Conversations with a 9 year old...

Mom: Krystian, you need to eat ALL of your breakfast.
Krystian: Ya you're right... Mom, I was looking at my feet the other day and thinking that I needed to gain a little weight because my feet are SO skinny.

Krystian: You know what mom. I'm really pretty and don't need to wear any make-up. I'm so lucky!
Mom: Yes Krystian, you are very pretty... (I wrote this one down as proof... so when she comes to me in 5 years and asks me to buy her some make-up I can remind her of why she doesn't need any).

Krystian: Oh my gosh mom you will never guess what happened at school today... Mrs. Hannah gave us new seating assignments and put me across from Nate. Oh my gosh... Nate is SO seriously cute mom! I can't take it though because every time he talks, I'm "forced" to look at him because he's right across from me. I DON'T want to look at him because he's so cute... it makes me crazy! Ugh.....
After reading this post...
Krystian: Mom, you need to erase this... I can't believe you! Moooooommmmmm..........
I hope Cammy never reads this. Oh and Brad. No mom, noooooo.... stop typing everything I'm saying. :)

It ended with lots of giggles and hugs and kisses......
Krystian: Mom, you're kind of kookoo....

Dogs and Cats....

A friend (who teaches junior high) told me about this story below and I couldn't help but share it. All I can say is that I'm looking forward to getting my dogs back!

You parents will relate to this and I can tell you from personal experience that every word is true! (sorry, I'm not sure who the author of this is....)

"I just realized that while children are dogs - loyal and affectionate - teenagers are cats. It's so easy to be a dog owner. You feed it, train it, boss it around. It puts it's head on your knee and gazes at you as if you were a Rembrandt painting. It bounds indoors with enthusiasm when you call it.

Then around age 13, your adoring little puppy turns into a big old cat. When you tell it to come inside, it looks amazed, as if wondering who died and made you emperor. Instead of dogging your doorsteps, it disappears. You won't see it again until it gets hungry -- then it pauses on its sprint through the kitchen long enough to turn its nose up at whatever you're serving. When you reach out to ruffle its head, in that old affectionate gesture, it twists away from you, then gives you a blank stare, as if trying to remember where it has seen you before.

You, not realizing that the dog is now a cat, think something must be desperately wrong with it. It seems so antisocial, so distant, sort of depressed. It won't go on family outings. Since you're the one who raised it, taught it to fetch and stay and sit on command, you assume that you did something wrong. Flooded with guilt and fear, you redouble your efforts to make your pet behave.

Only now you're dealing with a cat, so everything that worked before now produces the opposite of the desired result. Call it, and it runs away. Tell
it to sit, and it jumps on the counter. The more you go toward it, wringing your hands, the more it moves away.

Instead of continuing to act like a dog owner, you can learn to behave like a cat owner. Put a dish of food near the door, and let it come to you. But
remember that a cat needs your help and your affection too. Sit still, and it will come, seeking that warm, comforting lap it has not entirely forgotten. Be there to open the door for it.

One day your grown-up child will walk into the kitchen, give you a big kiss and say, "You've been on your feet all day. Let me get those dishes for you."

Then you'll realize your cat is a dog again."

This post is dedicated to my dogs, I mean cats....I Love You!

drum roll please...

The Millers are having a...
BOY!!!

Yes, we are adding a little testosterone to the mix. Brad is very happy about this!

I can't tell you how excited I am to venture off on this new journey. Every one of my friends (and sis-in-laws) who have both sons and daughters say there is nothing like raising a son and this is something I am super excited to experience myself. I love all 3 of my daughters so much, but the thought of raising a son sparks a realm of emotions.

1. I am sooooo nervous... probably because after 3 girls I pretty much know what to expect with a girl... boys are soooooo different. I hope I figure it out okay!
2. I've watched my brother and his amazing wife raise 3 sons and I am so excited to have that relationship with my child that my sis-in-law has with her sons.
3. I got to hold my 2 month old nephew at the temple sealing of my brother and his family the other day... there was just something about that experience that melted my heart. I can't wait to hold my sweet little boy.
4. I am experiencing all of this with an amazing, incredible, and very excited husband... I love him so much and am so excited to share this entire experience with him and watch as he becomes a daddy.

So, everyone in the Miller home is over-the-top excited about the baby boy that will be joining our family sometime late April. My daughters have always wanted a brother... this little boy is one lucky little guy... he will have 4 moms and a dad. There will be no shortage of love, kisses, holding and cuddling.

Wait, it's all over?

Not sure where the school year went, but here we are at the end of another crazy year!
Krystian ended the year with "outstanding attendance"... she missed 1 day of school the entire year, and it just happened to be 3 days before the school year ended.
Kayla finished her last year of junior high... sniffle, sniffle, tear, tear... I'm totally in denial that she's heading off to high school. In my mind she's still 6 years old. :)
Cammy finished the school year with straight A's... YAY Cammy!!! She also received an award for Outstanding Scholarship (she had to maintain an A- average or better for the entire year to receive this). Way to go Camerson!!!The school year ended with field day, a Goldilocks and the 3 bears operetta, and a few tears.

Krystian and her bff Evelyn enjoying field day...

Cammy showing off her "almost done with 6th grade" pose...
A water-fight is all fun and games until...
...your make-up gets all messed up!
The 2nd grade performance of Goldilocks and the 3 bears...
Krystian was a Mama Bear.
Krystian and her mama...
Krystian and the "young handsome Brad" as Krystian calls him...
Here's to 6th grade... here's to bff's... here's to movin' on...
Cammy, Melanie, Alicia and Haidyn

For the 6th graders, it was a bitter-sweet ending. Not only are they off on new adventures as they head off to junior high, but this is the last time they will see their elementary school... a new school is under construction as we speak. I think that made for an even more emotional ending.
The second grade wrote good-bye to Woodstock messages all over the sidewalks. We've been "Wolverines" since Kayla was in second grade, so watching the school be re-built is a happy yet sad moment. But as we all know... when one door gets demolished, another new, shiny door takes it's place (or something like that). :)
Here are some fun pics from the last day of school...

Remember...

that one time when we laughed so hard we peed our pants.
that one time when you stuck gum behind your ear like Violet on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
that one time when we cuddled up and watched the Notebook.
that one time when you wrote a letter to Chick-fil-a telling them they should raise the height restrictions to the play land because you were too tall to play in there... I still have that letter.
that one time when we danced in the rain in Florida.
that one time when you made me breakfast in bed.
that one time when I made you "kid tea"... I still have your text that says "mmm mom... your kid tea is good (:".
that one time when we went running together and I almost died because I couldn't keep up with you.
that one time where we went for a drive through the mountains and talked for hours.
that one time when we skipped through the mall holding hands and didn't care who saw us.
that one time when we tried on prom dresses for no reason.
that one time when you sent me a text during class asking me who Tom Cruise was and I thought you were cheating on a quiz. You weren't cheating, but replied "Duh mom... what kind of quiz asks who Tom Cruise is???"
that one time when we ate so much candy we made ourselves sick.
that one time when you played me my favorite hymn on your violin.
that one time when I picked you up from school in the middle of the day and we went out for Chinese food.
that one time when I rode on a zip-line.
that one time when you built a tree house at the canal... all by yourself.
that one time when you helped me with an idea for one of my design school projects.
that one time when you made a pillowcase for me.
that one time when we laughed, then cried, then laughed again.

Remember that one time when...

Teaser...

They came!
I found some fabulous shoes online to wear with my wedding dress and I've been anxiously waiting for them to arrive! I've been madly searching for a pair of really pale pink shoes to wear with my champagne wedding dress... there's just something about pink and champagne together. And there's just something so romantic about these shoes... am I completely hopeless or what!? Oh my gosh... the flower on top looks like fluffy butter (sorry, I can't think of any other way to describe them)... I am in L-O-V-E with these shoes. Thank goodness they fit and look GREAT with my dress.

I picked up my dress 2 days ago and have tried it on 3 times already. It's funny how having a wedding dress in my possession actually makes me feel like I'm getting married for real.

Oh my gosh... I'm getting married for real!

the drive...

My sweet Kayla got strep throat... AGAIN! And this time her tonsils were so swollen she couldn't swallow and was completely miserable. She didn't really eat anything for several days, and lost 14 pounds in about 6 days. :( Her tonsils were so bad the doctor deemed them "the ugliest" he had seen in quite a while. Poor girl. We're going back to the doctor in a couple weeks... hopefully she won't have to have her tonsils out. It not looking too good though.
So, I came home from work one afternoon and found her looking so sad and depressed. My first thought was she needed to get out of the house... she had been home from school for 3 days already and I could tell she was going crazy being at home so much.

We hoped in the car and off we went on a drive...
We had so much fun together. We talked about school, boys, her goals, and everything going on in her life. It was so fun to spend this time talking with her. I love nothing more than a good conversation with one of my daughters. These are the moments when I realize what good kids I have and how lucky I am to be a mom. It's the best job in the whole world!
We got so busy talking that before we knew it we ended up in Provo. So, where else to go but up Provo Canyon, through Heber and down through Park City. 3 hours later we ended up back at home.

It was the best 3 hours of my week.

Dress shopping...

What girl doesn't LOVE a girls day out shopping for dresses?
I finally found a wedding dress... wahoo! I was starting to get a little nervous because I just wasn't finding anything that looked like me... but thankfully I finally found something!
I took the girls back with me to try the dress on again, the looks on their faces was priceless when I walked out in the dress.

Kayla and Cammy got to try on dresses too... Krystian already has a dress, but had so much fun with her little friend London going through all the dresses and accessories. Krystian's favorite dresses were the big fluffy ball gowns (of course).

Of course there are no pictures of me... gotta keep the suspense going.

What little girl doesn't love pretending to be a princess for a day...

Krystian and London

We found the perfect dress for Cammy...

she looks absolutely beautiful in this dress.

Kayla was on the move...

she kept seeing dresses that she wanted to try on.

You would have thought I had fed Kayla a bowl of sugar first

then taken her to a candy store.

She was all over the place, having the time of her life!

But mom... I was bored...

So, I came home from running errands the other day to find my oldest daughter, Kayla locked in the bathroom.

Me: Kayla what are you doing in there?
Kayla: I don't want to come out... I'm afraid you'll get mad at me.
(hmmm... just what every parent wants to hear)
Me: Well, what did you do that is going to make me mad?
Kayla: I got bored and now I need you to fix something.
(this doesn't sound good)
Me: You need to open the door if you want me to help you.
(mom gets more and more aggravated and begins shaking the door knob)
Me: Open this door.... NOW!
Kayla: Okay, but be nice to me.
(um... I can't make any promises)
Me: Okay, but if you make me wait much longer I'm going to be less nice.

The door slowly opens and I find my beautiful daughter missing a rather large chunk of her longer than long hair.
Right in the front!

Kayla: I was bored so I decided to cut my hair just a little bit, but I slipped.
Me: That looks like more than a slip.
Kayla: You're not funny mom.
Me: I'm hilarious. So, what do you want ME to do about this?
Kayla: Just fix it mommy please.
(of course she throws a "mommy" in there for effect)

She's just lucky I know how to cut hair!
So, I ended up having to take about 7 inches off the back just to get the "slip" to blend in. Her hair is still long, but on Kayla it looks soooooo short. I would like to say that Kayla learned a lesson and won't be cutting her hair by herself ever again, but no, I guarantee she'll do it again someday... and then she'll call me to come fix it! :)

before and after... she's still a cutie.

My niche...

It felt so good to find my niche again. A design friend of mine called to have me consult on a job for her. It's been so long since I've done any design work I had forgotten how much I LOVE it! What I love is this... I spent 2 hours with the client and didn't even realize that 2 whole hours had past. You know you love something when it doesn't feel like work, and time passes without you even noticing. It felt so good!

So, it's just a small job... space planning, shopping for new furniture, some custom drapery, and a little redesign of the space. She had lots of furniture that was just too big for the space, so it was fun to teach her about scale and proportion. Usually I'll find a client with a HUGE space and tiny pieces of furniture arranged neatly around the edges of the room, so it was refreshing to have the opposite problem for once. So, here's to finding my niche again...

And just because a post is better with pictures... here's a project from several years ago. Some of my favorite spaces to completely redesign are childrens' rooms...

Here's to 2009...

What a year!
Thankfully most of the big events were captured previously on this blessed blog! I so enjoy going back over the year and remembering all the fun! There were a few trials along the way too, but all in all we had a good time.
Me (the mom of the bunch) had a crazy year. Brad and I had just started dating before the new year... and after a year of dating is so very lucky to call him my fiance! I took off to the Las Vegas design market last February with my 3 fearless design partners. What a week we had. April brought a trial I never thought would end when I became so sick I was in bed for close to 9 weeks, and sick another 3 weeks beyond that. I missed the last 5 weeks of the school year, and I hope whatever it was never returns!!! I went back to school in August and spent the last few months of the year deciding where to head as far as my education is concerned. Thankfully I have pinned it down to a BFA with an emphasis in drawing and painting, then a masters of education... so the next 3 years will be devoted to that (as if I had nothing else to do!). I still continue to tutor kids in reading, and take on the occasional opportunity to teach art classes at my daughters' elementary school. I LOVE teaching art! In the midst of all this I still found the time to take care of my mom, date Brad, raise 3 daughters, and get engaged! whew...

Kayla began her last year of junior high. Most of her time is spent texting boys, talking to boys, thinking about boys... you get the picture. In her free time she plays the violin and piano, is her Mia~maid class president, is learning to snowboard, and practices cheer daily. She also babysits a lot! Kayla also had a few missionary opportunities this past year with a few friends and a cousin who were baptized over the summer. She is planning on trying out for the cheer squad at Cottonwood/Olympus/Murray (or where ever we end up). Kayla is also the only true blue BYU fan in the house, which makes her grandpa happy! She is the sunshine in our house... such a sweet, outgoing little spirit. She has a confidence like no one I have ever know. I love my sweet Kayluhhh.

Cammy is finishing her last year of elementary school and heads off to junior high this coming year. BOOOOOO.... I would like to say that I'm prepared considering I have done this before, but no, I'm not ready for this. Cammy is the artist of the family, as well as the singer. She has an amazing voice! She began babysitting this year, and is getting the hang of it quickly. Cammy is my independent child... she's so happy and content entertaining herself with projects, music and cleaning (yes you read that right!). She is the loving peacemaker in our home. She loves music, art, monkeys, friends and Cherry Cokes... oh and her cell phone.

Krystian is the social butterfly of the family. She keeps track of all our schedules and seems to know everything about everyone! :) She loves dancing, play dates, puppies, drawing, and can swim like a fish. She's a super great helper around the house still, mostly because she hasn't learned to ignore me yet! Krystian had a big birthday this past year... 8 years old! She was baptized by Brad on December 5th. The day after she was baptized she told me that she was the happiest girl ever because she had the Holy Ghost with her. Lots of wisdom for an 8 year old!

Well, we hope 2009 brought you all lots of growth and wonderful memories too.
Christmas was action packed this year, so I put all the pictures in slide show that follows.
We had great fun at the Miller Christmas party, Christmas day at the Fryers, and New Years eve with our close friends the Woolfs, Halversons and Benwares. Lots of pictures, lots of fun memories, and great friendships...
We are looking forward to a new decade of fun filled days, but for now, here's to 2009!!!