Need Jesus?

Bethany needs Jesus!
At least that is what she was shouting at the top of her lungs while we were looking at Christmas lights around the adjacent neighborhood today!

She loves her some Jesus and kept on shouting, "I Need JESUS!"

Well, she's right. She does need Jesus.

But then again, don't we all?!?!

Tree-Huggers!

After we take one tree goes down, we put another tree in its place.

You know...

Just in case the kids need a get-a-way!

Their one-of-a-kind get-a-way includes a nice large doorway with leaf canopy, 2 shaded windows and 4 adorable leaves on the roof!

The floor is made of a lovely pink vinyl material which is perfect for rapidly swishing your legs back-n-forth on...which is totally in with the 7-month-olds!

So, if you need a lil' get-a-way that isn't too far from home...you know where to go!
There's always a happy face to greet you:o)

Baby it's Cold Outside!

Christmas 2009

Christmas 2009 was a huge success!

It all started with the arrival of the presents.

Santa was kind enough to take a picture of the finished product after he arrived. He even assembled Bethany's tree tent & hid presents inside of it.
Christmas was pretty standard...


Presents were opened.

Tents were entered...

Balls were hit...

and sent hoovering in the air...

Toys were taken over and claimed by the big sister...
and toys were explored for the first time...

...even a lil' Bling-Bling was donned.

Overall, we had a fantastic Christmas. We were blessed to have our family around us throughout the day. The kids are so lucky to have all their grandparents to spoil them to death and even a Great Grandpa!!! Bethany and Owen were showered with toys and clothes by all. And even more importantly, they (ok....Bethany) seemed really appreciative and into all the presents she was receiving. Owen, well, he really couldn't have cared less about the presents.

The best part of our Christmas is that Bethany learned that Christmas is Jesus's Birthday & we made Jesus an ice cream birthday cake!

This was the first year Bethany was able to anticipate the holiday. She more readily would state that Christmas was about Jesus's birthday over the fact that Santa was coming. A week or so before Christmas she was even caught singing,

"You better watch out. You better not cry.

You better not pout. I'm telling you why.

Jesus Christ is coming to town!"

Now...life can't get much sweeter than that!

You better watch out...

You better not cry.

You better not pout...

I'm telling you why!

Owen is almost crawling!!!!


The lil' stinker started off at the yellow blanket in the living room.

He made his way to the computer/toy room.

That face says it all....you better watch out I am becoming mobile!!!! Looks like it won't be long before Owen starts crawling for real. He is really getting a kick out of rocking back and forth on all fours! Perhaps we will have a crawling baby by New Years.

Then, we would, for sure, be doomed....2 mobile kids!

Winter is Here!*

Well it's official! (well, actually it's not scientifically official)

Winter is here! (you know...but not really here)

Wanna know how I know winter has arrived to the Milles household?


Well...it is all because Santas have been made! Complete with gloves on his legs and buttons in his beard.

And Gingerbread Trains have been assembled!

and decorated! Icing has even been licked off fingers, spoons and even the table!

The first snow has fallen...which results in the first snow suit having been purchased...along with cute green boats!

When Bethany first saw the snow this morning she said, "Look! Snow outside! Isn't it cute!"

Sicknesses have also finally confirmed the "start" of winter. Poor lil' guy is so wheezy and icky feeling! Look, you can totally see it in his eyes!

So that is how I know that Winter has started in our house!

*As a science teacher I have the academic responsibility to tell you that Winter starts during the Winter Solstice. The solstice is Dec. 21st this year. The solstice marks the 1 day of the year where there is the least amount of daytime, due to the Earth tilting away from the Sun!

Because She Asked...

Bethany asked me to take her picture.

So I did.

Why would I say no to something as adorable as these two....

Sibling Love!

Can you see it.

It is right there.

That is right. Look at those two. Their love for each other is so in your face & I love the fact that they love each other so much!

If you think these two are the most adorable things in this world and you want to see more of them...click this link. Abbie posted the final pictures of our photo shoot with her.

I promise...they won't disappoint you!

What Parenting has Taught Me!

I have had a lot of lessons as a parent. I figured I should pass on some of those lessons to you.

1) Sometimes you have to put the babies in unconventional places in order to keep tabs on them.

Maybe it is just to help them get over a funk...but what is a quicker way to cheer them up other than do something that they don't expect!
2) Kids. Remember. EVERYTHING.

Perhaps, we buy a snack once at Sam's Club...then all of the sudden everytime we go to Sam's we are now asked to buy snacks.

Or it could be that you (you know, hypothetically speaking) accidently say a certain word (perhaps it is the cr*p word). Well...when the 7 mo old spits up in a certain 2 year old's room, the 2 year old may or may not have said, "Oh Cr*p". Nope...this lil' girl would never hear such a word. Not in our house!

3) Kids like to do it themselves. Whether it is playing with PlayDoh.
Or if is getting something off the shelf that is too high and it requires the dragging of a chair or stool halfway across the house to access the "gotta have" object.

Sometimes the gotta do it myself attitude leads to a few (ahem, well) a lot of sprinkles...

that's a snowman cake...fyi!

3) Kids like to be involved with the food preparation process. And you let them . This may create 10 times the work for you, but they are so amazingly proud that they scrambled their own egg or they beat the cake themselves...that it is worth the extra spills, extra clean-up and extra time!

4) Along the same line of food preparation...you do what it takes to make sure your kids eat. And yes...sometimes sprinkles on the hotdog.
5) You really gotta pay attention to what your baby does as well! If he starts to die of laughter when you lay him down to change his diaper...be prepared for a 10 wipe doozing waiting for you in his britches.

6) Finally, you just aren't gonna get the kids to pose nicely for pictures. Nope. No matter how badly you want them to sit still.

It.Ain't.
Happening!

Just after two and a half short years we have learned a lot! God only knows what other lessons those two lil' boogers have in store for us!

7 Months Old!

Owen turned 7 Months Old this weekend. Since I was gone on his actual day at a work conference, I am a little late posting his birthday information.

First off, I decided to make a glimpse into Owen's life, much like I did for Bethany when she turned 7 months old!

Favorite Fruit: Bananas

Favorite Veggie: Sweet Potatos

Least Favorite Fruit: Don't really have a least favorite

Least Favorite Veggie: Peas! He will gag on those!

Favorite Nickname: Bethany calls him, "Boy", Cory calls him "Owen-Eyes", I call him "Boy" and "Baby Boo-Boo."

Favorite Noise: ba-ba-ba-ba-ba & any singing to him

Favorite Noise Owen makes: grrrrr!!! He loves to growl like a dinosaur!

Favorite Formula: Unlike his sister, he can drink ANY formula out there! :o)

Favorite Toy: Jump-A-Roo, Winnie-the-Pooh Blanket & a pair of tongs from Bethany's kitchen

Favorite Activity: Being LOUD, playing with Bethany, being tickled, rolling around, getting up for the 9pm-feeding-that-a-way-he-sleeps-through-the-night (pictured below)

Favorite Body Part: thumb!

Favorite Naughty Thing to do: screaming, pulling Mommy's hair, spitting up on Mom's and Dad's nice clothes

Things Owen can't wait to do: Crawl on all 4's, chasing Bethany around, the ability to hold on to toys better so Bethany can't take them away, eat Cheerios

New Abilities: Eating Rice Crackers, saying ba-ba-ba, starting to raise his belly off the ground, moving around through primative scooting and rolling.

Goals: CRAWL!!!

Puzzled Children

Both Milles children have faced some puzzling situations lately....or well...one of them had a situation where he made puzzling faces!

Bethany has graduated from the wooden plug-in-the-hole puzzles to the big girl puzzles. She loves making us get down with her as we put together the puzzles. She is really getting the hang of it, as you can see...


Look at the proud lil' scrunch face!

Now on to the situations were Owen makes puzzling faces.

Wanna know the culprit is for these funky faces?

Look closely in his hand...

Yup...Gerber puffs!

They boy hasn't decided if he likes them yet. He will just chump on it with these funky faces. He can't quite feed himself yet, as he hasn't mastered the pincher grasp. But, I don't think it will take long for him to have this mastered!

I hope he likes them anyhow...I hear Santa likes to put those in infant's stockings! :-) sssshhhhh

What do you see?

Today we saw such a gorgeous sky as we drove to the sitters at the crack of dawn! The red clouds sprawled across the lightening sky much like the picture below...

Well, this girl....

This girl didn't see red clouds caused the by the diffraction of the light rays as the sun peaked above our horizon.


Instead she saw... Juice!!!



We had this conversation on the way to work today:


Bethany: Juice!
Us: Huh?
Bethany: Juice. Up there! (points to clouds) Juice in Sky!
Us: Yes, sweetie, that does look like juice in the sky! (as we try to not die from laughter!)


Gosh, I love toddlers! I totally will put up with all of the over-tired, don't-want-to-wear-anything-but-my-pajama tantrums if I can continue to get a glimpse inside that amazing head of hers. The connections she makes are just so astounding! :)

Proud

I am proud! Really. Really. PROUD!!!


I am proud of this one.....
with her tongue out and everything as she completes her very-first-ever crafty project. It's hard to believe she is such a big girl now and can do things like puzzles and craft projects!

I am proud of this one too...carrot-covered face and all! He is such a sweet, sweet boy with the BEST laugh in the world. Seriously....it has to be the best, hardiest laugh out there!

And I'm proud of this one....you know the big one in the picture! He just finished his second young adult novel. Nope...I don't mean he finished reading his second young adult novel....he finished writing his second one!!!! All in less than a month's time!

Wouldn't you be proud too...if you were in my shoes?