I love you this much!

I got the Flip video camcorder for Mother's Day so I have been recording the kids doing their thing.  It's super easy to use but I haven't really mastered how to edit movies and I'm also trying to figure out how to work imovie from my Mac.

This is a clip of Atticus telling us how much he loves us.  I didn't like his first answer, so after some direction, I got what I wanted.  Also, Emerson just started taking violin lessons.  This is a clip of her plucking "hot crust buns".  She's very excited to start learning on the bow this week.

Signs that Atticus is growing up!

My sweet little baby is growing way too fast.  First, I refused to potty train him when he clearly didn't want to wear his diaper.  This was not done because I didn't want to train him, it was because I wanted to wait until summer when I would be home all the time to monitor him.  Well after 3 weeks, he has had only 2 accidents.  He loves wearing his spiderman, iron man, cars, Diego and Thomas the Train underwear.  I was told that boys are much harder to potty train but I guess I got lucky!

Second,  Atti now wants to sleep in the big bed with Emerson.  I was worried that once he started sleeping in a bed, he wouldn't want to take naps anymore but he hasn't fought me on that yet.  I am now going to have to take down the crib and find someone who can use it since we will never use it again ( I am so sad but not enough to have another baby!) So good-bye crib forever!

Third, Atti is now talking SO much.  We can even understand most of what he is saying.  Although I wish some words we didn't understand!  These are some of his favorite words and phrases:

mama, watch me!

Eme, NO!

whats that sound?

I farted!

yucky charms=lucky charms (he mentions yucky charms everytime he prays)

baby=Atticus

boobie=movie and smoothie

dumb f#@k=dump truck

fire f#@k=fire truck

garbage f#@k=garbage truck (are you seeing a pattern?)

It doesn't help that every time he drops the F bomb he gets a laugh or a look of shock from everyone.  

I honestly do love watching him develop and discover every day.  He is an absolute crack up.  Now I just need him to give up his binky!

Easter Pictures

We went to the same place we do every year for egg hunting.  This year, Atticus actually placed his eggs into his basket unlike last year where he would pick up the eggs and throw them like it was a baseball.  

Atticus really got the hang of egg hunting.  He filled his basket to the top with eggs.  

I took the kids to Balboa Park to take their pictures in their outfits they received from Easter.  I really need to take them and get their pictures done by a professional, but I'm just too lazy and I don't know a good photographer.  Let me know if anyone knows one in San Diego.

I love, love, love this picture.  It really captures the silliness of Atticus.  Emerson always wants to hold Atticus and kiss him.  Atticus is always silly and teases Emerson.

Emerson tilts her head most of the time when her picture is taken, Atticus noticed this and decided to copy her but he also adds his own style to it!

What is it with boys?  Why is it that whatever they pick up, they turn it into a gun?  Look at Atticus, it's like he goes shooting every weekend.  He totally looks like a pro holding a rifle!

Weekend Happenings

This weekend started with Michelle getting her acceptance letter to attend the University of Utah.  We are so proud of her. Graham says he might even buy a Utes hat (we'll see if he will actually wear it.)

On Saturday, Graham raced in the Varsity Scouts Triathlon at Fiesta Island.  He finished in 58 minutes.  He didn't throw-up in the bay this year.  Yeah, Graham!  I had to take a picture of his +40 on his leg.  He got bumped up to the 40 and up this year (ha ha).

In celebration of Michelle's acceptance to the U, we went out for some Japanese food.   Michelle even tried a sushi roll for the first time.  

I kick Graham out of bed almost every single night because of his snoring.  Finally, he decided he is going to get tested for sleep apnea.  This is him wearing his mask.  It's a HOT look for him.

Also this weekend, Atticus has started potty training.  I did not want to start until this summer but he insisted on not wearing his diaper.  He keeps saying "Mama, diaper hurt.  No diaper." and then he will take his diaper off and run to the toilet to pee.  I tried to fight it but he keeps going to the toilet to pee and poop.  It is so cute, he climbs up on the toilet like he's a monkey and squats down.  He also refuses to sit on his little toilet seat.  He'd rather wear it on his head like a hat.

New Mexico

For Spring Break this year we decided to go to New Mexico.  Our friend's family owns a cabin resort amongst 250 acres of pine trees up in Weed, NM called Camp of the Tall Pines.  We went with my friend Laura and her three boys.  We squeezed all 8 of us in our van and went on a wonderful road trip.  Here is our adventure.

One of the first things we did when we got to the camp was horseback riding.  The camp had 8 beautiful horses.  The kids loved feeding them and petting them.  The horse trainer, Derlene, was so funny and good to our kids.  Emerson had a blast riding her favorite horse named Reno. Atticus was too chicken to ride the horse but he loved feeding them hay and going up to the horses and having them sniff his neck.  He thought this was so funny.

Another one of our favorite things we did was going riding on the quads.  All the adults rode on the 4-wheels for a couple of hours exploring the mountains and the kids rode on the "Mule" an off roading golf cart looking vehicle.  They loved the Mule.

We also took a day to see the amazing Carlsbad Caverns.  We walked for over an hour to get down to 750 feet to the bottom of the caverns.   It was so cool to see all the stalagmites.

Emerson and the boys became bonafide Jr. Rangers.  They had to read about the desert and how to take care of nature and identify different desert cacti and they were sworn in and became Jr. Ranger.  They even got a badge.  They thought it was pretty cool.

But our favorite part of our trip has to be sledding down the dunes in White Sands.  The sand is so white it looks like hills of snow.  Atticus woke up from his nap in the car and  saw the sand and said "Snow"!  As soon as he got out of the car, climbed up and laid on the sand and started making a snow angel.  Emerson must have taught him how to do that because the kids never seen snow before.

Everybody agreed sledding down the sand was their favorite part of the trip.  Atticus, our little sporty kid, even stood up on his saucer to sled down like he was snowboarding.  I think we're going to have to take him next winter to learn how to do that in the real snow.

We had a wonderful time.  The couple who manage the camp, Pam and Steve, were great!  This was the kind of camping I liked.  The kids could run around and explore and be free.  They would play for hours in their clubhouse they discovered and play frisbee golf that was set up at the camp.  They got dirty but they could come back at the end of the day and take a hot shower and eat.  It reminded me of my childhood up in Wyoming  at my Grandparents house.  We are definitely going back and doing it all again!

Swim Meet

Emerson raced in her first swim meet this past weekend.  I am so proud of her.  When we first signed her up for swim team, she told us she did not want to compete.  She just wanted to swim (Emerson usually won't play anything if it's a competition unless she knows there is a good chance she will win.  Another Mitchell trait.)  It also helped that her friends Gabby and Miles were swimming with her.  She had a lot of fun.  I actually loved watching her swim.  She is so cute and I love to watch her and her friends interacting with one another after each heat.

I love watching her jump in the water.  She has gotten better at it.  She isn't belly flopping anymore.

Emerson cut her wrist on a broken tile in the pool during a race.

I love this picture of Emerson, Miles and Gabby warming up together.  Their heads look like little turtle heads bobbing up and down in the water.  Adorable!!

 

She especially loved that she got a ribbon after each race.  She was so proud of herself.  The meet took place in Coronado.  It was so beautiful.  Their pool overlooks the bay and the Coronado bridge.  It was absolutely stunning.  

She raced in six races and she did awesome.  The goal is to improve her time every meet so she doesn't get frustrated that she doesn't finish first or that she finished last.

What kid does this?

 

If you know my Emerson, you know that she is pretty much perfect, but I do not understand this behavior.  What happened?  After Eme finished her homework today, I noticed that she was doodling on some paper.  I figured she was drawing because she is always drawing.  I looked closer and noticed that she was doing some math.  This is our conversation.

Me: "Eme, is that homework"?

Emerson: "No, I'm practicing math because we're having a test on Friday!" she replied enthusiastically

Me:  "Did your teacher tell you to practice?" 

Emerson:  "No"

Me:  "Do you get a something special if you do well?"  I asked curiously.  Really why else would a kid practice math?

Emerson: "No"

What????  She did three pages of math.  Notice in the picture...she wrote her own story problems...in Spanish.  Yes, a couple of the answers are wrong but still, what kid does this for fun?  I certainly didn't do this as a kid.  Especially if I didn't get anything out of it!  Must be from the Mitchell side of the family!!!