I suppose all girls have a maternal instinct in them, but some seem to have it stronger than others. In our house, whether it is helping navigate the playground equipment or helping navigate through life's new adventures (like Kindergarten), there is one person my littler girls always look to--Tori. Macie calls her "Toowa" now and I hear it all day. "Toowa, out," "Toowa, push" "Run, Toowa"--and Toowa always goes out and Toowa always pushes and Toowa always runs. And last night at the school open house, when Isabelle walked excitedly down the school hallway holding Jamie's hand, but then stopped suddenly at Mrs. Sickman's kindergarten door, Tori put her arm around her and brought her in. (I would have taken a picture, but I was capturing it with my own mind's eye). She showed her all the fun stuff about kindergarten and even the letter that she sat on for circle time when she was a kindergartner. My girls count on me, but they also count on Toowa--and I love that.





I asked them the other night how many children they thought they wanted to have when they grew up. Isabelle said, "I want to have 3 girls just like you" (of course). And Tori said, "Well, since I sort of help sometimes and know how fun it is, I think I want like 10 or 11."

I actually was having so much fun being "Coach Gretchen" this past week at the Shooting Clinic my church put on, that I failed to take a picture of myself as a "baller" (Don't worry--I have included some that other people took and passed on to me). ;) All the Miller girls had a great week at camp and Macie had a great time reading Dora books, watching Moose A. Moose and spotting airplanes with her babysitters every night.

Of course, one of the best parts of camp was having our good friend Occhy come to stay with us for the week...he is definitely the girls and my favorite Italian.

Unfortunately for me I did not have a good showing at the Miller Family Friday Night Olympic Celebration. The girls have been really enjoying watching the Olympics and so Jamie came up with the great idea to celebrate that this Family Friday Night. We started off eating dinner at the Mall of America Food Court where everyone was required to eat some sort of international cuisine. Jamie, Tori, and I went with Chinese and Isabelle did Italian (Macie had fries from McDonalds ;)). Following our dinner, the plan was to come home, paint the girls' faces with Red, White and Blue face paint and watch the Olympics while we ate an international dessert. Well, my first minor deduction came when I did not have my dessert ready, but I recovered quickly with a relatively easy seeming fried ice cream recipe. My second deduction came when I failed to get the facepaint, but I once again recovered nicely with a quick stop at Party City on the way home from the mall. My final deduction was a big one--and really the one that probably took me out of medal contention. I sort of stepped away from the stove where the oil was heating up to check something on my recipe and I sort of had the heat a little too high...so, I sort of almost burnt the house down. Thankfully, everyone is safe. We had to spend some time outside while the house desmoked. I did gain back some grounds in my overall performance mark because I did end up making the fried ice cream and it was yummy, but not quite enough to get me on the podium. So, the standings ended up as follows...

Jamie gets the Gold for his stellar idea for Family Friday Night.
The Girls get the Silver for excited participation and no complaining when they had to venture away from the usual McDonalds at M.O.A.
And Chuck gets the Bronze for turning off all the fire alarms and getting the girls outside while Jamie and I took care of the fire. Thanks Chuck!

I guess it is back to the training room for me. Oh well.

Macie is not the only one changing in our house...it seems like overnight we went from Tori (or should I say Victoria) playing princesses and dress up clothes to Camp Rock and The Jonas Brothers. What in the world is going on?!?!? And with 10,000 fans (many my age) crowding the Mall of America to see New Kids on the Block yesterday (yes, they were the hot band when I was in school), I shudder to think what the next 10 years or so could be like. I suppose it is time for more lessons learned in Mom 101 (advice from older mothers welcome). So this is real, this is me--I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be. I think this makes me the mother of a "tweener"--HELP!!!!!!

p.s. just in case you do not know---the Jonas Brothers are not Tori's boyfriends they are actually a boy band under the Disney Label I think (sort of like Hannah Montana and such....) and Camp Rock is a movie they were in (soon to be released on DVD)

The summer is always full of new discoveries and adventures. Macie's recent discovery is the swing. She loves to swing in the baby swings at the park, but she can also swing on the "big girl" swings in our backyard.

Happy Summer Discoveries!!!!

Well, the Miller family is all back together again. TOri and Isabelle spent an extra week with their grandparents and family in Ohio and I did not think they would want to come home at all, but each girl surprised and "warmed my heart" (to quote Tara) today....

THe Mace did not seem to notice that her sisters were gone this week, but this morning I brought her into the room where they were sleeping and she just started pointing back and forth at them saying "Whazzat? Whazzat? Whazzat?" and then she climbed up on the bed gave them hugs and started playing around and laughing with them.

Ronsi woke up, saw Macie and gave her three very distinct hugs. She told me that she had to do that because Grandma had told her to give Macie a hug from her and Papa and then she said she had to give one for herself.

And finally, Tori, the one that insisted she DID NOT want to come home and DID NOT miss us saw the Minnesota sign and exclaimed, "Minnesota, My Home"! and when we came over the hill and saw the Minneapolis skyline she yelled, "I can see my city"!

ANd both TOri and Isabelle started chanting about a mile from home for all the red lights to be green and for me to "go, go, go..." so they could get home to Daddy.

It is good for them and us to have gone, but it is good to be home....together.

Develop interest in life as you see it; in people, things, literature, music - the world is so rich, simply throbbing with rich treasures, beautiful souls and interesting people. Forget yourself.
--Henry Miller

























I have come to discover a world of beauty on my visits to Ohio. Beauty in the places I visit, beauty in the traditions and history that have played such a big part of Jamie's life, and most of all, beauty in the people. As Jamie calls them "his people". There is not enough space to post all the pictures of the beautiful souls I have come to know there, but it was good to be with them this past week. Thanks Ohio for a great week!

Two times this week I have had conversations with the girls about how to make a friend. Once with Tori and her friend who stayed over this week as we discussed the possibility of them not being in the same class next year (I don't even want to think about it). But trying to prepare them I asked if they remembered how they became friends...their answer "we just said hello". And today Isabelle made 2 new "friends" at the pool and Tori made a new "friend" as well. Tori was telling Isabelle that she doesn't make friends as easy as her and Isabelle told her two ways to make a friend...1. Find someone you think you like and go up and say your name to them--or (if that doesn't work apparently) 2. Find someone doing something you think you would like to do and do the same thing right next to them, and then apparently they will start to play with you.

So, there you have it. Say Hello, Say your name, Just Invite yourself right in and you will have a friend. Would that we all were that willing to make a new friend. ;)

Happy Father’s Day to the two most important men in my life—my Dad and Jamie (in case you weren’t sure). Most people would say that these two men are not at all alike. But I would have to disagree. Yes, there are certain things about them that are very different- like my Dad’s love of Iowa and butterflies and Jamie’s love of Ohio and the Buckeyes. But they are both incredibly competitive, they can both take down an ice cream carton no problemo and, of course, they are both the father of 3 daughters. But there is one thing that I have seen in both of their lives that is very similar, and it is one big reason, among the millions of other reasons, why I love them.

During our wedding ceremony, believe it or not, Jamie was the first to shed a tear. (I know, it’s shocking) And the first tear he shed was not at me coming down the aisle or because he couldn’t get through his vows….He shed a tear as Pastor Cortner shared about Jesus and told our friends and family gathered there that our greatest desire on that day was that they all come to know the Jesus that we knew. Jamie’s eyes filled with tears since he had been up late the night before talking with his friend Mark about God. Mark was a friend who had been introduced to God several times before, but did not yet seem to want to follow Him.

During a recent visit to Iowa, I sat in the middle of my parent’s (yes, right in the middle) during their church service. The whole family was there (minus Jamie) and I could not help but notice my Dad wiping his eyes with a tissue several times during the singing of the songs and throughout the teaching of the speaker. I am not sure if he was tearing up because we were all there together or if the words of familiar songs struck his soul with a fresh wind, but his heart was moved by the Spirit and the tears began to flow.

You see, these are not individual instances in my life experience with these incredibly important men in my life. I have witnessed both of their hearts be moved reading the nativity story or praying over someone they love. I have watched them study the Bible and search for truth. I have been a part of 2 cross-country moves, as each one followed God’s voice to a new assignment. I have always been convinced of their love for me, and I have always been convinced of their love for their Savior. Their influence on my life is immeasurable and I am blessed beyond blessed to not only have grown up in a home with a tenderhearted and passionate lover of God, but to know that my girls will grow up with that as well.

Thanks Dad and Jamie for choosing to be God’s men first and foremost. Your passion and love for your Savior and others inspires and challenges me. I love you both! Happy Father’s Day!

I always seem to miss when special visitors come to see us...I guess we are so busy having fun, who has time to be on the computer. These are from Emily, Ava, and Mum-Mums visit to MN. We went to the new Nickelodeon Park at MOA, Bachman's Garden Center and the Richardson Nature Center--all Minneapolis Area Classics!!!


Emily got the girls all dolled up and ready to go (you didn't actually think I put that bow in Macie's hair did you?)





We saw the Backyardigans!!!






My mom doesn't actually let me take her picture, but she would let me take one of her and Tori's matching mary jane crocs.



Doesn't that look like fun? Who wants to visit MN now?