Tammy and Jimmy

 

 

 

 

 My Aunt and Uncle came for a visit all the way from Washington.  They had to adjust to the dry air and high elevation, but they survived:) We gave them the full Jack Pack/Monticello treatment.  Long, death-defying hikes, loud little girls, and home-cooked food.  It was so great to see them.

Papa Bear

 

 

My dad stayed with us for a few weeks and we had a great time.  He saved the girls lives numerous times by taking them out on the four wheeler when "mom had had enough":)  He came up with crock-pot concoctions that were actually pretty good, deep cleaned my car, couches, and windows, and gave me much needed comic-relief with "Monk" jokes. 

Cheap Entertainment

While I make lotion...how could they resist all those packaging peanuts?  The miracle is-they didn't end up all over the house:)

Prom Pictures

 

 

I took the pictures this year at prom.  It was quite an experience considering it was my first time ever doing a "studio" type setting.  I did them for a very low, low price, just in case they weren't awesome, and also because I am not a "professional" photographer. (Which I stressed to the person who asked me to do them). I think they came out OK.  Our background was a little cheapy looking...note: NEVER use plastic backgrounds in a picture because the light reflects all of the ugliness.  Thankfully I am not responsible for the background.  These are some random shots of me and Jake and Bailey.  They were helping me that night/having fun without me:)  I was grateful for the opportunity to learn some new skills. 

Allie's 6!

 

 

 

Allie woke up to a waffle breakfast and a new age!  She LOVES to sing, but usually it is to a broken leg of a desk... today was a new day and she got a new microphone.  Everyone took their turn:)

One year older and wiser too:)

 

 

Happy 28th!  I really got to feel old when my 11 year old brother asked if Tyler and I could come to school for "Grandparents day"!  He doesn't have grandparents that live close, but he still wanted somebody to show off...it was fun to spend that time with him.  He is a SUPER kid!  He is like 11 going on 20, but in a good way.

Happy Birthday to ME!

 

 

 

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While we were in Idaho, Tyler and I slipped away to celebrate my birthday.  We went to dinner and I thought I recognized our waiter from highschool, when I asked him if he had gone to Hillcrest he said "no", but asked me what year I graduated to see if I recognized him from another school.  I told him 2002 and he jumped back in surprise and called another waiter friend over to ask how old he thought I was...I was then told I "wear my age well"  which is a nice way of saying..."you are OLD!"  I came to find out we were not the same age...haha.  We stayed in a place called the AmericInn in Rexburg.  We have stayed in "themed suites" before, but this one was awesome!  It was call the "Himalayan", and it was like being inside a canvas tent looking out into the jungle.  The pictures may not do it justice, but it was really well done.  We went to the Rexburg temple for the first time and enjoyed our day just taking our dear sweet time doing whatever we wanted.  Such a great way to spend time:)

Family in Idaho

 

All of the Miller kids together again:)  What a range of ages!  Something I love about my family is that no matter what happens between us, we work it out and move on. I love the idea that each of us brings a piece to the puzzle in order to complete the project.  My family is a "puzzling project", but we love eachother:)

 

My Sister's twin daughters were baptized while we were in Idaho and we had a great time being with the family. 

Little Buckaroos

 

 

 

Allie and Bria were in a little drill/cheer camp for a week.  They were pretty cute about the whole thing and had a lot of fun.  This was Bria's first time dancing in front of a lot of people and she was great!  She is my shy girl and she was a foot shorter than everyone her age, but she stole the show.  Allie loves to preform and doesn't have a shy bone in her body!

Pinterest

So I am not a member of pinterest...but I have stolen a few ideas from that home-wrecking, dinner-burning, child-ignoring, time-wasting, wonderful web site:) I was glad to have spotted this little idea...I'm excited to get a little more creative with it over the years with my posing children.

Rags

I have revived an old traditon with my girls that my mom use to do with my sisters and I when we were little. We call it "putting our hair in rags". We would wash our hair and then my mom would twist our hair into semi-thick strands and wrap it around a piece of material and tie it up. Let it dry over night while you sleep and this makes for some SUPER curly hair in the morning. With fine blonde hair you get almost a fro:) With thick darker hair, you get really tight curls. It is pretty darn fun to have girls.

Bria turns 4!

I realized on my Calendar I had written that Bria was turning 3...and then I realized...she was turning 4! I honestly do not know how that happened so quickly! She is our little Valentine baby. Because her birthday is on the 14th, it seems we are always celebrating it on the weekend before the holiday, but this year we had a fun family day celebrating Valentine's Day and Bria's Day. She has really grown up in the last few months, even though she has always been pretty independent and helpful, I've seen those characteristics take on new life as she has come to realize how her actions affect others. She is a sweet girl and we love her. (Even if she compulsively asks for snacks:)

Sheri Dew & Sister Nelson

I went to a Women's Conference in Moab last weekend with a group of amazing women.  What a wonderful opportunity to hear from these two powerful women who are simply, ordinary women...with extraordinary testimonies of the gospel.  Some of my favorite quotes from the conference were:
"Who's agenda is this supporting?"  (Sis. Nelson-In reference to what media should be in our home)
"How deep are our roots?" (Sis. Dew-Referencing a story about some of her beautiful plants being uprooted by a 6 year old:)
"What does the part of you that noone else can see look like?"  (Sis. Dew)
"This life is not about "This" life" (Sis. Dew)
So many ideas and stories were shared, but the over all message I came away with is this.  We need to be stronger than we are, our thoughts need to be centered on our Savior, and our role in strengthening the home and family has never been more important nor has it ever been more attacked than now. We need to be courageous in standing for what we know to be right...and ladies...we KNOW.

What every Girl and Woman should know...

With a teenage boy in the house and a constant stream of teenagers coming through my door.I have observed what our youth and even our "not so youth" are facing today.Beauty is more than the clothes (or lack thereof) on our backs.Being modest is more than just covering skin,its inner beauty reflected