Baby D

The last 2 weeks we have been able to take care of a friend's little girl and it has been such a blessing. I have been able to use it as a good trial run for when baby #3 comes to us. The best part is that I get to figure it all out while I am somewhat rested and not crazy hormonal from just having a baby. I can't believe how quickly I forget how tiny babies are, but man she is a sweet little girl. Ty LOVES her and is really gentle wit her. Gentle is NOT a word I have EVER used with Ty so this was a huge surprise! Myles gives her kisses whenever she is near. Baby D has been with us for about 2 weeks now and will stay with us until she can go to daycare at about 8 weeks old. Here's a little glimpse of her.

Landscaping Done Easy

As you all know I LOVE to do yard work. I've cut down my fair share of trees in our yard and loved the look on Nat's face when he came home to find yet another tree or shrub gone. :-) This week we had a landscaper come by, the same one who cut down the massive pine tree that was next to the house, to give us some ideas as to how to keep the moisture out of our crawl space. We were thinking it should be as simple as putting more of a slope in the front or something. (We REALLY are amateurs at this and it is SO hard to not have my dad close by to solve these problems for me!). Well, Terry Zeigler, of Zeigler Landscaping and Nursery gave us a GREAT quote on just doing the landscaping for us. I was SHOCKED and excited to think it could all be done so quickly and pain free. They came the next day and with the help of 5 hardworking men, they cut down the hideous tree in the front yard, put shrubs all in the front yard, mulched, buried the drain tile from our downspouts, filled in the massive mud  pit Nat had created when he took out my lilac tree, and ground down 2 more stumps in our backyard that I just could not convince myself to dig up myself. All this in ONE day and within our budget. It really would have taken Nat and I all summer to do ourselves. I love how it all looks in the front now. We now need to trim up the tree in the front, but as soon as dad can get back down here I am pretty sure he and Nat will get that done. :-)  I figure being on a ladder with a reciprocating saw is not such a good idea for a pregnant lady. I'm not saying I won't be on the ground with one, but the ladder is out of the question at least until baby comes.  So here are the pics of our newly landscaped house done the easy way....by the professionals! The first two pics are from right when we moved in in April of last year and the rest are obviously the after pictures.

BEFORE

AFTER

I am looking forward to adding to this down the road at my own pace. Or whenever mom gives me some good ideas as to what to add. :-)

Here they put pavers on the left side. It use to be dry, nasty mulch and the boys just made a mess of it every time we were in the front yard. We plan to put a bench swing in that space!!

Farm Time

The boys love the farm....I don't know any other way to say it. THEY LOVE IT!! What boys boy wouldn't love it? Myles is by far the most infatuated with it. He has reached the age when he can go out in the tractor with Papa by himself and he can be a real farmer too. I love to listen to his stories when he comes back from the field. He really needs to know all the details of what is going on and why. I know my dad was EXHAUSTED with answering all the why questions by the time they are done, but can't thank him enough for the memories he is giving my boys. After two weeks on the farm I think mom and dad were ready for a little break from the mayhem that is the Mitchell crew! :-) We love them for taking us in and love every trip we get to make to MN.

Eating breakfast with Papa. Poptarts are a favorite!!

The beloved Gator. Ty hung on for dear life the entire time.

Myles showing off his driving skills as he avoided the daddy obstacle.

Helping Papa fix the sink.

A little lunch.

Ty was helping Nana make her infamous Rice Krispie bars. :-)

Holding on tightly.

Even Nana drives the machines on the farm.

Wedding Fun

The last 2 weeks we have been have been enjoying family and fun in MN. The main reason we were there was for my little brother's wedding.The weather was rainy and WINDY pretty much everyday we were there and then it was AMAZING for the wedding. Just the way it should have been. It is still hard for me to wrap my brain around the fact that my little brother is married, but maybe after a year or so it will have sunk in. Am I really getting that old? I guess so!!!  I LOVED getting to see all my extended family at the wedding, but feel there is NEVER enough time to chat with everyone. I guess you get that when you have a big family, but it made me SO happy that I will be going back to MN in June for the Zins family reunion. They are good stuff!

Siblings-Eric, Brian, Me, Becky, and Jenny

You can put lipstick on a pig, but we're still pigs. :-)

This was my day. I learned that weddings + no naps + minimal lunch + being contained= one unhappy boy and one tired, sweaty mom. I feel TERRIBLE that he was not cooperating for pictures, but Eric and Sara were sweet and took in in stride.

Such a little man.

Once we got some food in him he was all good! How could you not love a face like that?

The bride and groom

I LOVE MY BOYS!!!

Love this picture. My Brother-in-Law Ken AKA the Godfather!

Ken and Jordan

Boys and Worms

Here are two pics I had to share from earlier this month. This is what happens when we have an insane amount of rain and obviously plenty of worm food. You get giganto worms. Myles really liked them but Ty  just wasn't quite so sure.  We are REALLY looking forward to a break from the rain so we can go work hunting again!

Moms Group Fun

One thing I have not blogged about yet that is a HUGE part of keeping me sane these days is my mom's group. The group is through our church and has really been my saving grace. I KNOW without a shadow of a doubt that God placed us together to fill all kinds of needs that each one of us has. It has become SO much more important that I ever imagined it would. We have shared all kinds of personal stories, prayed together, laughed until we cried together, taken care of each others' kids, and just been the support for each other. We meet every other Thursday at church and then every Sunday night for our book club. We also do a service project or go out to eat once a month. It has been such a fun way to meet new people and not feel so alone when I am 800 miles away from my family and friends. It has truly made Lexington feel like my new home and I don't know where I would be without these amazing women.

This is how we really are. :-)

Our group minus Meghan.