In less than 12 hours, I will be a year older. And hopefully wiser. It has been a tough year for me, but I have my health and lots of love in my life. God is so good to me.

I can’t quite share all that has happened but I will say that every family has their share of trouble and that it always, ALWAYS works out in the end.  I have faith that this new year will be a year of great things in all of our lives. I must have faith in that.

2011 was not all bad.  Tyler is in his last year of high school and his football team earned the district champion title by going undefeated all season.  A major accomplishment for the school.  They went all the way to the last round of playoffs.  We are so proud of Tyler and his team for that. 

Bubba and Nate also had good football seasons.  Neither of the teams made it to Championship but both of my boys had awesome personal accomplishments playing the game.  I’m so proud of them both.

Lai is in Kindergarten this year.  She loves school and is doing extremely well in school.  I didn’t doubt that she would.  She’s growing up so fast. 

Yesterday was my 2 year anniversary at my current job.  I can’t believe how fast time is flying by.  I have enjoyed working there and have grown to really love my coworkers.

DH is now on 1st shift.  After 10 years working the night shift, it is definitely an adjustment to say the least.  I do love having him home with us at night, as do the kids.  He picks me up everyday after work and we drive home together talking or just listening to music.  It is good for us to have that alone time together.  It’s like unwinding before getting home to prepare dinner, do homework, hang out with the kids, and getting ready for bed.

Here are some pics from 2011:

2012….. Here we go…..

It’s Perry the Platypus from the show “Phineas and Ferb” on Nickelodeon.  It’s totally awesome and worked up quick.  It took me about 2 days total.  Not too bad, if I say so myself

~L

Here are a few of the pictures I took.  These are straight out of the camera. 

And I also took some of them together.

And of course, my favorites, the silly….

I have some more great shots of these two. These are just some of my favorites.

~L

This past month was full of activities for the kids.  Nate and Lai both had their Christmas programs at school.  Mom and I went and took lots of pictures.  Little kids are so cute singing.  Both Nate and Lai spent a few weeks prior practicing their songs.  I love hearing them sing.  And, apparently, they love to sing.  Here are some of the pics… 

And then there were the football banquets.  Nacho’s was at Incredible Dave’s at Rivergate Mall. 

Tyler’s banquet was at the high school this year.  They transformed the cafeteria into a very pretty dining hall.  It was well done.  Opryland Hotel even catered the event.

Look at the dessert.

This was taken after the banquet.  All the seniors were given a ball and case and they all stood in a circle signing each other’s footballs.

Tyler was voted (by his teammates) as the captain.  An awesome accomplishment.  I’m so proud of him.

Well, this has been an emotional month. Mainly because it is Ty’s last year in high school.  This banquet was the last event for football and I was totally prepared to start boo-hooing, but surprisingly, I didn’t.  I spent most of the night smiling at the thought of Ty and his awesome season this year.  What a way to end your high school career.  District Champions, a 13-1 record, and team captain. I hope this streak of awesome can continue on to his college career.  We will be there cheering him on, as always.

Nacho and Bubba still have a few years until high school.  We are savoring every bit of it.  We have yet to enroll Lai in a sport.  She is very girly and has not really showed enthusiasm in playing soccer (which is the only sport they offer here for her age).  But that’s another story.

Well, until next year, football for the kids is done.  What shall we do with ourselves?

~L

On a somber note, Mt. Juliet lost their game Friday night.    It was a packed house and we got there early to save seats and a lot of the family showed up (at least 20!).  It was an emotional night for us (Danny and me).  It was Ty’s last game on that field, and it had to end with a loss.  A bad one.  The final score was 44-10.  Tyler seems okay with it all.  He left it all on the field.  My boy played his heart out.  The announcer must have said his name 15 times.   I REALLY wanted a win for him.  But life goes on.  And we learn valuable lessons from situations like these.  He’s grown up a lot.  I can tell by the way he came off the field and all the things he said after the game.  One big thing that stuck to me was him saying the he felt bad only because he broke his promise to Bubba.  I told him not to feel bad about that.  According to Bubba and me, Ty did fulfull his promise.  He did his best, the rest was out of his control.  He is such a good big brother……

Anyway, on to some pics of the some family in attendance. 

The troublemakers: Sulu and Joleen

Eli and Josh. Growing up too fast.

You can see how crowded the place was in those pics.

The rest of the weekend was pretty chill and had NOTHING to do with Black Friday.  Like laundry, movie-watching, cuddling with the kids, knitting, reading, Christmas decorating (yes! I have the tree up!), sleeping, eating, and just hanging out.  My kind of weekend.

How was your Thanksgiving weekend?  I hope you got to do the things you love

~L

I bet you are wondering where I’ve been.  No? Well, I’ll tell you anyway.

This year has flown by so quick. I can’t believe it’s already Thanksgiving!  Boggles my mind!

I hope you (all 2 of you) are healthy and happy.  To celebrate this season of thanks, I wanted to thank you for praying for us and thinking of us and sending good vibes our way.  You know who you are.

So much to update but here are some biggies:

Tyler is a senior and his football team made the semi-finals!!!! YAY!  They play Whitehaven this Friday and if we win, it is on to STATE CHAMPIONSHIP next week in Cookeville! It’s so EXCITING!  This is the furthest the school has gone in playoffs.  We couldn’t be more proud of our guys

Bubba is in 6th grade (SIXTH!!!)  and is doing fabulous in school.  Their team (AA) did not make it to the championship game this year but Bubba was amazing out there.  The last game of the season was last week and he was voted MVP by the opposing team.

Nate is now in 2nd grade and brought home all A’s and B’s.  His team went to semi-finals and lost to Bordeaux   They played two bowl games last weekend though and won both games. 

Alai is loving kindergarten.  She shares with me all the things she learns on a daily basis.  Her progress report was also very impressive. 

DH has moved to 1st shift (Finally!) and we are loving it.  He is home with us at night, sleeping like a normal person.  He has been on night shift for 10 years, it’s so nice to have him work when I work and be home when I’m home.

I am still working and taking care of my family.  I have no complaints.  I have my health and my family.  I am blessed.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

~L

About Michael
Michael Mitchell is an (almost) thirty-something dad who blogs daily tips and life lessons for dads of daughters at lifetoheryears.com. He spends his days practicing the arts of fatherhood and husbandry, while attempting to be a man of God and a professional raiser of philanthropic funds. On the rare occasion he’s not tied up with the aforementioned and other pursuits of awesomeness, he enjoys fighting street gangs for local charities and drinking from a cup that’s half full. Bookmark Life To Her Years, follow Michael on Twitter, and “like” him on Facebook for more “rules”.

1. Love her mom. Treat her mother with respect, honor, and a big heaping spoonful of public displays of affection. When she grows up, the odds are good she’ll fall in love with and marry someone who treats her much like you treated her mother. Good or bad, that’s just the way it is. I’d prefer good.

 ——————————————————————————–

2. Always be there. Quality time doesn’t happen without quantity time. Hang out together for no other reason than just to be in each other’s presence. Be genuinely interested in the things that interest her. She needs her dad to be involved in her life at every stage. Don’t just sit idly by while she add years to her… add life to her years.

——————————————————————————–

3. Save the day. She’ll grow up looking for a hero. It might as well be you. She’ll need you to come through for her over and over again throughout her life. Rise to the occasion. Red cape and blue tights optional.

 ——————————————————————————–

4. Savor every moment you have together. Today she’s crawling around the house in diapers, tomorrow you’re handing her the keys to the car, and before you know it, you’re walking her down the aisle. Some day soon, hanging out with her old man won’t be the bees knees anymore. Life happens pretty fast. You better cherish it while you can.

——————————————————————————–

5. Pray for her. Regularly. Passionately. Continually.

——————————————————————————–

6. Buy her a glove and teach her to throw a baseball. Make her proud to throw like a girl… a girl with a wicked slider.

 ——————————————————————————–

7. She will fight with her mother. Choose sides wisely.

 ——————————————————————————–

8. Go ahead. Buy her those pearls.

——————————————————————————–

9. Of course you look silly playing peek-a-boo. You should play anyway.

——————————————————————————–

10. Enjoy the wonder of bath time.

——————————————————————————–

11. There will come a day when she asks for a puppy. Don’t over think it. At least one time in her life, just say, “Yes.”

——————————————————————————–

12. It’s never too early to start teaching her about money. She will still probably suck you dry as a teenager… and on her wedding day.

——————————————————————————–

13. Make pancakes in the shape of her age for breakfast on her birthday. In a pinch, donuts with pink sprinkles and a candle will suffice.

——————————————————————————–

14. Buy her a pair of Chucks as soon as she starts walking. She won’t always want to wear matching shoes with her old man.

 ——————————————————————————– 

15.  Dance with her. Start when she’s a little girl or even when she’s a baby. Don’t wait ‘til her wedding day.

——————————————————————————–

16. Take her fishing. She will probably squirm more than the worm on your hook. That’s OK.

——————————————————————————–

17. Learn to say no. She may pitch a fit today, but someday you’ll both be glad you stuck to your guns.

——————————————————————————–

18. Tell her she’s beautiful. Say it over and over again. Someday an animated movie or “beauty” magazine will try to convince her otherwise.

——————————————————————————–

19. Teach her to change a flat. A tire without air need not be a major panic inducing event in her life. She’ll still call you crying the first time it happens.

——————————————————————————–

20. Take her camping. Immerse her in the great outdoors. Watch her eyes fill with wonder the first time she sees the beauty of wide open spaces. Leave the iPod at home.

——————————————————————————–

21. Let her hold the wheel. She will always remember when daddy let her drive.

——————————————————————————–

22. She’s as smart as any boy. Make sure she knows that.

——————————————————————————–

23. When she learns to give kisses, she will want to plant them all over your face. Encourage this practice.

——————————————————————————–

24. Knowing how to eat sunflower seeds correctly will not help her get into a good college. Teach her anyway.

 ——————————————————————————–

25. Letting her ride on your shoulders is pure magic. Do it now while you have a strong back and she’s still tiny.

——————————————————————————–

26. It is in her nature to make music. It’s up to you to introduce her to the joy of socks on a wooden floor.

——————————————————————————–

27. If there’s a splash park near your home, take her there often. She will be drawn to the water like a duck to a puddle.

——————————————————————————–

28. She will eagerly await your return home from work in the evenings. Don’t be late.

——————————————————————————–

29. If her mom enrolls her in swim lessons, make sure you get in the pool too. Don’t be intimidated if there are no other dads there. It’s their loss.

 ——————————————————————————–

30. Never miss her birthday. In ten years she won’t remember the present you gave her. She will remember if you weren’t there.

——————————————————————————-

31. Teach her to roller skate. Watch her confidence soar.

——————————————————————————–

32. Let her roll around in the grass. It’s good for her soul. It’s not bad for yours either.

——————————————————————————–

33. Take her swimsuit shopping. Don’t be afraid to veto some of her choices, but resist the urge to buy her full-body beach pajamas.

——————————————————————————–

34. Somewhere between the time she turns three and her sixth birthday, the odds are good that she will ask you to marry her. Let her down gently.

——————————————————————————–

35. She’ll probably want to crawl in bed with you after a nightmare. This is a good thing.

——————————————————————————–

36. Few things in life are more comforting to a crying little girl than her father’s hand. Never forget this.

——————————————————————————–

37. Introduce her to the swings at your local park. She’ll squeal for you to push her higher and faster. Her definition of “higher and faster” is probably not the same as yours. Keep that in mind.

——————————————————————————–

38. When she’s a bit older, your definition of higher and faster will be a lot closer to hers. When that day comes, go ahead… give it all you’ve got.

——————————————————————————–

39. Holding her upside down by the legs while she giggles and screams uncontrollably is great for your biceps. WARNING: She has no concept of muscle fatigue.

——————————————————————————–

40. She might ask you to buy her a pony on her birthday. Unless you live on a farm, do not buy her a pony on her birthday. It’s OK to rent one though.

——————————————————————————–

41. Take it easy on the presents for her birthday and Christmas. Instead, give her the gift of experiences you can share together.

——————————————————————————–

42. Let her know she can always come home. No matter what.

——————————————————————————–

43. Remember, just like a butterfly, she too will spread her wings and fly some day. Enjoy her caterpillar years.

——————————————————————————–

44. Write her a handwritten letter every year on her birthday. Give them to her when she goes off to college, becomes a mother herself, or when you think she needs them most.

——————————————————————————–

45. Learn to trust her. Gradually give her more freedom as she gets older. She will rise to the expectations you set for her.

——————————————————————————–

46. When in doubt, trust your heart. She already does.

——————————————————————————-

47. When your teenage daughter is upset, learning when to engage and when to back off will add years to YOUR life. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how. ——————————————————————————–

48. Ice cream covers over a multitude of sins. Know her favorite flavor.

 ——————————————————————————–

49. This day is coming soon. There’s nothing you can do to be ready for it. The sooner you accept this fact, the easier it will be.

——————————————————————————–

50. Today she’s walking down the driveway to get on the school bus. Tomorrow she’s going off to college. Don’t blink.

Happy Birthday Gabriel!  Mommy loves you so much. 

I hope all is well on your end

~L

So we took him both days, Saturday and Sunday.  He had a blast.

Camp started on Saturday at 9:00 am at BattleGround Academy in Franklin.  They did drills, separated the kids by age into teams, played touch football, took pictures with Chris Johnson, and tons of other activities.  It rained for a bit that day so the kids were taken into the gymnasium for an hour and then outside again when the rain stopped.  It all wrapped up a little after noon, so we went home and watched a movie and napped.  That night DH and I went out on the town.  We went dancing and had a nice little date

After camp on Sunday, we took DH to Cheddars to eat and hang out. It was a nice day and great weekend.

Other happenings this month:

Went to a funeral.  Charles and Everette Woods’ father passed away and we all went to pay respects.

Bubba and Nate played their last flag football game. 

I bought a bathing suit!  The last suit I had was when I was 24.  Yikes!

I lost 20 pounds!  Hence the bathing suit.

We went swimming at the Y.  And I actually got in the pool.  Yes, I did.

June 3rd marked my three year blogiversary!  Happy Anniversary blog!

I hope your June is full of sunshine and joy.

~L

It’s been a crazy busy month for us.  We went out of town for two graduations, celebrated Mother’s Day and our 17th wedding anniversary. 

Pictures?

Here you go….

Went out with cousin Elaine and her DH Kevin a couple of times this month.  We had a blast.  Elaine is a dancin fool! 

Mother’s Day was spent with the family.  I went to lunch at Cheddars and watched a movie.  Rio for the kiddos and Water for Elephant for DH and me.

Lots of family time.  I love it!

Ty had 2 scrimmages this month.  One against Centennial HS, we won 28-0.  And the other game was the inner squad game black against gold.  That ended with a tie score.

We drove to South Carolina to be a part of Markita’s graduation.  Of course, we made our usual stop at the welcome center in North Carolina

Abby’s baby Kingston.  Isn’t he adorable?

The graduate.

We even got to spend some time with Folole, Rick and the kids.  It was also an excellent time to introduce Mem to them since they are probably the only polynesians in that area. 

Our wedding anniversary was last Wednesday, while we were in SC.  We went out with Aunty Mem that night to celebrate.  Good times   DH had the DJ play our song for the final song of the night “All my Life” by KC and Jojo.  I cried while we danced.  So sweet.

This past weekend was Stacie’s graduation in Clarksville.  Jay and Dee flew in from Arizona to be here for it too.  It was an awesome time with family.  Tyler’s gf Leigh-ellen also came along.  Everyone got on the dance floor Sunday night at Stacie’s Aiga.  DH had the DJ play our song again and we slowdanced all by ourselves.   

I wished the night would never end. 

I hope your May was a good one too.

~L

Here are my favorite prom pictures as promised…

This one’s my absolute favorite.  It makes me smile EVERY TIME I see it. 

Here are some candids and outtakes that really show their personalities:

This next one is really sweet and looks like it was taken out of a magazine.

Mel had some really great photos too, here:

All four of them are gorgeous and the camera loves them.  It wasn’t hard to make these kids look good.  I swear these photos could be a spread for a youth fashion magazine.  So much fun and so much life.  Amazing.

~L