thanksgiving recap

can i just tell you what a blessing our thanksgiving was this year?!?! our dear friends tommy and kelly and their three boys came to stay with us for about 3 days and we had the best time!  it is so nice when you are with old friends and their is no need to impress or entertain or worry.  we just hung out and visited and played with the boys.  it was so refreshing for the soul :)
on thanksgiving, kelly and i cooked all the sides and desserts and the men were in charge of frying the turkey (that's right, jeff wanted to fry a turkey, no one should be shocked!) it was delicious!

the men doing the "work" outside

our table all ready to go!

on friday we all walked to the candy shop here in west liberty because they do a big holiday open house thing where you get to tour the factory and the kids get to make gingerbread houses.  the 2 big boys had a blast and were so proud of their houses!

 malachi has a fascination with his tongue lately - sticking it out, waving it, etc. jeff wanted to be just like him ;)

so proud of his house!

then when we go back tommy made gumbo and we all took a nap! jeff and i just love their gumbo - really authentic and delicious.  they showed me how to make it, so i'm gonna try it out... we'll see....

saturday we went to columbus to eat at this restaurant jeff loves and then they left to go back home from there.  we were so sad to see them go but were so thankful they were able to come and be with us for a little while.  we are so blessed and can't wait for them to come back!!

what a blessed thanksgiving!

 probably my favorite picture from our little "photo shoot" - right kelly?!?! ha!

family pictures!

a few weeks ago we had family pictures taken by a friend in the church.  we wanted some for christmas cards and just for us, since we haven't had any "real" family pictures done since malachi was born. 

well, the day we went was cold and getting pretty windy.  so needless to say, malachi was not in a very smiley mood.  it's unfortunate because he has the sweetest smile and is in a stage now where he smiles ALOT.  oh well, we work with what we got! and she did get some really cute ones, so i'm pleased! :) 

these are some of my favorites and if you want to see the rest you can visit my shutterfly share site - http://themixonhouse.shutterfly.com/



by the way, happy thanksgiving tomorrow!

i will be busy cooking and visiting with our best friends and their boys.  they are coming up tonight - we are so excited!! so i will probably not be on the computer much. but i am wishing for you a thanksgiving filled with true thanks and joy in your hearts.  God is so good and He gives us good things - we should be truly thankful.  tomorrow and always.

love from the mixon house!

christmas stationery card

Every Month Christmas Card

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here is the awesome christmas card i just created on shutterfly - i LOVE shutterfly for christmas cards (and really all photo related projects)
be looking for this in your mailbox soon! :)

Malachi - 5 months old

ok, ok, i know i'm behind on this update as well. oh well, such is life right? ;)

our little man turned 5 months on nov. 9th and i can hardly believe it! i feel like this month has brought more changes in a months time than previous months.  i'm liking this stage right now so much because things are changing quickly and i feel like i am watching him grow and mature right in front of my eyes.  it's becoming real to me now what "they" say - time does fly!

some highlights from his 5th month of life -
- he rolled over!  he may have only done it like 2 times since but he has rolled over! haha... i think he just doesn't like to perform because when we are watching and wanting him to roll he won't do it. but there have been 2 occasions since the first time he rolled where i laid him down to play on his tummy and walked out of the room for a second and came back to find him on his back.  i think its hilarious that he won't do it when we want him too.  maybe a preview into future personality?!?!? who knows!

 - he has started baby food.  i know i posted about that before so i won't spend a whole of space here talking about it, but all i can say is he loves it! he gobbles it right down! (usually wanting more than i originally put in a bowl for him!) so thats been an interesting challenge for me, knowing how much he will want to eat.  we're getting there though! so far he has only had butternut squash and peas, but i have some carrots ready to go after the "4 day wait rule" from the peas.  we're doing several veggies first before we start on fruits just to get his little taste buds used to the taste of non-sweet before we start on sweet. because if he's anything like his momma he will love the sweets! ;)

 - he LOVES his daddy and just lights up whenever jeff walks into the house from work. he gets so excited and it is so cute.  i am so thankful that malachi is at an age now where he can interact with jeff more and i know jeff loves that too. and i am so thankful that they are laying the foundation for a wonderful relationship in the future, this makes my heart so happy!
jeff is so good to me and pretty much always takes malachi when he gets home so that i can do whatever.  and they are just hilarious playing their little games (and their favorite - dancing on daddys lap while daddy beat-boxes - hilarious!)

another favorite - stand on daddy's stomach and make funny faces :)

they are so sweet together!

 - malachi is still a great napper and for that i am so thankful! we just recently switched to a 4 hour schedule, meaning that he eats every four hours instead of every 3 to 4.  i knew it was coming because he was not eating especially great at his later feedings in the evening, i think because they were too close together.  so we basically dropped a feeding and are down from 5 per day to 4 per day.  so our day is similar to last month but a little different -
8am ish - wake and nurse, then baby food if we're home for the morning
9/9:30am - nap
noon - wake and nurse, then baby food if we weren't home in the morning
1/1:30pm - nap
4pm - wake and nurse, i'm starting to give him a little bit more baby food at this point too
6/6:30pm - cat nap (this nap is usually only about 30-45 mins, just enough to prevent a melt-down)
8pm - nurse and bedtime

he's done great with this transition and its nice for all of us that we're down to just 4 nursing sessions a day :) he is still waking up occasionally in the middle of the night crying and we don't really know why but it seems like when we go give him his paci back he will go right back to sleep.  so maybe we need to break him of the paci? i don't know... we're just kinda riding it out right now. we'll see what happens. anyway, how sweet does he look when he's asleep?

all in all this has been a great month and i am so excited to see what kind of changes are in store for his sixth month :) he is such a blessing to our family and to those around us. it's fun taking him to church and watching him smile at everyone around.  they love it and it's hilarious to watch his little personality take shape - i don't think we're going to have a bashful boy on our hands! he likes to ham it up whenever possible :)

in Christian faith...

so the last few days i have been at home with a sick little boy.  nothing major, just a cold, but still he's been pretty miserable and so that makes for no fun for mommy... :(
i missed church sunday (which i HATE) and then had to miss a church thing on tuesday too. all that to say this can be a recipe for a little self-pity.  but i tell you what, God is so good and gracious and has allowed me to be encouraged and uplifted by some sweet sisters in Christ even from home.
i got a message on facebook from a dear friend on monday that really challenged and convicted me.  she said that whenever her kids were sick she would praise God for the arms to hold them and cuddle them, praise God for her legs to rock the rocking chair for hours on end, etc. how convicting!  how dare i feel sorry for myself when this is where God has put me and this is the little one He has given me to serve and love?  this should be my JOY because this is exactly what God has called me to for this time.  there is no denying what the "will of God" for you is when you have a sick child.  the will of God for me at this time is to take care of my sick child.
i listened to our church's sermon that i missed from sunday and toward the end while talking about men serving their family, Pastor Josh referenced a quote by Martin Luther that i knew.  so i went and looked it up and was encouraged all the more.  it is written for fathers, but how much more does it speak to mothers?  here is where i found it.


Now observe that when that clever harlot, our natural reason . . . , takes a look at married life, she turns up her nose and says, “Alas, must I rock the baby, wash its diapers, make its bed, smell its stench, stay up nights with it, take care of it when it cries, heal its rashes and sores. . . ?” [LW 45:39]


What then does Christian faith say to this? It opens its eyes, looks upon all these insignificant, distasteful, and despised duties in the Spirit, and is aware that they are all adorned with divine approval as with the costliest gold and jewels. It says, O God, because I am certain that thou hast created me as a man and hast from my body begotten this child, I also know for a certainty that it meets with thy perfect pleasure. I confess to thee that I am not worthy to rock the little babe or wash its diapers, or to be entrusted with the care of the child and its mother. How is it that I, without any merit, have come to this distinction of being certain that I am serving thy creature and thy most precious will? O how gladly will I do so, though the duties should be even more insignificant and despised. Neither frost nor heat, neither drudgery nor labor, will distress or dissuade me, for I am certain that it is thus pleasing in thy sight. . . . God, with all his angels and creatures is smiling—not because the father is washing diapers, but because he is doing so in Christian faith.[LW 45:39-40]


the Lord is so gracious to bring us the encouragement that we need right when we need it.  now did i particularly like missing church and having a sick baby? no, but i am called to give thanks in all circumstances.  so, like my friend, i will give thanks that i have arms to hold my baby and legs to rock the rocking chair and a voice to sing him to sleep.  and i will give thanks that i am able to be at home with him and serve him in this very tangible way. in Christian faith i will serve my family, and i will give thanks for the blessing to do so.


"rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." ~ 1 thessalonians 5:16-18

First "Solids"

what fun to watch malachi try food for the first time! :) i think we are going to have an eater on our hands because i think he really loved it!  i was prepping myself for the funny faces and weird looks like "what is this mom?" and the gagging noises, i've heard of all of these things the first time a baby tries food. but he didn't do any of these things. he opened wide for the first bite and then it was smooth sailing from there.  even when we were done he kept opening his mouth for more and i gave him the spoon to play with and he went to town chewing on it! what a funny little guy! here are some of the fun pictures -

what do you mean mom? no more?!?!

i used this link for the instructions on how to make the squash into baby food - super easy! i think anyone can do it with this site! in a few days the next thing we'll try is avocado - a healthy fat for all that brain development!

October in our home...

october has flown around here - with great things! but still it makes for a busy month!

here's what we've been up to:

 - toward the beginning of the month we went back to louisville for a day and a half when our dear friend had surgery on his heart. we wanted to be able to be there to encourage he and his wife and support them.  and also to help care for their three young boys as much as we were able to take that burden off of her.  it was a sweet time and we are so thankful we were able to go!

 - Jeff celebrated the big 3-0 this month! he goes back and forth between making a big deal about it and trying not to make a big deal about it.  haha... he's as crazy as ever, though, 30 or not! we went to columbus the day before his birthday because that was his day off work and we did all "Jeff" things - wandered in used book stores, ate at a german sausage house, walked through a neighborhood, and drank coffee.  it was such a fun day and malachi was such a trooper! i gave jeff a cornhole set that i had custom made for him in LA Lakers theme but i gave it to him about a week before his birthday because i wanted him to be able to play with it a little before the weather gets really cold here. he loved it!  it was so fun to celebrate his life in ways that he truly enjoys! he is such a blessing! :)

 - i have been involved in a ladies bible study at church since september and have enjoyed it so much. the word of God is so rich and i have been learning so much! we are studying covenant in the bible and my eyes have been opened to a whole new understanding - truly the grace of God!

 - this month a new opportunity was started for all the moms with young kids in the church and so i have been blessed to participate in that too.  this is a little more informal and more focused on encouraging moms with young kids, so it has been great!

 - malachi is growing like a little weed.  we had his "4 month" appointment with the pediatrician this month and got the second round of immunizations.  he's a bit behind on his well-baby visits because after we moved we had to wait about a month to get into the doctor. but we should be back on schedule by his 6 month appointment.  his stats on that day - 14 pounds (17th percentile) and 26 inches (75th percentile).  so we have a long, skinny boy on our hands, which i am perfectly fine with! :) the doctor said he looks great and healthy and everything is perfect :)

we are so thankful for another month that the Lord has graced us! enjoy a few pics from this month :)