Tuesday, December 21, 2010

What a precious little one . . .

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This little bundle of joy was suppose to arrive around Christmas, but believe it or not he will be five weeks old on Christmas Eve – his due date. 

I would like to introduce you to . . .

Jackson Arden Mitchell

Arrived on November 19, 2010

Weighing in at 4 lbs. 15 oz.

Measuring 18 in.

He is sooooo adorable.  We can’t wait till we get to meet him in person.  Unfortunately that might be a while since he resides all the way on the west coast.

Best wishes to the new parents!  Give him lots of hugs & kisses from his auntie, uncle, & cousins!!

Monday, December 20, 2010

Caroling at Dinner

We wanted to share some of the holiday cheer, and Kassi thought it would be fun to get a group together and carol at one of the local nursing homes.  So, she sent out an invite to one of the co-ops we are members of.  It was a nice gathering and the residents seemed to enjoy the music.  It was really nice of these families to come together and help Kassi spread some holiday joy. 

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The Bailey girls did an awesome job playing the guitar and all those who came did a great job singing. 

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There were older siblings, parents and even younger siblings singing.

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While waiting for their meal, many of the residents were singing right along with us.  A huge ‘thank you’ to all those who joined us for an evening of Christmas caroling.  Merry Christmas!!

Bringing in the holiday season

Last weekend we had the privilege of joining in on the holiday festivities at a family friend’s house.  It’s a great time of caroling, seeing Santa, indulging in all kinds of homemade sweets prepared by the host family, and visiting with friends.

I have to admit our kids this year had little interest in Santa – so there were no photos with the big jolly man.  They were more interested in seeing their friends and chatting.  Our visit was short because we had other obligations, but we had a great time visiting with friends.

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Thank you Miller Family for having us join in the holiday festivities.  Your home was beautifully decorated & the cookies were very yummy.

Winter Wonderland

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Some were more excited than others about this snowfall a week ago.  But it is a fact of winter.  Yes, we will be having a white Christmas because there is still some of this left over and we’re suppose to get some more today and Christmas Eve & day. 

Our Morning at the Ballet

I remember the first time seeing the Nutcracker at the Ohio Theatre.  Jay took me.  I have wanted to take the kids, but it’s ridiculous how expensive these wonderful cultural experiences are. 

We were fortunate enough to take part in a program called “Morning at the Ballet” which is an hour of educational and cultural experiences.  We attended . . .

THE NUTCRACKER SUITE
Imaginations will come alive with this time-honored holiday tradition. The Nutcracker Suite offers exciting highlights from acts I and II of The Nutcracker selected especially for student performances. Your students will meet colorful characters including the menacing Mouse King, the brave Nutcracker Prince and the graceful Sugar Plum Fairy. (as explained on BalletMet’s web-site)

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It was a great morning.  We sat with some of our homeschooling friends – Thank you, Angi for organizing it.  I still think this is one to be shared as a family in its entirety.  Maybe one of these Christmases.   

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On Zack’s birthday, Kassi requested a picture with her baby brother.  Apparently she and her sister wanted to recreate a photo that was taken at least four years ago.

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This picture is one of my favorites even though Mackenzie isn’t actually kissing Zack’s cheek.  I’m not sure what happened with the first take, but the photographer had to take another and she didn’t kiss him, but I still love the photo.

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Well, Zack apparently could ‘feel’ their plan and wouldn’t surrender his cheeks.

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Oh they tried!!

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But this is all he would allow.  Still a good photo.

Friday, December 17, 2010

Starting to look like Christmas

Even though we will not be together as a family this Christmas, we still are trying to make it feel like Christmas the best we can.  We have our nice little tree decorated with a few ornaments that Jay sent from ND, and we have started putting presents under it.

A package arrived the other day from my parents in Iowa and we put the presents under the tree.

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See, it looks a little like Christmas.  We are burning candles too to give it that wonderful live/fresh tree smell.

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After I called Mom to let her know the package arrived she told me there were four little presents – one for each of us – that we could go ahead and open now.  Well, it turned out they were ornaments she had picked out for us to put on our tree.

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Thanks, Mom.  They are a great addition to our tree!

Crazy Family Time

Well, we have been very busy around here, but some things still haven’t changed.  The kids are enjoying time with family, some down time, and just being kids.

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Here Kassi was making phone calls to organize a caroling evening at a local nursing home.  Unfortunately, we do not get very good cell service inside the house so sometimes we find ourselves outside talking.  This particular day wasn’t too bad, now it was still quite chilly, matter of fact, before it was said and done she was covered up with a blanket while talking outside.  

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Mackenzie loves anything crafty which includes decorating for any occasion. She helped her grandma put up all these cute little sticky things in the window and on the front storm door. 

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Chloe LOVES outside, so if any of us are outside she stands at the door and whines until we let her out.  She is especially enjoying the snow right now – she’s driving us all nuts because of her incisive whining, which typically means ‘I need to potty’ but right now it means ‘I want to go out and play.’

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Zack really enjoys his little cousin Odie.  I find the two of them together quite a bit, whether it’s playing in the bedroom or just hangin’ out together on the couch.  I think Odie is really enjoying his time with ‘Acky’. 

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One of the many perks of homeschooling is the fact we can lounge around all day and wear anything (within reason) to class.  Check out Kassi’s holiday socks.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Officially a TEENAGER

Today is a special day . . . Zack’s birthday.

It’s not just any birthday, but today Zack is officially a teenager!!  It’s amazing how much he has grown in the past few months. 

 

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HAPPY 13TH BIRTHDAY, ZACK!!

We love you very much!!  Have a wonderful day and an exciting year!!

Friday, December 10, 2010

What is that . . .

We got our first little accumulation of snow.  We woke up this morning with some of the schools in the Central Ohio area with two hour delays because they got a lot more.  Anyway, the kids – well two of the three – were excited to see the white fluffy stuff.

I was a little on the dislike side since I had to drive downtown and I wasn’t sure how traffic or the road conditions were.  But I have to say the roads were clear – probably because of the road prep yesterday with the striping of the deicer being proactive instead of reactive. 

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Zack & Kenzie had fun this morning tossing snowballs.  By late afternoon – when their snow boots arrived via UPS – it was just wet and muddy outside.

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You would never know we got snow overnight because by midday it was all gone (I’d take/share a picture, but my camera is broke and apparently it is cheaper to buy a new one than to get it fixed, UGH!!).  The temps were seasonably warm by the time I headed out around fourish – Kassi even said it seemed like it had warmed up. 

So, now we wait to see what this next front brings over the weekend.  Hopefully not too much – at least my father-in-law is prepared with the generator, so more than likely (hopefully) it will be nothing.