Fun night of celebration!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR AMBER

My wonderful friend Amber had a birthday on Wednesday but we didn't celebrate it with her until tonight. Her husband Chad arranged for a surprise at the door this evening - her friends and their families and we had food with us! So we ate delicious Neds and some great cookies. We chatted the night away while playing with kids. Natalie has two little boys and a girl on the way and there is a girl on the way for Chad and Amber too plus they they have Brooklyn (even though she is 7 she was nice about being surround by such little kids) and of course there was Brody who was in and out of being happy. Since the partying went on to around 8:30 and 9 ish the kids were pretty good when you consider their bedtimes (that's excluding Brooklyn, she would probably be good no matter what). The pictures I am including really show Brody looking really tired. Thanks Chad for arranging it - Amber seemed to be really surprised and it was a fun evening. Nights like tonight never seem long enough (especially for us girls who chat so very much). We had lots of fun.

P.S. Apologies about the red eye in the pictures.

"These, Our Little Ones"

The title of this post is also the title of an article that I was so fortunate to read yesterday morning and I would like to share a little from it because it left me feeling responsible and inspired. The article was from this month's issue of the Ensign (its an LDS church magazine with wonderful articles and stories in it, some of which are written by the leaders of the LDS church). This article, in particular, was written by the leader of our church, President Gordon B. Hinckley. In the article President Hinckley talks about the joy and responsibility children are to their parents. He quotes Proverbs 22:6, "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."

I didn't realize until I had a child that parents are 100% responsible for raising their children. Like many would say who know anything about early childhood development or education, children learn so much within the first few years of their life. Habits and personalities are developed young. The attributes I try to teach Brody he will most likely keep with him his whole life. If I want a child who is kind and nice to everyone he meets no matter who they are or where they come from, then I need to teach Brody to be kind and nice AND he needs to see examples of kindness and love. Regarding kindness and love, here is another quote from this article, "Do you want a spirit of love to grow in the world? Then begin within the walls of your own home. Behold your little ones, and see within them the wonders of God, from whose presence they have recently come." There are also so many other qualities that I want to teach Brody, such as respect, manners, honesty, understanding, tolerance, common sense, and I want to teach him about the Lord and his son Jesus Christ. Being a mother and father is an amazing experience but there is also so much responsibility and power that come with those roles.

President Hinckley also went on to name four imperatives in reference to children 1) love them 2) teach them 3) respect them 4) pray with them and for them. I think those four imperatives, as he refers to them, are such wonderful tools of parent. Though they seem very obvious I really think that, when making decisions in raising children, those four imperatives should always be considered.

I could go on and on about this article but I shouldn't so I will instead just say that of course this article affected me so much because I am a mother with a young child and I think a lot about how well I am doing as a parent: Am I using too harsh of a tone? Does he watch TV too much? Is it better that I read him the book or let him look at the book on his own? Does he play too much? I know that some of that is just the life of a parent and the worries and concerns never stop. But this article made me think more about how I am as a parent at this stage in my child's life, when he is so young and impressionable.

My favorite quote from this article was when President Hinckley quoted someone else, E.T. Sullivan, "When God wants a great work done in the world or a great wrong righted, he goes about it in a very unusual way. He doesn't stir up his earthquakes or send forth his thunderbolts. Instead, he has a helpless baby born, perhaps in a simple home and of some obscure mother. And then God puts the idea into the mothers heart, and she puts it into the baby's mind. And then God waits. The greatest forces in the world are not the earthquakes and the thunderbolts. The greatest forces in the world are babies."

Days like today

In the Phoenix Valley there are rarely cloudy days and even fewer rainy days. I am not talking about the monsoon season in the summers either because those can come and leave really quickly. For most of the day it was cloudy but then the rain finally came. I know there are many people who weren't born and raised in Arizona and they moved here for the sun and those people usually hate days like today. I am very much the opposite of those people. The day has also been windy and you can go outside and hear the trees moving in the wind and you can smell the cold in the air. And this evening we have had our doors open with the screen doors locked and just enjoyed hearing the sound of the rain and smelling the wet earth and the raindrops. On days like today I love listening music like Nick Drake, Radiohead, One AM Radio or Sigur Ros. I enjoy quiet moments more on days like today. Today is also a great day to sit down with a book and just loose yourself in it. I know this might just totally be me but days like today I would so much rather be lazy and relax than on other days. So this is my love note to this day full of wonderful clouds, wind and rain! I love you and I miss you :)

First hair cut - goodbye curls

Yes, at 18 months Brody got his first hair. It wasn't really very long but the back was getting a little mullet-like and I just can't have that happening. Even though Jake and I have very straight hair, for some reason the back of Brody's hair was very curly. As it was growing out and when it was dry the curls mixed with some straight hair and it was just not looking good. Though he looks so great with the haircut I will miss the curls very much. They were so very cute and I cherished them, especially because I doubt the hair will grow back curly. I know I am being too sentimental but I took pictures to save the moment. It went pretty well, his Grandma Donna was nice enough to cut his hair. We just had to distract him with something to chew on and a movie to watch. Hope you enjoy the pictures (I made sure to get a before and after).

Our morning in the backyard

Brody's favorite thing in the world is being outside. He doesn't care what the temperature is or if it is really bright or dark outside. Brody loves being in the backyard. This morning Brody ran through the doorway with a huge grin on his face. He wandered around the yard for a little while smiling, just happy to be out in the open, like at any moment he was about to say "What a beautiful day it is".

There were a few toys scattered that he played with but since I think he hasn't really decided whether he wants to throw or kick a ball he got bored with that pretty quick. He also just wandered a lot and at one point spent a few minutes just going back and forth from the cement patio onto the grass. Then he wandered over to where the tether ball was and gazed up at the tall pole and tried to move the ball. I guess he then accepted his short height and moved on. Then it was onto the swing but that didn't last very long because once he sat on the swing he looks out at the yard and realizes there is so much he still needs to do and he doesn't have time to swing.

Brody has lately had a fun time getting in and out of his jogging stroller that we keep on the patio. At first I let him and took some pictures because I thought it would be cute to capture that fun. Then he stood up in the stroller and as I reached to get him out he fell but fortunately I caught him in time that he was able to not have the full force of the fall hit the cement below. But he did get a little scrap and a bump. And then of course that was the end of our morning outside!

In Remembrance

I don't mean to post something depressing but there are some events in life that are depressing and there is no way around it but I don't feel that it needs to brushed off or forgot. To me remembering someone or a certain event is the best way to show respect and the best tribute.

On this day, December 3rd, in 2006 Cliff Miller past away. On this day I would like to post this message of remembrance to the world, though I know that very few will ever read it. There are times that I wish more in the world had the opportunity to have meet this amazing man. Cliff Miller was a lot of things to many different people. He was first and foremost a husband and a father. His family, especially his wife Donna, meant everything to him. He worked much of his adult life, doing all he could to provide for them and make them happy. He was also a grandfather who cherished his grandchildren. He was a wonderful brother and uncle. Cliff was also a great friend to many with stories to tell and a helping hand to all. He was also a funny and friendly stranger to some customers at Walmart or Home Depot (just to name a few). Cliff was also a Mr. Fix It, actually that title probably doesn't justify his talents. He built and fixed so much in his lifetime. He used his talents to help his family and others. All of these things I have said not as one of his children but as one who heard evidence of who he was as a man from his loved ones and from his own mouth.

For my part, Cliff was my father-in-law and a dear friend. I had the privilege of living in his home for a couple years before he past away. I am so grateful for that time to get to know him better, see him everyday and be the audience of more stories. Cliff and I also shared the love of food (AS DO MANY) but I always thought he shared his love of food in a great and memorable way. One phrase to describe delicious food was, "this is out of this world" and he spoke only in that great Cliff way that made it funny and endearing.

In this remembrance I share two pictures. One is more of the Cliff Miller that family and old friends know as well as when I first meet him. The other is the way Cliff looks in my mind when I think of him. That was the way Cliff looked when I spent time with and gained so much from knowing him, eating dinner with him, hearing his stories and when I would see him work on his house projects.

What is fortunate about this blog is that I can share these words and thoughts without people seeing me cry. No one in his family was ready for him to go (not that anyone is ready). I know everyone who knows him miss him everyday. Sometimes I don't know what to do with my grief because I miss him like I was his child and I loved him like he was another father to me. Like many others who grieve I have found moments to be sad and cry on my own. But I guess not everyone gets to live in the same house as their father-in-law and not everyone loved their father-in-law the way I did so I should be grateful for the time I had with him. I know that his wife and children will someday be with him again. I know that someday I will see him again. As humans I think it is difficult to remember the Lord's plan and that it was the sacrifice of his son Jesus Christ that allows families to be together again, even after death. I know that my husband would never have been the man he is today if it weren't for the fact that he had a Dad like Cliff that raised him. And that is a legacy that will be past to our children and grandchildren and generations of the Miller family. Again I would like to say, if it already wasn't apparent in what I have already said in this post, I loved Cliff Miller and I will always remember him as an amazing man who left a wonderful legacy - a wonderful life with memories and a great family.

December is here, Christmas is near!

Living in Arizona the month of December is great because it finally starts to be cold enough for a person to wear a jacket, pants and closed-toed shoes. I know to some people that might sound strange since in most other parts of the world they are experiencing lots of cold weather and have been for a while. But that is Arizona weather for you. Being a native of Arizona I haven't experienced living in cold weather so I guess at this time of the year I should be grateful that I live where its not too cold. But I am silly and wish that I could wear sweaters, hats, scarves, gloves and coats especially for more than one month out of the year. I suppose if I ever get the chance to live in a colder climate I might feel differently. Until that time I will wish for a longer cold season.

Well like most people I love the holiday season. There are so many memories associated with Christmas and New Years and I am proud to say I have so many great ones. I grew up in a family with wonderful Christmas traditions. Even though this will be Brody's second Christmas he still is not the age yet to really get into Christmas. But thinking about future Christmases has Jake and I excited for the traditions our family can continue or start new. I guess that is the beauty of Christmas - as soon as you grow out of the wonder and surprise and excitement of Christmas as a child you can hopefully get to the stage in life of having your own children and then help create that surprise and excitement for them.