Christmas, Thanksgiving, Christmas

Last week was amazing!  Andrew was off the entire week and we had a blast!  Andrew and Jackson got to work out in the yard, raking and burning leaves (fun boy stuff).  Me and Eva Kate got to shop:)  Thanksgiving week also includes Andrew's birthday!  Here is a run down of our week.

Sunday one of the kids in our community group turned 3 so we went to his tractor party at one of the jumpy places.  The kids had a blast!  Afterwards we all went out to Partner's Pizza for some good food and great times with friends.  

Monday we had a birthday celebration at my mom and dad's. 

 Would not be a celebration at the Mitchell's without fireworks!

 On Tuesday Andrew and I got a date day.  This was so awesome to spend quality time with just Andrew!  We went Christmas shopping and then to see a movie.  We saw Courageous and it was amazing!  I highly recommend it!  Seriously there are only a few movies I have ever watched that truly made me think and change things in my life to make myself a better person.  Afterwards we did dinner and a little more shopping:) When we went to pick the kids back up Granny, Jackson and Eva Kate had made Andrew birthday cupcakes!

Wednesday was Andrew's actual birthday...the big 30!  We started off the day by waking up to our Christmas elf Ollie coming back down from the North Pole!  Ollie had set up the dining room and left us with cinnamon rolls cooking in the oven!  Lets just say the kids LOVED every minute of it! Ollie even dragged up all of our Christmas decorations from the basement and wanted us to decorate the tree.  So after breakfast we decorated!

 

 Eva Kate had her first taste of chocolate milk....lets just say...she enjoyed it!

Thursday we had a wonderful Thanksgiving with all of our families!  

Friday we had another birthday celebration and had a blast!  Saturday during the day Andrew and Uncle Mark worked on putting up the Christmas lights outside.  

We are pushing towards the Griswolds this year...

(Bethany: Is your house on fire, Clark?
Clark: No, Aunt Bethany, those are the Christmas lights. )

Saturday night my parents kept the kids and Andrew and I got another night out to shop and grab dinner!  Sunday we had a great time at church, went to the grocery store and then rested up for a new week!

 And if you notice once again...I was the one taking the pictures...not in them...I swear I was there!

Halloween

Obviously I am a few weeks behind!  We had a great Halloween minus the part where we had sick kids!  The kids had been excited to wear their costumes for literally months!  

We carved the pumpkin!  Andrew is great at hollowing it out!  

I decided to shoot for the stars and carve Mickey Mouse.  Andrew said he was proud of me and that he thought I would have given up...thanks alot!  It did take a lot of patience and a little muscle ;) 

Jackson said it smelled....of course.

We went out early to beat the cold!  Aunt Sarah came over to pass out candy while Andrew and I took both kids around the neighborhood.  We actually only made it to two houses before Eva Kate started coughing like crazy and starting to get cold.  So Eva Kate and Andrew headed back home and Me, Jackson and Aunt Sarah went trick or treating!  We had so much fun!

 FYI Sarah was dressed like a hippy chick:) 

 I LOVE LOVE LOVE it when she does this!

 Pirate princess on the run!

 On their way back to our house....love how Andrew has a flashlight in one pocket and a sword in the other!

 I also celebrated my 10 year high school reunion.  There was a whole weekend planned!  Here are the kids at the family picnic!  Of course I am not in the photos because I am taking them...I swear I was there!

Icky Sicky!

The past few days have been a little rough.  Jackson hasn't been well, Eva Kate is getting a mouth full of teeth.  Jackson has missed school all last week.  It started a few Sunday's ago with a fever which got worse each night topping in the high 103's!  So that meant some sleepless nights.  I don't know about you but fevers scare me, especially when it doesn't react to medicine.  So Monday night, the worst night, I felt like I was one of those ladies in the old movies that had covered up my sick son with cold wash cloths hoping to break his fever, which finally broke...at like 5am....I was grateful!

Eva Kate has been teething for a while now and he swollen gums are just now showing little white teeth popping through.  Which cause her to be grumpy and not so easy to put to sleep.

So last week during the crazy sleepless nights Andrew was working really late so I was doing the bedtime routine, alone.  Sometimes that can be a stressful job when you have help!  It had been a really long day for me, not having much sleep, fussy sick babies who didn't nap very long, and just being tired.  So I gave the kids a bath and they were amazing doing everything I asked.  We really  had a great time just playing in the bathtub and brushing our teeth and getting ready for bed.

After the kids had their jammies on Jackson was playing quietly in his room while I rocked Eva Kate and read one of her favorite books "Pat the Bunny" which she calls "bunny"when I had a "moment".   I was watching how Eva Kate thought this book was the best thing ever.  She smelled the flowers, played peek a boo with Paul, touched daddy's scratchy face and for the first time enjoyed looking in Judy's mirror.  (Now if you have never read this book you are probably thinking what in the world are you letting your children read.  Trust me it is cute and she loves it)  She looked in that mirror as if she had never seen herself before and she was kissing the mirror and touching the "baby's" nose.  Then I realized I was having one of those moments where I thought one day, maybe 20 years or even 10 years from now will I remember the way she loved that book, will I remember her excitement in that moment.  I started to thinking that all these crazy moments like a hard bath time,  late nights with sick kids and realized one day I will miss the crazy times and may not be able to remember the little things my kids did everyday while they were little.  So I have take a few photos to remind me of the little everyday things that are common things now but may be the little things I forget and will miss one day.

How Eva Kate climbs in the fridge any chance she gets.

She literally LOVED our pumpkin.

Jumping in leaves

 

Her diaper showing.

 

Dancing

 

How quickly they can destroy a room.

 

Her favorite step.

 

He loves to wear big people shoes:)

  

What her hair looks like when she wakes up from nap.

 

Jackson's school had two firetrucks come during community helpers week.  Jackson and Eva Kate both loved it!

In the end Jackson got better, still dealing with a cough and poor Eva Kate is recovering from the croup.  I am so ready to get over the sickness and teething.  And I am praying for a miracle that I don't get sick!