We left being a princess to my experts...Tori and Isabelle wanted to be the same princesses they were last year.




And Mace was a chunky little dragon--we had a great Halloween!

Stay tuned....and in case you are wondering- I do not have too much time on my hands. =)

It is getting chilly here- the season of red noses has begun.

Sometimes you wonder as a mom if your children are understanding what you are trying to communicate to them or if it gets lost in the translation from adult language to child language. Last week my church community held a benefit concert for a domestic abuse organization called Cornerstone. My girls attended the concert and we talked about why our church was doing it and how they could help. They cleared out all the quarters in their banks to buy treats at the concert and support the cause. Well, today I got some insight into why Isabelle wasn't quite as eager to help....

We were cleaning their room (my least favorite task in the entire world) and she found a baby spoon--the one that you get when you try a sample at Cold Stone Creamery. So she said, "I didn't know that Heather worked at Cold Stone". I was a little confused, not an uncommon occurrence when I am having a conversation with Ronsi, so I probed further. I thought maybe she was talking about a friend from church and I am pretty sure she never worked at Cold Stone. But then Isabelle, seeing my confusion, said, "Mom, you know, for the concert...the girl said she was from Cold Stone." Ah Ha! the light comes on. Well, of course we would do a benefit concert for an ice cream store--have you seen the price of milk lately? God bless you- you makers of sweet cream ice cream with a peanut butter cup mix in..help is on the way!

Of all of life's many blessings, a child has to be one of the greatest. One year ago today my life was once again changed forever. Macie Virginia captured our hearts from her very first breath. She was named after Jamie's adopted grandmother, Virginia Grandstaff, who was affectionately called "Ginny" and was one of the sweetest most pleasant women that I have ever known. On several occasions during this first year of Macie's life, Jamie and I have commented that her name suits her and Ginny would just love her. Macie is so pleasant, so playful, so happy. She brings joy. She brings laughter. She brings me to a deeper sense of awe of God's creativity in designing each person so uniquely. She creates in me a greater love for my Heavenly Father who so richly poured out His blessing when He put her in our life. I was trying to think of something clever or funny to write about the Mace and all her funny ways, but the truth is nothing came except an overwhelming sense of thankfulness to God for her. Happy Birthday my precious, pleasant, pudgy =) Macie!

The Lord has done great things for us and we are filled with JOY! Psalm 126:3

"One a piece, no repeats"
Each new school year and new teacher means new games for the Millers. This one is great for "table time" after dinner or dead time in the car. It is way better than hearing those preciously annoying words "I spy with my little eye..." (just not a fan of I spy..I don't know why). So, "one a piece, no repeats"... Things you can put on your feet: I said shoes, Tori said socks, Isabelle said toe nail polish. We all win! Have to admit, I thought Isabelle would go down, but she went out of the box. Great game Mr. Suzuki--yay for great teachers!

HAPPY FALL!!!

So Jamie has been giving me a hard time that I would have nothing to say about our trip to Seattle. He took me there for our 10 year anniversary that we celebrated this past September 20th. The trip was amazing, the city is so fun, and the scenery is breathtaking. We saw the Buckeyes in Pike Market and then watched them woop up on Washington the next day. See, I have a lot to say about the city of Seattle. But what I have had a hard time finding words for is to somehow convey what it means to be Mrs. James Miller for 10 years. And I have nothing. I am speechless. Words can do no justice to describe 10 years of life with my best friend, my soulmate, my biggest fan, my life partner, the amazing father of my children, my source for all things Buckeye, my real life hero of faith. So all that I can come up with is part of a song that was sung on our wedding day...

At the end of a long day can't close my eyes
Watching you as the sun sets
As it slowly waves goodbye
It's times like these I thank the Lord for the life that we share
And everyday I spend with you is another Answered Prayer

Answered Prayer
When your heart touches mine
We've found a love only few ever find
And if life should end tomorrow
I leave a millionaire
'Cuz in my life I take with me a life of Answered Prayers

You have shown me the power of what love can do
I see glimpses of Heaven in your simple "I love you"
And every time I think of it- it almost seems unfair
For a girl like me to have so many answered prayers

I am a rich woman. I love you Babe!

On a beautiful fall day in Bloomington, another BYSC (Bloomington Youth Soccer Club) Kicker season begins. The Miller family ventures across the street and down the road a little to Lincoln Fields, our Sunday afternoon home. Two girls will grace the field this year, which means running from field to field being sure to catch as many precious moments as we can--I call this the "Divide and Conquer" method of parenting.

One girl is a Mite. She is the number 4. She sits quietly and watches her coach carefully as they wait to get their team and individual pictures taken. She is not scard. She follows her team in a single file line over to her game. She does not volunteer to be the first in--she sits on the sidelines with her team and quietly watches. When it is her turn she follows the coach on the field with a smile. He places her on defense and she listens attentively as her teammate explains her role. The game begins and regardless of what coaches say the kids swarm to the ball--tripping over each other all along the way. But not this girl. She watches, and runs after the ball, but not too close--no need to get involved or wrapped up in the big huddle of kids. She kicks the ball when it comes to her--a soft kick--and then looks at her coach and her parents to see their looks of affirmation. She doesn't care what the score is. She heads off to play with her new best friend--squealing and running in the grass as her sister plays her game. High five from coach--smile from mom and dad and all is as it should be in this little girl's world. She takes a sip from her monkey water bottle and walks with mom home.

The other girl is a Duck. She practices her "skills" as she waits for her coach to come. She is the number 1. She sits quietly and watches her teammates as they wait to get their pictures taken. She is not scared. She dribbles over to her practice and volunteers to be "it" in a warm-up game of freeze tag. Her game begins and she is wherever the ball is--bull dozing through piles, falling down and hopping back up. She is sweating. She asks if her sister "won" her game. She keeps track of the score of her game in her mind. The game is over and she gets her snack. She heads off with the boys to play some more on an open field. Good-bye from friends and a thanks to her coaches and all is as it should be in this little girl's world. She takes a sip of her Powerade and races home.

The last girl rides down to the field. She stuffs her face with Teddy Grahams as I try to get everyone situated with their new team--taking pictures to capture the moments. She sits until she has had enough and then she chases the ball in the grass--probably eating random things that she finds as she plays. She does not watch any of the games. She takes turns in mom and dad's arms and all is as it should be in this little girl's world. She gulps down her bottle and rides home.

I imagine most of you could easily pick out which girl was which. Jamie and I have been so blessed with three unique and beautiful girls. It is on days like this that we are reminded how very different our girls are, but how each one brings a special part to our family that we would be incomplete without.

And she is off....

Not quite as bad as last year. She woke up at 7:00 instead of 6 something. Jamie made her pancakes and she was ready to walk down to the bus at 7:30 (the bus does not come until 8:05). I successfully stalled her until 7:50 and then we headed down. Last night she was nervous--this morning she was excited.





I think she is the cutest first grader for sure!!!!!


















Ronsi took it harder than anyone this year. She was being silly and playing at the bus stop, but as soon as Tori turned to head for the bus Isabelle's countenance changed and she started to cry (that is an unposed picture--that is Isabelle's sad face...pathetic, isn't it?). It is going to be a long day without Tori.

I remember the feeling...I was terrified. I was going into the fourth grade and the lists came out and I had a boy teacher--Mr. Voelker. I did not think that was going to be a good thing at all. But he ended up being a great teacher. He would take us out to play kick ball and we had S.Q.U.I.R.T. (Super Quiet Uninterrupted Reading Time). Aaaaahhhhhh....good times. So, tonight we went to the Washburn Family Picnic to meet Tori's first grade teacher--and you guessed it--Tori got the boy. Five first grade teachers, four girls and one boy, and she got Mr. Suzuki. I think my stomach dropped just like when I was going to be a fourth grader. I kept looking at her face to see if she was okay. She is very shy at these things,(yes, Tori is shy sometimes) which just kills me, but she seemed to be okay. I think she was handling it better than me. Tori never ceases to amaze me. Anyway, she has one girl in her class from last year and one boy from her soccer team, so that is nice. She put her name card (she decided to go by Victoria this year) on her desk and told Mr. Kazuki (as she calls him) that she would see him on Tuesday. First grade, here she comes....I don't know if I am ready for this.

We visited "not-such-a hot spot" Historic Murphy's Landing. The girls found it mildly entertaining. Jamie did not. =) We once again had a visitor for our adventure. Dan Occhiogrosso came with us. He is a good friend of our family and has been a big encouragement in our journey with Consumed. The girls really, really liked him (okay, not Macie so much, but she warmed up to him). Isabelle took a picture of him in her new cell phone, so she would not miss him (I think she knows it is not a real phone, but we are talking about Ponsi).








School starts in 6 days and counting!!!!

My personal title for the summer was "Summer in the Cities". I intended on exploring some of what our new city/state has to offer. And I was not disappointed. We revisited some of our favorite spots like Stillwater, Chutes and Ladders, the Minnesota Lynx games, and the Como Zoo. We found some new things like Como Town, the Science Museum, and the Edinborough Indoor Park. I still have plans to visit Historic Murphy's Landing and the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum before school starts in a week and a half. And there are many more places to explore I am sure, but the greatest thing I have enjoyed about "Summer in the Cities" is the people I have shared it with. Como Zoo and Como Town were fun because Michelle came with us and sat in the heat to watch the Sparky the Sea Lion Show and then conceded to ride the bumper cars twice in a row just after she ate. And Stillwater was great because we went with Jamie's sister and her family who we don't get to see very often because they live in Ohio. The Science Museum was fun because Marissa came along and tried to teach the girls (who are a little impatient) some science. Edinborough Park was fun because Katie came and climbed to the top of Adventure peak through all the ropes and obstacles only to go down a slide that didn't take us all the way down so we had to go through more obstacles to finally go down another slide that would take us even further down until we finally reached the bottom. And the Minnesota Lynx games are great because we see Silly Amber, the "other Amber", Nicole and whoever else of our friends is there that night. I suppose that will be true of anywhere that you go--there will always be things to see, but it is who you see that makes it special. I am so thankful God moved us to Minnesota for many reasons, but especially for the people, because they are what make it home.

I meant to post these before. This is my soccer star this summer. She played really hard and found that she could sweat so much her clothes would actually get wet (I know kind of gross, but she thought it was cool). Her team was the Eagles. And the boy in the picture, well, that is her dreamweaver- Sam. Yeah, nice.

Sweet Nostalgia...

The girls love to go to Ohio and hear the stories of when daddy was a little boy. The Millers have been in the same house since their oldest daughter was born, so it is full of memories and stories to tell of Jamie's childhood. But my family has lived in a couple of locations when I was growing up and now live in a house that I never actually lived in (believe me-- I am not complaining...the new house has a pool!) and I tease my mom that she doesn't really remember much about us as babies or little kids except that we were angelic (again not complaining--I was an ANGEL- that is all you need to know). But no matter how much the scenery changes there are certain things that are still the same and evoke in me warm fuzzies of my yesterdays. So this visit the girls got to experience some of these things...First, Granny's Sweet Freeze shop where I first fell in love with the cherry dip cone....mmmm...yummy! And second the playground I used to play on at Altoona Elementary. They have redone the playground and added all the fancy new equipment, but they transferred the old slide and the swings. So, I had Tori and Isabelle slide down the same slick metal slide that I slid down when I was a little girl. I know amazing stuff. I'm from Iowa- we enjoy the simple things of life.

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.