March 2014

The month of the slacker.

We spent a weekend pet/house-sitting in Cache Valley, and we were able to meet up with one of Paul's mission companions. They haven't seen each other in probably four years, and we somehow missed documenting that. Enjoy this picture instead.

I guess they're working out?

The next weekend I was able to go to Rexburg to watch my nieces' and nephews' ballroom competition.

Me, Mom, Dad, Jayme, Steve
Garrison, Max

My butt was super sore by the end of the competition, but it was so fun. I haven't been to a dance competition since I was in high school, and I have never been to one as a spectator. I do miss dance, a ton, but it was still very satisfying to sit and watch. Each of my nieces and nephews performed multiple team dances the first day, and were very busy the next day. They did a great job!

Here is a video of my youngest nephew's team:


Here is a video my oldest nephew and youngest niece's team:


Here is a video of my oldest niece's team. The gym lights went out at the end, but, the show must go on, and on they went:


My oldest niece also performed cabaret for the first time, and she did a great job.

After the competition we hosted a little bbq at our house and had my parents, the Smiths, Garrison, and his friend there. It was so fun to have the group there. 

Max entertaining Sprout while waiting for food.

I'm pretty sure other things happened this month, but I didn't document, and it was kind of a blur. The last thing I will share is my haircut. Talk about a change.

TBT: Disneyland 2006

I am kind of starting to love Throwback Thursday. I wasn't going to do anything on here today because I'm behind on normal blogging, but so many people were putting their TBT pictures up on the internet that I couldn't help it.

I have been itching for Disneyland these days (that can also be read: I have been dreaming about Disneyland nightly) so I decided to go for a Disneyland picture. This picture was taken Christmas of 2006. It was the second Christmas we had spent at Disneyland, and I have decided that Christmas is the best AND worst time to be in Disneyland. Everything is extra magical with that Christmas glow, and the decorations are super fun, but it is is SO busy. Disneyland was so packed they kept driving shuttles around trying to convince people to hop on and go to California Adventure.

This picture is me, my dad, and my younger brother, Garrison, waiting in line for Peter Pan. As is normal for most families, my mom is taking the picture and so is not featured, but she is there behind the lens. There is something about Disneyland, and something about Peter Pan in particular (the story, the ride, the movie, etc.), that made me truly believe I didn't want to ever grow up. Now that I'm grown, it reminds me that I don't want to ever act old and fuddy-duddy.

Moments after this picture was taken my dad and Garrison took a flying ship, and my mom and I were in the one behind them. My mom and I were laughing the entire time as we watched Garrison try and touch everything within reach. He wasn't digging the 'little' rides that my mom and I adore in Fantasyland, so, my dad recommended he try and appreciate all the work and detail that went into making those rides what they were even if he didn't care for the ride itself. It turned into Garrison trying to touch everything outside of his vehicle on every ride. It was like he was three years old, but don't be fooled: he was 16.

TBT: Baxter the Rock

I am totally embracing the Throwback Thursday thing even though I'm about 5 years behind the times in doing so. First, I have a question: How old does a picture have to be to count as a 'throwback?' Hopefully not more than a decade because I don't have anything that old handy right now. 

Today I would like to reminisce, give a shout-out, hollaback girl (I'm told that doesn't work here - whatever), about my Physical Science class my Freshman year at BYU. Almost everybody at the university had one required semester of physical science or something equivalent to that. If you were working on prerequisites for the Elementary Education program you had to take two semesters, and the second semester was dedicated solely to rocks. Geology I guess, but rocks. Seriously. Rocks. 

Please direct your eyes below to view a picture of me with my favorite rock: Baxter.

I liked Baxter because he was a big one and he was pretty inside. The lab also had a massive piece of pumice, but it was ugly and poky and hurt my hands when I'd pick it up and carry it around over my head (it made me look like Wonder Woman, or just weird, but I was cheating because it's stupidly light). Most of the rock samples were very tiny and fit in tiny little storage compartments, but not Baxter. Baxter was huge.

My roommate took this picture our last night of studying in the rock lab before the final exam where we had to identify 100 rocks. Not pictured in this TBT post, but happened only moments later, is when my roommate shot some sort of chemical up her nose that is supposed to test the effervescence of the rock. It's a fond Freshman memory. (Not so fond is thinking about how many rocks I licked and how many other tongues were on those rocks.)

My TA for lab time was in love with rocks. She would disappear on little studies to various rockeous places in the world to study more rocks. I imagine her house is covered in rocks both inside and out. As I recall she was engaged, but I think she mentioned her fiance once when someone asked about the ring on her finger. Everything else she ever said was about rocks. 

Anyways, I spent more time around rocks that semester than I will probably spend around rocks for the rest of my life. I studied rocks like crazy, and I aced that stupid final exam. I now remember nothing. I'm not sure why they felt such an intensive study of rocks was necessary, but, oh, the times we had in that rock lab.

February 2014

February is one of the dreariest months of the year I think. Luckily, we had a few events that made it less so. We had a Valentine's party with my family in Mendon where we enjoyed the company of the Smiths, Logan Holdaways, Garrison, and my parents. I only got pictures of the party prep, but it was a nice little gathering. We had food (as is required at all Holdaway functions), lots of Valentine sweets, games, and chatter.

The master food prepper.

Angela was quite excited about this picture.

Not as cheerful as usual.

They weren't much help in the prep-work.

For the extended weekend my best friend Heather was up to visit. It's always nice to have the extra company, and I'm so grateful to have a friend willing to make the drive to come and visit. I don't make friends very easily and get lonely.

The next weekend Garrison came for a visit. Garrison, unlike me, makes friends easily and has them everywhere so he was in and out visiting people, but it was very nice to have him here to make us laugh and to play with Sprout.

Now to the Random February Treasures:

Sprout LOVES it when I work out while he's awake. He very enthusiastically pulls out my mat and rolls it out for me. He clambers all over me, weaves between my legs, and sometimes tries to mimic what I'm doing - especially if it involves legs. We have some funny videos, but I feel a little awkward posting videos of me working out on the internet. Here's a picture of him on Yoga day.

I love that he's reaching the mimicking stage. He's decided lately that he needs to wear Dad's hat, and if Dad's wearing it he'll go find one of his one. 

A favorite game lately is getting out the pots and utensils and mixing whatever he can find. He especially loves to do it while I'm cooking.

Sprout is learning to stack blocks, but he mostly loves to knock them over.

January 2014

The first part of January was very brief as we spent it getting Mr. Mitchell ready to attend his fire academy boot camp in Texas. He flew out of Boise and we hardly heard a word from him due to the workload he had while at the boot camp.

Sprout and I were spoiled by my parents for two and a half weeks.Sprout loved his snuggle time with Grandpa, and I got to see more movies in two weeks than I have in the past two years combined.

Mr. Mitchell had the camera with him at the boot camp, and he wasn't able to take many, but there are some good ones. He was voted as one of two battalion captains which means he's in a red helmet. To be more specific: He is in the red helmet without the reflective patches. Hopefully that will help you spot him. 

Engine 5 getting a post-operational pat on the
back/chastisement from Instructor Hale. (He's the baldy.)

Full gear push-ups as punishment.

Class 158.

This high-rise pack weighs 50 lbs in addition
 to the 70lbs he was already wearing.

CPR on a hose baby.

Lunchtime.

Preparing for entry.

Mr. Mitchell completed the boot camp without any problems, and we just got word today that he aced his certification test, so he will get the following IFSAC seals:  Firefighter I (beginner), Firefighter II (intermediate), Hazardous Materials Awareness (beginner), and Hazardous Materials Operations (operational- meaning he can take care of small incidents and help on big ones). I'm a proud wife. Whether or not he pursues a career in structure fire is still up in the air as he currently has a good foot in with both the BLM and US Forest Service. 

Here are our Random January Treasures for the grandmas:

He LOVED being able to sit in mommy's work chair.

Excuse our dirty window, but I just love our view every night.

I took this video to show my sister that Sprout was learning how to use the present they gave him for his first birthday. He's much better at it now.

Sprout doesn't really sit and watch cartoons or movies, but he loves animation that has songs with it.

My Family

A lot of people will call my family old-fashioned, and I will tell you why:

We are going to teach our children to respect their elders; to work for what they want; to not use profanities; to abstain from alcohol, drugs, and tobacco; that sex is good and natural, but should be saved for marriage; to respect their bodies by feeding it, giving it sleep, not distorting or disfiguring it, covering it up; to respect other people's bodies; to place God and family first, and to love their neighbors as themselves. I suppose you could call it old-fashioned, but I don't. I call it vintage, classic, stable.

My family is not trendy. Trends come and go, but my family is forever.

My family is not modern. Modern works in the current setting, but my family is timeless and will endure beyond the bounds set by society today.

My family is not cutting-edge. Cutting-edge is flashy and acceptable for the time being, but my family is solid and reliable.

I believe in family. I believe in teaching children not just to be good people, but to be the best people they can be. I believe that what we will teach our children is right, and I know that a lot of the world will mock that, disrespect that, and try to teach my children contrary to what I have taught them. I pray already that I will be the best mother that I can be, and that my children will have the strength to learn and follow what is right.

My family is vintage, classic, stable. My family is forever.

TBT: Oxford Gate

I have never done the Throwback Thursday thing, but I find myself nostalgic this particular Thursday and thought I'd go with it. Here we go:

I find myself a bit out of sorts today: Mr. Mitchell is attending his Fire Academy Boot Camp, and so I'm without my man. I've watched too many movies/shows taking place in London, and so I'm homesick for my favorite big city. I found 5 gray hairs on my head, and so I'm feeling betrayed by my body even though I know I have a whole lot of youth left in me. I miss the days where I took the time and effort to get ready and felt that it was productive. There's something about this picture that seems to wrap all of those things up in to one.

I was 20. I was living the dream during my semester abroad in England. My biggest concerns were about seeing everything I could see, somehow getting those darn term papers typed up and turned in while out exploring, and wondering how things would stand with Mr. Mitchell when I returned. I was so fulfilled and (mostly) worry-free that as soon as my head hit the pillow each night I was sound asleep and did not awake until my alarm went off.

I look at this picture and wonder why I didn't better appreciate the results of my efforts in front of the mirror (because even I will say that I look good in this picture). I find myself feeling lucky that I had such a wonderful opportunity to live in London and explore the United Kingdom. I find myself hoping that I can take Mr. Mitchell there before we're too old to run around from dawn to dusk. I cannot wait to share those special places with him.

There's really not anything in particular I'm trying to say here. Just letting my brain run rampant and trying to get myself back 'into sorts.'