A Christmas of Cereal Killers

Each year my mom has a creative Christmas Eve gift for everyone. This year was a theme with clues and we had to guess what the gifts were. Everyone got a box of cereal and a t-shirt to match. Even 4 month old Sam had a POP'S onsie. Don't ask me how she found t-shirts for everyone. When she sets her mind to something, it happens. Thanks Mom for making each holiday special.

Sun Valley Serenade

Every year at this time we take a trip with Dustin's family to Sun Valley. This trip is one of our very favorites. SV is a magical place. I can't show you how magical in pictures because my camera battery was dead and I didn't bring a charger. I can, however, tell you how magical and wonderful this place is.

* Enjoying the holiday season with friends and family

*Swimming in the gigantic hot tub that is so big if you are on one side you can't see over to the other side.

*Skiing and hanging out in the ski lodge

*Eating delicious food

*Taking a horse-drawn sleigh ride to a cabin for dinner

*Singing carols on the sleigh ride

*Snuggling close to your loved ones in -3 degree weather on the sleigh ride and not feeling one bit cold

*The Carolers and Santa making a visit at our cabin dinner.

** Skiing with Dane gets two stars because this kid can rip and go down pretty much any run. It is so fun to be able to ski with your kids.

*Everyone who helped me take care of Ian in the ski lodge while Dustin and I skiied with Dane.

*Watching Sun Valley Serenade

*Zoe and Berkeley for watching about 10 kids each night so the parents could go out to dinner.

*The wonderful bowling alley where the kids pretty much take care of themselves if you give them enough money to play video games.

*My brother getting engaged to his girlfriend on the ice skating rink (wedding is March 27) Welcome to the family Heidi!

You Can't Catch Me I'm the Gingerbread Man

Our annual family Gingerbread House making party this year was great. Many thanks to my mom and Dustin's mom for making soup. Dustin and I couldn't do this party without lots of help. It is so fun to watch the kids get into their decorating. Skye made a house boat, Izzy a motel, Jackson a log cabin, Zoe a mansion, Dane a small house with a LARGE garage, Dustin a Frank Lloyd Wright house, Jen a white trash house, Sherrie a train and the list goes on... Everyone is so creative. We enjoy looking forward to this party every year.

Quote of the Day

Sometimes I wonder...

"Why is that frisbee getting bigger?"

...and then it hits me.

Giveaway!

Check out http://www.giveawaytoday.blogspot.com/ and put me as your reference!

Feast & Family

Pre-Feast we burned some calories at the bowling alley.

Dustin and I hosted my family for dinner. Everyone pitched in and brought something. All we had to make were mashed potatoes and green beans. Not too bad. My grandpa made the turkey and did an awesome job as usual. All the other dishes were delicious as well. Thanks everyone for all the help.
Ian wouldn't eat ANYTHING! So he had pizza and rolls for dinner.

Dustin dressed appropriately for dinner and made a plate that was magazine worthy.

During dinner everyone wrote down 2 things they were thankful for and put them in a bowl. Then we went around the table and read one thing and everyone had to guess who wrote it. They were harder to guess than we thought.

I truly have a lot to be thankful for but won't bore you with a long list. I am thankful I was able to spend Thanksgiving with family.

A Great Little Get-Away

For our birthday's this year I requested a kid-free trip to Moab instead of a big party. We had a great time hangin' with the Epperson's, Shockley's and Shupe/Huish's (missed you Angie and Mike). Here are all of us on the Poison Spider trail.

Me after I tipped Billy Goat on her side. The boys were able to turn her upright again and she didn't even have a scratch on her. I had a great time driving but have a lot to learn. Thanks Dustin for your patience and Jared for being brave enough to ride with me!

Love this picture! After a looooong wait the Jeep was ready for some serious rock crawling. She climbed up obstacles like nothin'. Even Dustin (who thought she would only be pretty to look at) ate his words after he saw what she could do.

This is Dave's Cruiser when it got a little lopsidded climbing a large shelf.

What a great birthday! Thanks to my mom, neighbor Nancy and sis-in-law Meg for helping out with boys. I owe you BIG time.

Also, I forgot to give a shout-out to my sis Megan. Her bday is the day after mine and I enjoy sharing our special days each year. Here we are with our twinner bday gifts. Love you Sis!

If this van's a rockin' don't come a knockin'

From Luxury Sedan to......Minivan.

And Lovin' it!

Point and laugh if you'd like but my new ride is sweet! I, too, was a minivan hater until I was brainwashed by 3 neighbors who have them. If you want to haul around kids, groceries, bikes, bookbags, ski's, furniture, you name it, there is NOTHING better.

Happy Birthday Whitter's!

Welcome to the "Dirty Thirty" Club.

We Love You!

Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!

DaTE NiGhT!

Dustin and I had a great date night. We didn't just go to dinner and a movie. We mixed it up and went to a climbing gym and then out to dinner. We had a great time doing something different and can't wait for the next Date Night! I encourage you and your spouse to "mix it up a bit" and do something out of the norm.

Is October Over Yet?!

Wow! October was a crazy busy month. We had a lot of fun but I am glad it is over. Here is a recap.

TaGgEd! CrAzY 8's!

I was tagged a LONG time ago by my sis-in-law and now I a finally getting around to it. So enjoy!

Eight Things I am Passionate About
1- My Hubbie
2- My Family (immediate and extended)
3- My Friends
4- Reading
5- Traveling
6- Exercising
7- Giving my kids the best, most well-rounded life I can
8- Eating

8 words/phrases I use often:
1- "I love you."
2- "BIGS Get Off the Bed!"
3- "NATTIE Get Off the Couch!"
4- "LIZSI MOVE!"
5-"oh, sh**" (one of my fav's)
6-"oh Sugar Bean's!" (stolen from my neighbor Nancy. It comes in very handy in stressful situations)
7- "Because I said so..." (I think every mom says this, right?)
8-"How did that make you feel?" (Parenting with Love and Logic)

8 things I want to do before I die/on my wish list:
1- Travel the world
2- Ride in a Century Race
3- Finish my scrapbooks
4- Have Grandkids
5- Do volunteer Nursing in other countries for Women and Children
6- Take a ski vacation to another country
7- Watch my kids grow up to be amazing adults
8- Grow old with my hubby

8 things I've learned in the past: (Thank's Meg I just copied what you said here. You made such a great list.)
1- Always remember to say please and thank you
2- Be grateful for what you have!
3- Say "I love you" to those you love
4- Having a good attitude can change a lot of things! Be POSITIVE
5- Don't be afraid to tell others how you feel
6- Be the first to say "I'm sorry"
7- Smile
8- Work hard so you can play hard

8 things I currently want/need:
1- A yard with grass
2- No Dogs!
3- A new car for all my mommy duties
4- A massage
5- More hours in the day
6- A clean house
7- A personal chef
8- A mountain bike

8 places I want to see/visit:
1- Africa
2- Australia
3- Alaska
4- New Zealand
5- Iceland
6- Chicago
7- Brazil
8- i would pretty much go anywhere. I love to travel.

8 favorite restaurants:
1- Red Butte
2- Egg's in the City
3- Cafe Rio
4- DoDo
5- Silver Fork
6- East West Connection
7- Olive Garden
8- Bombay House

8 TV shows I can't live without:
1- Family Guy
2- Jon and Kate plus eight
3- Desperate Housewives
4- Grey's Anatomy
5- The Office
6- Curious George
7- Baby Eingstein
8- Star Wars
(*The last 3 I put the kids in front of so I can get something done.)

8 Things that happened yesterday:
1- Woke up at 5:20 to go to my swim practice
2- Got my teeth cleaned
3- Cut out quilt squares with gma Janene for a quilt
4- Visited Dustin at the office
5- Rode bikes with Dane
6- Did laundry
7- Made dinner
8- Put kids to bed

8 Things I look forward to:
1- Everything each new season brings
2- Sundays when the whole fam is home together
3- Bedtime
4- Sun Valley
5- The first REAL snow storm
6- Skiing with Dane
7- Date night
8- The upcoming holidays

8 Things I love about fall:
1- The leaves changing colors
2- The Halloween decorations
3- My birthday! (and Dustin's too)
4- The cooler weather
5- Carving Pumpkins
6- Soup
7- Halloween candy
8- End of the busy work season for Dustin :

8 people I tag:
1- Meg McG.
2- Rosie G.
3- Steph E.
4- Lindsay R.
5- Jessica S.
6- Lisa L.
7- Gina McG.
8- Laura M.

Warm Weather to Remember this Winter

We went with some neighborhood friends to Lake Powell over UEA. Dustin and I haven't been for 2 years and it was so great to go down and enjoy some sun, water skiing and exploring.

Pickin' Pun'kins & Makin' Scarecrows

We picked pumpkins at a little pumpkin patch by my sisters house in Eagle Mountain. It was a cute little patch and we were the only ones there. Thanks Meg for the invite to the patch and to see your cute place. We also made scarecrows at our house one evening. The snowmobile guy is pretty spooky in the dark when you go to the kitchen and catch a glimpse of him staring at you through the window. Creepy....

Lovin' the Weather Lately

These are just a series of pictures from our hiking adventures at Silver Lake and Cecret Lake (yes, that is spelled correctly). Just click on the picture to enlarge. I will be sad to see this beautiful weather turn to snow and cold. We are enjoying the warm and sun as much as we can.

The Forgotten Child

Did any of you even remember I had a second child? I may have forgotten as well since all of the posts lately have been about the wonderous first child. But my little Angel Face Ian is pretty wonderous too. At 18 months he is a curious little boy who is always trying to keep up with the big kids. He is happy almost all of the time, is a great sleeper and eater. Pretty much the dream child. (I have now just jinxed myself by saying all that.) He is starting to say a few words and animal sounds. He loves to bark like a dog the most. But the best part about Ian is that, just like Dane, he LOVES to cuddle. I could just cuddle them both for hours. I love being a mom to two wonderful boys. Even on the days that I want to scream and pull my hair out.

W.T.F

We have 3 dogs too many living at our house (my mom's dog now lives with us) which equates to a whole lot of dog POOP. And NOT ONCE has ANYONE stepped in dog poop at our house. So why is it the last 2 times I have taken the kids to SUNNYSIDE PARK someone has stepped in POOP?! Is it too much to ask for people to clean up after their dogs so that our kids can play and run in the grass?

Mother Nature Hates Me

I finally spent $$$ having my 100+ windows in the house cleaned and this is what happens. Why do I even try?

Our first visit from the tooth fairy

Well, Dane went to his first day of school on a Friday and then on Monday had to visit the dentist to have a tooth pulled and a crown put on a molar. This is where you might be saying we are bad parents and why aren't we brushing his teeth. Well, we do brush his teeth. It is just bad gene's from his father's side :) Then, on Tuesday Dane started running a fever. On Wednesday the fever continued and he stopped talking. On Thursday the fever continued, he still wasn't talking and I finally took him to the doctor only to find out that he had tonsillitis. At that point I felt like a really good mom and nurse for waiting so long to take him into the doctor. Ha! After a weekend of antibiotics Dane was back to his old self and ready to go back to school for his second day one week late.

First day

At the last minute Dustin and I decided NOT to send Dane to kindergarten this year. He has a late July birthday and we thought it would be best in the long run to do another year of preschool. So, 3 days before school started I was scrambling to get him into a preschool. Luckly, there were openings for the school we wanted. Whew! And as a bonus Dane and his best bud Daniel are in the same class. It has been great to carpool with Daniel too! Dustin and I are so glad we made the switch. Dane absolutely LOVES school and can't wait to go every single day. We even had a little back to school party for him. He got to choose what to have for dinner, drink, and dessert. We made it special with balloons and grandparents. It was all about him.

Where's Dustin?

For a long time now I have asked Dustin to get me some pictures of his new hobby/lifestyle to put on the blog. Since he never remembers to take pictures I found these on a website of one of their races. Now we can all see what he has been up to all those nights and weekends he has spent away from home. He and Brandon are doing very well as a team their first year racing. They have taken 1st and 3rd in two of the races and are hoping to get the Rookie of the Year award. Way to go Honey! We are so proud of you. However, we can't wait for race season to take a break so we can have you all to ourselves again :)

Tennis, Baseball, Museums...Oh, my!

The long wait is finally over! Thanks for your patience. This is the first of many new posts to come! Enjoy. We had a great time in NYC with Kristen and Russell. The US Open was fun. We saw some great matches and even watched Serena Williams play and crush her competition. The Yankees game was fun, too. Except the Yankees totally sucked and lost. Dustin and I went to the MOMA and the Metropolitan Museums. There is some really neat stuff to see at both. When we weren't watching tennis, baseball or sightseeing we were eating. I love NYC and all the restaurant choices. I mean, where else can you go out for Indian food at midnight? Pretty sure I gained 5 pounds (maybe more).

TRI Geeks

We LOVED our TRIATHLON! You can now refer to Kristen, Rosie and myself as TRI-Geeks or Triathletes (if you prefer). What a wonderful day we had experiencing our FIRST triathlon. All that training paid off and we had a great time. We were able to get some really cool tri-suits from Rosie's husband, Bart, who rides mountain bikes for Cannondale and Monavie. Thanks Bart!

Don't we look like a force to be reckoned with! Go team MONAVIE!

Kristen and Rosie on our warm-up run.

Well, we have a gold medalist on our team. Kristen one first place in her age group in the Athena category. Now, the Athena team is for women who weigh more than 150 lbs. But if you look at Kristen or know her she is hardly fat. She is made of pure muscle and she can kick some butt. Way to go Kristen!
Friend Matt also one first place in his age group in the clydesdale category. His cute wife Jennette wasn't there because she was running in the Hobble Creek Half Marathon that day. Way to go Matt and Jennette!

We also had a medal won in the Miller Family this weekend. Dustin and Brandon took 3rd place in their Vegas to Reno trophy truck race. Way to go MD Motorsports! Hopefully Dustin took some pictures to publish soon.

What a great way to spend a Saturday!

Boys 3 Girls 1

My SISTER Meg had a baby BOY yesterday. Congratulations to the PROUD parents and big SISTER! Can't wait to meet baby.

Samuel River McGary

August 21, 2008

1:37pm

6 lbs 13 0z

21 inches

(This makes 3 grandson's and 1 granddaughter for my parents)

The Twins are Here!

This post it a couple of weeks late but I was waiting to have a picture of Jared and Angie's new baby boys. Jack (left) and Andrew were born on August 1st at 36 week. Jack weighed 3 lbs 15 oz and Andrew was 5 lbs 8 oz. Jack spent one week in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit to work on keeping his temperature up by himself and eating. They are sooo cute and fun to hold. Jack looks like Jared and and Andrew looks like Angie. We are so happy for the proud parents! Love you Bud, Ang, Jack-Jack and Drew-Drew

Just a little reminder...

This was on my friend Somer's Blog and I really liked it. If I could just do a few of these things each day I know I would feel better. Give it a try.
40 Golden Tips for a Better Life
1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, Smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.

2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Buy a lock if you have to.
3. Buy a DVR and tape your late night shows and get more sleep.

4. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement,
'My purpose is to __________ today.'
5. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.

6. Play more games and read more books than you did in 2007.

7. Make time to practice Meditation or prayer. They provide us with daily fuel for our busy lives.

8. Spend time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of 6. - Appreciate their genuine nature, strength, and innocence. For real!

9. Dream more while you are awake. 1

0. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.

11. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan Salmon, broccoli, almonds & walnuts
. 12. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
13. Clear clutter from your house, your car, your desk and let new and flowing energy into your life.

14. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.

15. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.

16. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid.

17. Smile and laugh more. It will keep the energy vampires away.

18. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

20. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

21. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

22. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.

23. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
24. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
25. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this matter?'

26. Forgive everyone for everything.

27. What other people think of you is none of your business.
28. Nature heals everything.

29. However good or bad a situation is it will change.
30. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch
31. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

32. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

33. The best is yet to come.
34. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

35. Do the right thing!

36. Call your family often. (Or email them to death!!!) Hey I'm thinking of ya!

37. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: I am thankful for __________.
Today I accomplished _________.

38. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.

39. Enjoy the ride. Remember this is not Disney World and you certainly don't want a fast pass. You only have one ride through life so make the most of it and enjoy the ride.

40. May your troubles be less, May your blessings be more, May nothing but Happiness come through your door!

We Will Miss You Grandma Ila!

Dustin's sweet Grandma Ila passed away last week. She was an amazing women and will be greatly missed. We are comforted by the fact that she has now been reunited with Grandpa Jack. We Love you Ila.

Ila Sarah Wilson Miller 1925 ~ 2008
Our beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend returned peacefully to her Heavenly Father on July 23, 2008 at the age of 83. Ila was born April 14, 1925, in Scofield, Utah to Irl Benjamin and Ethel Jane Mills Wilson. She married her eternal companion, Jack Miller, on June 3, 1947 in the Salt Lake Temple. The greatest desire of her heart was to be reunited with her husband, the love of her life, who preceded her in death eight years ago. As a young girl, she learned to work hard helping her parents with farming and ranching. Since there was not a high school in Scofield, she moved to Mt. Pleasant, Utah at the age of 14 to attend boarding school at Wasatch Academy. She graduated with honors. Ila then attended BYU and Stevens Henager Business College where she developed her skills in accounting and business which led to her lifelong career. Being the farm girl that she was, she arose very early every day of her life. She worked 30 years for Standard Builders Supply. When she and Jack retired, they along with two of their sons started Miller Paving Company. With her endless energy and incredible work ethic, she continued to work an additional 30 years, where she was the heart and soul of the company. She was an active and devoted member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and served faithfully in many callings throughout her life. She spent many early morning hours doing family history work. Ila and Jack served a mission together in Jacksonville, Florida. Her greatest attributes were persistence, patience, dependability, unselfishness, generosity, and kindness. Ila's greatest joy was her family. Ila and Jack felt strongly about family traditions. It was the motivation behind every family vacation and every family gathering. Each Sunday there was an open invitation for her family or anyone else needing unconditional love, support, or a really good cinnamon roll to gather at her home. She loved everyone, and everyone loved her. She was a great example to all. She is survived by: children- Sandy (Terry) Martin, Robert (Carol) Miller, Gary (Jackie) Miller, Janie (Paul) Shupe, Scott (Tori) Miller; 23 grandchildren; 21 great-grandchildren; brother, Ken (Beth) Wilson, sister, Betty (Marland) Stagg, sister-in-law, Barbara Miller, brother-in-law, Richard (Betty Gaye) Miller, and many loving nieces, nephews, and friends. Funeral services will be held Tues., July 29th, 2008, at 12 noon at the Cottonwood 2nd Ward Chapel, 5165 South Highland Drive (2080 East) Salt Lake City, Utah. Viewings will be held Mon., July 28th from 6-8 p.m. and Tues., July 29th, from 10:30-11:30 a.m. at the Cottonwood 2nd Ward. Interment: Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park, 3401 South Highland Drive. Funeral Directors, Cottonwood Mortuary 4670 S. Highland Drive, Holladay, UT.

Happy 5th Birthday Dane!

Dane turned 5 today! I can't believe how time has flown. Next month he will be starting kindergarten and before I know it he will be married with kids of his own. Anywho, he had a great birthday. We celebrated at a small park close to our house with family and a couple of neighborhood friends. The adults and kids had a great time playing horseshoes, badmiton, baseball, soccer, frisbee, eating pizza and cake. Enjoy the pictures!

Wyoming Weekend Fun

Over the weekend the boys and I headed up to Star Valley Wyoming for a family reunion. We had a great time with the Allred Clan, Gma & Gpa Wray, Gma Rose and Richard and all the cousins. On our way home to SLC we drove the Idaho way and stopped in Idaho Falls for a baby shower for my sis Megan who is having a boy in August. It was so fun to see Meg, Abbey and Greg-Kim. Too bad it was such a short visit.