The Layne Mitchell Family

More "firsts"

2012-01-25T19:40:00.003-05:00

Kyler got his first GRAND SLAM!

And his first buck!

Aaaaaand.... Terry got his first pair of Elmo jammies! :)

Teeth

2012-01-24T16:22:00.003-05:00

Kavan had finally lost his first tooth - almost a year ago.

By Christmas, he was asking for his two front teeth.

This picture of Kavan and Laney makes me laugh! :)

Bee success!

2012-01-17T11:12:00.000-05:00

2011 brought many "firsts" for the Mitchell family...

Kyler was able to harvest his first batch of honey from his very own bees.

Kyler ready to collect the honey.

Look at the mass of bees on the outside of the hive (toward the bottom).

Layne helping to "uncap" the honey.

Kyler spinning the honey.

Mmmm...honey.

The finished product.

It wasn't a huge batch of honey, but it was yummy. The bees have definitely been quite the learning experience for Kyler (and Layne). We are all hoping for continued "bee success" in 2012! :)

Happy New Year!

2012-01-15T17:13:00.001-05:00

So, it's the New year - Happy New Year! -

and I was thinking about one of the things in life that has slowed down a lot, since the end of high school football season!

From the sweltering heat of July...

right through the "chilliness" of November.

Kenzie has really enjoyed band this school year. And - despite the crazy hours - marching band was a great way for her to get acquainted with high school!

Christmas continued...

2011-12-30T07:41:00.001-05:00

with a visit from Santa,

excited kids,

oohs and aahs,

lots of smiles

and hugs,

and lots of good mess!

The day continued with a beautiful program at church, and an afternoon full of family fun and lots of good food!

Christmas decorations are now put away and the memories have been made. I love this time of year when even through the craziness there are still so many smiles! I would like to have lots of "happiness and giving" through the whole year. Maybe I will make that my goal - to be a little happier and more giving through the craziness of life... and I would like a clean refrigerator! :)

Christmas began...

2011-12-28T22:34:00.000-05:00

with decorations and memories,

I love this picture!

Kavan was very excited to get the "honor" of putting on the star!

He was very careful! :)

with parties,

Kenzie had some friends over for cookie decorating, white elephant,

and dancing!

Aunt Jana's party...

with friends and family.

It looks like Kirk was in charge of the meatballs!

We loved the games!

Well, until Kavan got the can of boiled peanuts! :) Still funny to everyone but Kavan!

with sweet and funny moments,

with a visit to Santa,

and a night of Lights of the South!

We had Christmas Eve "Eve" with my parents,

Kenzie got a new flute and was very "touched!"

Kyler was given my brother's shotgun.

with decorating gingerbread men and Christmas trees at Aunt Jana's,

and with dinner and a talent show!

Dinner was super yummy with ham, green beans,
mac & cheese, mashed potatoes,
egg rolls, pineapple casserole, strawberry pretzel salad, and rolls.

Karlee and Kavan wrote and performed a play under the direction of Layne.

My dad can yo-yo!

Bryant can hand-stand!

My mom can tie amazing knots!

Kavan played the piano.

Karlee played the piano.

Kyler (bassoon) and Kenzie (piano) played Silent Night.

Mary sang and Zach played.

We had a quartet.

Zach and Kenzie played a duet.

Paul can almost head-stand! :)

Layne and I played a duet.

I love playing duets with my mom!

We had 8 hands playing Jingle Bells on the piano!

Paul set himself on fire this year so a fire extinguisher he received!

We had Christmas Eve with our traditional

"Mitchell Christmas Party!"

Pizza!

Gifts!

and the Christmas story!

It was busy, it was super fun, and so many new memories were made! I love how the kids act out the Christmas story! It is always a special moment for me! I am so thankful for our Savior! For His birth, His atoning sacrifice, and the love He has for each one of us!

A Great Day!

2011-12-25T17:21:00.002-05:00

Merry Christmas!

Thanksgiving continued!

2011-12-18T16:57:00.001-05:00

After a wonderful visit and a super yummy Thanksgiving dinner with the Burgy side of the family, we headed to Destin, Florida with the Mitchell side of the family! It was awesome!

The house!

The Family! Unfortunately, Tyler was not able to come with us this year. Fortunately, he has a new job! :)

The beach!

The playground!

The fishing trip! Dolphins galore, fish galore, waves galore, and well... sickness galore!

Tim catching a nap - Kavan sick, sick, sick! 9 out of the 12 didn't fair so well on the rough ocean water. Kenzie, however, loved every minute!!

Despite the sickness - all came home - and with much success!

The Naval Air Museum in Pensacola! One of the coolest museums ever - and it is free!

A little pep talk from Uncle Ryan! I love this picture! :)

Thanksgiving dinner!

Lots of yummy food...

very much enjoyed!

Family pictures! Thanks so much to April!!

BINGO!

Betsy "wheeling and dealing" with Jana!

It was such a wonderful trip... it was hard to come back to reality! Many thanks to my in-laws... who I love so much!

Thanksgiving...

2011-11-28T09:00:00.001-05:00

Thanksgiving break was AWESOME!! -to be continued...

Summer?

2011-11-15T15:40:00.001-05:00

It is so warm here right now. So, I decided to post some neglected fun from the summer!

I had a birthday! We had some yummy food and yummy cake - that I did not have to make thanks to my Layne... and so many of my favorite people! :) Great times!

A lot of candles!

That I blew out in a super flash! :)

And I just had so many fun surprises!

We spent some time at my Mom and Dad's and got to have a fun day with the Austin family.

Karlee can do a full fledged belly flop and not cringe - CRAZY!

Look at all those curls!

Fun ladies!

We had a great visit with some of our family from Ohio!

We all love this little girl!!!

Heather got up and going on the skis! Hooray!

My dad having fun!

Kavan in the driver's seat?!?

I love my Uncle john!

Some super fun on the kneeboard!

So funny, Annie...seriously! :)

This was THE best...

My cousin John gettin' my mom.

But did it stop there...

Nope!

So much fun!

Kavan turns 8!

2011-11-08T10:51:00.001-05:00

Wow! I am really behind, and time is going by so quickly, and there is so much to talk about and remember - BUT - Kavan turned 8!

He was so excited to be 8!

He wanted to be baptized,

Uncle Tyler, Uncle Ryan, Uncle Kirk, Grandpa Burgy, Kavan (notice his tie), Layne, Grandpa Mitchell, Uncle Terry, Paul

Hmm... I wonder how his tie got so crooked!?!

and he wanted to be a Cub Scout (and ride with Uncle Kirk to the church on Wednesday nights with all the "big kids")!

Needless to say, being 8 is really great!

(Time does go so quick!)

Guess who had a birthday?

2011-09-28T21:57:00.000-04:00

Guess Who?

Miss Karlee had a birthday today! She is officially in the double digits at age 10! From 1 to 10 in a blink of an eye!

Today was just a quick celebration after school and work - KFC, neopolitan ice cream cake, and opening a couple of presents before Activity Days at the church. She invited two of her friends, Alaina and Kelsey, to go to Activity Days with her. They had a great time!

Just as a side note - I taught my first Seminary lesson today. As I was taking McKenzie and two of her friends to school after Seminary, we called Karlee and all sang Happy Birthday to her. That was fun! It made Karlee laugh! :) There are some great kids in our Seminary class!

A huge part of summer!

2011-09-15T13:04:00.001-04:00

Kyler and Karlee decided to try something new and participate on a neighborhood swim team (the Fins) this summer. They had a great time! And they got to swim with their cousins - Collin and Samantha - and their good friends, Keaton, Braden, Jaren, and Dallin.

The set up.

The neighborhood pool we swam at the most.

The starting blocks.

Getting ready.

Warming up.

Kyler

Our good friend, Keaton.

Waiting.

It was a hot summer here in Augusta. Umbrellas helped a little!

Jana and our good friend, Denise.

Keaton and Kyler :)

There was an artist among the parents, who would often decorate the kids! The girls loved this! Pretty fun!

A timer. As parents, we helped work the swim meets. I liked being a timer.

Ready to race.

Kyler

Samantha

Collin

Karlee

Karlee - making sure she is at the right place at the right time.

Samantha

Kyler

Collin

This is probably hard to see, but checkout block 2 and block 5.
Samantha versus Collin - starting swimmers for a mixed relay! :)

Racing.

Samantha

Karlee

Kyler

Karlee

Kyler

Collin

For one of the meets, the coaches asked the kids if there was any particular race that they wanted to be in. Karlee volunteered for an IM. This race involves 4 different strokes and 4 lengths of the pool. Now Karlee was known to cheat at practices - especially when tired - by walking on the bottom of the pool. In a race that disqualifies you. She also, in a hurry by the coaches, got pulled into a race that she was not supposed to swim in, but had to swim 2 lengths of the pool (unknown to her) - and came out crying. With that history I said, "You volunteered for an IM?!?" Karlee said, "Yep!" So I said, "Well ok - but you need to work hard and do your very best. And if you try your very best it does not matter if you get disqualified, unless you touch the bottom of the pool." She just smiled and walked away.

Her race.

Karlee getting ready.

Off she goes!

Racing.

And done. Did she make it?
Yes she did, and she worked so hard!
I was so proud of her and I think she was too! A great accomplishment!

Silly boys taking a break and having fun!

I loved how everyone cheered on and supported each other.

Samantha

Braden, Collin, Kyler, and Keaton

Karlee getting a high five from her friend.

Awards morning and party.

Samantha

Kyler and Karlee enjoying the breakfast.

The coaches threw cans of soda and bottles of Gatorade
into the pool for the kids to get - Crazy, but super fun!

Kyler, Keaton, and Collin.
Collin got a stash and was very good at trading!

After the season was over, Divisionals were held at the Aquatics Center. The kids were very excited and had a great time. They swam maybe 3-4 races each. Karlee's best... 8th overall in the backstroke in her age group, and Kyler's best... 3rd overall in the backstroke.

Remembering 9/11

2011-09-11T18:29:00.000-04:00

10 years ago I was 9 months pregnant, at the mall picking out a "going home" outfit for our "soon to be born" baby. Everything got very quiet - all music turned off - and I just remember it being so weird. After a phone conversation, the cashier in the store told me what had just happened. We both looked at each other like, "what?" I walked back to the car, called Layne, and went home.

I am truly thankful for the people that try to protect and serve this country and our freedoms, everyday. There are so many heroes among us!

Today at church we sang, America the Beautiful and We Thank Thee O God for a Prophet.

Karlee

2011-09-08T13:35:00.000-04:00

This is going to sound awful coming from a mom, but...

"Nice and sweet" are not the first words that come to mind when describing Karlee. I often think freckles and feisty. With that being said, many of you know that her emotions and reactions run high and extreme on both ends - sweet or rotten - excited or sad. Anyway, today I went to the school to eat lunch first with Kavan and then Karlee! It was a great time! And I had not one, but three teachers come to me and express just how sweet and helpful Karlee is. Karlee has two children in her class with special needs, and guess who just happens to willingly love and help these children? I love her! :)

The Temple

2011-08-30T09:00:00.000-04:00

This past Saturday I was able to go with our church youth group to the temple. It was a beautiful day! And it was Kyler's first temple trip to be able to do the work. He was so excited! He had a great day! When Kyler and I were talking about it he really focused on the importance of being baptized by immersion. He said, "Mom, I thought about life, death, and resurrection each time." (And the fact that Brother Heath would just pop him right up out of the water each time.) After we were done, we headed to the bookstore where Brandon (a 17 year old youth) came to Kyler, put an arm around his shoulder and said, "So, how was it?" Kyler smiled real big and just nodded. Then Brandon asked, "Do you remember any names?" Kyler did, and he also remembered that one shared his birth month and day. Kyler was able to do the work for some of Brother Carlsen's ancestors, which he thought was pretty neat! I had such a great time sharing this beautiful day with McKenzie and Kyler! I love them!

So Fun!

McKenzie and Zach - they always have a fun time.

You gotta watch out for that Bishop Anderson! :)

Spaetzle

2011-08-29T14:54:00.001-04:00

So I have this awesome aunt that I love! She makes all kinds of yummy stuff in her kitchen - with all her neat kitchen tools and gadgets! I was in Ohio for a family reunion just a short while ago and she taught me how to make homemade noodles and spaetzle. Just so you know, I love spaetzle! After I came home from Ohio McKenzie and I made spaetzle. However, we made quite a mess because we didn't own a "spaetzle maker." It was still really good, but I was ready to order a "spaetzle maker." Then to my surprise what comes in the mail just a couple days later...a box from my aunt containing a pasta cutter and a "spaetzle maker." How awesome is that!?! So we had spaetzle for dinner. Making spaetzle (with a spaetzle maker) takes about 10 minutes from start to finish - and it is yummy!!!

Karlee took these pictures while Layne and I made spaetzle with the "spaetzle maker"...

Make dough while boiling water.

Drop dough in hopper.

Move the hopper back and forth over pot.

When dough floats it is done.

Drain.

Serve it and or mix it with just about anything. Aaaand it can be a main dish - a side dish - or a snack! :) Perfect for a tired mama and hungry kids! And so yummy! Thanks, Aunt Patty! Sure do love you! :)

Where did summer go?

2011-08-18T10:57:00.002-04:00

The summer went by so very fast and school is already in full swing.

Kenzie (a freshman) is out the door for seminary by 5:55am,

Kyler (7th grade) catches the bus with Collin (8th grade) and Samantha (6th grade) at 7:00am,

and Karlee (4th grade) and Kavan (2nd grade) are on the bus by 7:24am.

My house is quiet, yet responsibility beckons. I can remember telling my mom at age 11 that I wanted to stay 11 forever... things change! :) I've come to the conclusion that no matter who you are or what you do - life is busy. Layne reminds me often to "pick out the good" - remember the "good" from each day.

So today, I will do laundry with "sunshine in my soul!" And relish in the freshness of clean clothes! :)

(Kyler planted sunflowers this year. They were beautiful!)

A long time ago...

2011-07-11T19:27:00.001-04:00

my brother and I played on the Jersey shore! :)

McKenzie!

2011-07-05T22:34:00.002-04:00

Kenzie has some fun friends that she got together with for pictures and a dinner out - to celebrate the end of the school year! Kenzie had an all around - fantastic - last year in middle school! I think she is a little nervous about high school and a little sad about ending her reign as an 8th grader!

Meade, Courtney, Kenzie, Katie, and Maddie

Dinner at Armando's - yummy!

Band concert - she had a flute solo and got to play the piccolo.

So she told me the day of she had a flute solo and didn't make a big deal about it. But had I known her flute and the chimes were about the only things playing I might have been better prepared. Anyway, if you listen closely and quickly you might here what I heard that night! :)

Honors Night! :)

I am always so proud of the kids when they have worked hard and done well, but sometimes the award night gets a little "lengthy"! Good thing we had Kavan with us to take pictures...

Soon after school got out, Kenzie went to Girl's Camp. Great site, great lake, great leaders, and great memories!

"Live Like You Believe!"

Then Kenzie turned 14! Huh?
(Did you know I met Layne at 14? At my first church dance?)

Kenzie was sick on her birthday and had been for 3 days, but we still had a small celebration.

Ice cream cake, yum!

Then we celebrated with lots of family at the lake.

Then she celebrated again with some friends by making "hair flowers,"

bath salts and shrinky dinks,

having lunch and eating cupcakes and ice cream,

then pampering the feet with pedicures while watching Letters to Juliet. Fun stuff!!

One of the things she asked for for her birthday was a Daddy - Daughter date! They saw the movie Soul Surfer and ate at Fatz Cafe! So fun!

My, how time really does fly!

We sure do love her!

Kyler!

2011-07-02T11:04:00.000-04:00

Kyler had the opportunity to play baseball for the middle school's B team and the county recreation department this year. Even though his school team was kind of like the "Bad News Bears" that never quite got it together, Kyler worked really hard and had a great time with both of his teams!

Kyler turned 12 years old in May - WOW! To celebrate "the boys" - Kyler, Layne, my dad, and 3 of Kyler's friends (Griffin, Owen, and Keaton), went to IHOP and the movie Thor in 3D on the eve of his birthday. Then on his birthday my dad took Kyler, Kavan, and Layne on a fishing trip. They had so much fun!

Then we celebrated with cheesecake and presents after showers.

It's fun that Kyler still gets so excited!

Kyler loves card tricks, magic tricks, diabalo tricks, etc... So Kenzie got him a "magic hat."

And being 12 he got to go to Boy Scout Camp in June, so he got a new pack for his birthday!

Also being 12, he received the Aaronic Priesthood on Sunday May 8, 2011.

What a neat day! Layne and I are so grateful for Kyler and for the choices that he makes - and for the excitement he has for life!

After church, we celebrated Kyler's and Kirk's birthday with lots of family.

Kyler got an afghan from his Grandma Mitchell! Love it!

Kirk and Kyler are enjoying their cake - cookie and ice cream!!!

There have been several areas devastated by storms lately and Alabama was one of them. Layne, Kirk, Collin and Kyler along with many others were able to go help with Alabama's relief effort. What a great opportunity for service! I think seeing the devastation was quite an eye opening experience for the boys. (Kyler also thought it was pretty crazy to go to church without a shower in his dirty jeans and t-shirt, and to be able to set up camp right there on church grounds.) A neat experience - a great memory!

Kyler really enjoyed middle school and had a great school year! The end of the school year brought band concerts and...

Kyler and the bassoon! :)

honors night. Kyler missed honors night because of a baseball game, but the two trophies left sitting on the table were his. He said his homeroom teacher (Ms. Nash) was very excited to give them to him the next morning. He received the trophies for obtaining the highest average in his pod for language arts and social studies.

We love this boy!

2005 2011

Karlee Ann!

2011-06-21T10:53:00.000-04:00

Karlee had the coolest recorder concert ever! Layne and I were dreading having to listen to 200 third grade students give a recorder concert (I know great parents, right?), but we were pleasantly surprised! They "rocked out" with their recorders. That Ms. Perry (the music teacher) is quite clever!

Karlee's class took first place at field day! They were excited!

Karlee and her buddy, Alaina. [The night before the last day of school, Karlee was heard crying after we had said goodnight. When asked what the matter was she replied with many tears, "I don't want school to end because I will miss my friends." Although sad at the time, she too has adjusted quite well to the summer break!] :)

Karlee started piano lessons with Ms. Aubree this year and loves it! She had her first piano recital the end of May and played The Snake Charmer. She had memorized it and played it very well! Big smiles all around!

Ms. Aubree also has all of her students (beginning, intermediate, and advanced) compose a song of their own. They are then judged. Karlee won first place in her group for her song The Farm. She was very surprised and very excited - as she got a whole jar of Skittles! :) The talent of these young kids is pretty amazing!

Ms. Aubree and Karlee - we love Ms. Aubree!

And we love our silly Karlee who always keeps us on our toes!

Really?

Kavan!

2011-06-20T13:17:00.000-04:00

My mom is patiently awaiting updates (sorry)! I am a bit behind so I thought I would start with a Kavan update...

Kavan was the cutest fish ever in his school play.

He was pretty excited to learn how to "handle" the trail bike all by himself!

He played soccer again and loved it! Had a great season, a great coach, and can't wait until next season! (I love soccer and I loved watching Kavan play. He gets right in there - so much fun!)

He had a great school year! They had a fun last day with a cookout, games, bubbles, and sidewalk chalk. He told me he was going to miss his teacher, Ms. Holmes. Ms. Holmes is a great teacher and a great person - and we are so thankful for her time and effort and all the extra things she did to make this a great year! (She even came to watch Kavan play ball.)

Ms. Holmes has the water gun.

Ms. Holmes got Kavan! :)

Kavan also finished up another baseball season.

He decided that baseball was a "little boring" and that he would stick with soccer - for now! :)

Although Kavan was a little sad about school being over, I think he has adjusted to summer quite nicely! :)

April also brought...

2011-05-30T22:21:00.001-04:00

Lots of birthdays!!!

That "41" on top of that doughnut cake belongs to Layne! :) He got to celebrate his birthday with Tyler, April, Timothy, Jeremiah, Cade, and Bryant. And we not only celebrated it once,

not just twice,

but three times!

And as you can see, Layne was once again so fast with blowing out his candles that I missed it!

We sure do love him!!! :)

April brought...

2011-05-28T10:22:00.002-04:00

A Happy Easter!

Coloring eggs...

Karlee keeping the treats coming while Ali does the decorating! Silly girls! :)

Look at Eliza! It is way past her bedtime and we were having so much fun - she was not about to miss a thing!

Is it ready yet?

Ahh! Perfect!

Hunting for baskets on Easter Morning...

Ready for church...

The Annual Easter Egg Hunt begins...

Hmm...does this egg have money in it?

A fun family, a beautiful day...

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16

and a true blessing!

For All Eternity!

2011-05-06T16:19:00.008-04:00

In 1981, ground was broken for the building and dedication of The Atlanta Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

In 1981, at the ground breaking, my brother and I were there. I remember sitting on a blanket, eating lunch, and listening to the prophet speak. I remember President Spencer W. Kimball's hoarse voice and the wind blowing in his microphone. In 1983, when the temple was dedicated, my brother and I were there inside the temple. I remember being in the temple, wearing the shoe coverings, and seeing the choir with my mom (who played the organ) all dressed in white. I don't remember a whole lot of what was said, but I do remember how clean and beautiful everything was.

At the end of spring break this year, we had the opportunity to go to the open house of the newly renovated Atlanta Temple before the rededication.

It was a beautiful day!

And the kids were so excited to go inside.

However, Rebekah was not too keen on wearing the shoe coverings. :)

The cousins.

My family! I am so thankful for the blessings of the temple - for all eternity! When Layne and I were married in the temple, it was a beautiful day!

Samantha and Kenzie.

I loved walking through the temple with McKenzie. Her eyes would light up and she would say in a whisper, "Oh, wow!" She loved the bride's dressing room, the big beautiful chandeliers and the Celestial room. The next weekend, Kenzie got to go again with the youth from our area. She had said that as they were touring the temple she pulled her friend Gabby (who goes to church, but is not yet a member) over to look at the bride's room and Gabby said, "That's where I want to be someday." Kenzie said, "I want to be there someday too."

Kyler was so excited. He said, "I didn't think I would get to go inside the temple until I was 12 and here I am." He loved the "eternity mirrors."

Karlee liked being able to sit in a room like the one Layne and I were married in. She had us talk about our wedding day while we were sitting in the sealing room. She said, "This is my favorite."

Kavan said,"My favorite was the sealing room because it was white and had big lights, and the white made me feel like getting baptized."

My feelings and gratitude for this day are endless, just as are the blessings of the temple! It really was a beautiful day!

Spring!

2011-05-05T11:24:00.000-04:00

Spring is beautiful...

During Spring Break, Timothy, Jeremiah, and Rebekah came up to spend some time with us. The kids went back and forth among our house, Jana's house and April's house. We had some good times! One of my favorite times was at Harlem park where we had a dinner picnic and a big game of kickball! During dinner the wind was really blowing (because there was a big storm moving in) and Jeremiah had filled his plate with cheese puffs only to lose them in the wind. It was pretty funny - probably more so had you seen it, but anyway - the look on his face and his funny little giggle while the cheetos blew away was definitely memorable! :)

That night, the storm came and this is what we found that next morning...

Needless to say it was time to work. So Layne (because he couldn't get down the driveway to go to work) and Tyler (because he was off of school) got their chainsaws busy, and the boys cleared wood and hauled it to the burn pile. They worked really hard and had gotten things pretty clear by lunchtime! They did a great job!

Taking a break while watching Layne.

The gas blower was a little too heavy for Kavan! :)

Just wondering.

2011-05-03T16:24:00.001-04:00

Kavan came home from school today and while eating a snack asked, "Do you think Uncle Mike goes to sleep in Heaven?........... Is it always light?"

I love that he thinks about Uncle Mike! :)

A hole... in my newly painted ceiling!

2011-04-28T12:11:00.002-04:00

So the day we got home from our vacation, Kyler started a shower in the master bathroom and within about 5 minutes Karlee is yelling from the downstairs computer room, "Ummm, daaaad there's a hole in the ceiling."

Really?

After weighing the pros and cons, Layne cut the hole a little bigger to see what might be going on. - So began the decision to use our "carpet money" to fix and upgrade our master bathroom... and our downstairs bathroom (which had an uneven floor that will hopefully explain the leaking of that toilet).

Through a "comedy of errors" this hole eventually became much bigger.

Our shower used to be an insert. They cut it out and we discovered there was no insulation - at all. I guess that explains why it was sometimes sooo cold in the shower! So we gave it some insulation! :)

The floor destruction of our downstairs bathroom.

Starting the tile upstairs.

Tub almost ready for tile.

The shower - getting closer to being done.

The tile downstairs - almost done.

The tile around the tub.

Just needs some grout.

Our downstairs bathroom. The toilet doesn't leak! :)

The master bathroom - the shower doesn't leak! :)

I like it! :)

The hole in the ceiling finally got covered 2 days ago (Nearly 2 1/2 months later then the hole appeared). All it needs now is a little sanding and some paint. Hooray!

I am very thankful how everything has turned out - and very thankful for my very patient husband! Our downstairs sink has become Layne's nemesis and setting toilets (okay lets say plumbing in general) may perhaps be the one thing in life that he dislikes more then any other! You just never know what could trigger the next error in a "comedy of errors."

I'm guessing that's why he started this project halfway through the bathroom project! :)

Maybe we will have a new deck this summer! :)

Islands of Adventure

2011-04-18T10:45:00.001-04:00

This is the last adventure day, as I close our memories of a fun-filled family vacation!

First stop...

Marvel Super Hero Island.

The Hulk! -And Kyler was finally tall enough to ride it! He loved it - and it was awesome!

Storm Force Accelatron! -those silly kids with the twirling whirling rides! They just love it!

Super Heroes (even though Kavan knows they are "just in costumes" he still gets excited to see them)!

Kavan was finally tall enough for the Spider-man ride. He was so excited... and so nervous that he kept his eyes closed tight for most of the ride! :)

Seuss Landing is always a favorite - with all kids - young and old!

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish!

I don't know the guy pointing, but check out the lady with the camera! :)

Layne was trying to get their picture up high, as mom was taking ours!

The Caro-Seuss-el

Toon Lagoon

Time to eat and rest...notice Kyler's head in my lap. Silly kids!

The Playground at Seuss Landing

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - was amazing to look at and it had super fun rides!

Layne's favorite - Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey

My favorite - Dragon Challenge

The younger kids - The Flight of the Hippogriff (they went like 6 times)

So a really great day!

Favorite part of the whole day (ok - maybe it was just my favorite part, well probably Karlee's too) - Butterbeer!!!

It's kind of hard to describe the taste, but I would compare it to a rootbeer float or an icy cream soda with just a hint of butterscotch! So, so good - even Kyler who mainly drinks milk and water loved it! So very yummy- really yummy! :)

Thanks mom and dad for such a funtastic week! We all had such a great time!

- And thanks dad for the butterbeer! You think we could ship some of that home?!?

Sea World - again!!!

2011-04-14T21:24:00.001-04:00

Sea World offered a second day free, and we took full advantage! We loved it on our Day #1 adventure, so to come back for our Day #4 adventure was a super bonus!

We loved watching this walrus (he was so huge),

and the beluga whales! They are so cool!

And I loved watching these "crazy funny animals" run from ride to ride!

Especially this "funny crazy one" here with Karlee (he's cool like that!). Layne was riding Shamu...

while my mom and I were riding the Manta!! :)

Actually - those of us who braved the Manta (~~even~~ especially Layne), thought it was the coolest coaster ever! Well, except maybe my dad. He rode it - then decided he might be gettin' old! :) My mom can hang with us, though! I think she might have even opened her eyes - for a second! And Kyler - well he is just a roller coaster riding fool!

At the end of our day we watched the dolphins, and they are amazing!

I think Kenzie could have watched them all day long!

So this might be too much information for some, but it is kind of interesting...

We learned that dolphins enjoy sex as much as humans - especially after eating - and as teenagers when "hormones are raging." The lady also explained that as you watch dolphins swim as a pair, "it is like they are 'in sync' with each other and dancing before the actual act."

Every once in a while Karlee would shout out, "Hey Mom, that one's a boy!"

Disney!!!!

2011-04-12T10:40:00.000-04:00

Adventure Day #3...

Disney's Magic Kingdom!

Laney's ready to go!

Peter Pan, It's a Small World,

and Teacups, ughh!

I don't know how they can walk right off this ride - and be stable, too!

Snow White,

People mover,

Pooh Bear,

Terry showing us his drumming skills while waiting for the Pooh Bear ride.

And while Terry was drumming, Laney was hugging the strangers! :)

and Mickey and Minnie! They appeared while we were waiting our turn for Space Mountain, so of course we had to take advantage of the photo op!

Between all the fun rides we had some pretty fun moments, here are just a few of my favorite pictures...

Mmmmmm, ice cream!

Kavan is always trying to hitch a ride,

or find a comfy place to rest!

"What's up with resting? Let's go," says Kyler.

After a full day of fun, we grabbed a spot for the electric parade. We got a good spot and the kids had lots of high fives! So FUN!

And the fireworks around the castle are - AWESOME!!! A perfect way to end the day!!!

Favorite rides: Buzz Lightyear, the Mine Train, Peter Pan, and Space Mountain.

Loudest screamer: It's a toss up between Heather and Karlee! :)

Fishing in the ocean!

2011-04-11T10:15:00.000-04:00

The second adventure...

the boys went fishing!

Kavan's first fishing trip on the ocean!

It was an early morning!

I think Kavan got the first catch!

He was excited!

But not so sure about touching the fish! :)

Dad's turn!

Kyler's turn!

And Kavan's turn!

Look at that determination!

Whew! That was a lot of work!

That fish weighs about the same as Kavan!

Kyler just loves him some fishin'! :)

Layne's turn!

Lots of fish - a good guide - and a good day had by all!

Guess what we had for dinner!?!

Sea World

2011-04-05T16:33:00.000-04:00

In February, we had a fabulous family vacation with my mom and dad, Heather, Terry, Ellie and Laney!

Our first adventure...
Sea World!

First stop - the manatee. This big huge manatee was wiggling juuust so - so as to scratch his back. He had me laughing!

Laney makes me laugh!

After riding some awesome rides, we went to the dolphin show. It was so good!!!!

The kids loved it!

Well, maybe all the excitement caught up to Laney! :)

More to see...

The Shamu show!

And how about lunch? Park food is usually not great, but this food was pretty yummy! Different kinds of BBQ - mmm!

Then, some of us went to the rides -

while others went to watch A' Lure. It was so good - a crazy amazing acrobatic circus type of show!

(My kids could probably make a crazy show! Oh and just so you know, Kenzie didn't really lick Kyler's cheek! That would be gross! Giving grandma picture opportunities while waiting - I guess!)

Here we are waiting for our last show of the day!

A favorite! It was so good and so funny! And this walrus is huge and kinda cute! :)

Last stop - the penguins!

A great day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day...

2011-03-17T12:30:00.000-04:00

and an Ode to Mike!

O Mike,
Born on St. Patrick's day,
so goofy and spry!
How is it, that I can still see you
on the fly?

In Kenzie, I see your big heart of service.
In Kyler - your engineering mind at work.
In Karlee - your "feisty" and determination.
In Kavan - your focus and mad soccer skills.

O Mike,
The ruckus and laughter you still cause,
is great for keeping your memory alive.
The funny tales we continue to tell!
And the stories we keep to ourselves!

O Mike,
You make this day a special one,
Even though, you'd be the first pinching one!

Oh boy, when we meet again! :)

Mike

March 17, 1973 - November 14, 2003

Why?

2011-03-03T10:20:00.001-05:00

Exercise and household chores are at times... quite "nagging." I think for me it is a love-hate relationship. I love the feel of accomplishing a "good workout" and I also love having a clean house with laundry and ironing done - but sometimes it seems sooooo hard to be motivated to do it. Why is that?

Quite often, during family prayers in the mornings, my kids will pray that we will make good choices - and have good days in school or at work - and that we will be able to do so with safety. One morning Karlee prayed, "Please bless us that we will have a good day at school. That Kavan will be on green, that I will not get any strikes, and that Kyler and Kenzie will not go to the principal's office. Please bless that daddy will have a good day at work and please bless mommy that she will have a good time doing whatever it is that she does...."

I wish we were still on vacation! :)

Still catching up...

2011-02-15T09:15:00.002-05:00

After Christmas festivities at my house were complete, we packed up, cleared the house for our floors to be refinished, and headed to my mom's house. I love going back "home." I grew up in an area where there are miles and miles of bike paths. So we took some walks. I love walking, talking with my mom, being with my kids and watching what happens when imagination is at work!

We walked all the way around the lake and stopped at every playground along the way!

They have running clubs in the area that have put in "workout stops" along the paths.

My dad took us to see "Alpha and Omega." What a great movie! The kids loved it and so did I!

We found another fun park!

A monkey!

Ellie and Karlee!

Don't put anything past my dad! :)

Kyler was chasing Kavan and bonked his head. Kavan is much smaller...

He got away! :)

Crazy boy! He did land on his feet! Notice Kavan swinging with Kenzie in the back - makes me happy!

Then we were ready to usher in the New Year! (When my brother and I were growing up we use to make construction paper confetti, throw it in the air, and bang on empty peanut butter or ice cream buckets with wooden spoons. After the ball dropped, we would gather up all the confetti and save it for the next year in our buckets! heehee )

But would we make it to midnight?!?

Yep....

And who was the biggest noisemaker?!?

The next day Heather and Laney joined us for another Christmas celebration!

Kyler, Kenzie, Ellie, Laney, Karlee, and Kavan! :)

Nothing better than warm fuzzy slippers!

After a super fun holiday we returned home to beautiful floors! I had expected to come home ready to dust, move furniture back, dust some more and clean clean clean. But Layne and his brother, Kirk, worked hard and got all the furniture back in place, and Layne cleaned and dusted and dusted - even the baseboards! So my work was minimal! He's Awesome! I love him!

I know it's already February and I am playing catch-up, but it's great to reflect on these fun memories! What a wonderful time of year to celebrate with family that I love so much! I am so thankful for our Savior - for His birth, His sacrifice, and His example!

"What do you call these?"

2011-02-14T10:48:00.000-05:00

After fun in the snow we just goofed off for the day...

Kenzie very much enjoyed the laziness of it all in her jammies!

Kavan got the game Farkle in his stocking and we love it! I'm losing count of how many times we have played, but it is pretty fun!

Kavan is the "Farkle Champion."

Much to my dismay, as I cannot beat that kid!!! :)

Us girls decided to do a little "after Christmas shopping." Karlee was so excited to go! My mom was looking for a winter coat so we hit a couple of stores with that in mind. We ended up at Ross, and the outerwear is found right by the underwear aisles. As my mom tried on jackets, Karlee investigated the underwear. And if you know Karlee, she is not very discreet. So first, she found a huge pair of undies, held them up and declared, "Oh my!" Then she picked up a little thong and asked, "What is this?" I said, "underwear." She was okay with that for a little bit as she set them down and moved on. A few minutes later she came back to the thong, held it up and said, "how do you wear this?" After some contemplating she said to me, "I got it! This part goes in the front and this in the back. What do you call these... buttcrackers?!?"

The day after...

2011-02-14T10:10:00.000-05:00

The day after Christmas...it snowed!

But only a little!

Christmas Day!

2011-02-03T10:56:00.000-05:00

Oh, Christmas morning was so exciting! 6:00am on the dot!!!

Santa left many fun surprises...

Kenzie - new shoes and money for shopping

Kyler - trick bike complete with helmet and pads

Karlee - a "real" jewelry box filled with jewelry and dollar bills

Kavan - a workbench

and the stockings were filled with "smell good stuff", candy, games, hair clips and make-up for the girls and itunes for the dad - and yummy chocolate for the mom! :)

Kenzie got to be the "hander-outer" this year.

Layne here showing off his Nook and new pj bottoms.

Eclipse - it just made her day! :)

A soccer shirt.

A "Megan Pilkington" original - Awesome, right?!?!!

New shoes - and they are purple!!!

Ahhh, the joys and "messes" of Christmas!

Kavan putting projects together with his new workbench.

Visitors! Later in the day we had some family come over. We had stashed Linda's Christmas present from Tim in our basement. A new dining room table! How many pizzas and people can we fit on and around this table???

I love my mom's smile!! :)

My dad loves Cocoa Puffs - so he needed a shirt to talk about how "cuckoo" he is!

And you can't have the shirt without a box of Cocoa Puffs!

Kavan got a "pioneer toy" that I cannot remember the name of, but it was a hit with everyone!

Do you love Kenzie's hat and scarf? Yep, she does. My mom also gave her her very own sewing stuff!

Layne and I got these really cool wooden pens made by my really cool uncle and cousin!

Guess What? My parents gave me "Despicable Me!" Hooray! Can you feel the excitement? (I think we have now seen "Despicable Me" about 6 times! :) And it makes me laugh every time!)

What a great day of family fun and time spent together - just playing!!!

Christmas Eve...

2011-02-01T09:57:00.001-05:00

Growing up in my family Christmas Eve consisted of dinner, a talent show, (some gift shaking - shame on you dad!) the reading of the Christmas story, and getting treats out for Santa and Rudolph. Then we would head off to bed excited and knowing that we would only sleep off and on - but enough for Santa to come. One year my dad told us that we had to wait until (I think it was) 6:00am to get up. My eyes popped open before that time (I think my clock read 4:10 or so). As I was laying in my bed, I would watch my clock (I had one with a second hand.) and see how long I could hold my breath - just to past the time. It dawned on me as I was watching my clock and listening to the chimes of the Grandfather clock downstairs that when my clock said 5:00am, there just happened to be 6 chimes from the grandfather clock. Hmmm - my dad thinks he's tricky!

Anyway, the past couple of years we have had the Koschene family over for Christmas Eve and have carried on some of those same traditions.

Dinner - brown sugar ham, pineapple casserole, potato casserole, asparagus, green beans, rolls, strawberry pretzel salad and yummy desserts!

Getting ready for the talent show.

I think this was Paul's reaction when asked what talent he was sharing! :) Next year, Paul and Layne, next year!

(I'm not sure what Mary and Karlee are doing here but, I thought it was a funny picture!)

Kavan started off the show by singing Mary had a Little Lamb while doing a headstand. (I had told Kavan that one Christmas Eve growing up we were "razzing" my dad about not sharing a talent. My dad proceeded to let us know that he had a talent - he performed a headstand. So, Kavan had to be like Grandpa!)

Miss Karlee played the piano.

Kenzie and Kyler played a bassoon and flute duet.

Bryant played the saxophone.

Zach played the saxophone.

Kenzie had asked if I would play a Christmas duet with her and we did. I cannot hold my breath for as long as I use to. We also played a piano duet - my fingers hold up better than my breath! :)

Then we had a fun gift exchange.

The Koschene's are awesome friends. We love them and had such a great time!

Time to set out treats for Rudolph and Santa. (Notice Kyler still has his hat on - good job, Mary!)

Waiting for Santa....

Christmas Parties!

2011-01-31T10:32:00.000-05:00

Jana's annual "Gingerbread Man Decorating" party...

Bryant made a sandwich out of his cookies. Maybe it was a little over the top - he had a hard time eating it! :)

Who had the best cookies?!?

Then it was time for the annual "Mitchell Christmas Party!"

PIZZA!!!!!

Having fun while waiting for the yummy pizza to cook!

I'm so thankful for uncles!!!

Pizza Time! So YUMMY!!!!

Time for the reading of the Christmas Story...
This is always special! And it is fun to think about years past and how much the kids have grown! Not to mention how much our family has grown in numbers!

Getting Ready!

Eliza!

Karlee was so excited to be the Angel!

Look how Karlee is still holding her pose! :) So fun!

Santa left a secret bag of goodies while we were singing Christmas carols! Every year the kids try to figure out how the bag gets there. It must be Santa Magic!!! :)

We draw names every year for our fun gift exchange!

That silly boy!

Love this picture!!!

Kenzie and Samantha loved their new bags!

Can't you just feel the love?!?

We always have such a great time together! And make so many fun memories!

December Fun!

2011-01-30T21:11:00.000-05:00

So the first weekend of December got Christmas going right away with the Grovetown Christmas tree lighting! It was cold but Kenzie was still excited to go and help usher in the Christmas season with the band!

The same weekend was Linda's (my mother-in-law) annual Christmas Open House. The open house is always so much fun and I even had repeat customers with my jewelry sales this year! I actually took some really fun pictures so you could see all the goodies that were for sale this year...but we cannot locate those pictures. Anyway, Linda had candles, soap, pottery, and vinyl. April had wellness bags and super cute aprons. Jana and Samantha had cute burp cloths, hair clips, reindeer food, and trail mix. McKenzie had diaper straps and I had my jewelry! We also went out for our dessert again this year and it was so great - Samantha got our conversations started with the question, "What is your most embarrassing moment?" !!!! Oh, the things we shared!

We then took a Monday night to enjoy Lights of the South with Kirk and Tyler's families! It was so cold but so fun and beautiful!! I also had some great pictures of this night that have been lost - bummer! But I do have the "Santa Picture!"

While I was at the open house, Layne and the kids got lights up outside and the tree up. So, when I got home it was time to do the inside decorating. It's fun to watch the kids remember the ornaments - the stories behind the ornaments - or how old they were when they made some of the ornaments!

The next weekend we headed to Athens for UGA's middle school honor band festival. Mckenzie and and my nephew, Collin, were both invited this year and it was so fun! The music they put together in such a short amount of time is A.MA.ZING! What a great experience!

McKenzie's band director was from our area!

Cute!

So much fun already!

Who Knew!

2011-01-20T14:05:00.000-05:00

I have discovered that I like brussels sprouts! I made them with dinner on Tuesday and I liked them. And I ate them for lunch today and liked them even more! Who knew! Layne knew he liked brussels sprouts. Now I know how yummy they can be! :)

Maybe they were so yummy because I tossed them with a melted mixture of butter and brown sugar - sprinkled with pecans! Does that negate the nutritional value of a funny smelling green vegetable? I don't know! But I liked them! :)

Oh,I haven't forgotten about December - we had so many fun things happen in December! I lost some pretty fun pictures - so I'm trying to get past my mental block! Anyway, December in Review, soon to come! :)

The South and Snow!

2011-01-10T18:14:00.000-05:00

You know you're a "redneck" when...

A Pause!

2011-01-05T22:06:00.000-05:00

In playing "blog catch-up" I must pause to say...

Happy 40th Anniversary to my amazing parents!

We sure do love you guys!

You know how much? :)