Company

It's been awhile so let me catch up a little. At last year's end, U. T and A. B and E and C came to visit (I come by abbreviating names naturally. Half the fun of instant msgs from my parents is trying to figuring out exactly who came for dinner). So they came to visit and we played for a day and then one by one we all started loosing our lunch - and by "we all" I mean everyone but us strong women-folk. No, Brooke and I stood at the ready wild eyes darting to each of our charges determining their readiness to blow. Any cough, sputter or sudden movement and we would fly through the air, Tupperware bowl extended. Aaahhh...fun times, fun times. Eventually everyone rid themselves of the awfullness just in time to play a wee bit more and then say good-bye. JUST the way we had planned it but I suppose some good times are better than none.

After T and B, my parents came. They arrived on a Sunday. Monday my Dad had a root canal and then on Tuesday he had a root canal and then on Wednesday lunch began to get lost again. I seriously began doubting my cleaning methods, my food preparation methods, and certainly my hostessing methods. But again, eventually it all past and we were able to get on with having fun. From my perspective it was the perfect mini-vacation: built-in kid occupiers, built-in handyman ready to tackle a bunch of stuff that needed doing forever, and built-in free babysitting so my Nato and I could go out! Oh yeah and also built-in kid-taker-and-picker-up-from-schooler. I love having my Daddy and Mommy here. But like all good things, it eventually had to end.

Our sadness for them leaving couldn't last long however as Grandpa Miller joined us the next night. Thanks to the massive rainfall we were receiving at the time (did you hear? California actually had WEATHER!) we got to have him for two nights. And then, two days later, we got to have U. J and A. K and J and M over. Somehow play time with J and L and J (see? isn't this fun!) turned into constant shooting. What is it about boys and guns? Jill joined in but not nearly with the same amount of gusto or endlessness. Whatever. They did put them down long enough to have a slumber party by the fire. The next day, the big boys got to go to the go-cart track and the big girls got to go antiquing. So fun!

But as all had done before they eventually left us. Poor Jill was beside herself.
"Why does everyone have to leeeeave?" "I want them all to staaaaaaay."
I'm not sure I would really want them all to stay forever but I sure do hate to see them leave.

Merry Christmas

Thanks to all our friends who sent Christmas cards to us. It is so much fun to get each one and with each one my guilt grows about not sending out one from the Miller 5. Maybe next year, or maybe not. I figure with this blog how many pictures of us do you really need to see. ;)

Anyway, trust everyone has a lovely holiday. We can certainly praise God for all that is past and always trust him for all that is to come. If He doesn't come in the next week I think 2010 would be the perfect year to go home. But what do I know.

Love, The Miller 5

Jill's "New" Bike

Over the Thanksgiving weekend in T-hatch, Nathan painted Lucas' (or is it Lucas's or is it Luca's or.... Honestly ever time I write it, I wonder) old bike, which in now Jill's bike, pink and also the surrounding grass but that is really beside the point now since his Mother graciously forgave him and is now just very thankful every time it snows.

To complete the transformation I ran to Maisonnette, which is a wise first step in any decoration transformation one may undertake. Turns out they had the PERFECT oilcloth fabric to tie in the pink and the remaining bits of red. A little bit of paint, a little bit of sewing and a little bit of decoupage glue and TA DAAA....a new PINK bike for a very PINK girl.

Since I had the camera out we had fun trying to make "fast" pictures. I told Jill to ride by me really fast, look at me and smile. She did a great job looking at me with a huge cheese-ball smile.

But occasionally you also have to keep an eye on where you are going...

Lucas pulled out his standard freestyle tricks...

This one "got my heart going. I wasn't sure what was going to happen."And on a completely unrelated note...all fall I've been loving these trees at end of our street.