think of it as the longest Christmas letter ever

If you are checking my blog, then you are dedicated friends indeed as it is few and far between when I finally get around to posting.

I failed to do Christmas cards this year so I decided that this post would be a brief-ish recap of what happened this year for the Mitchells. I will try to make it as interesting as possible (including pictures!). Read carefully, because you may find out information that I haven't shared with many people.


As posted about before, this year started out with a move to Richland, WA and multiple trips back and forth to Utah (left: a pic of Cameron sleeping on the first trip I took alone with the boys in March). What a crazy mess we were in--living in two places at once, Jarron finishing graduate school and starting a new job (which he commuted an hour + fifteen each way all summer), helping my mother-in-law get organized and ready for a huge move, and making the biggest financial decisions we have ever made. Due to the craziness, our summer actually went by quickly (a blessing) and we started to get on our feet. In May (just before Jarron started work at his first post-graduate job at Yakima Regional Hospital), we took our first family trip to Yakima, WA to check out the area. We were pleased with the area and had a fun family day. Pictured below are the boys eating at an Italian restaurant in the West Valley area of Yakima.



During the summer while Jarron commuted to work, the boys and I (now without a car during the day) walked everywhere around Richland and made our own fun by going to the pool, the library, parks, free movies, art festivals, the farmer's market, and having picnics. I also attended cub scout day camp (which I loved!) and went to the Oregon Coast with the boys, Jarron's mom, his grandma (who had also moved in with his mom making the house a little more crowded but a lot more entertaining!), and my brother-in-law and his family plus an extra niece. I really missed not having Jarron there and promise to never go without him again! (Everyone is pictured except for Jarron's mom.)



In July, Jarron and I realized that it was time to start finding a place of our own. Our reasons were many and we felt very good about making the leap into becoming first-time homebuyers. And, as it happened, we were able to cash in on the $8000 homebuyer tax credit! Well, at least that's the plan as long as our taxes are done properly and no errors occur! (I have to take a side note now and explain my true feelings behind this tax credit: As happy as I am about eventually getting this money, I must make it known that I do NOT agree with the crazy spending that is happening in our country. Do I think they should be handing out this money? NO! But I'll take it since Congress decided to screw us with our student loans this summer by buying the past year's worth from the private loan company we were working with. To translate my student loan fury: The gov't is now interfering with another private sector, not giving us the same benefits that UHEAA did (essentially making it harder for us to pay off our loans), and have now reached their tentacles deeper into my private life. Just imagine my fury if they pass the ridiculous, unconstitutional 'health care' bill they have written--full of bribes, anti-capitalist sentiment, salary caps for health professionals like Jarron, and laws that don't even pertain to health care. If there was any upside to Jarron's commuting all summer, it was that he was afforded about 2 1/2 hours a day to listen to talk radio. We became very interested in politics and discussed current issues every night before going to bed. Our political views were sharpened and our disdain for a lot of what's happening in Washington became well-known! As my friends/family, please don't be offended by my rant if you are in support of any of the above; I value your opinions and appreciate that you value mine!)


Ok side note over, I will continue with the house hunt! We started looking in July but weren't intending on putting an offer on a home until early fall. I took the boys and travelled to Yakima with Jarron a couple mornings a week (leaving by 6:10 am and getting back to Richland at or after 7:30 pm according to his work schedule), and viewed homes with a realtor (who we ended up not liking at all) with the boys in tow. I think I looked at about 30 houses within two weeks and we decided to put an offer on one on August 1st. It happened fast, but we felt strongly about the area we decided on and wanted to stay below our approved loan amount. Our offer was accepted on a little 1524 sq. foot yellow house in Selah, WA, a small town a few minutes outside of Yakima. We love the area; it's a small town with quick access to great views, canyons, rivers and streams, and amazing orchards and vineyards. We were supposed to close by mid-September, but things did NOT go off without a hitch and we ended up closing October 2nd. Pictured below are the initial pictures of our home. They don't include a lot of the updating we've done since (they were taken in November) but might give a taste of what our little home is like. We are currently working on choosing drapes, paint color, and a sectional couch. We now have bunk beds in the boys room (I hate making them but they're a great space saver!) and an entertainment center. The ugly vertical blinds are off the sliding glass door as well. Eventually, we will get new countertops in the kitchen (the current ones are hunter green-ew!), change out the dated fridge, and get an over-the-range microwave. The house has one living area, a tiny dining nook, 2 bathrooms and four bedrooms. The fourth bedroom has french doors and is located off the living room so we use it as an office/library. Jarron uses the large closet to tie flies which is great because I can shut the doors when he's done and never have to look at his artistic messes! Ok--outdated pics below: the guest/kids bathroom, two pics of the boys room pre-bunk beds, living room, and kitchen.



While we were waiting to close, we ended our summer with a little fun. Jarron and I went to Vancouver, Canada for our seventh anniversary (which I posted about) and had a great time. We also got to go to Idaho twice to see my parents (the second trip was a fluke--Jarron was going to go fishing and decided to head back out that way, so the boys and I tagged along.) Cameron started preschool in Selah early September at a place called Gymkids. It's a gym that offers gymnastics and cheer classes, but also has an accredited preschool and an amazing daycare system. Two women who attend my church (LDS) own and run it and do a superb job. At first, I was nervous about Cameron being in a school other than the traditional academic setting, but was pleased when I realized that they teach social and academic skills as well as 30 mins of gymnastics/coordination skills. Cameron loves it; I think it's proven to be beneficial for him socially more than anything. Pics below are of his first day!



And of his first field trip (to a pumpkin patch in October):



And of his first program in December:




If you did the math, Cameron started preschool in September but we didn't close on our house until October, meaning that we had to commute as a family three days/week for an entire month. It wasn't too bad since the days were still long since daylight savings hadn't occurred yet. The trickiest part was finding different (clean!) bathrooms to get the boys dressed in and brush their teeth with the hour I had between dropping Jarron off and getting Cameron to school. Breakfasts were eaten in the car after a quick trip to a grocery store for ready-to-eat foods that required no heating, mixing, or utensils! We did it, though, and I got to learn my way around Yakima and Selah very well with the many hours I had to kill waiting for Jarron to get off work. Those days were fun, however, since we got to meet Jarron for lunch everyday. Unfortunately, our eating out bills got to be huge! We were so sick of fast food by October that we really haven't had the stomach for it since.

In September, we also helped Jarron's mom (and grandmother) move into a new home that she had built. Her house is beautiful and the whole family (plus many friends) worked very hard to get her moved in. The hardest parts were moving 30 years worth of built-up food storage and a library full of books! It took weeks to completely move her things over from the old house, but thankfully, she'll never move again!

After finally getting the key to our new home in October, our little family was in for a couple of life's hits. We were emotionally and physically exhausted from months of commuting, home buying, and moving (3 moves in one summer! From SLC to Richland, Jarron's mom's move, and our long-awaited move from Richland to Selah!) and had lost our energy and zeal for getting settled in. Some great friends of Jarron's from work helped us unload our moving truck, but then we left everything stacked in our living room for days. The first weekend we were in our home, the boys and I contracted what Jarron thinks was probably H1N1. Who knows...maybe it was, maybe it wasn't, but we weren't feeling good. The boys and I shared my mattress on the floor and Jarron gave us blessings. In mine, he told me not to worry about anything except for myself, including trying to properly move in. After about a week, we were thankfully doing better and I could start getting things cleaned and put away!

Our next challenge came when I discovered "problems" with the house that the inspector did not note. Nothing really major, but things that we would have asked to have fixed had we known they were there. First time mistakes that wont happen again! I kept wishing my mom could come and help solve these problems, line kitchen cabinets, and unpack boxes, but the timing wasn't right and I had to be a "big girl" and handle it myself! She later came up in January and will come again in the spring to help finalize some projects (adding shelving, etc.) and finish decorating. I'm excited to take her to Leavenworth (a small Bavarian tourist town a few hours away. We went right before December and thought it was great!)

A third trial occurred on October 18th; I miscarried a baby that I was 9.5 weeks pregnant with. The pregnancy started in August before the final two moves (as mentioned above) and Jarron contributes physical strain and mental stress to the miscarriage. I don't know...I'm not completely sold on his diagnosis since I moved while pregnant with both boys. Also, if stress is indeed a certain factor, then women all over the place would be dire straights! All I know for sure is that this pregnancy was different in the fact that I wasn't sick a single day (and with the boys I was practically bed-ridden). I feel that maybe this was a bad sign. Or maybe it meant the baby was a girl this time. Or maybe Heavenly Father knew I had too much on my plate at the time to deal with puking over a toilet. Or maybe all three? But at any rate, the pregnancy ended and we had to endure a somewhat graphic ordeal. Thankfully, we "got over it" within a short period of time and were able to close the book on the matter, so to speak. (In fact, the picture of me and the boys at the pumpkin patch was taken just 3 days after the miscarriage.)


Fun times to come, however; Halloween came and we went trick-or-treating in our new neighborhood and to the church Halloween party. Jarron was thoroughly embarrassed by the costume I wore. It was the same one I wore when I was 4! Apparently, one size fits all.




During October, November, and December, I spent almost all of my time trying to get situated. We have a pretty nice routine going on now and enjoy our home, our neighborhood, and our church ward. Cameron still loves school and Jarron really enjoys his jobs (yes, he has three! One full time position at the hospital which he really likes, and two one-day-per-week jobs that he works on Thursdays and Saturdays. It's a lot of work, but we feel that if we put in the time and effort at the beginning, then it will pay off financially in the end. And it seems to be working out! Student loans are dropping quickly and we feel very blessed!). We feel "at home" here in Selah although we all have a soft spot for Utah.

November brought Jarron turning 30 (!) and Cameron turning 5 (again, !). In December, we had our first backyard experience out in the snow which the kids loved. It will be WONDERFUL to have a yard in the summer. We even have a gate that goes to a parking lot behind our house where the kids can ride their bikes! On the sadder side, December also brought the death of Jarron's grandmother (age 90) just one day after the 3rd anniversary of Jarron's father's death. We had a great family dinner at Jarron's mom's home to remember Nane. We'll miss her because although she was very old, she was hilarious and kind. I'm glad we got to live with her for a few months this summer.

Our first Christmas in our house was simple and sweet. The boys got their afore mentioned bikes. "Santa" had a hard time putting Cameron's bike together on Christmas Eve, so Cameron got a letter Christmas morning saying that the elves messed it up and his dad would fix it later! :)




Now it is January and Mayes turned 3 a couple of weeks ago. He is potty training and will go pee but not poo in the toilet. Lucky us. He was so excited for his birthday and only requested going to the donut shop. (We did more for him though!) It took me a while, but I found the ONLY donut shop in Yakima/Selah! If you are into being an entrepreneur, then you might consider living here and opening up a franchise. (And buy the house that's for sale across the street from us!) Grandma got to be in town for the festivities which helped make Mayes's day even better.

So as I close the longest blog post ever (it has taken me all morning to write this), I will add one more bit of family information. However, the last to know will probably be family as they RARELY read my blog! So dear friends who pay attention to the details of my life, I tell you that I am now 10.5 weeks pregnant with all signs for a successful pregnancy! I had an ultrasound on Christmas Eve when I was 6 weeks along and they found everything to be normal (and even picked up on a tiny heart beat!). I go in for my 12 week appointment soon where they will do the official heart beat check. Jarron requested time off for the event; we are hopeful and excited. If you're asking what we are "hoping" to have, we have mixed feelings. Of course I want a girl at some point, but I think that if this one turns out pink, then Jarron will say "We're done!" If it's blue, then I know our options of having more (eventually) are still open. After all, if I only have boys, what will I do with my vintage ponies, barbies, and girl clothes that I have stored away in our garage?