months. I think we are doing really well! Okay, off my soapbox!

Did I mention that he has bathed and is super clean now? His skin looks awesome and almost back to normal. He is not in pain! To top it off, he gave up the pacifier last night after we lost it at Janie's softball game. Life is good!

NO CAST!

Hey, hey, hey GOODBYE!

We can only hope that our Dr.'s apt. goes well tomorrow and the cast comes off as planned. Again, I have to say that this was definitely doable. He is however beginning to stink a tiny bit. Today I actually did one less diaper change than normal because I just did not care. It he leaks a bit (and he did), so be it! If the Dr. says "two more weeks" tomorrow, I will be bummed.

Here is a pic of the small opening in the front that we have to work with. You can see how the diaper is stuffed in. We will not miss the tons of Depend pads that we have gone through (3-4 per diaper change).

I think he is ready. I think we all are!

Tag - 7 Random Facts

My friend Billie, who I met through St. Joe Hospital, and has two amazing girls, tagged me to do the 7 Random Facts thingy. I am not a very interesting person so I will do my best here. The funny part is, I don't have 7 bloggers to link to and I forgot how to link!

Here are the rules:

1. Once you are tagged, link back to the person who tagged you.

2. Post THE RULES on your blog.

3. Post 7 weird or random facts about yourself on your blog.

4. Tag 7 people and link to them.

5. Comment on their blog to let them know they have been tagged.

Random Facts About Me:

1. In Junior High and High School I was in choir. I think I was in choir because my dad was very musical and my sister was a great singer. I, however was very unsuccessful and should have known to stick to sports.

2. My dad was the smartest, most giving person that I have ever known. I lost him at age 61 of cancer. He has now been gone for 7 1/2 years and I miss him all the time.

3. When I went to college I had no idea what I wanted to do. I think I was just young and not ready to make decisions yet so I got a degree in communication (you can do anything with that degree correct?). My dream now is to go into social work. The challenge is that I will have a bunch of undergrad work to do plus receive my Masters to make a lot less money than I do now.

4. I love gymnastics! I love to watch it, I used to love to do it, and I love that my daughter now does it. I competed several years in my younger days and always dreamed that I could compete in college. Now I see the expense and commitment it takes and I hope I don't pressure my daughter at all.

5. I love to fish. I think it is so relaxing to sit in a boat (sometimes with a cocktail) and fish. The thrill is pretty great when you actually catch one!

6. I loved being pregnant. I loved eating what I wanted, I loved wearing maternity clothes and I even enjoyed my c-sections (I know, crazy). I wish I could do it again but it is just not realistic for me to have another child!

7. I cry very easily. I cry because I am happy more often than sad. I really cry at touching stories. I don't like people to see me cry but truly, I think I love to cry.

That's all folks! Liz, Shannon (because she has not done one yet), Greta and Amanda!