Stylish

If you thought your outfit today was stylish, check out this get-up!!!

An outfit with a bell necklace, a bib for a cape, a winter hat, and one of Mama's shoes...now that is what I call accessori-ZING!!!

2nd Christmas!

This year is Sierra's 2nd Christmas and what a joyous time it has been. We have loved watching her grow and change and really get involved in all things Christmas this year! It has been so fun!

Each year, her Mimi and Papa have given her a special ornament for Christmas and it is so special to hang on the tree. Last year I was able to take a picture with her holding the ornament, this year though, she would not sit still. So, here it is hanging on the tree!

Here is Sierra with her ornament from last year! My, what a difference a year makes!

Merry Christmas to all!!!

Merry Christmas & A visit with Santa

I know there are so many varied opinions out there about how Christians should and shouldn't celebrate the Christmas season. There are many "religious" customs and then "pagan" customs, as a parent it is really hard to decipher which ones to accept, embrace, make traditions, etc.

First and foremost, we will undoubtedly be teaching our children that the TRUE reason for Christmas is to celebrate the birthday of our Savior, Jesus Christ. That is of utmost importance to us and that will never change. Brian and I know and understand that the best gift of all was Christ, who was sent here to Earth to bare our sins and provide us everlasting life. He was God incarnate, Emmanuel, “God with us.” What a great sacrifice! I think about my own precious children and can't imagine how Mary and Joseph must have felt knowing that their son would be the Savior of the world and would eventually die for them, for me, for all sinners. What a selfless, perfect, wonderful gift! Brian and I sincerely hope and pray that you will know that true gift this season and if you haven't, you will accept it today. Jesus was born and died for YOU! A free gift and when accepted, it will grant eternal rest with Him in Heaven. This is why we really celebrate, this is why we can sing praises to the Father during Christmas time especially!

Second, Christmas is a time for not only believing in Christ and the gift that He was to us, but also a time for believing in the goodness of others, believing in Hope for a better tomorrow, Peace, and Love. So, with that said, we will certainly be teaching our children about St. Nicholas and the real meaning of generous giving. The true story of St. Nicholas was that he was a devout Christian and he embraced Jesus' teaching of "sell what you own and give the money to the poor."

Of course the legend of Santa Claus has been told through the centuries and wrapped up into the Christmas Season. As a teacher and witnessing the innocence that children now-a-days lose so young, I am not opposed to a little imagination when it comes to Christmas traditions. Clearly Sierra is still much too young to understand the concept of Santa Claus, but that doesn't mean that we can't begin sharing it with her now. As she grows and begins to ask questions, we will see at that point how much we want to tell her (i.e. - a jolly 'ole elf who comes down your chimney, etc.) Right now though, Santa is a real joy for little imaginations and we intend to build on that imagination. I came across this book recently and I intend to purchase it, it certainly does look good and insightful - "St. Nicholas: A closer look at Christmas".

Now with all that said, I wanted to share with you all some pictures that I took during our visit with Santa this year. Sierra wasn't too sure about the nice old man sitting in the chair, but she did eventually warm up long enough to sit next to him and smile - much thanks to the lady at the mall with the puppet trying to make her laugh! The Santa exhibit is very large at the mall that we go to and the whole theme is "The Polar Express" - so of course there are trains and whistles and lots of fun things for kids to look at. Sierra especially liked the life-size snow globe that actually had snow falling from the top. She and her friend Jordan danced around in there for a while as we were waiting in line. Oh the joys of being a child!!!

And just because I am feeling nostalgic these days for Sierra's "baby" moments, here is her picture with Santa from last year (@ 8 Months Old)! :)

From our family to yours, we pray that you have a VERY Merry Christmas, filled with many of God's blessings!!!

No snow here!

There is no snow here! In our neck of the woods, we have just been getting LOTS of rain over the past month. In fact, this is what it looked like outside our door during the November Nor'easter. Craziness!!! The water clears out in less than 24 hours, not sure I can say the same for 15 inches of snow; so for now, we will just enjoy the rain. Everyone else can have the snow! :)

Thankfully though, this is the JOY we have been seeing inside!!!

Sierra in front of our tree

After we took one of her in front of the tree, she insisted that her "Baby" get a picture taken too!

Cozy

Nothing says "Christmas time" like a fire in the fireplace and a beautifully decorated tree.

(And a toddler running around amidst a room full of toys)! :)

Christmas Blessings & Memories

I just ran across this video in my Picasa album and I am not sure that I even posted it last year. With the passing of my Grandmother just a few days after Christmas and a horrible stomach flu plaguing my parent's entire house, life was pretty hectic. So, I thought I would post it now. Being pregnant and way more emotional then I ever remember being with Sierra, I have found myself crying so many tears of joy for how the Lord has blessed us in the past year. With two new nephews, wonderful and healthy family, happiness, jobs, and another baby girl on the way it is hard not to cry out with praises to the Lord at this time of year and always. This video makes me long for the days of having a "baby" around again, but also so thankful to see Christmas through the eyes of our toddler this year as well. Enjoy the pictures and remember to praise God for all the blessings we each have; especially the GIFT of JESUS CHRIST!!!!!

"She gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

~Luke 2:7-11 (NIV)~

20 Months old

Wow! Where does the time go? I have such a hard time keeping up with these "update posts" on how Sierra is growing and developing. We can't believe she is 20 months old already and growing into such a big girl.

Being away from her the past 4 months has been the hardest, but I am so thankfully to be back with her full time now and really continue working on her development and discipline. She is such a social butterfly and LOVES to talk! When home with us, she talks almost non-stop and has more words than we can count. She is also working on learning her numbers, colors, and ABC's. It is funny to hear her count or say her ABC's though because they are all sorts of out of order. It is too cute! I am confident she will get it soon!

She has been very sensitive lately to others feelings, especially her baby dolls. Anytime her babies fall on the ground (sometimes even thrown down on purpose) she says "okay?" in a very sensitive voice, as if she is asking "are you okay?" Then she will pick up her baby and hug her and pat her back....so sweet! She also has learned to say "Bless you" and does so when ever she hears someone cough or sneeze. Hearing her say "Bless you, Mama" is one of the sweetest things I have ever heard. I could never get enough of that!

Speaking of being a social butterfly, whenever we go out shopping she has to say "Hi" to everyone she sees. The funny thing is though, if she says "Hi" and the person does not acknowledge her, she just keeps saying it louder and louder and louder, until they respond. It is very funny and I constantly try to remind her that people are busy and trying to shop and that is why they don't answer.

We are also starting to "think" about potty-training. God knows how wonderful it would be to have this sweet child potty trained before baby girl #2 arrives; however, I am not banking on it. Sierra definitely knows what a potty is, she sees us use the potty, and she has a general idea of what goes in the potty; but that is about it. She has been telling me for several weeks now when she has poop in her diaper, but generally it is after the fact. She did tell me one time that she had to poop and she ran to the potty, so I got her all undressed and sat her on it and all she did was pass some gas. Close, I guess...but still not 100% sure she is ready. We hope to really start talking about it more and implementing more potty time after the first of the year. Please pray for us! :)

Sierra continues to be so sweet, but this also seems to be the age of pushing limits, picky eating, and full blown fits sometime. We are working on these things and I really am excited to be done with school so I can start spending more time working on first-time obedience and a well-mannered kiddo. Seeking the Lord for much guidance on this one...the task is certainly not easy and my patience is worn thin sometimes.

With all that said though, she is a precious blessing and we just can't imagine life without her! We praise God every day for her life and are so blessed by her!!!

28 Weeks

28 weeks of pregnancy came and went...much like the rest of this pregnancy has done. I have been so busy with student teaching and keeping up with Christmas and Sierra, etc. I sometimes almost forget that I am pregnant! But alas, pregnant I am and I certainly have a growing belly to show for it!

My 28 week check-up was just great! I had to miss school to go to this one because it had to be in the morning - this was the appointment where you drink that oh-so-yummy glucose drink and then they test your blood sugar an hour later. The drink was not as tasty as I remembered it being, but thankfully my blood sugar was perfect! They also tested my iron level which was perfect as well! Thank God for Nutrilite Vitamins!!! :)

I gained 2 more pounds, bringing me to a total of 5 pounds gained so far. I am very happy with that total; although I think this little girl wishes there was more room in there at this point. :) She moves soooo much!!! My blood pressure was low, but better than last time @ 102/68 and everything else checked out great; including a healthy heart rate for the little girl - averaging around 150 bpm.

I was happy to have Brian attend this appointment with me; however, Sierra had to go to the sitter. (No they have not lifted the ban yet!) :( Bummer!

My 32 week check-up is scheduled for just after the 1st of the year and then I will start going to the office every 2 weeks! That just seems crazy to me. I really can't believe in about 9 weeks time we will be holding another precious miracle in our arms! We can't wait!!!!

These pictures were taken around 30 weeks, rather than at 28 weeks, but I thought I would post anyway. Hope to get back on track with the belly pictures now that I have a little more free time on my hands! :) I love documenting this wonderful miracle God has blessed us with!

Seeing Christmas...

Seeing Christmas through the eyes of a child .... PRICELESS!!!

Shhh...

Sierra is growing up so big and so fast, it is moments like these that I remember how truly blessed we are to have her and try to savor every single second.

Our little sleeping princess....hugging her baby doll as she dreams!

Special Day!

Although some people don't necessarily find an important need to remember the birthday of those that have passed on before us, I believe it is an important part of the (my) healing process.

There has never been a day since Daniel has been gone that I haven't thought about him. Even if it is just a passing thought because I will see something or hear a song that reminds me of him; or the occasional thoughts that I experience, wishing I could tell him about how God has blessed me. I would love to be able to share with him the happiness I have in my life now, the joy that Sierra is, the 2nd little miracle growing in my belly, my schooling and how well I am succeeding in my classes - preparing for graduation in just a few weeks, how blessed my marriage to Brian is, things like that. All things that I know he hoped and prayed for, for me. Aside from him being my husband, people often forget that he was my bestest friend for 6 years; when that goes away, it is easy to feel a void in your heart.

Regardless of all that though, there are a few days every year that have a special place on my calendar, today is one of those days. Today, Daniel would have turned 31 years old. His last birthday that we celebrated on this earth was so very special and I will forever be thankful for those memories.If there is anything I can share with you today, it would be to cherish every moment you are given. When you are told that your life might be cut short, everything changes. Daniel shared with me often that his prayer was to live until he was 30 years old. He wanted to hold his own child and see his younger brother and sister get married. None of these prayers were answered on this earth, but Daniel had a way of really cherishing the moments that he was given. He loved life and he was thankful for the 27 years that he did have.

I pray that we all will live life in a similar way and always be thankful for what we do have, especially those of us that are healthy, happy, and still have a chance to LIVE - No matter what age we are!

Happy Birthday Daniel! I know the celebration in heaven is better than any celebration we could ever imagine. Enjoy Jesus for us!!!

~Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!~

~2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV~

Peek-A-Boo....Where are you???

Peek-a-boo...Where are you???

HERE I AM!!!!

Just a quick update to let you know that we are doing great!!! Sierra is enjoying many days during the month of November being at home with Daddy, due to his schedule and vacation dates. Our dear friends Courtney and Jeremiah have moved to San Diego for the next 8 months while Jeremy (her Hubby & his Daddy) is working there. That means Sierra will be staying with our wonderful friend Linda and her son Cameron on the days that she can't be with Brian. We are so blessed to have friends that are willing to look after our precious girl while I finish up my student teaching.

Speaking of student teaching, I am on the home stretch! I have spent the past 2 weeks in my new placement - a 4th grade classroom - and the transition has been wonderful. My CT is super nice and helpful. Besides having to get used to all the different procedures and the higher level of thinking from 1st to 4th grade, I seem to be adjusting well. I am looking forward to teaching full time over the next few weeks and enjoying many more learning experiences. Praise God, there is a light at the end of the tunnel - only 6 weeks left!!!

I must admit though, as awesome as this experience has been, and as much as I love teaching...I can't wait to get back to more of this....

and this...

24 Week Check-up

Well, since I am almost 31 weeks pregnant, I thought, why not post about my 24 week check-up?!?! Gosh, this kid is already getting slighted!!! LOL! Hopefully as she gets older, I can explain to her God's plan of me being pregnant during student teaching and she will understand my lack of blogging during that time! :)

Either way though, I do want to document for memories sake - so here goes my 24 week check-up!

All and all, everything was looking good at 24 weeks. The baby is growing strong and Mama is doing well. The 24 week appointment brought a sad realization to me though as I walked into the hospital and up to the midwifery center ALL BY MYSELF!!! If I can be frank on here, and it is my blog, so I think I will....the lame hospital ban because of the ridiculous H1N1 "media" scare has made it so that no one under the age of 18 is allowed in the hospital, unless they are the patient. So, since Sierra can't stay home by herself, Brian too has to miss out on all the appointments. To say the least, this is very disappointing to us and we are praying that the ban is lifted before the end of February. However, after a discussion with my midwife at this 24 week appointment, that is probably not likely to happen. :(

She did however discuss with me about doing a home-birth, but Brian and I are just not comfortable with that at this point; so instead we will take it all in stride, hospital ban and all. If

that is the worse that happens, we are blessed and won't complain too much. :) Then again, I

seem to be an emotional pregnant women these days, so we will see!

Other than the discussion of the silly hospital ban and my family not being able to attend the appointment, we did talk about my dizziness / lightheaded-ness that seems to be plaguing me this pregnancy. When taking my blood pressure - which was 88/58 - she joked by saying if she wasn't looking at me breathing, she would be wondering if I was even alive with that kind of pressure. :) Needless to say, my blood pressure has always been low and this pregnancy has really made it tip, I mean, dip the scales! She is certain this is why I have been feeling dizzy and even fainted back when I was 16 weeks prego (did I ever blog about that? Who knows!). Tara, our midwife, told me there was really nothing to be done, just try to sit down and relax when I

feel faint and continue to drink lots of fluids.

The only other stats to report at 24 weeks is that I gained 2 pounds, finally on the plus side! This makes me 3 pounds up from my pre-pregnancy weight. A very healthy weight gain, if I do say so myself! Also, the nausea and vomiting finally subsided around 22 weeks, so no more throwing up for me! The baby's heart rate was a healthy 155 bpm and my uterus is measuring a wonderful 25 cm! God is good and the baby is doing wonderful! We are so blessed and really can not wait to meet our precious girl!

Here are some pictures of my growing belly at 24 weeks. Don't you just love the stretch marks Sierra adoringly provided for me? Thankfully I have none to account for during this pregnancy and I hope it stays that way!!!

It's a...

...Girl!!!!!!

That's right...another bouncing baby Girl!!!!

At 21 weeks (October 12th) we were given the wonderful news that God has blessed us with another beautiful, healthy, baby girl!!!!

Words can not express to you how thankful we were to see her bouncing around on the screen and to see how healthy she is growing. We were able to capture the entire ultrasound on DVD and we will now have that keepsake for years to come. Sierra was also able to be there with us and it was a wonderful family moment. Sierra didn't really understand what was going on, but having our whole family a part of this new blessing is very important to us and we can't wait to watch our two sisters grow up together. I am confident that Sierra is going to be a great big sister to her little sister! Oh how joyful that makes me feel, to say the words "big sister and little sister" - I am so excited that these two will have each other. I don't know how I would have gotten through wedding planning, the loss of a spouse, pregnancy, nursing, and just plain life without my sisters! Sisterhood is so precious! We are praising God for our two little precious girls! Now, we just can't wait to meet our newest one!

Here is a great shot of our beautiful baby girl. Again the u/s tech continuously commented on how "cute" she is with her little button nose and cute profile; Brian and I thought it was funny, because these are the same comments that the last u/s tech said to us, 2 year ago. I can't wait to see if this precious girl looks like her big sister!!!

To recall what Sierra's 21 week ultrasound picture looked like...click HERE!

We did not meet with our midwife that day, but they did check my weight and I am finally on the positive side of things - I picked up 1 pound since my 16 week check-up. Everything else checked out perfectly and I am also happy to report that the vomiting has finally subsided (around week 22 - about 3 weeks ago). I go for my 24/25 week check-up with my midwife tomorrow and I will be sure to update when I get the chance.

Thanks for your continued prayers over this little one growing in my womb. We appreciate them so much!!!

PS - Baby Girl Miller is still unnamed. :) We aren't even close to naming her yet and praying that God will point us to the perfect name soon. For we know and trust that He already has plans for her and He already knows what her name will be. :)

18 Months Old / 20 Weeks Gestation

If you are feeling frustrated with the fact that you are unable to keep up with our lives via this blog – Well, welcome to our world!!! I am having trouble keeping up with my own life as I live it, let alone blogging about it!!! The promise of being busy while one student teaches has proven to hold true, through and through.

The good news about being so slammed with work, school, and life is that time is rolling on past and although I don’t see the light yet, I am certain that the end is nearing. I can’t wait to get home to my “real” life; hanging with my darling girl and hubby!!!

Speaking of our darling girl, she is growing like a weed and just turned 18 months old yesterday. She is growing so fast and continues to bring joy to our lives. She is talking up a storm and pretty much is communicating for her every need and want these days. It definitely is a work in progress and requires lots of reinforcement from us too; but there is nothing sweeter than hearing her say, “No thank you Mama” or “Night-Night Dada.” So sweet!!! Also, she knows where Mama’s baby is and will gladly lift my shirt to show anyone my belly if you ask “where is the baby?” – Even when we are in public – (yikes)! She happily kisses the “baby” and is just so sweet about it. She is already showing great “big sister” habits!

However, we have seen some negative behavior issues since she has been away from home on a daily basis the past month and a half, and we are having a hard time balancing discipline with being away from her so much. It is very difficult and another reason why I can’t wait to get back to being with her full-time. Proper training is so very important to us and raising a child who is loving, kind, sensitive, and polite is very important. The Bible teaches about how training is an important part of being blessed with the life of a child; and we strive to make the Lord proud and teach Sierra how important it is to obey Mama and Daddy and the Lord’s commands. It just is so hard for us to train properly when we are only with her for 3 (awake) hours a day. Thankfully Brian is now able to be with her more, as his schedule allows; but she needs the stability and constant routine; just another reason why I can’t wait to finish up this internship.

Here are some shots of Sierra at 18 months old: loving her baby doll, showing how not to hold her baby, imitating Mama (who does A LOT of computer work these days), and sitting in her big girl chair that Daddy got her, eating a snack all by her self! :)

I really wanted to do a 16 week update (4 weeks ago!!!!) and never got around to doing it. Now, we are almost 21 weeks pregnant and having to “share” a posting about Sierra and this growing baby. Already this new baby has to “share” with his/her big sister, even when still in the womb. O’well, I guess such is life when you are #2.

After my 16 week check up, several weeks ago, I looked back at this post and saw that basically everything was the same. I had no weight gain at 16 weeks and I am currently still throwing up about 1 time per day. I went a week with no sickness, but it returned and has been hanging around and causing me to get sick about once every morning for the past couple weeks. Here’s hoping it will subside completely soon. The baby’s heart rate was between 140 and 150 beats per minute and s/he even kicked the monitor, just as I was asking my midwife if she thought “kicks” was really what I was feeling. I didn’t feel Sierra move until after 21 weeks or so, but this baby has been pretty active lately, generally in the evening hours. I didn’t really feel consistent movement until about 18 weeks, but I have really been enjoying it and look forward to even more movement in the weeks to come. Also, we have again decided to decline any and all fetal testing, so we made sure to sign all the papers for that during our last appointment as well.

Here is my pregnant belly at 21 weeks:

So, that is about it for us, our 18 month old munchkin is doing great and our 21 week old peanut is growing. As many of you know, tomorrow afternoon is the big ultrasound and we CAN NOT wait to see our little one on the screen. I am excited to see a healthy heart and growing peanut. Believing all is in the Lord’s hands and thankful that He is protecting our growing little one. We are also hoping to find out the gender of our newest addition and will be sure to share as soon as I have time. I will also (hopefully) have time to post some cute pictures from the u/s.

Thanks for checking in with us and continuing to keep our family in your prayers. God bless!!!