The Miller Family Blog

Valentine's Day

2011-02-15T11:23:00.001-08:00

This year on Valentine's Day we went around the table telling each other what we love about one another. Joshua's were my favorite.

Mom- "you are always so sweet and drop me off at school and pick me up"
Dad- "you always make me dinner and play the wii with me" (I am the one that makes the meals in our house).
Elise- "I have so much fun playing tag and hide-n-seek with you"

Hope you had a chance to express your affection for those you love.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Hawaii

2010-09-20T11:31:00.000-07:00

We spent a week on Maui as a family. We filled our days with time at the pool, playing at the beach, time at the spa and eating good food. Joshua and Keith went on a submarine ride and I took the kids on the sugar cane train. We can't wait to go back!

Memorial Day

2010-05-31T13:16:00.000-07:00

We spent a perfect day at the beach with friends on Memorial Day.

Memorial Day Weekend

2010-05-30T13:06:00.000-07:00

We took the kids hiking in Big Basin National Forest over the long weekend. They had a great time. We were suprised how well they did on the hike. We went on a 4 mile hike and they both walked (at times ran) the whole time. We had a great day.

Soccer

2010-04-20T12:56:00.000-07:00

Joshua has taken up soccer. It is little crazy with 15 4 year-olds running around on the field.

Yo Ho Ho

2010-04-17T12:34:00.000-07:00

Joshua had a pirate party this year. He and a handful of shipmates walked the plank and went on a treasure hunt for buried gold and jewels. We had a whole lot of swashbuckling fun.

The goodie bags were filled with all things pirate related.

My attempt to make pirate ship sails.

A picture from each year of his life hung above the table.

Joshua's Birthday

2010-04-14T12:28:00.000-07:00

Our boy is 4! Happy Birthday Joshua. We love you so much!

Easter 2010

2010-04-04T12:08:00.000-07:00

The Easter bunny found us this year. Thank you Poppie and Mimi for spending Easter with us this year. We loved having you here. Happy Easter!

Elise turns 2!

2010-03-16T11:46:00.000-07:00

Our darling little girl had her 2nd birthday. What a gift she has been to our family. She is just sweet, gentle, funny and so smart. She adores her brother and he adores her. Her Papa and Nana were here to celebrate with us. Happy Birthday little girl. We love you!

In Stitches

2010-03-07T09:25:00.000-08:00

Laugher is the best medicine (so “they” say). I have been getting plenty of it from Joshua lately. A few of his best lines from the week;

I found him in the back yard in nothing but his lightning McQueen underwear. This happens often- clothes are always an option for this boy. He took them off somewhere in the backyard. I asked him to go find his clothes and put them back on. After the third time I asked, apparently he didn’t approve of the tone I was using. His response-

“Geezs…why so crabby?”

Friday morning I woke up at 6:30am to Joshua standing beside my bed.

Joshua- “Mom, I have some thing for you”

Me (half asleep) “What”

Joshua- “Hold out your hand”

Me (receiving his gift in my hand) “What is it Joshua?”

“A Booger”

Awesome- just what I wanted

The boy loves butter. I have seen him many times rotate between spreading it on bread and placing a pad in his mouth. Yesterday, he asked for “some toast with his butter”. The butter was the main event and the toast the afterthought.

On the way home one day, he told me that I was going the wrong way. To back me up, I asked the navigation to take us home. Joshua listened to the car give us directions to our house. Confused he said, “The car don’t have eyes, how do she know how to get home?”.

Yesterday we were out on a bike ride when I noticed him holding himself.

“Joshua, we need to get home so you can go to the bathroom”

“It’s ok Mom, I will just hold my pee pee to stop it for a while”

New Do

2010-02-28T21:56:00.000-08:00

My beautiful little girl unfortunately has fine hair that is growing at a snails pace. In an effort to give her a little body, I picked up some pink curlers. When I took them out she looked in the mirror and said, "pretty girl". I must say I agree.

XOXO

2010-02-14T20:19:00.000-08:00

Love is in the air at the Miller's this February. Happy Valentines Day to all of you!

Disneyland

2010-02-07T19:55:00.000-08:00

We spent a few days at Disneyland last week. Elise's favorite ride was the pink elephant ride (Dumbo). The Peter Pan ride was "too scary" because of Captain Hook. Joshua's favorite ride was the Jungle Cruise which we had to ride three times. My favorite thing about Disneyland are the chocolate chip cookies at Marceline's Confectionery in Downtown Disney. Keith's favorite thing about Disneyland is sharing his one of his favorite childhood memories with his kids.

Christmas Eve Festivities

2010-01-19T14:59:00.000-08:00

Elise got really into decorating sugar cookies. I am not sure any icing actually made it onto a cookie, but she had fun.

Stocking hung by the chimney with care...

Bowling on Christmas Eve is a Miller activity that we have started in our family.

Reindeer cake pops I made for my primary class.

Gingerbread House

2009-12-07T14:47:00.000-08:00

We decorated a gingerbread house this year. Joshua was so focused and wouldn't stop until every last piece of candy was used. Elise's job was testing out all treats before we put them on the house.

New Hair Do

2009-12-05T14:36:00.000-08:00

I got tired of waiting for Elise's hair to grow out. Which one do you think looks best- the mullet or the short curly do?

Keith had to dress up for "Where's Waldo" youth activity. We had a bag full of wigs in the dining room that Elise got into. She walked into the kitchen wearing the mullet with a huge grin on her face. I guess she was tired of waiting for her hair to grow out too.

Thanksgiving

2009-11-28T14:20:00.000-08:00

We spent the Thanksgiving week in Utah with Keith's parents. Joshua loved playing in the snow! Unfortunately, he insisted on eating it every chance he got. We were also able to spend time with my brother Steve and Liz. Joshua loved playing his cousin Parker.

Halloween

2009-10-31T13:53:00.000-07:00

Joshua was a pirate and Elise was a fairy for Halloween this year.

2009-10-29T14:00:00.000-07:00

Keith went to BYU's homecoming and took Elise along to visit her grandparents. Although, I missed them both it was fun for me to spend the weekend with Joshua. We spent a day exploring the city- went to lunch, shopping, watched the cable cars and played on the beach.

This shot was taken just before we dropped them off at the airport.

Lake Tahoe

2009-10-29T13:31:00.000-07:00

I am trying to get caught up on updating my blog. Sorry to all my loyal blog readers for being so terrible about keeping up. The list might be short, but I know I have one reader that has been annoyed by my blogs idleness. Mom?

We had a great time with Keith's parents at Lake Tahoe in September. The weather was perfect. We went for walks, played at the beach and had fun being with family.

Utah Trip

2009-09-29T11:15:00.000-07:00

Pictures from our trip to Utah this summer. Joshua at BYU's Dinosaur Museum.

Joshua and and his cousin Parker (Steve's youngest) building a sand castle.

Parker and Elise

Mimi and Elise

Luke, Parker, Joshua and Elise

Sweet Tooth

2009-06-24T17:20:00.000-07:00

I walked into the kitchen and found my daughter with her hands in the candy jar (or drawer). This girl is definitely Keith's daughter. They share a love for sweets. She had scooted the chair over to the drawer where we keep the candy and helped herself. Apparently, she isn't a fan of root beer dum dums. She tested four dum dums (all root beer) before finding a flavor that she liked.

I guess she has a little bit of me too. Less than five minutes later, I caught her eating out of the peanut butter jar. Although, I would have preferred mine with a side of chocolate.

Update

2009-05-22T16:33:00.000-07:00

Ok... so I am the worst blogger ever! Here are a couple things our family has been up to for the last few weeks.

Keith took Joshua camping. A very brave thing to do in my opinion. Joshua had a great time with his dad sleeping in a tent. He came home smelling like dirt and campfire, which landed him a ticket straight to the bathtub.

Went to the beach last Saturday- fun times. The kids were great. Joshua built sand castles and liked running away from the waves. Our daughter spent the day sitting on a towel eating food under an umbrella. The sand was too dirty for this girly girl. It made it easy for us not to have to chase her down the beach. Lately, she has been really good about sharing her food. She holds it out opens her mouth and says "Aahhh" (captured in the second picture of her).

Anniversary

2009-04-30T13:55:00.001-07:00

Today is my 5 year wedding anniversary. I am grateful for my sweet husband and the life we have built together. Happy Anniversary Baby!

Life is Messy

2009-04-22T13:25:00.000-07:00

Being a Mom is messy. I feel like I have come a long way in accepting a level of chaos in our home. However, yesterday was a bit much for even a seasoned Mom to take.

First, I found a large (it would have taken several trips and a large bucket) pile of dirt in the middle of the living room floor. On my way to get the broom, I stepped on a banana on the kitchen floor. With smashed banana between my toes, I ran to a call for help from Elise that must have been a recipient of one of those buckets full of water and dirt (= mud) dumped on her head. When Keith got home, he pointed out that I had a greenish in color mouth print on my can, hope that happened after I got home from running errands.

After cleaning up dinner dishes, sweeping the floor, vacuuming the living areas and folding laundry, I was ready for a little down time with Keith. We sat down to get through some shows saved up in the DVR when we heard Joshua start to cry. I found him in the middle of his room looking pale and concerned, so I started taking him to the bathroom. That is when he started throwing up all over my feet.

Hum, not my best day.

Birthday Boy

2009-04-21T08:14:00.000-07:00

Joshua turned 3 last week!!! We had a carnival party on Saturday to celebrate. He had fun with the games and all his friends. We had a clown come and do face painting, a magic show and make balloon animals. Joshua kept his distance from the clown- notice the picture of him trying to get a balloon from her.

Watching the magic show from the safety of the patio.

A Miller Easter

2009-04-15T10:03:00.000-07:00

Poppie and Mimi

2009-04-15T09:42:00.000-07:00

My Parents came out for a visit at the beginning of the month. We spent time in the city, the beach and went for a walk in the foothills. The kids love their Poppie and Mimi!

Joshua and Elise inside a tree trunk at a park in the foothills.

the best photo ever!

2009-04-07T11:15:00.000-07:00

I have been having trouble getting Joshua to sit still for a picture. Most of my pictures are of his backside that were captured as he ran away from me. Although occasionally yielding a funny picture, I rarely get frame worthy image out of the little guy. One of my friends gave me a tip that I was sure would work- telling him there was a bug in the camera lens. So, I took Joshua to the backyard excited to try out the new trick. I think the picture speaks for itself....

Birthday Girl

2009-03-16T21:18:00.000-07:00

Our sweet little girl turned 1 today. Here is a look back at the past year....

When you wish upon a star......

2009-03-15T20:03:00.000-07:00

We took the kids to Disneyland last week. Everyone had a great time. Joshua loved riding all the rides (he even went on Space Mountain with his Dad). He was a little shy around Mickey, which explains the picture of Mickey without Joshua in it. Elise was a dream. She loved the Jungle Cruise and riding on the Mark Twain River Boat.

Valentine Fun

2009-02-11T10:36:00.000-08:00

In hopes of creating fun childhood memories for Joshua, we had friends over to decorate cookies yesterday. For some reason, Joshua had to eat half of the cookie before he started decorating. He also went a little overboard with the sprinkles. Here is some of his handiwork....

Someone decided to give a cookie to Elise (at least he is sharing with his sister). I found her in the hallway enjoying a cookie.

History of Valentine's Day

2009-02-11T09:43:00.000-08:00

Valentine’s Day has always been a favorite of mine. Opinions and Origins of the legend of St. Valentine vary. According to the story, St. Valentine was a priest who served during third century Rome. There was an Emperor at that time that decided that single men made better soldiers than those that were married. With this thought in mind he outlawed marriage for young men in hopes of building a stronger military base. Supposedly, Valentine, decided this decree just wasn't fair and chose to marry young couples secretly. For his defiance, Valentine was executed in A.D. 270—on February 14, so the story goes.

Whatever the legend may be.....I want to tell my friends and family how much I love and appreciate them. Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Elise's Busy Week

2009-01-22T22:23:00.000-08:00

Our little girl is 10 months old. She is 17.5lbs and 28 1/2 inches long. She is such a happy baby. She loves playing with her brother and she adores her daddy. On Tuesday when Keith left for work she sat at the door and cried after he walked out. She is easy to love and hard to resist kissing all day. Even her brother can't resist kissing her little cheeks and soft head. She is changing and learning so much everyday. The only thing that isn't growing is the hair- we love her bald!

Elise started the week off like this.....

And ended the week on two feet.....

Santa's Helper

2008-11-30T09:20:00.000-08:00

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

Brothers

2008-11-21T16:26:00.000-08:00

I love this picture of Joshua with his sister. Most of the pictures I have with the two of them, he is always looking at her and smiling. He loves his sister and is always very concerned about her well being. When she wakes up from naps and he hears her crying he runs straight in her room to see her. He notices when she is not around. If I load Joshua in the car before I put her in, he reminds me that she needs to be in the car too. I am so excited that she will have an older brother to watch out for her.

I have been blessed in my life with two amazing brothers. They are my closest friends. My older brother is kind, generous and a great Dad. My younger brother is optimistic, smart and so funny. I am grateful for their love and support.

Firsts

2008-11-21T15:04:00.000-08:00

It has been a week of firsts for Miss Elise.

She started clapping.....

She started moving. Not exactly crawling, but dragging herself across the floor on her tummy.

She started pulling herself to a standing position....

Her first tooth came in with a second close behind. Which was cause for celebration, so she ate her first cookie....

Way to go little girl!

Elise

2008-11-05T15:54:00.000-08:00

Our little girl will hit her 8 month milestone next week. I wanted to post some of the most endearing things about our baby.

10 things I love about Elise;

1. She is so sweet and patient

2. Her big bright eyes are always happy

3. She is so calm and you can't help but feel peaceful in her presence

4. She adores her Dad (and her Dad adores her)

5. She adores her brother (and her brother adores her)

6. Her bald head is soft and fuzzy. Her Dad thinks she is so cute bald and hopes her hair grows in slowly.

7. She dances when she hears music-the cutest little bop of the head

8. She is a lunch mouth. Yesterday, I caught her struggling to reach something under the couch. Victorious, she came out holding a cheerio that she quickly popped in her mouth. She is always grabbing food out of Joshua's hands. Her favorite right now is graham crackers.

9. She is so happy when she wakes up in the morning - always giggling and smiling.

10. She very curious about her world. Always watching people and things around her.

Did I say 10? I don't think I can stop yet- just one more.

11. For being so sweet, she can hold her own around her brother. I have seen her push him out of the way to get to a toy she wanted. I love that about her.

Elise has been a great blessing to me. I have to remind myself that she has only been a part of my world for 8 months- it feels like I have known her much longer. Since becoming a mother, my gratitude for my own mother has increased. She is my best friend. I can only hope that one day Elise feels the same way about me.

Trick or Treat

2008-11-01T15:49:00.000-07:00

We had a fun Halloween. Joshua was Superman and Elise was a lion. It was our first Halloween in our new neighborhood and it did not disappoint. Joshua had a blast playing soccer with the big kids at a block party and running from door to door in search of candy. He managed to lose a shoe in the process, but came home with a bag full of M & M's (his favorite). Elise's costume was a showstopper (thanks Mom!) and she was all smiles through the night.

Happy Halloween

2008-10-31T12:48:00.000-07:00

I love halloween! Here is a collection of pictures from our halloween festivities this week. Making sugar cookies, making halloween cutouts to hang on the fridge and carving a pumpkin. When I pulled the seeds out of the pumpkin, Joshua said "squirrel food!". He also insisted that it was a happy pumpkin that had ears.

Oakland Zoo

2008-10-21T09:29:00.000-07:00

We made a trip to the Zoo over the weekend. Joshua had a blast running around looking at all the animals. His favorite- the giraffe.

Joshua checking out the Elephants.

Elise with her Dad after we rode the train.

Joshua called this roller coaster an orange tiger train. The boy loves trains!

Sous Chef

2008-10-16T15:36:00.000-07:00

Joshua enjoys helping me out in the kitchen. He will come running in when he hears the mixer come on. Because of an age handicap, Elise isn't much competition for licking the beaters, spoons and bowls. We were making the brownies for a visit from his Uncle- another one of Joshua's loves. He always loves it when Blake comes over.

Family Day

2008-10-12T17:09:00.000-07:00

Our Saturdays are usually spent running errands and taking care of things around the house. Keith decided that we needed to shake things up yesterday, so we headed to Gilroy to spend some time at an amusement park. It was really fun. We went to a park that is geared more towards younger kids. Joshua had so much fun. Last night, I went in to say goodnight to him and he insisted that I lie down. He started reminiscing about his day... "I drive blue car", "I fly fish", "I ride boat", "I ride train", "I ride horse- up and down". It was the first thing he started talking about this morning too.

A Mother's Love

2008-10-09T20:09:00.001-07:00

For 2 1/2 years I have been constantly telling my son how much I love him. I have waited and anticipated the day that Joshua would utter those three little words back to me. Typically after naps he likes to snuggle until he fully wakes up. This is one of my favorite times of the day. Today while I held him I said "I love you Joshua". He was still a little groggy and whispered to me " I love.....(my heart started softening)..... trains". Not the third word I was hoping to hear. Hopefully, one day I will move ahead of trains on the list of things he loves.

2008-10-02T15:02:00.000-07:00

The freedom of having a big boy bed at times has been more than Joshua can handle. Most days he fights taking a nap. After I read a book and tuck him in bed, I hear him get out of bed and start pulling out toys. In the end, sleepiness prevails and he crashes wherever he may be.

2008-10-01T14:01:00.000-07:00

We just got pictures back of Joshua and Elise.

Joshua loved the camera....

Elise was a little bored....

In the end, we got a good shot of them both....

Pig Please

2008-09-23T21:54:00.000-07:00

Last week, we bought Joshua a piggy bank. The day we brought it home we gave him a couple of dollars in change to put in the bank. I didn't think that he understood the concept of money until yesterday. He made his first purchase- a chocolate chip cookie at our neighbors lemonade stand. He ran over with a shiny quarter which he surrendered only when he had a cookie in his little palm. I was getting Elise ready for bed tonight when Joshua appeared in the doorway. Our conversation went like this-

Joshua- "pig pleeeeeese"

Robyn- "what is in your hand Joshua"

Joshua- "monies"

He had a handful of change. I thought it was cute and figured he found money in the couch or on the floor, so I let him put the coins in his bank. I went back to Elise's room. A few minutes later Joshua showed up in the door to request the pig again to deposit an even bigger handful of change. After a little searching, I found my purse dumped out on the dining room floor. Apparently, our son has sticky fingers. Future guests....hold on to your wallets.

Our Baby Girl

2008-09-17T16:28:00.002-07:00

Elise sitting up on her own for the first time. Keith was just asking me this morning when I thought she would start sitting up without support or slouching over. Tonight before bed she started showing off.

Sleepy Boy

2008-09-17T16:28:00.001-07:00

After wrestling with Joshua for two hours today at nap time, I gave up. I don't get why kids fight sleep sometimes- if only I could sleep for two hours every afternoon. He decided that he didn't need a nap and would rather watch Cars. This is how I found him 10 minutes into the movie.

Graduate

2008-09-17T11:41:00.000-07:00

Joshua has graduated to a big boy bed. His new bedroom furniture was delivered on Friday and we spent the weekend moving him out of the nursery and into his new room. Elise took over the nursery and finally got into a crib. Joshua has done better than I expected with his new freedom. The first two nights were great, but we have had a few jack-in-the-box experiences since (in and out of bed). He really loves his "train bed". It is a work in progress- we still have to decorate his walls.

Joshua's 1st Day of School

2008-09-11T15:42:00.000-07:00

Joshua started nursery school today. Last night he tried to get in the car in his pajamas because I told him that he was going to school in the morning. He had a great time today and made lots of new friends. He loves wearing his back pack around the house.

P.S- how do you get a 2 1/2 year old boy to sit still to take a picture? All of my pictures of Joshua lately are of him running away from me.

Elise looked pretty cute for Joshua's first day of school too.

Good Day

2008-09-10T18:48:00.000-07:00

Nothing really extraordinary happened today, in fact it was a rather normal day. After naps we headed out to run a few errands. I turned around and saw that Joshua had opened his window. The wind was blowing on his face and he was wearing the biggest smile. Nothing can make me happier than hearing one of my kids laugh or seeing them smile. The weather has been cooler for the past few days- just enough cool air in the wind to remind you that it is fall. As we walked down University Ave finishing up our errands, the leaves were falling and dancing in the street. Summer is over and Fall is here. I do love the Fall. As we leave the warm weather behind, I wanted to post a few pictures from the summer.

Joshua's Swim Lesson

4th of July in Utah

Elise enjoying the landscaping we put in this summer

Elise's 1st War Wound

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

Elise in a surprisingly good mood considering she is sporting her first big-brother related injury. Joshua decided to share his big dumptruck with Elise by dropping it on her head while she was minding her own business in the exer-saucer. In line with her easygoing personality, she quickly forgave him.

My Sweet Son

2008-09-05T09:04:00.000-07:00

As I was falling asleep last night (exhausted from my day with a 2 1/2 year old boy), my heart was full of gratitude for my son and the life he brings to our home. I have never seen anybody with more energy. He always seems to find trouble and I secretly have to giggle at the things he does most of the time, but he is a sweet little boy with so much personality.

It has been so fun to watch his communication develop. I have gotten pretty good at deciphering his toddler code. A few of my favorite words and their translation;

Pip = chip

punkcan = pumpkin

Lise = His little sister Elise

Bumbo = Dumbo (one of his favorite movies)

Race Pool = swimming pool (after watching the Olympics all pools are race pools)

As tired as I get of tripping over matchbox cars, trains, trucks and planes, I LOVE being a mom to a boy. Now if I can only figure out how to get him to stop catching ants with a blade of grass and smashing them with his finger.

3rd Time is a Charm

2008-09-02T11:24:00.000-07:00

Not so charming.....

I attempted to feed Elise solids for the third time last night. She takes all the food off the spoon and holds it in her mouth just to spit it back at me. Joshua came in the kitchen and said "it's a mess". He grabbed a paper towel and started cleaning her up. You know it must have been bad if it was bothering Joshua (his cleanliness standard is not very high).

Not the best beach experience

2008-08-29T22:31:00.000-07:00

So...Keith and I had this great idea to start off the Labor Day weekend with a trip to the beach. We have had an extremely mild summer this year. Our average temperature in July was 79 degrees. Things heated up this week, so we thought today would be our last opportunity to head to coast. It was 90 degrees when we left home. When we got to the beach it was 60 degrees, overcast, cold and windy. I think I even felt a few sprinkles while we were there. As we unloaded the car, I thought at least we can get some good pictures since it was overcast. When I tried to take my first pic (the perfect shot of Elise in her darling pink suit) the dead battery light started flashing. Oh well, Joshua had fun chasing the seagulls, making a sand castle and watching the boats pull in the harbor.

The Miller's are bloggers!

2008-08-29T11:33:00.000-07:00

Finally...we have a blog. I can't make any promises, but I will try my best to keep it updated.