Look Out World! Anni's 5!

We've all had those days that just do not go as planned. Well, Anni turned 5 on Monday the 15th and we didn't get to celebrate until Saturday, but we had plans. We found a Chuck E. Cheese about an hour and a half away and we planned to surprise Anni with an all-day event. Shopping for presents first then end at Chuck's place. Well, as usual things happened and James ended up on call and we couldn't go that far out of the area. Good thing we had not let Anni in on the plans. I was really bummed, because Anni doesn't have many friends her age and we weren't going to have a traditional party and I wanted the three of us to have a special day together. But I was determined that everything would turn out okay! We asked Anni where she wanted to go shopping for her presents and she screamed, Walmart! But after we offered her the "toy store" (aka Toys R Us) she changed her tune. She had not been there since before Christmas and I think she had forgotten it existed, but she soon remembered. When then started our day at TRU and she had a blast. She had to ride everything, play with everything, and of course wanted everthing. We made our purchases and asked the birthday girl where she wanted to go for dinner expecting "TACO BELL" or "PIZZA HUNT", neither of which are on mommy's diet! Well, at the top of her lungs she cries, "I wanna go to Cwackow Bawwowl!" (aka Cracker Barrel) We both looked at each other and I said, "works for me."
Of course after dinner we had to stop at the toy section, then the traditional game of checkers on the porch. Anni just steals all the game pieces and declares herself the winner. Gonna have to work on that, but hey she's only 5! It is so fun to watch how much she loves life.
Next, we headed home to play with the presents.

While we were in the toy store we asked Anni what she wanted for her birthday. First she said she wanted "lots and lots o bawbees" and "lots and lots o tuff to go wiff em", which she got. Then she spied something and went crazy! "Daddy Daddy! I want one of dem! Pwees, pweese, peese!!!!"

Yes folks, a Hannah Montana skateboard complete with gloves, elbow pads and knee pads. And I wish you could have seen the look on James' face when he asked her if she was sure she wanted to learn to ride a skateboard and our beautiful five year old daughter assures him it will be okay because Cody has one and he can teach her! Cody is the boy next door that turned 14 years old the very next day. James' eyes sort of glazed over but he held it together. Needless to say, the girl got the board, and she didn't do half bad! I was impressed! It was funny how when Cody came out to see us, James suddenly said it was time for the skateboard to go in the garage. Then it was late and we had to go in for our little cake which again is not on Mommy's diet but I cheated just this once.

Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday dear Anni. Happy Birthday to you. (And many more)


Before I go, I must relate a funny story that happened the next evening. We went into town to get a few groceries and when we returned home Anni was helping James get the groceries out of the trunk of the car. In the process he accidentally smacked Anni in the middle of the forehead with a box of Capri Sun Roarin' Waters. Of course, he dropped his bags and checked her out saying, "I'm sorry baby are you alright?" She grabbed her head, rolled her eyes (so sarcastically) and said "yeah Daddy I'm alwite!" While she was walking over to me, I tried to make light of the situation. I thought it might hurt and was going to smooth it over while I was checking her over myself. So, I said,"I saw Daddy try to knock you out! What are we gonna do with him?" While rubbing her forehead, in a perplexed tone of voice, she shook her head and said, "I don't know...................we can't kill him!"

I almost peed my pants. James is now sleeping with one eye open! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! You gotta love the girl!

My Little BullPup

Well, I promised a blog about Anni's first official day of Kindergarten and here it is!
Waking up earlier was not very fun for Anni but she has adjusted very well. Once we were out of bed at 6:45 we had to get dressed in just the right outfit. Anni was not very happy with any of my choices, however, I was not thinking wearing a bathing suit to school would have been well-recieved. In the end Mommy won the battle.

We packed our new princes backpack and High School Musical Lunchbox and then it was time for breakfast. Anni requested milk and waffles with grape jelly; the breakfast of champions no doubt. Then it was out to the car.

Getting into the spirit of things Anni had to pose by her new BullPup magnet on the back of the car. It didn't show up real well but Anni's cute anyway. Then it was time to buckled in and head off for the big day! I think Anni was a little nervous, but she is such a trooper, it was hard to really tell. When we arrived at the school, we were routed to the cafeteria, then to Mrs. Johnson's room. Anni looked a little overwhelmed and I thought she might cry, but I realized this was the first time she had been in the school with "all" the rest of the kids. Of course, they were everywhere. The hallways were crowded and bustling with activity. She held on to my pants leg for dear life. I stopped and told her, everything was okay, and that we wouldn't leave her until we got her settled in with her teacher. As we approached her classroom door, Mrs. Johnson stepped out, and all of the anxiety simply drained from Anni's little body. Mrs. Johnson was Anni's Teacher the last week of the Jumpstart program this summer and she new from the Kindergarten orientation day, that Mrs. Johsnon would be her official teacher this year. I was so happy to see her relax and feel secure with her. Mrs. Johnson is a good Christian woman and goes to the church we attend. Again, God is taking care of us.

Then it was time for Mommy and Daddy to go home so we left our little BullPup to make her way into the world. It was scary but I handled it much better than the first day of Jumpstart.

At 2:30 I found myself sitting in the car counting down the minutes until Anni would be led out the door. The Kindergarten classes are brought out of the building through a different door than everyone else and walked to the recieving area by an aid so the parents can pick them up right at the fence. I waited and waited and then there she was. If you look really close you can see the pink lunchbox on the left side near the bush. That's my little girl. Only she's not so little anymore.

Fair is Fair!

After a pretty stressful month the Mitchell family decided to close out the summer with a night of family fun at the Page County Fair. We looked at live stock, rode rides, and had ice cream. Anni deserved the break as much anyone and she had a blast.

She loved the lights, the ice cream, the animals..... the night was an all around success.

My baby is not a baby anymore. She started Kindergarten this week. I can already see the beautiful (inside and out) young lady she is growing into. I am glad we got to spend this special time with her.

She's may be nicer but I'm Sweeter! Honest!

This is my sister Toni. She has always told everyone, "Gena's prettier, but I'm nicer." I'm not going to say there is much truth in that statement but, as of yesterday, I can honestly say, "I'm sweeter!" Yes folks as you can see I have documented proof that Gena Mitchell is way too sweet.


First you must understand how terrified I am of doctors and anything involving the possibility of discomfort, and while I seem to be making light of the situation right now, I can assure you I have been under extreme stress for the past four weeks, dealing with some health and emotional issues. Because of this, I had to visit my doctor yesterday, and I have officially been diagnosed, diabetic, which is not surprising since my parents developed the disease as well. My sister, God love her, although she has battled many other ailments, has perfectly normal sugar levels, which brings me to the point of this blog. HEY TONI! I'M SWEETER!!!!

Seriously, I love my sister. She's a nurse and knows my fears. She was, and still is, a tremendous help to me during this time. She let me cry and be irrational, and loved me anyway.

I cannot forget to mention a few other people who have been so supportive. Becky, I love you, thank you for helping me with the diet. We can do this! And Chelle, thanks for enduring all of the crazy text messages and knowing when to give me my space. I so wish we could be closer. Thank you, Steve too, for your love and prayers. They meant more than you will ever know.
Last and certainly not least, James. I could not have gotten through yesterday, or the past month without you. I love you.

For me, this journey is just beginning, but I'm doing much better today. God has blessed me with a doctor who is far more patient and understanding than I have ever known a doctor to be. I am constantly amazed at the grace I am shown by the Father. To think it would matter to Him that I am afraid. I have no words to describe how humbled I feel. Thank you Lord.

Georgia On My Mind

I know it has been quite some time since the blog world has heard from me. Please excuse my absence. I have been otherwise occupied with life and this is the first time I have either had the chance to post or felt like doing so.

Two days ago Anni and I returned from a two-week visit with my sister, Toni, in Valdosta, Georgia. It had been close to a year since the last time we were together and the visit was overdue.
My niece Becky and her two daughters had just moved down so our days were busy job hunting and just catching up on each others lives. Toni works a full-time job so my time with her was limited to evenings. We spent lots of time playing spades, hearts, Mexican train dominoes and darts. We had a blast. Lots of needed laughs for all of us

I realized that I don't miss the humidity of the South. It rained most of the time I was there but at least it offered some needed relief from the heat. I don't know how I survived before!

The morning I left was Katia's first day of Kindergarten, I didn't get a good picture of Becky which is why she is not shown. (Mommy was not a happy camper and I didn't think she would appreciate the only pic I had of her) Katia was a little apprehensive but excited. Her school is brand new so the building is bright shiny and new.
Larry is as crazy as ever (I'm sure it has nothing to do with living with Toni) and there doesn't seem to be any hope for change. At this point we wouldn't want him to change anyway! He keeps the family supplied with lots of laughs. There's one in every family.

Not much else to report right now. If I can recover from the two 14-hour drives in the past two weeks, hopefully I will be back regularly. Next time I'm definitely not going without someone to help me drive or I'm going to fly! What was I thinking? It was great to get to see the family though.

My Little Girl Is Growing Up!

Today was Anni's first "unofficial" day of Kindergarten. Her school offers a 13 day Jumpstart program for little people beginning Kindergarten in the fall. Since Anni is only going to make the age deadline by 15 days we decided to take advantage of the program to help her with the transition.

We arrived at the school at 7:45 and gathered with the other parents and children in the cafeteria. The teacher came in an collected us, then it was off to the classroom. Anni was being a trooper. No tears just some apprehension. She wanted me to hold her hand and she wasn't letting any distance get between us. I kept praying, "God please don't let me cry!" We arrived at the classroom and I helped Anni find her seat. The teacher began handing out color papers and then a few of the kids began to cry. Not my Anni girl. She was really awesome. I was afraid she might start crying because she felt bad for the children who were upset. The little girl beside her was having a hard time and I leaned down and said, "Why don't you try to be her friend today, then maybe she'll feel better okay?" she nodded and I told her I was going to go. She grabbed my hand and I thought I was going to lose it, but I kept praying. Anni looked up at me and said, "Mommy, you can go get in the car, but you can't leave. You just stay right there! Isn't that a good i-plan?" She has always combined the words "idea" and "plan". This made we laugh even though I was on the verge of tears. I assured her I would be close by and that I'd be there to pick her up when it was time. I got me some shuga and then I stepped outside the door. After I made sure all was okay I headed home.

So here I am, in my living room blubbering like an idiot. Noggin isn't on the TV. It's quiet except for the tinkling sound of the fish tank pump. These are going to be 4 of the longest hours of my life. Anni - my beautiful little lady. Today Kindergarten - Tomorrow......... I don't even want to think about it!

New Addition to the Family

Sunday morning in church James' phone began to vibrate on his side. He leaned over to me and whispered, "My phone is ringing." He glanced down at the LCD and looked back with a grin. It was the call we'd been waiting for! Waiting 3 weeks in fact.
After the service dismissed I hurried to the back to collect Anni from her class and met James in the parking lot. Sure enough, my new Dodge Charger had finally arrived and she was waiting on me in Dulles!

This has been my dream car since they came out in 2006. We have had an explorer for 11 years now and it's been a great family vehicle but we knew it was on its last leg and started looking around. I found a few deals online and showed them to James. He looked at me a little puzzled and said, "I thought you wanted a charger."
Well ladies and gentlemen, I almost passed out. "What? You mean.......? Do you really think.....?" As you can tell I was unable to form complete sentences. We set out looking and found the perfect one. I've always wanted a black charger with a rear spoiler and James wanted a sunroof. We found one in Wichita, Kansas worked out the financing and got the transfer underway.

Here's where the waiting came in. THREE WEEKS! I thought I would die. The wait was finally over!

So after we rushed home, changed clothes and picked up the dog, (this was a family outing) we we on our way to Dulles to pick up our newest family member.
We didn't get home until after dark so I couldn't take pics until yesterday, which are limited because it rained all day, and I couldn't keep Bit Bit (the dog - notice he thinks it's his car!) and Anni out of it (She thinks it's her new DVD player - I was instructed to photograph the entertainment system for you all, and did so promptly, while she posed by the car!). I absolutely love it!

We are so blessed, all we asked for was black paint, a rear spoiler, and a sunroof. We were given much more! It's got all the bells and whistles - Navigation System, DVD Player, Sunroof, Rear Spoiler, Leather Seats, Power Front Seats, Front CD Changer, Power locks, Power mirrors, Power windows, Heated Front Seats, a Hemi that can growl like no other! Wow! What a car! Now if I could just afford to put gas in it so I could go somewhere. Ha Ha

And for all you guys out there negotiating contracts with your wives, FYI no contract was drafted for this. When I asked him if he was sure he wanted to invest this much in a car right now he said, "You've always settled. You shouldn't have to do it this time." A statement like that will benefit the man more than any contract terms I can think of.

All joking aside. I do have a great husband. I just want everyone to know how much I love him. He's not perfect. I'm not perfect. Our life isn't perfect. Our marriage isn't perfect. But just like the charger, when we put all that stuff into God's more than capable hands, we get more than we could ever want or deserve! God is more than good - he's perfect - all the time!