And so the Christmas season begins!

Let's start it out with a picture that will make you smile for sure :)

30 Day Challenge- Day Eight

DAY EIGHT

*Two favorite movies, and why*

My numero uno, bestest, most favorite movie of all time?

Oooooooo yeah. Make fun of me all you want, but I DARE you to watch this movie, and NOT sing along. I own the soundtrack as well, and listen to it on a consistent basis. I can even (on a good day) hit the high note that Ryan Toby does in "Oh Happy Day". Plus, I adore Whoopi Goldberg in this, and Lauryn Hill is beyond, beyond amazing. THIS makes me so happy, and I instantly am in a better mood, and I feel closer to God. I mean, how could you not be? If you have not seen this movie, you must watch it ASAP. It's a tragedy if you already haven't. What are you waiting for? Go, watch it! Now!

Okay, on to my second all-time favorite. (By the way, as a movie lover, this is super hard to pick only two movies.) Yeaaaaaahhhh...here we go...

Office Space. Doesn't that sum it up? It came out in 1999, has Ron Livingston and Jennifer Aniston in it (one of her first movies) and it is utterly and completely hilarious. If you have worked or currently work in an office, this movie is for you. If you like comedies, this movie is for you. If you plain ole' just like to LAUGH, this movie is for you. I will share some tasty little morsels with you:

Dom Portwood: Hi, Peter. What's happening? We need to talk about your TPS reports.

Peter Gibbons: Yeah. The coversheet. I know, I know. Uh, Bill talked to me about it.
Dom Portwood: Yeah. Did you get that memo?
Peter Gibbons: Yeah. I got the memo. And I understand the policy. And the problem is just that I forgot the one time. And I've already taken care of it so it's not even really a problem anymore.
Dom Portwood: Ah! Yeah. It's just we're putting new coversheets on all the TPS reports before they go out now. So if you could go ahead and try to remember to do that from now on, that'd be great. All right! 

and... (sorry about the language on this next one)

Samir: No one in this country can ever pronounce my name right. It's not that hard: Na-ghee-na-na-jar. Nagheenanajar.

Michael Bolton: Yeah, well, at least your name isn't Michael Bolton.
Samir: You know, there's nothing wrong with that name.
Michael Bolton: There *was* nothing wrong with it... until I was about twelve years old and that no-talent ass clown became famous and started winning Grammys.
Samir: Hmm... well, why don't you just go by Mike instead of Michael?
Michael Bolton: No way! Why should I change? He's the one who sucks.

hahaha, I totally could see this happening...

Bob Slydell: Milton Waddams.

Dom Portwood: Who's he?
Bob Porter: You know, squirrely looking guy, mumbles a lot.
Dom Portwood: Oh, yeah.
Bob Slydell: Yeah, we can't actually find a record of him being a current employee here.
Bob Porter: I looked into it more deeply and I found that apparently what happened is that he was laid off five years ago and no one ever told him about it; but through some kind of glitch in the payroll department, he still gets a paycheck.
Bob Slydell: So we just went ahead and fixed the glitch.
Bill Lumbergh: Great.
Dom Portwood: So, uh, Milton has been let go?
Bob Slydell: Well, just a second there, professor. We, uh, we fixed the *glitch*. So he won't be receiving a paycheck anymore, so it'll just work itself out naturally.
Bob Porter: We always like to avoid confrontation, whenever possible. Problem is solved from your end.

Oh, Milton...

Bill Lumbergh: Milt, we're gonna need to go ahead and move you downstairs into storage B. We have some new people coming in, and we need all the space we can get. So if you could just go ahead and pack up your stuff and move it down there, that would be terrific, OK?

Milton Waddams: Excuse me, I believe you have my stapler...

Best for last...

Milton Waddams: [talking on the phone] And I said, I don't care if they lay me off either, because I told, I told Bill that if they move my desk one more time, then, then I'm, I'm quitting, I'm going to quit. And, and I told Don too, because they've moved my desk four times already this year, and I used to be over by the window, and I could see the squirrels, and they were married, but then, they switched from the Swingline to the Boston stapler, but I kept my Swingline stapler because it didn't bind up as much, and I kept the staples for the Swingline stapler and it's not okay because if they take my stapler then I'll set the building on fire...

If you have no idea what the quotes are saying, or just (shockingly) have not seen "Office Space", this is a must see. I even have two copies in case one burns out. Seriously. I leave you with a picture that is an ode to Milton and his stapler (which I have a collector's item replica on my office desk)...Enjoy, and go watch some movies!

 



30 Day Challenge- Day Seven

DAY SEVEN

*A sport you love to watch/play*

Are you ready for some FOOTBALL?!

Oh yes, I love me some football. I didn't use to, it's the weirdest thing. I believe it all began during a dark time in my life when the only sense of normalcy I had was when I was "allowed" to watch football on Sundays. That's when I started to love it, and Jerry Rice, simultaneously. (The rest is history, and no longer important in the grand scheme of things.)

I am now an avid Tennessee Titans fan, and watch them religiously. I know for a fact that my husband was astonished when we met. A girl who likes football, actually knows what 1st and 10 means, and can hold her own in a conversation about Tom Brady and why he's a jerk? Oh yes. That may just be the reason why he started to like me. :)

Football aside, my other favorite sports are any sports that my son plays. Even if he decided to play croquet competitively, I would watch it and cheer, and it would become my new favorite sport. I enjoy watching him play sports, because I see the sparkle in his eyes and the pure joy he radiates when he's on the field. It's so fun to see him grow as an athlete and as a boy. He truly enjoys what he does, and he does it well.

Bottom line? I love most all sports, but anything Ryan plays holds a special place in my heart.

Awwww.

30 Day Challenge- Day Six

DAY SIX

*Your favorite season, and why*

I bet you're expecting me to say spring, summer, fall, or winter. NOPE! My favorite season is.....

CHRISTMAS!

I have been absolutely and completely in love with the Christmas season since I was a little girl. There was always a sense of magic surrounding it, and the magic has continued well into my adulthood. I always get happier and more nostalgic at this time of year, and I try to instill in my children the "reason for the season", which is God. Baby Jesus was born on Christmas Day, first and foremost. Santa Claus came later. In fact, I told Ryan last year that Santa is Jesus's helper. Oh yeah, who's the best mom now?! But really, in all seriousness, I felt it was important to tie the two together. There's such a focus on presents, shopping, and Santa, that I felt I had to somehow merge my two favorite reasons for Christmas together. One that is very much real, and the other that is all in fun. I almost even believe myself. This is our tradition: we all gather together at my parent's house and eat homemade pizza, watch "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation", and open gifts that we give to each other. We then go home, lay out cookies and milk for Santa, "reindeer food" for Rudolph and the gang, and get snuggled up in our beds and go to sleep so Santa will come. I thought Christmas morning as a child was fun, but nothing compares to Christmas morning as a mother. The twinkle in your child's eyes as they see what Santa brought them under the tree, (all wrapped up though, that's how Santa rolls in my house) and as they open each and every present to see what it is.

There's just nothing better.

I look forward to this Christmas season with Ava, (last year didn't count because she was still in my belly) and seeing what she thinks about the lights, the tree, and her gifts. Everything is better through a child's eyes. Now I see why my parents made Christmas such a big holiday at our house, and why I will continue to do the same. :)



It's MAEVA time!

Yes, you heard me right! My sister and I have effectively given our daughters a superhero team name or celeb name, if you will. They are the dynamic duo, only 1 year (and some change) apart. The above picture is Maeve (my niece) giving Ava (my daughter) a kiss! They are sooooo sweet together. Feast your eyes on some more cuteness!







30 Day Challenge- Day Five

DAY FIVE

*Tell us your three favorite colors*

1. Baby Blue. I've always loved this color, and I always will. It's really my only favorite color. When I was a little girl, my room was painted baby blue, and on my walls were posters of Disney movies. That was probably the catalyst for me wanting to be a Disney Animator at one point...Anyhow, not only does the color take me back to the wonderfulness that was my childhood, but it also reminds me of the ocean. Seriously, the older I get, the more I love the serenity of the ocean. If only I could breathe underwater, I'd live there. Like Ariel. (Again with the Disney reference) There is just something about listening to the waves and looking out over the baby blue surface of the water that bring me closer to God. Need another reason why I love baby blue? Look at my children's eyes. 'Nuff said.
2. Black. I'm putting this on my list, because I wear it alot. It's slimming, it's professional, and I can hide behind it. And doesn't everybody want to hide every now and then.
3. Rainbow. Is it really a color? I don't think so, but it is now. Rainbows are a symbol of God's love for us and his promise to never flood the earth again. Rainbows pop up all over Hawai'i...I mean, they're on their license plate. I have to love them. Rainbow is the color of sunsets, which I need to take more time out to watch. Another fun fact about me? I love looking at oil spots on concrete to "see the rainbow". Yeah, I'm kooky. But you have to admit that it is kinda cool.



My Mini-Shopaholic

Doesn't she look excited?!

30 Day Challenge- Day Four

DAY FOUR

*Ten places you want to visit*

Whew. Where to begin? Well, we ALL know the place I want to re-visit. So some of my 10 places are actually a part of that phenomenal place called Hawai'i.

1. Maui, Hawaii.  The love of my life. (Ok, other than my husband and my children.) This is my favorite place on EARTH and I would move there in a hot minute if I had the money, and if I could take all of my family with me. I could write an entire blog (or five) about the beauty of Maui, but I will just leave it for another time, only saying that you MUST go to Cheeseburger in Paradise in Lahaina. Period. The End.
2. Oahu, Hawaii. There's a little place there called the International Marketplace. Bianca and Laura...you would go crazy here. Shopping, shopping, shopping. Best part? Bartering. The price of that necklace is $60? No problem... Me: "Um, I only have $25." (start to walk away) Lady at booth: "Ma'am! Special for you! I can do $30, but only today." SCORE!! Also, you really can't beat Waikiki Beach, but you have to get McDonald's breakfast and take it over there and eat it on the beach. It's a Mitchell tradition. Again, I could go on and on...
3.  Hawai'i, the Big Island. And all the other ones too... Yes, I'd love to visit all of the islands in my favorite place on earth. It's kinda like going home, you know? Well, not really. I guess I'd stick out a bit with my blonde hair and blue eyes, but I have the Aloha Spirit in me and I think that's what really counts.
4. Australia. No, I don't just want to go because Hugh Jackman is from there, but I suppose it is a very good reason all on its own. I really want to see some kangaroos, the Sydney Opera House, and do people watching. If for no other reason than to listen to them talk. I think Australian accents are wicked. I'm weird, I know.
5. Ireland. Again with the accents. Love em'. I once listened to a group of girls on the L in Chicago talk for a good 30 minutes because I just loved listening to them talk. Half of what they said I had no clue, it was just cool. I want to have to get out of my rental car in Ireland and yell at the sheep in the road, and herd them into the field. I want to go an Irish pub (a real one) and do karaoke. The list goes on...
6. Scotland. Birthplace of Gerard Butler. Enough said, I believe.
7. Italy. My sister Lora has been there, and does nothing but brag and brag about how beautiful it is. Plus I need to get some genuine Italian food. Yummy.
8. Greece. Just watch the movie Mama Mia and tell me you don't want to go there, I mean come on!
9. England. There are so many places that I want to visit, and I would most definitely without a doubt try out my English accent at each and every place.
10. India. I have always, always ALWAYS wanted to see the Taj Mahal in person. I would sit there at the reflecting pool and read a book for days. (slipping into fantasy here)

I made the rules I suppose, so I can only list 10 places. There are so many more...another blog entry perhaps?

30 Day Challenge- Day Three

DAY THREE

*Your favorite television program*

First of all, I have to apologize for totally blowing the 30 consecutive days challenge. My sweet baby got very very sick, and what kind of mommy would I be if I were blogging instead of snuggling? (She's MUCH better now!)

Anyhow, back to the subject at hand. My friend Laura beat me to this, and knowing that we had the same idea just solidifies even further the reasons why were are such good friends :) So....here it is.

Oh yes, it's true. Like Laura, I'm THAT girl. Although I could go on and on about my many favorite TV shows, this holds the most emotional meaning for me. And truth be told, it has very little to do with the actual show. (Although I do love it.) It's a little thing we like to call "Grey's Night." This ritual started years ago with the original McLovelies (the name of our group, don't judge) and now has whittled down to only three, due to Laura, Jessica, and Anna moving. I'm still in denial about the three of them, I like to think that they are just on an extended vacation. I know at some point I will have to come to grips with it.

Anyhow, here's what we do: We rotate and go to each other's house on "Grey's night" and we eat dinner together, and watch the show. Now that we have DVR, we can pause the show at any point to talk, and I just love it. Ever since my husband started school, his classes were on MWF, and so going to "Grey's night" on Thursdays wasn't a big deal at all. He completely understands my need for it. But recently, his last two semesters have had him in class on Tu and Th, which does NOT work for me. I have 2 kids, one of which needs to get in bed for school the next day, and one who has a strict schedule and turns in super early. So I can't exactly leave the kiddos home alone while he's in class....so we do a rotation. One Thursday at my house, and then the next two weeks we delay it until the following Monday when my husband can keep the kids and I skip out to the girl's houses. It's a bit confusing, but we've got it down pat. Not to mention that I have super awesome friends that actually wait 4 whole days to watch a new episode of Grey's so that I can watch it with them.

Now, the reason for all of this. I need it. We need it. We all have crazybusy lives, and need that night every week to decompress, complain, talk about world events or celebrities, what have you. It's our version of a "girl's night", and it is essential to my emotional well-being. You think I'm kidding, but I'm not...

So you see, it's not so much about "Grey's", as it is my girls. I am just hoping and praying that I can get all of the McLovelies back together one day. Then and only then will it be a true "Grey's night".

*To my McLovelies--I miss the ones of you that aren't here, and love all of you. You are a part of who I am, and I am so blessed to have each and every one of you in my life. I mean that.*

Ok, I'm done with my good cry for the morning.....Maybe.

30 Day Challenge- Day Two

DAY TWO

*Talk about your piercings or tattoos, if you have any*

Plain Jane. Yep, that's me! I only have my ears pierced, one hole in each ear. I went through a phase in school where I wanted the upper cartilage in my ear pierced, but my mom wouldn't let me. So me being the semi-rebellious teenager that I was, I went to none other than Claire's in the mall, and got the clip in earring. It totally looked like I had my cartilage pierced, but in fact, I did not. My mom thought it looked ridiculous, but I loved it. And like most all things in my teenage years, the fad wore off, and I removed my fake cartilage ring.

How this brings me to piercing Ava's ears or not, I have no idea, but I figured this is as good a place as any to discuss it. Many people have asked me if I'm going to pierce her ears, and the answer is.....NO. Not because I think there is anything wrong with piercing a baby's ears, but I just want her to have the choice. I want her to feel the same excitement and exhilaration that I felt when I was finally allowed to get my ears pierced for the first time. And like a wise friend told me, that especially in these times, if "Pre-teen Ava" decides to rebel and get her ears pierced on her own before I'm ready to allow her, I will secretly be OK with it. After all, if that's the WORST thing she does to rebel, I will be in Heaven. Right?! Anyhow, she may even decide she doesn't want her ears pierced at all. Somehow I doubt that though, because she is already showing signs of fascination with jewelry. Imagine that. :)

Now onto the tattoos...I have none, nor will I probably get any. I'll admit to thinking about it at times, but the more I think about it and see how much  my body has already changed from having kids, the more I don't want some sagging picture on my body when I'm 70. Lots of my friends have them, and they look great. I'm secretly envious of my sister Kimberly's "Aloha" tattoo. (Guess it's not a secret anymore.) I've always thought this was kinda cool too...

The Hawaiian island chain, where my heart is. Probably not on the foot though...

But I digress...so the verdict is no tattoos. I will ooh and aah at friend's and family's, and that should be good enough for me!

30 Day Challenge- Day One

DAY ONE

*Your middle name, and how you feel about it*

Yep, Suzanne. I've never thought a whole lot about it, other than the occasional passing thought.  I still swear that I was named after Suzanne Harris, the mother of my best childhood friend. My mom says that's not so, that she just liked the name. Maybe that's true, but it wouldn't be so bad if I were named after her. She's a great woman, one of the strongest I know.

Anyhow, I've always kind of cherished my middle name. It's different. It's got character. You wouldn't expect it to follow "Allison". I often wonder what middle names other "Allison's" have, and if they are as cool as mine. :)

I used to think it sounded like an old lady name, but I've grown to love it, (or outwardly show my love for it).  It's just like those babies that you hear about whose names are Herbert or Ernie.(which by the way I'm partial to "Ernie" because that is my great uncle's name and he was an amazing man, and I miss him each and every day, especially when I give my kids "Eskimo kisses"...) But I digress..."Suzanne" is like the "older" baby names....the ones that don't really "fit" the baby, but they grow into later in life. Does that makes sense? Okay, picture Bertha as a baby. Now as an adult. Get it?

In my twentysomething's, (yes, I'm almost 30, don't remind me) I think I've grown into my name, even though Mitchell is now my legal middle name, according to Social Security anyways. Suzanne is now, and always will be, a part of me.

And I kinda like that.

My 30 Day Challenge

Alright, alright. I'm jumping on the bandwagon. "30 Day Challenge", here I come! The object of this is for me to blog about completely different subjects every day for 30 days. This will in turn (I hope) help you get to know me better...my quirks, my everyday life, and what hopes and dreams I have for my children. There are so many different "30 DAY CHALLENGES" out there, but I kind of took from them all and made my own. Here we go, here's the list, and you can look for my first blog in the challenge either tonight or in the morning!

Day 1: Your middle name, and how you feel about it.

Day 2: Talk about your piercings or tattoos, if you have any.

Day 3: Your favorite television program.

Day 4: Ten places you want to visit.

Day 5: Tell us your three favorite colors.

Day 6: Your favorite season, and why.

Day 7: A sport you love to watch/play..

Day 8: Two favorite movies, and why.

Day 9: Talk about your pets, past and present, or the ones you'd like to have.
Day 10: What you wanted to be as a child.
Day 11: Do you have siblings? Talk about them, or talk about what it's like to be an only child.
Day 12: Tell us your favorite junk food.
Day 13: Random fact about you.
Day 14: Your favorite Disney Princess movie.
Day 15: Your thoughts on UGG boots.
Day 16: Do you drink soda more often than milk?
Day 17: Do you wear glasses? If so, what are they for?
Day 18: Tell us about your parents.
Day 19: Your opinions on Lady Gaga.
Day 20: Tell us about the last movie you saw in theatres.
Day 21: Tell us about the last book you read.
Day 22: Your first celebrity crush(s).
Day 23: Your opinions on the television show Glee.
Day 24: Describe your mood with a picture and explain.
Day 25: What decade do you think you should have been born in?
Day 26: If you were a teacher, what subject would you teach?
Day 27: Five items you'd grab in a fire.
Day 28: Tell us about your first movie experience that you remember.
Day 29: Tell us your hopes and dreams for your child(ren). What/Who do you see them becoming, and why?
Day 30: Cap it off with a picture of your family.

Babylegs

I'll admit it, I'm obsessed. I mean, look at these!

I think Ava has 10 pairs now, but I can't help myself. These are leggings, but can be used on their arms too, when she gets older. They make changing her diapers super easy, protect her knees (when she starts taking off crawling) and they are SUPER CUTE!!

Alright, I'm done with my baby product soap box for the time being, I just thought all of you mommies should know about these! (P.S. They have boy ones too...feast your eyes, moms of boys!)

Animals, Fire Trucks, Trains, you name it. Boys can rock em' too... ok, I'm done now. :) Enjoy!

Babylegs!