Family

Last week Reid got to meet some very important people... you know when friends are so close and so good, they are family... Aunt Sumer & Aunt Jen came to town to play with Reid for a couple of days, and man did we have fun. It's been quite a few years since we have all been together and we certainly made up for lost time. I love how those relationships never change despite all the reasons they should {time, distance, life changes, etc.}. It was as if we had just seen each other last week. Because some things shouldn't change..! :) I love these girls and love that they travelled from Washington state & Honduras to spend some time together and meet my little one.

Aunt Sumer - surprisingly not wearing anything Buckeye-related

Aunt Jen multitasking :)

And last weekend took us to Uncle Nate's wedding in Birmingham. So proud of that guy! He really is like a little brother to me and I am loving the fact that his bride will be in school in the Birm for two more years so I can continue to see him :) The wedding was so sweet and so beautiful it made me want to run down the aisle and marry Brett all over again!

Mr. & Mrs.
{Karen~ You've got yourself one of the best!}

The Mitchell family

Nathan with his sisters

ALL the girls!

Growing & Growing

2 months

1 month

1 week

Our little bundle is growing bigger and bigger! She now weighs 9lbs 5oz but continues to wear newborn sized clothes? An entire dresser and closet FULL of clothes, thanks to the generosity of family & friends, are awaiting her chubbiness to continue so they can be worn!
I stole this idea from my friend Sara who took pictures of her boys with the same stuffed animal to document their growth progress on a regular basis. This teddy bear was given to Reid by her Daddy... which actually was a present I gave Brett when we were dating in highschool many moons ago! :)
She loves having her hands up by her face {as evidenced in ultrasound pictures as well}, sucks in her bottom lip, hiccups about 2-3 times a day (also another habit carried over from pregnancy), pulls her knees up as high as she can when she's on her back, makes eye contact, smiles so sweetly it melts your heart, and will coo back to you when you talk to her. She has also just recently started sleeping six consecutive hours at night, we're keeping our fingers crossed that it continues!
She is such a sweet addition to our family, we are both very much in love with her...

"The love of democracy should never allow us to be blinded."

Here is an interesting read regarding the Honduran situation. We love those people & that country more than I can put into words. Please continue to pray for & support the Honduran people. Democracy doesn't need to be restored. It never went anywhere.

One Letter to US President Obama

Happy Father's Day

To a brand new Dad. Who fell in love with his daughter the moment he laid eyes on her. Who wouldn't leave her alone on the baby warmer. Who proudly announced her arrival stating she is as beautiful as his wife. Who happily escorted hospital visitors to the nursery when they couldn't see her in person when they visited. Who changed her first diaper. Who lays beside her as she falls asleep. Who takes her for walks. Who is already protective of what happens to her. Who tells her stories. Who dances around the house with her. Who couldn't resist buying her first pool. Who is already spoiling her. Who wants to take her on a thousand adventures in the years to come.
The greatest part of having our daughter is that I get to share it all with you...

4 weeks

Congratulations Anna Jane!

One of my dearest friends got married May 7th in Dyersburg, TN and I was unable to be a part of it on account of being 38 weeks pregnant and all. {sorry Anna...}
This is a quick shout out to my friend, the beautiful bride, compliments of Jamie Wright photography.
love you!
{and Reid thinks her Aunt Anna looks gorgeous too}

3 weeks

Two weeks

One week

We've spent the last week being completely in awe of the miracle of our beautiful baby girl. She is absolutely perfect, and the only trouble we are having is fattening her up...

Welcome to the world little one....

Reid Louise
May 14th @ 10:15am
6lbs 10oz and 20.5"

Got a guess?

Well, the little one is due to arrive next Wednesday, May 20th. 8 days after their Grams' birthday and Grandpa Mitchell's birthday, and 2 days before their parents 11th wedding anniversary. But, since it IS a Mitchell, I'm sure it'll be late, announcing it's preference to operate on MST - Mitchell Standard Time. Where logic and punctualness are obsolete! They are showing no sign of becoming more familiar with the exit... apparently I am too good of a hostess, and they are already taking after their Daddy by preferring to swim and play in the water.
So, now that I have a working laptop again (yay for Richard!), I thought we'd play a guessing game. Go to: Baby Mitchell and enter your best guess. Will it be a boy/girl? May/June? {oh please little one, not June!} Let's see what you think...

Eight months

**photography by the fabulously talented MaryAlice Duncan**

Hard to believe that in the last eight months we have been entrusted to the growth of this little one... And in eight more weeks we will more than likely have met them... seen their little face and touched their little hands and feet. I am completely overwhelmed at how much they are already loved and how much we are about to be responsible for. Can't wait to see just who they look like, and what adventures they will take us on... One thing is for certain, our lives will never be the same!

Brett's birthday

Today my sweet husband turns 35...
No one on this earth makes me laugh as much, frustrates me as much, loves me as much, spoils me as much, or has enough patience to deal with me :) I certainly don't deserve to have him in my life, but am certainly grateful to have him as my best friend and soul mate.
Happy birthday Brett!

Guilty as Charged

"If we distance ourselves long enough from real needs, we replace them with those that aren't. Pretense becomes the new real and suddenly a delay in the delivery of our new couch becomes a terrible upset. We are wise to force ourselves to keep differentiating between simple inconveniences and authentic tribulations. The more detatched and self-absorbed we become, the more we mistake annoyances for agonies. It happens to all of us."
-Beth Moore "Esther. It's Tough Being a Woman"

LIfe is just hard...

...for no reason at all.
-Remember the Titans
Any prayers on behalf of Benji & Rebekah for the blessing of their daughter Gracie would certainly be apprectiated.
Instead of typing out the details I'll simply send you to http://www.thebenjamites.blogspot.com/
Our prayers are with you...

The little one....

Here is our ultrasound pic from 21 weeks (I'm currently 24 weeks pg). {Sorry for the delay!}
For those who don't know, we aren't finding out what we're having, so if you see something in this pic, you're better than the technician :) At this point we are just grateful to have a healthy baby with a four chambered heart, intact kidneys, and split brain (yes, I'm a medical geek). Looking forward to meeting this chiciringo!
{strangely enough, this post is for my Mom, who flew out to Cuba for some sun and relaxation today and won't see this for a week... sorry Mom!}
And a special shout out to my friend Carissa for scanning the pics... you rock girl!

The Holidays - Canadian Style

Maple Leafs vs. Penguins in Mellon Arena. Driving through snow storms. Presents. Mincemeat tarts. Wearing multiple layers in frigid temps. Snow, snow, snow. Rain. More snow. Christmas crowds. Cafe Mocha. Climbing through snowbanks to find the car at the mall. Nanamo bars. Christmas movies. Giving. Family. Love. Excitement. Opening stockings. Hot tea. Cranberry pudding. Christmas Vacation. Turkey soup. Canasta with Grandma. Mary Brown's taters. Skating. Laughing. Carter Christmas. Wi Bowling. Breakfast at Cora's. Baby Mitchell presents. Swiss Chalet. Snow tubing. Hot chocolate. Frost bitten toes. Days in the car. Christmas holidays 2008.

at Mellon Arena

Yeah baby!!

Samantha & Cole

Cole & Judy

Yes, it's true
the Ontario sister: holds the wall while skating...
the Alabama sister: not a chance!!

cheerleader pose!!

love this pic of Samantha..

Brett & Cole

Who doesn't need help getting their skates off?

The Carter/Smith girls
Jennifer, Janette, Kathy, & Judy

Mom bowling!

This is truly a photogenic moment...
Mom & Auntie Erma showing Dad & Uncle Vern (the techies) how to use the Wi remotes :)

I love how Davis is peeking up into this pic!

New Years Eve: the chalet at Snow Valley
I love how this turned out blurry - that's how tired we all were after tubing out in the cold!