6 years and counting...

Here we are six years ago!

So much has changed for us since that day. Back then we thought we were going to live in Kirksville for a LONG time, buy a house there and raise our kids. We were about to embark on our first year teaching and just moved into a cute lil' duplex. Little did we know how much would change in 6 short years.

Since we decided to do something about all those extra pounds we were carrying around. We joined weight watchers and really improved our health! In the summer of 2006 we packed up and moved to St. Louis in order to be closer to our families. We started new jobs at the same school district. Then we quickly got pregnant right after the start of that school year and welcomed Bethany the next summer. Two years later...we welcomed another bouncing baby Milles in the world.

Often at dinner, we are at awe over the blessings that have come upon us. We certainly don't take anything for granted and often thank God for all we have. We were just talking today how we can't imagine live with out our babies. They are enriched our lives so much it is astounding!

It is amazing how much can change in 6 years. And I don't know what the next 6 years has in store for us (not to mention the next 60 years)...but I am glad that I will have my best friend next to me, hand-in-hand as life continues to unfold in front of us.

Happy Birthday Cory!

Happy Birthday Cory!

I know your day wasn't too exciting. But know that we love you with all of our hearts. It is very rewarding to see how much the kids love you. I never would've guessed just how great of a father you would be to our babies...but you are the greatest.

I love the fact that you've taken over the middle-of-the-night feedings & the fact that you aren't too macho to change dirty diapers. I love the songs you make up and sing to them. You are the greatest. SO, even though your day was hum-drum & you let Bethany pick where we go to dinner (of course, she picked McDonalds); I hope you enjoyed yourself on your day!

Goldfish Galore!

Got a riddle for you.

Ready?

What do you get when you cross:
2 distracted parents, 1 toddler and an unlatched pantry door?

Need a hint....

Didn't do anything for you. Ok, how's this for a hint...

Got the picture now? Yup...you see it right. She got out the Gold Fish, a "bowl" and a spoon. She managed to make herself a bowlful of Gold Fish crackers.

Oh no...a couple of gold fish still remain in the box. She best shake the remanding few out! Don't want them to feel lonely!

Yup...Bethany...it's empty!

After being instructed to pick them up, she decided to eat them instead! I guess, technically, she is following the directions!

Okay Mom, I will put them back in the bag.

I guess next time we need to be more aware of what the 2-year-old is getting into. After all, how long was she at this task? She had to get the gold fish...dig out a spoon...and find the tuperware container. All the while, Cory and I were in the kitchen (1 on the computer & 1 reading the paper).

Moral of the Story: Watch your Children for, pete's sake, or you will have Goldfish all over the place!

More Firsts...

This was my first time back to work, as I had a few days of meetings this past week. It is nice to have a couple extra bucks in our pockets from going to these meetings...but I missed my babies so much! Here is a few things we've been up to this past week:


Bethany found herself in the driver seat of the car for the first time. She was so proud to help us clean the car!

Bethany has started her first swim lessons. She LOVES them. She is always talking about what she does at her lessons.

Bet-an-ni plays toys.

Bet-an-ni goes down slide.

Bet-an-ni bus up-down. (That is referring to when we sing wheels on the bus.)

She was one of the brave toddlers to conquer the toddler slide on the first day! She could go down the slide all day long, if it were up to her!

Bethany helps Owen wear his first purse. Really, I wasn't anticipating Owen ever having a purse...but whatever. He doesn't seem to mind it.

We decided to give Owen his first taste of cereal. He loved it. We loved the fact that he is sleeping longer. He has decided to bless us with some of our first nights of good sleep in a long, long time! Thank you Owen!

Bethany had a blast helping Owen eat for the first time. She ran over to the silverware drawer to get herself a spoon to help feed her lil' bro. Now, she asks when it is time for Owen to eat again. Isn't she just too sweet!

Bethany decided to play pretend for the first time this week. She got out her trusty Elmo doctor kit, put on her stethoscope and insisted that she was Dr. Rozin (her pediatrician). She loves having one of us being her lil' guinea pig as she takes our temperatures, put on band aids and measures our blood pressure. I am sure we are in good hands

I am sure there will be many more firsts to come for our family. I am just grateful to be apart of all of these! The one first I wouldn't mind putting off for a while would be the first day of school....but I fear that it is looming in the corner...getting ready to pounce any day now. But until that day, I will be soaking in every second of these two beauties!

No Sibling Rivalry Here!

This morning, while Jo Ann was away at a meeting, I was actually able to eat a bowl of cereal without interruption! Bethany decided to entertain Owen for a while. She played games with her, and he really smiled at her. Let's hope this stays all the way through college!

"Do it by Self"

Bethany has really grown a lot the past couple of years. She goes from a completely needy infant to a terrific, quasi-independent toddler. Lately, she has been asserting more independence while letting us know she wants to, "Do it by Self."

We almost always let her do whatever it is that we formally assisted her independently....although the outcomes of her independent endeavors aren't always conventional.

Here are a few of examples of her "doing it by self."

At the zoo this past weekend, she really wanted to wear her backpack. Doesn't she look like such a big girl? I can get used to having her tote around some of her own stuff!

Bethany has finally figured out how to put Mr. PotatoHead's features back into his head. She has always needed assistance with this toy. I do have to admit he does end up looking like something out of Picasso's paintings!

While she's been an independent eater for quite some time, we've cut back on slicing her food in easy bite-size pieces. This has resulted in far messier faces and hands. But, hey, she's cleaner than I am half the time!

Here is a two-in-one shot. She almost pulled her pants up by herself & she's trying to wash her hand sans help from Mom & Dad. I'd tried to help her get her pants up completely over the diaper...but she insisted they were up...so there they stayed. After all, she doesn't look worse than half of our male students anyhow--they always have their britches showing, too!

Scrub-a-dub-dub 2 Milli in a Tub!

Have you ever given a child a bath? If you have then you will know it usually goes 1 of 2 ways:

1. They fight you through the whole event kicking and screaming splashing.
2. The bath last entirely too long as all they want to do is play, play, play!

So, in the interest of time what is best for our children; I decided to give them a bath together.

This also marked Owen's first real bath in a big-person bath tub. Here are some pictures to commemorate the event.

Bethany's turn! Washing her gorgeous hair.

Owen's just sitting back and absorbing all that's going on around him.
Both Mini-Milli loved the bath time. The pictures really don't do much justice. Bethany was stoked using the Simpsons' bathroom in itself...add her baby brother in the mix & she was in hog-heaven! She was the perfect little angel...being careful with her lil' brother sitting next to her and not going crazy as usual.

Owen had a blast! He would glace over at his big sister & the biggest smile would spread across his face. He couldn't get enough of the bath. He would just laugh and smile the whole time, even while washing his hair! The more Owen laughed and smiled, the more Bethany would interact with him and coo with him. He would still be in the tub now, if it were up to him. He had no problem being in there nearly 10 minutes. I see a future water-baby on our hands!

The whole bath was super sweet. At one point they were both looking at each with such love in their eyes! Every day, I see him looking up to Bethany with such joy and admiration. He really knows who she is and he beams when she talks to him (now if she can talk w/out poking his eyes or nose...that would be a bonus!). It is so rewarding to see the two of them interacting already...even on this minor level. But when they talk and laugh together, I feel like the luckiest girl in the world. It's such a blessing to not only have two beautiful kiddos, but it is a double blessing to have them love each other so.

"Thank you, Light!"

On the way home from Uncle Mark & Aunt Jeanne's last night, we were at a stop light. When the light turned green, we heard Bethany in the back seat say, "Thank you, light!" She's such a polite little girl. Well, she sort of picked up on this from us. Inspired from a very old Simpsons episode, "Bart Sells His Soul," we remembered that the Flanders kids would say, "Thank you door!" when the automatic door would slide open at the store. We started doing this for fun, and Jo Ann carried it over to traffic lights. Apparently, nothing is lost on Bethany!

Fishies, Monkeys & Piggies!

It seems at times that we have a full-fledged zoo at the Milles house. Yesterday, a few more "animals" came out to play!

First out to play were the Fishies! You might recall these from two years ago when Bethany played with them. These fishies have proven to be pretty versatile, as you will see in a second.

The fishes may be played with by yourself, as demonstrated by our favorite lil' man.

Not only will the fishies entertain a 2-month-old, but they will provide plenty of fun times for a two-year-old! **That is once she figures out how to get under there without destroying it.**

You can even play together with these Fantasticly Flexible Fishies!

Although, your little brother may prefer to be alone...

Next up in our Milles zoo are the Monkeys (and frogs and birds). Owen has recently discovered animals hovering timidly above his head during swing-time. He loves to watch them chase each other in a perpetual circle. He has even learned that they aren't bad conversationalist as he is often found talking to them!

Bethany got to have some up close and personal time with her own lil' piggies. We painted her piggies yesterday for the first time. I told her that after her nap we will trim her nails and "color" her toes. I was not in her room but for 2 seconds after nap time and she excitedly exclaimed, "TOES!!!".

Keeping good to my word, I trimmed all her nails & proceeded to paint her toes. After they were done, I did what I also do....blow of them. This seemingly innocent action resulted in her crying:

"Toes Hot! Toes Hot!!!""

"No, Sweetie, your toes aren't hot, they are wet."

"No, Bet-an-ni toes hot! Bet-an-ni toes hot"

"Sweetie, see" (touching her toes) "Your toes are ok."

Although, it did take her awhile to muster up the courage to walk on her freshly-painted toes! However, by the time her daddy came up...she couldn't wait to show them off!

So, there you have. The Milles Funny Farm Zoo!

Owen's Outrageous Outie!

A short week or two after Owen as born his umbilical cord stump fell off and what was left was a beautiful innie belly button (or belly butt if you ask Bethany what it is called).

However, 2 weeks ago the cute innie turned into a mushy outie. You push it and you hear liquids moving about. Kinda freaking...but kinda cool at the same time.

Yesterday, we went to the doctor for Owen's 2 month check up and learned that Owen has an umbilical hernia. It is no big deal, really. It is when the muscles are not completely developed & are weak in the naval region. This allows his intestines to poke through his belly button. Now that is kinda gross, but then again, very intriguing. Click Here to read more about herniated navels. They say it should clear up by the age of 4. So, until then he is just gonna have a extra large and squishy outie! Here are a couple pics of it!

Other than the navel, here are Owen's stats from his dr. visit:

• Weight: 12lb 3 oz --> 50th %tile
• Height: 22.5 " --> 25th %tile
• Head Circumfance: 16.5" --> 90-95th %tile

He has a big head! Much like his sister did/does. I made a comment to the doctor at how he is outgrowing clothes because his head won't fit...not so much because his belly is too big. When the doctor started to check Owen out, she looked at his head (as she always does to see how the skull is fusing, etc) she commented, "He really does have a big head." She is a pretty soft-spoken doctor. I was surprised to hear her comment on his head! But...I like to think that they have such big heads to hold all of their brains.

Momma's Helper

A couple of days ago, I go to the bathroom just for a minute (for obvious reasons) & I hear the just-laid-down-to-nap Owen start fussing. He managed to fall asleep in the middle of his bottle (imagine that!). Anyhow, as I was, you know, finishing my business, Owen stops crying. When I come out, I see Bethany has resumed feeding Owen his bottle.

I thank her for helping me out & she says, "Picture." I ask for clarification...it turns out that she wanted me to take a picture of her feeding Owen. What a vain little thing!

So, here it is!

2, 4, 240

Here is a little number post from your favorite Milles Family. Which...I assume is us, cause likely we are the only Milles Family you know. And if you know more than 1 Milles family, you are related to us & you secretly know that we are the best in the Family. It is about time you admit it out loud! :)

So here what's the numbers mean. I am sure you are just itching to find out.

2....

Owen turned 2 months old today! What a big boy!

Here are some of Owen's amazing talents as a 2-month-old

• Smiling


• Cooing


• Sleeping 5 1/2 hours in a row at night


• Filling his diaper with an amazing amount of poo in one sitting


• Pulling out his sister's hair by the fist full (on accident, of course)


• Making hearts melt around him...he's just so adorable


• Being just a good baby that doesn't cry for hours at a time...that is noteworthy in itself & you would agree if you were here 2 years ago when his sister was this age!
  

4.....

We hope you had a great Fourth of July. Here is our picture to remember the day. Aren't they adorable?!? I'm blessed to wake up to these three beauties everyday!

240....

That is how much money Bethany had in her Piggy Bank when we cleaned it out this weekend. $240!!!! That is a lot of money to collect in 2 short years! Wanna know what we did with it.... I'll give you three guesses! So, shoot!

Shoes, you say...No...remember Bethany isn't a fan of getting new shoes.

A new chair. After all Bethany is known to sit in random spots.

More cd's full of songs to memorize and sing along to like "C is for Cookie"? Nope!

While those are all good guesses...I am sorry to say they are all wrong. If you know anything about Cory and I you should've been able to guess it went straight into a new college account for Bethany. We actually opened accounts for both kiddos using the Missouri Most plan. While we aren't able to put the recommended $300 to $500 a month into an account for each of them, we are glad to get them started off on the right foot. The projection calculators for college expenses in the next 16 years are rather daunting and we hope to help the two little boogers out as much as we can. Too bad, we can't invest as much in their college as we are into their child care. If that were the case, I think we might be able to pay off a couple extra college tuitions!

So, there you have 2 month, 4th of July & 240 buck-a-roos for our lil' Banker! Those are the numbers in our lives! :)

June, July, August!

I used to hate it when I'd hear, "My 3 favorite things about teaching are: June, July, and August." This phrase would always get me worked up...that is until 2 years, 3 weeks & 4 days ago. On that day Bethany made me a Momma & ever since then, I love my summers!

I feel so incredibly blessed to have 2-3 months home a year with my babies. This time home has provided us with unbelievable bonding time & memories that are to be cherished forever!

Here are just a few pics from our lazy summer days:

Bethany helps Owen finish up one of his bottles.

Getting up close and personal with the camera.

Thinking about whether or not to smile at the camera...

Just us girls...the way we like it best!

So while you may not hear me say that my favorite part of teaching is June, July and August....I now have a great appreciate for those months off. After all, what other profession lets you have that much time to spend with your family?!?!