Miller Family

I almost gave up....

2011-02-03T22:53:00.001-08:00

So much has happened...and I have come to grips with the fact that there is no way I will ever catch up this blog. So I am being realistic folks. We sold our house almost 6 months ago and in the process of packing we lost parts to our camera, so I have been using my phone and doing nothing with the pics. So in no particular order (because I am tired) here are some fun pictures I pulled off my phone!

Ellie and Blake put on some "Jesus yard parties" this summer right before we sold the house

they even made a banner :)

This is from Halloween (I know, it's been a long time) family trip to the pumpkin patch.

Playing in the leaves at Church/Powell Valley's Carnival

Here is a good one I found...check out those men!

Feels like forever ago but really it wasn't. These two precious girls use to come to my house every day....Isn't that the sweetest picture!

This one melts my heart. Ava watching Ellie dance with her daddy.

Love this! Mars found her old key board from childhood this summer and busted out some tunes for the kids!

This was a crazy fun weekend. Mike and I watched the Jeffs' kids so Mike and Rachel could take a long over due trip together for a couple days. Michael and I had a blast keeping these 6 monkeys entertained for the weekend....GOOD TIMES!

Oh and while watching the kids Mars sent me a text to let me know that she was finally pregnant...this was my text back :)

My cute kids all ready for school.

Crazy Hat Day!

Preschool field trip

Ellie just started her second season of basketball...she made two shots at her first game!

Michael finished his first 1/2 marathon!

He is an animal!

Cute!

Ellie turned 7 years old!

Her dinner of choice was "meat patty" baked potato and salad. Yep she is a miller!

Never lacking facial expressions, Blake is now a high five!

Can you tell he loved his gift?!

Can you tell the daddies loved Blake's other gift?!

I love this kid!

See you all in six months....ok not true...I will try to do better.

Enough Already

2010-09-14T17:57:00.001-07:00

Okay, folks, it's Marlene and I'm taking over this blog...again. We're at 2 months now with nothin'. And, let's be honest, the world needs our Miller family news fix!

I mean, it's not like Mike and Christine have gone on multiple camping trips, had their kids in two VBS programs, packed, sold, and MOVED their house, ran Hood to Coast, helped host the world's largest garage sale, started soccer season and school for both of their kids and, and ... oh, wait. Okay, so they have some pretty good excuses for not keeping up on the old blog. But I'm here to help.

May I present to you, faithful and ever-so-patient Miller Family Blog Readers, the last 2 months in the lives of the Millers, courtesy of my own little collection of photos:

Camping trip #1 involved 3 blown tires on a travel trailer, and a boat that died in the middle of a lake:

However, it also involved a little impromptu birthday celebration for Christine:

(Nevermind the 3rd kid sneaking into the background there, that one's ours.)

It also involved another classic "Blake falling asleep while eating" incident.
Going:

Going:

Gone:

Despite getting off to a rough start - we all managed to have a blast, seriously!

The next camping trip was a little bit on the cold side:

But they managed to have fun exploring Battery Russell:

Hanging out with cousins:

And taking late-night drives across the campground, packed into the back of the station-wagon:

Back home for some post-VBS sprinkler fun at the Fletcher Farm:

The Fletcher cousins performed on stage with Ellie and Blake after a week of VBS together:

Look close, you can see Jasmine, Charlie, Blake, Ellie - then skip 2 kiddos, and there's Eli on the end:

In the midst of the move, Ellie and Blake had their first sleepover (minus mom & dad) at Charlie's house.
Blake was out first:

Moving Day:

The empty house (sniff, sniff):

The Millers decided that moving wasn't nearly exhausting enough, so rather than resting after the big move, they went straight to Hood To Coast:

Yeah, they pretty much rocked it.

Had to sneak a pic in here of my favorite "Race Official":

Soccer season starts:

And, last but not least, a trip to the Wildwood trail with some friends from church.
We all piled into the Volvo wagon - Ellie and Blake got to sit in the back, rear-facing seats - AWESOME:

ALL the kiddos - what a crew!

Ellie and Kari - now schoolmates:

Blake thoroughly enjoying a Dorito:

Christine, you're all caught up. Now all you have to do is STAY caught up!

Love ya, sister! ;)

Go Girl Trail Run

2010-07-13T15:20:00.000-07:00

For my 30th birthday celebration I had the privilege of running a 10k (6.2 mile) trail run. It was CRAZY fun, crazy being uphill for over 2 miles, parts that you could only hike and not "run". Then another ridiculous hill at mile 5. Blood, sweat, and tears BABY...IT WAS GREAT! I am ready for the next race, I think I might be addicted :)

30 years old!

Aunt Pam, Melissa, Mars, Me
and the best cheerleaders ever - Ellie and Blake

Leah, rocked it!

Sweaty Mars and I after the race!

Michael was so awesome, I know he wanted to be out there SO bad but he cheered me on and made it my day!
Thanks babe!

Blake and Ellie showing off there quick feet.

Jen, quick chick - AWESOME!
Here is another guy (Andy) that wanted to bust up those hills and run too!

Mel and Mars

Jen

Some post race stretching and sweating. Mars I knew you would do so much better then you thought you would do.
She was a stud out there!
AWESOME JOB SISTER!

"God made the wrld" by Ellie

2010-06-15T21:46:00.000-07:00

Ellie brought home her Kindergarten journal today. My sisters Katy and Marlene were over so we all sat down with her and looked at all her journal entries together. I could not have smiled any bigger looking at all her drawings and reading all her sentences. She started the year with entries like, "See the sun. See the hill. See the car." By mid-year her writing improved so much and the topics were adorable. At least every other page she would end her entry with, "I love my mommy. I love my Daddy. I love my bruther!" So sweet, brought tears to my eyes.
However, on April 18th, 2010 Ellie made the most precious and breath-taking entry.

"I see the wrld. I love the wrld. We liv on the wrlld. God made it. He did a gud (good) job! He loves us so much! He is are fothr (father)! I blefe (believe) in him. I love my flamlee (family) so much!"

Wow, so thankful God has my little girl in His hands and He is in her heart!

Lincoln City

2010-05-24T21:17:00.000-07:00

The ladies of the house, Julie, Me, Maryann, and Mars. Thank you Julie for the delicious crapes and yummy muffin cookies! It was such a relaxing fun getaway.

It was so much fun to watch Ellie and Jaz run around connected at the hip all weekend. They had so much fun and I am proud to say they love their brothers and boy cousins and made sure to include them in the fun. However, they did walk around giving each other high fives saying, "Nature Girls" and "Flower Power" most of the day. It brought back very fond memories of the time I spent with my cousins on vacation as a little girl.

My dad toughed it out this weekend. I know he was in a lot more pain then he let anyone know, but he joined the fun as much as possible. He is still recovering from open heart surgery and all the yuck that comes with post-op. He really was a good sport. I am happy the kids remembered not to jump on Grandpa!

Just a few of the fun moments at Lincoln City with the Fletchers

2010-05-24T11:38:00.000-07:00

I almost forgot how to blog

2010-05-14T21:51:00.000-07:00

It has been so long since my last post. WAY too much has happened in the past few months to try and catch up so I will just start with this past week. I was able to go with Ellie's class on a field trip to the Oregon Zoo. I had so much fun with Ellie and I lucked out with a really small group of sweet girls. We had so much fun learning interesting facts about the animals. Ellie's favorite new fact was: The lions mane protects his face while he fights other lions. Also, one of the reasons that the lioness does the hunting is because the male lion's mane does not allow him to hide as well as the lioness to hunt it's pray. Did you know that? My new favorite fact: Out of the 10,000 salmon eggs laid only 2-3 will survive and make it back to it's birth place. I always knew that the odds weren't good for the salmon but that is less then .02% chance of survival! Yikes!
Today the kids talked me into turning the sprinklers on in the front yard. It was a must since it was a stifling 76 degrees today! And yes, Blake is wearing his Optimus Prime suit. He showed that water who was boss.

On a more normal approach to the nice weather...we all spent quite a bit of time outside, even Ava! Can you tell the older children seem to be having more fun with Ava's toy then she did. She liked it but spent most of her time trying to find a way out. Finally she decided the best way out would be to just lean over the edge until she fell out...I stopped her and no she did not fall out...but if I would have let her she would have been one happy baby. Ava has earned the nickname, "Crazy Ava." We all have to keep an eye on this one. She is one brave little soul who is determined to walk before she is 9 months old. Precious little thing is CRAZY fun! It's a good thing she has her extra cautious cousins Ellie and Viola. I hear sweet Viola announce Ava's every move with much concern.
Today Blake, Viola, Ava, and I walked down to Ellie's school to watch her jog/walk in her jog-a-thon. She did awesome! A little too awesome. This being our first anything-a-thon, we learned to pledge low, then give more if you want. I really thought that in one hour she couldn't walk/run more then 10-15 1/4mile laps. She ended up running 20 laps, that's 5miles in 1 hour! So now Aunt Melissa and I have to brake the bank and pay up...WOW! She really had fun!

Bad Blogger

2010-02-10T09:49:00.001-08:00

It's been way too long and way too much has happened since I last blogged. I have had great intentions but poor execution. I started watching my sweet happy 6 month old niece a few months ago bringing the kid count to four during the day. I am starting to get the hang of it and life has been adjusting accordingly...meaning - no blog entries. I am blessed to be home with my two beautiful children and also to have my sweet lovable nieces with us too. So for now I am going to rely on Mars for some blog fun. Besides she is a brilliant writer and makes me smile, laugh or cry at every single post. So check out Marlene's blog for some cuteness.

Ellie's new hair

2009-12-29T20:12:00.000-08:00

After

(hard to see the new hair cut with side bangs! - we will take a better photo in the morning)

Before

She felt so big getting her hair cut!

After her hair was done we walked in the snow across the street to a coffee shop and got some hot chocolate together. It was so much fun! Ellie told me she "felt like a new person."

Pretty stinkin' cute.

Making the best of the unexpected...

2009-12-29T16:37:00.000-08:00

Michael took this week off and will not be returning to work until after the New Year. We had big plans full of family fun. Unfortunately, it’s not turning out the way be planned. Ellie got the stomach flu last week up until Christmas day. We did have a sick free 24 hour Christmas and that was very nice! Then Saturday Blake came down with a nasty (when I say nasty I mean it) sore throat and high fever. We are still waiting for a diagnosis either strep or mono, neither one is fun. So we have had lots of sleepless night, movies, and “sit cuddles” (Blake named our cuddle sessions that). Even though we are disappointed with the start of this week we sure have been enjoying each others company. We made smores in our useless but pretty fire place (sucks the heat right out of the house due to a missing damper), but it was worth it and FUN! We used Ellie’s new Easy Bake to make some tiny cakes, and I am getting ready to take Ellie to get her first professional hair cut. We will post pictures tonight, I promise! We miss seeing our friends and family…hopefully we can come out to play soon with a healthy strong Blake!

Oh and playing in the snow too!

We love you Ellie

2009-12-24T15:19:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Ellianna Kate!

2009-12-23T13:20:00.000-08:00

2009-12-21T08:27:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Happy Birthday Ellie

2009-12-17T09:05:00.000-08:00

Our big girl Ellie turned 6 years old on Tuesday December 15th. Ellie had a couple of days packed with some of her favorite things. Monday night she got to go on a date with Papa and Nana. She got all dressed and waited by the window for them to pick her up. She was so excited. They took her to dinner and then to the Disney store where she picked out a beautiful Belle dress. On Tuesday she went to school where she got to bring a wrapped book for the teacher to read to the class. Daddy surprised Ellie when he picked her up from school and had a happy meal for her. She came home and opened her gift from us. She got busy right away painting her new magnets.

That night Ellie got to indulge in another favorite thing. Yaya took her to the Dollar Tree (one of her FAVORITE places) where she got to spend as much time (Ellie needs LOTS of time to decide) as she needed to pick out what she wanted. She came home with quite a lute! She even spent some of her money on a gift for Blake. The next morning she showed Blake (who has the stomach flu) her treasures. Oh and she even got a candle in her mashed potatoes at dinner.

New Pics

2009-11-30T14:53:00.000-08:00

We had some fun pictures taken of the kids with the Miller cousins.

Jenni Price did a wonderful job!

Thank you

Save the Date

2009-11-24T07:58:00.000-08:00

“Cornerstone Ladies Getaway”
February 26th-28th

Getaway with your favorite Cornerstone ladies and meet some new ladies, too!
Enjoy fellowship with friends.
Be inspired by the work God has done in the lives of four Cornerstone ladies as they share their testimonies.
Relax in Cascade Locks at the Best Western Columbia River Inn.
Refresh with free time to read, shop, sit in the hot tub, sleep in, and have a weekend free from cooking!

The Inn is beautiful, take a look at the blog we created http://cornerstonemoms.blogspot.com/
(The Cornerstone Ladies Getaway is not just for moms, I already had the blog address with the “mom” title…this getaway is for ALL LADIES, young and wise!)

Registration begins January 10th, 2010

Soccer

2009-11-10T15:48:00.000-08:00

Ellie played her last game of the season this past Saturday. She loved every second even when it rained! She said the best part of soccer was, daddy and Mr. Moffat coaching, her friend Kari, running, and scoring goals! The worst part was being pulled out of the game so other kids could play. If it was up to her she would have played all 40 mins of the game.

I love that Ellie is board waiting for the game to start.
That's our girl!

One more then I promise I will stop posting about coupons

2009-11-09T08:36:00.000-08:00

Saved 25.14 at Safeway
Saved 3.80 at Winco (they truly do have the lowest prices unless you coupon on Fred Meyer or Safeway sales)
Best of all saved 14.40 at Fred Meyers and look what I got for $20.66!
My Thanksgiving turkey (used a 2.00 coupon) - 16.01
Romane Lettuce, Pears and Apples on sale .67/pound(used 2.00 coupon on produce)
6 yogurts (.40 coupon)
2 packs of Oscar Meyer lunch meat (used a 2/$5 coupon. However, when I went to Winco right after I found that Winco has them priced at 2.44 all the time...hmmmm still learning I guess.)
I also used my Fred Meyers reward bucks totalling $9.00

My total sale and coupon savings this week was 65.36! Best part is I didn't buy unnecessary things. This is fun :)

My very first coupon experience!

2009-11-05T13:45:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Leah, she has inspired me to become a coupon clippin’ queen.
First Stop: Fred Meyer
Coupon Savings (both fred meyer & merchant coupons) Saved additional $20.02 off sale prices.
What I got:
Two dozen eggs - .99 each
Powdered sugar and 2 brown sugars - .99 each
Two packages of chocolate chips sale price 1.99 each with MC – 1.74 each
Toilet paper 12 rolls on sale for 8.99 with coupon – 5.49
Danimal yogurts sale for 1.99 with coupon - .99
4 boxes of FM cereal for $5
I missed the big sale on rain boots last weekend but I got Blake a pair with 15% off the sale price today.
Oh and my favorite two 1 lbs bags of Starbucks coffee on sale and with FM coupon and Merchant coupon for less then $5/ pound!
Next stop Safeway to get a $3 savings on Tide, and then to Winco with the rest of my merchant coupons…THIS IS FUN! Thank you Leah – LOVE YOU GIRL!

Happy Birthday Blake

2009-10-31T07:45:00.000-07:00

What Ellie loves about Blake

"When I need someone to play with Blake always plays with me."

"When I get hurt he cares about me."

Blake we love you so much. You make us smile and laugh everyday. You are a fun, caring, energetic, hungry (Ellie), a great cuddlier, rowdy, cool, funny, compassionate, animated, and lovable!

Hugs and Kisses,

Daddy, Mommy, and Ellie

From the other side

2009-10-16T10:53:00.001-07:00

Our family has officially made it through having the swine flu. We learned a few things along the way and I thought after sharing them with some friends and family I would just write it down for you all to read. I can’t take credit for most of this my mom is an excellent researcher and Melissa (Marlene’s sister) also gave me some great information. Blake got it first and it quickly turned into pneumonia. At first we thought it was just the flu but then realized he was taking very shallow breaths and it became painful for him to breath. He refused to breath deep and would cry and moan every time he coughed or yawned. So pay attention to your kids breathing if they come down with the as Leah put it piggy flu. A high fever will cause rapid breathing but shallow breathing sounds different.

Here are a few other things we learned:
-First, ask your friends and family to pray for you. I was so thankful that Andrea encouraged me to let our church send out a prayer request. Yes, lots of people will get it and you’re not the only one but that doesn't make it easier.
-Let your friends bring you a dinner or two, or pick up things you need at the store.
-Mucinex, don’t suppress the cough and cold break it up. This was advice from our Doctor.
-Drink Emergen-C, very yummy with orange juice and sparkling water. They have adult and kids packets.
-If you are in the high fever stage take Ibuprofen and then three hours later Tylenol, repeat, repeat, repeat. This will help keep the fever under control and will assist in not getting dehydrated.
-Sleep, I know impossible if you have kids. However, if you can take turns with your spouse and get some rest…it will help!
-Sinus flush, get that crud out of there. It will help prevent sinus infection.
-If you start feeling tightness in your chest pound on your chest, keep breathing deep, and sleep slightly elevated – can help avoid pneumonia.
-Of course drink lots of water.
-A few natural things we did to help boost our immune system, take garlic pills, and Oreganol (helps fight upper respiratory infections).
-If you’re a coffee drinker substitute or add green tea while you are sick. I wish I could do this indefinitely but I just love coffee too much. Green tea has antioxidants and won’t dehydrate you like coffee does.

Disinfecting your home:
I have done this several times now, here are a few places you may forget to disinfect.
Doorknobs
Light switches
Refrigerator handle
Night stands
Cupboard handles (especially the one under your sink if your garbage is there)

You could get really carried away with this. Don’t go crazy trying to stay germ free, that is impossible. However, if you can keep a bottle of Clorox wipes or Lysol spray around and hit the “high touch” areas you might avoid spreading it to everyone. Ellie was fortunate enough to not get it. She was the only on in our house who has stayed healthy. Who would have thought that the kid who is in public school for the first year would (or at least has for now) escaped the swine flu. Don’t forget to ask and except help and pray for your family. Remember God has your family in His hands.

Ellie

2009-10-12T13:23:00.000-07:00

A few nights ago I was cleaning some stickers off the bathroom counter. Ellie had told Blake to stick them on the side of the counter with her while they got ready for bed. Well they didn't come off. In fact it took a razor blade and lots of Windex to get it all clean.

While I was scraping away I said, "Ellie this really wasn't a good idea. Let's not do this again." She replied, "Blake did it too."

"Yes he did, but you told him to so I am letting you know that it's not a good idea."

"Mom. He listened! Just like Adam, it's not all my fault!"

Wow, my five year old is pulling scripture out on me.

And she was right, I should have addressed them both.

Blake

2009-10-01T18:37:00.000-07:00

Thank you everyone for your prayers! For those of you who don't know Blake got hit hard by "THE FLU" and then got pneumonia this past week. We had a few scary moments earlier this week and we sent out the request for prayer. I have heard people say they could feel people's prayer before and I never fully understood what they meant. Now I do. On Tuesday night Blake was having a really hard time breathing and it became so painful that he had, the only way to describe it was a panic attack. We rushed him to the doctor's office when they informed us that he had pneumonia and they were ready to treat it. They calmed us down, put him on a nebulizer, and gave him an antibiotic shot in the bottom, sad but good! That night I held him when he finally fell asleep. I started to get scared and then realized God is BIG and GOOD! I closed my eyes and imagined the sound of our friends and family all over the country praying for Blake. What a beautiful sound to God to hear his children praying together even though they were scattered. I know that things could have been so much worse and that others have to face much bigger obstacles, however in the moment the reality can feel so helpless. Knowing that so many people were praying gave me an over whelming sense of peace. I simply prayed, "God I know you hear our prayers, let your work be done." I am thankful for our doctors quick diagnosis and treatment, help from family and friends, and all you who prayed. Thank you!

Here is Blake... ...doing so much better!

Thank you Cornerstone for the get well gift.

Gave Blake big smiles!

What's New

2009-09-16T08:57:00.000-07:00

Ellie and Kari braved a new spot this fall and they are doing GREAT! We had our kick-off Jamboree last Saturday and it was so much fun. Ellie is taking to the spot rather quickly and surprising both Mike and me. She scored her first goal on Saturday! Michael is an awesome asst coach and the girls are loving the fact that their daddies get to be on the field with them. Hopefully their enthusiasm will stay strong when the rain comes.

Ellie and Daddy ready for the game to start!

I can't believe it's here. How did the past 5 1/2 years go so fast? We have lived in our house for almost 8 years now. Every time I drove down the street and passed the Elementary school I would tell Ellie someday that will be your school. It felt like the day was so far away. Now here she is an official kindergartner! Mike took the morning off and we all walked her to school Tuesday. She did great! I was glad Michael was here because I was on the verge of tears for about the first hour that she was gone. Ellie gave us the run down of the day but come to the conclusion that it's really not that big of a deal:) She doesn't understand why everyone wants to talk about it...it's just school. I think that translates to a successful day.

Melissa has a few month off work and has been able to bring Baby Ava over for us to cuddle. She is just adorable and I am so happy we finally get to hold her.

The school year is back and so is Viola!

She is walking and starting to talk and loads of fun :)

Blake and his growing imagination will keep me and Viola quite entertained this year. Here he has created a BATMOBILE complete with a computer and headset. I have found myself hugging him a little tighter and longer knowing that these next two years of him being home with me are going to be gone before I know it.

Andrea & Joe's Wedding

2009-09-06T19:43:00.000-07:00

Michael and I got to attend a wedding Saturday of an old high school friend, Andrea. It was the most beautiful wedding out at the Youngberg Hill Vineyards. They even lucked out with some last minute sun! Andrea, you were a breathtaking bride. Michael and I just recently had the pleasure of meeting Joe and even though we have not been able to spend much time with him YET...WHAT A GUY! Andrea and Joe you are perfect for each other! Here are a few pics of Andrea and Joe's big day. It was awesome!

More Pictures

2009-09-04T20:51:00.000-07:00

Too many cute pics to share!

Our very first family pictures - EVER!

2009-09-04T09:33:00.000-07:00

This is the first time we have ever attempted to have professional pictures taken of our family. We asked Bethany (old Miller family friend) and she did an incredible job. Check out her site. She gives you a CD of all your photos and all the rights for great price.

BD Photography

These are just a few of the fun ones. I am still going through all the pics on the CD's trying to decide which ones to put up on my walls...too many good choices!

Part 3 - Michael's Birthday Dinner

2009-09-02T08:04:00.000-07:00

I forgot my camera for Michael's birthday dinner. His parents made the most delicious ribs, mashed potatoes and killer gravy with tri-tip in it. It was amazing! Then we were able to enjoy Betty's famous triple chocolate cake - YUM! Thank you everyone for making such great food, I would have never been able to make it that special for him. It was perfect!

Part 2 - Michael's 30th and my attempt to surprise him

2009-09-02T07:47:00.000-07:00

I did my best to surprise Michael with his gift, even though he figured it out...oh well. Shawn and Mars brought over his gift Sunday night after we got back from camping, ROCKBAND 2! It's been a long time since we've played Rockband and it's lots of fun to have new songs, new characters, and a drum set that worked. So if anyone likes to play we would LOVE to have you over!

Part 1 - Michael's 30th Birthday

2009-08-31T17:09:00.000-07:00

It's Michael's 30th birthday today! We went camping with the Jeffs on Mt Hood and visited one of Michael's favorite places on earth, Trillium Lake. He grew up fishing on this lake with his Grandpa Miller and Dad. He camped there so many times as a kid and it's been WAY to long since he has been back. He was all smiles as he rowed the boat into the middle of the lake. It has to be one of the most beautiful views I have ever seen.

Happy Birthday Babe - Love you tons!

Soccer Family

2009-08-28T08:49:00.000-07:00

We are officially a soccer family!

When Andrea and I talked about putting the girls in soccer this year little did we know our whole family would be jumping in with both feet. We received an email letting us know they were in desperate need of coaches which lead to Greg being head Coach, Mike Asst Coach, and I was now the Team Mom! We know very little, close to NOTHING about soccer. Thank goodness Greg at least played the sport and he is doing a great job coaching. Despite the fact that we nervously laughed at the idea of Mike and I having any role at all on a soccer team we are REALLY LOVING IT! Besides, we get to hang out with the Moffat family multiple times a week - WHAT A BLAST! Here are a few pics of practice last night. I am sure this blog will be bombarded with photos from games in the weeks to come.

Wonderful Moments

2009-08-20T09:34:00.000-07:00

The arrival of baby Ava Mary!

More pics coming soon...

Lunch with Aunt Katy & Yaya

Church Picnic on the Sandy River

Visit from my Cousin Lizzy, Nathan, and their adorable son Oliver.

Green is my favorite color

2009-08-07T21:45:00.001-07:00

Good green stuff from our garden.

Ellie has become quite the gardener. She loves checking on the veggies with me and gets so excited when things are ready to be picked. We picked green beans, a perfect cucumber and lettuce for dinner tonight.

Ellie has green bean pride.

Day 1

2009-08-03T15:08:00.000-07:00

Today was our first day of swim lessons for the kids. Blake was excited and sweet Ellie was nervously excited. Let's just say, Ellie is not all that comfortable in the water. They both did great and I can tell that by the end of this Ellie will be a lot more at ease in the water.

Fletcher Fun

2009-07-28T15:09:00.000-07:00

Two beach trips in two weeks with the Fletchers!

Fletcher trip to Rockaway

2009-07-27T10:40:00.000-07:00

We made it back to our favorite beach Rockaway with the Fletchers.

We made the Fletchers come with us to do some traditional Miller crabbing. We caught lots of little ones but no keepers - SAD.

The Wilsons gave us a grand pirate adventure! They were on vacation in Rockaway right before we got there for our vacation. So they buried a treasure on the beach and gave us a map to follow. It required the use of an i-phone, directions from some locals in a bar, and a good long search on the windy beach. We all had a blast! We finally found the buried treasure of beach toys and a bumble bee transformer kite.

It was AWESOME...thanks Wilsons!

The reading of our Pirate letter!

Tillamook Cheese Factory

Fun at the Zoo

2009-07-01T17:51:00.000-07:00

It was perfect weather for a trip to the zoo!

Blake got a little too comfy on the train.

Farewell Jeffs

2009-06-25T19:30:00.000-07:00

We packed in as much fun as we could with the Jeffs these past few weeks since they are headed out of town tomorrow morning, for over a month.

Drive safe Rachel and have a blast!

We will miss you guys while you are gone.

Miller Rockaway Beach Trip

2009-06-24T19:30:00.000-07:00

This was our 4th trip to Rockaway with the Miller clan. It was so much fun. We got lots of rest and play time in. We made ice cream (tradition), had bonn fires, roasted marshmallow and made some pretty fantastic gourmet smores, played cards, and ate delicious food. I personally kicked Ivan and Michael's butts at badminton, I took them both on at the same time! We had typical Oregon coast weather, moments of rain and moments of sun. I think Michael's highlight was watching me attempt to stay dry as it dumped rain on us while crabbing. We were out on a Pier in the middle of a flippin' storm...and Michael could not understand why I was a tad bit cranky! I had my legs stuffed in a camping chair bag and was hiding under a blanket most of the time. But I did it, I sat out there for over an hour getting soaked so we could catch NOTHING! I do have to admit it was a blast. We all hit the Pier again the next morning same scenario however, better dressed and prepared for rain. Again, lots of laughs but NO CRAB! Thanks, Papa, Nana, Ivan, Melissa, Chloe, Justin, Michelle, and Viola for a wonderful vacation!

I have my camera back!

2009-06-24T18:14:00.000-07:00

Someone turned in my camera after yesterday's soccer camp fiasco. I am so happy to have it back with all our vacation pics still on it! I will post pics soon :)

Not what you would expect at soccer camp!

2009-06-23T12:55:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting to blog about a few things and I had some great pictures to share. We have had a wonderful start to the summer with a trip to the Children's Museum, splash park in Happy Valley, picnics in the park with church friends, vacation to Rockaway Beach, and soccer camp today. I am sad to say I lost my camera that had all those great pictures on it while grabbing my kids and running from a gun shot fired at the soccer camp. I personally have never been in a situation like that and really never knew how exactly I would react. I did what every other parent there did, began to panic then focused on finding my kids and ran, grabbing every other kid that I came across. We are attending a free soccer camp in Gresham off of Stark St (in Rockwood). Ascension Lutheran is putting it together and has done a wonderful job. They had a huge turn out! With the expected kinks of a kids summer camp, they are doing their best to give the kids a fun experience and share God's word with them. After a robbery went bad less then 50 yards away from the soccer field, one of the suspects shot a single fire. It took a second to identify the sound, then the parents and kids where running everywhere. Thank God Michael was there to help, he grabbed Ellie and Kenneth and I ran after Blake and Charlie. Poor Marlene didn't see that I had Charlie for a few mins and I am sure it scared her to death. No one was hurt and the cops were there in mins. I felt so thankful for all the responsive parents and camp leaders. I am sure they didn't go over what to do in case of a gun fight, but even the high school workers were gathering kids, calming us all down and leading us to a safe place in the back of the field. I just keep thinking about how much fear that one single gun shot caused. I feel so blessed that my family doesn't have to face anything like this on a regular basis. I know there are so many kids that face that kind of fear daily. Those camp leaders seized the opportunity to show God's love in a bad situation. We are so lucky to live in this country...even in Rockwood where it can be very scary sometimes, we don't have to face that kind of fear like many others around the world do.

This Ain't NO Wilson Barn Raisin'

2009-06-16T20:53:00.000-07:00

We all know how Andy & Jen roll when it comes to play structures.

WATCH OUT WILSONS...Check this action out!

I think we've got you beat.

Love You Guys!

10 mins later it was finally done!

Oh and yes, Mike works out.

Canby Retreat

2009-06-01T09:30:00.000-07:00

What a great time we had this weekend! Great food, lots of time to play, awesome worship (especially that really cute drummer up there), encouraging messages from Mr. Bob Moffat and time with friends and family!

Thank you to all who put so much time and effort into making this years retreat so wonderful.

We sure love all you Cornerstone Peeps!

Blake's School of Dance

2009-05-14T22:21:00.000-07:00

I can't stop watching this video of Blake. First off check out his outfit, transformer t-shirt that is too small but very loved, basketball shorts, white socks, and black shoes - AWESOME!

You gotta admit he's got moves!

Thank you Uncle Justin!

2009-05-09T10:43:00.000-07:00

Uncle Justin got our family some tickets to Elmo Live!

It was really fun.
The kids were glued to the action and then got really sleepy. Blake told us we needed to hurry home after the show so he "could take a break." However, he also informed us that a break was not sleeping.

Mildred

2009-05-08T15:34:00.000-07:00

I finally told Ellie today that Great Grandma Mildred (Marlene’s Grandma) went home to be with Jesus. Her little lip just puckered up and she fought back tears. She ended up sitting on my lap for 10-15 minutes with little tears rolling down her cheeks. She said she was going to miss brining her flowers. She had a special quiet little relationship with her. We didn’t get to see Mildred too often but Ellie loved walking up stairs into Mildred’s house to bring her little treasures or just to sit with her. Blake was so worried about Ellie he asked what was wrong. When I explained he got very concerned and immediately prayed, “God, PLEASE fly Mildred back to our planet so she can be here still.” Then to make sure God got the message he unfolded his little hands and as if blowing a kiss he blew his prayer up to God. It tugged at my heart. We talked about how there is no pain and no tears in heaven. We prayed again and thanked God that Mildred is in a better place then we can imagine. We thanked God for letting us know her for the time she was here with us and asked for comfort. Our prayers are with you Mars, Oma Betty and Opa Chuck. We love you all!

Fun with Papa's Pictures

2009-05-06T15:36:00.000-07:00

Last night Michael's parents came over with pictures for a Mother's Day gift for Grandma Viola. I found some really fun pics and can't resist posting them!

Take a look at Blake's expression. Papa was setting a timer to take the picture. He could not understand why we were all staring at the camera saying "cheese" when Papa wasn't even behind it anymore. Priceless!

This is Grandma Viola, Great Grandma Viola or GG - Take your pick.

She is simply beautiful, inside and out!

I can only hope I am half the woman when I reach her age.

Random

2009-04-29T09:21:00.000-07:00

We have had some funny random fun lately. The kids were dancing and jumping over Michael while listening to the song wipe out!

Check out Blake's wipe out move.

By request the kids had an evening snack of frozen peas, almonds, and ice water while they watched the first half of the Blazer game last night.

Someone was in a goofy mood :)

Before the game we had to take a ride in the "cool brown car." The kids had a blast and we got some good conversation time in. We just drove round and round the neighborhood. I'm sure our neighbors think we are NUTS!

Can you believe it was hot and sunny a few days ago....?

2009-04-28T12:19:00.000-07:00

It only lasted a few days but it sure was fun!

Typical Blake pose

"COLD!"

Mr. Charles...love this kid!

Viola even had a fun little spot in the shade to play outside.

We recently had a night with lots of dancing. Only Blake can get Uncle Shawn to dance like this...or maybe Blake gives Shawn an excuse to dance like this!
This was after about 10 pics in a row - Love ya Mars!

Just a few more Easter pics...

2009-04-13T18:10:00.000-07:00

We didn't quite get all the activities in yesterday.

So the kids got to have some more Easter fun this morning.

decorating eggs

peeling eggs

eating eggs

We also had a wonderful gathering here with some of Michael's family on Easter Sunday.

Our attempt at getting a group pic of the kids...why do we even try?

Viola even got some treats in her eggs!

sweet girl

silly girl

Fletcher Easter Gathering

2009-04-10T21:20:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful Good Friday Fletcher gathering.

After some instruction for the egg hunt they headed inside to wait.

Ready...really really ready...set...GO!

As usual Blake wasted no time to get his EAT on!

So happy it cleared up just in time.

What a beautiful afternoon and beautiful girls too!

Yaya gave the kids some really fun parachute guys.

And without fail Uncle Shawn made it even cooler!

Happy Blake

Crafty Dessert

The kids painted some flowers earlier today for our little project.

Then it was time to fill our cups with mud, dirt, and worms.

Charlie loved putting the thing together but as soon as he realized the other kids were going to eat the dirt, mud and worms he was very disturbed!

Signs of Spring

2009-04-08T15:21:00.000-07:00

cold treats

worms

dirty legs and bruises

Michael Miller...I mean Fletcher!

2009-04-05T19:15:00.001-07:00

Michael finally knows what it's like to be a Fletcher! He went into urgent care early this morning to find out he has strep throat. His tonsils are disturbingly big and he could barley swallow so they put him on a little cocktail of antibiotics and steroids. Even though he is a poor sick guy I can't but find humor in the fact that the steroids have turned him into a Fletcher. He is physically exhausted but he can't stop from walking around the house aimlessly...and his mind is racing with ideas and thoughts. It's funny people! This is the guy that can stare at the wall and when you ask him what he is thinking about he says nothing and really means NOTHING! I didn't think it was humanly possible to not think of anything. Obviously I am a Fletcher. So for the next 48 hours while my husband is drudged up I am going to cease the moment and enjoy every second. He can't go anywhere, do anything, and he likes talking right now (well until his throat starts hurting again)! Talking till your throat hurts he's a FLETCHER!

I needed to post some new pics...

2009-04-04T18:42:00.000-07:00

Easter Egg Hunt at Papa's work

Poor Mike is sick now, but he had just enough energy to sit on the side lines and watch the kids hunt for eggs this morning. Behind that smile is a lot of Tylenol and Ibuprofen!

Ellie got some coaching from Daddy to head in the opposite direction as the other kids to score the eggs on the other side. It was so cute to see her run her little heart out. Soon the other kids caught on and joined her.

The sun was out but it was cold!

Ellie talking to her cousin (IT's A GIRL) in Aunt Melissa's tummy.

Some silliness between the kids

I have no explanation for this other then...it's BLAKE!

Yes it's play-doh

Digging for worms...and just digging for the fun of it.

Yuck

2009-03-31T07:24:00.001-07:00

We really have been blessed with fairly good health and I am extremely thankful for that. I have been surprised with how little we had all been sick this winter. We have picked up the minor cold and couch a few times but nothing horrible. So I guess we were due for something nasty. Ellie got hit last week with a sinus infection, pink eye and it all came with multiple other unpleasant things. She has been on antibiotics for three days and looking MUCH better. She was a stud and kept everything contained and didn’t touch her eyes. I followed her around and changed bedding and pillow cases daily trying to keep it from spreading. Well Blake woke up this morning with pink eye. At least I already have the drops on hand. Now they have sore throats and coughs to go with the colds and pink eye. Even though this has been quite a trying week I think I would take our bout of sickness all in one fail swoop instead of over the whole winter. I know many of you have been fighting illness for what feels like the whole season and – I AM SO SORRY! It’s just not fun to have sick kids. You feel so bad for them and it’s so hard to get a three year old to understand why he has to wash his hands so much and why HE CAN NOT TOUGH HIS EYE! Thank goodness Viola’s mom and dad were on Spring break the she was not exposed. It’s her 1st birthday today and I am so happy she is not sick. Happy Birthday Viola! We love you!

Thanks Daddy!

2009-03-10T10:44:00.000-07:00

First off...why is it even an option to put pictures on the left! I thought I would try something new and I am SO annoyed with this whole blog. Every time you try and move something around or add a new pic it totally ruins my previous pictures. Ok, I got that out - thank you! So I am going to post this even though the pictures are a mess because I just can't handle moving them around any more!

Michael brought home a 3D transformer puzzle from a co-worker for the kids. It started out fun and then the kids (and me) got very stir crazy while we waited for Daddy to read the next step in the directions, pop out the next pieces and instructions on how to put them together. Something I have realized about Mike and I, we work very differently. I want to stay busy, get the work done, move, move, move! Michael is a planner, reads instructions (because they were written for a reason and "it will save time in the long run it you do it right the first time"), and moves at a steady and strong speed. It must be the engineer in him. So needless to say 15 mins into the puzzle the kids and I were long gone. Mike worked steady and consistently and finally was done! Thanks babe for stickin it out :)

New Territory

2009-03-05T09:59:00.000-08:00

Our beautiful compassionate daughter Ellie has a big heart and with that gift comes worry. She worries a lot and also gets very embarrassed over just about anything. This morning I accidentally hit her in the head with the door at preschool. It hurt and she started to cry, we waited outside until she composed her self and then headed into class. As soon as someone asked her if she was okay she burst into tears and ran after me. I picked her up and realized we were going to need a minute. I told her teacher that I was going to take her out to the car and when we were ready we would come back in. As she sat on my lap in tears in the front seat I asked her if it really hurt still...her response just broke my heart. It didn't hurt but she was so embarrassed. She was worried about what the boys in her class were going to say and if the "boy teacher helper" saw her. I tried the whole, "Ellie would you make fun of someone if you saw them get hurt or would you just be worried if they were okay?" Looking back that was not the answer. Of course she would be worried that is who she is. And, there are kids who are just not very nice and they will make comments. This is why she is in school...so she can learn and I can learn how to deal with all these issues. I came home and googled, "what to do with kids who get embarrassed easily." After reading a bunch of ridiculous stuff I realized I missed a wonderful opportunity! I should have prayed with her. I should have given her a scripture like Philippians 4: 6, "Do not be anxious about anything...and the God of peace will be with you." I know I have to teach her skills to deal with people and feelings but the most important thing I can teach her is to turn to God in these moments. Now that I am crying at my computer and praying for my little girl at school right now I think I will go cuddle with my Blake. I am so thankful for this little struggle because I realized one of the most important roles I have as Ellie's mom. I think I will have to pray with Ellie when she gets home and give her some extra long hugs.

***Update - Ellie was just fine when I picked her up today and told me she, "Got over it and had a good day." I think this might have been more of a lesson for mommy then Ellie.***

Rockaway Get-a-way

2009-03-04T06:58:00.000-08:00

We just spent a very relaxing fun weekend at our favorite beach, Rockaway. One of the best parts about this trip was we didn't over plan anything. Food was good and simple, (except for GG's famous pies...she baked her heart out this weekend), Michael's Grandma Viola (GG) was able to come, and we just rested, played & laughed.

The beach was beautiful Saturday - NO WIND!

Just had to throw this one in there

Blake has NEVER wanted to get anywhere near the water before. He got more and more brave as the day went on. They started throwing rocks into the ocean and then running away from the waves. Blake must have decided he was ready to get a little wet...unfortunately the ocean always wins and he got drenched! He waited a little too long to run away and a little wave took him right off his feet. He didn't cry just walked back to the car ALL WET and told me I better drive home, dad and he would walk. He did not want to sit in his seat all wet. We finally talked him into taking his wet clothes off and wrapped him in daddy's sweatshirt. Good thing for the outside hot shower back at the house!

Little family tradition - homemade ice cream - yum!

GG's famous apple pie!

waiting....

waiting some more...

DONE!

We had a great view

Lot's of games

Ellie played Operation for the first time. She was so focused that when the buzzard went off it scared her to death. Thank you Uncle Ivan for covering her ears so she could get serious about the game.

Guess Who

Viola is now on the MOVE! Baby Viola

Great Grandma Viola

Did we mention how much ice cream we ate this weekend?!?

You just have to go to the Tillamook Factory, once...or twice!

For some reason when Blake is tired he starts closing his eyes when he eats. Not in between bites just when he's crewing...we saw a lot of that this weekend.

Poor kid we wore him out!

Ouch!

2009-02-25T20:59:00.000-08:00

So have you ever pulled in the garage and then realized that you still need to get the mail and stop the garage door from closing. Duck under the partially closed garage door to retrieve your mail. Walk back up the drive way reading your mail and....yep you guessed it...walked right into the garage door you just ducked under 90 seconds ago? Wow it hurt! It's okay go ahead and laugh. I bet you would be laughing even harder if you were the 20 something neighbor kid watching me while sitting in your car across the street. I think the sound of my head cracking against the door must have startled everyone in the cul-de-sac.

We love you Charlie

2009-02-24T20:17:00.000-08:00

It was a nap day and Daddy is at bowling tonight so after cleaning, dancing, and wrestling I decided it was a movie night. The kids are watching Madagascar and I over heard Blake saying...

"Ellie, I'm the lion okay. You are the Hippo, yeah. And...Charlie - he's big right Ellie!?! Charlie is a BIG boy. He's got a big neck...he's um the giraffe!"

Why Dad's Buy Wii

2009-02-23T17:27:00.000-08:00

Thank you Chuck (Marlene's Dad) for this very cute video!

It all started with the silverware drawer

2009-02-18T07:28:00.000-08:00

After conquering the silverware drawer yesterday I got the bug. Call it hobby, nervous habit, addiction or just plain Rymanism but I call it fun! Next it was above the fridge, and then it was the computer hutch, which turned into gutting and rearranging the entire living room. After distributing everyone's items into their rooms I just had to attack them as well. Ellie was my BIG helper and Blake just had a blast playing with all the little things I kept finding. Also his drumming station kept him busy too.

If you are wondering, no I did not do this with sweet Viola here. Michelle was sick yesterday and kept her home with her (a true sick mommy's day-with kids). Happy to see Michelle's smile this morning, she looks much better. After a conversation with Jen the other day I realized the difference between having a baby in the house and not. I absolutely adore our sweet baby Viola and love having her during the day... but to all you mommies of three pat your self on the back for taking a shower, getting the dishes done and making dinner. It's just a different world when you aren't hovering over baby to make sure they aren't eating anything off the floor, scheduling vacuuming between naps, or just cuddling up that precious baby. So it's a nice relaxing day to be sitting in my newly arranged chair and ottoman with a cup of coffee and watch these three kids that I am blessed to hang out with all day.
*Reality check...we only blog about the good things sometimes. Life is NOT always this pleasant and I don't always sit and enjoy my kids. But, today I am thankful for my state of mind and state of house. Also, while I was blogging my living room has been dismantled and rearranged into yet another drumming station and a giant ship!

Now here is something I am not good at. I am horrible at planning things like Valentine's day. The kids woke and Ellie was SO excited about Valentine's day...what are we going to do??? Well I had picked up some cookies at gleaners and some strawberries....hmmmm....I can do something with that-right? I told them to sit down at the table because breakfast was a surprise. This is what I scraped together and they LOVED IT!

Then I realized that I had a nerf gun kit I didn't give the kids for Christmas in the garage. I wrapped it up along with a stamp set for Ellie. There's nothing like playing hide-and-seek and shooting each other on a day that celebrates love!

Shawn and Charlie came to play to give poor sick Aunt Mars some peace and quiet. Hope you are feeling better Mars!

Weekend with Daddy

2009-02-10T15:52:00.000-08:00

I had the wonderful privilege of going on a women's retreat with ladies from Cornerstone. I will blog more about the awesome time I had later. I knew the kids would have a great time with Daddy and I wasn't worried a bit. What surprised me was there were no tears when I left the house Friday night. The kids love time with Michael but they spend A LOT OF TIME with me so it's always a little sad when I go somewhere. Michael had been planning with them fun things they were going to do together all week. So when it came time for kisses and hugs they said goodbye and went on playing, NO TEARS! That was the best gift ever. I loved seeing smiles on their faces and excitement about time with Michael!

They have been calling me Daddy when they need something and its all about doing everything with him right now. So last night Ellie (Blake fell asleep early) put Blake's spiderman suit on and wrestled Mike and then cut his hair.

The conversation was hysterical.

Sibling Love

Love this weather!

2009-02-04T14:01:00.000-08:00

Our trip to the park today...

Lesson Learned

2009-02-02T18:11:00.000-08:00

Most of you know that I had a major dental bill a little over a year ago. The horrible thing about it is that Michael and I had been doing the Dave Ramsey thing for a while and had paid off the same amount over two years that I was billed for my one visit. It was A LOT OF MONEY and I cried for days over the whole thing. I felt so horrible that I was bringing us back to square one. I learned my lesson that all dentists don't charge the same amount and that they often (not all but at least mine did) charge for unnecessary things. I have moved past the tears and mostly just cringe now when I think about that bill (that we recently paid off!!!!). So when Michael sent me this video today I BUSTED UP LAUGHING!!! This is SO true and SO funny. This will be Michael making my next appointment.

Super Sunday

2009-02-01T21:15:00.000-08:00

The Sea of Galilee explodes!

The kids got a Ziploc bag of blue jello with whip cream (the Sea of Galilee) in Sunday school this morning. Blake was squishing his with repeated reminders from his sister that he had to be gentle. All of a sudden we hear a squirting sploshing noise. Yep Blake just squished the bag so hard it blew right out the bottom. He didn't waist any time, picked up his spoon and started scraping. I could not stop laughing!

Super Bowl Fun
Marlene's first Mt. Dew!
(not for the night - first time ever trying it)
Eric got lots of cuddles from his kids all at once.

Half time show in Ellie's room put on by the kids - IT WAS LOUD!Yummy football cupcakes from Stephanie - Thanks!

Daddy's got the BIG TV and.....
...the eleven kids got the tiny dvd player.

"Shhhh, I can't hear...sorry kids it's turned all the way up."

Time to crash.

Charlie just found a nice blanket and spot on the floor to lay down.

It was fun thanks everyone!

Fun with fiddle stix

2009-01-30T09:48:00.000-08:00

We brought out a Christmas toy from Nana and Papa today...

These things are really fun!

It's been too long since I posted pics...

2009-01-28T07:06:00.000-08:00

My big boy Blake

Matching cousins Happy Viola

It happens

Dinner and a Movie!

Disclaimer: Long day, picked Daddy up at the Airport watched 1/2 the movie on the way there and back and then Daddy had bowling league last night so, yes I let them watch the rest while eating top ramen!

However, even if that were not the circumstances...I would probably do it anyways.

I am SUCH A GOOD MOM!

Sometimes you just gotta have a lazy night.

The funniest girls night out

2009-01-27T10:52:00.000-08:00

I had a wonderful girls night out with Rachel and some of her great nurse friends. We went to see Chonda Peirce. She is absolutely hilarious and has an awesome testimony! She had us laughing so hard (which I was informed is the only way to exercise your liver - something you would only learn while attending a comedy act with nurses!) and then crying like a baby while she shared her story and sang us a song. Thank you Rachel, Ann Marie, and Beth it was GREAT!

Yucky, Sad, & Cute

2009-01-23T10:18:00.000-08:00

We have all been hit with the cold. Poor Blake has woke up two nights in a row with a fever and generally feeling yucky. When he was trying to explain what hurt he told me someone put a rock behind his eye. He asked me to take out his eye take out the rock and then put his eye back. Then he proceeded to tell me that there were sticks in his throat. Poor little man, I just hugged him and told him the meds would work soon. We are all on the mend and looking forward to feeling 100% again.

Share!

2009-01-12T21:01:00.000-08:00

Since starting this site we have given away a dining room table, box spring, toys, dresser and at least two families were supplied with needs. I LOVE IT! I know this may never take off but it has the potential to be better then any craigslist or free-cycle. Our church family can help each other out and even better love and support those who need it the most (friends, co-workers, family) who ever God has set in your path. Currently Laura has a free computer posted and Kris has all kinds of goodies set up in her dining room for the taking. Check out the blog and call or email anyone you would like to take something from! Let me know if you have things to give away or if you are in need of something – I will get it posted!

http://cornerstonemoms.blogspot.com/

Fun times this Christmas break...

2009-01-08T09:33:00.000-08:00

Time with my sister

Matching cousins

My little angel Ellie

Silly kids

Just too cute

New bikes from Papa & Nana

Watching cousins play

Traditions

Excitement

Our new craft area.

Shawn and Marlene got our whole family hooked on Jericho and we spent two weeks staying up until the wee hours of the morning watching episode after episode. This is the best TV show I have seen in a long time. However it made me want to buy a farm and a gun. We couldn't wait to finish it but we didn't want it to end.

It was worth it!

It's good to be back...

2009-01-04T14:52:00.000-08:00

We have been without a computer for several days. We finally have it back and hope it stays fixed for at least a month or so;-)

I missed checking everyone's blogs and blogging too. I will post some holiday pics soon.

Our snow creation

2008-12-23T14:53:00.000-08:00

Shawn and I decided to build a snow/ice/igloo/house thing for the kids Tuesday. As most things like this work out it ended up being Shawn and I spending hours on it, to finishing just before dark. Didn't get much playtime in BUT IT LOOKS COOL! The kids would rather play in the snow for now - but soon they will appreciate Shawn and my hard work. I KNOW IT! Blake however appreciates the fact that he is blocked from the wind. Ellie helped and then went on an adventure with Michael to find "cool stuff."

Cool ice leaf.

Santa Michael - Brrrr!

Good times in the back of Papa's truck. Blake found a spot to sit and just dipped his mitten in the snow and proceeded to eat as much snow as he could.

It continues....

2008-12-22T09:15:00.000-08:00

Mike woke up this morning to watch the news take calls from people at work and access the situation. He took his shower geared up and headed out to the garage with the intention to shovel the driveway. Opened the garage and just started laughing. He and two other neighbors were standing at their door on cell phones realizing there was no way anyone was getting out of this neighborhood! Driveway ranged from 14inches-38inches. After lots of shoveling he made it to the bottom and found it measured 22inches, heading to the street. So we gave up and started playing snow-baseball.

What the Millers do when snowed in...

2008-12-21T12:39:00.000-08:00

Play in the snow until your fingers and toes hurt.

Laugh at the Fletchers as they attempt to get to their car and go to BEST BUY-CRAZIES!
Eat all the treats the Leibys brought.
Yummy!
THANK YOU

Get stuck in Ellie's decorated relay race.

Laugh

Crawl in the attic to install back speakers.

Finnish sheet rock so I can PAINT!

And apparently blog a LOT!

Beautiful Winter Storm

2008-12-21T10:40:00.000-08:00

Before we went to bed last night the snow out our front door had covered most of the lights.

This morning the lights were totally covered.

We have a 34 inch snow drift in front of our house.

The garage is a whole nother story. YES, our car is inside! Mike started to shovel the driveway so he can get to work tomorrow morning but there is a lot of work to do!

Absolutely beautiful!

Not easy to walk in especially when you have Safeway bags on your feet for a lack of snow boots...total nerd I know!

Ellie had a blast sliding down the driveway on her tummy.
Blake hid behind anything that blocked the wind - Brrrrr!

Our snowman! Which is now a pile of MUSH...

2008-12-18T16:32:00.000-08:00

Yes, Blake is trying to eat the stick...don't ask I have no idea!

Our little snowman is made with grape eyes, a baby carrot nose, and with a chocolate chip mouth. We ate quite a few chocolate chips, one for the snowman two for us!

I looked up today and realized what a beautiful view we have. I love the hills in the fall covered in orange, red and yellow and now with snow covered trees.

Ellie's Preschool Picture

2008-12-18T12:47:00.000-08:00

Click on the movie and enjoy the past 5 years of Ellie's beautiful life...

2008-12-17T11:23:00.000-08:00

From Movies

Ellie is 5!

2008-12-16T15:13:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Ellie

Ellie has been asking for a JJ jumper party for an entire year. She got to attend a party there last winter and had a blast. So Michael and I finally broke down and had an official party for Ellie, it is the big 5! She had her cousins and a few friends - IT WAS GREAT! Bounced until they were all exhausted then we were off to her "party room." It was packed but she loved it. They crashed on the way home! Good fun. We love you tons Ellie.

Playing with our new camera!

2008-12-04T16:19:00.000-08:00

Michael and I scored a new camera on Black Friday for $70 -CAN YOU BELEIVE THAT!!!

It's awesome. I love it. We were lucky if our old camera took a pic and when it did it was so blurry. I will never again buy electronics unless it's the day after Thanksgiving. Last year we bought our TV for more then 50% off and now we got an awesome camera for super cheap. I love deals.

So I have been playing with our new camera and picasa 3 - so much fun!

Just some cute and funny pictures

Our favorite tree farm - Loch Lolly Tree Farm

2008-12-03T13:11:00.000-08:00

Love this pic of Papa!

The Millers have been going to this tree farm since Michael was 5 years old. It is the best! It has a pond with geese, bond fire, free hot chocolate, the best Santa ever, small barn with the coolest ornaments, and lots of trees. Shawn, Mars, and Charlie came along for the fun this year. Since this place is in North Plains, yes 45mins away, we stopped at Aunt Pam's house for a very yummy lunch. Thanks Pam! Then we were headed home to decorate the tree. Blake was just thrilled to have a real tree in the house and Ellie was in awe of every single decoration that she took out of the boxes. To wrap things up after the tree was glowing, we turned all the lights off and laid under the tree to see all the lights. Sure is fun to watch the kids.

Ellie's realization this week...
Jesus must be the nicest guy cause he let's us have presents on HIS birthday! It really has struck her and she is sharing it with everyone. I love her so much.

Famous words “it’s almost done”

2008-11-24T10:04:00.000-08:00

I am not one to get too upset about unfinished projects. If you have ever set foot in our house you KNOW this! However, unfinished work is not due to laziness it's always due to lack of cash. Mike and I decided a while ago that we would only finish projects when we had the money. This never stops us from tearing into things. It doesn’t cost anything to take a wall down but it dose to put something in its place. So for the past year we have had patched sheetrock and beans showing in our house. I am happy to say that we no longer have multiple color walls, exposed beams or will talk about what we "want to do" with the wall. It's done!

This was a fun project and we love the results!

I still have to paint, so it's almost done;-)

Mike's grassy nose

2008-11-19T07:45:00.000-08:00

"I don't have grass in my nose," rather disappointed Blake said the other night in bed all cuddled up.
"Oh well that is good."
"No I want grass in my nose but I am not big like Daddy yet."
"Does Daddy have grass in his nose?"
"YEP - LOTS! I get some when I get bigger."

I remember calling my dad's stubble on his cheeks "blue dots" but calling Mike's gotee and nose hair grass is way cuter.

THANK YOU JEN FOR POSTING THIS SONG - I LOVE IT!

2008-11-14T07:45:00.001-08:00

Brandon Heath - Give Me Your Eyes from Brandon Heath on Vimeo.

Blake's Birthday & The Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-28T10:55:00.000-07:00

If the video was not so long I would show you all his reaction to his presents. He looked like he won the lottery even when he opened his birthday card from Aunt Lisa and Uncle Ivan. He was such a lucky boy this year. He got some really cool gifts! I think Michael is having just as much fun as Blake.

Pumpkin Patch

Happy Birthday Blake

2008-10-25T23:34:00.000-07:00

We love you buddy!

On my own...kinda

2008-10-14T09:59:00.000-07:00

Aunt Lisa called this morning and asked if she could come get Blake and take him to Newport with Ivan's parents (in town from New Mexico). So after I dropped Ellie off at school I rushed home to pack a lunch and bag for Blake and he was off! So right now...Viola is sleeping, Ellie is at school for another hour and a half and Blake is on a road trip. WHAT DO I DO FIRST!?!

ABC FUN

2008-10-08T08:35:00.000-07:00

My mom has found countless web sites for the kids but this one is the best yet. Ellie and even Blake can navigate the whole site and love it. Check out this ABC site. Last night Ellie, Blake, and I started working our way through the learning to read steps. Ellie read the first whole book to Blake and me!

Teddy Bear Parade

2008-09-29T14:25:00.000-07:00

We marched in the Teddy Bear Parade in downtown Gresham on Saturday with Ellie's Preschool Scribbles. We decorated the kids bikes with teddy bear families (could not just have one) and all wore yellow to match Ellie in her t-shirt that Teacher Jill gave the kids to wear. The sad part was that I FORGOT MY CAMERA AGAIN! I have missed so many things in the past month or so...grrrrr! However, Aunt Lisa got a few on her phone and was kind enough to send them to me. Ellie was just too fast on her little bike to get a shot of her in the parade. Blake was so confused when he realized the whole family (including Charlie in his adorable lion costume) was sitting on the sidewalk cheering for us. He drove right over to them and after a short hello I ran him back into the parade where he burst into tears because we were leaving everyone behind! By the time we caught back up to everyone Ellie was pooped!

2008-09-22T15:14:00.000-07:00

Silly Faces
Sunday afternoon Ellie had the giggles so we ended up having a silly face competition.

Our last splash of the summer at Mike's company picnic.

It's a problem! So we need to get some boy dress up clothes. Andrea, I remember you posting something similar thinking we just didn't have that issue...well it's here. I guess that's what you get for having a loving sister who includes you in EVERYTHING!

Couple more cute pics of the kids.

Fall is here

2008-09-04T21:03:00.000-07:00

Today was Ellie’s preschool orientation. We woke up and it was business as usual until about 8:15 then we had to get dressed, brush our hair, teeth, and we were off to meet Daddy at Scribbles PreSchool. I got more and more nervous as the morning went on however, Ellie was calm and collect. We walked into her classroom to meet the other parents, kids and Teacher Jill. Mike and I kept saying to each other, “I can’t believe it’s here.” Now you might be thinking its preschool not kindergarten, but for some reason it’s a BIG deal. Ellie is so excited and I am trying my best to not freak out. This is good. It will be great for her and good for Blake and me to practice having her away at school before kindergarten is here 5 days a week. Auntie Marlene came to stay with Blake and baby Viola. When I got home with Ellie he ran to the door still in his pajamas with shoes in hand thinking it was his turn now for me to take him to class. It was a rather sad moment when he realized that he would not be going this year. Tonight we talked about making green slime like Joel did when Kari went to preschool (I will have to get the recipe from you Andrea) and he liked that idea! So starting next Thursday we will start our new morning routine twice a week getting to and from preschool on time. Ellie told be she is looking forward to eating lunch there, playing with her friend Tyson, and doing crafts.

When Ellie got home (it had only been an hour) Blake and her played like it had been days since they had seen each other last.

I started watching my 5 month old nieces Viola or “Baby Ola” this past week. Michael’s sister is a 5th grade teacher at HOI. We have been talking about taking care of Baby Viola this fall for quite some time and it’s finally here. I am so happy to say it’s going absolutely great. The kids love her, I love her to death, she is a very happy baby, and she has decided to take a bottle with no problem. So with cousin Viola and Preschool this is defiantly going to be an exciting and fun school year. I think this is when life seems to fly by a lot faster!

Happy Happy Birthday

2008-09-03T18:17:00.000-07:00

So it's a little late but HAPPY BIRTHDAY Michael! I don't have any great pictures of him when he was a baby but I do have some awesome footage of us playing with Micheal's birthday present. Check out these ROCK STARS...

This is the hardest I have laughed in a very long time! Thanks for letting us all enjoy your gift with you Michael. Happy 29th Bud!

Hood 2 Coast

2008-08-26T09:16:00.000-07:00

They did it in 29 hours and 15 mins!

Itch for fall - brother sister moments - daddy’s big run

2008-08-20T22:30:00.000-07:00

Michael and I are the truest of Oregonians! We love the rain and cooler weather. By the end of each season we are SO ready for the next to start. We love the smell of the rain, getting to use cozy blankets at night, burning my pumpkin candles, busting out the sweatshirts, thinking about the leaves changing color, cool crisp air, pumpkin patches, holiday traditions….here we come! I ALMOST FORGOT (how could I) FOOTBALL!

I am watching my kids play right now and they are awesome! Lately they are just too cute. Belly laughs in the bath playing catch with a glow in the dark baseball, riding bikes, playing house, pretending pretty much everything you can think of, cuddling on the couch when they are sleepy and their adorable genuine conversations with each other, to name a few. I have to say I was nervous to just have two kids (especially 1 boy and 1 girl) after growing up in a family with 4 kids, 2 boys and 2 girls. I just could not imagine life for Ellie without a sister and Blake without a brother. They are showing me everyday that my concerns are completely invalid. They are great friends and playmates. I can see all the wonderful qualities they learn from each other and glimpse into the future at a life long friendship. I know that in this stage of life (the toddler years) we can forget the good moments with all the neediness and whining. When I manage to look past all that and see their friendship blossom I appreciate them so much!

Well in less then 2 days many of us will send off our guys to run from Mt Hood to Seaside. I just have to say that I am so proud of Michael. He started training in May and could hardly run a mile. Now he is running 35-40 miles a week! I can hardly believe it, however, that is Michael’s style. We always tease about Michael’s “switch” or his “black and white” stages. When he puts his mind to something and flips the “switch” he can accomplish just about anything. Lately he runs 4.5 miles at lunch and another 5.5 at night. He has faithfully trained and I am very excited for him. Right before his 29th birthday he will accomplish something that he would have never thought possible a few years ago. So Friday morning we will send him off for an adventure with a crew of guys from church that I am sure will produce many priceless moments. Good luck guys!

Back to the Beach - Rockaway

2008-07-22T13:35:00.000-07:00

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4th of July

2008-07-17T14:58:00.000-07:00

The month of July has been packed for us so I am a little late posting these pictures.

We started our 4th of July off with Pop-its. The kids totally loved them!

Then we met some friends (Jeffs) at Happy Valley Park for all kinds of fun!

We totally missed you Bergers, Ginthers, and Brahmstadts - I was hoping to run into you all.

Then we were off to the Wilsons for a BBQ and Fireworks!

Great friends, great food, and great fireworks.

Can you tell we had a busy day...

Blake's nap was in between stops while listening to daddy's i-pod.

Little Musician

2008-07-17T13:42:00.000-07:00

Blake has a love for music and is one lucky little guy. He has a mommy who loves music, a daddy who is very talented with multiple instruments (saxophone, piano, drums, and now whats to learn to play the guitar too), and Uncle Shawn who plays the guitar and shares. Papa and Nana brought home the little guitar from Hawaii a few months back and he LOVES that thing. He is always putting a band together passing out instruments and getting us all to play. Ellie contributes with her "princess voice." I have a feeling that music will be in his future.

Try it...

2008-07-15T08:49:00.000-07:00

My oldest brother Mike bet Shawn that he could not eat 4 saltine crackers without water in 1 min or less. Because Shawn is Shawn he took the challenge and we caught it on tape. I love watching my brothers do this kind of stuff!