Happy New Year!

Happy New Year folks.

The holidays went great. Lots of family over several Christmas celebrations but Addison did pretty darn good. Had her 3rd birthday party last Saturday, on her actual birthday for once.

Addison will be starting a new daycare/preschool on the 13th when we get back from our vacation. Potty training has basically been put on hold until once she starts the new daycare so consistency can get her trained. It will be nice for us to get back into a normal routine once we get back. With no big holidays or vacations looming we will be able to buckle down and get back to a grind.

I am going to try to keep this updated as we go through the transition to the new daycare and potty training since I know how everyone loves to read my writing.

And then of course I should post a picture of Addison so here you go.

Also lets go Chiefs and Pats in the playoffs!

It has been a long long while since I have updated this. Since I last updated I have gotten a new job with John Deere as a distance learning coordinator. Only a month in but I am really enjoying the job. Now some that read this will say well Lucas you liked your job at Farmers in the first month too. This is different. For one there hasn't really been a training period in the new job so much. Its just learn by doing for the most part so I am not sitting insulated in this training room with any misconceptions on what the job may or may not be. I am just a contingent in John Deere (JD) right now. Which means I am hourly with a contracting company separate of the actual company. I am very happy with the change and I am glad that the opportunity was pointed out to me.

Danica is well into her 5th year of teaching and enjoying it but looking at that next step for her masters or something like that. She is very friendly with her principal (some have thrown around hand to the king references like Game of Thrones) so this year she has gotten some opportunities to really show off with different teams and stuff. I am very happy to see her be so successful at something that she is perfect more.

Now on to the real reason folks follow. Ze baby. Addison is all over the place. She will turn 3 in December but has all the attitude of most grown women I know. With Danica she is constantly up in her grill and wanting to cuddle and things like that. When she is home with me she is a little more independent. She plays with all her toys and often plays games on our tablet. The most recent battle has been over dinners. Danica and I try to make her eat what we eat but Addison tends to disagree with this school of thought. So each evening is a little bit of battle but I assure you we won't let her waste away.

Well I am tired and way too much has happened since the last update to get it all so I will leave you with that. Thanks for reading.  If you aren't then really does this blog exist? Kind of a tree falling in the woods thing here.

Also go Chiefs and go Patriots.

So......it's been awhile

Well it has been quite the while since I have updated.

Addison is walking/running everywhere. Basically if she is awake she is on the move.

Work is going well. Scores are good and really starting to feel at home while at work, if that makes sense.

Danica's school year is going well but she is already looking forward to spring break.

The rest of this post I type with a heavy heart:

My father is dead. It still feels weird to type it, say it, or even to think it. A couple weeks back he was taken to the hospital and he would not again be responsive. Jacob and I got down there on the Monday evening and he passed away around 1:30pm the following Friday (Jan 27, 2012). While he wasn't responsive while we were there I do believe that he knew we were there. We had a few days at the end to reflect and to spend time with family as we both grieved and prepared for the end.

My friends, family, and co-workers have been amazing throughout the whole process. The service went very well and given the situation it could not have been better. I feel like the time that we had in the hospital did help to give us a chance to say good bye and to let him know it was okay to go.

Things have been getting back to normal as I have gone back to work and the condolences have begun to slow down. While my routine has gotten back to normal it is clear to me at this point that somethings will never be the same. Every time I sit down to watch football I will think of him. Every time I visit Newton and think "I better text dad so we can get breakfast Sunday." And of course every time I watch Jaws or Dick Tracy I will think of the man that would sit and watch one of them with me anytime I wanted to. I love you dad and I will miss you always.

Loren Edward Mitchell November 3, 1952 - January 27, 2010.

He finished well.

Earache? Earache, frowny face.

Addison has been a bit fussy this week. She woke up Sunday morning
with a nose leaking like a faucet. By tuesaday day Danica had to leave
work early to take her to doctor's office. Turns out she has an ear
infection on top of the cold that was on top of teething. They gave
her some antibiotics and already today she seems like she is doing a
little better. I think we are on the downward slope of it which is good.

I started learning how to enter in glass claims at work and all the
particulars of that. We will be on the phones tomorrow and Friday
doing only auto claims. Then next week we will be in our transition
week getting ready for our actual shifts the following week after that.

Gotta go make some lemon bars for our bake sale at work tomorrow.
Doing a fundraiser as a class and we get to wear jeans and our t-
shirts which is pretty baller.

Lemon bars here I come!

Dear friends and devoted readers...

Hello friends and family. It has been a long while since I have had an entry.

As opposed to give a long long long entry I will do a few short ones in the next couple days to update people on things.

Addison is all over the place. She began crawling back in July and now there isn't an inch of our (new) apt that hasn't been explored by her. Now she is cruising around all our furniture and on the verge (we think and dread) of walking.

Danica has begun her school year and is enjoying the kids and being back at work. She has a new crop of kids this year that will present different challenges than she had last year.

I began a new job as a customer service associate at Farmers Insurance. I am really enjoying it. Although we are still in training so our day to day is a bit different then it will be in a month or so when I am actually on the floor. Getting back into the groove of work has been interesting specifically because I have never had a 40 hours a week job. We all get up in the morning and leave at the same time. We are the nice suburban family that we always wanted to be.

We went to the circus today with Addison. Although I was reluctant at first it ended up being a very fun day and Addison was a rockstar the whole time.

Well that is it for now. Below is the awesome cup that I will be taking to work for a coffee mug come Monday morning.

\

Goodbye dear friend

It is with a heavy heart that I type this. We found out this morning that our dear friend Todd Fitzsimmons was killed in a car accident. This came as a big shock to our system (me specifically). Todd was one of the groomsmen in my wedding, and while he did not have the "best man" title on that day he was one of the best men that I ever had the pleasure of knowing. With enthusiasm that was contagious to all those around him, you couldn't help but love having him around. He will be missed by many friends and even more so by his family, which he always had animated and heartfelt stories that showed just how much they loved each other. We were all blessed to have Todd in our lives and he was taken from us at much too young of an age.

Myself, Phil, Jacob and Todd in front of ESU on my wedding day

For the rest of this life I will look forward to seeing you in the next.

Danica's Post

Lucas usually posts on here but, I have something that I would like to share...our success with a new nightly routine. 

7:00-7:20  2nd solid Feeding (usually a vegetable because it is "heavier")

7:20-7:30 Addison plays on floor by herself, while I clean up dinner and get stuff ready for her bedtime

7:30- 8:00  Addison and I play on the floor (at the end of this time we put toys away together...basically me having her grab toys and holding the toy box next to her)

8:00-8:15   Begin our routine, in her bedroom with the noise machine on, and lights off

1. P.J.'s on while she starts a bottle
2. Cuddle with snuggle toy in Mommy's lap
3. Finish the bottle while mom reads Addison's two favorite books
4. Then Mommy rubs Addison's back, while humming a lullaby
5. Addison falls fast asleep and is placed into bed, where she cuddles with the snuggle toy more

8:15  Mommy and Daddy have the evening to themselves!  

I know it all seems quite simple, but we have been having a lot of trouble with bed time recently.  Addison is teething and going through a separation anxiety phase.  And as most of you know when you are a parent you celebrate the small victories as much as the large ones. 

Happy Birthday to my Wife and Brother

Happy Birthday to my great wife, Danica Mitchell and my brother Jacob Mitchell!!!

Well their birthday is on Friday but figured since I was updating now I would throw it in there. 

Went to Newton last week to visit the family down there. Had a pretty good visit. Got to spend a lot of time with family and see a plethora of different friends, some of whom hadn't met our little princess yet. 

Speaking of Addison she is right on the cusp of crawling. She is very close and can get her little hands and knees under herself but doesn't realize what she needs to do from there. She will be getting plenty of tummy time so that she can work the kinks out. Granted the second she knows how to crawl its good night nurse as we try to contain her. 

Well we are watching Shrek 4 so I will sign off for the moment.  

Have a wonderful afternoon. 

Baby Alarm Clock/Its Been Awhile

So it has been a long while since I updated this. I always mean to and then I just get distracted by something shiny and forget. I figured though since Addison woke me up early I would knock out an update.

Addison has been rolling and scooting and can basically go every direction but forward, which frustrates her. She is starting to connect the dots on crawling and is bringing her knees up to try to get on all fours but I think we still have a bit until she is all over the house like Aden (my nephew). She has begun self soothing herself in a different way now. She rubs her head, sometimes with both hands, to the point where now she has two little tracks in her hair. We took her swimming the other day for the first time. At first she seemed a little uneasy but then by the end she was splashing around and having fun. I look forward to taking her to the pool a few more times this summer.

As for us parents. Danica had two wisdom teeth pulled on Friday and is now recovering from that. She has to call the dentist because we are pretty sure he sewed her cheek in with the stitches (which shouldn't be done) and so now we need them to possibly fix that.

I ran in my first 5K on Sunday in Gardner. I finished in 35:45 which is well under my 40 minute goal so I was pretty happy. I really enjoyed doing it and I plan on trying to run one a month to help me on my toes.

Now for some pictures.

Addison at the pool, looking cool.

Basically the coolest, cutest baby ever.

Phil and I before the race began. It was supposed
to rain but it it didn't and the clouds kept it pretty cool.

Me coming into the finish line. 

Bragging moment

So I just wanted to take a moment to brag on my daughter. She has yet to get fussy in a store and or in a restaurant (knock on wood). I mean today for instance. I went for sushi with Bowman and I expected Addison to fall a sleep but she didn't. She just sat there smiling and playing with her meow the whole time. Then the second I got home she lost it because she was hungry. This happens with the store as well. I will be at the store and when I get home she will have hunger cries. Its great its like in her little baby brain it registers "I've never been fed here before, so therefore it probably won't happen today." I realize she probably doesn't think like that but its my daughter so I can put words in her mouth.

Also she is now rolling both ways (there for a while I called her Zoolander because she couldn't turn left) and is all over the living room. Her latest endeavor is to get underneath everything. The couch and her blanket thats on the ground being the main quests. Several times I have come back from the bathroom or doing dishes to find a set of baby legs peaking out from under a blanket.

Welp that's about it. Just thought I would spout off about how awesome Addison is.

Moving skills increasing. Hide and seek skills? still lacking.

Laughing Out Loud

We've had a couple fun weeks. 

Addison has learned to roll over, and hasn't stopped since. We put a blanket down so that she doesn't get all rug burned up while she clumsily makes her way around the living room. After baby sitting Aden today it is apparent that she also wants to begin crawling as she watched Aden with amazement. But we are probably a ways away from that. She is also becoming more and more animated and squealing with laughter (which will be exhibited in the below video). 

Addison stayed with her grandparents on Saturday and made it through the whole night over there this time. Last weekend wasn't as successful. Then on Sunday we went back over there and had a bunch of good food. Addison was great during the day while we were there. She got to see her grandparents and two sets of great grandparents which was fun for all. 

That will be about it. But if you want to see the cutest baby every squeal like Babe the pig then you should most definitely watch the video below.  

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all you mom's out there.

Specifically to you Danica the best mother and the best teacher that a daughter could have. I love you and hope you have a great day.

Also to my mom Ms. Jean Mitchell. The best mother and teacher that I could have had. Thank you and I love you.

Easter and what not....

Addison was awesome at Easter last Sunday and didn't lose her mind much at all. This was refreshing after the Wednesday prior of her going bananas while at a gathering. 

Had a pretty good week. Just regular week up to yesterday when we had Addison's 4 month appointment (and the NFL draft). Addison was 14 lbs. 14 oz. and I think 24 inches long. Everything health wise was good and she got a few more immunizations. The shots went alright. She cried for about 1 minute because of the pain and then a couple more because of our betrayal of letting it happen. Talked with Dr. Jennifer about her food and we can start rice with Addison as soon as we want and then integrate new foods every few days after that. We (Danica really) also asked about getting her ears pierced and it looks like we are going to hold off on that for a little while, which is just fine with dad. 

After her appointment we met with went and ate dinner with the Robles and then Phil and I watched the draft. Danica left after dinner and she brought Addison home with her while I stayed behind to watch the NFL draft. 

Gonna see the in-laws this weekend as we go to Paola for a visit so Addison will get to see some family. 

Below is a picture of us at Easter.

Well back to work for me. 

Daddy's Girl

Sitting in Panera doing a little work and thought an update was in order. Amber (sister-in law) is watching Addison so I can do some work uninterrupted. Also I watched her son Aden Tuesday and Thursday so we kind of traded today and last Monday. While they were with me yesterday they watched as I cooked some bacon. While doing so they jabbered back and forth a bit. The maintenance guys that swung by to change heater/ac filter thought it funny.

Took Addison to see some more family this last Wednesday. She was not the happiest baby. When she gets around too many people and she is tired it is a recipe for an angry baby. People, and different smells such as perfume, and new places get her a little agitated and excited so she can't sleep. Although she is starting to get better because if Danica and I pull her aside we can usually get her calmed down.

Its weird because when I have her at home she is never just angry crying. She cries because she is hungry or tired both are usually pretty quick fixes. But when she is around other people (even mommy sometimes) she will just lose it. This leads me to believe two hypothesis:

a) she loves attention

b) she is a total daddy's girl

My first prediction is that it is a little from column a and a little from column b. Danica will balk at these results but as she is not typing this with me I will silence her opinion. Well I hear the distinct sound of a whip cracking, back to work.

I like to move it, move it....

Addison rolled over this morning!!!

So exciting. She has been working at it for a few days now but kept getting caught up on her elbow. Then today I was watching some t.v. updating facebook when I look down and sure enough Addison was on her belly wiggling around trying to get back to her back. Going from the belly to the back isn't a skill we have acquired but she is working towards it.

She is also becoming quite the chatty Cathy. She makes noises all the time and they are becoming more and more controlled and not just making noise as she wiggles around.

Well I actually have some work to do so I better get on that. Hopefully I will be able to get out to the disc golf course sometime this week get a little extra exercise and a little sun. Finished up week 5 of my C25K but a little extra workout here and there will be good for me.

One Week Survived

So it is Friday. Gonna make this short because I have to get ready to drive down to Paola. Addison is spending the day the her aunt Melissa so that I can go to the in-laws house to do some polls which will eat up most of my weekend (including the time that KU is playing, an unforeseen consequence to my acceptance of said work).

The week at home with Addison has gone really well. She is a little angel. And I'm not just saying that because she is my daughter. She hasn't cried unless it was hungry cries and I've given her a bath twice now all by my lonesome and she was great about it. Below will be an awesome picture that I took after one of said baths.

My routine is staying pretty consistent cleaning the house, staying caught up on laundry, a little Wii fit during the day to get a little movement in my day, and then a little job searching on the internet if I have the time. Also while I feed and play with Addison we watch some Netflix (just finished season 2 of Parks and Rec). It has been a pretty easy week.*

Danica managed to get strep throat after all of three days back at work, but got on antibiotics as quick as possible and as of this evening shouldn't even be contagious anymore. Well that will be about it for me as I need to go prepare for the rest of my day.


*After said statement I quickly and whole heartedly knocked on some wood

Directions for enjoying picture: Click play on audio and then look at the picture. Really only works if you are a bit of a Star Wars fan.

D-Day has come and gone

Well yesterday was Danica's first day back at work which means it was my first full day all by my lonesome with the little one. Things went well for both Danica and I. Danica is excited to be back at work but has a lot to catch up on.

Addison and I played on her mat and read a couple books. Then while she took a nap (which was very inviting to join in but I resisted) I cleaned the house up a little bit. I like being home and having a routine even if it is just laundry, dishes, and making dinner. Of course if our coffee maker broke I imagine that routine would not be as enjoyable. We had a good day with minimal meltdowns, the worst of which was caused by mommy coming home and waking her up by taking her out of her swing while I was making dinner.

At the apartment things went well and I even had to take the risk of taking her to the store to get some groceries. We things at the store went fine, to the extent that Addison couldn't be bothered by anything that wasn't her pacifier or her meow (pink cat thing), see picture below. On the way home from the store though stopped for an ice tea from sonic (Addison didn't want anything, I asked) and it took twenty minutes. This made me an unhappy camper. Addison though fell asleep which brings me to two more points of parenting I have picked on.

Time management: if you think you have, you don't, and no matter how hard you try you will never find it. You can hope to stay ahead of the ball but I find at best its good enough just to keep up.

And movement: The only time I worry about Addison is when she stops moving and it is because I am over paranoid. If at some point she stops playing or finally goes to sleep at night I have to get up and feel her tummy move up and down as she breathes. Hopefully this instinct will subside a little because I will be a little strange to do when she is 16.

Now for pictures:

Addison at the store. Thanks for looking at the camera. 

Also have a picture from Danica's aunt Kelly helping to show who Addison is going for in the whole March Maddness (should have had her wear some others too because my bracket is shattered)

In response to a comment I made about raising Addison right as a KU fan Pastor Adam Welty  had this to say:
‎
‎"Train up a child in the way they should go and when they are old they will not depart from it" That's Scriptural...Rock Chalk

Thanks for reading.

News Flash

Danica got the wound vac off on Saturday. YEAH YEAH YEAH!!!

Now she just has dressings that I have to change daily and hopefully it won't take much longer for her to be healed. Which is good because she is going back to work on March 21st. We are going back tomorrow to get a handle on the catch up on lesson plans and on copies. It will be overwhelming but getting back to a routine will be great for all of us.

Addison is doing great. She smiles more and more daily but still evades cameras with it for the most part. She is taking her first trip to Newton this weekend to see some family and friends. That will be fun because for many it will be the first time they meet her.

I am applying for jobs here and there and focusing on my girls. When not doing those I have gotten back on the HTML learning train and am now in my second week of the couch to 5K. I haven't run this week yet though so I have to do some work to be sure to get it done this week. I am looking for a 5K to run this summer so if anyone has any events they know of or would like to join shoot me some info.

Well that is where I will leave you for know. Not really anything fun just kind of an update. Trying to think of fun pictures I could put up but none are coming to mind and I am sleepy.

Its been awhile....

It has been a long while since I have updated.

Danica is still healing. Every Tuesday we hope to get the vacuum off and hopefully that will come true very soon. Of course after that she will then have dressings that we will have to change here at the house, but things are coming along.

Addison is getting a little bit more personality everyday but we still haven't been able to catch a good smile with a picture yet. My mom and dad came up this last weekend for a visit, dad's first with Addison here. It was a good time and I am sure grand parents enjoyed it even more than we did.

With the spring coming I have decided to focus more on my health and fitness and I have planned to start a couch to 5k routine that I go on my ipod on Monday. Have high hopes for it.

My goals are coming along better but I still need to focus on better time management and getting into a routine. Finally finished the Facebook Effect and have moved on to Bureaucracy: What Government Agencies Do and Why They Do It.

Well have a headache and a crying baby so time to go.

Happy Valentine's Day

HAPPY VALENTINE"S DAY TO YOU ALL!!!!

From my Valentine to yours.

Photo courtesy of Kelly Setter Photography