Lions that are dandy

So with the arrival of spring Sadie Parker has been so excited to pick flowers for me to put in a vase, and display for all to see. She has since narrowed down which flowers she like the most, and that would be the dandelion. I think because its the most "interactive" flower around. She loves to pick and blow, pick and blow.
Now to Drew's credit, we don't have any of these in our yard, because he is the grass master. Our yard looks like a golf course for the Masters. You really just want to go and roll around in our grass.
So this means that we have to go to a neighbors yard to find the "flowers" that she loves so much. I'm pretty certain that our neighbor isn't to thrilled about this adventure in the slightest way. All the picking and blowing only make for more dandelions down the road, which is fun for us. But not for the neighbor. So a big shout out to the neighbor for allowing SP to explore and enjoy the lions that are dandy.

Here is one of her "beautiful flowers" for me to keep in a vase for all to see.

Hmmmmm...?

Lets see.... can anyone guess whats going on here?
I was told it would happen, but this is only about the second time I have seen it.
I am so sure you are all so glad that I was able to capture this moment for all to see.

Grassy Caterpillar

So when I picked up SP at school about two weeks ago there was a scary looking lump of stuffed pantyhose in her cubby. It was linked like sausages and stuffed with something brown, I was really unsure about taking this thing home, since it was so unpleasant to look at. Then her teacher explained that they were learning about caterpillars and the processes of turning into a butterfly. This was her caterpillar, stuffed with dirt and grass seed so that we can watch it grow "fur."
We took it home and put it on the back porch and watered it regularly and this is what came about.......
Interesting, I know. However, I must say that Sadie Parker did learn a lot about caterpillars and growing grass.



Here is is posing with "Harry" wearing her caterpillar bug "bow." She declared she and Harry the same, they both had and were caterpillars.

belated earth day

Yes, I know that I am a day late in writing about earth day, welcome to my life.

We here at the Miller household are semi active about saving the earth and the future of the earth.
We recycle, we buy organic when ever we can and when its affordable, and we use green products like reusable grocery bags, and chemical free cleaners. I know that there is more that we can be doing, but its a start for us, and yes truly every little bit does help.


I thought that I would post some links to websites that encourage this kind of living in hopes to make it a little bit easier for you all to participate as well. No judgments on our part, we just want to help when we can. There have been enough scare tactic statistics over the past few days that I'm sure you all will remember for a while, so I will spare you all of those details.

Just click the link and it will take you to the website and you can bookmark it in your favorites so that you can refer to it when needed......

Earth 911 is a website that you can type in your zip code and it will give you a list of places to recycle items anything from normal plastics and paper, to computers and even cars. Here is another place for computer recycling

call2recycle is a website that gives locations of places to recycle cell phones, also our local Target has a box at the customer service counter to drop off unused cell phones as well.

greenercars is a website devoted to the "greening" of vehicles, old and new.

Reusable energy is website that directs you to a local provider.

Mrs. Meyers is a company that manufactures all natural cleaning products which are not only better for the environment, but for your children's health as well. Research has shown that natural cleaners decrease the likelihood of a child developing asthma. There are SEVERAL other cleaners that are all natural as well, Clorox has a new brand of green cleaner that can be purchased at most grocery stores and even walmart. They are even very comparable in price to the other cleaners

Here is the local Knoxville link to the waste management departments to call and have a tub dropped off at your house to put your recyclables in and have them picked up with your trash for only a $40 fee. They make it really easy for you, its hard to find a reason to not do it.


There are many other things for me to go on and on about. Like why you should by organic or local before you buy conventional. I could devote a whole blog to food, the good and the bad, and the bad food that is just so good to eat. But this seems like plenty for now.

I thank you and my children thank you for reading about what you can do, and for doing what you can.

Lunch and Laundry

Drew's brother Grant is in a band, Nudity from Washington state, that is touring all over and happened to be playing in Knoxville this weekend. So Grant, his girlfriend Katherine, and the other three band mates came to our house for lunch and laundry. Drew roasted two chickens on the grill, and they were fabulous! We had a wide variety of food especially since there was a vegan in the bunch. It was a little amusing seeing the band mates interact or trying to figure out how to interact with an imaginative three year old. There were some conversations about a stinky skunk in the bunch. Drew, Sadie Parker, Uncle Grant and Ruby.

Exploring underneath the "earth" with Katherine.
Sadie Parker needed a map to find her way out. Sadie Parker really took to Katherine, they played in her room for a little while before lunch and you could hear their squeals throughout the whole house.

Another exploratory adventure. This is the back of Grants van that has a "bed" built into the top with storage for equipment underneath. I was a little apprehensive about her being up in a bed, that has more thank likely not been washed or cleaned since its inception, and is shared through rotation of 4 guys on the road. YIKES! But she thought it was great, having a bed in a van. She is washable so I didn't freak out to much. Lately she has been obsessed with big cars and mini vans, she really would just die and go to heaven if we got a mini van . I keep telling her its just not in mommas future, but she doesn't quite understand that. So she had a blast just looking around and trying out all the places to sit, and asked about the items that were in the van.
i.e. empty beer bottles, pillows, various trash and the bed.

Drew, Ruby, Sadie Parker, Grant and Katherine in the front yard.

One last adventure in the van that has been driven allover the good 'ole U.S.of A.

Ruby and a conversation

OK.
HUGE night last night.
Ruby slept 11 hours!!!!
Praises and Hallelujahs !



This is a conversation Drew had with SP yesterday

D: Do you want to watch Pocahontas tonight?
SP: No, she's mean.
D: What do you mean, why is she mean?
SP: She wears too much makeup, so she is mean.

Happy Hour

I am just now coming to the realization that mothers of two or more children invented happy hour, or hours depending on how many children you have.
I know that I have said this before, but having two children is hard, even when the kids are being easy and obedient and play by themselves, its still hard. I know that life will only become better as time goes by, and I am not by any means wishing my time away with my girls. I am just acknowledging that its hard.

There are so many things to constantly think through and about, like how to explain to Sadie Parker why we discipline her. I want her to understand that God loves her unconditionally, but that still means we must correct her bad behavior. Just as soon as I think she is getting it, she will be back in her room spanking her baby dolls telling them what bad girls they are, and that she isn't going to be their best friend any more. I don't think I have EVER told her she was a bad girl, but she disciplines her dolls that way. And I would hate to think that her little friends would say such things to her.

As of late I have instituted a new "rule" that only one Miller girl can cry at a time. So if Ruby is crying, Sadie Parker and myself have to wait our turn. This doesn't always work, and usually if Ruby and Sadie Parker are crying, I just go ahead and join in so as not to feel left out.

I know that God is good and gracious and despite all my parenting God will raise Sadie Parker and Ruby in the way that He has had planned for them since they were conceived. What a comfort that is to know, I can only do my best and truly God will intercede and save my children not just from me but hopefully from themselves as well.

This is what I have to say to those of you with one child, relish the time spent just one on one. Plan a vacation with just you and your husband before number two hits, because who knows when you will be able to have a conversation again that doesn't revolve around which parent will take care of which kid at that particular moment. And you will need to remember what his voice sounds like without little kids at your feet. Get a huge washing machine and dryer. As soon as your second poops on something, your first will pee the bed, and your dog will throw up so be prepared for lots of laundry. And cook a ton of food that can be frozen. I don't think we would have survived this far if it wasn't for the generosity of friends and family who made us meals. Because I know that Drew would not have been satisfied with Goldfish and string cheese for dinner, which might otherwise have been the case.

Conversations with Sadie Parker

Me "Sadie Parker, no more whining!"
SP "but God loves me"
Me "Yes, but still no whining."
SP "But God protects me so don't say that to me anymore."

As in "you don't tell me what to do , God will protect me from you and your discipline"

YIKES!!!!!!
While its cute to see the way her mind works, as well as funny sometimes. Its also scary to see how she interprets the gospel that we are trying to instill in her.

she speaks

Sweet Ruby trying to get a word in edge wise.

For those of you who don't know, Sadie Parker is extremely articulate.
So this was a sweet time to hear what Ruby had to "say."
It only took everyone else being out of the house so that we could have a conversation.
I hope that is not a sign of the way things will be in the future.

first of many

This weekend Sweets was gone on an annual boys weekend with a ton of college friends who fly in from all over the U.S. of A.

Therefore it was a weekend of girls at my house, a first of many weekends to come, and full of first time events for us. My mom, Honey, spent the night with us for the first time ever on Friday night. Sadie Parker was so excited to have a slumber party.

Also this weekend was the first bath that the Teense and the Weensie have ever taken together. Sadie Parker could not have had more fun being in the bath with her sister. She wanted so desperately to help bathe her and rinse her off. I myself am still nervous giving her a bath and worried about her slipping around and the likes so Sadie Parker was a little disappointed. But that didn't last for long, she had moved on to the tub toys and kept telling Ruby what each one was. She is really looking forward to playing in the tub with Ruby when she is older, and is already planning what they will play. I hope and pray that they will be great playmates and the best of friends as they grow into adults. I think that as long as Ruby cant disagree with Sadie Parker they will be in great shape. Its when she starts talking that I am preparing for some colossal fights between the two of them.

This weekend also was the beginning of Sadie Parker's t-ball carrier. She has the hat, the t-shirt, the pink glove, and the cleats. All the makings of a career athlete. At least we thought that was the case.

The short version (which I will expound upon later),is that we spent our time "making strawberry blueberry cake" in her team hat.Over all we had a great time, just us girls. I am not saying I want this every weekend ( we need and want our dada!). But it was great to know that we did it, and it was great fun, and we survived.

the sisters

We have a neighbor who gave these shirts to the girls and SP LOVE'S her's. She would wear it every day if i let her. A local girl, Emily Tanner, designs these shirts, (along with many other items) you can even personalize them with your child's name on them. Click here to see her website, so cute, they make GREAT gifts. Some of you may watch John and Kate plus 8 and all of those crazy kids have shirts by this girl with each child's name and number on them. I digress.
I truly think that if this shirt were clean every day it would be worn. Today I surprised Sadie Parker by putting Ruby in her's. She has yet to wear it since its a little to big at the moment. I dressed Ruby and put her in her crib, then I asked Sadie Parker to go into Ruby's room and give her her passy back. You would have thought it was Christmas they way SP squealed with delight at this discovery. She immediately wanted to wear her matching shirt as well. So here are the pictures, one of each of the girls smiling. I have yet to figure out how to get them to both smile well at the same time.

Budding artist

So it seems we have a little Picaso on our hands, or maybe even a Jackson Pollock. Sadie Parker loves her new easel that she was given for Easter from Honey ( my mom). It has provided loads of creative time for Parker which is always a challenge to find something that can hold her attention and be "productive" or rather something that is not "sucking her brain out of her head." (t.v.)
I don't know if you can see in this picture, but you can a few down, the hand prints that she has painted on the paper. She paints her hand and then places it on the paper, apparently they do this at her pre-school on a regular basis. I was unaware of this, but I do wish I had known. Especially when she told me one day she was done painting and wanted to go rest, so I told her to take her smock off, and just go and lie down in her bed. I was in the other room with Ruby so I couldn't see her very well. When I had gone in her room to check on her I noticed dark marks on the walls down the hallway, and I didnt think that much about it. Just add it to the mental list of things to clean. However when I got to her room I saw her hands, covered in paint, and her sheet pulled up to her neck with nice little finger prints all over. ( I was just so thankful that it wasnt her comforter) I should have taken a picture of her "creation". But she informed me that she was done resting. Needless to say, now I watch her like a hawk when we paint. She sure does love it.

A master piece created by SP and Drew.

The not so granny pantie

Yes, this is my grandmother holding up a pair of thong panties that say "I Do" in silver rhinestones.
These were a gift that were being passed around at a recent bridal shower.
The only thing that Libby, my grandmother, said about them was
"I don't think that Jim (my grandfather) even knows what these are." Here is the funniest part to me, I have been taking pictures of my family for years, and I mean years. I only have one other picture of Libby where her eyes are open and she is smiling at the same time. Apparently I just needed to give her a pair of thongs to hold up all the other times when I was trying to get a good picture.


and a shout out goes to my Aunt Dottie for providing the "smile-maker"

Hakiu of sadie parker

Said Sadie Parker

"your belly is really full."

to a obese man

Four Things

Four answers for each category, and i have "tagged" four of your toward the end.



People who e-mail me (regularly):
1. Court
2. Tinah (the random girl, who bought our old house)
3. mom
4. Olivia

Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. Gap girl
2. Talbots Kids store sales girl
3. Nanny
4. Project Coordinator

Three places I have lived:
1. Viva Knoxvegas
2. Malibu, B.C.
3. Savanah, GA


Four TV Shows that I watch:
1. Lost
2. The Real Desperate Housewives of New York ( I cant stop watching it)
3. The Hills
4. Boston Legal

Four places I have been:
1. St. John, BVI
2. Vancouver, BC
3. San Diego, CA
4. NY, NY

Four of my favorite foods:
1. Pita Chips
2. Rotisserie chicken
3. Any kind of cheese
4. Mexican

Four places I would rather be right now:
1. sleeping, with the whirr of white noise in my ears and the "blackness" of an eye mask.
2. in my pajamas, reading without being interrupted
3. on the beach listening to the waves, reading a great book.
4. snuggled up with my husband and kids

Four friends I am tagging :
1. Laura
2. Rebekah
3. Jess
4. Genna

Four things I am looking forward to in 2008:
1. My Sister getting married
2. Ruby sleeping through the night (she is up to 7 hours !!!!)
3. Summer vacation
4. My cousin Mark getting married

Yikes!!!! Polygamy in the news again

Here is the latest on my obsession with polygamy.
And yes, its moved beyond Big Love. I am now feeling a urging in my heart to pray for these people. Especially the young girls, who don't have any say over their own lives. So sad, and scary.

The Current Freak Out

So, for those of you who have young children and are aware of all the "recent" data on vaccines and autism, you might relate to my freak out more than those who are not as up to date on the subject.
The day before Ruby's two month check up was some sort of National Autism Awareness day on all the news channels. I am constantly watching these late night interview with Larry King and other interviewers, and Jennie McCarthy was on talking about her son, and the CDC, etc.... There were specialist for and against vaccines. A lot of arguing and talking over and the likes.
I have no qualms with vaccinating at the moment. I am not into nor want to be responsible for an outbreak of polio or some other deadly disease.
But with regards to autism I do think that there are some children who might be more prone to having the vaccine turn on the genes that trigger autism, but I don't have the scientific evidence to support that fully. I also think that there are environmental factors that contribute as well. When you add all of these things together, the vaccine, the environment, the genetics of a child, I think that there are links to causing autism.
All this to say is that Ruby had her two month check up yesterday in which she had SIX vaccines. I was so uneasy and I talked to the doctor about them all, and she assured and reassured me that Ruby would be fine. That all the testing around the world gave her the confidence to inject my little 11 pound baby with disease fighting serums. I even asked her if there was a value in spreading out the vaccines. She kind of hem-and-hawd, but she promised me that all was well. This is what she had done with her kids. Which is somewhat settling but still not quite right with me.
I wish that in the moments of when the doctor left and the nurse came in that I had thought quicker about wanting the shots spread out, but I didn't. I don't know why this bothers me so much. There aren't any signs of autism in Ruby, and I know to some of you this may be really extreme. However, I feel weighted down by this for some reason, and I cant let go of it. I feel that as a mother I should have been able to think quicker, ask better questions and pushed for spreading out the shots. I now know that is what I will do in the future.
I really like our pediatrician a lot, and I feel that she and I are in line on a lot of things, but not 100% on this one. I just need to listen to myself a little more, and take the time to say "hold on a minute, let me think a little longer about this and then decide."
Like I said, Ruby is fine, just sleepy, and thats not such a bad thing.
Thanks for listening to my conscious a little. Even if it is random and crazy.

Hey mom, I'm just like you!

OK, so at first when Sadie Parker ran into the living room, completely naked yelling
"MOM!!!! I'M JUST LIKE YOU!!!!, look momma, see?!?!?"
I have to admit I was a little confused. She was prancing around, holding my sunglasses and just happy as she could be with herself. I was trying to rack my brain as to why she had to be naked to me just like me. Was she referring to being a girl, was it the prancing, had I recently done this exact same dance without clothes as well? I cant remember the last time I ran around my house nu-nu, (what we call being naked) at least not well enough to write about it.
It wasn't until she put the shades on her eyes, and then promptly push them up to the top of her head, was it that I realized what she meant. It was the sunglasses she was referring to. Specifically, when they were on her head holding back her "hair." She was tickled pink that she could keep the sunglasses on her head as if they were some sort of magical tiara that made her just like me. It was fun to see how pleased she was with herself. I do tend to wear my sunglasses on my head, probably more than over my eyes. Its just a habit, they hold my hair back and I don't loose them very often. I do hope that in the future I am able to teach and impart much more than how to wear sunglasses on her head. But for now, if it makes her that happy, may the sun always be bright, so that she must wear her shades.
Disclaimer: for Sadie Parker's sake I only took head shots, so no need to cover your eyes.....

sweet little smiles

Here are some recent pictures of Ruby at two months, and a short video of her smiling. (sadie parker wanted to help so she is sitting very still and keeping very quiet.) She starting smiling at about six weeks, along with some "cooing" conversations.

Can you tell that the Easter Bunny visited Ruby?

For some reason every "month-day" picture we have taken she is wearing bunnies and posing with her bunny.