Ed and Becky Mitchell Family

Catch up time!

2009-08-20T11:40:00.001-07:00

Hi to all our Friends and Family! I know it has been a long long time since I updated this so I am going to try and catch up the best I can. Since February a lot has happened to our family. In April Ed and Tom both celebrated birthdays. Tom turned 7 and Ed 37. Ed's parents left to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Morristown, NJ. We had Easter and the day before Easter Ed was fired from the helicopter school that he started. It was kind of a shock, but a blessing in disguise. We were unemployed for about 3 weeks and then he was able to get on at Fort Rucker in Enterprise, AL. Yes folks, we have moved to Southern Alabama. Ed left to go to Alabama the first part of May while me and the three boys stayed in Hyrum to let Tom finish school and baseball. A very big thank you to everyone who helped and watched out for us while Ed was gone. Ed finished his training in mid June and was hired on as a helicopter instructor. He is only one of a handful of civilian instructors for the military. So far he is enjoying his job. We really love having him home at reasonable hours.

(This is Ed opening up his birthday presents) (This is Tom's birthday cake)

On July 16th our baby turned 1. I can't believe how fast time goes by. It seems like yesterday Daniel was born. He has grown up fast. He started walking sooner than his brothers did. He was taking his first steps before he turned 1. His brothers didn't until they were 13 or 14 months. He now walks more than he crawls. He definetly has a different personality than his brothers. He is still not a very good sleeper, but it helps that he has his own bedroom now.

(This is Mom and Daniel with his birthday cake) (This is Daniel's birthday present from his family)

We began the long drive to Alabama on July 20th. It was a real challenge to keep three kids entertained on the long drive, especially since the scenery was not that exciting. We had a few hiccups along the way and one really big hiccup when a logging truck rear-ended the van I was driving. We were just crossing the border from Illinois to Kentucky when we got hit. Luckily we were not injured, but he did quite a bit of damage to our van. We were able to finish driving to Alabama. Later the insurance company totaled our van so we had to find a new one. Our new one is my favorite color, blue, and it has lots of options. We officially moved into our house in Enterprise, AL. on Pioneer Day (July 24th). The ward here was great in helping us move everything in. We have been here almost a month now and it is not too bad. There are some bugs here that we don't have in Utah, and it rains a lot. We really miss our friends and family back in Utah, but we are making new ones here. Life should settle down a little bit so I hope to keep up on this better. Our love to you all!

(This is what the van looked like after we got hit. Notice the "Welcome to Kentucky" sign in the background.) (This is at a Military Vehicles Museum in Nebraska) (This is Tom's first day of 2nd grade at Rucker Blvd. Elementary on Aug. 12, 2009)

Winter Time

2009-02-10T10:47:00.000-08:00

Hi to all my friends and Family. Sorry I have been so bad at keeping this updated. So I am going to try and cram in the last couple of months. We had a wonderful Christmas with both sides of the family. It is so much to get together with all the family. Tom and Sam love all the cousins they get to play with on the Mitchell side. And on the Leatham side they are the center of attention. We enjoyed family parties with all. Now that we are into February we are just trying to stay warm and keep the snow shoveled. The boys love to help shovel (though I usually have to go over what they do and do it again.) But, they are having fun so that is all that matters. Since Christmas and New Year's Eve we haven't done much. My birthday was the end of January, and we have Valentine's this month. But, it is nice to have life slow down a little. I am just going to put up some pictures to help catch everyone up. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday, and I hope we all survive the winter! I can't wait until Spring.

Captions for pictures: This is the family ice skating in Logan (Nov. 2008). Tom loved it, but Sam was too scared to try. This is the boys sledding down the hill in front of our church (Dec. 2008). This is Daniel with Grandma and Grandpa Mithchell at the family Christmas party. This is Daniel on Christmas morning. Sam and Tom after decorating the Christmas tree. This is Grandma Munns and the Mitchell boys at the Garland Firehall on Christmas Eve.

Fall Fun

2008-11-04T19:36:00.000-08:00

Hi Family and Friends. Fall is a wonderful time. I love the changing leaves and the anticipaton of the coming holidays. With Ed's busy schedule it is hard to get some fun in, but we did manage to have a little bit of fun. We walked through a corn maze. The boys had fun, but it was a little bit long to walk for Sam as you can see by the picture.

The boys had fun dressing up for Halloween . They got lots of candy from trick-or-treating, and looked so cute in their costumes. The kids wanted to show Grandpa Leatham their costumes, so on Sunday we went to grandpa's house and did a little trick-or-treating.

I am an Aunt again!

2008-10-07T10:46:00.000-07:00

I would like to welcome the newest member to our extended family. My sister Jenny had her second child (yep another boy!) on Wednesday, Oct. 1. He is very very cute (of course), and I can't believe all the hair. His name is Joseph Eldon Nelson. He weighed 7 lbs. 10 oz. and was 19 inches long. Jenny had him by c-section. Everyone is doing well. I love it that Daniel is going to have a playmate in my family just like Sam (Jenny and I have planned this pretty well so far, and Shelley is keeping right up). Well, we are doing pretty good here at home. Just slowly adjusting to life with three kids. Love to you all!

Baby Blessing

2008-09-22T13:26:00.000-07:00

Hi Family and Friends. My sister has been getting after me to update the blog, and I finally have a moment of peace to do it (with three boys it is not easy to find the time!) On September 7th we blessed Daniel. It was a beautiful day, and we had a lot of friends and family that were able to attend even though it was early in the morning. We would like to thank everyone who came and brought food. These pictures are for those who couldn't make it.

Daniel looked so cute in his little tux that our great neighbor across the street made for him. He did pretty good most of the day. It was a very special day and we are glad that everything went smoothly. The spirit that was there in the meeting was incredible. According to his blessing there are many great and important things in store for this little boy as he grows up. I am very greatful for the gospel and the wonderful direction it keeps my life heading in. Take care everyone. Love to you all!

One Week Later...

2008-07-25T14:48:00.000-07:00

Well, we have been home one week and I am not sure if we are adjusting or not. I am still trying to figure out Daniel's eating and sleeping schedules. Tom and Sam are adjusting slowly. Sam seems to be throwing a few more tantrums, but I kind of expected that. Tom still thinks the baby is a fun toy, and loves to hold and sing to him. Mom and Dad are just trying to function on little sleep. I just thought I would post a few cute pictures (of course we have taken a lot) of Daniel and the family. This was the sign that the boys made for our homecoming. There were footprints, and handprints, and of course, helicopters painted all over it. This is the outfit we brought him home in.

I don't know what is up with my kids, but we seen to always have problems with them being jaundice. Daniel had to spend two days sitting on the billi lights. Luckily it was not as long as Sam (he had to do it for a week). Now he is doing good.

We gave Daniel his first bath yesterday. He did pretty well until it was Mom's turn to get him dressed. He really didn't like being cold.

Well, that is all for now. I can't believe how fast time goes, and how quickly the kids grow up. I hope you all enjoy the pictures, and I will try and keep updating. Love to everyone!

New Arrival

2008-07-16T13:08:00.000-07:00

Just a quick posting to announce the arrival of Daniel Porter Mitchell. He came into this world at 10:53 am on July 16, 2008 more reluctantly than his two brothers did. Becky endured about ten and a half hours of Labor, with the help of an epidural! His two brothers both came with a minimal pushing effort of only 15 to 20 minutes. Daniel made his mother struggle for almost a full hour before releasing his grip. He was born weighing 8 pounds 3 ounces and 20 inches long. Everything is going great and Mom and Daniel are recovering nicely. Daniel also has had his first visitors, his brothers. Thomas has been really excited and loved to see his new brother. Samuel on the other hand seems indifferent and doesn’t know what to think. I’m sure he will catch on soon enough.

Family Update

2008-07-11T14:23:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone! It is now the middle of July (almost) and I realized I need to update my blog again(if you talked to my sister Shelley she would tell you I don't update it enough!)

Some of the events that have transpired since my last blog are: Tom graduated from Kindergarten the end of May. It was kind of weird to see my oldest kid graduate. It doesen't seem like he can be that old already. It was really cute. The kids sang songs and told us their favorite parts of school (most said recess...surprise, surprise), and they had a slide show of some of their events throughout the school year. I have to admit I got a little misty eyed, but don't tell Tom that. Tom really enjoyed his teacher, and is looking forward to next year.

We have been talking it easy this summer since we are expecting out third boy here soon (I hope!) We have enjoyed a family reunion, and the 4th of July holiday. In Logan the 4th of July can stretch for three days. Hyrum City did their fireworks on the 2nd, plus our ward had a big neighborhood party. It was a ton of fun. Some of the members of our ward have made a train out of big water barrels and they pull the kids around with 4-wheelers. Tom and Sam had a blast (of course!) Logan City did their fireworks on the 3rd, and we went down to the airport for a barbeque with some of Ed's friends. By the time the 4th got here we were pretty tired. We went to the parade, and then just hung out at home the rest of the day. It was nice to just relax.

One exciting thing that happened was that Tom lost his first tooth on Monday July 7th. He was so excited! It has been loose the last week, and he has been trying to get it out. Finally one night Ed got out the tweezers, and worked on it and pulled it out. I thought with the blood that Tom would freak, but no...he was so excited. He couldn't wait to put it under his pillow to see what the tooth fairy was going to bring him. The next morning he found that the tooth fairy had left him a whole dollar! He was so excited. He played with the money all day!

Well, that is about all for now. Hopefully the next time I update this we will finally have a new baby to report about. Love to you all!

The Boys Havin' Fun

2008-05-21T15:40:00.000-07:00

Here we are with May almost over, and I thought I should update the blog. The boys have been busy the last month. Tommy started playing soccer (which he loves), and we bought bunkbeds for the boys.

Tom started playing soccer the middle of April. They had to start the season later, because it took forever for the snow to melt on the fields. The first couple of games were kind of cold, but it the kids kept running they stayed pretty warm. Tom has had a lot of fun playing, especially since he goes to school or church (or both) with everyone on the team. It makes it fun for Mom and Dad going to the games too, since we know all the parents. Everyone gets along, and it has been really fun.

We also got bunkbeds for the boys. We are slowly getting ready for the new baby that is going to be here in less than two months. They love their beds! To them it has been a fort, and a boat, and everything else their little imaginations can come up with. Of course it was a little hard to get them to actually sleep in their beds at first, but they are doing good now. Sometimes I can't believe how little Sam looks in his "big boy" bed. Tom loves being on the top. Of course this has posed some challenges for Mom when it comes to making beds, but Tom is getting pretty good at helping.

Well, that is about it for now. We are just plugging along until the new baby in July! Hope all is well with everyone out there in cyber-space. Take care! Love, The Mitchell's

News

2008-02-23T18:38:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone. I thought I should update this. We had our ultrasound on Thursday, and surprise surprise it is another boy. We were shocked because we all thought it was a girl. We are a little dissapointed, but we will love him just the same. He is healthy and that is the most important thing. He was doing quite the acrobatics during the ultrasound. I hope that is not a sign of things to come.

Ed is super busy. This month he is in Texas for almost a week at a helicopter convention. He is excited about all the business opportunities. The school is really getting busy. If we could get through the winter and the inversion it would be great. Hopefully he can hire him some help soon.

Tom and Sam and as busy as ever. Tom is doing well in Kindergarten. He is so excited to be able to read the little reader books by himself. Sam is just as active as ever. He loves to run and play, and he tries hard to keep up with his older brother. I can't imagine what life is going to be like with 3 boys.

Well, that is about it. I hope all is well with everyone. Thanks to all the family and friends who love and support us.

Family Life

2008-01-16T15:50:00.001-08:00

Well, the holidays are over. Thank heavens! They seem to be more work each year. We had a great Christmas and New Year's. Tom and Sam were spoiled this year by "Santa". Mom and Dad got their Christmas a week later. We finally bought us a new bed. We have never had a new one. New Year's was great. We stayed at Grandpa Leatham's house and played and ate lots of food. Aunt Shelley was here with her family and it was so nice to see them again, and the really cute Ryan! Aunt Jenny and Charlie also got in on all the fun. We do have some exciting news. We found out right before Christmas that we are expecting number 3 in July. We are excited, and we really hope this one is a girl. Mom needs the odds evened a little. Now that it is January we are just trying to settle back into our routines. Ed is supper busy now with lots of new students. Tom is really enjoying school. Mom is a little nervous to turn 30 the end of this month. (I get that from my Dad). Well, not much else for now. I hope everyone had a great holiday. Lots of love from the Mitchell's.

The Mitchell Family

2007-11-29T09:45:00.000-08:00

Hi Friends and Family. My sister did this so I thought that this would be a great way to keep everyone updated on our family. We are all doing well. Tom is enjoying Kindergarten very much. I can't believe how much he has learned in the first two months. Sam just turned 2, and is definetly living up to the "terrible two's". It is a good thing he is really cute! Ed's business is sure taking off. They finally hired another instructor, so maybe we will actually see him once in awhile now. I am staying busy with all the boys, and trying to keep the house running. Sometimes it is a hard job. Thats all for now. Hope everyone is doing well.