Yes...I know Christmas is over

As I was looking back on my camera today, I scanned through my Christmas pictures and decided to post a few of them. They're definitely not your traditional "Christmas" pic's, but I had fun looking at them again!


Kamryn, in one of her happiest places in the world to be...Grandma's lap! Every time the family is together, the girls will run around and play, but they always seem to end up in the same place before the day is over...Cuddling on Grandma's lap! What lucky little girls! (This pic was taken at Brian's aunt Edna's house where the Miller's celebrated Christmas)

And now on to some of goofy ones! The grandkids (on my side) got a big thrill of all going to the dollar store (weeks before Christmas) to pick out their own gifts for mammer and popper! They had no guidance whatsoever and were told to pick whatever they thought that mammer and popper would like! The gifts for mammer ranged from a porcelain doll to a cereal bowl and princess mirror. Popper's gifts started out as somewhat useful...tools, mouse traps, wood glue...and then came Jarett's gift. Jarett (5 years old and hailing from Iowa) is the youngest of 4 who has learned that the best way to get attention is to make everyone laugh! He gave popper what he described as "Bling-Bling" and yes...he did make us all laugh! Popper proudly wore his goft for the rest of the night!
Uncle Chris hanging out with his little buddie (Ethan) who, of course, needed to wear his Iowa shirt to please his big cousins!
And last, but not least of my favorite Christmas pictures, is this one! Nicole insisted that this is the card that she wanted to get for her daddy! After trying (and failing) to steer her in a different direction, this is the card that we left the store with! Daddy (who has a similar sense of humor as Niki) was well pleased with her choice and thanked her! (The inside of this card reads..."Hope your Christmas is all it's cracked up to be!" For those of you who missed it, take a good look again at Santa's back side!

Baby Braden

It was so thrilling for me to be able to hold this sweet baby boy on Friday night! I am still so amazed that after months of worrying...here he is...and doing just great! Such a little miracle!



Not much to say, other than I'm thankful for the way this has all turned out and I'm thrilled to be an aunt again (for the sixth time).

Brrrrr...

Much news at the Miller household, but just not enough time to tell about it! The past month has seemed like an absolute whirlwind...Christmas and New Years was a complete Blur! We had out of state family here and spend about five days together with both sides of our families! It was a blast, but also exhausting! The big news has been in the making for quite some time...we've been awaiting the arrival of my new nephew! Finally, after 2 months of bed rest and 2 weeks in the St. Joe hospital (for my sister), Little Braden Dean Stout has arrived! He was six weeks early but is doing remarkable well! I have been able to see him, but have not yet been able to hold him! (I'm hoping to get to tonight) I can't wait! His big sister Gabi is pretty excited too! Anyway, since my sister has been in the hospital (both before and since Braden's birth) Gabi has spent quite a bit of time at our house...much to her cousin's delight! Last night however, we were all wishing we were anywhere but "at our house"! Brian and i were tuckered out and in bed by 9:30 (very unusual) and by 10pm we awoke to everything in our house powering down! (Funny how that wakes you up, hun?) Yep...that's right...NO ELECTRICITY! We waited about 30 min and then decided it was time to pack up! My cousins' (Todd and Cindy) who live just across the field, still had power so we bundled up (2 adults, 1 baby, 2 sleeping daughters who were very limp, and one crying and scared niece) and headed to Todd's 4 the night! Cindy and Sarah were waiting at the door and even came out to help unload. (Keep in mind that by this time it was after 11PM and nearing 30 degrees below!) Yikes! Miraculosly, as soon as we were inside, the girls percked up and started playing! Imagine that! Finally around midnight, we were all settled in when (Light bulb moment) i realized that I had packed formula, cereal, diapers, and wipes but no bottle! Poor daddy! I'm sure he was cold when he drove home to get a bottle! (Love ya Brian) Anyway, sometime after 12:30 we did all fall asleep again, and settled in for the night (or shall i say morning?) 3 1/2 hours later, Brian crawled out of bed and headed back home to check on things! (Once again...love ya babe!) Around 8 AM, after Cindi and I had our coffee, I realized that even a honda dosen't start when it's been parked outside in 30 below temps! Thankfully, after talking to Merle Mullet, I gleaned a few tips on how to get it started! YIPPEE! We ended up coming home to a warm house with electricity! And in all of this, all I keep on thinking is..."I'm so glad that I'm not a NIPSCO employee!"

Kids take us so literally!

Cookie Baking Fun

Brennan and Sawyer were over the other day and we decided that it would be fun to decorate some sugar cookies! Of course, you can't start decorating until you've tested the product...right?


What started out as simply frosting the cookies...
and adding a few sprinkles...
...ended up like this! This was kamryn's "pile of creation". They had no problem with piling aprox. 4 inches of sprinkes on top of the cookies! Where there is a will...there is a way!
This was Brennan's finished product. To my eyes, the one cookie looked a bit like a watermelon, and the other looked a bit too much like there had been a rodent nearby that deposited some droppings!
After all their hard work, Kamryn decided to sink her teeth into one of those delish cookies! (Just imagine all of the grit she had to bite through just to get to the cookie!)
I thought this pic was just too funny! I'm not sure if the cookies left a bad taste in her mouth, or if she was just plain exausted after all of her hard work!
The little guys weren't completely left out of the action though. Sawyer hung out in the kitchen with us...probably finding enough sprinkles on the floor to delight him...and Ethan...well
Ethan didn't get to help out as much but he was a happy little camper hanging out in the living room! I love watching this little guy smile. He can be as mad as can be...but the moment you smile at him, he will instantly grin back! I just want to sqeeze him...in a loving way of course!
Quote of the day:

ME: (after watching Kamryn finish up her ice cream cone at McDonalds) I think that I should go up and order an ice cream cone for myself too! Don't you think I should Kam?

KAMRYN: Well, you can mama, but don't you think you should get some ice cream too cause just a cone would be gross!

(The lesson in all of this...say what you mean because they'll take you literally!)

American Girl

Our weekend suprise in Chicago
(My sisters Shelly and Tami hanging out in our hotel room and catching up)



My sisters and I had a ton of fun suprising my mom with a girls weekend away in Chicago. She thought that we were headed to my sisters house in Elkhart, but instead we drove to Chicago where we met up with my sister from Iowa and her girls. It was a lot of fun and the little girls had a riot being together with their cousins!


Here is a picture of "mammer" with her precious granddaughters. I'm not exactly sure when this pic was taken, but I know it was sometime after midnight!

And what slumber party eould be complete without some good old "jumping on the bed?"These crazy girls were wired and going strong! They were swimming until 10pm, followed by a late night pizza snack and jumping on the bed. We were still heearing giggles from them at 2am! (Oh to be a kid again)


Despite the fact that they only got around 5 hours of sleep, these girls were all smiles and ready to hit the road running immediately after breakfast! We planned to spend the day at the American Girl store and the girls were so excited!


The girls really enjoyed the experience of riding on the bus...so much, in fact, that when we now see the trolley driving through Goshen, they ask if we can please park the van and ride on that "city bus" like we did in Chicago!

Ally and Kamryn...doing what girls do best...SHOPPING!

Poor Kamryn...tired of shopping!(And getting a little lovin from mammer)

The girls were so excited to eat our lunch at the store. There was more pink then I could have ever imagined and this delighted the girls!
The food was delicious...which was wonderful because we were incredibly hungry! We had cinnamon roles, veggies, cheese stuffed soft pretzels and food kabobs...then they brought out our menus. Whew!


One of the neat things was all of the accomodations that they made for all of the dollies! (I know...it's a doll store...but it was still so amazing to see the creativity!)

By the time our day had ended, the cousins were sad to see each other part ways, but they were all thrilled with the fun time of being together...not to mention the things that mammer purchased for them! They were exhausted...but happy! Very happy! The adults had a great time being together also, but it was so cute to hear my mom gratitude for the suprise weekend, followed by this comment. To us girls- "Thank you so much for suprising me with this weekend. It was a lot of fun, but just please take me back to the country!"
Something that my sisters and i don't get enough of is time spent together! I'll cherish the memories of this weekend for a long time.

Going...Going...Gone

My kiddos could definitely use this phrase to describe their mother over the last month...GOING...GOING...GONE! I feel like I've been spending a good portion of my day lining up tomorrow's sitters! The last month has been a whirlwind, but filled with a ton of fun! While mommy has been off having fun... daddy has been taking care of the 3 little munchkins. (He has had quite a bit of help from his mama though)

Niki had to make a hat for the VOCABULARY HAT PARADE at school! I was filled with (what I thought were wonderful ideas)...but Niki did not agree and had her mind made up on this! She used the word BABY and opted for pic's of Ethan to describe her word. She was so proud of her work!

I thought that we've been in a pretty good bed time routine...but we obviously kept Kamryn up too late this night! I mean...C'mon...Who falls asleep while eating pizza?
"Mr. MOM"
On October 19, I officially entered the last year of my twenties! Brian and I celebrated by spending time in Ft. Wayne shopping, eating and out for a movie! (followed with a late night Krispy Kreme snack). Time alone seems like something that we never have enough of so this little get-away was wonderful!

Treasures beside the bed

I know that some of you are probably wondering if i'm ok or if aliens have taken over my body. It is totally out of character for me to post twice in one week let alone twice in the same day, however, i just thought it was to funny to pass up. I just went upstairs to put away some of the girls laundry and found these items in between Nicole's bed and the wall!

*Container of dental floss
*Dove deoderant
*play $
*2 "zoo pals" paper bowls. (These were food dishes for her imaginary kitty)
*numerous paint samples that they hocked from Menards
*a contact lens case
*American girl doll
*Lip gloss
*many misc. magazine clippings...mostly of babies or things pertaining to babies
*a box of blank thank you cards
*her sister's piggy bank
*misc. hairclips/jewelry
*a paper pumpkin
*25 articles (yes I counted the entire pile) of her baby brother's outgrown clothes which I'm assuming she was keeping for her baby dolls! AAHHH...the treasures of a little girl!

Ironically, I thoroughly cleaned her room on Monday, thus mwaning that she accumulated this collection in a short3 days!