We LOVE Mitchell Family Visits!!!

Tim, Christie and kids came to visit us over Christmas break. We had so much fun just hanging out and spending time with such an awesome family!!! They introduced us to a new game called "Solemn Occasion" that had all of us laughing even when it was just your turn to watch!

As a bonus it was Emily's 18th birthday so we had a party to celebrate and got a little silly....okay a lot silly!

New Year's Celebration!

For New Year's we had a last minute party at our house. We had a blast ringing in the New Year with fun friends. We talked, ate, played a bunch of fun games , went crazy counting down the seconds to 2009 and toasted the New Year with sparkling cider! It was a perfect way to kick off the start of a new year! Thanks to everyone who came and contributed to such a great night!!!

Back at it....for now

Can you believe it I am going try and start blogging once again. Rather than play catch-up I thought I'd start with the current and try to fill in the gaps little by little. I guess you could say I'll try and make it one of my new year's resolutions!

A busy week for James

The 2nd week of June was a full one for James. He had his preschool graduation on Tues. His class gave a performance for all the parents and then the teacher presented each child with a graduation certificate.

Then on Wed. James performed with the Orange County Mormon Chorus at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in the Segerstrom Concert Hall. This was James' third concert with the group. This performance they had the 4 & 5 year old section dress in costumes from around the world.

This concert during rehearsals and the show I helped back stage watching/organizing the kids and bringing them on and off the stage. James told me this was his favorite time performing because I was one of the helper moms which then made it worth all the stress and time involved with helping. Once again my parents and Chanel came to see James and made it a special night for him.

Happy 3rd Birthday Makayla!!!!

On May 29 Makayla turned 3 years old! We celebrated Makayla's birthday at my mom's house with all of my family that is close by. She had been waiting all day long to get that cup cake, since I made them early in the morning and her party wasn't till after lunch.

We love having family close by! Both of our kids will tell you their best friends are their cousins! Most of the time Makayla even calls Calie her sister.

Aunt Natalie didn't wast any time in making Makayla a princess on her Birthday! My Mom only furthered that notion with a full princess outfit complete with glass slippers (I made the mistake of calling them shoes one day and Kayla informed me "they are not shoes they are slippers").

Devin & Shira Visit!!!

On April 24th Devin and Shira flew into town from Hawaii. Everyone was so excited to have them come and visit! We spent the entire weekend getting together and enjoying being with our family who live so far away. During all of the fun I barely took any pictures, so anyone with fun photos of the weekend send them my way so I can fix this post and add them to our photo books.

Their trip concluded with a family lunch and send off to the airport. We will miss them but were grateful for the time we were able to spend with them and all of our extended family those days!

First Food!

On April 21st Aleena was introduced to her first meal. Rice cereal was the entree of the evening. Makayla was by her side every step of the way and loved helping me feed the baby. Try as we might Aleena was not a fan of the food and for several days in a row wouldn't have anything to do with eating the pasty, white mush we were trying to feed her.....





....until on night five I discovered the cure. The girl just wanted some flavor. After adding carrots to the rice cereal she ate like a champ!!! I think the pictures speak for themselves!!!