An evening with the Mitchells

A typical evening in the Mitchell household:

During Macie's late afternoon nap, she woke up. She sat up, and then fell back asleep and collapsed to the side. Doesn't look comfortable to me, but whatever!

Brian caught me satisfying a pregnancy craving

After Macie's bath, Brian had her hair standing up and she was just cheesing. Too cute!!

She definitely knows how to charm us with her smile and those sparkling baby blues!

Happy Birthday Dylan!

This afternoon, we went to my aunt and uncle's house to celebrate Dylan's first birthday. I can't believe he is 1!! Katie was the first of the pregnant cousins to have her baby last year. We had five births in 6 months!! Now, the first birthday celebrations have begun...

Macie loved this activity table
Dylan and Macie were watching tv and playing together

Dylan loved the truck Macie picked out for him...

but he loved the card more!! He read each and every word!

Macie liked this flower lei

Mommy and Macie

Dylan was getting tired so he didn't really want his birthday cupcake. We still sang to him though!

Look out Venus and Serena!

Before Macie was born, Brian and I picked out an adorable Nike tennis outfit for her. She is finally able to wear it. It is one of the few outfits that Brian and I have bought her. We have been blessed with so many people who love to buy clothes for our little girl.
Macie is also finally crawling half of the time. She will crawl a little bit and then go back to the army crawl. Brian got a short video of it so I posted it below.

Our little tennis pro

Boy or Girl??

We have an ultrasound in 2 weeks (September 9th) to find out the sex of the baby. What do you think the baby will be?? Vote by clicking on your choice. You don't have to sign in or anything...just vote! You can even vote more than once if you want. Renee has this on her blog and I thought it was a great idea. So, start voting and we will see who is right!

I have the best husband ever!

.....well at least tonight I think so! I had a very long day today. Tonight was parent night at school, so Macie stayed at my parents' house until almost 8. I think Brian knew that I would be completely wiped out by the time I got home. Heck, I am wiped out after a typical school day sometimes! When I got home, I was pleasantly surprised to find a note letting me know that he had made and packed our lunches for tomorrow. Yes! One less thing to do! Then, I went into the bedroom to change and I noticed that he had laid out pjs, chocolate, and a nice note. I don't always appreciate him, but I have a good thing going! Thanks honey for all you do for me and Macie!! I love you!!

Lions, and Tigers, and Bears...oh my!

Because it was a beautiful day, we decided to go to the Mesker Park Zoo this afternoon. Grandma, Grandpa, and Aunt Allie joined us. I was excited because the whole trip only cost us $10! We had one free pass, Macie was free, and we even got ice cream cones at the end because we had a buy one get one coupon. My kind of deal! We didn't see any bears, but we saw lots of other animals, including, a baby camel and a baby zebra. I think the zebra was only a week or two old. Macie was so good and she had a great time! It will be the first of many trips to the zoo!

My little bat
Looking at the sea otters with Aunt Allie

Checking out a snake

She even fed the giraffes grass

Checking out wallabies with Grandpa

A fun family day!

Pulling up everywhere!!

Macie has been pulling up on anything and everything...the coffee table, baskets, drawers, people, the recliner. Somethings are safer than others! She had a run in with the coffee table that wasn't too pretty! I think we may have to trade it in for a safer, more kid friendly version. This morning, she pulled herself up on her activity table and then started making her way around the whole table. She still struggles with how to sit down when she is up. She gets frustrated because she doesn't quite know what to do. Brian and I are amazed by her everyday!

She is so proud of herself!

Scrapbooking and Sunglasses

Tidbits from the last week:

• I was sad when I picked up Macie today because she wanted to stay with Miss Julie. Yes, I know that this a good thing that she loves her and wants to be with her, but I wasn't quite ready for that. She kept reaching for her and usually I am the one she is reaching for:(
• On a happy note, she is finally saying mama!!! It was so funny because she said it last night at Walmart and Brian and I were like, did she just say that? Way to go...yay! We were so excited! Then, tonight she kept saying, "ma" and looking at me and smiling like she knew she was making me happy! (or at least I would like to think so!)
• Tuesday night, Macie and I went to "scrapbooking" at Jamie's. Renee was the only one who accomplished anything, but it was still fun hanging out with the girls. Renee isn't working with us this year, so it is always good to catch up with her. While we were there, it started pouring and didn't stop. I finally decided to brave it because Macie was getting tired and we got soaked. The streets were starting to flood and it was a bit scary driving home. However, it was barely sprinkling at my house so it wasn't so bad bringing her in.
• Last night, Brian and I decided to check out the new Walmart in Newburgh. It is always nice going to a nice clean store! Brian and I thought that we might buy a pair of cheap sunglasses because ours are always breaking or disappearing. This is no easy task for Brian because of his large head. Every pair looked absolutely ridiculous! I told him he just needed to go get a nicer pair.

Hannah and Macie

Macie looked down as I was taking the picture of course...she was more interested in the cars anyway!
Brian being silly

Pregnancy Update

I realized that I hadn't blogged about my pregnancy in a while. I am now 14 1/2 weeks. My official due date is February 10th, but my doctor said to plan for a c-section around the 1st. That is my grandma's birthday, so it would be pretty special if I could have the baby on that day. We don't know what the baby is yet, but we have an ultrasound scheduled for September 9th and we will find out then if the baby is cooperating.
It is hard not to compare my two pregnancies, especially since they are so close together. Here are some differences so far:

• I have still been sick this time around, but it has been different. I didn't throw up as much, just nauseous all of the time. Luckily, it has slowed down considerably. I am feeling much better now.
• I am way more exhausted this time around. I am sure that it has a lot to do with the fact that I have Macie to take care of, but it is wiping me out!!
• I started showing much, much sooner this time! I had to start wearing maternity clothes almost instantly.
• Brian seems to get my on nerves more easily. I am sure that is just hormones!

A Day with Daddy

I helped my sister with a wedding yesterday. She was the photographer and I was her assistant. It was soooo hot and I am completely exhausted. Macie and Daddy spent the day together. They went to Sturgis to visit Grammie and Pops who were thrilled because they got to see her two days in a row! Macie and Daddy had a great day until it was bedtime. Macie cried for about an hour and a half before I got home and was up off and on all night. Teething is so much fun!!

Uncle John came by to see Macie and he enjoyed feeding her cheerios.

Macie can never leave Grammie and Pops' house without something. This time she brought home a ball that used to be Brians (he got it in college, but anyway).

10 Months Old!!

Thursday was Macie's 10 month birthday! I swear, the months are flying by and we have to really start thinking about her birthday party before long!! Here are some highlights of the last month:

• She gives kisses and knows what she is doing.
• She started a new daycare (Thursdays and Fridays)...everything is going well so far. Macie loves it but Mommy still has a hard time leaving her with a "stranger".
• She said "dada" for the first time although she doesn't know to call Brian that.
• She is able to sit up on her own and she is all over the place!!
• She is pulling up on everything she can and is very strong!
• She is still the love of our lives and the cutest baby we have ever seen:)

She sat so well for the pictures...I couldn't believe it!

Swine Flu Spotted!!

I thought this was absolutely hilarious and I just had to share it!

At school, we have been talking a lot about the Swine Flu and how it is supposed to hit us hard this fall. When my class came in from recess today, they said, "Mrs. Mitchell, we found the Swine Flu." I said, "Where? What are you talking about?" They said, "Outside." And then one chimed in, "or it could be just paint splatters." (They did some painting over the weekend)

I lost it! This will definitely have to be added to my book!!

Wild Hair

Tonight when I was giving Macie a bath, I realized how long her hair was getting!

Wild Hair!
I love getting a bath!!

Broeker Cookout

Tonight we went to the Broeker Cookout. There were a lot of people there and lots of yummy foods. I am pretty sure the kids outnumbered the adults! There has definitely been a baby boom with all of their friends in the last five years. We had so much fun visiting with everyone. Thanks Broeker family for inviting us!

Macie wanted the yellow part of this fire truck, but she couldn't reach it because every time she would move, she would push the truck. It was so funny!
She finally reached the yellow part when she had the firetruck pinned against the fire place.

Our sweet girl

9 Month Sneak Peek...

Here is a look at Macie's 9 month pictures. Once again, Allie did a great job and it is going to be hard to pick!

I knew it was just a matter of time!

Macie has been sitting up in her bed so much lately, I knew it was just a matter of time before she pulled herself up. When I went to get her from her afternoon nap, there she was, standing up. I am just grateful that I caught her before she fell out on her head. As soon as Brian got home from work, he lowered her mattress. We will probably need to lower it some more when she gets taller, but it will work for now.

A playpen for Daddy
I want to help!

What a sweetheart!

Big Girl Car Seat

Friday night we went to Babies R Us and got some great deals!! We were able to get Macie's new car seat and a crib, mattress, and bed rails for $500! The mattress was free and the crib and car seat were each $50 off! We were super pumped to say the least. We weren't going to get the new baby's crib yet, but if we ordered it this week, the mattress (a $120 value) was free. We also found out that the crib we wanted was discontinued, so I'm glad we ordered it when we did!

She loves her new carseat!
A lot more room!!

Juice and Eggs

Macie's palette is expanding daily. This morning for breakfast, Macie had a scrambled egg for the first time and apple prune juice. She loved them both. Of course she still had her formula, but she will only have that for a few more months. I love experiencing new things with her!

I like these eggs!
I'm a big girl now!

Horseshoe Party

Today was the last day for Brian's horseshoe "league". We were at my aunt and uncle's house by 10:00 this morning and they threw horseshoes all day to finish up. Out of 12 guys, my wonderful husband was 12th. However, I would say that he was most improved by far! He has come a long way...maybe next year he won't be last:) Macie and I had a great day visiting with family and friends. We were lucky that the weather was great and although she didn't nap well, Macie didn't get too cranky. We got home around 8:30 tonight and let's just say we are all exhausted!

We put Olivia and Macie's pack-n-plays next to each other so they could talk
What can I step on to get out of this thing?

Macie loved playing in Aunt Gloria's Tupperware cabinet!

Olivia, Macie and Dylan...can you believe they were all looking at the camera?

It is hard to believe that last year we were all pregnant and now we are thinking about first birthday parties!