Road Trip!

John recently had a much needed Spring Break -- it was a LONG time coming for all of us! It was a great week of hanging out in Montgomery for a few days, just enjoying our home and time together as a family...but we also hit the road! We had so much fun with our friends David and Krista in Atlanta back in February that we decided to go back! We hit up the same hotel (the Embassy Suites in Buckhead certainly was a nice treat) as we knew we were within walking distance of the MARTA (Atlanta's metro), Trader Joe's, and a great selection of restaurants and shops.

Back in February we toured Coca-Cola and the Georgia Aquarium...this time we hit up CNN and Zoo Atlanta. Of course it was marathon/half-marathon weekend so we had a few crowds to work around...but it was all so much fun!

CNN was a pretty cool experience. John and I don't find ourselves watching network nor cable news much, but we really enjoyed seeing the inner-workings of CNN. The building was HUGE, bright and very colorful. We took the 55-minute walking tour and were thankful for a fun, patient Kimberly (our tour guide) who used our boys and distracted them at the same time. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take any pictures during the tour...so if you ever find yourself in Atlanta one day, take the time and check out the tour yourself!






Had a very hard time telling this big boy NOT to touch the Humvee!





Saturday was such a beautiful day that we decided to hit up Zoo Atlanta. What we didn't realize was that half of Atlanta's families had decided to do the same! They happened to have their "Marathon" 1-mile family walk and 5K AT THE ZOO! Say what?! So we joined the post-race crowds and enjoyed the many animals and rides. At times we were tempted to leave our own little monkeys in the exhibits...but we would miss them so!









































We wrapped up a great weekend in Atlanta with John running the half-marathon on Sunday morning. Now mind you, it was a race that began at 0700...in downtown Atlanta...on a dreary morning...there was no way on God's green Earth I was dragging two little boys to the race! John did GREAT even without our cheering him on...that man certainly has skills!

Atlanta makes for one AWESOME road trip for the Mizells!

Strange Sleeping Arrangements

These days we're finding Luke in some interesting spots for naps and night time. We've had to hunt him down a few times...and this is what we've found!





I think he may be ready to have Paden join him in the "big boy room" when we move!

Boo-Boos and an ER

We had our first ER experience as parents of 2 boys. Paden had a mishap with his feet and the edge of a McDonald's booth. Poor baby busted his upper lip pretty good! After much blood and a few tears, this kiddo was a trooper and wooed all the ladies working in the ER. Thankfully the docs opted not to put a stitch in (thankfully, I don't know how I would have handled that experience). What a big boy!

A Long Time Coming

There is a very good reason why I haven't blogged in a few months. I have had no pictures of the boys to post! Why would I blog without pictures?

And WHY haven't I had any pictures? Well, that would be due to darling Luke. I walked into the kitchen one morning after a 2-minute break from the boys to merely get dressed and what do I find...but several books floating in the kitchen sink. Yes, they were floating because Mommy was going to wash the dishes. But lo and behold! There was more! Oh wait, is that my camera AND my phone?! Why yes!

Was the young culprit able to explain WHY he felt the need to put all of those EXPENSIVE items into the kitchen sink? No.

Ahhhh...boys!







A BIG THANK YOU to my in-laws, Walt and Ferne, for the new camera! And to my wonderful husband who finagled with Sprint to get me an AWESOME new phone. ALL of which are now being stored ON TOP OF THE FRIDGE!

Hopefully some new pics of the boys will follow soon!

Look Who's 3!

Today our sweet boy Luke turns 3. So hard to imagine. I keep looking at this little boy and realize he's not so "little" anymore. He is a "big boy." My BIG BOY LUKE.

I'm not going to blog about what it was like to come home with this new baby, what being a first time mom was like, how each milestone in his life was such a new and wonderful experience...simply because I don't remember it all! We are so wrapped up in our everyday life, life with two absolutely crazy and wonderful little boys, that just thinking about the past is something that I just can't do.

So here is our precious and absolutely awesome Luke! The 3 Year Old!




This is our little boy who...
* Thankfully loves his Mommy, Daddy, Baby P, God, Jesus, all of his grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins... etc. etc.
* Makes new friends with everyone who comes his way (even our plumber!)
* Is ALL boy...loves to make noises, play with trains, trucks, puzzles (he's the "Puzzle-Man"!)
* Can run laps around the house or outdoors and still call it "walking"
* Is too busy playing to eat a meal, yet asks for snacks ALL the time
* Loves to watch Disney movies (even the princess ones)
* Is a great "helper" around the house
* Shares with his brother and others with a huge smile
* Still likes to play by himself at times, but is learning to play more with Paden
* And SO much more!

What an amazing little boy...what an amazing 3 years...

Disney Date

Several months ago I noticed that "Playhouse Disney Live" was coming to Montgomery, how exciting! I thought "what a fun and cool treat to take Luke to, maybe for a 'Mommy and Me' date". So I ordered 2 tickets and waited patiently for 2 months while keeping our "secret" from Luke. (You see, we still don't tell Luke anything until the day, or minute, it's about to happen. One, he'd either obsess for an entire day, or he'd completely forget. So, "SURPRISE"!)

Finally, this past Sunday was our lucky day! John and I told Luke that he was going to see Mickey Mouse after nap...and it was going to be so much fun! Luke really looked forward to it all day, until it was time to wake him up from his nap and head downtown. Talk about a cranky kid! He just wanted to crawl back into bed rather than go see Mickey Mouse. Oh no, Mommy was not going to let that fly! So I toss the kid and a backpack full of snacks into the car and hit the road. Thankfully it was a 20 minute drive and Luke's mood changed dramatically for the better.

The Montgomery Performing Arts Center was a beautiful surprise. A lovely, intimate theater, quickly filling with excited kids and cautious, frazzled parents. And why were we cautious and frazzled? Maybe it was the maze of booths selling all things Disney and sugary that we had to navigate our children through just to get to our seats. And then we were dodging concession "hawkers" threading their way through the theater selling cotton candy, popcorn, and toys...all to the delighted squeals of children and the many parents forking over an insane amount of money for things that will end up in the trash by the end of the week. I hate to admit, I was one of those parents forking over $12 for cotton candy and a Handy Manny hat, but that was all! I swear!

The show included most of the Disney characters that you find on the Disney channel in the morning -- which is usually on 5 days a week in our house! We got to see Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, Handy Manny and friends, Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Darby, and The Little Einsteins. Whew, what a crew?! And was it exciting? Thankfully, YES! Luke seemed to be in awe and love every moment of it, sometimes sitting with his mouth wide open, and sometimes dancing in the aisle. Mom on the other hand sang along with the music and tried not to go nuts by the insane degree of lip syncing!

I will admit that I had few moments of "moist eyes" as I watched my little boy totally engrossed and thrilled with what was happening on stage. Every moment was worth it: the grouchy boy being awakened from his nap, the circles being driven around downtown as I was trying to figure out where on earth parking was, the mass/mess of "trinket s***" being sold everywhere you turned, the lip syncing...all for a little boy who has continued to talk about seeing Mickey and Friends the other day. And that Handy Manny hat that is now in a toy tub at the bottom of the closet!

I think Mommy was more excited at this point!

Mmmm...Cotton Candy! It took Luke's second "try" to even like this sugary treat...does that tell you how little "sweets" he eats, or maybe he's like Mommy and prefers chocolate.

Yeah! The show started...and it's loud, colorful and exciting for this 2-year-old!

Winnie the Pooh, Darby and Tigger

Handy Manny and friends. (OMG, Handy Manny was SO cute!)

The Gang with Handy Manny

The Finale - finally!

How cool was that?!

Our Attempts at "Fun Times in Montgomery"

I've had several people say that they figured from my tone of voice and such that I'm not a big fan of Montgomery. I would have to say that they are correct. Big time. This is not an easy place for me to live and it doesn't help that it has been very difficult for John at school. BUT, we're trying to make the best of this year. So I decided to share some of the "crazy fun" that we have shared with the boys this past month.

1. We draw pretty pictures for Daddy.

2. We eat spaghetti.

3. We read LOTS of books.

4. We take bike rides with our new, cool bike trailer.

5. We attempt potty training -- which isn't working.

6. Mommy bakes like a "mad woman" for Luke's classroom -- isn't that what a "Room Mom" is supposed to do?

7. We just "hang out" -- and sometimes let everything hang out as well!

8. We fingerpaint!!!

8b. And make a huge mess in the process!

8c. Cute, but messy boy #1.

8d. Cute and messy boy #2.

9. We fall asleep in places other than our beds.

10. We cuddle with our brother!

11. We explore new parks on chilly October days.

AND SO MUCH MORE!