The Miller Family

Waaaaaaaay too much...

2011-06-06T14:59:00.005-04:00

to catch up on! And it keeps me from ever coming around here to post! So I thought I'd just delve right into what's currently going on around here, and play catch up here and there when I get the chance!

So, a while back we bought the boys bunk beds! I found them on CL and they were a bargain! My favorite part is that they come apart, so for now they'll each have their own separate twin! Anyway, they've been sitting out in the garage because we didn't have mattresses to go with them. Well, we decided it's finally time to make the move!

I've always loved sewing...well maybe the idea of sewing...I can honestly count the number of things I've made in my adult years on one hand. That being said...I've always wanted to

make them quilts! So I'm going for it! I've looked and looked and looked and looked, and finally came up with a few fabric choices we liked.

Meet the three finalists:

Baby Animals.

This is Levi's favorite! And the colors are my favorite - colorful, but not too bright and crazy. Joe-Z thinks these are too "babyish" for "big boy" beds. I'm not sure I agree with him 100%, but I think I can see where he's coming from...

Robots.

I don't know what it is, but I love these. The little guys just look so happy! The colors are a bit brighter than what I had in mind, but at least they're...not drab? I think these are the most "big boy" of the three, but still youthful.

Cowboys.

Something about these little cowboys just pulls on my heartstrings! They're just so cute! This is JM's pick...he likes it because they have puppy dogs here and there :o) I feel like this would lend to the cutest decor for the room (soooo much you can do with a cowboy theme), but I hadn't planned on doing a full blown room decorating job here...and with these guys, the temptation might just be too much...

So help me decide which one we like the best! Take a quick minute and vote on the poll to the top right --------------->

Check-ups!

2010-10-01T11:20:00.002-04:00

Well, this morning we had Levi's 4 year check-up and Savannah's 1 year check-up.

Good times were had by all, muahahaha.

Actually, the children were pretty close to perfect...I kept thinking I must have been dreaming, as it is a rarity for them to be such angels at the doctor's office!

And for their stats:

Levi - 38lbs, 6oz (50th %) and 43 inches (94th %)

Savannah - 19lbs, 8oz (23rd %) and 30 inches (79th %)

Let's not forget the most important happening of the morning though: I got dressed in ironed clothes, did my hair and make-up, and wore perfume! Miracle of miracles, I know.

Here's to a great General Conference weekend!

Savannah's Update

2010-09-29T20:47:00.006-04:00

I know many of you are wondering what ever happened with Savannah's condition. I guess I kind of decided to stop blogging at a suspenseful time in our lives. Sorry about that, lol.

In short, she's great. A-ok. Super duper. She's perfect, in fact.

Her test results came back (albeit weeks later than they had estimated) 100% clean. Everyone was completely surprised, doctors included. We had prepared ourselves for every outcome under the sun, except for that. We felt blessed beyond measure and we have a sure knowledge that miracles do happen. About every other month or so, her left breast still swells up, but within a couple of weeks it returns to normal. It doesn't bother her (it never did before either) and aside from that, she has no other symptoms. We were supposed to go back for more testing, but we've never felt the need.

One thing is for certain, we love her to pieces. She has been such a joy in our lives in just the year she's been with us and we can't wait to see what the future has in store for this sweet girl.

Hello World!

2010-09-29T20:21:00.002-04:00

Gasp! I've decided to pick the blog back up!!!

Thanks to those of you who have inquired lately - I'd been going back and forth for a while now, and your sweet comments helped sway the decision to jump back in!

I'm not sure yet what my blogging will be like this time around. I'm sure it will include updates of the kiddos and our daily going-ons. But I'm hoping to use it as a journal too. Or maybe not so much a journal as a jumping board for my ideas and thoughts. I guess just to get it out there. Wherever "there" is, lol.

So, I hope you'll bear with me as I get back in the swing of things and establish a blogging routine again.

I'm excited to be back!!!

I will craft again...

2010-02-15T12:48:00.003-05:00

My next craft project:

I can't wait to make this!

Questing, questing, questing, never resting...

2010-02-11T15:51:00.007-05:00

Do any of you have kids that watch Backyardigans? That's a song from one of their episodes.

That's how I feel lately...like I'm on a quest to find out everything I can about Savannah's condition! I'd been holding off on posting about her appointment with the endocrinologist last week in hopes that I would have the results of the test he ordered and could give a full, more accurate post today. Unfortunately, this afternoon they informed me that part of her results were back, but not the results he needed to give us a diagnosis. She said to give them until the middle of next week. Easier said than done! I hate the waiting game!!!

Anyway, I'll try to summarize what we found out at Dr. Deeb's office last week:

He thinks that Savannah's condition is what is causing the cyst, not the other way around, which is what we'd thought up until this point. He believes that she is in precocious puberty. It's when a child's body goes into puberty early. It is nearly unheard of in a baby her age, his quote was that it's as rare as "lips on a chicken", lol. It can have a number of causes, including brain damage, problems with the pituitary gland, tumors in the central nervous system, problems with the adrenal glands, and a couple of very rare Syndromes. If the tests come back positive for androgens, we'll head into a laundry list of tests (including an MRI and CT scan...how in the world do they keep babies still for those anyway...?) to rule out all of these bad scenarios. Fortunately, 85% of the time (in girls) the reason for the onset of puberty is unknown and can be "turned off" (he said we would get into that later). I honestly just can't see her having any of those other causes, you know??? She is thriving so well, and aside from her physical development, doesn't seem to have any other issues. So, we're very hopeful.

After all of that though, he said that there is still a slight chance that she is not in precocious puberty, in which case we would continue on the path to find out more about the cyst on her ovary and what caused it, etc. Joe-Z and I joked afterward that we never thought we'd have been talking about it, actually hoping that she has a cyst, lol. Just the week before, we'd been hating that cyst and wishing it had never made an appearance at all. But, compared to the other options, it's looking pretty good! :o)

Either way, we're just excited to find out. To know where to go from here. We're actually really okay with it all. We fasted this month on her behalf, and while neither of us felt that she would be miraculously healed, we both felt very peaceful and felt that we would have the strength to get through whatever lies ahead. I'm so grateful for the blessings we receive from prayer and fasting. How would we make it through this life without them? Heavenly Father surely does love us!

If you'd like to leave a comment, please do! And if you'd like to say you're sorry for us, feel free! But know that we're honestly just happy! As Jim Bob Duggar said, "we're hoping for the best, and preparing for the worst." And it wasn't the worst! She doesn't have a malignant tumor on her ovary, and what she does have is treatable! So, life is good!

And besides, we're still hoping it's that silly cyst on her ovary :o)

P.S. - her 4-month well-check stats: 13 pounds, 10 ounces (50%), 25 and 1/2 inches long (90%), 73% for head circumference.

I can't even think of a title

2010-02-09T15:23:00.006-05:00

So, I'm exhausted. And my prayer from the minute I woke up this morning was that the kids would all take good naps this afternoon so that I could too.

All was seemingly going great...all 3 kids were down and it was the quietest I remember my house being in a long time! After about 10 minutes, I hear Levi and I decided to go check on him. To my dismay, he was inside John Morgan's crib, trying to wake him up! I took him out and warned him that if he did that again or woke up his brother or sister, he was in BIG trouble. Ummmmm, yeah. 5 minutes later, he was back in the crib and they were all 3 awake.

I banished him to the couch where I sat and watched him, making sure he sat there, arms folded, eyes closed, not moving a muscle! After 7 minutes, he was out like a lamp!!! The other two...not so much :o(

He's even cute when he sleeps :o)

For those of you who missed it on Facebook...

2010-01-21T19:05:00.005-05:00

more Savannah pictures!!!

Savannah's Development...

2010-01-14T00:13:00.005-05:00

So a little background on this whole ordeal:

Two Saturdays ago I noticed that Savannah had lumps in her breasts, kind of hard-ish and round-ish. I asked Joe-Z if he'd noticed it and he said he'd felt them for the first time the night before. I called the on-call doc, but they said it didn't warrant an urgent care appointment and to just call our normal pediatrician on Monday morning. So I did, and they wanted to check her out "just in case." He ruled out an infection that day and sent us for a blood test, "just in case". He said that if she'd have been a newborn or even a couple weeks old he wouldn't be concerned, since lots of newborns (boys and girls) often have breast buds. But, since she is older he wanted to make sure her estrogen levels were normal.

On Wednesday of last week we got the call informing us that indeed her levels were high and we needed to do an ultrasound, "just in case" and have us meet with a pediatric endocrinologist. So, we went for the ultrasound on Monday morning (and, can I just say, Savannah was fantastic...didn't cry once!) and we were waiting for our appointment on Thursday to follow up with her pediatrician. Well, to my surprise, the phone rang Tuesday morning and it was our very own pediatrician, Dr. Jones. The only other time I've had a doctor call me at home was to tell me they'd seen something concerning on my ultrasound with John Morgan and we needed some additional testing, so I knew when I heard his voice that something was up.

He informed us that Savannah has a growth on her right ovary. The growth is pressing down on her ovary causing more estrogen to be produced and released, hence the enlargement of her breasts. At this point, they believe that it is a cyst. Statistically speaking, the chances are greater that it's a cyst. If it is, it will go away on its own and her estrogen levels will go back to normal. (Whether her body will go back to normal is unknown at this point, we'll have to wait to see the endo. to find out) As far as what causes the cysts, my doctor didn't know. Once again, a question for the endo. On the flip side, if it's not a cyst, then it's a tumor. A germ-cell tumor, which can be benign or malignant. The chances of this are smaller, and so the chances of it being cancerous are even smaller. The way to determine the nature of the growth is to wait and see...which is killing me. { I never really have had patience to brag about :o) } If her symptoms continue (a process they call feminizing, meaning her breasts and other female parts continue to mature) and her estrogen levels don't drop back down, then they'll know it's a tumor. I asked how long this "wait and see" process is supposed to take, and was once again greeted with "I don't know, you'll have to talk to Dr. Deeb about that." At least he's honest, I suppose. At that point I began to be frustrated with the unanswered questions...I figured if he'd seen it before then he should have had more answers for me. So I asked him how common it was and he laughed out loud and told me that in their practice, this was *maybe* the second case they'd seen. (Then I felt silly and mentally cursed myself for that lack of patience attribute!) He did say that her height and weight growth are very encouraging. Usually babies with cancer don't thrive as well as Savannah has been, so that's a plus. So, for now, we keep our appointment with the pediatric endocrinologist for the beginning of February and see what he has to tell us then.

All in all, it's been a roller coaster. We're very happy to have news though, and to at least know the source of it all. And we're very hopeful that it is just a cyst. She's just so perfect, you know? How could anything be that wrong with a little one so perfect? One thing we do know, is that families can be together forever. Whether we spend six months or six years or sixty years with Savannah here on this earth, she'll be ours forever! No news can be of more comfort to us than that!

Recent Savannah pics!

2009-12-30T02:00:00.007-05:00

I was changing JM's diaper in another room and Savannah was absolutely hysterical. All of sudden she's quiet, and I think "uh oh." But, alas, it was just Levi bringing Savannah flowers to help make her happy :o)

For a long time, this was her favorite place to sleep: Mommy and Daddy's bed!

She does a lot of yawning! The ducky is courtesy of Levi :o) He wanted her to play too!

I know it's kind of mean, but I promise I didn't run to get the camera just b/c she was crying. I was already taking pictures, and she all of a sudden got upset, and I just couldn't resist! She's even cute when she's crying!

She looks deep in thought, no?

Smiley baby! For the most part, she's usually quite the happy camper!

Tummy time on the boppy.

Under her mobile. She LOVES that thing! And I love her big bright eyes!

Mommy and Savannah = BFF

A sign of the times...

2009-12-19T14:08:00.001-05:00

How wonderful the times we live in...Savannah can get to know her grandma through voice and sight, half a country away!

Blessing Day

2009-12-14T12:04:00.008-05:00

Savannah was given a beautiful blessing by her Daddy last Sunday.

{I have to give a special shout-out to two very wonderful women here that helped make her blessing a success! Chris Burtoft made that dress especially for Savannah. It was breathtaking. People kept asking "Where did you buy her dress?" ;o) It fit her personality so perfectly. We couldn't have been more happy! And Cleo Miller (Mema) made that beautiful bonnet you see Savannah wearing. It was simply gorgeous! She made a handkerchief and then turned it into that bonnet. When Savannah gets ready to go through the temple, she can snip the stitches and it turns back into a beautiful hankie she can take with her!}

It was such a special day. We feel so blessed to have this wonderful daughter of God here in our family. She is perfect!

We had planned on the weekend before. All of Joe-Z's brothers and their families came to town for the special event. Unfortunately, Joe-Z (and John Morgan) woke up with (what we can only imagine was) the flu on Saturday. Joe-Z was still in bed come Sunday morning. Bless his heart. So, we opted to wait for the next Sunday and asked a few of our good friends to help with the blessing. It was hard. We have so many good friends here. Our list was way too long, so we decided to go with the people we've known the longest. We had a great bunch!

A special thank you to: Brad Wonsch, Bill Miller (Papa), Danny Roberts, Andrew Harris, Seth Brock, and Drew Blimes (not pictured).

Mama's Holiday Wish List Meme

2009-12-08T12:36:00.003-05:00

Mama’s Holiday Wish List Meme

TodaysMama and Provo Craft are giving away a sleighful of gifts this holiday season and to enter I’m sharing this meme with you.

1. What 5 items are on your holiday wish list this year?

- A new, post-baby wardrobe! (on second thought, maybe I ought to wait until a few more pounds are shed...lol)

- A sewing machine - having a baby girl makes me want to teach her all the things she'll need to know in life...so I guess I need to get busy learning myself!

- A trip to Disney to see Candlelight with the hubby (I'm totally dreaming here...)

- A mantel for the fireplace...it would add SO much to the living room!

- To go see a movie at the theater, with no baby in tow!

2. What is your favorite handmade gift you have received?

- It'd have to be the blessing dress that was made for our little Savannah. It was handmade with love especially for her and it it gorgeous!

3. What handmade gift have you always wanted to tackle?

- I really want to learn how to quilt so I can give out quilts to soon-to-be-mommies!y

4. What was the best Christmas gift you received as a child?

- Hmmmm, Christmas was always wonderful for us. The first gift that came to mind was a mini-pinball machine (our Dad gave us money for Christmas that year and took us out the next day to go shopping for ourselves!)

5. What items are on your kid’s wish list this year?

- They're loving anything sports right now. And anything pretend-play-oriented also seems to be a big hit. I personally really want to make them a flannel board, but every time I start I get discouraged with how bad everything looks - I'm just not that great with scissors I guess.

6. What is your favorite holiday food?

- Cranberry Salad, hands down. Wouldn't be the holidays without it!

7. What will you be hand-crafting for the holidays?

- Well, said flannel board is in the mix (maybe...) and I saw a cute template for free recipe cards and a holder that I might try to pull of.

8. What is your favorite holiday movie?

- A Mom For Christmas (ever seen that one...with Olivia Newton-John? Too bad I can only find it on eBay and it sells for like 40 bucks!)

9. Favorite holiday song?

- Silent Night, for sure. I sang it to Levi all the time as a baby...it was kind of our thing. I'd add on "Levi mommy loves you at the end. It was very sweet.

10. Favorite holiday pastime?

- Driving around to look at Christmas lights. We've already been out once this year...makes for a nice family Sunday drive.

You should all go over here and enter to win for yourselves! Just make sure that if you win, you share your winnings with me ;o)

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T13:12:00.002-05:00

Hope you're all having a wonderful day!

Going Up?

2009-11-24T02:13:00.001-05:00

Funny Sportscenter Commercial.

Savannah Update

2009-11-13T20:19:00.004-05:00

Well, I apologize for the lack of postings about Savannah. She's had a cold since she was 2 and a half weeks old. And she'd been really sick the last week 2 weeks.

And it has made. life. tough.

But for 3 days in a row, we've all been enjoying our sweet, non-coughing, non-throwing up, non-diarrhea, non-cry-all-day-and-night-long Savannah.

Let me assure you that she. is. amazing. And beautiful. And sweet. And she smiles! And coos back to you.

We love her so much!

{And you will too...once I find the time to upload the pictures and videos. Stay tuned!}

myself again

2009-11-13T20:11:00.003-05:00

I went to the gym for the first time tonight since Savannah was born.

It. Was. Heaven.

27 minutes, 1.75 miles, and 188 calories later, I feel like myself again.

Not too intense. Just enough to give me a taste of how I used to feel when I made the time to exercise. I feel good physically, but even better mentally. For me, life is SO much happier when I can run. Why, I'm not sure. But, hey. I'll take it!

Bring it on, YMCA!

30-Day Giving Challenge

2009-10-31T09:43:00.005-04:00

Alyssa (from Keeping the Kingdom First) is hosting a 30-Day Giving challenge over on her blog. Basically, the challenge is "to grab a journal next month and GIVE in some fashion every day in November. This could be large or small, simple or extravagant."

Take a second and read all about it here.

I'm so excited about this. I have a feeling that my giving will likely be more about my time and energy than a monetary gift. Probably particularly involving my family. I think this is going to be great. And I can't wait to gain some perspective on the full-circle blessings of giving to others.

Savannah and Co.

2009-10-22T11:47:00.007-04:00

We {heart} Kim Brock of KimBE Photography.

Savannah at 3 weeks:

P.S. I know I have yet to tell her birth story. Work with me - I'm juggling 3 kids 3 and under!

Smilebox

2009-10-17T12:51:00.003-04:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

To a child, Love is spelled T-I-M-E

2009-10-13T12:36:00.003-04:00

Have you seen this video?

Take a minute or two and watch it if you would. Maybe it's seeing how big my boys look compared to Savannah...maybe it's just my Mommy hormones...I don't know. It just really touched my heart this morning.

They're what it's all about:

{ This is the only photo we have of the three of them together - (you have to be quick around here!) they're trying to get her to hold onto their fingers :o) }

Like brother, like sister

2009-10-10T09:45:00.005-04:00

So, Savannah is pretty much Levi's twinner.

She really is a spitting image (except for her nose...Levi had a rounder nose).

And apparently, they both have a lot on their mind as babies :o)

Savannah's First Fotos (Hospital Pictures)

2009-10-02T21:51:00.005-04:00

She looks so big in these pictures, but in person she's so itty bitty!

Family Photo Shoot (pre-Savannah)

2009-10-02T12:57:00.003-04:00

We had some pictures taken by Carrie Stroud the week before Savannah was born. These were the "sneak peek" pictures she sent us!

LOVE her!

It's Go Time!

2009-09-28T06:41:00.002-04:00

We're headed out to the hospital!

Joe-Z, smile and nod and tell me "it's understandable." You're gonna be the best coach ever baby!

Boys, be good for Mema and Papa. We aren't leaving you. You'll come see us later. You're gonna be the best big brothers EVER. I just know it. I love you both so much.

Mom, please get your bum on a plane and get here by in the nick of time to help her out into the world!

Cris and Kayla - who's going to feed me ice and fan me with a folder? I guess I'll have to fend for myself :o(

Friends, thank you for your prayers!!!

And Savannah, I can't wait to meet you and hold you and kiss you and snuggle you and feed you and dress you in a million different girly outfits a day! I love you so much already! (p.s. - come out quick, k?)

Heavenly Father, please bless our doctors and keep the both of us safe.

Savannah Banana is almost here!

2009-09-24T20:17:00.006-04:00

This is her as of today, at 37.5 weeks.

What a cutie, huh? She's got those same cheeks like the boys, but I personally think they'll be smaller (Joe-Z says "let's hope!", lol).

Upon my doctor's recommendation, we've decided to induce on Monday. She'll be 38 weeks. According to the ultrasound she weighs 7 lbs, 15 oz today. So, (give or take a half a pound for accuracy of the ultrasound and adding a half a pound for how much she'll gain in the next 5 days) she should come out somewhere between 8 and 9 pounds on Monday (my tired old body feels like she'll be on the high end there, but something inside me says the lower. We'll see!). That'll make her our smallest yet!

My doctor (who we love) and the rest of his office will be out of town from the 1st to the 6th, which is the week before our original due date. As of Tuesday, I am at 2cm, 80% effaced and completely soft. I've been having contractions (I think...never really had them on my own before, but it feels just like what "they" say they do) since last week, but nothing consistent yet. He doesn't think I'd make it to 40 weeks, and I really don't want to go into labor and have a doctor deliver my baby that I've never met before and has no idea about me or my wants and wishes for childbirth, you know? Florida is pretty uptight about VBAC's, and I was lucky enough to find a doctor that is pretty willing to let me take the liberties I'd like (within reason). I don't want to risk the chance of losing that opportunity and ending up with a doctor who's ideas could differ so drastically from mine.

I really wanted to go into labor on my own this time. To see how big one of our babies would actually get if we left them in there to cook the whole pregnancy. To have to wake up Joe-Z in the middle of the night and say "I think it's time." To make our way to the hospital in excruciating pain wondering how far along I've progressed. And then to sit in the silly waiting room to be seen by a nurse while I'm obviously in pain and to hear them say "Yep, you're in labor." I guess I just wanted to know that my body actually could have a baby on it's own. Even though I've had 2 children, one c-section and one natural, sometimes I don't really feel like a true mom since I've never gone start to finish by myself.

Maybe next time.

This time, we're taking the side of safety and security over letting my emotions run wild with the "I wanted to's."

Unless, of course, I go into labor before Monday morning. That's what we're praying for anyway, and if we could, we'd like to ask for your prayers as well! {I'm thinking Sunday afternoon, after church and nap time. Think I can tell Heavenly Father that??? :o) }

As I type, the first load of baby girl clothes is running through my washer with Dreft (love the way that smells!!!). For some reason, I found myself getting teary-eyed as I carefully selected the first outfits she'll wear. Can we really be bringing another little spirit into the world in a couple of days (and can we really be having a little girl)? Are they cute enough for her? Will they be comfortable enough? Will they even fit, lol.

We'll keep you updated and pictures will be soon to come!!!

One person's Craigslist Ad...

2009-09-14T20:42:00.006-04:00

is one little boy's treasure!!!

His Noah's Ark, actually!

We found this awesome toddler bed for Levi's 3rd birthday on Craigslist for 50 bucks! SCORE! Our friends had given us a toddler bed a while back, which the boys loved...for playing on...no sleeping happening though. And then they broke it. So we needed to get a new one, and this one is perfect!

He loves it! He slept the whole night through last night (even though it took him an hour and a half to actually fall asleep)! I woke up a little sad...my baby didn't even cry for me once!

It's okay though. I guess it's just preparing the way for

Savannah to get here :o)

John Morgan likes it pretty good too :o)

28 days to go!

2009-09-13T23:32:00.009-04:00

Soon we'll be meeting Savannah, and I think all of us are ready! ;o)

We're thinking she'll be smaller than the boys. The ultrasound we had at 28 weeks had her measuring in the 40th percentile! I said, "Are you sure?" Lol.

At my last appointment the midwife felt around on her and

then said she doubted she'd be that small and noted that I measure ahead for the first time this pregnancy. Only by about week and a half though. I really trust the ultrasounds...they were dead on with both of the boys. So, we'll see! We'll have another one in a week or two to give a birth weight estimate, so that'll be fun!

So, without further ado, 36 week pictures!!!!

A prayer from the heart

2009-09-09T22:42:00.003-04:00

On September 1st Levi offered his first prayer (unassisted by me or Joe-Z). It was one of the sweetest moments either of us have experienced since we became parents almost 3 years ago. He's said the goodnight prayer every night since. Tonight, he took it to a whole new level.

His prayer went like this:

"Dear Heavenly Father, we thank the for our door. Thank thee for family. Thank thee for this day. Thank thee for our cribs. Thank thee for food. Thank thee for John Morgan and Levi and Daddy and Savannah and Mommy. And for Dora and for Boots and for Blue and for Sprinkles. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen."

I haven't smiled so big in a long time. It was just so sweet and sincere...Dora and Boots and Blue and Sprinkles? Gotta love it!

Update: On Thursday night, I asked Levi to offer the blessing on the food for dinner. He said the longest prayer I've ever heard, lol. He thanked Heavenly Father for EVERYTHING! He also thanked him for 1, and for 2, and for 3, and for 4, all the way up to 20. As much as he loves numbers, I have no doubt that he really was thankful for all those numbers! SOOOOOO cute!

Free $10 Mall Gift Card...

2009-08-29T10:48:00.003-04:00

Hi friends! Just saw this sweet little deal and thought I'd pass it on!

Go over to Shop Smart, Look Fab to get your free $10 gift card to a local mall near you! (In the Tallahassee area it's to Governor's Square and as of right now, there are 354 gift cards left to give out.)

You fill out your information and they send you an e-mail confirmation to print out and take to the mall to redeem for your gift card during Shop Smart Days, starting September 17th.

(Once you get to the main page, make sure you wait for it to scroll through to the second offer...the first one is for $10 off a $75 purchase...the second is the free gift card.)

Have fun shopping! I know I'm gonna enjoy getting Savannah something cute...for free!!!

More Levi-isms...

2009-08-21T00:19:00.003-04:00

Yesterday I asked Levi to pick something up for me. He brought it over to me and I said, "Thank you baby!" Walking away, without even skipping a beat, he said, "You're welcome baby!" Lololololol.

Today Levi woke up early from his nap. He said "I wanna lay on the couch." I said, "Do you want a pillow?" He said, "Mmmm hmmm." I laughed and said "And a blanket?" "Yep" he said. I laughed again and said, "Levi, you're SO funny!" His response, "I AM so funny!" I laughed again and said "Oh my gosh, you're SO cute!" He nodded emphatically and said, "I AM so cute!!!" After that we were both in hysterics.

What a crack up this little boy is! Such a sweetie!

"It's a long story..."

2009-08-19T11:19:00.004-04:00

This morning, as I came from the kitchen to the living room, I noticed the lack of one Mr. John Morgan. I couldn't find him anywhere! I checked our bedroom door (we have a child lock on the outside) and it was closed, so I figured he couldn't be in there. After a few minutes of searching with no luck, I went back to the bedroom and opened the door to find JM quietly talking to himself while taking all of the food off of our food shelf. Nice. I must have left the door a smidge open earlier and he was able to push it open, then fully close it behind him. I turned to Levi (who was assisting in my hunt) and said, "Levi, how in the world did he get in here?!?!" He looked at me and with a very somber face said "It's a long story, Mom." I said, "What?" And he repeated "It's a long story." Lolololololololol. For some reason, this really tickled my funny bone! The really strange thing is that I don't even use that phrase...I wonder where he picked it up? Little cutie.

Thanks Grandma!

2009-07-30T17:07:00.003-04:00

You know the way to his heart!

Perspective

2009-07-24T16:04:00.010-04:00

I've been feeling huge lately. Like massive. Humungo. Gigantic.

So, I decided to get some perspective.

Whoa.

Granted, I still have 9 and a half weeks to get to where I was at in the first picture. I guess I'll take what I can get for now! Those days are coming too soon to sulk about how I look now!

A pain in the...

2009-07-24T00:42:00.002-04:00

arm.

This is what happens when you have Thrombophlebitis in your arm (blood clots). It hurts for days and you think it's a pulled muscle or just a side-effect of pregnancy. But then it spreads and it's getting worse, not better. So, off to urgent care. I asked how long I have to keep this semi-cast on...luckily he said it should be gone in 2 to 3 weeks...WHAT?!? I guess I'll be wearing ponytails and we'll be eating frozen meals and the boys will potty train themselves for the next 3 weeks. Sweet!

Truly though, I am grateful to know what's wrong. And that it's not a clot that can break off and float to your heart or lungs...that'd be bad!

Funny, funny, funny.

2009-07-21T22:56:00.001-04:00

Taco Bell drive thru song. Hil. A. Ri. Ous.

28 Weeks!

2009-07-20T13:11:00.005-04:00

I think Joe-Z enjoys being the photographer even more than I like being the photographed!

We're hanging in there. 12 weeks to go! I have an ultrasound tomorrow morning to check up on her and her heart and the placenta and see how big (or...fingers crossed...little) she is! I'll update after that!

I promise we didn't fall off the face of the earth!

2009-07-19T23:04:00.002-04:00

We've just been super busy, and unfortunately, blogging has fallen by the wayside for the time being. BUT, I have a bunch of videos, a ton of pictures, and lots of great stories to post. So, sometime in the (maybe near, maybe not so near, lol) future, I'll be updating.

Anyway, just a couple pics of the boys...so you don't forget their faces :o)

Garbage!!!

2009-06-21T22:01:00.004-04:00

We rented a Dora DVD from the library last week. One episode briefly talks about picking up garbage at the beach. Ever since Levi's seen it, he's been going around picking up everything in sight and putting it into a box or a bin, then dumping it all out and starting all over again, all the while chanting "Garbage. More garbage!"

So tonight, we decided to test out his garbage skills...we wanted to see if he'd like throwing away real garbage! Joe-Z was reading the newspaper and JM dumped it on the floor. Ads went flying, pages torn apart...paper was all over! Levi was in a little garbage-man heaven, lol. He loved picking it all up and filling the bag with garbage. So we moved on to all the other rooms, letting him throw away anything that was garbage. Whenever a room was getting clean, he'd say

"Morrrrrrrrrrre garbage please. Need more garbage!"

It was just so dang cute. I couldn't even stand it. He's such a good helper!

24 Weeks

2009-06-21T21:56:00.006-04:00

Only 16 weeks to go! Some days it seems like time is standing still and that it takes forever for one week to go by. But most of the time, we get to Sunday and think "Oh my gosh...another week is gone?!?!" We have to get on the ball...she'll be here before we know it!

And in other big news...I got my hair cut! It's the shortest I've had it since I've been the one in charge of choosing my hairstyle. I can't decide if I love it or hate it...I feel one way at times, and another 5 minutes from then. We both think it makes me look more my age. It'll be nice for summer, but I'm just so used to long, straight hair!!!

2009-06-20T23:03:00.002-04:00

(Thinking back on it, I'd do it with both boys holding the "A" in the middle, then one boy on each side. In years to come, I'll have girls holding one "D", boys holding the other "D", and then everyone together in the middle with the "A".)

I stole this idea from TipJunkie for Father's Day. The actual gifts are in frames without the captions, and they turned out just beautiful!

Happy Father's Day!

London Bridge Children

2009-06-15T20:58:00.003-04:00

There is a sister in our Stake that has an amazing talent in creating all things kids. Apparently, she's been selling her things in a boutique here in town for a few years, and has recently decided to branch out and open her own website! She's hoping to get linked from people's blogs to pass the word on! If you decide to give her link love, you can order a free 8x10 print from her web site! (Below are her e-mail instructions!)

"Hey Guys! My new website if finally done and live. I have all my art for kids listed on there as well as other items for kids and babies from other companies and artists. Take a look and let me know what you think. I search the Internet for unique and cute stuff for kids and I’m adding products daily.

I am trying to get the word out so if you blog please consider adding a link to my site…if that's okay, can you list the site name as "Kids Art, Baby Bedding, Nursery Decor" and then link it to www.LondonBridgeChildren.com. I'm trying to get linked to as many blogs as I can. If you have any friends that blog let them know that if they will add my link to their blog then I will send them a free 8x10" art print from my website (and they can pass that offer on to their friends…you can just forward this to them). Just have them email me if they are interested.

And, of course I want you to pick out an 8x10" art print for helping me out…thank you so much!

Lori

loribergstrom11@yahoo.com"

I'm officially in love with her wall art, and I bet you will be too! She's quite the talented lady! Happy shopping!

Scrabble Tile Pendants

2009-06-10T19:26:00.005-04:00

Stumbled upon these, and can't wait to make them!

I think it'd be a great activity for Young Women or even a side Enrichment Activity! You can buy a bag of replacement tiles from Hasbro here, 100 tiles for $6.50!

Maybe it's knowing the baby is coming and my time will be limited or something, but I'm feeling super crafty lately. Inspire me:

What are your favorite craft ideas that are semi-cheap and super-fun?

Buy one half off, get the second one free!

2009-06-08T22:25:00.005-04:00

Due to the recent boil water notice we were under this past weekend, which I was so blissfully unaware of until late in the night, I decided to opt in to receive e-mail news releases from the City of Tallahassee. Apparently, June is "Adopt-a-Cat Month", so they sent out an e-mail promoting one specific shelter in town. Read this paragraph...

"...To help encourage adoptions during the month of June, the Animal Service Center is reducing the cat adoption fee to $25 from $50. If you also adopt a companion cat or kitten, the ASC will waive the fee for the second adoption. You read correctly: Buy one cat at half-price and get the second one free! Sterilization fees will still apply. All cats adopted through the ASC are micro-chipped, and many are already spayed or neutered...."

For some reason, this really tickled my funny bone!

Simply Said Sunday

2009-06-07T21:53:00.002-04:00

This quote really stood out to me at church today. Someone referenced this quote in Testimony Meeting this afternoon.

Speaking of the Ten Commandments, Stephen Covey said,

"It is impossible for us to break the law. We can only break ourselves against the law." (The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People)

When I think about this, all I can picture is a wave crashing into the rocks. The wave will never knock the rock over and be able to continue on through the ocean on it's chosen path...the rock will stand firm and the wave will be the one to break. Every time.

Just the same, we cannot break the commandments. We'll only break ourselves against them.

This was just such a neat concept to me.

What a mouthful!

2009-06-04T23:47:00.006-04:00

John Morgan's vocabulary at this moment:

(in no particular order)

-catch

-papa

-dad

-ball

-bear

-that

-uh oh

-thank you

-stop

-cracker

-pop

-hi

-bye

-wake up

-"arrrrrgh"(accompanied by swinging arm motion...when asked what a pirate says)

As of 6/19/09:

-Stuck

-Run

That's it for now!

Bye bye love, bye bye happiness....

2009-06-02T19:23:00.003-04:00

This is the song I hear Levi singing in my head when I think about taking away his paci for good.

My son is 2 years and 8 months old and still proudly sucks a binky.

Only for sleeping though. And car rides. Oh, and when we're in the store and he wants to be so vocal that everyone stares. Oh, okay, and during Sacrament meeting...when he's 2 hours past nap time and is crying and talking or singing or whining in uber-high decibels and I slide the paci in his mouth and, ahhhh...peace and quiet.

I'm curious how you've weaned your children off of the paci (Or if you're about to do it, or have thought about how you'll do it). And when.

I've heard stories about the paci fairy. And about dipping all the pacis in hot sauce. Or cutting holes in them. And the list goes on and on. I'd like to hear it from those of you I know and love...

How'd you do it???

What we did this weekend

2009-06-01T16:35:00.003-04:00

And it was beautiful!

This picture didn't capture the "excited face" I was hoping for, lol. They love to walk around and see the flowers and the fountains, and point to the angel on the top. And of course, Levi and John Morgan love to touch the temple walls!

At the beginning of the year, we decided to set a goal of attending the temple once a month this year (although I think my last trip will be late August or extremely early September). So far, we're achieving our goal!

We're loving how Levi loves the temple and gets so excited to be there! Our prayer is that by going each month, he (and the rest of the kids to follow) will see the sacrifices we make and the joy it brings, and that their love and appreciation and testimony of the importance of the temple and the work we do there will grow and grow.

Three magic words

2009-05-27T17:41:00.002-04:00

"I love you."

He said it!

Levi finally said it!

For a while now he's been saying "Yes, I love this one!" in reference to a toy or tv show, but he's never said it in reference to anyone.

Today, I'd just come out of the room from putting in a load of laundry and he ran up and hugged my leg, looked up at me and said, "I love you!"

It was so heartwarming! I said, "Oh, Levi, I love you!" And he smiled and said, "I love you too."

2 years, 8 months, 12 days in the making.

Happy Day!

My budding pianist...

2009-05-27T13:15:00.002-04:00

He loves playing the piano SO much!

2009-05-25T17:02:00.002-04:00

John Morgan's birthday present from Grandma:

Hump Day!

2009-05-25T00:01:00.001-04:00

Today marks my baby #3 Hump Day!

I'm officially over halfway through with this delightful pregnancy!

Excuse the picture...I may change it out tomorrow...I look almost as exhausted as I feel :o)

Simply Said Sunday

2009-05-24T18:30:00.004-04:00

Helllloooooo Simply Said Sunday!

I was inspired by so many wonderful things I heard at church today. I thought about how much I wish you all could've been there and heard them too, because surely they would have spoken to your heart as well.

So, I've decided to dedicate a post each Sunday to things that I heard that were simply said, and yet were so far from being simple.

Next week I plan to take a little notebook, to write these wonderful little gems in. Today's "simply said" comes from a Sacrament talk given by one of our good friends.

This quote is actually not just a quote, it's more of a story, taken from an Ensign article from December 1971 by President A. Theodore Tuttle of the First Council of the Seventy entitled The Things That Matter Most.

"Some years ago, I read an editorial in the Deseret News entitled “The Mechanical Rabbit.” I quote:

“Most of our readers must have smiled the other day when they read of the greyhounds in Britain who don’t know a rabbit when they see one. So long had they chased a mechanical rabbit around the racetrack, that when a real rabbit bounded across the track, the dogs didn’t give it a second look.

“Stupid, eh? But sad too, this perverting of the natural instincts.…

“We chase mechanical rabbits, too.

“We chase paychecks, and don’t give a second look to the glint of the rising sun on a snow-topped peak.

“We chase our way through the appointments of a crowded desk calendar, and fail to take time to chat with the next-door neighbor or to drop in on a sick friend.

“We chase social pleasures on a glittering noisy treadmill—and ignore the privilege of a quiet hour telling bedtime stories to an innocent-eyed child.

“We chase prestige and wealth, and don’t recognize the real opportunities for joy that cross our paths...”

...

“Race on, you poor, blind over-civilized hounds. You’ll never catch your rabbit until you learn to recognize a genuine one."

This points up our challenge: See “that the things that matter most … are not at the mercy of things that matter least.”

Here's to hoping we can recognize our mechanical rabbits and shift our focus to seek the real, important rabbits instead. Have a great week!

How I keep my sanity

2009-05-23T16:16:00.002-04:00

Make a list.

I'm such a visual person.

If the world is crumbling around me, all I have to do is make a list.

Then, there it all is in black and white, ready to be crossed off and forgotten about.

So much less overwhelming.

All better.

Sayings

2009-05-21T23:57:00.007-04:00

Here are a few of my recent favorites (all compliments of Levi the Great):

"I can't want to mommy, I can't want to." or "I can't like this mommy, I can't like this."

- For some reason, he's started mixing up don't and can't. It's incredibly adorable, so I have to work really hard to not laugh at him when he's trying to express a real concern. :o)

"Don't say that word mommy, don't say that word!"

- I'm laughing as I type this, just remembering how he used this earlier today. We were in the check-out line at the store, and he saw a little toy he thought he needed. I told him "Levi, we can't have that because it's not ours...it belongs to the store." With such a distressed look on his face, almost in tears, he told me not to say that word :o) This is a fairly new phrase, used only in situations like this, and I'm finding it so interesting, as I've never told him not to say a certain word...?

"It's a 'squito mommy, it bite me!"

- He was bitten by a mosquito and every time he's seen a bug of any kind since, he's been SO afraid of it and tells me it was a 'squito and that it bit him....even if it's five feet away on the sidewalk ahead of us, lol! I don't know if it really hurt or what, but it put the fear of God in the child. So much so, that if we're playing outside and I can't get him to come inside, all I have to say is that I see a mosquito, lol. Bad mommy.

Salad in a pot...

2009-05-16T21:27:00.003-04:00

This only begins to describe the event we held tonight.

We just moved into our new home. I'll blog all about this later, when I actually have some time to sit down and write it all out.

Anyway. We've made it a goal to feed the missionaries once a month. We'd signed up for tonight, figuring that we'd be all moved in by now. Well, we had several road bumps along the way, and didn't get in until last weekend.

So, they arrive at our house for dinner (pizza and salad...they say we're one of the only families that ever gets them pizza...?). They get here just a little early and I'm running just a little late. Our kitchen is the only room in the house that is unpacked. Unfortunately, it's apparently not entirely unpacked. I can't find a bowl to put the salad in to save my life. Sigh. I go for the next best thing that's large enough.

That's right. We ate salad from a pot.

The sisters were good sports about the whole thing. Especially when they only had about one square foot of space to sit at the dinner table in a dining room full of boxes. And they were great when JM cried almost the whole way through dinner. And when he threw his milk down on the ground and it spilled all over me and the {new} carpet that we had such a hard time getting put into the place. And when my salad dressing somehow missed my plate and landed right into my lap and all over my shirt and skirt. And the way that I spent more time getting up and down from the table (if you could even call my ungraceful blundering and squeezing out the side "getting up and down") than I actually spent sitting with them. I totally ate my dinner after they left...I think I'd had part of my salad by the time the were walking out the door.

Yep. They were great. They didn't even laugh about any of it until while they were sharing their message Levi started running the only loud car toy we have up and down the walls just outside the dining room, to the point we couldn't even hear them.

Oh, good times. I just hope next time it isn't so fun...

Levi, Levi, Bo Bevi...you crack me up.

2009-05-15T17:52:00.003-04:00

I was at target today with the boys. I was looking for a new bra (insert plug for multiple new bras during pregnancy...so worth it!) I had Levi in the back of a regular cart (he hates the "kid carts" anywhere that isn't Publix). He usually sits pretty well in the cart, I usually don't have to tell him to sit down very often.

Today though, I bent down for a second to look for my size, and when I stood up I saw this:

He originally had the hanger over his head, adjusting the cups to right where he thought they should be placed on his chest, lol. When he looked up and saw me, with a big smile on his face he said, "It's for me mommy! It's perfect!"

Oh Levi, you are such a joy!

And the verdict is...

2009-05-13T11:26:00.006-04:00

Well, over 95% of you thought we'd be having a girl.

And the perinatologist agrees with you!

Take a first glance at Savannah Lynn Miller:

Everything checks out okay!

Notables: The placenta is extremely close to my cervix, but he said as long as it doesn't move any closer, we should be clear to attempt a VBAC. In addition, she has the same thing John Morgan did on her heart, called an echogenic focus, which can be a sign for Down Syndrome, but this was already a Level II ultrasound, so they were able to screen for the other markers right there, and she didn't show any. So chances are great that she won't have Down Syndrome!

Now to the issue of a big baby...unfortunately, he couldn't tell. He said that until the end of your 5th month, there's no distinguishing a big baby from a normal baby from a small baby...they're all the same up until that point. He then proceeded to tell me that size won't matter since I'll be having a repeat c-section. LOL. I could write a whole post about his reaction to me telling him we were attempting another VBAC. It was kind of comical actually, but he just ended by saying that he'll probably see me back towards the end of the pregnancy so my doctors can check the size of the baby.

All in all, good times!

So, YAY!

A girl!

{Just a quick shout out to the 1 lonely soul out of 22 that voted for little Marshall. Maybe next time!}

Cast your vote now!

2009-05-12T18:37:00.005-04:00

We go in tomorrow morning to see baby #3 via ultrasound!!!

We'll get a glimpse at this little thing inside me that has made me so sick, so emotional, so tired, and so um...large. The same little thing whose kicks and swimmies make my heart smile everytime I feel one. The same little thing that has had my heart from the minute we knew we were supposed to be having another baby; I've loved this little thing since before day one...how is that even possible?

I can't wait to see you little one!

And of course, to find out if you're Savannah or Marshall!

P.S. - Do me a favor this once and

cast your vote to the right ------------->

Video of old

2009-05-08T12:46:00.002-04:00

I was clearing out my cell phone and found this video. I think it was from a road trip like 5 or 6 months ago?

Listen close for John Morgan...it's so high pitched, it's kinda quiet!

2009-05-08T00:38:00.001-04:00

Cheers to Olivia being in town!

Love these girls!

Vanilla Joy

2009-05-07T23:47:00.002-04:00

You may have noticed a new button on my sidebar. It links to the site Vanilla Joy.

I love this site. There's a little bit of everything on there! She has great tutorial blogs {her latest is how to sew a fitted crib sheet - can't wait to try this for baby #3!}, book reviews, and awesome giveaways. She also semi-advertises (with reviews) ideas for craft room organization, discipline for children, and even some cool scrapbooking furniture.

So go check it out!

The First of Many

2009-05-02T21:20:00.000-04:00

We love where Joe-Z works. There's a fun little park that's literally a 1 minute drive from his office. We meet him for lunch on days the kids are going to take a late nap for some reason or another.

The kids love this park, and always have fun playing there. There's always a bit of a power-struggle though, because the park also has a baseball field...and you know my boys (especially Levi) and baseball!

For some reason, while at the park one day last week, we decided Levi was just too cute to say no to. He was trying to sneak in, and when I saw him, he maintained eye contact with me while he kept going down the stairs to the dugout, nodding his head "yes" as if to assure me that it was okay, lol.

Such a big field, such a little {big} boy.

Look at him go!

JM in action!

All in all, we had a blast!

Almost half way!

2009-04-28T17:41:00.006-04:00

Here's to hoping that bump doesn't grow any until I hit the last few weeks, lol!

Our ultrasound is scheduled 2 weeks and one day from now on Wednesday, May 13th, which happens to be Joe-Z's birthday (purely coincidental!). We're SUPER excited.

Side note {probably more for my remembrance than anything}:

I wouldn't say that I think I'm having twins. But I'm pretty sure I'll cry if I'm not.

How silly is that?!?

In the beginning all I wanted was for this baby to be a girl. Somewhere in the past 16 weeks I changed to wanting a boy. And then it changed to one of each. I want a girl, but I'll be sad if it's not a boy. I want a boy, but I'll be sad if it's not a girl. Does that make sense?

I took an online quiz that's supposed to tell you if you may be having twins (I know, I know. Online quizzes are entirely inaccurate. But this was not just "Are you dreaming about your baby coming out a cheeseburger" or something like that.). I scored 7 out of 10. Of the 3 I didn't answer yes to, 1 was ultrasound confirmation, and the other was confirmation from a special blood test you can take.

However, even though I could answer the other questions with a yes, they were things like "you measure large for your date." Yeah, I do, but I also did with both of my boys...they're just enormous babies! "You felt fetal movement early on." Yes, but I did with my other two as well...again something I attribute to the babies being bigger...I feel them earlier. "Above average weight gain." Um...yes. But, in my defense I was on a healthy eating and exercise program before I got pregnant, and as soon as I started feeling queasy (even before the positive test), that all went out the window...the baby needs what the baby needs, after all ;o) And so on and so forth. All the yes answers could also describe my other pregnancies.

So. Anyway. There you have it.

Happy baby growing!

Because it's been a week...

2009-04-18T21:57:00.004-04:00

I thought I'd share an Easter family picture.

The real Easter post is yet to come!

Our boys

2009-04-04T19:14:00.003-04:00

When Levi was little, he never wanted anything to be messy or get on the floor, which made for one great self-feeder. John Morgan's self-feeding has been pretty indicative of his little personality. He just wants to get it done as quick as he can. Which up until now, meant it all went on the floor and he just cried for more. I'm pleased to announce that he has finally started to eat the majority of the food on his mat! Woo-hoo!

Levi's new thing is lining things up. Cars, blocks, animals, you name it, he loves to get them into a straight line, then mess them all up! What a cutie!

John Morgan's favorite toy...any type of shoe! But especially Levi's sandals that have lots of Velcro. Too bad they're his favorite chew toy, not play toy, lol.

You...FOOL!

2009-04-03T15:07:00.003-04:00

*Warning: Read at your own risk. This post may not be suitable for the tender-hearted, those who love animals, those that are pregnant, or those that cry easily*

So. Today I was having a rather nice morning. The sun was shining (finally!) and the boys and I were out running a bunch of errands (more on this later). We're enjoying driving along one of these beautiful, canopy-covered roads that make being in Tallahassee extremely enjoyable. All of a sudden, I see a car up ahead swerve out into the other lane. So does the next one, and the one after that. Then it's my turn. I see this:

Or something like this, as this is (obviously) not an actual picture of my beautiful turtle friend.

He's almost across the road, neck and legs outstretched in an effort to just get to the grass a few feet away. I contemplate slamming on my breaks, putting on my flashers, and helping the poor little buddy across the road, but think the guys behind me looks kinds mean, and he might not like that. I decide I'll turn into the next driveway and swing back by to help after the car behind me has passed (this whole thought process takes like .5 seconds...you know how that goes...). So, I swerve out of the way and watch in my rear view mirror.

To my horror, the guy behind me isn't moving out of the way at all. There's no on-coming traffic. There was plenty of room between us, surely he could see little turtley-wertely. "What the heck? Move guy!" I yell, hoping he'll somehow hear me or maybe he'll get the message telepathically. But, alas, he never swerves. Are you kidding me? I look away about .000001 seconds before my little turtle friend makes his way to heaven.

I'm shocked. Are you kidding me? How heartless! How cruel and insensitive!?! The flood gates open wide and I can barely see the road anymore. My tender, animal loving, overly-sensitive, cry-at-the-drop-of-a-hat, pregnant heart is broken. And the whole scene keeps replaying in my mind. Ugh.

So, the guy drives up beside me at the red light. I'm in the left-hand turn lane and he's in the straight and/or right-hand turn lane. Luckily he pulls up farther than me so he can't see me shaking and crying, and screaming "you FOOL" over and over again. That was all I could come up with. "You FOOL." Nice. I'm hating this man and quite frankly, wishing that he was as small as a turtle on the road so tat I could run him over. I guess I have a thing for defenseless little animals.

Okay, I'm pulling it together, trying to dry my eyes so that I can keep my little family safe on the road. My turn light turns green. As I start to turn, I realize that this man next to me is going too! I think "oh no! he's going to run straight into that truck that's turning from the opposite direction!" As he's on his way, he so kindly swerves in front of me to turn left from the non-left-turn lane, cutting me off to the point that I had to slam on my breaks to avoid slamming into the driver's side door of his car. I shouldn't have. I should've hit him. I wasn't going all that fast, it probably wouldn't have hurt him all that much, but his nice expensive car would've had a nice ding in it...and he could've paid for it. But, I did stop. After all, my kids were with me, and I didn't want to hurt my beautiful van. He never even acknowledged me there behind him, although about 4 of us laid on our horns. He didn't wave or make eye contact or even flick me off. Nothing. I have never had so much road rage in my life. First, he kills my unsuspecting, shade-craving, almost-across-the-whole-road turtle buddy, then he cuts me off beyond belief.

Ugh. Too bad the world doesn't have more middle-aged, Italian men driving around in their expensive cars, taking advantage of the world. Surely it'd be a better place. Not.

"She's got a baby inside...

2009-03-29T22:39:00.004-04:00

...and holds her belly tight..."

Joe-Z and I sing this at the most random moments.

We joke because it's almost like we forget I'm pregnant sometimes. Yes, I'm still sick all the time {although the last few days have been progressively better} but it's like I'll have these moments where I think "Wow, I'm having another baby!" Seems like with Levi I thought about him every second of the day, every day of the week and so on. With JM, he was still in the forefront of my mind most of the time, but my attention was completely focused on Levi. And now with this one, well...it just makes me wonder how it'll be once we get to our 6th or 7th, lol.

Anyone else feel like this with their pregnancies?

I had an appointment this week. I'm no longer going to report on my weight gain, as I'm afraid I might end up in Guinness Book of World Records or something, lol.

It's noteworthy though, that no matter how many times I hear one of our babies' hearts beat, it's never any less amazing. 160 bpm, loud and clear.

I hear you baby! Can't wait to meet you!

I have just a sec...

2009-03-25T11:47:00.003-04:00

...so here are a couple of pictures of the boys from the last week. When I actually get a minute I'll fill you in on all the fun shenanigans we've been up to. Until then, enjoy the boys!

Reflections of Christ

2009-03-23T22:27:00.002-04:00

Have you seen this yet?

I had the opportunity to go to {some of} Time Out for Women this weekend, and Mark Marby was one of the presenters. He. was. awesome! Very inspirational. His story was amazing, and this video speaks volumes. Hope you enjoy.

2009-03-02T15:45:00.002-05:00

Just a couple recent pics of the boys.

The boys had RSV for about 3 weeks straight. It. was. a. nightmare. These were taken in our backyard, which happened to be the farthest we traveled in that entire time period, as to not infect some other mom or her poor kids.

I had intended to write a long, detailed post about our 3 weeks in confinement, but after thinking about it, I decided their little faces were much nicer to look at!

Hope you've had an enjoyable Monday!

You're ONLY how far along???

2009-03-01T22:17:00.005-05:00

8 weeks!

That's right people, 2 months along! Don't you only wish you could have a big baby belly like this when most normal people don't start showing until 4 or 5 months!?!?! Don't be jealous. I'm just cool like that!

;o)

I hope you can tell I'm only joking. I'm in no way bragging.

I'd gladly give back the 14 pounds I've gained in the last 8 weeks for a non-detectable baby bump, any day!

Levi's had a birthday party...

2009-02-13T09:53:00.001-05:00

Finally!

Yep. I'm pretty sure I get the "Worst Mother Ever" award for this one, folks. Levi just had his first birthday party ever. And it's 5 months after he turned 2. Yikes!

We had a great time. It was quite impromptu, so we kept it very small. Levi loved having both sets of grandparents over, and his Auntie Kayla. {Yay for airplanes that enable "quick trips" for grandmas missing their grand kids!}

I think his favorite part of the whole thing was getting the balloons...

and his favorite present was stickers, for sure!

This is Levi enjoying the miracle cake! It's wasn't too much to look at, as I was missing a number of ingredients, and couldn't find my decorating supplies to save my life. {Note to self: Never try to throw a "party" on a Sunday if it's not pre-planned and you know in advance that you have everything you need to make it flow, lol.} However, it tasted downright yummy and it matched the balloons and table decorations, so I...errr, I mean...Levi was happy. {I tried to tell Joe-Z that it totally mattered to Levi...he just couldn't bring himself to agree with me...}

Happy Birthday Levi! We love you so much!

January Temple Trip

2009-02-08T21:42:00.005-05:00

Okay, so I'm a few weeks late in posting these pics. Good thing our motto is "better late than never!"

We had a great time at the temple that weekend. It was a bit of a whirlwind trip, and everything went wrong (as it usually does on the way to the temple) but it was SO worth it (as it always is once you get there!).

The temple was overflowing that day! It was amazing to see so many people! In fact, there were so many people that I ended up waiting an hour and a half longer than planned to get into a session, and Joe-Z ended up not getting to go in at all. That's okay though. He knew that he'd receive blessings for the sacrifice!

A letter to my boy

2009-02-04T10:39:00.006-05:00

Dear Levi,

My sweet boy. I love you so much. You are such an unspeakable source of joy in my life. I hope that your life will be fulfilling and rewarding and that I'll raise you with a knowledge of how special you are....to me and to those whose life you will impact, but especially to our Heavenly Father.

However, thinking over my younger years, I'm sure at some point in your life, you may question if I truly have your best interest at heart (after all, if I really loved you, wouldn't I be letting you play in that championship game on Sunday or letting you go to that unsupervised boy-girl party?). Well buddy, should you ever wonder if or how much I love you, please recall in that genius mind of yours the events of this morning.

Remember how we had to get up early and go to the doctors office for John Morgan's check-up? Remember how you had a poopy literally as we were walking out the door. And how freezing cold it was! Boy, that was fun. Especially when you kept running away from me in the doctors office, and defiantly saying "no" every time I asked you to "please come back." Remember when all those people kept staring at us and shaking their heads and saying "You sure have your hands full, don't you." Oh, if only they knew we are expecting another, tee hee hee. And then came the car ride home...that was the best! I'm still not sure why the two of you were so upset, I guess I thought you'd be sad about going to the doctor, not leaving. Anyway, once you were settled down, I found my saving grace. Something that would make everything better. Chick-Fil-A! I pulled away with my Chicken-Mini's meal, hash browns and orange juice included. The greasiness settled so nicely into my tummy, calming my morning sickness. {Note: there is just something to be said for not-so-good food and pregnancy...not sure where that connection comes from or why it exists (except to make me fat again), but it is so very, very real.}

Anyway, we get home and I bring everything into the house. Then I bring you boys in. I realize my orange juice is still sitting in the cup holder in the car. I go back out to grab it, and upon returning to the house, find you running my way with the Chick-Fil-A bag in tow, excitedly screaming "Dinner! Mom look! It's dinner! Come on, Mom. Have some. Come on, Mom!" You were so stinkin' cute! That little sparkle in your eye...gets me every time {seriously, it really does}! So, I sat you down with a plate and filled it with my last chicken-mini and the last of my hash browns. Did you read that? THE LAST ONE!

That is how much I love you sweetie. And I always will. You can always have my last, mouth-watering-ly delicious, morning-sickness-curing chicken-mini. You're that special!

All My Love Always,
Mommy

2009-02-01T21:06:00.007-05:00

As most of you know, I've been doing Weight Watchers since shortly after John Morgan was born. I'd done it after I had Levi, and lost a great deal then too. This time around, I've had much success. I absolutely love the program, I can eat anything I want, and I've never felt like I'm "on a diet." As far as weight loss is concerned, {in my opinion, anyway} it's the best! There's nothing better!

All that being said, I've decided to take a break from Weight Watchers. Actually, it's not me. It's them. They've decided I can no longer follow the program. Reason being?

We're 4 weeks along as of today.

We hadn't planned on spilling the beans so early on, but I've leaked the news to a few people, and ya'll know how things like this can spread like wildfire at church, and I hate being the one to make others feel left out!

So there you have it! We have our first appointment February 26th. We'll be seeing one of the few doctors in Tallahassee that actually allows VBAC attempts, so we're excited for that, and hopeful at the same time.

My pregnancy wish list:

* No morning sickness. Or sickness of any other kind, for that matter!

* It will be a girl. Definitely a girl.

* She will be small. Even tiny. Like, 7 pounds would be nice. 6 and a half would be even better.

* I'll be able to sneeze her out, like all of my other friends seem to be doing...even if it's only their first baby {grrrr, in a nice way}. For sure, there will not be 2 hours of pushing involved.

* No complications. No minor surgeries, no back problems, no dental problems, and for heaven's sake, no swelling!!!

* I won't gain too much weight and I'll look super-cute throughout the whole thing in all my awesome new maternity finds.

In all reality, I would really, really, really like to have a little girl. However, truth be told, the idea of another little boy running around after Levi and John Morgan makes my heart swell. The three musketeers, you know? We're just super-excited and even though we've got a long way to go, we can't wait to meet this little Miller bundle of joy!

2009-01-26T23:21:00.003-05:00

Anyone ready for some Spring Cleaning?

{Even though my good friends in the North still have many long, long, long months of winter ahead ;o) }

Join me as I venture into the Spring Cleaning for Normal People Challenge! (She also blogs at moneysavingmom.com, which is where I originally found her. A totally read-worthy blog if you're into tips, deal alerts, and coupons...)

Anyway, join me if you'd like, but either way, wish me good luck...I'll need it!!!

To give in, or not to give in...

2009-01-20T23:29:00.005-05:00

Tonight, before bath time, I said "Levi, do you want anything to eat?" "No" was all he said. Me, again, "Are you sure? Aren't you hungry?" {Looking at me with his ever-so-cute "duh" eyes} "No hungry Mom. I don't."

Upstairs we went.

We get to the bathroom, he realizes what we're doing, and beelines for the door. Of course, I stop him. After I take off his shirt, with puppy dog eyes, and as he rubs his tummy, "Mom. Hungry." I just stare, trying not to laugh. "Yeah Mom, hungry? Yeah Mom, dinner, yeah, yeah. Dinner Mom?" As if in the last 2 minutes he realized he'd become famished.

I bathed him and put him to bed, amid many requests for many different types of food. The next 45 minutes, sounding like his little mouth is right next to the microphone on the monitor, he keeps saying "Mommy, dinner? Mommy, hot dogs?" Over and over :o)

I finally gave in after 48 minutes (and in his defense, he did down 2 hot dogs in about 30 seconds flat). He was so sweet.

But he does this all. the. time. And I always give in. I just can't stand it {see aforementioned comment about sweetness}. So, now I ask you, where do you draw the line?

Levi's new trick

2009-01-19T11:08:00.003-05:00

He'll usually pronounce the words more, but he clams up when he's on the spot {just like his Mamma!}.

"I want to be a missionary now"...

2009-01-16T19:20:00.003-05:00

One of our goals for this year is to have the missionaries over for dinner once a month. So far, we're one for one, lol.

After they left tonight, it was just silent for a few moments, then Levi said "Oh no! Rishiowaries! Come back!" And John Morgan hurriedly crawled over to the front door and started pounding on it, as if for them to come back.

It's sweet to see that these boys love the missionaries so much. And I'm so glad for the immediate blessing we received as we set forth to meet our goal to have the missionaries in our home more often. Our boys already look up to them, and hopefully that will grow as they do, and by the examples of the wonderful young men, our boys will have the desire and the steadfastness to let nothing dissuade them from serving the Lord when it's their time. These young men, although they change frequently, represent faithfulness, and righteousness, endurance, and obedience.

I'm so grateful for missionaries. For the work they do and the influence they have had on my life. My family is my family, and will be forever because of two young men like them, and they will forever hold a special place in my heart.

Thanks to all of you, men or women, that have served missions or supported those that have gone on missions. The world is surely a better place!

This was little Johnny M after they'd left ;o)

A day late and a dollar short...

2009-01-14T19:56:00.005-05:00

...but, nevertheless, here are our 2008 Christmas portraits for your viewing pleasure!

We had a great time!

All Levi wanted to do was run around the studio, so we were pretty excited to get the good ones we did, lol. And that John Morgan. What a little ham...he loved having his pictures taken!

Here's to a new year, hopefully full of lots of great pictures, fun, and happy memories!

John Morgan's walking...

2009-01-12T16:17:00.005-05:00

A little, anyway.

*Note: Sorry for the horrible quality. We're still working on getting a new cord for the video camera {where the good videos live}, apparently they don't sell them in stores. You have to order from the manufacturer. So for now, you get to keep watching cell phone videos. Yay!

He's been taking those baby steps for about 2 and a half weeks now. He'll walk up to 18 steps if he thinks he's going to get ice cream from my bowl, which of course he doesn't b/c of the milk allergy, but he does love the cold spoon, lol!

Pretty cute, huh?

*Afterthought: Joe-Z wants me to assure you that the fall wasn't as bad as it may seem. He just tumbled into my lap, happily searching for the spoon ;o)

Recognize this little guy?

2009-01-11T00:12:00.003-05:00

I totally drew Curious George!

I'm only so excited about this because I do. not. draw. Or paint. Or anything in that realm.

But I think he turned out halfway decent (at least Levi recognized who it was)!

{Just don't tell anyone I did it by watching the "Drawn to George" feature from the new DVD we got from Ben and Brett for Christmas!}

Ever seen Matt dance?

2009-01-10T00:30:00.003-05:00

Guaranteed to put a smile on your face!

Bringing in the New Year

2009-01-09T13:15:00.004-05:00

Our first order of business for 2009 (way overdue in the first place) was to clean out the closet that held all of the toys:

(Notice how they spilled out into the living room so ugly-like)

And turn it into a real toy closet! Yay!

Admire:

Much better, don't you agree?

No more overspill into the living room! No more toys scattered all over my house! {The new rule is 1 tub per child at a time...then clean up if you want a new one!}

We love it. Couldn't have had more fun New Year's Eve than turning our disorganized mess into a beautiful, everything-in-it's-place closet!

Here's to hoping we can do the same with the rest of our lives, lol.

Happy {9 month} Birthday John Morgan!

2009-01-08T12:56:00.005-05:00

John Morgan turned 9 months old yesterday. I really can't believe that time has gone by so fast!

In just these 9 months, he's brought joy beyond measure to our family!

Was the Santa picture successful?

2009-01-06T17:03:00.003-05:00

I didn't have high hopes after the catastrophe we had this past Easter:

(Please ignore me in all my 8-and-a-half-month pregnant glory)

But, to my exceeding joy, we had semi-success!

John Morgan had a ball! He loved every minute of it and couldn't get enough of Santa! Levi was a little hesitant at first, but once he realized he was safe, he kept saying "cheese" over and over! I'm not sure who invented the phrase, "Say Cheese!" when trying to get someone to smile...obviously their child didn't look like this:

This was the best "cheese-face" {as we lovingly like to call it} of the bunch. Overall, we're very happy with it!

A moment to remember

2009-01-04T21:50:00.004-05:00

We made the switch to 11 o'clock church today, with Sacrament last. This pretty much sums it up:

We asked him to fold his arms to say the closing prayer, and he never woke up.

;o)

2008-12-26T23:28:00.007-05:00

More to come later, taking a relaxation break :o)

Hope you enjoyed yours as much as we did ours!

(p.s. John Morgan took his first steps tonight...video to come)

Just call us spontaneous!

2008-12-23T23:59:00.002-05:00

Tonight we decided we'd head over to Dorothy B. Oven, a park in town where they do this amazing lights display. The boys had a hay-day! We are so excited for next year when both the boys can run around instead of having to be pushed in the stroller!

They even had 4 high school age kids playing the trombone, Levi was in awe! They played Jingle Bells for him, and he was ecstatic!

The pictures are kinda blurry (night mode turned out to be worthless...boo!), but here are some pics for your enjoyment (they don't do it justice at all)!

A little bit of everything

2008-12-23T18:45:00.001-05:00

I've been a horrible blogger lately. My apologies my dear, faithful readers (all 7 of you, lol). But, with the new year on the horizon, I've determined to be better!

The way to start? Playing catch-up from the last month, of course!

Please read on, to find posts about Thanksgiving, making cookies, our Christmas Tree, some Sunday fun, and the FSU game!

Thanksgiving time again!

2008-12-23T18:44:00.000-05:00

This time of year is my favorite! Everyone is happy, thinking ahead to Thanksgiving and Christmas and the promise of a new year. We had an especially great Thanksgiving this year. A couple of them, actually!

First, we had Miller Family Temple Weekend, where we celebrated Thanksgiving also. It was such a wonderful time. It's always so nice to be with family, and it's so fun to see the family growing! This year, we had 3 new babies and 1 on the way, and then other grandchildren had gotten so much bigger! It's so weird to think that when Joe-Z and I got married 4 years ago, there were only Dayna and Cassy, and now, come February, there'll be 8 grand kids!

This is mostly everyone, John Morgan was sleeping, and baby #3 for John and Sarah is still cooking away inside!

Then on to Thanksgiving in Jupiter!

We always have fun when we go to Jupiter. Maybe it has something to do with being on vacation and knowing, if only for those few days, you have no responsibilities but to relax and have fun!

Our trip in a nutshell:

See that little cutie, that's Aidan, Garrett and Sam's little boy, sitting with his Grandpa Joe. He's just over a year old, and he was absolutely a sweetheart! Notice how John Morgan is pretty much the same size... I think Levi had more fun playing with Aidan than he did playing with Levi though, lol.

While this was staged for the picture, Levi did have the opportunity to pull the trigger on this air rifle (as long as me pulling it for him, with me shielding him behind me counts as "him" pulling it, lol). We had a ton of fun after dinner Thanksgiving day shooting at 20 oz pepsi bottles that Joe had strategically placed throughout the backyard. And I just have to say that I totally rocked...I was the most accurate shot of us all!

This is my magnificent friend, Kayla. She is the one that first invited me to a youth dance, which peaked my interest in the church. Without her, I would be in a totally different place in life, one not near as happy and gratifying as the place I'm at now is, I'm sure. In a way, without her, I wouldn't have my husband, kids, or personal relationship with the Savior. So thanks Kayla, I owe you ;o)

The next 3 are of us at the beach. What more can I say? It's like heaven!

Once again, John Morgan was sleeping, but here are the three of us, enjoying the warm weather in sunny Jupiter!

Levi loved playing the Wii! I think this was his favorite part of the whole trip!

This was taken while we were out to eat at the Thaicoon, my favorite restaurant of all time! We met my cousin Jen and my Aunt June here that night. We've been going to this place since I was born. Other than my immediate family, these are the people I've known the longest in my life...weird, huh?

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving too!

Chocolate Chip Cookies...yum yum!

2008-12-23T18:43:00.000-05:00

So, Levi made his first batch of chocolate chip cookies a couple of Sunday's ago! I did too, for that matter. I know. I can't believe I'm 24 and admitted that I just made cookies from scratch for the first time! It was a ton of fun! He is the BEST helper in the world! He loves to help out around the house, exclaiming "Help Me?" (what he hears me ask him) anytime he sees me doing the laundry or vacuuming or cooking. He's super!

Btw, the cookies were delicious!

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree...

2008-12-23T18:42:00.000-05:00

How lovely are your {fake, pre-lit} branches {and your shatterproof ornaments}!

(Levi putting on the first ornament)

(Daddy putting on the topper)

(A few more ornaments)

And ta-da!

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

Sunday Afternoon Fun

2008-12-23T18:41:00.001-05:00

John Morgan loves the piano, we finally figured out we could just slide his high chair right up to it! He had a blast!

Yum yum!

Aren't these shirts sooooo cute?? Thanks Aunt Brett!

(You can visit her etsy shop here to find onsies and shirts like these, and lots more cute stuff!)

Don't let the bars of the gate fool you...they're not in prison! They LOVE standing at the gate and showing off for us...especially Johnny M. He loves to shake it back and forth! Here they brought Curious George in on the fun :o)

Joe-Z's favorite time of year...

2008-12-23T18:40:00.000-05:00

is college football season! He loves it, and thanks to him, I do too!

We were lucky enough to have a neighbor of a brother-in-laws father-in-law offer us some FSU tickets he wasn't going to be using!

It was the blackout game, so everyone had a special enthusiasm about them. Being in the stadium with 80,000 other fans was electrifying...until we started losing :o( We took Tony and Nichole Ricks (who had never been to an FSU game before) and it really was a blast. By half-time, it was freezing, and our kids wouldn't go to sleep for their Mema, so we had to bail out. I have to say, as great as it was, I was much happier listening to the rest of the game from our warm, toasty van :o)

Win or lose, we love you Seminoles. And, never fail, next year we'll be there with our hopes up that this season might just be the season our luck turns around!

(You can't see it here, but we're all decked out in our black hoodies for the game!)

Advice Needed:

2008-12-19T11:17:00.007-05:00

See this sweet little face? How precious his little cheeks are, so round and pinchable? Pretty cute when he's asleep, right?

Yeah, I think so too. The only thing that could make it better was if he was doing this at night!

Here's the problem: I think my 8 month, 2 week old is trying to wean himself from the bottle!

Take yesterday for example. He ate a full bottle for his "night/early morning" feeding, but the throughout the day, only ate 3 oz, 2 more times. He did, however, have 3 full "solid" food meals. The last one {which I gave him only 20 minutes after we'd had a knock down, drag out wrestling match in which I tried to make him eat his bottle, of which he decided to finally slurp down 3 oz}, consisted of a full bowl of oatmeal (we're talking a huge bowl...made with 4 oz of his leftover formula), a jar of peas, a jar of squash, a jar of carrots, 3/4 of a jar of bananas, and 1/2 a jar of chicken (see picture below for visual). So, I know he was hungry...he just wouldn't take the stinkin bottle!

So, twice in the middle of the night last night, he got up to eat a full bottle. Urgh.

We're exhausted. We can't believe our 8 1/2 month old doesn't sleep through the night (back to 2 night feedings, really?). And I'm concerned {It's okay, you can call me a worry wort. I always am. Especially when it comes to my kids. Way to overly-concerned.} that he's not getting enough of the nutrients from his "solid" food to make up for what he's lacking in his formula.

Any ideas?

A letter to Santa...

2008-12-14T22:13:00.002-05:00

(I got this in an e-mail from my sister in-law, and thought it was great!)

Dear Santa,

I've been a good mom all year. I've fed, cleaned and cuddled my children on demand, visited the doctor's office more than my doctor and sold sixty-two cases of candy bars to raise money to plant a shade tree on the school playground. I was hoping you could spread my list out over several Christmases, since I had to write this letter with my daughter's red crayon, on the back of a receipt in the laundry room between cycles, and who knows when I'll find anymore free time in the next 18 years...

Here are my Christmas wishes:

I'd like a pair of legs that don't ache (in any color, except purple, which I already have) and arms that don't hurt or flap in the breeze, but are strong enough to pull my screaming child out of the candy aisle in the grocery store.

I'd also like a waist, since I lost mine somewhere in the seventh month of my last pregnancy.

If you're hauling big ticket items this year I'd like fingerprint resistant windows and a radio that only plays adult music, a television that doesn't broadcast any programs containing talking animals, and a refrigerator with a secret compartment behind the crisper where I can hide to talk on the phone.

On the practical side, I could use a talking doll that says, "Yes, Mommy" to boost my parental confidence, along with two kids who don't fight and three pairs of jeans that will zip all the way up without the use of power tools.

I could also use a recording of Tibetan monks chanting "Don't eat in the living room" and "Take your hands off your sister," because my voice seems to be just out of my children's hearing range and can only be heard by the dog.

If it's too late to find any of these products, I'd settle for enough time to brush my teeth and comb my hair in the same morning, or the luxury of eating food warmer than room temperature without it being served in a Styrofoam container.

If you don't mind, I could also use a few Christmas miracles to brighten the holiday season. Would it be too much trouble to declare ketchup a vegetable? It will clear my conscience immensely. It would be helpful if you could coerce my children to help around the house without demanding payment as if they were the bosses of an organized crime family.

Well, Santa, the buzzer on the dryer is calling and my daughter saw my feet under the laundry room door. I think she wants her crayon back. Have a safe trip and remember to leave your wet boots by the door and come on in and dry off so you don't catch cold.

Help yourself to cookies on the table but don't eat too many or leave crumbs on the carpet.

Yours Always,
MOM...

P.S. One more thing...you can cancel all my requests if you can keep my children young enough to believe in Santa.

Lunch at the park with Dad

2008-12-10T21:08:00.005-05:00

We went to meet Joe-Z for lunch last week and decided to spend our extra 20 minutes at the park just up the road. It was a blast. These boys love their daddy!

(If you click on the collage above, you can make the whole thing bigger, so you can see each picture better!)

If you're happy and you know it...

2008-11-21T11:50:00.003-05:00

...then giggle!

The Miller Family

Waaaaaaaay too much...

Check-ups!

Savannah's Update

Hello World!

I *will* craft again...

Questing, questing, questing, never resting...

I can't even think of a title

For those of you who missed it on Facebook...

Savannah's Development...

Recent Savannah pics!

A sign of the times...

Blessing Day

Mama's Holiday Wish List Meme

Happy Thanksgiving!

Going Up?

Savannah Update

myself again

30-Day Giving Challenge

Savannah and Co.

Smilebox

To a child, Love is spelled T-I-M-E

Like brother, like sister

Savannah's First Fotos (Hospital Pictures)

Family Photo Shoot (pre-Savannah)

It's Go Time!

Savannah Banana is almost here!

One person's Craigslist Ad...

28 days to go!

A prayer from the heart

Free $10 Mall Gift Card...

More Levi-isms...

"It's a long story..."

Thanks Grandma!

Perspective

A pain in the...

Funny, funny, funny.

28 Weeks!

I promise we didn't fall off the face of the earth!

Garbage!!!

24 Weeks

London Bridge Children

Scrabble Tile Pendants

Buy one half off, get the second one free!

Simply Said Sunday

What a mouthful!

Bye bye love, bye bye happiness....

What we did this weekend

Three magic words

My budding pianist...

Hump Day!

Simply Said Sunday

How I keep my sanity

Sayings

Salad in a pot...

Levi, Levi, Bo Bevi...you crack me up.

And the verdict is...

Cast your vote now!

Video of old

Vanilla Joy

The First of Many

Almost half way!

Because it's been a week...

Our boys

You...FOOL!

"She's got a baby inside...

I have just a sec...

Reflections of Christ

You're ONLY how far along???

Levi's had a birthday party...

January Temple Trip

A letter to my boy

To give in, or not to give in...

Levi's new trick

"I want to be a missionary now"...

A day late and a dollar short...

John Morgan's walking...

Recognize this little guy?

Ever seen Matt dance?

Bringing in the New Year

I will craft again...