Slate Run Historical Farm is one of my favorite places to visit in Ohio. I have gone every summer for the past three years with my girls, my mother-in-law, my sister-in-law Katie and whatever random cousins (of the 13 miller grandchildren) that are available. I fully intend on making it an annual tradition. This year Jamie was able to come and as you can see took his turn on the stilts. I love it because it is simple, educational, a good picture spot, FREE, but most of all a precious memory that I hope my girls will take with them forever.

I am not much of a gardener. I am actually a plant killer, so probably the complete antithesis of a gardener. But I am also persistent and optimistic. We started small this year- two potted tomato plants, a red bell pepper plant, a strawberry plant and some cucumbers. We were on vacation last week and upon our return home I could not wait to see if my "firstfruits" had ripened and were ready to pick. Below are my firstfruits-- amazingly red and juicy looking from the top--completely rotten on the bottom. And the green pepper is amazing looking, but if you can see in the picture it was supposed to be red, and I don't think it is going to change colors any time soon. So, this was making me laugh and making me think about a statement I have heard before about giving my "firstfruits" to the Lord. I couldn't find the word in a search I did of a couple Bible translations, so I haven't gotten down to the true meaning of the word--knowing it must be talking about quality, not order...I would assume... at least in my case, I don't think he wants my actual "firstfruits"--maybe my "second fruits" or "third fruits". I will keep you posted.

I think Macie found a friend!





These are pictures of Macie and her cousin Ava. Ava is my sister Emily's daughter and she is 4 months older than Macie, even though they weigh about the same. (you can probably see Macie finished her bottle first) They will be the younger clan of cousins. They don't seem as crazy as the big ones, but then again they can't walk yet. Still, I will keep my fingers crossed.

One of the perks of living in MN is getting to attend the Minnesota Lynx games and watch Amber Jacobs play. The girls love Amber and I think Tori has asked for her autograph maybe 25 times. Anyway, Friday we went to the Lynx game with Abby and we sat courtside (which was amazing- Thanks Nicole!). We could actually reach out and touch the players and we were sitting next to the guys from Big Daddy Weave {but that is Abby's side of the story =) }. Now Tori was having a good day, bad day sorta night. Good day she got to go to the game, bad day I wouldn't let her wear her bright pink pants, good day we got to go the game with Abby, bad day she had to sit by me =), good day she caught a t-shirt, bad day she dropped a program on the court and was embarrassed, good day her and Isabelle were on the big screen, bad day I apparently starve her and Abby wouldn't buy her something from the concession stand. Good day Abby surprised her and bought her and Isabelle some french fries (not because she thinks I starve them, just because she is very sweet- thanks Abs), really bad day she accidentally bumped the chair and spilled all her french fries on the ground and Isabelle had eaten more than her. And finally, really good day Prowl (he is the mascot) came over and sat by her and put her on his lap and then took my camera and trounced her around to center court, the scorer's table and to one of the referees to get her picture taken. She was beaming (except on the scorers table- she was a little nervous). She came over and said it was the "best day" and once again all was good in her world. Yes, I know the drama of a six year old girl...so silly to be controlled by our circumstances, isn't it?

I thought it was important this Memorial Day to give the girls some idea of the significance of the Holiday. We took them to the National Cemetery here in Bloomington. It is an overwhelmingly somber, yet somehow beautiful place. I was moved by the many who had come to pay their respects or adorn a loved one's grave marker with some flowers or a flag. I was especially touched by the Marine who was walking around the cemetery in his dress uniform- I saw him wipe a couple tears from behind his sunglasses. That may have caused some welling up on my part--maybe. =)

Anyway, I think they at least realized that there are a lot of graves and when you are there you must be quiet and respectful. Learning is a process and we will hope to build on this for the future. Maybe we will make visiting the cemetery a Memorial Day tradition.

No time to post...I am computerless for a couple days (it crashed, again)....but in my mind it was a God-ordained crash so I would have no reason not to enjoy these beautiful spring/summer days with my beautiful girls!

"When we know we are in the will of God, we're invincible...Then, no matter what the circumstances, no matter what happens, we can stand fast." -Charles Swindoll (from his book Elijah)

And this is the chorus to some song that keeps running through my mind...Mr. Kelly used to sing it often in church services when I was in high school. I must say, The Spirit really pulls things from the far recesses of my brain sometimes to remind me of truth. Crazy! Sorry, please forgive me, I digress...the song...
"I am determined to be invincible, until He has finished his purpose in me.Nothing will shake me Cause He'll never forsake me I am determined to live for the King."

I don't normally delve into the serious realms on my blog... I save that for my "real" hand-written journals, but I have been reveling in this truth the past two days and felt compelled to share it with you. My prayer is that you are confident in where you are standing at this moment and that you will be encouraged (as I have been) that with God

YOU ARE INVINCIBLE!!!!

First, let me say, the nose piercing picture will not be happening. Don't worry- I still have it. But it is quite small and to spare you a close-up picture of my nose pores you will just have to see it in person. And for anyone who was wondering (eh-hem..columbus people) my mother-in-law did not seem to mind it. I won't say she loved it, but she did say it reminds her of when Isaac gave Rebekah a ring in the OT and that when I no longer like it I can remove it. Yay for great mother-in-laws!

Moving on....I am enjoying the most amazing spring day today. The girls had a picnic lunch outside. I am sitting outside working on my computer. Macie is resting in the shade. And when Tori and I were talking when she got home from school she dropped the conversation to chase a little butterfly. Simply divine! Thank you for spring.

So, anyway, I was explaining to Tori today the phrase "one man's trash is another man's treasure". Why would I be explaining this to a 6 year old. Well, once a year the city of Bloomington allows you to put whatever on the curb and they pick it up. So driving down my street today several houses just cleaned out--piles and piles of old doors, wood, toys, couches, anything you can imagine lined the street. I know..some of you are just thinking what you could put on the curb if you had the chance...amazing how much junk we collect. But, seriously, the best part is to watch the game that follows. Isabelle, Macie and I sat out in the front to wait for Tori's bus today and to watch all the excitement. Of course, the mini-van brigade was out in full force, looking for that new backyard toy treasure for their kiddos. I saw some young couples loading couches into their sporty little "no, we do not have any kids" cars. I saw one guy that I think was playing some sort of bigger and better game. His car was so full--he had a six foot fake tree hanging out his window. And, my personal favorite, the do-it-yourselfer with the Ford 4x4 truck. She was a hoot. I watched her stop at 3 houses on my street--carefully perusing each mound of treasures looking for whatever she could use. When she would find something she would whip on her work gloves and load it into the truck.. You can never be too safe. Her truck was overflowing with old screen doors, windows and various pieces of metal and wood. I would be quite interested to see what she was going to do with all of it. And then another picker drove up and they started to chat and even helped each other sort through the mass of things. My girl found two bright yellow rain ponchos and she offered one to her new friend--which he gladly took, and then they made small talk about their greatest finds for the day and were on their way. Who knew trash picking could bring a community together? Way to go Bloomington! Anyway, so this is why I explained to Tori why one man's trash is another man (or woman's) treasure. She picked it up right away, however, when I tried to get her to contribute some of her "trash" to the pile she commented that all she had was "treasures". Maybe next year.

Once upon a time in the land of Bloomingtonia there lived a sweet maiden whose name will remain anonymous for her protection. She lived with her handsome prince and three very sweet children. Now although her handsome prince loved her just the way that she was and would not change anything about her (well, except for a few minor quirks like not rinsing dishes and leaving clutter piles on the counter), he did think that she could use a little "edge" (don't ask me what that means-I'm just relaying a story). So for two or so years he requested that the maiden adorn her nostril with a small speck of pixie dust to give her some edge. Now the maiden was not really sure about this request and was not a fan of unnecessary medical procedures that may cause her to become faint, so she always put him off. Until one weekend while her mom and sister were visiting she conceded that she would be willing to oblige his request. But, alas, in the short visit they could not find someone to perform the procedure and so the maiden continued on in her "non-edgy" state.
Now, the maiden thought that was the end of the matter, but since the sweet maiden's younger sister had heard of the handsome prince's desire, she was determined to come through for him. So, the next time the sweet maiden visited her beautiful homeland her younger sister would not rest until she had fulfilled the handsome prince's wish. So the sweet maiden pierced her nose with a speck of pink on a Friday night in April. She did not pass out or cry. Well, her eyes did water a little, but she was told that everyone's do. She did keep her eyes closed throughout the entire process and for good reason since her two sisters who accompanied her told her that the needle was quite large. She and the handsome prince were happy with her decision, although I think they have both decided it will not be a permanent addition. That part of the story is yet to be written.

So....the big question is...does it make the maiden more edgy? Contrary to the handsome prince's opinion, the maiden did not believe it to. For example, on the way home from her homeland the maiden stopped to put some gas in her white chariot. But unfortunately for her she had left her purse and all her money back in her beautiful homeland (don't ask..the maiden was very tired and traveling alone with 3 small children--give her a break) So, anyway, she asked the attendant if she could pay for the gas with only the numbers from her credit card without the actual card and the nice lady agreed. And the reason she agreed was that she said the young maiden looked like a very nice and honest person. So I am guessing the maiden is not really that edgy after all. I guess she should have gone for the tattoo (just kidding- the maiden would never survive that!) Oh well. Who needs to be edgy anyway?

p.s. picture to follow... the young maiden's camera was also in her purse =)

I'm just sayin....

Believe me..most of the drama comes from the girls in our house. But this afternoon I watched the big, strong man of our house put on quite the emotional roller coaster display. In the course of two hours this afternoon I saw him jumping up with excitement, pounding on our many couch pillows with frustration, begging forgiveness from a college student that he has complained about all season, and laying (that's right) laying on the floor in complete despair (just to name a few). And at one point when the precious Buckeyes were down 3 with 9.3 seconds to go and Xavier had a guy on the free throw line poised to pretty much ice the game, he told the announcer to be quiet when he said the Buckeyes still had plenty of time, even though he had just said the exact thing in his last breath. Now, don't get me wrong--I love the passion. Yaay! for passion. And I am not claiming that there is anything wrong with this behavior (I have paced through my share of Ohio State football games). But, you know, being a part of the "gentler sex" we take a lot of grief for being, well, not-so emotionally stable, and I'm not trying to make this a debate of men vs. women (that would just be silly). I'm just sayin...

I will never cease to be amazed at how fast life flies by, especially when you measure it by the growth of children....

Macie is now eating cereal and applesauce (and I really think she would eat anything that comes near her mouth). I knew she was getting old when I started noticing all the teeny-tiny babies that I would see out and about and she was double (okay- maybe triple) their size. She can kind of sit up and it is only a matter of time before she is crawling around. And I think I saw her two bottom teeth today! Where did my baby go?

And Ronsi, well, she started using the word "usually". I am not sure if that is normal 4 year old talk, but then again I would probably never classify Ronsi as "normal". But she is very grown up these days. As you can see above, she likes to cook and she likes to talk (a lot). She can write her name. She told someone today that her name was not ronsi it was Isabelle. She wants to play the piano like Lisa someday and she asks me to play the song "Every Move I Make" every time we are in the car. I don't know how to explain it. She is just big.

Tori is holding a picture of a gift for Sam. That was the picture I took of her just before she headed off to her first birthday party of a school friend (who happened to be a boy). She had the time of her life she said. She wanted to go back over there everyday. To my knowledge the party was all on the up and up- no spin the bottle or anything like that. But I don't even know what happens during part of her day. She doesn't always want to talk about it. I have to wait for parent-teacher conferences to get a better glimpse of this other world she disappears to from 8 to 11.

So, in this girl's world I am amazed once again at how quickly my little girls are growing up on me. I figured that was another reason to journal. So maybe when they are long gone from my house I can read my journals and maybe magically transport myself (even if just for a moment) back to when they were little.

Ummmmmm....and just in case anyone is thinking anything. I AM NOT interested in having another baby. I am reflective, not delusional. =)

Today I had my first "surgery". I had a cyst removed on my shoulder. It was just a 30 minute thing- no biggie. But I have learned that I am rather pathetic. Let me explain...

Today, I was sitting in the chair- the nice ladies had given me the anesthesia and were working on my shoulder. I did not look. I do not like needles, blood, stitching, etc. I told them I would not be looking for the aforementioned reason. They said okay. I did not feel or see anything. (special thanks to Bethany who warned me not to look at their goggles cuz they show a reflection of the incision) Fifteen or so minutes into the procedure the room started spinning and I got all hot and sweaty. I contemplated toughing it out, keeping quiet, but i have done that before and it has ended badly-very badly (that is a story I can only tell in private). And so I told them I was feeling dizzy. And they said I was white as a ghost. So- up go my feet above my head and in comes the nurse with a candy bar. What the heck is wrong with me? I had eaten breakfast, so I was not hungry. The doctor told me she was going to keep working, because I would probably feel better when the whole thing was over. And when it was done and I had finished my Baby Ruth, I was totally fine. I drove home and Jamie got me my lunch and everything was honky dory. I am a medical procedure mental midget. (Abby, I should have had you come and hold my hand) But I will give myself props..I did not actually pass out and I did not cry.

This morning was an exciting time at our house. Tori and Isabelle were both a buzz with excitement. They have been talking about this day since we got the note home from school about a month ago. Today was the day for "Donuts with Dad". Tori got to bring Jamie to school and have donuts in the gym before school started. Pretty big stuff in the life of a little girl. It was supposed to be last week, but with the foot or so of snow that we got in good old Minnesota it had to be cancelled. So I sent them off this morning. Tori told me she had 2 donuts and that it was fun. She didn't introduce Jamie to any of her friends (Tori is strangely quiet at school), but she did bring him to meet her teacher. So, today I am thankful that my girls really, really love their Dad and that you would think Tori was getting ready to go to prom with the cutest boy in school(that is how excited she was). Isabelle is already looking forward to the day when she is in school and she gets to get donuts with dad. Sad for Jamie that they will probably outgrow this excitement someday, right? Or maybe not...And I am wondering why they were not as excited for "Muffins with Mom". It was probably the muffins.

This week I jumped back into the working world. I know, I know...I work as a wife and mother, but my family doesn't really pay well, and the truth is they can't afford me anyway. (Just kidding, family) But now I am the Vice President of Data Entry with Anna Worner and Associates. I know, pretty prestigous. Special thanks to my good pal Woody for the opportunity and for the title promotion (similar to the one that Dwight got on "the Office"). The best part is I get to set my own hours and work out of my house. Actually, I can work anywhere I can find wi-fi because they gave me my very own laptop- which was quite a nice surprise. So, we shall see what happens. I am actually really glad for the brain stimulation that working brings and it is only 10 hours a week, so that will actually give me a little structure in my life... which I am thinking will make me more organized. If you are not following my logic you will just have to trust me. If I give myself a whole week and all I have to "do-do" (that means really do, not just maybe do if I have time) is laundry and maybe a trip to the store than I tend to be a little slothful. I know, pathetic, but true.

Speaking "Miller-ese"

Anyone who knows us well, knows that using the correct pronunciation of words is not a huge priority in our house- as displayed with the whole "m" language that we have going on (mgiraffe, macuter, mgrage, etc. )
Today the girls hit me with two new ones I found entertaining:

Tori and Isabelle were getting so frustrated with me this morning because I did not know where the book with the "toodler" was that emily and robbie had gotten Isabelle for Christmas--I don't know what I was thinking. It was at least a 3 minute conversation about the "toodler"

Miller Word: "toodler" (t-ew-dler) - English equivalent: "poodle"


Isabelle informed me this morning that spring was almost here because it was almost "opera" and that is when Hannah's birthday is.

Miller Word: "opera" - English equivalent: "April"

I think the thing that kills me the most is that they are quite confident when they say their words like it is no big thing. Maybe that is because Jamie and I don't tell them they are saying it wrong--sorry future teachers of the miller girls.

Well, we took him down...mission complete. On Saturday, Jamie claimed that we girls were ganging up on him trying to infect him with the flu since we, of course, all have weak immune systems, and he, of course, does not. It was no easy task--in fact, I had really conceded, but our littlest member and apparent secret weapon came through. Macie went with the "maybe i'm sick, maybe i'm not...mom and dad can't tell cuz i am not really acting like myself, but then again i am still smilin' and there is no way daddy can resist my chubby cheeks for more than a couple hours" strategy. So, as best as we can tell that is how he was taken down. He made a good attempt to pretend that he was not sick by working from his bed, but he has since succombed and is sleeping soundly.

P.S. Please know that although Jamie did accuse us of ganging up on him we would never wish illness on anyone- especially him- and we are hoping for a speedy recovery.

P.S.S. Please also note that I apologize sincerely for making Taco soup for dinner last night.

Birthday blues....

So I wrote that post last night- on Tori's birthday eve and I was going to take a picture of her looking all cute and ready to go celebrate her birthday with her "schoolmates" (that's what she calls them)...and then at 5:30 AM on HER BIRTHDAY, Tori got the pukey flu!!!!! This is the second time she has had the flu on her birthday (it also happened on birthday numero uno)....and I am so sad for her. So she did not get to go to school and share her treats with her friends today and she will not get to eat her cake today (Isabelle is real bummed about that) She is still cute, but she is laying in my bed, clutching sheepy with her chin quivering--willing herself to feel better. So six is not off with a bang--but she will overcome!!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TORI!

Six years ago tommorow the girls started outnumbering the boy in the miller household. Tori entered the world and we have never been the same since. She is an amazing combination of beauty, strength (freaky strength), passion, and princess... all rolled into one. I suppose every year Tori gets a year older it will be sort of sad, but she has "aged" a lot in this year. She started school (which she loves), she started "liking" a boy (which her father and I definitely do not love), she became a big sister again (she is my biggest helper), and most importantly, she decided she wants to be a follower of God. She continues to amaze and frustrate me on a daily basis...

I had one of my proudest moments of Tori not so long ago... Her school was collecting money for kids with leukemia. They were supposed to bring in their spare change, so of course she asked if she could have MY spare change on the first day, which was fine. But the second day, she asked if she could empty HER piggy bank. Now I assumed that she was trying to win the pizza party that the class which brought in the most money won (Tori is very competitive- way to go, Jamie), and so I told her "ya know, your class might not win the pizza party- are you sure you want to bring ALL the money in your piggy bank?" (I'm not a bad person, I just wanted to avoid later drama when the piggy bank was empty) But she said, "I know mom, I just think the kids that are sick could use the money more than me." Now if you know anything about this girl's world you know at this moment I was crying. So we emptied the purple piggy bank that she has been filling for all 6 years of her life and she brought the money to school the next day. I don't think they won the pizza party- she hasn't said....but she does remember why she did it and she doesn't seem to have any regrets. Amazing what I have learned from a 6 year old.

Happy Birthday Tori! I love you and I am so proud to be your mom. Thank you for teaching me so much. You are a gift!