Greatest Mom? I wonder...

Last week, while trying to finish getting ready for Christmas, I told each of the girls to clean up their rooms. (I am really working hard to give up some of the control I try to hold on so tightly to, so I decided they needed to do it themselves!) Shelby and Emily did theirs fairly quickly, but Abby just couldn't seem to get motivated. Every time I would ask her, "Abby is your room clean yet?" her reply was, "Let me go check." Finally after many hours of this (with me cleaning other parts of the house in the meantime) I was fed up and sent her to her room for the remainder of the day. I do feel guilty when I do that, but sometimes that's all that seems to work.

Well, about 15 minutes later, Abby comes out to hand me a couple of papers. The first was a card she made. On the front, it read, "To: Mom--My mom is the greatest mom."

Inside it said, "I love you so much! To mom, You are the greatest mom ever in the history of moms! You are the greatest mom ever! I am sorry that my room was a mess and you had all the right to punish me! I just want you to know how much I love you! Here is a way to show how much I love you. Love, Abby Mitchell"

Then she had made a "Certificate of Love" to show me just how much she loves me--"better than a hog loves slop" it says; one of our favorite sayings.

I thanked her for the beautiful card and certificate, and asked her if her room was clean yet. Her reply?

"Let me go check..."

AAARRRGGGHHH!!!!!

Christmas Fun!

Once again, we had a great Christmas as a family! We tried to keep things simpler and smaller this year, and it really helped to keep our focus where it belonged--on celebrating the birth of our Savior.
Of course, Santa still came and gifts were exchanged and opened. Here are a few of our highlights:

Stockings

Santa Mouse brought each of the girls a watch

ipod shuffles for Abby and Emily from Santa Claus

a new "adult-size" bike for Shelby from Santa

2009 calendars from Uncle Ryan

cute new pajama pants from Uncle Randy, Aunt Rachel, Brandon, Justin, Tyler, and Alyssa

sitting in Santa's sleigh over in Moultrie on Christmas night

Abby in new pajamas from GG and Sampa--playing the high School Musical PlayStation 2 game from Aunt Petey, Uncle Buz, and Brett--with new slippers from Aunt Kathy, Mike, and Andrew on the floor behind her :)

I forgot my camera at the hotel when we did Christmas in Naples, so as soon as I swipe my mom's pictures, I'll post those, too! :)

Christmas Eve

We had a great and relaxing Christmas Eve! Yesterday was exhausting trying to get everything done, but I got to reap the benefits today! Travis had to work half a day, so I got up at 5:30 to make him breakfast before he left. I've never done that before, but I really enjoyed it, and he was quite appreciative, so it was worth the missed sleep!

We had Christmas dinner today, and we'll have leftovers tomorrow since we're headed to Naples on Friday morning. We might do it this way every year! It was great to cook today...well, for mom and dad to cook today...and then tomorrow all we'll have to do is reheat it when we're done with gifts.

Here are some pictures from mom and dad's house after dinner...notice our bloated frames! :)

Dad has developed a real affection for Sonic since our arrival in Thomasville, so this next picture was his idea. He knows the lady there, and whenever I drop by to get his favorite beverage concoction, she now knows me too! I think he's going to give her this picture in hopes of getting free stuff. If it should show up in the drive-thru window, you can pretend you don't know us. It's okay--it won't hurt my dad's feelings...much.

When we got home from dinner, there were some new packages that had been mysteriously left under the tree. The girls couldn't wait to dive into them! They opened them so quickly, I only got the shot of Shelby actually unwrapping her gift.

Abby is quite excited about new pajamas!!!

Emily too!



I'm going to do the matching thing as long as I possibly can! Aren't they all so cute?!?

Merry Christmas Eve--we're off to bed!

Victorian Christmas

One of the things we have learned to love about Thomasville is Victorian Christmas, an event that happens every December. For two nights, downtown is closed off and turned back in time. There are people everywhere in Victorian attire--you can rent it here in town if you're in time. There are street vendors selling all sorts of yummy stuff and craft vendors as well. The homemade soaps look and smell wonderful! There are carolers and a live nativity. There's a train and Santa for the kids. There's a fire pit with roasting sticks and marshmallows. There are even live models in the shop windows--my girls' favorite this year, hands down!

This year, the girls each brought a friend. It was a little frazzling to keep track of 6, but they all had such a great time, and best of all, there was no fighting! We can't wait till next year!

Victorian Carolers

Taylor and Emily

Jordan and Shelby

Taylor and Abby

mom and dad bundled up!

the girls eating fried oreos...only in the south! :)

Tacky Day

Friday was tacky day at the middle school. It is a way to raise donations for the local food banks. If you bring in 5 cans, you get a ticket and can dress up for tacky day. I like that they tie fun into helping others. We put pipe cleaners and braids into Shelby's hair to get it to stand up a little on top of her head. She rolled up her jeans and put her softball sliding shorts on top, turned her shirt around backwards, wore two of grandma's patterned socks, and mom's crocs.

TACKY, TACKY, TACKY!!!

It's (finally) Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

Stringing the lights with some help from Abby.

Arranging the tree skirt. I couldn't help myself; I just had to get this shot! :)

Beautiful!


I am so excited that we finally got our Christmas tree put up today! We usually do it right after Thanksgiving, but Ryan was here this year and we wanted to spend as much time with him as we could. Then Trav was gone all of this past week to Atlanta for work meetings, and since I can't get everything down from the attic without him (and because we like it to be a family affair) we had to wait till today. But it was worth the wait! I am already feeling much more festive and excited about this whole season!

I love going through the boxes of ornaments and laughing with the girls as they remember ones that they made. I love watching them find just the right spot for "their" ornaments. I love that Trav and I have a special ornament that always goes on the tree first. So many memories...and hopefully each year as we decorate the tree, we make a few more.

Shelby's Big Night

Shelby with Mr. Strickland, her science teacher, and her second place ribbon

Last Thursday night was a big one for Shelby. She had entered the science fair as a requirement for her science class, and that night was the judging and results. We were so surprised and excited to learn that Shelby won 2nd place in the physics section! There were entrants from 6th, 7th, and 8th grades, so this was a pretty big deal for her! Now she gets to go to ABAC in Tifton for the district competition!

Right after the science fair awards was the 6th grade band Christmas concert. They did really well, and all looked so cute in their Santa hats! I got most of the video with my camcorder, but I did get this song with my video camera (the only one I know how to upload here). Enjoy!

Brrr...Christmas Parade

It was chilly out at this year's Thomasville Christmas Parade!

Thank goodness for the Red Cross van giving out free hot chocolate! :)

The manly-men didn't need any though! :)

A fun night...it's officially Christmastime in Thomasville!

Thanksgiving 2008

I LOVE that we actually have fall colors here in Thomasville!

A little Thanksgiving "snooze." (Thanks for the picture, Dad. I'll have to repay you someday!) :)

Most of the family gathered around the table. (We missed Randy, Rachel, and the kids!) We have so much to be grateful for!

Party Time!

Shelby had a great time with her friends at her birthday party. She had about 15 people over, and although it was loud and rowdy at times, they all are really good kids! They played outside for a bit at first--partner tag and the "pot" game--but then the cold weather pushed us inside. They devoured the pizza, nuggets, chips, and soda, but left the apple slices. Hey, at least I tried! :) We played pictionary and charades, and then they wanted to go back outside. So Trav built a big fire for the "sane" ones to sit around and we made s'mores. All in all, it was a great night for Shelby and us, too!

Shelby Turns 12!

Our little girl is 12!

A new bracelet from Grandma and Grandpa Mitchell

a new shirt from Grandma and Grandpa Rosier

(we've definitely entered the clothes-for-presents stage)

12 candles on the brownies Shelby requested

Shelby turned 12 on November 19th. I honestly don't know where the years have gone. She is growing up to be such a beauty--inside and out! We are so proud of her for the good choices she makes and for the beautiful young woman she is becoming.

Speaking of Young Women...her birthday fell on a Wednesday, and she was THRILLED to be able to spend the evening attending church with mom and the rest of the Young Women. I am so glad that I get to work with the Beehives (12-13 year olds) and that she'll be in my class!

Happy Birthday, Shelby! We love you so much!

My Dear Finally Got a Deer!

WARNING: If you have a weak or sensitive stomach, some of these pictures might not be suitable for your viewing enjoyment. Just a warning...

Travis finally went hunting on a good day (meaning it wasn't pouring buckets), and got a buck! Well, let me qualify that...he got half a buck. Okay, maybe a third of a buck...

I had gone on the youth temple trip that day and got a phone call mid-morning from Trav saying that he had gotten a deer. I was excited for him because in all his years of hunting, he had yet to claim that elusive feat.

Later I learned the whole story. (Again, read at your own risk.) Apparently he and my dad were in tree stands that were not terribly far apart from one another. Travis saw the buck first, and took a shot. The buck took off (as they do after being shot) and ran in my dad's direction. Dad took a shot, and the deer kept on running. They climbed out of their stands and found the deer with two shots, but still alive. Another man came over and gave it another shot with a pistol to finish it off--didn't work--and finally a fourth shot before it would die. (It's so funny, whenever Trav tells the story, he says before the deer "passed away.")

So this deer is a community effort, but Trav got the first (of four!!!) shots! He was mighty happy!

proud hunters!

Chip King (not the fourth gunman--ha! ha!) and Travis with their deer

Halloween Lessons

STILL catching up...

Here are my lovely girls on Halloween night. Travis had to do inventory that night so he wasn't with us. The girls decided against repeating the Oreo thing, and pulled outfits from the dress-up box instead. Shelby went to a party (her first "holiday" away from home) dressed as an adorable witch, and Abby and Emily went dressed as Olympic gymnasts complete with medals. We all had a great evening, and when all was said and done and I had a moment to reflect, I had a profound thought come to me...

My girls and I had a GREAT time this Halloween, and I didn't spend a fortune on costumes like I have every other year since their births. That was a huge lesson and realization for me! In the past, we went to places like The Disney Store and spent a fortune (literally) on adorable costumes. Don't get me wrong...that's still fine, but often times we couldn't really afford it. But I felt like I had to do it--that the girls' Halloween would be RUINED if they didn't have the best, cutest, and most expensive costumes. And I learned this year that that is not true! I felt liberated when I spent $6 to make our costumes, and even more liberated that night when the girls decided to ransack the dress-up box to find a costume to wear trick-or-treating. It was a good feeling, and one that I am hoping to carry forward with me.

Especially with the impending Christmas season.

Our "traditional" orange Halloween meal--everything is a shade of orange

(not incredibly nutritious, but better than an entire belly-full of candy!)