A Great Day of Baseball

Rare is a blog post from me lately.  Life if full to the brim and the blog is something that gets put way down on the to do list.  It makes me sad though because this is the place to store memories.



I've had the big camera out three days in a row!  I took it to the baseball field this morning and got some shots of our little player in action.  I do love to watch him play!  It gets stressful at times though!  It is tournament time and we ended up having to play three back to back games today!  Baby A was a trooper as neither Jeff nor I had brought any money for the concession stand (anyone else trying to clamp down this month?).  A sweet friend shared some snacks (and toys) with him.

We are still alive in the tournament and play on Monday.  Way to go Coco and Jeff!



Love that I got both of them in one shot.

This one is our favorite. Coco is constantly cheering his team on. Go O's!

Why, Hello There Friday!

It seems as if Fridays are the only days I get a post completed anymore!  Tis the season!  Life has been full and good!  Spring is finally here which means outside time for all of us.  I've started Couch to 5k again and have made it to jogging half the time.  Whew!  I don't know how you regular runners do it.  I do not enjoy running.  But, I want to exercise 1. because I need it and I'm not no spring chicken anymore :) and 2. because I secretly dream of having a body like this chick.  I'm sure she does way more than run a 5k.  Plus, she's probably like 5'2", but whatevs.  It's motivating me right now.

 

Spring also means I get to spend a few nights a week at the ball field.  Coco is turning into quite the little player.  I am confessing that I enjoy watching him play baseball more than watching volleyball.  Gasp!  I know, I know.  It's craziness!  Plus, Coco's coach is a hottie.  I have a weakness for seeing him on the field and always have!  He is SUCH a good coach to those boys.  They are so lucky to have someone as knowledgeable as him and one that realizes they are 7 and not 17!



My little social butterfly spent about 10 min. with me at last night's game before charming a teenage girl and a girl from his class into playing.  Plus, he has figured out that baseball games mean lots of junk food.  Last night he had: a red Powerade, a bag of cookies, a laffy taffy stick, a bag of Cheezits, and a blue Gatorade.  I only got him the first two things and they others were given to him!  And we were only there an hour!

You may have noticed that someone's curls are not hanging out of his cap any more.  :(  He wanted, and got, a big boy cut.  He looks so old!



One reason my nights have been so full is that I've been working on my new "job" as an Ambassador for Noonday.  It is hard to view it as a job because it is so fun!  I love learning about the company, the people we are impacting, making displays for the gorgeous jewelry, and making steps to grow my business!  I've been promoting a lot using social media.  You can follow me on Instagram at @mixmama. :)  By the way, the May and June hostess incentives are fab.u.lous!  I would love to share more with you about Noonday and help get Noonday into your hands!  Check out my site at saramixon.noondaycollection.com to learn more!




Lastly, we have some kitchen projects happenin' up in here. LOVE finished projects, but I'm very impatient and can't stand messes. Lord help me.


How was your week?

The Magic City

After we spent our morning on UM's campus, touring, walking, playing, walking, and eating, we loaded up and headed north to Birmingham.

My first trip to Birmingham was in high school when one of the most influential teachers to so many kids ever, took around 12 of us rural, middle class teenagers to UAB for spring break.  Can you imagine?  Stuck in a 15 passenger van with teenagers for 10 hours?  Yikes!  But, it was that trip, and the one I would take the next year with him that changed the direction of my life!  



And thank goodness my fashion sense changed, too!

We visited UAB to learn more about science.  We visited labs, drove up to NASA in Huntsville...and sitting here trying to remember...guess the academic stuff really made an impression!  Ha!  What did make an impression was the history of the city.  The hot seat of the civil rights movement.  Now, that made an impression.

My mom went with us my senior year and I can remember visiting the Civil Rights Institute and seeing the tears stream down her face.  It was, and is, crazy to me that she lived this time period.  That it was one generation removed from me.  I loved getting to see first hand some of the places that I had learned about like the 16th Street Baptist Church and the bus station where freedom riders would have traveled through.  

So, when we decided to take the kids with us, I knew I wanted to take them to the Civil Rights Institute.  The girls really soaked it up and the boys are still too young to appreciate it, but I'm glad they were exposed to it anyway. 

After that, we took a quick trip to see the Vulcan.  Lizzy and I didn't venture up (I was too cheap to buy more tickets.  I thought it would be free.  Wishful thinking!).  Jeff and Littles went up and came right back down.  He said the view was just as good from the bottom and the kids weren't that excited about having gone up.  It's definitely worth a trip to the park, just don't bother with buying tickets to go up in the statue.  :)  



During this time my old buddy and roommate, Seth, had texted seeing that we were in town.  He and his wife, who lived on my hall and played basketball our freshman year, were staying in Montevallo for the night on their way to the beach.  I was so glad our paths crossed!  We met them for dinner at Milo's, which I had never had, but apparently Seth has to have it every time they are in Birmingham.  His kids are the cutest and I hope we are able to visit them in Nashville this summer!


Don't Seth and I look the same as we did in 1995? :)

Then we headed back to Motown to see if any of Jeff's teammates had shown up for the game.  The kids had fun playing and Jeff was able to watch a bit of the game and hang out with our friend, Morgan.

What a full and FUN day we had!  The kids were so worn out.  Who am I kidding?  Jeff and I were worn out, too!

We enjoyed a little more baseball and play time the next afternoon. I thoroughly enjoyed the warm weather!  We all got some sun on our faces and the outside time was just what the doctor ordered!  


Sweet memories with our little family were made in the place where our family began!

Her First "Official" College Visit

We are entering an exciting season with Lizzy.  

Her last two years of high school and then college is right around the corner.  How can that be?!

As she wraps up her sophomore year,  we anticipate the busyness of the next two years and their importance.  SAT, more AP classes, a j.o.b., driver's license, prom, etc.  I can feel the wrinkles and gray hairs coming.  But such an awesome time, no?  Don't you remember?

I wanted to take advantage of our little family trip to the University of Montevallo by scheduling an official campus visit for Liz.  

 The sign makes it so official!  We loved it!

Jeff and I had the best experience at UM.  Granted, we were a part of athletic teams, but we had friends who weren't and loved their time there, too.  

 
I loved the smallness of campus and that I could walk to class and know people.  My experience at the much larger Ball State University was not like that at all.  There I felt I was just a number.  Although academically, both schools prepared me well for my career.

Liz started off her day (which was BEAUTIFUL by the way!) sitting in on a physics class.  She then toured the campus with a group and I caught up with them toward the end to see the new dorms.

We walked together to get Jeff and the kids who were playing on the baseball field and headed to the cafeteria for lunch.  The food was still as good as it was way back when and even some of the same ladies were working there!  We finished off our meal with an ice cream cone which was a staple for me every day!

Coco loved the conveyer belt that you placed dirty dished upon.  He was out of his seat taking things up more than he was in his seat eating! 

 

Yeah, no idea about that face.  You don't think he thinks he's cute do you?

 
 Liz liked her visit and Jeff and I loved walking the brick paths together again.  I love this campus.  It is where Jeff and I met and it holds many memories-hard, sweet, and everything in between!    

Spoiled

I got some extra time with two of my boys today.  These two know how to spoil me rotten (is spoiling a love language?  because they speak it!).  We rode to look at antiques at the Lakewood 400 monthly show.  Coco sweet talked us into getting him some popcorn.  He was enamored by the record players and old juke box!  He had never seen either!  We then squeezed in a game of bowling and  Jeff beat me for the first time EVER!  And then dinner where Jeff and I shared wings and a few drinks while Coco ate up some pizza and flirted with our waitress.  I'm not even kidding.  We are in such trouble.
A perfect date!  Who spoils you?

Daddy Love

You should hear Baby A shriek when Jeff gets home.  If that doesn't make a dad feel loved, I don't know what would!

Baby A is still into the "hair" and loved that this hair bow had ribbons!

This kid rocks!

Sunday Snapshots

I've never attended a church where volunteering didn't get on my nerves.  A place that I missed if I wasn't there on Sunday.  Until we started going to our current church.  It rocks.  Plain and simple.  

I was asked to take a few pictures during my time in the preschool today.
 
 Sweet Baby A is such a popular guy! Some of his most favorite people are ones he gets to see on Sundays.


 One of the MANY reasons I love my husband.  (Sidenote: our baby is three.  If you notice all of my kids are about four years apart from the one older and one younger.  I'm missing having an infant in the house!  When my baby is three it starts to kick in.  Ugh!  Counting on Baby Doss' arrival this summer to quench my baby ache.)

Baby A asked the-one-he-loves-to-pieces, Amy, on the way in if he could have one of the many balloons decorating the space.  The boy loves balloons!  And, she told him yes.  Laurie also gave Lenny and Coco some balloons after service and I took these sweet photos of Lenny and Paige.


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I also wanted to share an email I got from one of Lenny's small group leaders. 
Hi Sara,

Just wanted to let you know what a great day we had today in Upstreet with Audrey!  Amy told me she spoke with you last week.  Audrey is such a smart, sweet and perceptive girl.  She always participates and shares great real life examples of what it means to follow Jesus.  She definitely gets it!  This morning, in particular, I just had to laugh.  Our big idea for the month is patience and we asked the girls if they could give us examples of how they are patient with others.  Audrey raised her hand, so I asked her to share and right as she started to answer, she was interrupted.  Audrey sat very patiently and quietly as 3 or 4 girls all started answering the question.  Then she leaned over and whispered to me, "I am showing patience right now because that girl definitely interrupted me."

Anyways, we are so glad to have her in our group and thankful for all she adds to it!

Isn't that awesome?  That Lenny.  Such a dry sense of humor!

I was glad I had my real camera to capture some shots part of our day!

Holy Hotness, Batman!

Jeff will not be happy with me posting this, but I snapped a picture of him today while we were talking while he was grilling supper.  Look at him!  He is practically at his college weight.  He inspires me with his will power.  I'm very proud of him!

Getting Back to Normal

The undecorating of Christmas is a daunting and sad one for me.  I so enjoy the holiday and the coziness the lights and decorations give the house.  Things seem so bare when it is all put away.  It is daunting because the kids are home.  Enough said.

So, today was spent getting things put away.  I made a good dent. 

Jeff also ripped up the carpet in Baby A's room.  I'm hoping that I do not have to post finishing the painting of the stairs and floors for my annual home to do list for 2013.  It would be the 3rd year to post that.  Yikes!  I have high hopes that it will be done over the next few days!



Do you loathe taking down your Christmas decorations, too?  Are there any projects you are trying to get completed before the New Year?

Mixon Christmas

December 26th is the day we celebrate Christmas with Jeff's side of the family.  The kids love going to Grandma Shirley's to play with their cousins and aunts and uncles.  We love this sweet time with family that only happens a few times a year.
Baby A wasn't sure about Garrett, but forgot about it once yummy food was placed in front of him. The cousins-ages 20, 18, 17, 16, 15, 14, and my three littles 10, 6, and 3. We love cousins! Jeff and his brothers, sister, mom, and grandma. I'm thankful that Grandma Shirley knows boys! Coco loves her! Asher loves the girls! Coco brought his guitar along and serenaded us. Yay. (read sarcasm) And Lenny loved getting more stuffed animals to add to her bunch!



Uncle Scott really gets the boys going!
050 from Sara Mixon on Vimeo.

I hope you spent precious time with family this holiday, too!