Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are and the things you never want to lose

Well, we made it through Christmas with me practically one-handed! I had my surgery on the 15th, a followup last week and on Wednesday, I get my stitches out! So ready to have my hand back!

Christmas was great!! The kids really made out and they all seemed so happy with everything they got, especially Abby - she's at that fun age :) David has begged us for a good year for an itouch (thanks to Haley! ha!) and so,we decided to surprise him with one - bad idea. He got it taken away Christmas night! Ughh. Not sure what we're going to do about it, but I have to admit, I wouldn't mind having it for myself! Aside from that, he had a good Christmas too .. as for Molly, I don't think she cared one way or the other about all of the excitement and presents - although she did love her little 4 wheeler that Nana and Granddaddy gave her! Spending time with our family and friends is what's most important to us and we were definitely able to do a lot of that this past weekend. We're so grateful for all of the people that are a party of our lives ..

Hard to believe a new year is less then a week away!! We've been working on our resolutions and if things go as planned, a few of them will be fulfilled within a couple of months! Really, we just want to have a year filled with lots of love, lots of laughs, and lots of memories .. Jamie and I have reflected on this past year and while there are a lot of things we could have done without, we really have been blessed and are using our experiences (both good and bad) to learn and grow from. We're looking forward to 2011 - we have a lot going on and there's just something about a "new beginning" .. we originally planned to ring in the new year at Universal (we got passes for Christmas!!!!) but have decided to stay in and have a game night with the kids instead .. should be a fun night, we're all looking forward to it!

Other then that, it's been business as usual. The kids are out of school until January 10th and I think I'm going to take them either to Sandy's or Savannah for a few days (after the new year) - Abby's been asking if we could go on another vacation so this will really make her happy :) January is already turning into a busy month: basketball starts, David is turning 10!!!, Jamie's mom is coming to visit, and I'm helping host a baby shower for my cousin, Kara. I'm also hoping to start school this semester so add that to the list ..

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! to everyone!!!

"An optimist stays up until midnight to see a new year come in; a pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves" - Bill Vaughn

Where does all the time go???

I have an idea to where all of the time goes - school, work, volunteering, cleaning house, shopping, kids, extracurricular activities, thinking, planning, etc .. aren't we all in this boat!? Ha! I don't know about the rest of you, but I feel like my world is in a constant "go" mode - why is that? I'm always telling friends of mine to "make sure you take time for yourself" and "no, you shouldn't feel guilty about not tackling everything on your to-do list" but I have to honestly say, those aren't words I usually live by and you know what? I should. Perhaps that ought to be one of my resolutions for the upcoming year - taking time for me and slowing down, just a little. It has been on my list for the past 3 years, maybe this year will be the year .. I doubt it :)

Things in the Miller household have been good - we have a lot going on, aside from everything else the month of December brings. Just keep us in your thoughts and prayers and wish us the best.

Abby turned 4 last Sunday! And as you know, her birthday was something she had been looking forward to for months!  She had a great day - lunch, a makeover, a movie, cake, presents - everything a little girl wants! Ha! It's been so much fun watching her grow - she is full of personality and on most days, attitude! She's definitely our spunky one, I think we've said that about her since she was born :) She's been begging us to let her go to school everyday - it's not happening. Not 'til Kindergarten. She's excited about Christmas (who isn't?!!?) and she wants everything she sees! Luckily for us, Abby is pretty happy with anything she gets ..

Our other 2 kids are good. David brought home straight A's on his progress report!!!!! He's been working on this project he has due before the Christmas break - he has to make up a planet, write a paper about it, and make a model of it. His choice: Planet Fizz - cute, right? I'm actually looking forward to him finishing it, he adds a little more detail to it everyday - he's done a good job :) Oh, he had a chorus performance last night, he did so good!! I should upload the video of one of the songs - he's gotten  kick out of watching himself :)  He's starting basketball in a couple of weeks and has begun the countdown to his 10th birthday ..

Molly has been very sweet the past couple of weeks. It's not everyday that I'll say that about her, it's actually been really nice - she is sweet as sweet can be or the complete opposite! I'll take it. She doesn't like keeping her shoes on these days, she'd rather wear someone else's :) Usually, she'll have one foot tucked into Jamie's shoe and the other, in one of mine .. she's been working with her therapist for an hour a week and I'm happy to say that we've already noticed an improvement - we have a long road ahead of us and for those of you that know, a tough one. Thinking of her and everything she has to go through brings tears to my eyes, let's just say that Molly is good and leave it at that ..

It's been cold in the sunshine state!!!! It's actually starting to feel like Christmas! And as an early present to myself, I am going through with my surgery and will be having it done on Wednesday - the DR seems to think I'll be unable to do much for a couple of weeks, I say we'll see about that. Ha!

And because my kids have been what's keeping me going (literally!!) and because I love them more then anything in this world: "Your children will become what you are; so be what you want them to be" David Bly

Life is what we make it, always has been, always will be

Wow!! What can I say!? This past week has been awesome! We spent 4 days in Savannah and of course, loved every second of it - it's so different from any place in FL and it definitely has a certain charm and Southern hospitality to it. We arrived home around 7pm Thanksgiving night and within a couple of hours, my sisters and I were on our way out to begin a 15 hour shopping spree!!! It was crazy! And lots of fun! I am happy to say that with the exception of 1 person, all of my shopping is done! Love getting a jump start like that - to be fair, I have to admit that I have been shopping throughout the year, taking advantage of good deals when I see them :)  I love Christmas!!

While we were away, we found out that Molly will continue her therapy and the good news is that she will now get an hour a week!!! Not as much as we think she needs, but more then what she was getting and we're happy with that. We have been back and forth on putting her in preschool (she would begin in January) 2 days a week - a part of us thinks she is too little to be going, but it was recommended by her speech therapist and a behaviorlist. We'll see - luckily, we have time to decide. She would go to the same school Abby attends and she'd also be going the same time and days .. what in the world am I going to do with myself if we do decide to put her in!?!!? Hmmm ....

And for those of you that don't know, I am having surgery on December 15th - we have decided that we're not going to have any more kids and so, I am getting my tubes tied. Just kidding!!!! Although I don't think we'll have any more little ones, no drastic measures, at least not yet. But I am having surgery, I wasn't kidding about that. I have severe carpal tunnel - so much so that I have extensive nerve damage in my wrist and if I don't have the surgery done, it's a pretty good possibility that I'll lose complete feeling and motor control in my right hand - can't have that happening.  My DR expects me to be "out of commission" for at least 2 weeks - we'll see about that. Ha!  This is something I was told to have done before Molly came along, but something I put off - I wish I hadn't.

Oh! In Savannah, we met Lori's neighbors (great family, great people) They have 3 boys and a baby girl - her name? Scout!!! Love it! recognize it? From To Kill a Mockingbird? Only the best book ever written! When I was pregnant with Molly and before we knew she was a girl, I wanted to name her Atticus, after my absolute favorite character - Jamie said no. Ha! Perhaps if we do have another baby, I can squeeze that name in somewhere :) 

"One time Atticus said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them" - Scout

"Atticus said it was the polite thing to do to talk to people about what they were interested in, not what you were interested in" - Scout

I love these quotes! Words to live by ...

Has it been 2 weeks already??

We are all officially in countdown mode - we leave for Savannah early Monday morning!!! Well, actually our first stop will be in Metter, GA - we're meeting Sandy and the kids (can't wait to see them!!!!!!) for lunch and then she'll be taking David back to her house - yep, that's right. David isn't spending Thanksgiving with us - it was a hard decision for us to make, but we know that we have to give him the chance to see his cousins (and aunt and uncle) whenever we can. Besides, David misses Haley so much!!! He did tell Jamie 2 nights ago that we shouldn't have told him he'd be seeing her soon - poor kid hasn't been able to sleep! Ha! I'm preparing for an emotional "reunion" - staying good-bye to Sandy and the kids was probably one of the hardest things I (and David) have been through. It was tough - very. Anyway,  it'll be good seeing them again, even if it's just for a couple of hours. What's great is that after Thanksgiving, they're coming down to spend the weekend with all of us - which means the 3 of us (Christy, Sandy, me) will be able to shop on Black Friday!!!! It's been our tradition for 3 years!!  And we'll get to celebrate Hannah's birthday with her :)

Today is the first Saturday in 11 weeks that we're "free" - David's baseball season ended on Thursday night. I have to admit, we're going to miss it - it was a lot of fun watching him play and we also met some really great people that we've been used to seeing 3-4 times a week .. we're so happy that he enjoyed playing so much and yes, he's already looking forward to spring when he can play again! Ha! But first, he'll play basketball - I'm pretty sure that starts in January.  I can't say enough how great of a kid David is - he's just really happy with life and always seems to find the good in things, love that optimism.

Abby has been waking up everyday asking "is this the day that's my birthday" - funny! She can't wait to celebrate turning 4 - she's got a lot planned for the day! She absolutely loves going to school and she loves her dance class just as much - she's got her very first recital on December 18th. Should be cute! Abby keeps us very entertained and lately, she's obsessed with knowing everyone's name - people we see driving, people we see walking, people we see on TV, people we see at the park, people at stores, etc .. she doesn't care. "What's their name" is a question we probably hear 40 times a day! Ha!

Molly is - well, Molly. We always joke that she has split personalities - she really can be the sweetest girl on some days, but on others - watch out! Ha! Last Thursday, she had her 6 month "checkup" with her speech therapist and we're hoping that therapy will increase to an hour a week - it still isn't enough, but it will be better then what she's getting now. We should find out on Tuesday - keep your fingers crossed!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!! My family and I have so much to be grateful for and we're also lucky to have such great people in our lives .. and because I love quotes:

"Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you'll never, ever have enough" - Oprah

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas!

It's chilly in the sunshine state!!! Anyone who knows anything about Florida knows our new-found weather isn't going to last - we'll just enjoy it while we can :) This past week has been full of ups and downs - that's what life is all about, right? We take in stride and I think it helps that Jamie and I are leaning on each other now more then ever before, we have to. Either way, we're happy with a lot of what we've been through and after Thursday morning, we got some answers that we have been looking for for quite awhile .. it comes to us as somewhat of a relief, but we've still got some work to do and until we're done, we have decided not to share about it - just know that it's a good thing. 


As for the kids, they're all good! Abby is officially in countdown mode for her 4th birthday to arrive - we've got all of the details of the big day worked out so she's pretty excited for it to get here! ha! David is still doing great in school - he just got his report card, 4 A's and 2 B's!!!!! we are so proud of him and for his efforts, Jamie and I are taking him to a Magic game at the end of the month, just the 3 of us. Baseball season is coming to a close and he's already asking about playing in the spring - he loves it! His team is tied for 1st place and I think after the regular season ends, they start tournaments which they'll be playing in - we're all very excited about that!! Go Dodgers! David is such a good kid, he has no idea :) In December, he'll start basketball and play that through the beginning of spring and of course, he's still a part of scouts. He really is a well rounded kid who really does love just about everything that's handed to him - we love that about him! Molly is good, such a sweet girl - we joke that she is when she wants to be - aren't we all!? Ha! Speech is going pretty good - we love Mrs Kristie although she'll be leaving us at the end of December (she's taking that last trimester of her pregnancy off) Lately, Molly likes to dress herself after we've already dressed her so there are many mornings she'll have on multiple layers of clothes! Ha! She also likes to watch me put makeup on most days - she tries to copy what I do, it's cute :)


As for Jamie and me, we're good - busy as always but with 3 kids, we expect nothing less. Jamie is hoping to coach basketball again, he's good with the youth and loved doing it last season .. yesterday, I chopped off my hair and went BLONDE!!! Love it! It's been a long time since I've sported light locks and I can't believe I haven't done this sooner! 


Hope everyone remembered to fall back an hour, the extra hour of sleep was much needed!!     

My poor daughter, Molly

Like I said before, it seems to be one thing after the other - Molly has bronchitis. She always seems to be more prone to getting sick and Lord knows we've seen our share of doctors since she was born! Having asthma doesn't help her at all - poor baby. The bad news is that she's back on all kinds of medication, which we hate - she has only been using her nebulizer on an as needed basis and now she's back to 2/day with one medication and every 4-6 hours for another .. she's also on Singulair and she's being treated for pneumonia because the chances of her bronchitis turning into something worse is pretty good .. we have a followup appointment with her pulmonologist next month and 2 days after that, we see her ENT - we've been seeing him every 8 weeks since summer. We thought that Molly might have to have tubes put in her ears, but after our last appointment, he said something about her adenoids coming out - needless to say, we're ready for answers and obviously, just want to do what's best for her :) We've been using this time to research our options and we'll know more when we see him again. Until then, we work on getting Molly better and getting her breathing under control ..

My poor daughter, Abby

For those of you that don't know, Abby has walking pneumonia :(  I think I mentioned in my last post that it's always seems to be something with these girls and this week, it was Abby's turn. What I didn't know, was that we'd be going to the DR the next morning and getting this diagnosis. My poor daughter looks terrible, she can't stop coughing (no meds allowed for that) and I think she's slept maybe 10 hours in the past 2 nights, maybe. To her, the worst part about being sick is that she's going to miss her costume parade and field trip to the pumpkin patch at school tomorrow - this is something she's been looking forward to for weeks! She keeps asking me "am I still sick" and knowing how people get sick, she has placed all of the blame on a girl in her class - ha! She said and I quote "I know who did this to me. It was ----- .. I know that because there was a time she should have washed her hands and she didn't" Ahhhh, kids. I wish it were that easy, this is the first case of walking pneumonia in Abby's school so I'm pretty sure it didn't come from one of the kids there. What Abby doesn't know is that her Nana is coming by tomorrow morning with a basket of goodies for her - she thought it would help soften the blow about not being able to go to school. So sweet.


I am praying for a quick recovery and crossing my fingers that it doesn't get passed to anyone else in our household. I think if I spray any more of our stuff with Lysol, we're going to become immune to it! Ha!

Had a bad day, taking one down, sing a sad song just to turn it around

Why is it that every good day seems to be followed by a bad one? Yesterday was a really nice day - the sun was shining, our kids behaved, Jamie and I celebrated our 6 year anniversary - we saw a movie, went out to a nice dinner and made it home with just enough time to see The Next Iron Chef :) I woke up this morning expecting my luck to continue - I was wrong. For those of you that I'm close to, you know that I have been struggling with a couple of things emotionally - neither one of the things I am going through has been easy and to be perfectly honest with you all, my heart feels like it's breaking ..  I am so sad about some of the changes in my life and I really don't know what to do about them from here. I pray I will find my answers, I need them! It also doesn't help that my girls were off today and it just seemed to be one thing after the other, you mothers know what I'm talking about! Ha! Not to mention, we Millers can't seem to shake being sick - well, minus the boys. (knock wood) The girls and I have been passing one thing or the other to each other for the past 3 weeks and this week, it's Abby's turn. She started with a cough this morning, but my mid afternoon, she seemed to shake it. After Jamie and David left for scouts, I took the girls to Publix - bad idea! Abby started a coughing fit that was so bad, she puked down an entire aisle and then, once she stopped, she peed all over  the floor - ughh. I honestly didn't know whether to laugh or cry! Poor thing has been coughing/puking since 7:30pm!? About 30 minutes ago, we took her out of her bed - no sense in keeping Molly up too. Yep, that's right - Molly has been wide awake for 2 hours watching us shuffle in and out of their bedroom! Last we checked, she was jumping up and down, making sounds like a monkey :) I think I'm in for a LONG day tomorrow!  I wonder what kind of day follows a bad one?

Each day of our lives we make deposits in the memory banks of our children -Charles Swindoll

It's funny to see and hear the things your kids pick up on - especially when it's something you have said or done! Usually, my description of something, anything is "stinkin' cute" - this applies to the way Abby has fixed her hair or the way David looks in his baseball uniform .. sometimes, it's the smile Molly gives us, it really could be anything. Anyway, yesterday morning, Abby came into the kitchen, completely dressed - a task she did all on her own. She was quite proud of herself and while it was something I wouldn't have picked out for her (she matched, but it was a "winter" outfit), I let her wear it .. she stood, staring at me with her big, blue eyes and said "Mommy, I look stink today, don't I" Ha! Ha! I laughed and laughed! Throughout most of the day, anything she saw was "stink this" or stink that" - it didn't matter that she didn't have the saying quite right, it was her way of remembering what I said .. she warms my heart :)


On another note, Molly and I participated in a trial class at The Little Gym this morning and after warming up to it, she loved it!! She got to play on a balance beam, mats of all different shapes, colors and sizes, she sang songs, played with bubbles, and much more! What's even better is that Ellery is in the same class - how fun! I think from now on, Molly will be going every Thursday - it's something all for her and it's a great way to spend one on one time :) Thanks to Christy for inviting us along!!


I've gotta brag on David - he got an "A" on his book project!!!! Not just an "A", he got a 100% on it!!!! He had to read a book that was at least 200 pages, write a summary on it and then make something creative that showed what the book was about - he chose to read Judy Moody Becomes Famous and he made a t-shirt, it really was cute!  We had a conference with Mrs Frantz last week - she likes to keep parents informed about whats going on at school and she had nothing but great things to say about David! He's above average in reading AND in math and he's doing great in all of his other subjects! We are so proud of him!!

Keeping up with the Millers ..

Just to bring everyone up to speed ...


David - turning 10 years old (wow! time flies!) in January and loves just about everything he's ever been introduced to! Right now, he's into baseball, Cub Scouts, chorus, and pretty much anything that requires him to be outdoors .. he loves school (always has) and this year has proven to be somewhat of a challenge to him which is exactly what he needed - his teacher is awesome and does nothing but praise him and encourage him to "take it to the next level", we love that! David's a thinker, he questions the logistics of how something works, pretty much always - there isn't anything he doesn't like learning about. Although we would say he's "all boy", he does have such a sweet side to him, especially when it comes to his 2 younger sisters ..  we are so proud of how well rounded he is and for doing so well in everything he does! 


Abby - she's full of spunk, we've said that about her since she was a baby. She's been planning her 4th birthday since January and has decided she wants to get "make up" aka makeover at the mall , then she wants to buy a new princess dress, see a movie, eat lunch, get new shoes, play with Sarah and finish the day at Chuck E Cheese!! We can't promise all of those things to her, but we'll definitely try :) She started preschool this year, 2 days a week - Tuesdays and Thursdays and she absolutely loves it! She's been making new friends although she is starting to notice differences between herself and her peers .. on Tuesdays, she takes a ballet/tap class which is offered through her school and she loves that too! Come to think of it, there's not much she doesn't like - she's very much the "girly girl" although she's also not afraid to get dirty! Everyday, it's something new with her and like many kids her age, she likes pushing our buttons to see what she can and can't get away with .. we have fun (and a lot of laughs!) just watching her!  


Molly - the baby of the family, just turned 2. She's a bit of a challenge for us and has been since the day she arrived!! Molly's probably our most lovable child and isn't stingy when it comes to giving up hugs and kisses :) Of course, she's like that when she wants to be!  She's 2 and with that also comes hitting, screaming, biting, tantrums, Independence, etc .. in June, she was diagnosed with excessive receptive/expressive language delay which simply means she doesn't communicate the way other kids her age do. Since then, she's been working with an in-home speech therapist - Molly adores her and just after a few weeks, she started making progress! She's still got quite a ways to go, but we know she'll get there - just takes time, not to mention patience. We do a lot of communication through sign language - we introduced that to her when she was a baby and now she picks it up so quickly! Molly loves everything about the world she's in, especially animals. Live ones, stuffed ones, she doesn't care :) She's a bit of a daddy's girl (always has been) and her daddy loves it .. she loves being outside and right now, she can't seem to get enough of "ba-ba" aka Barney. Molly's definitely our loudest child, but we like all the craziness she gives us - sometimes :) Ha!  


Jamie & Emily - we're busy parents!!!! Next weekend, we will be celebrating our 6 year anniversary and we have yet to decide how we should spend the day?! It'll be great just hanging out together - those times are far, few and in between these days! Ha! Jamie is still a general manager at Chili's and though he probably averages 55 hours/week, he really does like what he does. Eventually, he'd like to get into a new store - usually though, a GM stays put for 3-5 years ..  as for me, I graduated in May and took the fall semester off to figure out exactly what I want to do with my degree - I am an education major and will be starting classes in January. Still not 100% on what I'll do, but I do know that whatever it is, it will involve education .. I am also working part time scoring FCAT (practice) essays - I love it. I am involved with the parent board at Abby's school and I'm on the PTA board at David's school .. I am also part of a MOPS group (mothers of preschoolers) which has turned out to be a great outlet and out of it, I have met a lot of new people and have made some great friends :) Jamie and I teach 1st grade Sunday school at our church - it took some getting used to, but we really like it. We hardly get any free time, but when we do, we like spending time in the yard, visiting museums, hiking, bike riding, and this season, we're hooked on The Next Iron Chef - we pretty much love everything on Food Network! For us, life right now is about our kids - we often have to remind each other of that when we've run out of energy before the week is up! Everything we do and every decision we make involves them - we want to be good parents, our kids mean the world to us and we want to make sure they know that!