Team Miller

Whatever We Want!

2012-02-10T17:09:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday we experience freedom. Well, that is what we like to think. J has a class that she's been going to on Wednesday nights and I get to stay home alone with the boys. I started telling Dre, "When J leaves we can do anything we want!" I thought it was funny but it has also turned out to be true. I indulged my inner rebel and fed the boys steak with no vegetables and ice cream on the couch. We even watched a movie, even though it wasn't Friday. I get tingly just thinking about the rule breaking! But, I soon learned that we have structure for a reason and these last few Wednesdays have been more about fun "responsible" times with Momma Doug (I get called Momma a lot - but WD has started calling J "daddy" so I guess we're working things out).

The video is of our activity from two weeks ago. We made a volcano. My favorite part is when Dre says, "Its volcanoing!"

No photos from this past Wednesday. Why, you ask? Well, it was manicure night and I ended up having metallic blue fingernails. Momma Doug can't do his job if he's not beautiful.

W.D.'s Birthday

2012-01-20T11:26:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I am a little late with this, but better late than never. And these pictures are not in the order that I hoped they would be in. Oh well.

We did celebrate Declan's 1st birthday and it was extra special because we had some wonderful friends over to help us celebrate! We had a "Pony Party" because Declan loves ponies and every other animal out there too! He is such a great little guy! He is happy (unless he's hungry) he is smiley and he gives the best love-a-loves, also known as hugs, ever! Only to me though, not to D, however he will give D (and me) kisses; with lots of tounge :) Watch out!
He is a joy, but man he keeps me running!

Yummy Cake!

Walt, Jackson and Weylon enjoying the party.

Charlie, patiently waiting for his turn to eat some cupcakes.

Singing Happy Birthday to him! He was wondering what was going on!!

Hedgehog puppet from G-ma Miller. Declan lOves puppets! He thinks it is very funny when they play hide and seek with him.

These are the cupcakes for all of our friends.

Declan under Dre's horse with his new little pony in the foreground.

Our friends Tamra and Everett with all their balloons.

So, I finally got Declan in for his 1 year shots just four days before he hit his 13 month mark. He is not the biggest kid around, weighing in at 20 lbs. and 0.5 oz. And he is only 28 3/4 in. tall. Our Dr. is still baffled at how strong he is. He has been squating and recovering with no problems since about 8 months (something that children typically start doing around 15 months). He is also starting to run a little and I am amazed at how well he can walk through the snow wearing boots and a snow suit.

He can say a few words:

Mama

Daddy

Dawdee or Gawgee (Doggy but he can't get the d and the g in the same word.)

Done

Down

Cracker

Nana (this can mean "banana" or "nap")

And his first word, which was Owl. He will even say "hoo, hoo"

I wish that he would learn how to say food and drink. That would make my life a little easier.

Well, that's my baby in a nutshell right now. Although, he is a toddler now I guess.

Where did the time go. It's been fun! And I'm sure it only gets better from here.

Walking & Other Stuff

2011-11-07T07:41:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I hate blogging and computers. The rest of my pictures won't upload. And one of the reason's that I am so behind on blogging is because when I tried to update our blog about a month ago, it shut down on me. And I can't get a video of W.D. walking to upload, but here are some pictures that did load and for all of you who are interested, W.D. is walking! He has been for a little over 2 months now. He took his first step on September 2nd and he has been getting faster every day!

That makes the winner of our When Will He Walk? game our good friends Colby and Penny!! They guessed Sept. 17th.

Anyway, sorry for the lame post, I will try to upload the rest of our pictures and a video soon!

Making smore's while it snows outside the cabin.

Looking at the hot pots and geysers in Yellowstone.

It was a beautiful, cold day!

Bum prints on the seat. Can you see W.D.'s tiny bum print at the very end of the bench?

W.D. and Dad in the bear trap at the Bear and Wolf place in West Yellowstone.

Blurry family picture on the bear couch.

Good view of his teeth.

Happy, eating, blue-eyed baby.

Playing on the trampoline in the leaves at Grandma's house. It was the most beautiful, warm, sunny fun fall day I have experienced in several years.

"When Will He Walk" Game

2011-08-23T20:20:00.000-07:00

D, Dre and I thought it would be fun to bet on when W.D. will start walking. We want to hear what you all think. If you want to play, leave a comment with the date that you think W.D. will start walking. The rules are, if he starts walking after the date you choose, then you lose, but if you are the next name on the calendar, then you will be the winner!

So, for example, if Person #1 chose Sept. 1 and Person #2 chose Sept. 12 and W.D. started walking on Sept. 3, then Person #2 would be the winner, not Person #1. Even though P. #1 chose a day closer to the actual day that W.D. started walking, his day had passed, so he lost. Make sense? Oh, and there can only be one person assigned to each calendar day, so read the comments before you choose your day. And each family member can choose a day.

And, to make it more fun, we are going to have a "Prize from the Palouse" for the winner! I don't really know what it is yet, but it will be cool! (I will choose the prize based on the winner. Because kids like different things than adults do.)

So we are encouraging you all to play our game! I think this will be fun! Email me or write a comment if you have any questions.

W.D. Update

2011-08-23T17:09:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted an update about W.D. for quite some time. I need to catch you up on about 3 months worth of accomplishments that our little man has made!

I spoke with one of my sisters-in-law and she said that he looks nice and chubby, which he is. We still call him our chubby-bubby. However, despite his healthy, bulky appearance, he is quite small.

At 7 months old he weighed 16 lbs. 13 oz. (19th %) and he was 26.1 inches tall (17th %). Needless to say, he is short, stocky and little small for his age.

But he is very mobile. W.D. started crawling on July 1, and he hasn't stopped going since. It is so fun to watch him go. Once he started crawling he soon learned how to get to sitting on his own, then he started pulling himself up on the furniture and now he just stands up without holding onto anything. It is so cute to watch him sit in a squatted postion with his short little legs, and then just stand, then squat back down. He will crawl to a toy, pick it up, stand up, play with the toy, then squat down, move to another toy and do the same thing again. He wants to be standing all the time, even when he eats.

He has started to drink out of a cup, and he is very happy about it. He is just like every other baby; he wants to eat and drink whatever we have. We let him try everything we eat. He rarely eats baby food any more. He also does not want to be fed. He wants to feed himself. If I put food into his mouth he will spit it into his hand, squish it up and then feed it to himself. What a stubborn, but happy, little stink. Some of his favorite foods are broccoli, carrots, pancakes, eggs, cherries, and oatmeal. Foods that he does not particularly care for are Cheerios . . . umm, I think that's the only one. The kid eats anything.

This video is of W.D. coming after D who has the camera. He loves any type of electronic device and he tries to play with them all. When ever I get the camera out, he gets excited and smiles, not because he is cheesin' it for the camera, but because he thinks that he may have an opportunity to get ahold of it and drool on it.

W.D. is getting very good at making sounds, and even though he does not say any words yet, he can make the sounds mama, dada, nana, guh, goo, and gah. But bababa is his favorite sound to make.

And the best thing about W.D. is that he is just so stinkin' happy! He sleeps well, usually for 8 hours, then he nurses and goes to sleep for another 2-3 hours. He rarely fusses when we put him down to sleep. And even though he sometimes gets tired from me dragging him all over the place, he never gets cranky! When I did my rowing race he was up from 6 am to 2 pm, no naps at all, and he never got cranky. But as soon as I put him in the car he passed out!!

W.D. also loves to be outside. He will crawl to the door and try to figure out how to get it open, and we have to be careful when coming inside because frequently he is sitting by the door. I like to eat lunch with him on the porch and watch the breeze blow his soft strawberry hair. He is such a sweet little guy. I really love having him in our family.

W.D.'s favorite person in all the world is Dre and even though he has no interest in sitting down and listening to a book, he loves to pull them all off the shelf. What a fun game!

Race Update

2011-08-23T15:52:00.000-07:00

In April I made a goal to run in a race every month for the rest of the year and I have been so busy that I haven't updated my goal.

So, in April I ran a 5K
In May I participated in a Duathlon; 2 mile run, 10 mile Mt. bike ride, 2 mile run
In June I couldn't find any races that were not on a Saturday and so I am counting my rowing as keeping my goal since I rowed every Mon., Wed., and Sat.
In July I found this 4 mile run in Spokane that was held on a Thursday so I was able to keep my goal for July.

The run was held in a HUGE orchard in Spokane, full of Cherry trees and Strawberry bushes.
There was a festival before the race where the boys were able to ride a pony, feed a donky and get a tractor-train ride! You could also participate in the Cherrry Pit Spit, but we did not. However, the cherry pit that was spit the farthest that evening was expectorated 39 feet 2 inches, which I thought was pretty impressive.

I also want to make a note here about breast feeding, which is totally odd, but note worthy in my opinion. Only when nursing is a woman able to eat two hot dogs, a bag of chips and a bottle of water 5 min.'s before running a hilly 4 mile course, run faster than 10 min. miles while pushing an 85 lb. stroller, and not throw up or get a cramp afterwards. In fact I was so hungry after running that I ate 2 lbs of cherries, all by myself, on the way home. Nursing, and the hunger one feels while doing so, is a wonderful gift!!

Pony Ride.

Tractor-Train Ride.

Donkey Feed.

Kid race.

Receiving his ribbon.

Us right before the race. Dre is still eating his hot dog.

Look at how many people participated in this event! I thought it was awesome!

Declan by a Strawberry field.

Fun in the car while I put the Chariot away.

Cherry Stained Face!!

Hot Weather and Sprinklers

2011-08-23T14:54:00.000-07:00

We are so happy for the sun and warm weather! And even though our trailer park rules state that we are not supposed to run in the sprinklers, have kiddie pools, wash our cars, water our lawn, or any other type of unwise water use, we have fun with our water anyway.

Uncle Kurt

2011-08-23T14:46:00.001-07:00

Uncle Kurt came to visit us a couple of weeks ago. He didn't stay long, but it was great to see him and to hear about some of his adventures while working for the Forest Service in a remote area in Idaho. He was grateful to sleep on our couch after all the field work he had been doing for the last 3 months. Dre was also very happy to see him.

We're glad you made it home safe Kurt! Thanks for coming to visit!

Bell Bay Camp Ground; Courd'lane, ID

2011-08-23T13:57:00.000-07:00

I can't remember why, but D couldn't go camping so I decided to take the boys out myself. There were some frustrating moments trying to take care of these two cuties and set up camp, but we had a great time! And now I know what I can do differently to make things easier on myself the next time we go!

It looks like W.D.'s growing facial hair already! He loves the dirt!

I tried to take a picture with all three of us. It didn't work.

Lake Courd'lane is beautiful! And it is really clean. I was surprised because it is used a lot. Dre kept asking me where our boat was and he kept saying that he really wanted to be in a boat. I told him that I wished we had a boat too!

Here is Dre, playing in the water. He liked that his trucks could float. We also enjoyed splashing each other by throwing big rocks in the water. One rock had some gelly-goo with dots stuck on it and when we brought it home little teeny tiny tadpoles hatched from them. Sadly, they later died.

I took the boys for a road bike ride and Dre rode part of the way with me. (That's why our bikes are in the back ground.) I just can't get over how happy W.D. is in the dirt. He loves it!

And of course, Dre loves it too!

Our campground had this little hill in it that Dre had so much fun playing on! He would go up and down it over and over. That made my life a little easier while trying to cook dinner. I think that I have mastered cooking on our backpacking stove and I actually made a really yummy rice and veggie stir fry with out burning it! I was so excited!

It was a beautiful and peaceful camping trip and I can't wait to get out into the mountains again.

A Fun Summer So Far

2011-07-22T15:32:00.001-07:00

We have had the best summer! All of these pictures are backwards; they are posted from the most recent to the oldest. I didn't want it in that order, but I'm not going to fix it. I just wanted to update everyone on how we are and what we've been up to!

Occasionally we go to church. Isn't W.D. the happiest little guy!

These two end up in the bike cart a lot. Somehow, they end up more worn out by being pulled around than I am by pulling them. W.D. wakes up happy. Dre, not so much.

I made a yummy strawberry pie, and I can't even tell you how many cherries we have eaten! Mmmm. I love summer food!

We still play trains a lot.

And we've been camping three times so far this summer. W.D. and Dre both love riding bikes and being in the dirt! And they love playing in the tent.

This is W.D. after our mountain bike ride. Isn't he so cute & happy?

Sparklers! We didn't get to light our sparklers on the 4th because we went to the Pullman Fireworks (which were awesome!). So we played with sparklers while camping.

Dre took swim lessons. The lessons are held at the indoor pool. We have been to the outdoor pool 3 times this year, but I can't hold two little boys in the pool and take pics. Dre enjoys swimming, but says he does not want to take swim lessons again. So maybe we'll try again next year.

D.'s Birthday! Dre's t-shirt says "Happy Birthday to Doug!" He wanted to make his shirt the card. And he chose chips for D.'s gift. Can you see that Dre is holding onto the bag? That's because he had other people in mind when he chose this gift for D:)

Us by some pretty wild flowers. We rode our bikes from Moscow to Troy for my birthday! It was a great day for a bike ride and a lunch at the park.

This is Dre Mt. biking. He loves to go off-roading on his Strider.

Here we are on a little hike. Isn't W.D. the cutest little bear? He is so alert and excited about life.

More off road riding.

Me with my tired eyes. Does every mom look like this? I need to take cucumbers with me every where I go. Or maybe I should get more sleep.

Can you see W.D. in the tent?

Racing at the park. Dre likes to race me everywhere we go. He wins most of the time.

Playing Leap Frog.

Me Leaping over Dre.

On a hike in train pajama's. Why would anyone want to wear anything other than their long sleeve, long pant pajama's on a summer day hiking?

Riding over the cable bridge.

Me and my boys at Riverfront Park.

Lentil Pit fun!

Checking out the garbage truck . . . in his pajama's and fireman boots!

At Grandma's house. Thanks for the Silk, Grandma!

Counting Train Cars. We do this a lot. On this particular day there were 107 cars! Dre is getting really good at counting. He can count to 28 all by himself! He is so smart!

Swimming at Lava Hot Springs!

At the zoo with cousins.

A fun monkey.

Lion.

Hope you're all having as fun of a summer as we are!

Good Night.

A Reason to Fall in Love . . .

2011-07-22T14:55:00.000-07:00

With the Palouse!

I can now say that I love living here. And I hope that we never have to leave.

Family Photos

2011-06-15T13:35:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago we made a trip to Missoula to meet with one of my classmates from the MBA program. It was really nice to be back in Missoula. We walked around campus and even grabbed some pizza while we were there. But the real reason for the visit was to get family photos taken. Carlie did an awesome job, as usual! Here are a few of my favorites. (And just to clarify - there were no touch ups - J really is that beautiful and yes, Dre was eating candy during the picture!)

May Race

2011-05-27T21:04:00.000-07:00

For my May race I participated in a Duathlon; 2 mile run, 10 mile mt. bike ride, 2 mile run. It was so much fun I told Doug that I want to ride/run the course every Saturday! It was the first time that I have really felt a great love for the place that I live in! The route was SOO beautiful! And the weather was perfect; overcast and about 70 degrees.

I was so glad that I decided to participate in this event. I was hesitant to sign up for it because I haven't been on my bike since I got pregnant with Declan. I convinced myself that I would make the time to train, then I never took any time to train. I ran a couple of miles twice before the race. I told Doug that I wasn't going to do it, even though I had already paid my entry fee. But I really wanted to stick with my goal. So I told myself that I would just go slow, which I did. Very slow. But I finished, I had a great time, and I wasn't even sore the next day. I just enjoyed my race!

The best part of the race was when I saw Doug and the boys with some homemade "Go Mama Bahama!" signs that I didn't know they were going to make! I love doing stuff like this when my whole family gets involved!

The race committee had a really nice spaghetti dinner for all the racers and their families afterwards and they had a local band playing some really great music and they gave away some prizes (We won a water bottle!). I can't wait to do the same race next year. And this time Doug is going to race with me!

5 Months Old Part 1

2011-05-27T14:43:00.001-07:00

This is my happy, fun and friendly little chubby bubby who is now 5 months old.

He looks cute and soft in these pictures, but if you could hear him, you would know that he is not really a baby at all. No, W.D. is actually a monster. He does not coo like a baby; he growls.

5 Months Old Part 2

2011-05-27T12:47:00.001-07:00

We blessed Declan month. We held the blessing at our home and Grandma and Grandpa Miller were able to come up and spend some time with us. Doug gave him a very nice blessing and Declan was very quiet throughout the whole experience.

Here he is in his little blessing outfit.

These two still love each other to death!

The kids with Grandma and Grandpa. And yes, Dre is wearing his camo pants. Oh well, at least we got a dress shirt and tie on him.

Our family.

Brothers on a blanket in the sun on the WSU campus.

W.D. demanded that he be given solid foods. I was not ready for him to start solids, but he let me know that it was time and that I had better listen to him or else . . .

He LOVES food. And he is fun to watch when he eats. He is quite the dainty eater. With each bite he swirls the food in his mouth and enjoys the moment. He looks like he is thinking "Oh, this is the best thing I have ever eaten; Ohh I wish this would last forever. . ."

And then the bite is gone and he cries until you give him more. And so it is between every bite.

W.D. is a happy little fellow. We like to dress him up and do funny things with him. Dre wants him to be in pajamas all the time but I'm going to dress him in cloths for as long as I can!

Dresden also likes to check up on him and make sure that he is doing well.

Yes, Declan is a happy little man . . .

A happy man who thinks he is ready to start crawling.

Dre's Birthday and Nana

2011-05-27T10:53:00.000-07:00

I didn't realize that it had been so long since our last post. Apparently we have been busy! Life has been so much fun lately. I can't believe how quickly the summer is going! I wish that the rest of the year went by as quickly as this summer has.

Dre is 3 years old now! WOW! And what a fun kid he is. I asked him on his birthday how old he was and he, of course, said "I'm 2." And I said to him "No you're not! Today is your birthday! You are 3 years old today!!" He glared at me and said "No I am NOT! I will be 3 when I start preschool. I am 2." I thought that only old people were in denial of getting older. Apparently, no one wants to get older, no matter how old you are.

So, for Dre's b-day he wanted a blue Mater cake which led to a Pixar CARS theme for his party. It was so much fun! We have the greatest friends! It was wonderful having them all come over and it was awesome that some of the dads were able to make it too! 11 kids and lots of friends showed up for games, pizza and of course, to eat some blue Mater cake!

Each kid got a bucket and shovel and here they are digging in the lentil pit for prizes and candy. Some of the kids enjoyed the lentil pit so much they never left it!

And this is the little tent and tunnel we had set up. I wish that we had gotten a video of it. There were so many kids rolling around in there that it looked like it was going to roll away!

Here is Dresden opening presents. Every gift he recieved had wheels attatched! And he loved them all! Thanks everyone for being so generous and kind!

One more picture of the lentil pit.

We also played Bingo and the kids had to pop balloons to get tattoos out, which was lots of fun to watch. Most of them had to sit on the balloons to pop them!

It was fun to spend time with lots of friends and family in celebration of Dre! He is such a great kid and he has accomplished so much in his short life. I love to have an excuse to celebrate him being a part of our family! We love you Dre!

The party was on Saturday and my mom and her husband were able to be here for the weekend. So on Sunday we took them to Steptoe Butte so they could see what the Palouse looks like from above. It is beautiful this time of year. Everything is very green. It is also fun to watch the tractors work from so high up. When we go up there we try to count them all. Last year when we did this Dre said "I want to go down there and play with those toy tractors." They appear to be very small from this perspective and he thought they were toys.

Sadly, this is one of the only pictures that I took of my mom while she was here. I'm aweful at taking pictures! I get so into what is going on that I forget to take pictures. I need to work on multi tasking.

Here is one of us that my mom took. You can see all the hills behind us. This is what it looks like no matter which direction you look in. Just hills of grain and an occassional farm house.

Oddly while we were up there, a high school from Spokane came for their annual picnic and performance on the top of Steptoe Butte. It was fun to watch them and Doug took this little clip of them.

So that was our party weekend. Thanks Mom and Dave for making the trip up here. It really meant a lot to us!

Bikes and Walks

2011-04-21T20:20:00.000-07:00

We got Dre this Strider Balance Bike when he was about 18 months old. He used it a couple of times, but he said that he liked to ride his trike better because it had pedals. Well, he has now outgrown his trike and he has moved on to riding his Strider Balance Bike!

And he has gotten really good on it! Sometimes he is so fast D and I have to jog to keep up with him.

He loves to race us down the hill at our trailer park . . .

or on the bike path. I'm so excited that he loves to ride his bike so much and I can't wait until he can ride "a real bike, with two wheels and pedals." (Dre says that his bike is not a real bike because it does not have pedals, but it does have only two tires.)

Now if we could just get the sun to come out and warm up the Palouse! This picture looks like it might be warm, but it is actually 34 degrees.

Laughing

2011-04-21T15:21:00.000-07:00

4 Months

2011-04-21T14:20:00.000-07:00

W.D. went in for his 4 month check up on Tuesday and everything went really well. Our Pediatrician was very impressed with his leg strength. When the doctor held him up, W.D. supported all of his weight on just one leg. The doctor said that W.D. is going to be a wrestler and that we should have him signed up for wrestling camp by the time he is 6months old! I thought it was a fun comment from him!

He is pretty strong though. This is one of his favorite ways to watch his big brother play--standing beside the couch.

He also likes to sit in his Boppy where he enjoys shaking and chewing on toys. His favorite toy is the colorful wooden rattle that you see in the picture above. He also likes to track marbles as they run down the "Marble Works" tracks.

W.D. is getting so big I can hardly believe it!
He now weighs 14 lbs. 5 oz.
He is 24 1/4 in. tall.
Dre calls him "Chubby Bubby" and he has recently started to call him his "Big Brother" because he is getting so big it is becoming difficult for Dre to carry him. Dre says, "He is not little anymore. When will he be able to talk and play trains with me?"

I wanted to put this picture in for comparison. This was taken just a few days after we brought him home. I think he was about 5 days old.

This was taken just a few days ago. Can you tell that the bathroom is a little foggy?:)

My favorite thing about W.D. is that he is always smiling! You would never know by looking at him that he had such a hard time the first couple of months of his life! He has gotten very good at getting his bubbles and toots out! I still have to help him on occasion, and we never leave home without his gas drops, but overall, life is much better; as you might guess from all of the smiley pictures we get of him! He is such a delight! What a great Blessing it is to have him with us! We all love our Chubby Bubby!

Look!

2011-04-04T09:43:00.000-07:00

Look who's trying to sit up on his own!!

New Year's Resolution

2011-04-03T22:34:00.001-07:00

Is it too late to start a New Year's Resolution? When the New Year started, I'll be honest, I was tired and the only resolutions I set for myself were: 1. To lose all of my pregnancy weight, hopefully by the end of June, but definitely by the end of December. and 2. To read 5 books this year. (So far I've read one whole book and half of two others.) I know this doesn't sound like a lot to some people, but it's a good goal for me seeing as how I can't remember the last time I read a book (that was not a text book). I think it was before I got pregnant with Dre. Anyway, that's all I could think of. But I've gotten some more sleep since then and so I've added another goal to the list. (However, I will admit, I am not very creative and I stole this goal from a friend of mine; Thanks Amanda!) 3. I am going to run in one race each month for the rest of the year. It doesn't have to be a long race. I'll probably end up running a bunch of 5K's, but at least I'll be doing something that I enjoy and really I'll be working on two goals at the same time! And, it will give me something to post about besides my kids. However, most of my posts will still be about my boys!

Where's their Combine?

2011-04-03T21:40:00.000-07:00

Dre loves all the tractors in the Palouse. He loves to play tractors in the gravel outside and while indoors he loves to "farm" and do construction in a bin full of split peas! He even calls his best friend (who lives two trailers down from us) John Dear Tucker. We love John Dear and Tonka around our house! During the summer you can find random tractors parked in parking lots and they are at all the fairs in the fall. This is the first one of the season, we found it at the mall, and Dre wanted to have his picture taken by it! He gets very excited about these huge machines.

(Dre dressed himself, which he does every day now. I love that his pants are on backwards!)

The other day we were reading scriptures together. His "scriptures" is a compilation of bible story pictures. We were "reading" about Ruth and Naomi. This is the picture we were looking at.

Dre asked me what they were doing. I said that they were helping each other sew the wheat; they were harvesting the wheat.

His response was "Well, where is their combine?"

I'm sure he was thinking "Silly ladies. Even I know they could get the job done a whole lot faster if they would just use a combine."

He's so practical.

3 Months Old

2011-03-11T14:39:00.001-08:00

So W.D. is 3 months old today! He is so much fun. He is getting really good at getting bubbles out of his belly all by himself which is so nice! I started adding some of the foods that I cut out of my diet (okay, one food; chocolate) back in and so far things have been fine. (I had three M&M's yesterday and a couple of chocolate chips last week and I ate a few more M&M's today. We'll see how well he handles it.)

Isn't he such a beautiful little boy?!

I took him to his well baby check up on the 2nd or March and W.D. has grown so much! He has almost doubled his birth weight (he now weighs 12 lbs. 6 oz.) and he has grown 5 inches (he is 24 in. tall). He sleeps well most nights. He has started to sleep all night long, but some nights he will still wake up to eat something.

He is super drooly and loves to chew/suck on his hands. He laughs and smiles a lot! He is very interactive and he loves to be a part of all our family adventures. He will let you know if he feels like he is being left out!

W.D. is well loved by his big brother who lovingly calls him "chubby bubby" or "squirm the worm". Dre loves to carry, kiss and love his baby and he anxiously awaits the day that W.D. is big enough to play trains and sleep in a big bed with him.

Watching Big Brother

The boys enjoy taking baths together and Dre is happy to help W.D. out in any way that he can. He helps change his diaper, feed him and his favorite thing to do is put W.D.'s soothie in his mouth. Sometimes, when W.D. is crying, Dre will say "Maybe he just needs a love from his big brother." I hope that they continue to love each other over the years.

Having W.D. around is so much fun!!

Dre: "Ummmmmmm!"

W.D.: "Why is this guy eating my fingers? I thought I was the only one who thought they
were yummy!"

J: I love my boys!

Thanks Aunt Deb!!

2011-03-11T13:37:00.000-08:00

This is my favorite toy!

More Snow!

2011-03-06T07:59:00.000-08:00

After a false spring, winter has returned with a bit of a bad attitude. We had so much snow that all of us in the neighborhood formed a snow removal posse and went from one home to the next shoveling out the cars. On the bright side, we were able to take advantage of the new snow and finally go on a family outing.

Though we don't have a lot of close options for outdoor activities, we have made one of the buttes here our own personal haven. It seems that every time we go we have the entire place to ourselves. Which, given the small size of the location, is the way it should be. If other people do happen to be there, which is certainly possible and logically acceptable in a "sure, I guess you have as much right to be here as I do" kind of way, then I have a tendency to work up theme songs conveying my displeasure. You know, things like - "I like big buttes and I cannot lie, you other visitors should just go die...." catchy stuff, and family friendly too.

Sunshine & Chainsaws

2011-02-17T16:59:00.000-08:00

Nothing in this world brings more sunshine to my soul than a little babies smile.

And nothing in this world is more like a chainsaw to my spine than a little babies cry.

I like the sunshine moments best.

LOVE!

2011-02-15T05:28:00.000-08:00

How can you not love these faces?

Happy Valentine's Day to the men that make my life complete!

Impromptu Excitement

2011-02-10T14:14:00.000-08:00

Despite the recent resurgence of sunny weather in our corner of the world, I've been feeling a bit ornery and in need of a change. A couple of weeks ago I asked Dre if he would like to go to the zoo with me and spend a couple days away from home. J, as always, was supportive and offered her encouragement, though I did have to tell her that she and the baby weren't necessarily invited. Considering the underlying motive for the trip, this exclusion made more sense than can be adequately explained via blog post.

Dre and I headed out after my Friday meetings and made the trek to go see the animals. Our mini-vacation actually happened at the same time that my mom was working at a trade show, so we were able to claim ownership of the extra bed that she had in her hotel room. The benefits of added convenience and the reunion with my mom made the trip a success, despite the fulfilled promise of wet, rainy weather.

Dre and I saw a number of animals and he thoroughly enjoyed himself. I've always considered J to be the perfect travel companion. No matter how long the drive, she is full of interesting conversation and excited for whatever is coming next. After traveling with Dre, I must admit that she may have some competition for most desirable travel companion. Like J, Dre can keep up a rousing conversation. His music selection isn't quite as refined as J's, but he more than makes up for it with his willingness to treat dinner as an event that is equal in importance to any other vacation activity.

2011-01-18T08:23:00.000-08:00

I'm pretty open with Dre. When he asks me about things, I try to be honest.

I currently wear a compression band to help with uterine shrinkage and to help excrete excess fluids (if you know what I mean.) It also helps your hips (supposedly) shrink back to pre-baby size.

Now, I know that I can explain things to Dre (exactly as I did above) because he won't understand most of what I say. However, he apparently understood "hips shrink" because he asked, " Why do your hips need to shrink?" I then told him that when you have a baby your hips move out so there is room for the baby. Then after the baby is here, they move back to the way they were (at least that is the hope). I explained all of this to him a couple of days ago.

Well, this morning I did my first post-baby ab workout (apparently with quite a bit of strain because Dre kept asking me if I was going to be okay) and this is the conversation we just had.

Dre: "You need to move because I need to exercise first."
Me: "Oh really. And why is that?"
Dre: "I need to exercise because my hips are moved."
Me: "Your hips are moved?"
Dre: "Yah, they moved and spread out and then I pooped them out in great big globs! And now I need to get them back."

And that is how things are understood in his world. Little does he know how wonderful it would be if we could just "poop off" the extra inches.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-14T15:29:00.000-08:00

New Year's Day was such a beautiful day that we decided to go sledding!

Here is W.D. all decked out in his long johns wondering when we are going to head out!

Sadly, it was very cold (about 15 degrees) and W.D. didn't get to go sledding at all. This is how he spent the entire time: in his car seat, at the top of the hill, asleep.

Dre was very excited about being in the snow. He wanted to walk up the hill himself each time. He said that it was like hiking and he needed some hiking poles!

But we carried him part of the way too!

Dre also enjoyed eating lots of the freshly fallen snow.

This picture was taken from about half way up the hill. Dre and I would sled all the way down to the bottom, hit a jump left by the snow plow, and end up all the way across the street. Danger said that this was not a safe practice. He was concerned that we would get hit by a car or that we would hit some poor unsuspecting mom pushing a stroller. Dre and I just thought it was fun! It was a great way to start the year!

Merry Christmas!

2011-01-05T21:17:00.000-08:00

This year was an especially fun Christmas! Not only did we get a new baby for Christmas, but Dre was also old enough to understand Christmas a little better. We had a fun time getting ready for and enjoying the season. Here are a bunch of pictures from this fun time in our life!

This is our Christmas family picture. I thought D did a pretty good job with the camera set up! He balanced it on a chair, propped it up with books and used some duct tape! He did all that work because we lost the tripod attachment. I guess that is what happens when you move.

These pictures are out of order. This is Dre playing with the train set Santa brought him!

This is Dre excited about the train set Santa brought him.

Here is W.D. just watching us play with trains.

Dre informed us all that "Babies can't walk because they don't have teeth." We have been trying to show Dre all of the things W.D. can do. Mostly this consists of eating, peeing as soon as his diaper is removed (we didn't take a picture of that though) and sucking on anything but a Binky. Dre thought it was pretty funny to have W.D. suck on his nose.

Okay, I'm pretty tired and these are just some random pictures of W.D. I don't know what they have to do with Christmas, but I put them in here.

Okay, so back to Christmas . . .

Here is Dre telling Santa what he wanted for Christmas. He even brought a sample so that Santa made no mistake.

Here we are making cookies to share with our neighbors.

I hope none of our neighbors get "foot and mouth" disease.

And we put together a puzzle.

Good night.

I Survived!

2010-12-18T16:47:00.000-08:00

Well folks, I have emerged from the seventh circle of hell (a.k.a. pregnancy) for the second time and I am happy to say that I survived, stretch mark free. (Thank you for the round of applause!) Now if I can only convince my body that this baby, who has a stomach the size of a walnut shell, does NOT need 500 gallons of milk on a daily basis to survive, life will be great!

Enjoy the pictures.

This is the truck W.D. brought with him to give to Dre. Dre wanted him to see how neat it is!

What was that about Shepherds?

2010-12-09T15:09:00.000-08:00

Though we still don't have a new baby (any day now), we're still goers! J has been absolutely phenomenal in finding family activities to get us away from the house (and the office). As evidence of this great time we're having, I present the following. Yes, Dre chose to be a sheep. I wanted to be Mary, but J encouraged me to stick more closely to the social norms. In the end, we are the two shepherds, one sheep, and as the photographer kindly stated "a plastic doll in the crib."

Thanks Bill

2010-11-11T20:30:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, while playing in the living room, Dre picked up his recorder (you know those little flutes that every kid loves to play) and started blowing it really loud and calling to me while I was in the kitchen "Here Rudy-dog!"

I looked at him and said "What are you saying to me?"

He responded "I am uncle Bill with his whistle and you are Rudy-dog! Come Rudy-dog!"

Thanks Bill.

Dre Needs a Break

2010-11-06T23:01:00.000-07:00

I'm thinking that Dre may need a break from his parents.

Yesterday D and I were talking about some my idiosyncrasies. Dre was sitting nearby, but was not an active participant in our conversation. While D and I laughed about some of the strange behaviors I have I said to D "Wow, it must be really hard to live with me!" Dre piped up immediately, giving D no time to respond, and said with a little laugh in his voice "Yah, it is!" Then went right on playing with his cars.

Later on Dre wanted to watch a movie. I told him that he could watch a movie after Daddy left for work, but right now Daddy was here to spend some time with him. Dre looked at D and said "Will you leave now?" D was sad. He said "Only after you tell me that you love me." Dre looked at him with pleading in his eyes "I love you soo much! Now will you leave?"

This was coming from a kid who has asked for Daddy every day for the last week and who couldn't wait to get home to see him and who, when he saw D at the airport ran to him with open arms and said "I am so happy to be home!" And when D asked him why he was so happy to be home he said "Because I love you!"

Yah, I think he's ready for another vacation . . . without us.

Crying Myself To Sleep

2010-10-21T22:33:00.000-07:00

I left J and Dre on Wednesday to fly to Portland for work. It is a bit strange that I've had better weather in the day and a half that I've been here than in the time that I spent in sunny Southern Cal. Atleast that's what I've been told. I haven't been able to see the blue skies through the tears that continually run out of my eyes. I miss my little boy who, when I ask if he's my best friend, replies "Yes" but when I ask if I'm his best friend he says, "No, Momma is." I also miss my pretty lady with the non-vacant womb. Oh, the sadness and misery. I think that I'm going to go cry myself to sleep....

Safety First

2010-10-19T07:45:00.000-07:00

J encourages Dre to get up close to the animals. She had him feed the sting rays and pet the sturgeon. I'm usually okay with all of that but the peacocks really bothered me. He chased them around waving and saying hello and I was right behind him ready to jump on those treacherous beasts just incase they decided to attack.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Feeding Giraffes

2010-10-17T15:05:00.000-07:00

Dre was quite brave with the giraffes - he liked it so much that we did it twice.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Mini Zoo Keeper

2010-10-17T14:54:00.000-07:00

We're enjoying our vacation. We went trick or treating at Sea World yesterday and fed the giraffes at the zoo today. Dre is getting tired but J told him to push through until he gets his second wind 'cause, "We're on vacation, no time to rest!" If I don't make it home you'll know that I collapsed and had to be left behind (J won't be able to carry both Dre and myself).
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

True Love

2010-10-12T17:06:00.000-07:00

This marks the fourth time that J has forgotten our anniversary. That must mean that she is really in love.

Imagination

2010-10-08T20:56:00.001-07:00

Dre has a funny imagination and I wanted to write down a couple of things that he has said that I didn't want to forget. But just so you know, one of them is kind of gross.

Bird Nest
Dre uses a little potty. (He is potty trained now, but he likes his little potty better than the toilet.) The other day he pooped in the potty. It was not the most solid poop, but it wasn't completely runny. He called for me to come and help him clean his bottom and when I got in there he was squat/standing over his potty with his face looking into the little hole. "Loook!" He squealed when he saw me enter the bathroom. "A bird nest! With birds!" Strangely, it did look like a mushy bird nest with two little poo birds in the middle. When I told D the story he asked Dre what the birds said. Dre said "Tweet, tweet, tweet!"

Phone Lines
Tonight Dre was stringing balloon ribbons from my head out as far as his arms would reach. Then he said to me, "Looook! You are a telephone pole!"

Fire Truck
Dre has a wooden school bus that has windows in it. He has stuffed my sewing measuring tapes into the windows. He drives the school bus around making fire engine sounds and then he will stop, pull the measuring tapes out of the windows, put out the fires with the measuring tape hoses and then stuff them back into the windows and drive away.

Race Tracks, Buttons, and Auto Shops
Dre will take a deck of cards and line them up all over the place and then drive his cars on them like they are the race track. He also likes to place buttons into the wheel wells of his cars and then drive the cars on their new wheels. He also takes his cars to the "auto shop" frequently and he has gotten pretty good at unscrewing the battery cover to his one car that makes noise and taking the batteries out. He has invented "lifts" where the cars get worked on and he loves to have a screwdriver close by when playing with his cars. I don't think he plays any game or paints any picture, or creates anything that doesn't have to do with cars, fire trucks, garbage trucks, jeeps or trains. And, in his world, tunnels and bridges are the coolest thing ever invented.

Let's DEAD him!

2010-10-07T13:07:00.000-07:00

Our trailer is not air tight. Or maybe it's the fact that I am constantly leaving the door open. But what ever it is, we have flies in our house. Every day. Usually Doug kills them because I think it is a dirty job and I don't like doing it. But Dre decided that he wanted to try to kill them too. He said to me today "There's a bee! (a.k.a. a fly) Let's DEAD him!" He must have better hand eye coordination than I do because he has successfully killed 2 flies on his first try. I was pretty impressed.

For Kendra

2010-10-05T21:39:00.000-07:00

At the request of my bestest friend ever, who, for some reason is sad that she has never seen me in my pregnant state, here is a picture of me 30 weeks impregnito.

I am holding the bottom of my belly because Doug told me to. He said it is how all pregnant ladies pose for pictures.

Funny Kid

2010-09-15T14:47:00.000-07:00

I went to put away some of Dre's cloths that don't fit him anymore and I discovered that I needed some more bin space. I decided that since the new addition to our family is not too far away, I would just make room in the closet for 0-3 month cloths. That gave me just enough room in the bins that I didn't have to buy a new one.

As I put the 0-3 month cloths away, Dre found firetruck and delivery truck jammies that he loved. He decided that he wanted to wear them. So I put them on him. He wore them all day and asked to wear them again the next day. He said to me "When the new baby gets here, I can wear the firetrucks and he can wear the other trucks. Then he can wear the firetrucks and I can wear the other trucks!" So the baby and Dre may be sharing cloths for a little while.

My favorite thing about the jammies is that the sleeves end at his elbows. When we first brought him home from the hospital I remember that the sleeves went to the ends of his fists.

Yesterday I told Dre to go the bathroom and wash his hands before lunch, (which is something that he does by himself every day) while I made the sandwhiches. Now, Dre is pretty reliable. When I ask him to do something, he usually does it without getting too off track. But let's face it, when you're 2, playing in the sink is lots of fun. So I wasn't surprised that he was taking longer than he usually does to wash his hands. I called down the hall "Dre, your sandwhich is ready!" He answered "Okay, I'm coming." A couple minutes went by and then I heard the water turn off, but he still did not emerge from the bathroom, so I went back there to see if he needed any help. Just as I was about to get to the bathroom door, he came running out and this is what I saw . . .

Mascara. I think I've worn mascara four times since we moved here. But apparantly that is enough times for him to know what it is and where it goes. My son has an incredible memory.

Summer Time Fun

2010-09-11T15:57:00.000-07:00

Though we may have gone "off radar" for the last few months, we have been having a good time. During the summer, D worked for a consulting company based in California. They were kind enough to allow him to work from home so that he didn't have to actually move - which we all appreciated! But, school has now started and the summer adventures are nearly complete. A quick rundown of activities (with plenty of pictures) is certainly warranted.

We went to Island Park for the 4th of July. It was the first Miller family reunion - we had a great time with everyone!

As you can tell, D received a nice supply of cheese hotdogs for his birthday. Hopefully enough to carry him through the tough times ahead (or perhaps eating that many hot dogs will lead to tough times ahead?)

At the beginning of August we went on a family vacation to Yellowstone National Park. We spent three weeks away from home hiking, biking, swimming, driving, and generally enjoying lots of family time.

Though it was only in the high 60's D and Dre were willing to brave a swim. At one point during the trip it even started snowing!

We visited Preston for a couple of days to see D's family. One of the local politicians (D's dad) gave us a tour of the firestation. Dre was absolutely thrilled. We saw all of the fire engines, tried on fire man hats and coats, and even took a look at the "jaws of life" tool that they use to cut people out their cars after a wreck.

We made it back home in time to attend the International Lentil Festival (yep, its a big enough deal to be called International).

The mayor here served 350 gallons of lentil chili to those of us in attendance and they had a big parade as well with the requisite clown.

Most recently we went to Riverside Park in Spokane. It was so much fun! Dre was very, very excited.

Excited enough to take off all of his clothes and go running through the water fountain!

Now that summer is coming to an end, we've decided that we better get ready for December and the birth of boy #2. We've learned that it can't be postponed or put on "lay away." Surely you're as surprised as we were.

Toddlers & Pregnancy

2010-09-01T19:25:00.000-07:00

So, having a toddler while you're pregnant is kind of like having a really good, honest friend.

With both of my pregnancies, Doug has professed that I am pretty (even though we all know that there is no such thing as a pretty pregnant woman).

Dre just tells it like it is.

Last week I walked into the living room and he said "Woah! Your belly is getting bigger and bigger! And your belly button is big too!"

Today I was sitting on a stool sewing a curtain for one of our windows. Dre picked up a measuring tape and stretched it across my lower back. He said "I am measuring your bottomside." Now, I know that Dre does not understand terms of measurement (inches, feet, milimeters, etc.) So, out of curiosity as to what type of response I would conjure up, I asked him "Oh really. And how big is my bottomside?" His response was "You have a really wide bottomside."

I think that I will send Dre to work and keep Doug at home with me. Then I can continue to live in that make-believe world where pregnancy is pretty.

Boy or Girl

2010-07-25T22:32:00.000-07:00

So we went and had our 20 week sonogram done. Doug held Dre up and showed him all the parts of the baby and then asked him if he was excited. Dresden's response was "Yah, I want a fruit snack."

Dresden didn't seem to care too much about the ultrasound and whether or not we were having a boy or a girl, but Doug and I were both relieved when the ultrasound tech rested the doppler on my belly. The first thing we saw was our baby sitting comfortably in a very manly position, which is not much different than how the girls in my sunday school class sit. Who cares about ettiquette during church peep shows anyway.

Needless to say, we were both very relieved and excited to know that we will have two little men ruling our home soon.

Let the fun begin!

July 4th Fun

2010-07-07T09:57:00.000-07:00

We had a really fun 4th of July family reunion. It was a weekend full of activity with a family biathlon (biking and running), a 4th of July parade, and fireworks. Dre ate more candy in two days than he has had in the previous two years of life. No adverse reactions and he seemed to really enjoy himself. More pics to come - hopefully sooner than later!

Update in Photos

2010-06-14T08:11:00.000-07:00

It seems like we've finally made it to some nice summer weather. As you'd expect, we are anxious to take advantage of the sun and warmth. We spent an afternoon fishing with D's parents. They took us on a guided fishing trip! We had an absolute blast fishing on the river, telling stories, and catching Walleye.

What you might have picked up from the above, if you read between the lines, is that it has been raining a lot! J is very adventurous and takes Dre outside regardless. He is very lucky to have an eternally youthful mother.

When J isn't around he is forced to stay inside with me. Yes, you could say that I'm not eternally youthful. And if you said that, you might be right. However, I'm not admitting to any character flaws and you can't make me (I'm sticking my tongue out as I'm typing this - is that youthful enough for you, huh?). I will admit to dressing him up in a super cool outfit. Want one more admission? Okay. I also admit that if the super cool outfit was big enough, I'd be the one wearing it instead of him.

My Dad Does Nothing

2010-06-07T21:55:00.000-07:00

Dresden and I went to my second prenatal visit today. There is a very cool crawl space play area at the Dr.'s office which is where Dre and I go as soon as we get checked in. Today we met a little girl in there who was probably 5 or 6 years old. This is how my conversation went with her.

Me: How are you?

Girl: I'm good. My mom is here visiting the Doctor. My dad is out there. He doesn't do anything.

Me: Oh really. (I have seen this man at the doctor's office twice now. He sits in the waiting room with his new born baby and daughter's while his wife is at her appointments.)

Girl: Yah, he just eats, goes to the office, and sleeps. Me and my mom, we do everything.

She then began to list everything that she and her mom did throughout the day which was a lengthy list and not much different from most other mothers in the world. I just thought it was hilarious to hear this child's perspective on how little her dad does.

Two Years of Fun and We're Lovin' It

2010-05-10T15:34:00.000-07:00

1 Year Down, 3 to Go!

2010-05-01T12:25:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was officially the last day of the 1st year of Doug's PhD program and I couldn't be more impressed with him! He finished his first final yesterday. It was group effort. 9 students + 10 questions = 13 hours of work. The next two tests will be an individual effort and they will only take about 4 hours each.

Doug works really hard to be successful in his education. He also works hard to make time for me and Dre. The end of each semester has always been challenging, but this PhD program has been a whole new type of challenge. The time constraints are mind boggling! I am happy to say that after this semester it will be just him in school. That will take a lot of pressure off of both of us!

Well, I just wanted to update everyone on how we are fairing the end of the semester. And I wanted to let my amazing husband know how much I appreciate him and how proud I am of him and everything that he is able to accomplish!

Way to go Doug! 1 Year Down, 3 to Go!

Emergency Surgery

2010-04-14T17:10:00.000-07:00

Dre performed emergency surgery this past weekend. Sooki, the baggy skinned elephant, had a trunk problem and needed to be bandaged up. She/He/It is now recovering and should be back to full strength soon. I can't say the same for the other patients that he worked on - though their injuries appeared to be minor, I don't think they ever made it home with us.

Angry

2010-04-08T21:55:00.001-07:00

This was hanging in my rheumatologists office and I got a copy of it to put by my desk here at home. It is the picture of a sleeping infant and the caption says:

"I believe that sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel."

I get very frustrated when I see parents using corporal punishment (a.k.a. spanking) when attempting to "discipline" (as they may think they are doing) their children. Abuse is abuse no matter what level it is on and that includes spanking, slapping, roughly grabbing, etc.

When adults get frustrated with other adults they would be thrown in jail for using any one of these ineffective tactics to communicate feelings of frustration, anger, disapointment, or annoyance. The same thing would happen to adults who treat any child in this manner that they are not the legal guardian of. Sadly, this is not the case for parents who treat their own children this way. Weird, isn't it.

You can be mean to those that matter most, but not to those who matter least.

Disciplining is a form of teaching, not punishment. The word is also a branch off of the word disciple which means follower of Christ. Parents, when you are disciplining your children try to do so in such a manner that Christ would. And I am pretty sure that Christ never hit a child, in any way, for any reason.

And remember, the child who is hit, learns to hit. If you want your child to be more kind and gentle to others, maybe you should try being more kind and gentle to your child.

I remember thinking as a missionary that the scriptures were written for missionaries. I thought "Why would anyone else even need to read these things? They were made ESPECIALLY for missionaries." Oddly enough I feel the same way now that I am a parent. There are lots of good ideas on how to effectively and kindly, discipline your children. One of my favorites is this:

D&C 121:39-44 (Joseph Smith wrote this while in liberty jail. These scriptures were directed toward the brethern of the church. They teach how the priesthood should be used, but I find this information very applicable to being a parent.)

39. We have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority, [they become parents] as they suppose, they will immediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion [corporal punishment].
41. No power or influence [and no person] can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, [or any other person. Every one, even children, have agency] only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned;
42. By kindness, and pure knowledge, . . .
43. Reproving betimes with sharpness [setting boundaries so that children know what is and what is not acceptable behavior] when moved upon by the Holy Ghost; [every parent can be given knowledge from on high so that they can raise their children well] and then showing forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy;

Love your children kindly, or they may, one day when they are grown, see you as the enemy.

Sorry to all those who feel lectured and weirded out that I would even write something like this. Hopefully I never find myself in the hypocrites seat. This is something that has been bothering me for a long time now. I just thought that if I wrote it somewhere then maybe I would sleep better tonight.

Prayer

2010-04-08T13:17:00.000-07:00

One of my friends had an especially difficult day at work awhile ago. She works with sex offenders and their victims. She was having a difficult time coping with a particular case she was working with and as she drove home she said that she said a wordless prayer and later felt a wordless healing. I was very touched by her story.

A few weeks ago a woman in church told a story of her son who is probably in his late teens, early 20's and suffers from mental and physical limitations. She said that she and her son kneel down and pray together every day. "He is never still, and never quiet." she told us. (I will vouch for this. I see her sitting in the foyer almost every Sunday at church because he is always making noise; none of which can be understood. He does not use any words.)

One day before praying with her son she decided to ask him if he would like to say the prayer that evening. He, as usual, said nothing. He just continued rocking and babbling. She said, "Okay, you pray and I will wait until you are done." She sat, arms folded, eyes closed, and waited. He stopped rocking. He stopped babbling. She opened her eyes and looked at him. For a few minutes he just sat there silent and still. She said that she could tell that he was communicating with Heavenly Father. She closed her eyes and waited for the rocking and the babbling to start again, then she said amen.

I have experienced many wonderful things through prayer. Prayer is a way of aligning our desires with our Heavenly Father's desires for us. I believe that learning how to pray with sincerity and with true intent is one of the most important things we can do. Prayer opens pathways for guidance and answers. Pray in humility and you will be taught what to pray for.

Dre is learning how to pray. We take turns saying prayer at night and Dre enjoys taking his turn. On April 6th he orated the sweetest prayer I have ever heard. He said "Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for day. Thank you for sun pop up." Then he looked to me for further guidance.

I have helped a few people learn how to pray. People who have never said a prayer in their whole life. Not in any way, shape or form. People who never really believed that there was someone they could pray to. I remember feeling overjoyed when I saw the joy in their face as they told me that they now knew that there is someone to pray to.

The joy I felt then sits in the shadow of the joy that I feel at the thought of my own son praying. I hope that he always remembers he can always pray and I hope that he knows and remembers that someone is listening. Even when his prayers may have few or no words, Heavenly Father is always listening.

Pray little one pray, for you are known by God.

Random

2010-04-03T19:36:00.000-07:00

I was talking to one of the moms that I see each week at gymnastics about kids and babies and pregnancy etc. She recently gave birth to a little girl and she has two older sons aged 9 and 6. I asked her if she had planned on spacing her children that way or if "that's just how it happened". She answered the latter, and then she told me about her long road of learning about her personal fertility. She said that this book Amazon.com: taking control of your fertility: Books helped her to know when her body was ovulating and how her body works. She learned, by reading this book, that she only ovulates once each year.

Anyway, that's probably more information than you care to know, but the point that I'm trying to get to is that she suggested that every woman read this book (even if you don't have fertility problems and even if you're not trying to get pregnant) because it really helps women to understand their bodies. There is even a chapter about gaining more self esteem by understanding your body better.

I haven't read it yet, but I just thought that I would throw this out there to anyone who may be interested in it. I, personally, love to learn more about stuff like this.

Recent Happenings

2010-03-04T19:48:00.000-08:00

We had a recent visitor - D's little brother stayed with us for a night when he came to interview at the Veterinarian School. We have our fingers crossed hoping that he and his wife will be moving up here soon. Dre was grateful for the new entertainment (though he wasn't so happy that the entertainment had to be interrupted by the photo opportunity).

In other news, Dre is now a cowboy. He got his first pony and enjoys galloping around.

But he still cleans up real nice.

Breaking Stereotypes

2010-02-12T12:07:00.000-08:00

We've known for quite some time that Dre is focused on breaking down stereotypes. This is clear from the way that he chooses to live his life. He doesn't have a problem wearing necklaces or lip gloss while pushing his dump truck through the puddles in front of our home. He recently stepped up his efforts, which you can read about in the newspaper here .

Don't Forget to Grab the Keys!

2010-01-31T12:52:00.001-08:00

J works for the Parks and Rec Department on Monday and Friday and I get to stay home with Dre. He and I have been having fun hiking and going outside (or looking sadly out the window on days when the weather is bad). However, I must say that not everything has been smooth sailing. I changed a diaper that needed to go outside to the garbage can and asked Dre if he wanted to come with me. After listening to him tell me that 1. No he did not and 2. He did not want me to go either, I decided that I'd just make it a quick trip (as opposed to loitering near the garbage for a while).

When I returned from the 13 second adventure I discovered that Dre is not quite tall enough to reach the door knob. I'm sure that you're thinking, "how does a person discover such a thing?" Well, through superior powers of reasoning. More importantly, I learned that he is tall enough to reach the dead bolt that is placed below the door knob. I knew this because during my time away, I was very effectively locked out of the house. When I looked through the window and asked him to let me in he looked at me and said, "No." (It was at this point that I threatened to with hold any future inheritance.) After considerable coaxing that involved kissing noises and quiet growling, I was able to get back in.

I don't think that our relationship has been adversely impacted, but just in case I now grab the keys before leaving the house.

Certificate of Completion

2010-01-19T21:42:00.000-08:00

Doug received a certificate for attending a seminar on Saturday. Doug goes to school pretty much 7 days/week.

This is what the certificate said:

WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY GRADUATE SCHOOL

Certifies that

DRM

Attended the

Graduate Teaching Workshop

On Saturday, January 16th 2010

Presented by the WSU Graduate School

Lori Weist, Associate Dean

WSU Graduate School

I decided that I deserved a certificate of completion.
Here is what my certificate says:

THE STATE OF WASHINGTON

Certifies that

JKM

Completed the

Toddler Training Workshop

She successfully fed her toddler, played in the mud with him, weeded her garden for 3 hours while simultaneously playing with bulldozers and dump trucks, allowed her toddler to assist her with hammering old nails into old garden boxes, changed 3 poopy diapers (1 solid, 1 soft, 1liquid), cleaned the floor, bathed the toddler twice, rode her bike (pulling the toddler) 14 miles, played race cars, sang to the toddler and put him to bed.

On Monday, January 18th, 2010

Presented by DRM's School of Toddlers

Dre Miller, Associate Dean

DRM's School of Toddlers

See, I go to school pretty much 7 days a week too.

20 Months

2010-01-18T21:52:00.000-08:00

Dre is 20 months old today!! I was going to wait until next month to post some fun facts about him, but I wanted to put this in here for my own personal reference, because it is something that I don't want to forget.

Anyone who knows Dre would know that he speaks very well! Not only does he know between 200 and 300 words, but he says words very clearly. It is so fun to listen to him. And it is good that I think that it is so much fun to listen to him because that is what I get to do . . . a lot! We were driving to the University tonight to pick Doug up (which is about a 10-15 minute drive) and this is what I listened to on the way there. . .

our car red . . . Mommy Daddy bikes . . . ride bikes (we went for a bike ride this morning and our bikes were still on top of the car) . . . hear goose . . . two goose three . . . Daddy works . . . pick up Daddy . . . cars fast . . . cars road . . . porter truck (which means transporter truck, a.k.a. a semi truck p.s. the correct name for transporter trucks is not "diesel truck" and if you call them a diesel truck around me I will correct you.) . . . bIIIg porter truck . . . little Daddy . . . bIIIg Daddy . . . porter truck red . . . green porter truck . . . purple porter truck (we pass a lot of transporter trucks on the road that we live on) . . . clock tower . . . clock tower RED . . . moon . . . luna . . . blue man . . . funny rabbit . . . funny nana . . . funny grandpa Dave . . . funny mama . . . funny Daddy Doug . . . Yes No! . . . No Yes! . . . Debbie runs . . . bus . . . bus . . . TWO buses TWO! . . . bus song (then we sing the bus song and Dre says "town" in all the right places and few of the other words) stop . . . blue man . . . stop hand . . . green light GO! . . . yellow light . . . red light . . . Daddy work OUUUUT! OUT! OUT! OUT! WALK! WALK! WALK!

Dre knows the difference between:
in/out
up/down
short/long
big/little
sunrise/sunset
breakfast/lunch/dinner
truck/car
mad/sad/happy/funny
toot/burp
lady bug/caterpillar/butterfly/dragonfly/fly
dead/alive
wet/dry
dirty/clean
on/off
walk/run/bike

He can correctly name 11 colors:
pink
red
blue
green
yellow
orange
black
gray
white
purple
brown

He can name several shapes:
star
heart
circle
oval
square

He has lots of favorite foods which he can ask for by name:
avocado
broccoli
hot dogs
banana
apple
olives
pear
peach
cookie
cracker
chips
prune juice
apple juice
milk

Dre can count to 10 but he only has a good grasp on what the numbers 1, 2 and 3 mean.

Dre knows that his name begins with the letter D, but if you ask him to sing the alphabet song with you it comes out something like this: C, F, T, P, D the end.

Even though Dre is not a daredevil, he can stand on one foot for 3 seconds and he can jump, getting both feet off the ground. We go swimming once or twice each week and we just signed up for a toddlers gymnastics class called "Wiggle Worms". I am excited to see what he will learn there.

Dre loves to sing songs and he loves to be sung to. I sing to him a lot. D was singing to him the other day "Stop, in the Name of Love". Yesterday when I went to get him out of his crib I heard him singing to his baby doll. He was singing "Love you, stop. Love you, stop." (Yes, he plays with and LOVES his baby doll. He lovingly calls the doll "baby Daxton", a name he chose all by himself.)

Dre has a dual personality. He can be gentle and loving, and only want to sit and snuggle and read books one day, and wild and crazy and running all over the place the next. I love to watch him grow and develop. He is intrigued by everything and everyone. He is an observer. Our friend Tucker loves to perform for Dre because I don't think anyone else shows 100% interest in Tuckers' wild acts.

Dre loves to run in the mud and splash in the puddles. He loves to slide and swing, drive his trucks and race his cars. He is delightful, sweet, kind and loving. He is 20 months old, and still growing.

Fun With Family

2010-01-18T20:56:00.000-08:00

We had a really great holiday season this year.
For Thanksgiving D, Dre and I all sat at home and ate whatever happened to be in the house. We didn't cook anything so pretty much we had cold cereal, ice cream and microwaved hot dogs. YUM! And then we went for a nice long walk on the Bill Chipman trail which goes from Pullman WA to Troy ID. That means that the trail from start to finish is about 30 miles long. We walked 6 miles of it.

Christmas was a lot of fun. We spent the 21st of December snowmobiling in West Yellowstone. Not only was this a great way to celebrate Christmas, but it was also a great way to celebrate the winter solstice and the fact that the days will begin to grow longer now rather than shorter!!
D's family is very large. There are now 25 members (14 adults and 11 kids). Everyone was able to make it on the trip except for one of the kids. We rode 30 miles in to watch old faithful erupt and then we rode out. Everyone had a great time! Thanks Mom and Dad Miller!!

The Whole Miller Family

Dre really enjoyed the ride. He slept like this most of the time, but when we would stop he would say "No, Not!! Go!"

After snowmobiling we went to D's parents house where they took us up to Hardware Ranch to go for a horse drawn sleigh ride and to see the Elk. It was a lot of fun to be able to spend some time together.

We also got to see Bob and Bill's new toy; a parachute plane. It would be fun to be able to go for a ride in it. Maybe this summer when it's not so cold.

Then my mom and her husband came up to visit us here in Pullman for the New Year. They took us out to a very yummy breakfast New Year's day and then Dre got open his gifts from Nana and Grandpa Dave and we got to go swimming at the hotel pool which is one of Dre's favorite things to do! Thanks you guys for a fun visit!

Talk to Your Toddlers

2010-01-13T14:42:00.000-08:00

I love to read about language development in children and I decided to include a couple of interesting facts on the topic. Enjoy!

1. Learning begins at birth. Talking with children every day could mean the difference between a child knowing 3,000 or 15,000 words by the time they get into kindergarten. The more parents and caregivers talk, the more children learn. Children's vocabularies grow eight times larger when their caregivers verbally respond to them.

2. The average child from a professional family hears 215,000 words spoken per week. A child from a lower-income family hears 62,000 words spoken per week. Children who hear fewer words before age 3 have dramatically smaller vocabularies and are unlikely to ever catch up. Early language skills are an excellent predictor of reading ability by third grade.

3. There is a greater likelihood that a child will graduate from high school if they can read at a third grade level by the time they finish the third grade.

4. Students who are behind in the first grade are likely to remain behind in the fourth grade.

5. Professionals urge parents to keep their children from watching TV before the age of 3. Research has found that a child's language development may be delayed by watching TV before the age of 3. Language is not learned by "listening" to TV, it is learned through the give and take interaction that is found in one-on-one conversations with children.

Winter Fun

2010-01-08T10:31:00.000-08:00

J and I stayed in Island Park for a couple of days during the break. We took Dre's Chariot to test the new set up that we got for Christmas. Words cannot describe the fun that we had. It was great to spend time with family and with each other.

We were able to take Dre's cousin Draven out with us. He had an absolutely great time, even if he won't admit it.

Dre really enjoyed the snowmobile trip through Yellowstone. He slept, played, and slept. His sleeping should not imply a lack of interest in the activity. He was just exhausted from trying to hold his head up straight while being weighed down with sputnik dome.

This arrived in the mail yesterday. I was very excited to see it on the counter when I walked in from work. I'm sure that I asked J what she thought of the arrival at least a dozen times. From the picture it doesn't look very impressive, but if you look a bit closer you will notice that I blocked a name with red. Yes, a bit of self congratulation - but J got tired of telling me how wonderful I am, so I had to take it upon myself to continue patting my back and giving myself high-fives. With additional praise in mind, I thought that I would share. Feel free to leave comments regarding my wonderfulness. (Just in case you're lacking the necessary adjectives, I took the liberty to write some comments that you can simply copy and paste.)

- Congrats on the book! You sure are handsome!

- The book is okay. Just okay because it is being compared to your fine self.

- I just fell in love with you. Just now, while typing this.

Feel free to use one or all three. In my humble opinion, the combination makes the most sense.

True Love

2009-12-05T13:03:00.000-08:00

One of the best ways to stay sain when you work with people is to develop a great sense of humor. That was the topic of the final lesson in my Family Crisis and Intervention class. The professor posted this funny, family friendly Sprite commercial as a great example of having a sense of humor. I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did.

Appreciation

2009-11-21T13:58:00.000-08:00

"The only way to get contempt out of your marriage is for both partners to feel appreciated." -Dr. John Gottman

Have you told your spouse how much you appreciate them lately?

Happy 18-month Birthday to Dre!

2009-11-18T16:42:00.000-08:00

Today is Dre's golden-month birthday! He was born on the 18th and today he is 18 months old!

Dre was a beautiful baby! Watching him grow has been a whirlwind of fun and now he is a beaming, lovable toddler! Here are a few fun facts about toddler Dre.

Dre is TERRIFIED of almost all animals. When we look at cows, he SCREAMS in horror and he BAWLS if we walk too close to the horses that we see on our walks. The only animals he likes are the ones in books and animal crackers. He loves to show me each animal cracker so I can tell him what type of animal it is before he eats it. And he likes to watch dogs and cats.

Dre LOVES to read books. We read at least 2-10 books every day (some of them over and over again). And sometimes he will sit on the floor and read to himself. Some of his favorite books are A to Z Firefighters, No More Diapers for Duckie, and SNOW!

Dre can say a lot of words! I started writing them down as he said them. When I got to 85 words I quit counting. He says at least one new word every week and he will repeat almost anything you say. We decorated for Christmas last week (D LOATHS anyone who decorates for Christmas before Thanksgiving, but I am going to be gone the day after Thanksgiving, so I allowed myself to decorate early this year.)
Anyway, I got out my nativity and I was showing all of the pieces to Dre. Now he can say "Wise man." And he will point to the manger and say "crib". I tried to help him say manger, but he still points to baby Jesus and says "crib".

Dre has also learned about prayer and he will randomly, in the middle of the day, come up to me with his arms folded and his eyes closed and say "pwayr, pwayr". The other night we went to a friends house for dinner and in the middle of dinner he did this. Our friends thought it was adorable and their 2 year old daughter offered an extra blessing on the food. Dre always says "amen".

Another one of Dre's favorite things I have posted about before: the potty. But his interest has changed a little. He doesn't use his potty as often as he used to, but now, every time I walk to the bathroom he says "Mama poop. Mama poop." Yesterday I came home from working on homework at the Library and D and Dre were sitting in the rocking chair laughing hysterically. Dre would say "toot" and start laughing like he had just told the funniest joke in the world. D was laughing at Dre.

My favorite thing about Dre is how incredibly loving he is. He goes around the house saying "hug" and then proceeds to hug every stuffed animal, blanket and person he sees. He loves to hug and cuddle and when I put him down at night he begs me "rock-a-bye, rock-a-bye". I could sit and rock and cuddle and sing to him for hours.

So, Happy 18 month Birthday Dre! And thank you for being such a joy in our lives!

FCHD 4220: Family Crisis and Intervention

2009-11-15T14:40:00.001-08:00

I just finished taking a test. I hate tests; especially tests in this class. I love the class, but the tests are really difficult for me. There is a lot of reading and the professor doesn't post a "study guide" so you have to know all of the material really well. And there are only 8-13 questions on each test so you have at least 3 or 4 essay questions to answer. And the essay questions are all very objective. They each say something like "List 4 ways that you would act as a change agent with the family in the given scenario using such and such model of therapy." I always pray that the professor is well rested and in a FABULOUS mood when he grades my test. Needless to say, I've done better on other tests in my course of study.

However, I think that I have learned more from this class about family functioning than any other class that I have taken. The title of the text book could be "Inspirational Thoughts and Ideas From Very Intelligent People on how to have a Happy and well Rounded Family."
One of the therapeutic approaches that I learned about this past month is called the Narrative Approach.

I'm sure that everyone has heard of the saying "If you tell a child they are naughty or bad then they will aspire to be naughty or bad. But if you tell them that they are wonderful, beautiful, smart, and fun and that you love them! then they will be wonderful, beautiful, smart and fun and they will love you back." (This isn't the actual quote, it is my personal version of it.)

The Narrative Approach has a similar theory behind it. If people use impoverishing and subjugating language about themselves and others they are creating a "story" that becomes, in their eyes, reality. Reality is subjective (just like grades are). Reality is created and based on what type of "lens" we view the world through; what our experiences are and what our relationships are like in our opinion. Two people can be involved in the exact same occurrence and yet have two very different experiences.

This type of therapy is conducted through a series of questions that help a person to "rewrite" their personal story. Or in other words, in telling their past story, new information is brought up and the perception of their reality can be changed from a negative to a positive view.

The Narrative Approach deconstructs and externalizes the problems that people have and it empowers them to act on their problems rather than having their problems over run their lives. "Only when people are separate from their problems can they re-discover the power to cope and to take a stand against that which oppresses them." (Bitter, 2009, pg. 254)

Another nice thought from this weeks lecture was "The development of alternate stories, unique events, preferred realities, and thickened narratives are the enactment of ultimate hope: Your life story always has been more than the problem let you think it was, and now [by alternating your story and re-authoring it] you know what that more is."

The point that I am trying to make is that You are in control of your story, so make it real and make it wonderful!

You know you're stressed when . . .

2009-11-08T09:34:00.000-08:00

-You sit down to put your shoes on and you pick up your toddlers shoe and in all sincerity try to put it on your own foot.

-You realize that you just passed the store that you were looking for and you make a U-turn on a one way road and you park your car facing the wrong way.

-You change your baby's diaper and you forget to put a new diaper on him so when you take him out of his car seat once you arive at the bank he and the car seat are soaked.

-After your toddler has soaked himself (and you do not carry a fresh, clean outfit with you becuase it has been at least a year since you have had a leaky diaper) you do not want to buy him new pants, and you don't want to make the 20 min. trip back to the house to get a clean pair, and you do not want to finish running errands with him only in a diaper (because only a "bad" mom would let their child run around in only a diaper, a sweat shirt and a coat when it is 40 degrees outside) you buy him the cheepest pants at Shopko (the only store in all of Pullman that sells children's clothing, no lie) which happen to be little girls grey tights. And you are okay with this.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

2009-11-01T09:16:00.000-08:00

This was such a fun Halloween!! I think that Dre had fun, but I really had fun watching him (and eating all of the candy that he collected that he couldn't have, like jaw breakers and gum balls!!). It all started with the carving of the pumpkin.

And then we decorated Halloween shaped sugar cookies. Look at how many sprinkles Dre put on his cookie! He was very pleased with his work! (And don't you love the pumpkin orange counter tops that I have in my trailer?)

Then it was time for parties and fun!!

I wish that we had been able to go to a pumpkin patch, but there was an early frost this year which froze all of the pumpkins and turned them to mush. Sadly, there were no pumpkin patches this year, but maybe next year.

Dresden dressed up as Duckie! A character from one of his favorite books!

Doesn't he make the cutest little Duck!!

This was the children's Halloween party put on by the sororities and the senior center! It was for kids aged 2-6 and it was soo much fun!! Dre liked all of the games that had to do with throwing or kicking any kind of ball. I had a difficult time getting him to move from one game to the next, but once I got him there, he didn't want to leave!

This was his favorite game and he played it about 40 times, no exaggeration!

Once he had rolled the golf ball into the hole, the ball rolled down to the bottom of the green where the girl could pick it up and give it to the next child. Dre just sat on the green and said "more, more" over and over.

Here he is kicking the soccer ball into the goal!

The other party we went to was at the home of one of the ladies in the play group that we go to every Monday. The kids got to decorate Halloween cookies with frosting and sprinkles and a pumpkin with pom-pom balls, glitter glue and foam letters.

They also played a game with mini "hair" balls. The kids would stand on a chair and drop the hair balls into a cupcake tin. Mostly they just threw the hair balls around. This is Dre and his friend Walt. Max is the little pumpkin in the front.

And here are all of the kids dressed up cute in their costumes. Despite the fact that none of them (except for Derek) are smiling, I think they all had a great time!!

Deadlines

2009-10-29T22:09:00.000-07:00

Quote from D this evening:

"The deadlines are coming at me like firey darts from hell!"

And he doesn't even realize that I have his entire schedule for the weekend full of fun halloween activities created especially for cute little people dressed up like ducks, hippos, lions and soldiers.

Before You Move or Take a Job

2009-10-25T19:44:00.000-07:00

Here are some cool websites that some of you may be interested in that I learned about through my Family Finances class. You can see how far your dollar will go if you lived in a different city. For example, if you work and live in Logan, UT making $100,000.00/year and you get a job offer in Seattle, WA for $120,000.00 you should probably ask for more money before you take the job because you would have to make at least $132,600.00 to make a comparable living.

Anyway, it's kind of fun to do.

cgi.money.cnn.com/tools/costofliving/costofliving.html

Another fun site is this:

swz.salary.com/costoflivingwizard/layoutscripts/coll_start.asp

With this site you can see if you are getting paid what you should be getting paid at your job for the area that you live in. You can also look at other cities to see if you could get paid more somewhere else.

Happy job and home hunting!!

Life in Grad School

2009-10-25T19:11:00.000-07:00

I've been telling Doug for awhile now that he needs to start a whole new blog entitled "Life as a Grad Student" but apparently he is too busy, or something like that to do it.
Anyway, I wanted to capture some of the funny things that you get to hear, see and do while living the life of a grad student.

When Doug went to orientation, the students were split into two groups: Domestic and Foreign. Apparently there was a little bit of confusion as everyone began to separate and one of the officials asked a student who was standing close to Doug if he was foreign. The student (who was also a PhD student) responded by saying "No, I'm normal." The official replied "There is no normal, you must mean domestic.

One day when I was walking home on a cold snowy day (when we were living in Missoula) from visiting Doug at his office I saw a nectarine in the gutter.
You guessed right if you thought "She probably picked it up and ate it." I was not ashamed and I'm sure that I didn't look out of place at all; there were lots of transient people in Missoula. The fact that we lived there for only 11 months made me feel like one of them.

One day Doug came home from school with a half eaten bag of cut up veggies. He asked me if I would make stir fry out of them and I did. It wasn't unusual for Doug to bring home food from the office fridge that had been in there longer than he thought it should have been. It wasn't until after we had eaten the food that he told me that he had taken the bag out of the garbage. It's amazing what people will throw away!

I told Doug that we need to start documenting these funny (and somewhat embarrassing) moments from our life. Because sadly, we won't live like this forever.

U-Pick: The Freeze Was Good To Us

2009-10-17T19:02:00.000-07:00

About a week ago we had some strange weather. A drop in temperature from the 50's and 60's all the way down to 10's and 20's. Cold! We were back near 70 today. Perfect weather to enjoy the results of last weeks freeze. You see, the cold weather froze the apples in the WSU orchard and they decided that they better get rid of them before they turned to mush. We went up to the orchard today to get in on the action of picking apples. It was great! We came home with four boxes and we will soon have apple sauce.

What I Learned

2009-10-16T14:19:00.000-07:00

I love to talk about Dre, but there are other things that I do besides watch Dre grow and develop; sometimes I sew and sometimes I dig in my compost pile. Bunnies like to eat out of my compost pile. But there is this other thing that I do every day when Dre is asleep (I call it my "Lunch Break"); I do homework. I don't write about what I learn very often because I don't think that people really care about the financial crisis that many of today's families are in and how to make a wise purchase when buying a home. And certainly no one really cares about how a person can better balance their work and family. These are the things that I read about and study every day on my "Lunch Break".
However, I learned something the other day on my "Lunch Break" called "Transitional Characters". I thought I would write about it because it is something that all people need to understand.
I spoke with a friend about one of her friends who seems to blame all of her problems on her mother. Now according to Multigeneraltional Family Therapy (something else that I learned about) family history can explain a lot about a person and why they do the things they do. But it only helps us understand the why of a person's actions. It doesn't justify a person's actions.
From what I can tell, there are few justifications for having an unhappy marriage or other dysfunctional family relationships. The only reason that people get divorced or that families flounder in dysfunction is because people either do not know where to turn for help or they are too proud to get the help they need.
No one should have to live unhappily; even if you were born into a family of unhappiness. If you are unhappy, then you need to find out what in your life needs to change. Everyone has the power to change their level of happiness. That is what a Transitional Character is. A person who in a single generation changes the entire course of a lineage. Being a transitional character is having the ability to transcend a legacy of abuse and dysfunction and to create healthy relationships. Here are a few ways in which a person may become a transitional character.
Deliberateness: When you get into a fight with your spouse, deliberately think "What am I doing? How can I change what I am doing so that I can get more effective results?" When a transaction happens in your relationship that works well, deliberately take note of it and then try to implement those actions more frequently.
Distinctive Family Rituals: Make up a fun family ritual that you can look forward to and look back on frequently; and follow through with it consistently. There are lots of fun things to do; take your family on a picnic on the first day of summer every year; ride your bikes to the pumpkin patch every fall. Make the activity unique and fun for your family and do it every year.
Maintain Emotional Distance: If there are relationships in your family that are fragile, set boundaries and stick to them. If your parents are divorced and you can't stand being around your mom because every time you see her she has something bad to say about your dad, tell her "I really want to have a relationship with you, but it is difficult when you are constantly saying bad things about my dad. From this point forward, if you say bad things about him while I am here, I will leave; no questions asked."
Marry Later than Average: Allow yourself some time to grow and develop before you enter a complex relationship.
Read Good Self-Help Books about Marriage and Family
Support Groups
Seek Higher Education: Higher education allows you to change your thinking patterns; it will broaden your perspective and make you less judgemental, more understanding, and better able to process information logically rather than emotionally.
Work to Identify a "Philosophy of Life".
I hope that I haven't offended anyone. I didn't make any of this up, it really is something that I learned in my family and crisis intervention class (I did however add my own thoughts and examples to it). I just think that it is good information that anyone can use because, even though money can buy some forms of happiness (like homemade pumpkin ice-cream from the WSU creamery!!) We, as humans, with frontal cortex's, are capable of creating our own happiness by forming strong relationships with those who are the most important in our lives, namely our amazing spouses and our beautiful children.
Well, it looks like my lunch break is over. I hope you enjoyed reading about what I learned.

Lady's Man

2009-10-15T14:01:00.000-07:00

Dre is certainly a lover. He gives kisses and hugs. He recognizes hurt feelings and will address rude behavior (though not always appropriately).

For an example of this loving behavior, let me present Dre introducing himself to his friend Dotty. Though I know Dre reasonably well and could narrate, I will simply let the pictures do the story telling.

His skills at self-introduction will soon be limited by the rules of social etiquette but until then he will likely say "Hi, I'm Dre" with a kiss and a hug. All while being completely oblivious of the concern shown by those participating in the introduction.

Just the Beginning

2009-10-09T22:01:00.000-07:00

Campus is a big playground from Dre's point of view. On most weekdays he and J will pick me up from work and we'll play for an hour before we head home for dinner. It is a great way to end the day and spend some fun time together.

A few nights ago J called to let me know that she and Dre were outside riding already (a successful effort to get me to call it a day). As I walked outside I heard some loud noise and turned just in time to see J and Dre fly by on his little radio flyer. Perhaps the best part of the experience was that everyone else was just as shocked as me. I figure that this is only the beginning of the daring activities these two are going to get involved in together. (I will remain a safe distance away with the camera in hand).

2,298

2009-09-29T13:34:00.000-07:00

I wanted to print off some pictures for Dre's baby book. There are 2,298 pictures in the "Dre" file. How do you choose? Apparently I think Dre is cute. Here's one that I especially like.

Potty Post!

2009-09-12T22:08:00.000-07:00

Ever since Dre was little (as in 4 or 5 months old) he has hated being "left out". He is constantly up in my arms, up in my lap, up in my face . . . he is always up. ("Up" is a word that he uses frequently in our house.) He wants to be into whatever I am into, strangely this includes using the potty. Many of you might think it weird, but Dre has been sitting on the bathroom floor (or on my lap) while I go to the bathroom for a while now. He LOVES to flush the potty and when he hears me peeing in the toilet, he quickly puts his hand to his ear (which is the baby sign we use for "I hear" or "listen") and gets this excited look on his face like, "I hear something!!". Sometimes he will try to push me off the potty so that he can see what I have deposited into the toilet. Well, one day this past June I decided that I didn't want him on my lap while using the potty and I was tired of his pushy behavior, so I bought him a potty of his own. And I started taking his diaper off and setting him on his potty while I sat on my potty. Now, I have no intention of potty training him. He pees about every 30 mins. because he doesn't have the physical ability to hold his pee (this is an important aspect of the child who is ready to be potty trained) but he is getting the concept down really well.
We have a lot of "naked time" at our house (Well, Dre does, not D and me) and he usually pees in the potty about 5 or 6 times a day and usually on the floor once (we have all hard floors in our trailer) and he has pooped 4 times (ALMOST on the floor once).
He will enthusiastically proclaim "WET!!" every time he goes potty and he has started to grab his penis and say "Wet!" before he goes. Which is promising. Anyway, D and I think it is great that he will use his potty and so every time he does, we cheer for him; A LOT! and he has started to cheer for himself. In fact, one day, he peed on the floor, got up, ran to his potty, sat down on it and started cheering! I thought it was so funny. He is the cutest little guy that I know and I have had so much fun watching this process unfold in his life. I have decided that experimenting with the potty isn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I think that everything just has to be fun for kids. And isn't it fun to look in the toilet to see what mom left behind?

P.S. I highly recommend the book "No More Diapers for Ducky". Dre loves to just sit on his potty and read (he has sat there for up to 15 min.'s) And this is his favorite book. Now, when he is done peeing, he stands up and says "No more." Also, notice that Dre is still so small that his feet do not even touch the floor. I have to help him onto his potty.

Palouse Falls

2009-09-06T18:49:00.000-07:00

We recently drove over to Palouse Falls. J had never been there before and I was in charge of planning the afternoon activity. It was fun! We went swimming and Dre threw a lot of rocks in the river.

What are you running from?

2009-08-26T21:12:00.000-07:00

J runs for fun. She says that it gives her time to think and helps her feel healthy, strong, and all of those other "happy" feelings. Most of the time I don't get that same feeling. However, on occasion I can understand where she's coming from. These rare times happen when I have the privilege of running away from something. I'll admit that my burst of speed shares some similarity to a panic, but I try to make it look as graceful as possible.

I mention this because J ran a half marathon last weekend. As expected, she did well and thoroughly enjoyed herself. Dre and I watched from various vantage points and ate cheese crackers. If asked, I would certainly tell you that the guys had the better end of the deal. At one point during the race I started to compare my approach to running with the skill and devotion exhibited by the competitors. It didn't take much contemplation before I realized that 13 (or 26) miles is much too far to run from something. Whether it be a swarm of hornets or a crazed SUV, I would certainly be overcome before I reached the first aide station.

We had a great time with friends before, during, and after the race. It was refreshing to have some fun and forget about school for a few days! Dre was especially glad to find a friend that enjoys throwing rocks as much as he does.

Lost in the Grain!

2009-08-26T21:01:00.000-07:00

Can you find Dre?

Gymnastics at the Park

2009-08-16T10:04:00.000-07:00

Dre loves to be active. He enjoys wandering around the park for hours. In fact, he enjoys it so much that he has no interest in eating or drinking. Often when we get home he is absolutely starving and can't get food quick enough. Having him around makes the park a very fun place to be!

Getting settled.

2009-08-14T17:41:00.000-07:00

A lot of exciting things have happened lately. We have a lawn to mow, water, and weed. We have a new campus to explore and get familiar with. We even have a new domicile to get acquainted with. Dre has really started walking well and frequently tries to make a get away. His mobility has proven to be very helpful when dealing with the new chores that we have. He is now in charge of mowing the lawn.

We have been able to meet some fun people and have enjoyed some fun barbecues and swimming. J has been able to travel to Gennessee, a town nearby, and go to a playgroup with a bunch of friends. Even more exciting, we found some big horn sheep and grizzly bears on campus. There are nine grizzlies on campus as part of a research study (Dre doesn't really like the sounds that they make, but other than that he thinks they are cool).

We are having a good time in our new town and it has been neat to explore new places. The concert at the park was a lot of fun. The musician asked us to call out any year and he would play a song from that year. We heard all sorts of music! The farmer's market was a bit sparse - but we did order a free range turkey that will be delivered for Thanksgiving. I just hope that J doesn't meet the turkey before the big day because we might find ourselves with a pet instead of a meal... Darn hippies.

We moved.

2009-08-12T16:09:00.000-07:00

We have left the mountains and ponderosa pines behind and now live in the endless fields of grain. We made a trip to Lewiston, ID so that we could return the rental truck. (Yep, the closest return option is 45 miles away - that means that we live in a small town). The trip to Lewiston did have its perks - we stopped at a park and played with Dre for a bit. It was fun!

The farmer's market is going on tonight and we're going to a concert at the park - a full report will be issued soon.

Tour de Sheep

2009-07-12T09:46:00.002-07:00

I went for a hike up Mt. Jumbo yesterday and was surprised by what I saw. Sheep! Actually, lots of sheep. For a while I imagined I was Heidi, happily surrounded by woolly lambs and a strange looking donkey. It was a pleasant thought. But then I remembered that I am not an orphaned girl, I couldn't see any Alps, and I don't speak Swiss German - an official language of Switzerland according to SC Johnson. It was a rude wake up call from my moment of repose. Especially when I realized that I don't speak Swiss German. Imagine trying to tell the sheep to move along without being able to speak the language.

I'm just lucky I imagined myself into the novel and not into the Heidi musical. I could have been trampled by stampeding sheep when they heard me singing my made up Swiss German.

Yes, J is gone for the weekend. That should explain my momentary departure from reality (I hope).

Ragnar Relay Report

2009-06-29T18:59:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, J competed in the Ragnar Relay just over a week ago. It was an experience like no other, with a group of people that are amazing. The race is designed as a relay with 12 team members running individual sections to complete the 188 mile long course. J was runner #6 and ran a total of 18.1 miles!

J's team, Johnson's Rule, started out at 7:30 in the morning on Friday and finished a little bit after Noon on Saturday. The only time that I saw her was during my late night volunteering (from midnight to 5:30AM) and then at the finish line. My perception of the race is considerably different than hers but I'll share portions of it anyway. First, people smell after taking turns running and riding in a van for over 24 hours. Second, if you can manage it, don't ride with those people. Third, these sleep deprived, smelly people are the happiest people you will ever meet.

We had an absolute blast being part of the experience. I was able to stay up all night with two of my best friends and create fantastic memories that I will likely regret someday. J was able to push herself and finish the race surrounded by a supportive and awesome team! I have attached a video for your enjoyment.

Rock Cimbing

2009-06-26T10:11:00.000-07:00

We were able to bring a couple of our nephews back to Montana with us for a visit. They are wonderful kids and we're having a blast. Obviously, we've been playing quite hard and haven't had time to compose much for the blogosphere but here is a quick snippet of what the future post will hold.

Wasatch Back Report Soon!

2009-06-26T10:00:00.001-07:00

A quick update to say that Team Johnson Rules did really well at the race and J had the time of her life. She came back with more than a few blisters and a slight gimp in her walk but she loved the entire experience. PJ (the awesome team captain) did a great job making the race fun. I am still working on the race video - watch for publication soon and a full detailed report!

Late Night Racing

2009-06-19T22:52:00.000-07:00

We're here at midnight for some sweet volunteering. J has completed the first two legs. The first section was really hot but she just finished her second leg with the cooler weather. I have yet to hear from her but I'm sure she's just staying focused.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

On Our Way

2009-06-15T14:12:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post as we're on our way south for J's race! We're really excited and can't wait to get to Idaho. The weather was so bad that we decided to stay in a hotel last night - I think we would have been better of in the thunder storm. But we have nice weather now and we're making progress in the drive!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Weekend Without Dad

2009-06-10T11:36:00.001-07:00

This past weekend J tried the single parent thing for a few days. I can honestly say that she didn't even seem impacted by the change. There are a few ways that things would have been drastically different if I had spent the weekend alone with the monster child (which is the name that I've recently given Dre).

1. No home cooked meals. We would have eaten 5 dollar pizza from Little Caesar's for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

2. Few diaper changes. Eating pizza for breakfast, lunch, and dinner would conveniently cause a blockage in the dirty diaper creation department.

3. Outside Shmoutside. It is important to minimize hazards that could potentially injure or maim the child. With this in mind, we would have never left the safety and bliss of the compound (I mean apartment).

4. Ultimate Scuz Fest. Dre alternates between scuzzing me off, with a look that implies pure vulgarity, to fleeing from me to find his mother. You're right, it is good that he can't speak (just imagine the language) and at this point I can still outpace his speed crawl so he can benefit from quality father/son time.

Of course, there are many other things that would have been different - such as the amount of fun that Dre had (he had infinitely more fun being with his mother than he would have had with me - something about my belief in imposing rules...).

In other news, J is getting ready for the Wasatch Back Relay. I have recently discovered that we can blog remotely and based on the success of the biking video (I watch it daily - okay several times daily) I have decided to present some quality footage of the race - during the actual race. Excited? Yes. Yes, I am.

Also, thank you to those that have contributed to our fund raising efforts for the Relay for Life. We appreciate your support (thanks, Nana!). More importantly, though, is the contribution that is being made to fight an awful disease that impacts so many people. You can still donate - look at the previous post for a link.

We joined . . .

2009-06-03T20:56:00.000-07:00

the relay team that my cousin put together in honor of her late husband, Chris. Due to brain cancer he passed away about a month ago at the age of 31. He left behind a wife, a 2 month old daughter, parents, siblings and many other friends and family who will miss out on the great joy that he brought to our lives. Our little family (D, J, and Dre) are going to do our part to honor his name by walking with the Relay for Life team that Chris' wife created. D and I have made a goal to raise $200.00 to donate to finding of a cure for cancer.
We can do it with your help. Even $5 or $10 goes a long way. I know that the Relay for Life is something that Chris cared about. Help us find a cure so that others don't have to suffer as he did. Go to www.relayforlife.org/idahofallsid . Then click on donate and search for a participant by typing in either Douglas Miller or Jennifer Miller. THANK YOU!

Have I Mentioned...

2009-06-02T19:13:00.000-07:00

How much my child loves me?

Memorial Day Holiday

2009-06-02T17:23:00.000-07:00

For Memorial Day we decided to take advantage of the nice weather and head to Island Park, Idaho for a nice celebration trip. We had a great time and did some hiking, biking, and canoeing.

We got there at 2 in the morning on Saturday and biked to Mesa Falls after we slept for a few hours (check out the video). It was awesome - perfect weather for a bike ride and J pulled Dre which made it even better for me! Plus she provides a nice view to ride behind. It is important to mention that she is hard core and rode 3 miles beyond the car for a total of 25 miles for the trip. (I better check that multi-vitamin to make sure that she isn't taking some form of enhancer.)

On Sunday we went to Harriman State Park and hiked around Silver Lake. It was beautiful and we saw some great wildlife, including three moose, a coyote, and a muskrat (J wanted me to be sure to mention the muskrat).

On Monday we took the canoe out for a spin. It took Dre a while to have fun, but he eventually got comfortable enough with the ride and really enjoyed himself. Although he never quite accepted the PFD that we had kindly purchased for him - which meant that he would have quickly dropped to the bottom of the lake if we had thrown him out. Good thing he behaved.

To conclude our trip we had a hot dog roast (except I had eaten all of my hotdogs earlier, so only J and Dre actually got roasted hot dogs). It was fun and next time I'm bringing more hotdogs!

Dre is 1!!

2009-05-21T08:41:00.000-07:00

Dre had his first birthday party on Saturday. It was an absolute blast!! J did a great job planning, decorating, and creating. We had a lot of family come up, which made the day very, very special. Living in the Zoo Town has been amazing and we were glad that family came up to get a taste of the place that we love.

Dre was able to spend some time with his good friends. Here he is with his cousin Audrik and his friends Felix and Parker.

Though it took some time, Dre eventually realized that no one was going to stop him from enjoying his cake. He demolished it with a passion.

Traveller's Rest

2009-05-10T21:53:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day!! We went to Lolo on Saturday. It was a lot of fun! The Louis and Clark Expedition stayed at a place called "Traveller's Rest" for a winter and we stopped by to visit (though we only stayed for lunch).

We also saw the Lolo Hot Springs and did a short hike. Dresden ate some pine needles and dirt. He always likes to internalize the experience and take a little bit of the trip home with him.

Surprise!!

2009-04-24T15:45:00.000-07:00

Dresden is my favorite person. He is always doing something to make me smile or to just plain shock me. He is smart (like his dad) and independent and ornary (like his mom) and I just can't get over what he did today, so I thought I would share.
We went jogging this morning and when we got back he was very tired. (Riding around in a stoller just wears him out.) So I thought to myself I'll nurse him and put him down for a nap then I will shower and get some homework done (finals are next week). My plan started to work out well; he fell asleep nursing and I laid him in his crib. Then I went to take a shower. Well, he woke up about 30 seconds after I got in the shower and since our apartment is not very large, I could hear his wailing over the sound of the shower and through the wall. "Darn" I thought. "I'll just have to nurse him again when I get out." But luckily, about half-way through my shower, the crying stopped and all was quiet. "Good." I thought. "I'll just have to be really quiet when I get out so that I don't wake him up." (This is becuase his crib is just outside of the bathroom door.) So I quietly leave the bathroom and I opt to not look into his crib to check on him; I was not willing to risk waking him. Then, as I turned the corner to go into our room I gasped. I was totally shocked to see Dresden snuggled up in some of Doug's dirty cloths on the floor next to our bed. He had climbed out of his crib. The kid can't even walk yet; Iheard no sound indicating that he had fallen out of his crib, and he didn't come banging on the bathroom door. (This is something he will do if you close the door so he can't get in. He does not like to be left out of anything and he makes eveyone's business his business.) So, now I'm not sure what to do; turn his crib into a toddler bed? I wasn't quite ready for him to show this much independence, but I guess independence is one of those "ready-or-not, here I come kind of deals. Kind of like when we welcomed him into our lives.

Inked!

2009-04-21T18:24:00.000-07:00

I decided to get a tattoo to show my support for 4/20. Living in Missoula for the past year has prompted me to consider the importance of legalizing the 'juana, and I thought this would be an appropriate way to join in the cause. "Think More" people!

WSU

2009-04-14T21:54:00.000-07:00

Its official! We're headed to Washington! Doug accepted an offer to pursue his PhD at WSU. We'll be moving this summer so that he can get started in August. We are really excited to know where we're going and to be able to carry on a family tradition in Pullman (Doug's Dad did his DVM at WSU).

Thanks to everyone for keeping us in your thoughts during this time full of questions. The application process is tough but the wait is simply painful. Finals for Spring semester are rapidly approaching - maybe we'll be able to focus a little bit now!