What to do??

Well, it's been nearly a year since my last post. And, I was okay with it. Until recently. :)

I feel so bad I blogged when Jackson was in preschool, but didn't with Preston. I know Preston being the type B child he is when he grows up really won't care. He'd rather have known I would cuddle and watch Bubble Guppies instead like we did today together. Still. I feel bad.

I am itching to scrapbook again. I hope I can, but really I only have 10 hours a week without any kids as far as our school schedule goes. Which sounds like plenty, but not when it's in 2 hours spurts often interrupted with blood sugar phone calls.

So, I'm left with this. What do I do? Blog again? If I did, I'd want to go at least do a quick synopsis (even though narrowing it down to so few pictures would be hard) of the past year. But, remember even last year I was already behind! :) My OCD self can't stand the thought of blogging again but just leaving out a whole chunk of a year and a half. I like things to flow and be in order. :) Especially if I think I am blogging for the kids to have a memorysake later.

Or do I just throw in the towel? Scrapbook again? or not?

I am really limited in how far I can be away from the school or I'd say I will volunteer somewhere and really do something important with my time. But, I really have to be home or really close and able to drop what I am doing. If not, I'd say I am going to join a gym! :)

Or, do I just focus on my self. And, not in a selfish way, but in a spiritual way. Grow more in my walk with the Lord by doing quiet time on a regular basis, praying specifically for my children and their walk with God and salvation, praying for my husband, making sure when my short two hours is over I am ready to welcome them all back home with patience, love, and at my best.

(See, the problem is I often thought if my blog was caught up, or if I could scrapbook which makes me happy, then I could be a better mom with more patience because I "took care of myself." How neat it is I sort of grew up and now know that's not how we "take care of ourselves." How silly to even think WE do any of it. HE does. Pretty amazing stuff, huh?)

Truly "Grand"

Although all four of my children's grandparents work, I am still so thankful and blessed that at least two of them are always able to be there for my kids. My dad is self-employed, and Paul's mom is able to get time off in advance, so when they have Grandparent's Day at the school, my kids are so excited to see them! (And, they also come to all the programs...it all means so much!) This year they had TWO (well, three really if you count the cousins) special events to attend though, and somehow they made it work. I am so blessed..and so are my boys!

Preston and my dad have a love/hate relationship. My dad is a "picker." I struggled with it growing up because I hate being picked on or aggravated. Preston does, too! :) Imagine that. But, that is how my dad shows love. And, I think Preston is warming up to the idea. However, when my Preston is feeling playful, he goes straight to my dad. Because he knows my dad is a big kid. Kids pick up on that kind of stuff. :)

Preston and Maw Maw...well, there isn't enough room to type about that. He is her baby. He's the youngest grand"baby" as she would say. And, there's something about her and babies. :) She always goes for the youngest in the group. She loves Preston, and would defend him even if he was wrong I think. Their relationship reminds me of mine with my Me-mommie sometimes. He really loves her. Sometimes he even calls me Maw Maw.

Jackson though also has her heart. He was the first grand"baby". So, she some alone time with him before Preston was born. They have a special bond which comes from me visiting her alot when he was just a tiny baby. You know as a first time mom, you relish just leaving the house in clothes and makeup by 4pm. :) Just so happens that is when she got off work each day. So, her house was our "outing" and how I got used to leaving the house alone with a baby. :) Those were some special evenings..full of her singing "Jesus Loves Me" to him and him falling in love with her. At their brunch, he had to write his favorite thing about her..and the answer was of course "gives hugs."

Now, my dad and Jackson...I wasn't always sure they'd bond. I am not sure why..I just wasn't. Alot happened in my family right after Jackson was born, and he didn't see my family as much as he saw Paul's. Thankfully, that is over now. And, I really can't tell any difference. Which makes me so happy. Jax loves my dad so much. He talks so fondly of him, and always asks where he is if he is missing somewhere. And, they like to talk to each other on my cell phone. I think my dad being a big kid helps out here, too. I mean just read what Jax's favorite thing about my dad is: "playes jokes." Enough said I guess.

Grandparents were such an amazing part of God's masterplan. I love them, love the idea of them, and miss mine.

Let's Play Ball!

As my children get older, trying new things is becoming easier and easier. Which is great! (Stay tuned for my ice skating post coming...maybe not soon...but one day :))

This summer we got a great deal on some Atlanta Braves tickets, and we took the boys twice. Once it was kind of hot, and the next time we went to an evening game which was awesome weather. The first game we ended up leaving early (AND THEY WON WHEN WE GOT TO THE CAR!) Daddy will have a hard time living that one down. :) Hence, visit number two. And, I don't remember if we won that one or not!? Isn't that funny?

The kids did great though. We did bring the Leapster for extra help, and of course enjoyed ice cream. Overall though, they were very well-behaved. And, they liked it. Jackson more than Preston, but hey he's three. That's to be expected.

Most of all though it was super memorable. I love family time! And, seeing my munchkins do the tomahawk chop and the wave for the first time...priceless!

Summer Birthday Fun!

I used to think fall was *the* birthday time. We typically have SO many parties during that season. But, summer is starting to gain speed in advancing toward being the new "birthday season." We had even more parties than I have shown here. Some I didn't have my camera..and some I just forgot to upload pictures for. But, here is a glance at all the fun we had with family and friends celebrating. You guys know me! I LOVE BIRTHDAYS!!!

My nephew Aiden turned six! We had a great time skating at his party. I truly cannot believe he turned six though. Time is flying!

We celebrated SpongeBob style! And, I was very proud of my sister for making his cake. She really wanted to but was concerned about pulling it off. She and her husband (who secretly I think wants to start a cake business:)) did awesome! And, Aiden loved it! It was yummy, too!


Paul's Aunt Teri turned 50!!! We got to celebrate at Eagle's Landing Country Club at a surprise party! (I LOVE SURPRISES!) The most fun part though was dressing the kids up. They were quite excited. There was a dance floor and a DJ. This was my children's first experience at something like this..they haven't ever been to a wedding even. And, all I can say is wow. They danced their tails off!! We had trouble keeping Jackson's sugar up! He was square dancing, slow dancing with his older cousins, and break dancing! (I have no idea where he has seen break dancing before??) Preston took some time warming up to the idea, but as you can see once he took to the dance floor, it was on! He kept asking really pretty older women (like other moms who were seriously very pretty!) to dance. They, of course, said yes. And, I, of course, started having chest pains seeing my future with him. He is going to cause me many a night's lost sleep being a flirt I am sure.

Truly the funniest part was when we left, and Jackson asked if he could have his 7th birthday party there. At the country club??!!! Yikes. I explained it is VERY expensive, and well, he'd just have to talk to his Uncle Junior about that. :)

I love this mother/son picture. It is by far my favorite.

Our cousin, Aimee, (check out Aly Bakeshoppe in Griffin!) did a great job on the cake.

She really doesn't look 50. I hope I look that good in 20 years.

See how cute they were dressed up?

Our sweet Ella turned 3 this summer, too! She was a simple birthday girl..her only request was a "pink party" which of course her moma made happen. The kids had a lot of fun at her house. They always secretly love playing with girl toys because they never get to play with stuff like that. Seriously Preston was in her playroom for like 2 hours, and noone even knew he was alive.

Our other sweet girl, Kate, was there, too. And, all the kids had such a neat time making playdoh with super Aunt Kora! :)

My other nephew, Nicholas, turned 12 this summer...making this officially his last year as a pre-teen. And, officially making me feel VERY old. :)

In true Echols style, we of course celebrated by a roller skating party...

My sister and I worked together on the cake. It was fun to do that together. It turned out very good! Especially considering I totally gave her the wrong instructions on how to make the icing by accident! :) I think that is when she learned quick..that while you are making the actual cake it looks horrible up until the last few minutes. In her words, "Man, you can really doctor one up, huh?" (We made this before the Spongebob cake for Aiden..sigh..stupid blogger never adds my pictures in order.)

It was at this party that Preston turned a complete corner in skating and started being able to go around solo!!! I was so proud! Seriously. I almost cried. I am crazy.

What a blessing!! To have so many friends and family who were able to start a new year of life this summer. God is good..all the time.

Dads: Our playmates, providers, and friends

Sadly it seems each year it is getting harder and harder to get everyone's schedules on the same page to celebrate much of anything! So, this year it was a huge honor to get to spend time with both sides of our families for Father's Day. We enjoyed a yummy lunch at Longhorn's with Paw Paw Mitchell and even snapped a quick Mitchell "Men" picture!


The boys were so excited to have Daddy spending the whole day with them! I love this picture. These boys love their daddy so much. And, it amazes and touches me how much their Daddy loves them. Giving of his time isn't Paul's "easy task" in life. If you know him well, you know that. So, I don't think he'll mind too much if I am just upfront about that here on the blog. He often admits to it. So, when he shows these sweet boys love, gives of his time, and is there for them it speaks a million words!! He makes so many memories with them, and I am so happy he is leaving his comfort zone to make sure his relationship with them is built on such a strong foundation. They are truly blessed to have him!! And, he works so hard to provide for them. Even when things are tight, he always says "make sure they have what they need."

We celebrated Father's Day with my dad and granddaddy at our house with a yummy meal as well. My dad was sure my sister and I should open an BBQ restaurant by the end of the meal. I quickly assured him not to get his hopes up. :)

This is yet another generation picture even if it is a mix of girls and guys. :) My poor dad only had girls. Isn't my granddaddy the cutest grandad EVER??

Hope your family had a great time celebrating the men serving as fathers in your life! And, don't forget Happy Father's Day to the BEST FATHER in the world!! God!

The Land of the Free

This 4th of July we celebrated by our tradition of enjoying family time and yummy food at Maw Maw Brown and Pop's house. This tradition goes back as far as I can remember..I think the first 4th there I remember was 1993. Isn't that the summer it rained a ton?? I digress. Anyway, it is always fun. While there are some extra little people in the mix now...a bunch extra...it still feels like home. I LOVE traditions.

Bree enjoyed the slip-n-slide and cupcakes...

Looks like John Michael did, too!
That night we went to Aunt Malia and Uncle Steve's for a new tradition..circa 2009. This tradition is what I will refer to as "run from the cops and hope you don't spend the night in jail." :) We have been journeying (well, Steven has been anyway) to Alabama to get illegal fireworks the past two years. And, I mean FIREworks. These things are huge..and professional...and dangerous...and and the list goes on and on. If any of you know anything about me, you know this: I am a rule follower and a goodie-goodie two shoes. So, while I hold my breath and pray for about an hour, we enjoy our own personal fireworks extravaganza. :) And, the kids enjoy sparklers afterwards. Now those don't seem too bad. :)

Don't you think one day these pictures will be such a memory for them? Cousins are awesome.

And, well this pic might just serve as blackmail one day. :)

Ever try a slip-n-slide as an adult? Makes you completely wonder how on earth we did it as kids.

The gracious hosts...

The brunswick stew man...

Buddies...

Princesses...

I cannot believe it is nearly November...and I am now just completing the blog for the 4th of July..but hey, it's all good. :) I am now yearning for some summer again though. Thank goodness we are headed to the beach for Thanksgiving!

The Mitchell Update

For those of you noticing the million of posts I just put up with ONLY pictures and no text..no worries!! :) I am working hard to get the blog up to date since lately I have been months behind. I had some time to do pictures today, but not any text. So, the text will come soon! If you see the same pictures again pop up..make sure to scroll down to read the text if you are interested.

We have been very busy!! As you all know I always say year after year October is the BUSIEST month of the year for our family. 2010 isn't proving to be any different so far! For some reason, I was crazy enough to even start Jackson on the insulin pump this month, too!! :( What was I thinking?? Well, I was thinking that is the earliest this year we could bill it to our insurance :) and have it work in our favor.

So, anyway, we are doing pretty good..busy, a tad stressed, and tired. But...

Most importantly...

WE ARE BLESSED!

Love you all! Thanks for checking in on us!