Jesus' Children

I am eight weeks pregnant and sooo very thankful for the opportunity to grow our family.  God's hand is moving within our family and changing us in ways we never saw coming.  Bryce has been a catalyst for us to "get real" and be a witness for Jesus.  My favorite part of the day is when we are putting him to bed and first he asks me to tell him a story about Tractor Phil; an imaginary tractor I make up bedtime stories about each night. After I finish he always turns to Daddy to tell him a Bible story about Jesus.  Bryce loves this and sometimes will tell his grandparents I'll tell you a Bible story...although it always ends up a little different than the original...the love it is being told with is genuine.  I feel that Bryce and our future child may really get the chance to witness to some of our parents that need Jesus's love.  I see how they look at him differently when he prays for meals and when he tells them Bible stories...maybe they see the truth in what a little person sees or simply it is a non-confrontational way for them to be exposed...whatever it is-it's preparing change within our families.  So to have 2 little people soon that are excited and love Jesus will mean much more to our families then all the preaching I could ever do.  So for now...prayers continue for the preparation of their hearts!

Realizations

After a great vacation full of relaxation I am so glad to be back at home!  The beach was beautiful but there really is no place like home.  Today I got a call and it really sunk in that in less than one week Raya will be a perminent member of our Mitchell clan.  She has changed so much in the past year, I am so excited to see who she will be when she graduates in 2 years!  While at the beach she called and told me that she got her grades for the first 3 weeks and we could not have been more PROUD of her accomplishment of GREAT grades in every class....I am so excited for her and I could tell she was proud of herself too.  She has been so on top of her classes thus far and we could not be more ecstatic for her.  It is strange how we quickly have become such a unified family and it doesn't even seem right anymore when it is just Me, Michael, and Bryce.  We felt strange at the beach without Raya (she decided to stay here so she wouldn't get behind) it was as if we were missing that other 25% of the family.   As corny as this sounds, in alot of ways we didn't realize exactly how much we needed her and what a difference she would make in our lives when she moved in.   We thought we were doing something to help her...but really she was the one that changed us.

She has taught us how the trivial things in life don't matter AT ALL, how time, commitment, and unconditional love mean more and witness to people much more than all the words in the world.!

Through her I have been introduced to some great teens and some teens that are seriously troubled.  It has been alarming to me to really see how many of her friends live with someone other than their parents, who live in families (single or not) that have absolutely NO idea what their teen is doing, and just how sad some of these kids are.  Children are 14-16 trying to have babies...and succeeding...then not being able to take care of the precious gift they have received.   We as a community and culture are raising children that have no idea that people love them and cherish them.  These parents are teaching these kids to grow up alone, be selfish, and unfortunately most will copy this behavior with their own children.  This has been especially sad for me to see that parents don't even remember birthdays or barely even see their child on Christmas much less other times through the year. It has made me much more mindful of what is happening to our youth.

If you know a teen that needs help, know that although you may not reap the harvest...the love you sew will not go without changing them. (my good friend Katie told me this one day...and it stayed with me)

   "I prayed for this child and the Lord has granted me what I asked of Him"  1 Sam. 1:27

A Rambling History Early in the Morning

I find myself wide awake at 240 in the morning while the rest of my family is peacefully dreaming and I'm thinking...about how my past has shaped who I am today.  Whoa, deep for this early in the day...huh...that's what I was thinking too!  So, here goes. My mom and dad never married. My mom was 16 years old when she had me, and couldn't really see herself with my dad for the long run for various reasons.  When she was 17 in night school she met John (now affectionately referred to as Papa John by Bryce) they were married after a year or so and stayed together for a few years.  This really was a great thing for me.  John had these incredible parents; they took me in as their own grandchild and have treated me as such EVER since.  Never have I gotten the impression that I was not a true member of the family and I have been so blessed by these people because as an only child...I experienced the true chaos and CRAZY love of a Huge family. Not only did I have all of these great times, I learned from them so many things that I have been able to apply to relationships now.  My grandfather, who died 2 years ago, was a kind man who bought me my first pocketbook, bike, and a bag full of candy everytime I went to visit. He also taught me how to be kind to homeless people or people down on their "luck". There were numerous times I would visit or be there at holidays, where I'd be asking who's that guy or who are they and the answer was often times, some guy Papa picked up who was homeless or didn't have anywhere else to go...BOY do those kind of things stay with you.  It never mattered who you were or where you came from you were ALWAYS welcomed with open arms and tons of food...that is true hospitality.  Oma was always so much fun, I remember when I'd spend the night she would make me a pallet in the floor of their bedroom and we'd eat Oreos and milk while watching some funny night soap...Dallas (some of you might recall)  She was always there loving me and helping me when I needed it the most.  Words can never express how The Houston Clan has changed me, taught me, and loved me like I was theirs (which I totally am). My mom and John seperated and I continued to visit The Houstons despite that...I am so glad that my mom was able to put me first and let me continue my relationship.  She looks back now and says how glad she is that I have the kind of relationship with John and The Houstons that I do.

So after several failed relationships, my mom married Dale.  He's a good guy, who is a workout feign, loves my mom, and is just a kind man.  I am pretty sure after so many relationships they both have figured it out and I see this as her last marriage to see her through the rest of her life.  She has such joy and fun now.  It has been very different for me to see her with him because life is very different now.  She is slowly becoming a "cowgirl"; but you wouldn't catch my mom wearing any western wear OH no....she's wearing hot mama jeans, the cutest button up shirts she can snatch off the manikin at Wet Seal and "fashion" cowboy boots. It's so hilarious, but she is having a great time barely getting dirty.  Exactly how does someone clean a horse stall and NEVER get dirty?

My dad and I had our ups and downs as I was growing up, but when I turned 17 we had this very serious discussion and everything changed.  My dad has now become someone I talk to or see 3 to 4 times a week.  Talking to him now,  he says he realizes all he missed with me and for the last 10 years he has been making up for lost times.  I know I can call him whenever and he'll help or do whatever I need. He has changed so much over the last 10 years and our relationship has really grown.  I now know him as a person and not just my father.  He was young when I was born and really loved my mom, but God had a different plan.  He used them NOT being together to really teach me what I did want in my life.  A good marriage! 

Michael and I both come from teen moms who did not marry our fathers and since we grew up with our families split, we have a determination to make our marriage work.  Despite what anyone says marriage is work; sometimes it is little to no work, and the next month  it is a ton of work.  The goal for us has been to talk and always make the other person our number one concern.   Someone once told me to view marriage as a marathon and that although one mile might be uphil, the next will be down and that is SO TRUE! So after 14 years together and almost 8 years of marriage I love him more everyday.  I still get excited when he calls to tell me he's on his way home from work and love the way he wakes up some mornings "spunky" (as he calls it) and runs through the house waking everyone up just to tickle everyone like a crazy person (which Raya REALLY loves). :)

I feel like I've rambled on and on and on at this early hour of the morning. I'm off to my ultrasound soon...we leave in 4 hours...will keep everyone posted.

PS the times are always wrong on the bottom.

The Mitchell Family: Bryce, Michael, Bridget, and Raya

A quick Intro

Today I will officially start blogging. I decided to do a blog because with life as busy as it is I want to be able to chronicle our lives, our changes, and our future goals. When I look back at this I want to be able and say...oh that's what was going on then.

A little about my family. I have been married almost 8 years to my high school sweetheart, Michael. We have 2 children: Vonraya, 16 and Bryce 2. We found out we are expecting a few weeks ago and are really excited! Tomorrow we go in for our first ultrasound to see the baby's heartbeat or the babies' heartbeats....don't know if there's one or TWO! If there are two I am absolutely sure I'll be picking Michael up off the floor. I feel like there is only one little baby, but I've been more sick this pregnancy and my labs have been high, so we'll see.  If there are two...it would be a double blessing and since we did use fertility medications it is possible, so I am very excited for tomorrow.

I am a nurse and love nursing, but decided to go part-time when we had Bryce because I wanted to spend as much time with him as I could...they are only little once.  Working only 2 days a week has really been great because I still get to keep my nursing skills and I get to spend lots of time with Bryce playing, doing art, and just being Mommy. I am also a consultant for Thirty-One Gits, a company that specializes in personalized bags and purses. My website is www.mythirtyone.com/bmitchell check it out.

I hope I haven't totally bored you! More fun to come.