The day after

Merry Christmas, friends!  I hope you had a wonderful day celebrating the birth of our Savior yesterday!  Well, in reality I hope you celebrate Jesus every day!  This has truly been a remarkable year for me, watching my girls grow in their love for Jesus, and being able to express it.  I'll catch you up on the last week of events, since we have been so busy!

Last Sunday we had our Christmas celebration service at church.  This year Grace sang with me in the choir, which was such an awesome experience for me.  I love to worship, and it was just really neat to worship with her.  Elissa and Kaitlin also participated in the service, singing with their Sunday School classes in one of the songs.  It was the first time all four of us have been on stage together, and I certainly won't forget it!

Christmas Eve was also wonderful.  Grace and I both served, but in different capacities.  I sang, she handed out magnets.  During the first two services, we sat together, which was nice.  For those of you who have tweens and teenagers, you know this does not happen often, and I cherished it!  My parents were here celebrating with us, so they were in service with Aaron, Elissa, and Kaitlin.  After the service, Elissa remarked to me that she felt "tingly" the whole service, because God was filling her heart with joy.  I love how she is so focused on God!  I wish we all could be like that - to remember to sit and get tingly when God fills our heart with joy, and then take notice!

Yesterday was, of course, the day of destruction.  All presents were unwrapped at a slightly slower pace this year, and I actually know who got what from whom this time!  All the girls were pleased with their loot, and they managed to get along all day, which was new.  Usually they are so cranky they fall apart in the afternoon, but this year they didn't.  Maybe it's because they are getting older?  We had our yummy Christmas dinner at my sister's - the traditional ham, and sides, plus Aaron made two fantastic desserts that we all enjoyed.

Today, the day after, Grandma and Papa went home (wah!)  Aaron and the girls took them to the airport while I served at church, and I am sad to see them go, as I am always.  On the plus side, though, Aaron's parents get here tomorrow, and the girls are pretty excited about that!

Since I didn't get any pictures of yesterday, I'll leave you with one more cooking photo - this is Grandma cooking nelesniki with the girls.  I'm not in this photo - I was working on repairing the sprinkler system with my dad at the time.  I think the cooking would have been more fun!

A Day Full of Tradition

Today was pierogi making day.  There is nothing better than my grandmother's fresh, homemade pierogi.  It has been a family tradition to make pierogi for Christmas since my mother was a child (and maybe before that, who knows?!?!), and when I was old enough to reach the kitchen counter, I was taught how to make it.  I have been cooking pierogi since then, and usually with some family member -  mom, grandmother, sister, cousins, or aunts.  Today, Kaitlin and Elissa learned how to make it.  They did such a great job!  I can't wait to taste what they helped to create on Christmas Eve!

First you knead the dough...

Keep kneading!

Then you cut out the dough circles....

Then you fill the circle with potatoes and cheese....

Be sure to pinch it tight before cooking!

The best part is making it with Grandma!

Christmas Preparations

There is lots of Christmas preparation going on at our house.  First, there's the cooking.  As I am writing this, Grandma is making Snowball cookies with the girls.  Her mother made them with her, with me, and now my mother and I make them with my girls.  It's so much fun to pass down family traditions!  Tomorrow is pierogi day, which will be lots of fun.  I have been flexing my muscles to prepare them for the strenuous dough kneading! 

Then there's the wrapping.  Oh, the wrapping!  Last week our tree was looking a little lean, but not anymore!  Presents are spilling out from under the tree and all over the living room floor.  The girls spontaneously decided to purchase/make gifts for one another, which was so sweet.  I love watching them and seeing them be so sweet to each other without being asked! 

Finally, there's the heart preparation.  The girls have been asking lots of questions this year about the logistics of the birth of Jesus.  I can see their minds working and thinking about the miraculous birth of our Savior.  They are so passionate, and I love it! 

Now, I know the chance of snow is extrememly unlikely, but could we al least drop the temperature a bit so it feels wintry?

Cookies Galore!

It's been a cookie kind of day.  The girls and I made lots of Christmas cookies:  Chocolate Toffee, Sugar Cookies, Simple Goodies, Triple Threat Chocolate Cookies, Chocolate Mint Sandwich Cookies, and Muddy Buddies.  Yum!  The best part, of course, was making them with the girls.  We just have a few more kinds to make, but that will have to wait until next weekend!

Cool Kids

I have really cool kids, and when I say cool I mean generous, loving, giving, children. Today they donated their hair to charity, with joyful and happy hearts.  They have been growing it for a long time, and were begging to go to the salon today and have it chopped off.  I am such a proud mommy right now!

Before the cut

After the cut.  Look at those smiles!

The busiest time of my life

I'm pretty sure this has been the busiest couple of weeks of my life.  Okay, not really.  That a bit of what we writing teachers call hyperbole!  In truth, however, it has been really busy.  Aaron spent most of last week in New York, so I was "single momming" it last week.  Note to all my single mom friends: you amaze me!  Grace is in a show this weekend (check out my Facebook post, and don't miss it), so it's been a mad rush around here to get her everywhere she needs to be and still get homework done, etc. 

I realized on Sunday at 6am when I was working on a project for school that I may need to reprioritize a bit!  To be efffective in everything I do, I need to give my self a break every once in a while!  It's just like sleep - if you don't get enough, you start to forget things, don't do well in the most basic tasks, etc.  So.....yesterday, the workaholic in me was screaming for attention, but I managed to supress her!  Instead, I took the night off and spent time with Elissa and Kaitlin.  It was wonderful!  We watched a movie, then did our Bible study together.  It was a peaceful, wonderful time with my girls.  None of us was distracted by the worries of the world, but we were all focused on the individual message that God had for us.  It was easy but important work.  I was growing my kids, and God was growing all of us together.  Workaholic, be gone!  I predict many more "girls nights in" in our future!

Clowning Around

Halloween is over, and fall is in full swing.  I absolutely love this time of year!  Crisp breezes, changing colors, and yummy kitchen smells surround me.  Thanksgiving is just a few weeks away, and I have already begun shopping and crafting for Christmas!  Since those photos are secret, here's some to hold you over!

Happy Halloween!

Grace -The UT Superfan!

Kaitlin - Dorothy

Elissa - Hippie

Kaitlin - The Starry Night

Elissa - An original creation - smiley face

Grace - Bevo

I think this year has been the best Halloween year for the Millers.  We've been busy this weekend with a little bit of everything, and the girls have had a wonderful time!  We had a fall party yesterday, carved pumpkins this afternoon, and trick or treated this evening.  It was a beautiful night, and the kids got just enough candy to keep them satisfied!

A Quiet Weekend

It was a quiet weekend.  Nothing special, just spending time with the family, playing outside, and being together.  Here's some photos of the girls for you to enjoy!  Aren't they beautiful?

Football Friday!

This evening we had an impromptu get together with the neighbors, but instead of our usual gathering place (the front yard), we went to a Plano East football game.  Let me just tell you, we had a wonderful time!  The girls enjoyed the game, and we had terrific seats at an affordable price (imagine that)!  My favorite part, of course, is the halftime shows with the bands.  It was neat to point out all the different instruments to the girls and see what they liked best.  The best part - the stadium is only two minutes from our house!  I think there may be more football games in our future!

Fifteen Minutes Is All It Took!

I love that Elissa does things at her own pace.  She is her own person, and decides when the time is right for certain things.  Today she decided she should learn to ride her bike without training wheels.  She just hadn't gotten around to it before.  Aaron took her to the stadium, and within fifteen minutes she was riding!  What an amazing kid!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyrPsqTCvLs

Fall has arrived

Yes friends, fall has arrived in Texas.  I know that it sometimes is still warm, but it is officially here!

Yesterday we attended a carnival at the girls' elementary school.  It's a great way for the school to raise money and for us to have a fun family event.  It beats selling cookie dough and gift wrap too!  I think Elissa's favorite game might have been the toilet paper toss, and Kaity definitely enjoyed the animal walk.  We found out that Elissa is good at throwing anything (future softball player?) and Kaity is good at hitting things (future hockey player?).  The neatest part of the carnival was watching my daughters be so kind to each other.  What amazing children they are!  Grace intentionally won prizes for her sisters, and Elissa and Kaity won prizes for each other as well.  They didn't know that their sisters were winning prizes for them, they were just doing it because they love each other.  I was touched by their kindness.  Sure, they are sisters and they're going to argue, but they truly love each other and love to show their love by their actions.  It was a sweet moment for me!

We continued the sweetness this afternoon by making homemade granola bars.  I'd never tried it before, but was inspired earlier this week so I thought I'd give it a shot.  They are really yummy, and the girls helped me make them, which made it lots of fun!

Asian Lettuce Wraps

Today we ate Asian Lettuce Wraps for lunch, and they were supper yummy!  It's like Pei Wei cooked at home, only much less expensive.  Here's the recipe...

1T vegetable oil
1 lb ground pork
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 tea minced garlic
2 carrots, shredded
3 T hoisin sauce
2 T soy sauce
1 tea sesame oil
1/4 tea hot chile paste
Some peanuts
1 head iceberg lettuce, separated

2 cups cooked rice

Heat oil in a wok over medium-high heat.  Cook the pork, green onions, and garlic for 5-7 minutes, or until lightly brown.  Add carrot, peanuts, hoisin, and soy sauce, stirring frequently until heated through.  Remove from heat, and stir in the sesame oil and chile paste.  (Note:  if you like tofu, you can add a drained package when you add the carrot)

To serve, spoon a small amount of rice into each lettuce leaf, top with stir-fry mix, and drizzle with additional sauce if desired.

I also made rice noodles to go with the stir-fry for my kids who prefer noodles over rice.

Enjoy!

Yummy Bread

Due to inclement weather, our plans for today were cancelled.  So, instead, Aaron made bread.  Yum!  My husband is such a good cook!



Kneading the dough



The finished product, right out of the oven.  Yum!

Yes, we're still here

Yep, we're still here.  We are now into the swing of things this fall at the Miller household and are very busy.  We did manage to squeeze in a few minutes at the Plano Balloon Festival this past weekend, which was tons of fun!  They opened the field at the Balloon Glow and we were able to get right up close to the balloons and check them out.  Kaitlin has the funniest smile sometimes!  Aaron made a realyl cool video, but I haven't figured out how to add that yet.  Maybe tomorrow!

Baked Potato Soup

I bought a really nice slow cooker recently (really nice = fancy), so I've been trying out some new recipes.  This evening we had Baked Potato Soup, and this recipe is a keeper!  I thought I'd share it with you!

5 lb potatoes, peeled and diced into chunks
1 teeny onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tea seasoned salt
1/2 tea black pepper
1/2 tea red pepper
2 qts chicken broth
2 (8-oz) pkgs cream cheese
Crumbled bacon and chives as garnish

Use a 6 qt or larger slow cooker.  Peel and dice the potatoes, and put them into the stoneware.  Add onion and garlic.  Sprinkle in the seasonings, and pour in the broth.  Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for 4.  The potatoes should be fork-tender.  You can use a potato masher to mash the potatoes in the soup, or a hand held immersible blender.

After smashing the potatoes, crumble in both packages of cream cheese, and put the lid back on.  Cook on high for about 30 minutes, or until the cream cheese is completely dissolved.  Stir a few times during the 30 minutes.

Garnish with crumbled bacon, chives, and cheddar cheese if you like.

Super yum!  Enjoy!

What's for dinner?

I have a really cool husband.  I arrived home from a meeting at Saxby's (yes, he let me go all by myself), to find Aaron cooking a gourmet dinner for us.  Kaitlin was helping him put the filling on the pork prior to rolling it up.  It was so sweet to see them working together, and the kitchen smells really yummy!  I'll let you know how it turns out!

Working hard with Papa

Working hard!

My parents came to visit for Labor Day weekend.  They drove down from Colorado to deliver several pieces of furniture to Heather's house, and one piece of furniture to mine.  Dad and I worked very quickly to unload the trailer Saturday morning, so we had the rest of the day Saturday and Sunday morning to spend time together before they had to head back home.  Kaity helped her Papa put together a swing for the back yard.  It was so sweet to see them working together, I just had to take a few pictures!

Almost finished!

Enjoying the new swing! (We moved it away from the fire pit later.)

All In A Day's Work

5am - A loud blaring, annoying noise wakes me from my peaceful sleep.  I roll over and groan as I get out of bed.  Hurry, hurry, hurry into the shower so I can have breakfast before I have to wake the girls.  This morning needed an extra large cup of coffee.  I tried not to trip over the dog as I left the bedroom (husband sleeping peacefully, grr), and I managed to make it in one piece.

6:15am - Time to wake the kiddos.  Elissa was already up, though how that can be I have no idea because she was up extra late last night talking though some stuff about school.  So, I go to wake Kaity.  There was a lot of groaning, and I do mean A LOT.  "Mommy, it's dark, why do I have to get up?!!?!?!"  "Because you have school, honey," I replied.  There was lots of grumbling after that. 

6:20 - Everyone's downstairs, and it's breakfast time.  We're out of Fruit Loops, Cheerios, and anything that really sounds good to Elissa.  She setted for Lucky Charms, Kaity's cereal, because it was either that or toast.  Everyone's dressed, hair brushed, and eating.

6:40 - Time for me to head out the door.  I kiss the kids goodbye, as well as my still sleeping hubby.  Kaity chases me down for "one last kiss," as usual.

7:00 - I arrive at school and begin my day.  I have thirty precious minutes to organize myself, put in copy orders, answer emails, and take care of any other business.  I work my best early in the morning and can get lots done. 

7:30 - I greet everyone with a smile on my face, and begin their day the right way.

11:00 - Lunch time.  I brought yogurt today, but breakfast didn't last so I decide to buy pizza from the cafeteria.  It tastes much better than my yogurt!

11:25 - Debate about whether or not to go outside.  Go check it out, and decide yes!

3:00 - Send everyone home, all's quiet at work again.  I look at my desk, and think maybe a tornado has hit my room while I was away!  I clean up the tornado, and head out the door at 3:45.

4:00 - Pick up Elissa and Kaitlin.  Find out Elissa had a great day at school and did not have to go to monitor during recess like she thought she would (whew!), and Kaity is Star Student next week!  She's excited, I groan because that means we have to put together a poster over the weekend.

4:30  - Get on the computer, think about not doing anything productive!

Still on my list for this evening:  Play with the kids, cook dinner, play with the kids some more, spend time with my hubby, and wait for my parents to arrive from Colorado.  I brought a ton of work home for the weekend, but that will have to wait until tomorrow!

You can never have too many......

My most recent acquisition........'Nuff said.

A great first week

The first week of school is over and we all survived.  It was so hard to roll out of bed when the alarm went off at 5am, but I know I'll eventually get used to it.  Unfortunately, I'm not an early bird by design, just by necessity, so it takes time to get used to the routine.  That being said, it's nice to be in a profession where I feel called to work every day, and genuinely enjoy it.  I hold class meetings every Friday afternoon, and today I asked the kids how they thought the week went.  One child said good, and I asked why.  He said because he got to be in my awesome class.  How nice!  That's the best reward of all!  I'm glad they like my class.  I remember a few teachers growing up that truly sparked my attention, and helped me become a better person/student/friend/etc.  I hope I have that kind of positive influence on my students.

The girls had a great week also.  Kaity liked her teacher from the start, and has adjusted well to the second grade.  She's so proud of her agenda that she has to get signed every night, and it's so cute to watch her write down her reading minutes and ask for our signatures.  Elissa, not a big fan of change, was a bit nervous going in to fourth grade.  She liked her teacher just fine, but was worried that she didn't like her, and she doesn't have any close friends in the class.  However, today she said that she really likes her teacher and she thinks it's going to be a good year.  So, that's a great start.  Grace likes all of her teachers.  She's already beginning to think about Science Fair.  One of her favorite things about today was that they got to read the whole English period.  Supposedly this will be an every Friday sort of thing.  I'm thrilled to have a daughter who loves to read and actually looks forward to reading for a whole hour!  She's taking Spanish, and is trying to converse with me.  So far I can keep up, and have even taught her a word or two.  We'll see how long this lasts!  I may just bust into German or Latin, you never know!  I have no doubt she'll pass me up soon, in more ways that one!

First day of school...

Reading together

Grace and I are reading The Mockingjay together.  This is the third book in a series that we have read together.  Grace and I have read another series together as well, making this a total of eight books we have read together.  If you have not tried reading with your older child, I highly recommend it.  This is not read aloud, like you may have done with your young child.  We read the book independantly, but then discuss the book, sort of like a mini book club.  It's a wonderful way to start a conversation with your pre-teen or teen who really doesn't seem to want to have converstation with you.  Grace and I have taken this a step further, seeing movies based on the books we have read together.  I love to read, and I love to share this part of me with my daughter.  I think you will too!

A Great First Day

Thoughts from my kiddos on the first day of school today......

Kaitlin:  I have no homework!  I got an agenda.  Except that I have to read a lot!  My teacher's nice.  I didn't talk when she didn't want us to talk.  Anna Marie is in my class!  I knew Amanda.  Second grade is going to be great because second grade is awesome!

Elissa:  I have a TON of homework.  I'm angry because I have a ton of homework.  On the first day of school you shouldn't have homework.  I'm not sure if my teacher likes me.  Really.  Only one person from last year in my class is in my class this year.  Having a binder is cool.  As soon as I got there it felt very weird and I wanted to go home.  But it turned out to be okay.  Maybe tomorrow will be a better day.  I have a whole bunch of questions about if I feel fine in fourth grade.  Anyway, tomorrow will be a better day.  That will answer all my questions!

Grace had a nice day, saw friends, and liked her teachers. 

Me:  Today was a terrific day.  Every moment passed by so quickly, it seemed almost impossible to squeeze everything in!  I am so tired I can barely keep my eyes open!  So, I think I'll head to bed soon.  That alarm clock goes off really early!

So Long Summer

It may be triple digits here in Texas, but it's the end of summer for us.  I tucked the girls into bed at 8:00 in anticipation of an early rise tomorrow for the first day of school.  They had a hard time settling down tonight, since they are giddy with anticipation.  Kaity says she doesn't want to go, but I know that's just not true.  I'm sure she'd like to spend every day at home with me, but since I won't be here, school is the next best place!  Elissa has been ready to go back to school since about the middle of June, so she's very excited.  I believe the best way to explain how Grace feels is relieved.  The last month has been crazy busy for her, with two plays back to back.  Beauty and the Beast's final show was today, so I think she is looking at school as restful.  She knows of friends in all but two of her classes, and I'm sure she'll see some familiar faces when she gets there tomorrow.  It's going to be a wonderful year, full of new beginnings, new challenges, and new experiences.  I can't wait to see what it all brings!  So long summer, welcome school!

All in a day's work

How many times can you write one child's name on a popsicle stick, name plate, laminated shape, etc?  Five times today, folks.  And that was just today.  Setting up a classroom for the start of a new year is a lot of work, and I'm pretty sure most people do not realize how much time we spend doing this.  That's in addition to learning new curriculum, planning the next week's lessons, and having meetings.  It is certainly tiring, but well worth it in the end.  Teachers who are called to the profession may be tired this week, but we are also excited.  Just like students who are excited to meet their teachers, we too are excited to meet our students.  We share experiences with them, and love to watch them learn and grow.  I'm looking forward to a great year, how about you?

Super Day

Today was a super day, filled with excitement, learning, and even a few surprises.  However, since I got up at 5:00 am (yes, I mean in the morning) and it's now 11:30 pm (soooo very late), I think I'll just keep you wondering.  I'm pretty certain my head will hit the pillow and I will be asleep within five minutes!

A few things missing

Elissa has been a busy girl this summer.  It's amazing to me how much a girl can grow in two and a half months!  She grew taller - her size 8 shirts no longer fit and she needs a 10 most days.  (Size 8s are too short.)  I have trimmed her bangs twice!  The most amazing thing to me, though is that she has lost two molars in the last two days.  The first one she lost in a span of about fifteen minutes.  She noticed it was loose, wiggled it a bit, then just pulled it out.  Today, she noticed another tooth was loose, wiggled it, and pulled it out in five minutes flat!  Elissa doesn't like pain, so I'm pretty sure they were just ready to come out.  They are both on the bottom, so I'm starting to wonder how she might chew meat.  Oh, nevermind.  She doesn't like meat and mostly won't eat it anyway.  Watch for another update soon.  She may lose another tooth tomorrow!  Any predictions on how long it will take?

It's all over

Well, summer is officially over for me.  No more late nights (or late mornings), no more shorts, t-shirts, and flip flops (except on the weekends), no more bad hair days (I hope!).  But that's okay with me.  Summer ends and a new year begins.  I agree with my sis-in-law -- the new year should start now, not in January!  I am looking forward to learning new things, teaching new concepts, and having new and rewarding experiences.  The next week will be jammed with meetings, preparation, and information, but it will all be good, and it will all be for kids! 

Winding Down

Today was a wonderful way to wind down the summer.  My most wonderful mother arrived this morning from Denver.  She is a really busy Grandma, but always sets aside time for me and the girls.  She will be watching the girls for me this next week while I am back at work and they are not in school yet.  She arrived in time for us to head to Grace's 2pm show at The Courtyard Theater.  It was wonderul and we all thoroughly enjoyed it.  Later this evening we got together with our neighbors on our block for dinner.  The adults sat in lawn chairs and enjoyed bratwurst, hot dogs, and the trimmings, while the kids ran back and forth from toys to pool to food.  If you don't have great neighbors like we do, you really need to get some!  I'm not sharing mine unless you live on my street, though.  And if they ever move, we may follow them! 

The next week will most likely be a blur for me, and then my kiddos will be back in school, in a new grade and learning new things!  Gone will be the late night playdates with the neighbors, but I have to admit I will not miss these triple digit temps that will (hopefully) soon be gone!

Opening Night!

Tonight was opening night for Cinderella.  Grace plays the part of an aristocratic lady and a citizen.  I only caught the end of the show (we're attending tomorrow), but here's my beautiful girl in one of her costumes at the end of the show.  Isn't she terrific?  She didn't really want to have the photo taken (wanted to go greet her fans), but she did pause and let me have a Mommy moment!

You Can't Take Stuff With You

Boy did we have a busy day today!  I had a couple of meetings this morning, but this afternoon we ran around and sort of went non-stop.  Grace had schedule pick up this afternoon, so we went up to the school, turned in a few forms, then recieved her schedule, found her locker, and located all her classes.  She was pleased to find out that she has several friends in her classes, but not pleased to discover that she has PE first semester.  Oh well, you can't always get what you want.

After schedule pick up, we bopped over to a friend's house.  They used to live on our street, but moved very far away.  Well, it's not really very far away (just about 10 minutes), but it just seems very far away because we can't seem to ever get together.  Life just goes on by, and I often feel like I am the passenger in the car, just riding along!  We all get so busy in the details of life, that we sometimes forget to cultivate the important things like friendships.  I visited with friends this morning at work, then visited with long time friends at our play date, and visited with even more friends at church tonight.  By visiting with my friends, I am cultivating the friendships I need. 

The Bible tells us in Genesis 2:18 that we should have friends.  "It is not good for the man to be alone." 

And in John 13:34, that we should pursue friendship.  "A new command I give you:  Love one another.  As I have loved you, so you must love one another."   A good example of friendship is the relationship between David and Johnathan.  David and Jonathan developed a deep, meaningful friendship, based on loyalty and trust.  "...Jonathan was deeply impressed with David -- an immediate bond was forged between them.  He became totally commited to David.  From that point on he would be David's number-one advocate and friend."  1 Samuel 18:1 

So, friends, I want you to know that I am commited to cultivating our relationships.  Expect more phone calls, emails, and maybe even runs to Starbucks!  After all, we can't take the "stuff" that keeps us busy in life with us to heaven, just our relationships!

Kids in the Kitchen

Today the girls and I had some serious time in the kitchen cooking up lots of yummy things.  Sprouts had blueberries on sale for 99 cents a pint today, so of course I had to buy some and cook some tasty things with them!  We started making Spiced Blueberry Jam, then finished up with Blueberry Bread.  Elissa and Kaity did such a great job taking turns stirring, pouring ingredients, and operating the hand mixer.  It was nice to see them work so nicely together, since yesterday it was a completely different story!  For dinner, we enjoyed spaghetti (homemade sauce from two days ago), homemade rustic italian bread, and homemade pesto with basil from the garden. 

It truly was a homemade kind of day!  I love these days where I can enjoy being at home with the kiddos.  These days don't come very often, but when they do, I remind myself to enjoy the day.  It's certainly a great way to end the summer!  I still have two pints of blueberries left, so maybe I will have another homemade kind of day in the near future.  But not tomorrow, with meetings, schedule pick up, Cinderella dress rehearsal, and choir practice.  But that's okay, I think Friday's open!

Confessions of a Taxi Driver Mama

I absolutely love my children, and because I absolutely love my children, I am happy to drive them wherever they need to go, whenever they need to go there.  Even at 10 o'clock at night.  When I need to pick them up.  And I'm really tired from cleaning the house all day and doing laundry.  So, instead of complaining, I think about my blessings.  First, I am so blessed to have a wonderful husband and three beautiful, amazing daughters.  I am blessed to have a car to drive that does not break down, and provides me with cool air on an evening that is 98 degrees at 10pm (or at least that's what the car said) while I am being a taxi driver.  Earlier today, while I was mopping the kitchen floor, I didn't think about the hard work I was doing and how much I would like to have someone do this job for me, but rather I thought about how blessed I am to have a floor that needs mopping, instead of no floor at all.  And as for the laundry, hey, I have a washer, a dryer, and plenty of clothes for my family to wear.  Those are all blessings too.  So, I wouldn't trade the taxi driving or the chores, because they are a reminder of all my blessings!

Moving into the 21st Century!

Truly, I have no idea what I'm doing.  I have decided that The Miller Family needs to move into the 21st century and begin a blog.  Sure, updates on Facebook and Twitter are great, but not everyone follows us there.  So, here we are.  Hopefully you will see lots of changes as I figure this thing out!  Grace has promised to post also, and I think I'll be able to get Aaron on board eventually.  So, check back frequently and you may just be surprised!