The Miller Minute Update

Life is a happenin'!

2010-02-17T21:18:00.000-08:00

Scout- Pretty sure she'll remain unemployed with this kind of work ethic!

Carter playing with his Monkey mouth. I made the teeth out of Play-doh and he "carefully" removes them.

Getting ready to go out for a 4-wheeler ride.

Cake day with Auntie Alisha

2010-02-05T08:51:00.000-08:00

Auntie Alisha came on Friday after Carter's birthday to celebrate with him. She brought him the coolest GIANT cupcake baking pan, and together they constructed an amazingly large and amazingly delicious cupcake.
Carter had a great time! Thanks Auntie Alisha.

Carter turned 3!

2010-02-05T08:25:00.000-08:00

On January 12th, Carter turned 3. I cannot believe this little miracle is growing up so fast.

Here are some pictures from the little party we had and also some pictures of him with is gifts. Grandma and Grandpa gave him 2 goldfish. Carter named them Nemo & Nemo. We are having a hard time deciphering which one is which.

He also got a pair of red rubber boots for our spring mud walks. He wore the boots for days.

January 2010

2010-02-05T08:18:00.000-08:00

Carter and his best friend, taking a nap.

Bryan making Venison/Elk jerky.

Dance party on New Year's Eve. The meaning of "dance party" sure changes once you and all of your friends have kids. I wouldn't trade it for anything though.

Pizza party for New Years. Boys, boys, boys!

More December pics

2010-02-05T08:10:00.000-08:00

Christmas, etc.

2010-02-05T07:42:00.000-08:00

Carter put the lights on. Something look "odd" to you?

2010-02-05T07:06:00.000-08:00

Did I mention Scout thinks she is a human?

Family pic on Thanksgiving.

Grandpa Calvin and his new dog Toby.

Me and my amazing son.

My sister, Anne and I.

Where does the time go?

2010-02-05T06:16:00.000-08:00

Ok. I realize again, I've been a bad "blogger" the past 2 months, but seriously...where does the time go?

I've decided to stop waiting for big "blog" worthy events and just start posting random pics and comments as they come. Hope you can adjust to this transition and will still enjoy peeking in on us from time to time.

Carter has 1 chore so far and that is to feed Scout.

He does an excellent job!

This is a funny picture. Look for the 2 little lights.

Bryan and Carter went on a "walk-about" after dark one evening.

Two little headlamp lights walking down the driveway. One was up in there air about 6 1/2 feet, the other juts a mere 3 feet off the ground. A site I never want to forget.

It's official! We've moved in!

2009-12-01T14:10:00.001-08:00

This post is late, I know, but better late than never, right? We started moving items in on 10/24, but spent our first official night with beds, tables, etc. on 11/6. Bryan actually missed rifle deer opener for the first time in 10 + years, but in retrospect, I think it was worth it. Almost a month has passed, and we are settling in nicely. We still have a few items at our duplex and also some large items in our storage unit, but for the most part, we can officially call our one-year labor of love
H-O-M-E!

Thanks to all who followed our journey for the past year. Our home and hearts are warm, and our door is always open to you.

We are thankful each day for God's blessings. He watched over us through this entire process, and never gave us more than we could handle. We look forward to making many great family memories in our home.

"GO BIKINGS"!

2009-12-01T14:04:00.000-08:00

No, this post is not about the fun activity of biking, silly! It's about the Vikings! Ever since we watched the Vikings vs. Packers game on October 5th, Carter has enjoyed many a cheer that sounds just like this..."GO BIKINGS"! Got to love these special moments.

Halloween 2009

2009-11-30T14:47:00.000-08:00

Halloween was so fun this year. Carter had a clue what it was all about and perfected "Trick or Treat" with little to no practice. We had a great time carving pumpkins. Carter wanted his to have a scary face, so I drew him 3 options on a piece of paper and let him choose which one he wanted his pumpkin to look like. He chose, we drew, cut, and revealed. He was NOT happy when his dad revealed his pumpkin and according to Carter "MINE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THE SCARY ONE"! He then proceeded to whine about his not being scary enough. I told him I wasn't a plastic surgeon, and the face he chose would have to do until next year. He quickly got over it once we turned off the lights and admired our works of art.

Carter also enjoyed being a Baseball player this year and enjoyed Trick or Treating with is friend Ryan. We went to exactly 8 houses, and they were both ready to go home. It was PERFECT!

The countdown to move in day begins!

2009-10-03T08:25:00.001-07:00

OK...so we don't have an official move in date, but we are into the month of October, and that has been our goal for a year; to move SOMETIME in October. It will be close. Over the last week there have been so many major transformations, each day it feels more and more like home.

Bryan has worked painstakingly hard on our house for nearly a year, and for that, we are so thankful. We cannot wait for the day we can enjoy some family time in our new home.

God has blessed us each and every day with good health and a warm bed. We will continue to thank God everyday for all of his blessings.

Here is a list of things that have been completed recently, and pictures to go along with the list.
#1. All siding is complete.
#2. Tongue and groove ceiling has been installed.
#3. Tile in both bathrooms
#4. Hardwood installed in kitchen and dining room
#5. Most interior doors hung
#6. Cabinets and plumbing fixtures installed in both bathrooms
#7. Railing around stairway nearly complete#8. Cabinets and counter tops installed
#9. Shakes stained and ready for install on the front gables

While daddy is away, Carter and Mommy will play!

2009-10-03T08:06:00.000-07:00

While Bryan enjoyed a well deserved break in Colorado Elk hunting, Carter and I enjoyed a few fun times of our own. We attended the Ethnic Fest parade in Walker with family and friends, played with cousins and enjoyed a few hours at our local organic farm with Grandma Sue.
I also enjoyed a night out with my sister and friend Kelly. We had a great time and snapped a few pics with the Winnipeg Police Pipe Band.

We sure missed daddy while he was gone, but he had a great time and brought us some Elk meat home for the winter. I will hopefully have some pictures of his trip to post soon.

We don't need no stinkin' diapers!

2009-10-03T07:52:00.001-07:00

Carter is OFFICIALLY potty trained! We have had NO accidents for 1 week and 1 day! WAHOO! We have been to Target twice to buy underwear and both times he has had the underwear out of the packages before we've paid for them. I made the mistake of putting a pair on his head as a joke, so he of course, needed to wear them on his head the remainder of our time at Target.

Here are a few funny things he's said since he has been potty training.

"I pooped on your shoe, Mommy". This was said after he was supposed to pee outside, but pushed a little hard and pooped on my tennis shoe.

"I don't wanna poop in Diego's helmet". This was said while wearing a pair of Diego playing football underwear.

"I pooped a Daddy one"!! I don't think I need to elaborate on this one...

"Mommy, I have to pee" as we are driving in the car. I say "hold it for just 2 minutes, we're almost home". Carter says "ok, mommy, I'll hold it in my butthole". Carter immediately followed up that line with "is it dark in there"? I ask where, and he says "my butthole". I nearly crashed the car, I was laughing so hard!

We decided we better teach him the word penis so he didn't go to school at the age of 5 and think his penis was a wiener, so Bryan and I tried to tell him what to call it. He looked at me with the strongest convictions and said "no mother, it's a wiener"! Then he proceeded to call it a wenis. Again, laughed so hard we were crying.

I'm sure there many others I'm forgetting to document, but I'll be sure to share more "Poopy Quotes" as they flow from Mr. Carter's mouth.

Progress continues on the house

2009-09-07T07:10:00.001-07:00

The house is moving along so nicely and we are steps closer to moving in October. This past weekend was spent painting, while Bryan continued to side. God continues to bless us with good weather and great helpers. Thanks Nelsons, Kelly and Shayna for your help painting! Enjoy the pics!

View of back of house. This is the LAST side that needs siding.

View of garage and sunroom from outside.

Sunroom

Sunroom and my $2 garage sale table and $49 Home Dept clearance chair

View from living room to kitchen and into sunroom

View from kitchen to living room

Carter's closet. We forgot that they had already painted the closets white...Whoops! We plan to leave it like it is though, just for memory sake.

The very first brush stroke in the house.

A house we will have...and the time will be soon!

2009-08-28T12:32:00.000-07:00

Hooray! I've updated the blog with some new photos. Warning: to some; these may be a bit boring, but to us, they are what keeps us going each day.

Sheetrocking will be done on Monday, paint primer happens on Tuesday and I will begin painting (with the help of many great friends) on Wednesday night. Labor day weekend will truly be a L-A-B-O-R filled weekend for us, but the reward at the end will be worth it.

Carter cutting the grass on our new septic mound.

(Don't worry, Grandma, the mower was NOT on!)

The trencher we used to run the permanent electric to our house. That's Bryan on the left moving the rocks that made the process much harder.
It took them over 5 hours to do a job that should have only taken a few.
We have more rocks than a person could imagine!

Our siding! It is called Classic Taupe. Since I took this photo, this entire end of the house is completely sided. The windows in the picture are the windows in our sunroom! I can't wait!

Our first green grass:)

Sheetrocking in progress!

Our front door sidelites.

(Bryan will put the matching door in once any chance of it getting damaged has passed).

The stamped floor in our sunroom.

As mentioned in a prior blog, a picture just can't do it justice. It looks amazing!

Sunroom

Carter and I being silly.

We've had a rough week (with him having some NAUGHTY moments) so I couldn't resist the chance to act goofy with my little man. Obviously, I could care less what I look like, but here's what he thinks is his "funny" face!

Snapping a quick picture before Bryan starts working for the night.

Carter and I try to go out after supper and see him most nights.

Carter LOVES to help Bryan. I get tears in my eyes as I watch him try to help Bryan.

Bryan is so patient. God has truly blessed us!

A view from our kitchen looking towards the dining room.

We will have a deck out from the glass doors you see in the picture.

Miscellaneous Fun Photos

2009-08-20T08:30:00.000-07:00

This is our youngest niece, Katelyn. She turned 1 last week, and on Sunday they had a birthday party for her and Tyler. I didn't get a picture with our oldest nephew Tyler, but he also turned 13 this month. It was a great party! I love my family.

This picture is priceless. Gavin, Carter and Nicole, trying to make a break for it into the kitchen. Actually, Nicole was just being a great helper, trying to keep the "boys" entertained.

Carter and Michael at the Whipholt beach.

Carter and daddy with the tomatoes from our plant. Bryan loves to eat them, and Carter just likes to pick them. He tries to convince us that the green ones are ready to pick. We tell him they have to be red first, and he says, they are red...let's just say you can't change a 2 1/2 year old mind

It's FAIR time!

2009-08-20T08:21:00.001-07:00

What would summer be without a trip to the good ol' Crow Wing County Fair?

We had a great time. Carter enjoyed seeing the animals. While in the poultry barn, we walked past a turkey, who had its head nestled in its back feathers. I said to Carter "He's sleeping" and Carter said "No mommy, he's dead"! How he even knows what dead means is beyond me, but we laughed it off and moved on.

We got into the sheep and swine barn, and within 5 minutes, Carter started to gag. I thought he was going to toss his cookies right then and there, but he held it together and had no further gagging episodes after that. Perhaps the sweet smell of swine was just a bit much for his little nose. Regardless, we had a wonderful time and Carter thoroughly enjoyed himself. He enjoyed a kid version of a farm. He collected eggs, fed some chickens and even picked some carrots. At the end of the night, we were all ready to head home and "de-germ".

I almost forgot, we did enjoy some cheese curds, french fries and gyros at the fair. We OF course had to make a trip to Dairy Queen before we nested for the night

Scout reunites with her birthfather!

2009-08-20T07:57:00.001-07:00

Ok...so the post may sound a bit funny, but if you are a pet owner, you'll totally "dig" this story. (Scout helped me with that pun on words, get it, DIG, like a dog?) On to the story.

A few weeks ago, I went out to our house to do some work. When I pulled up, there was a man (who later turned out to be someone working on our electrical) and his dog in our garage. The man was working, the dog was sound asleep on the dirt floor. It was a HUGE Golden retriever. When I say huge, I mean Beethoven (the drooling St. Bernard) HUGE. Anyways, he was white in the face and looked so cute. I'm a dog lover, so I immediately knelt down and pet him. His owner and I got to talking and a to make a very LONG story short...it turns out that this gigantic dog, named Bear IS Scouts birth father. I say birth father, because of course, Bryan is really her daddy!

It was so amazing to see where she came from. It's not too often when you get a dog from a litter that you ever see a sibling or even the parent again. I called Bryan in excitement. Later that week, we brought Scout out to the house, and Bear was there. They had a nice reunion, and within 10 minutes, they didn't care if either existed. Nonetheless, it was fun to see the resemblance in them. Many may laugh at this, but Bryan and I could see that they had similar noses and eyes. What a fun experience.

Scout is on the right. She is 8 and her doggy dad is 12.
This picture shows I was NOT kidding. Bear is HUGE, especially for a Golden.

And the house project continues

2009-08-20T07:36:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pics of the project. Since I took these, a HUGE transformation has taken place, and soon I will post those photos. For now, enjoy some not-so-exciting looking pics of the electrical and plumbing. I had to take a picture of the laundry shoot as well. I am so excited to heave my dirty clothes down a laundry shoot. Now, if the maid in the basement can keep up with the laundry!

Bryan and our friend Chris wired our entire house for internet, phone, TV and speakers. I LOVE music and requested speakers in our sun room. I cannot wait to enjoy a cup of coffee or a glass of wine in that room while listening to some music. Some of the simplest pleasures in life excite me the most.

Also, you will see pics of our sun room floor, in progress. We wanted something a bit different for the floor, so we opted to stamp the concrete with big rubber stamps. We chose a slate pattern, and I must say, it turned out fantastic! After Bryan stamped it, he waited 24 hours and applied the color of our choice. I selected English Amber, which turned out to be a copper/rust variation. It looks AWESOME! I'll post a picture of the finished product soon, but if you want to see it in person, we'd love to have you visit. (Don't come before October, because we won't be moved in yet!)

Carter on the day the concrete for the garage came.

I call the cement truck "liquid progress"

Hard at work.

THE laundry shoot. Carter has already learned how to throw things down it. None of which were clothes!

Guest Bath

BBQ with Grandpa and Grandma Miller

2009-07-31T13:09:00.000-07:00

We spent last Sunday at Bryan's dad's house, near Park Rapids. Carter got to play with his cousin Lucian and also enjoyed some time with his Aunt Alisha, Grandpa Calvin and Grandma Maria. We are looking forward to next weekend, as Lucian is going to stay with us for a few days. Carter will LOVE having a brother to play with.

Carter and Lucian wrestling with Grandpa Calvin
Racing across the lawn

Carter chillin' with his daddy

Jennifer, Alisha and Maria

A nice family photo

Grandpa and Grandma with the boys

Love this picture of Bryan with his dad and sister

Mini-Golfing

2009-07-31T13:01:00.000-07:00

While Bryan went golfing at a real golf course, Carter and I hit the greens at Pirates Cove. We had SO much fun. Thanks to Shayna and Ryan, we had the perfect foursome!

Potpouri of summer fun

2009-07-31T12:26:00.000-07:00

We've been having fun since my last post on July 13th. We've had visitors, been to the beach, been mini-golfing and many other great things.

OH YA...our house is really moving along nicely. Right now, pictures just don't do it justice. Plumbers, heaters, electricians and others have now taken over the inside. I wish this meant a break for Bryan, but it doesn't. He is excited though to start working on the outside of the house (siding). Next week he is hoping to pour and stamp the concrete in our 3-season porch, and then pour the garage floor too. After that comes the insulators, sheet rockers, and a kick-butt painting crew (I'm the lead painter on that crew!)

We are hoping to be in by the middle to end of October. It will be almost exactly 1 year since we started. Pretty amazing considering up until now, all the progress has been at Bryan's hands.
Thank God for good health and his many blessings!

If you look closely, you will see a home-made cement shoot. This was used to get the cement in the basement once the mud truck got stuck. That's a whole DIFFERENT post, one of which I'm not in the mood to write about right now!

Carter and Daddy checking on the floor progress.

The morning the floor was poured.

What In-Floor heat looks like before the concrete is poured over it.

Note the parmesan cheese on Carter's plate. He is obsessed with "seasoning" his own food.

Here's a better view of the few noodles he had under all of that cheese!

Carter, hitching a ride in Bryan's new backpack he will use in Colorado. He will use this pack to haul out Elk meat! I think a bag o' Carter is cuter.

Hangin' at the Blexrud's beach.

Fun day at Grandma Sue's. Here is Carter with his cousins and Great Aunt Dardie.

Visiting with Jen from Colorado

Kelly and I sharing a drink FAR too large for either of us!

Martini Night at Iven's on the Bay in Brainerd

Martinis with Jen

Martinis with Kelly

Bye-bye crib

2009-07-13T06:14:00.000-07:00

Our little boy no longer sleeps in a crib. Never did I imagine how hard it would be on ME to disassemble Carter's crib and move him into a "big boy" bed.

We've been mulling this over for a while. I read a few articles; some said keep them in the crib as long as you can, some said move them before they are 3. He was officially 2 1/2 on July 12th. Once again, the parenting handbook that DOESN'T exist sure would have been helpful when making this decision.

We decided that we had better get him acclimated to a regular bed before we move into our new house so he wouldn't have to endure so many major changes at once. It turns out it was a great move. We made a huge deal out of the whole transition. Daddy picked up the bed from Slumberland after work on Friday. Carter and I waited for him at the door, and when he came in, we hooted and hollered to welcome the new bed. Our original plan was to just put the mattress on the floor for a month or 2 so he could get used to it. He, on the other hand, was not to keen on that idea. He wanted the bed "up". He just kept saying "UP"! We figured out that his friend Hayden has a bed that has a headboard and footboard and that is what he wanted. Luckily, we had purchased a Log Cabin style bed this winter from someone who wanted to get rid of it. We put it in storage and figured he would use it when we moved into our new house. He, apparently had another plan. So...daddy left again and came back in true hero style with the parts to put Carter's bed "up". I had ordered a fun "woodsy" themed comforter set to go along with the log cabin themed bedroom he was going to have. He loves deer, moose, bears and fish.
A couple loads of laundry later, the bed was fully assembled and the linens were in place. Carter was officially ready to sleep in his big boy bed that was "up", per his request.

As I write this (8:25am) he is still sleeping. He has really taken a liking to sleeping in. He has slept 3 nights in a row in his new bed. He has not tried to get out once, and sleeps through the night. Perhaps he was more ready for this transition than we thought. Of course, what would an event like this be if we hadn't taken pictures. Enjoy the pics!

On a side note: My mom always used to say that your life doesn't go by fast until you have kids. Wow, was she right! Our little baby boy will never sleep in the crib that he spent the first 2 1/2 year of his life in. He will never stand at the rail and holler "mommy" when he's ready to get out. These are the times in our lives we must never forgot.

4th of July fun!

2009-07-06T07:08:00.001-07:00

Once again, the 4th of July proved to be a great holiday. We are so thankful to live in this great country, and each day, we count our blessings. We enjoyed the parade in Walker and a SUPER fun BBQ bash afterwards at the Nelson's (my sister).

Thunderslam 2009!

2009-06-28T16:08:00.000-07:00

So... today marked a first in our lives. Bryan, I, and Carter were spectators at Thunderslam. What is Thunderslam, you ask? Let me educate you.

First you take the body of a basic truck. Let's say a Ford F-150. You multiply the normal horsepower by nearly 4 times, put the body on a GIANT frame, get a really LOUD exhaust system and you have "THUNDERSLAM" (aka) Monster Truck Racing. I never thought it would be something I would enjoy, but let me tell you, it was very impressive. We had an awesome time with our friends and their kids. Some of these pictures are priceless. Carter was such a great little boy and he had NO nap.

Regardless of the stereotype that goes along with this sport, there is much skill and talent that goes along with it. I didn't see one person in bib overalls, and I think 90% of the spectators had all of their teeth!

Backfilled and moving right along

2009-06-28T15:53:00.000-07:00

Here are some recent pictures of our house, post back filling by the excavator. Things are really looking nice around here, and as you can see from these pictures, the two GIANT dirt piles are gone! YIPPEE!

I will start working on the windows this week, and will be sure to keep the blog updated as the transformation continues to take place.

Fun at the Blexrud's beach

2009-06-20T19:58:00.000-07:00

Today really felt like a summer day. 84 and sunny. Carter and I spent the morning at the Blexrud's, who live on a lake in Baxter. We had a great time, but I've got my first official sunburn of the summer. What was I thinking?

Hot off the press...Windows are in!

2009-06-20T19:44:00.000-07:00

As promised, I am GOING to keep up with my blogging now.

Here are some I took today of the house. I think I opened EVERY window, just to enjoy the idea of having the windows installed. I've also included a picture of the camper. Carter napped in it today while I cleaned up all the scrap from the window install from Thursday night.

Bryan was determined to get the grade JUST right!

This is the view from our bedroom window.

Carter's bedroom.

Our living room window view...minus the big dirt pile that will be gone soon!

The window on the left is Carter's, the one on the right is for guests. I'm read for reservations!

MUD HEAVEN!

2009-06-19T15:15:00.000-07:00

Memorial weekend was a great one, as we spent nearly the entire weekend playing in the mud. This trip marked our 2nd year of the annual Spring Mud Ride in Eveleth, MN. Carter went to Grandma and Grandpa Boege's and had a great time as well.

The weekend consisted of riding our 4-wheelers through waist deep mud, enjoying great friends, telling stories, and loving life. There were nearly 50 4-wheelers that weekend, and everyone had a great time.

Enjoy the pictures.

Wonder what was going through Bryan's mind at this moment....

Birthdays, Baptisms, First Communions, OH MY!

2009-06-19T15:03:00.001-07:00

The month of May offered many great opportunities to be with family and friends. We were honored to attend our God-daughter Nicole's First Communion, along with our God-son Gavin's Baptism. We also were honored to attend our God-daughter Katelyn's baptism in April, but I don't have any pictures from that event to share.

We also had a great time at Carter's friend Everett's birthday in May. As you can see from the last two pictures, Carter enjoy the birthday cake thoroughly.

We are blessed with friends and family and hope all of our blog followers are blessed as well.

House progress update

2009-06-19T14:08:00.000-07:00

Hello all devoted Miller Minute followers. I must apologize (AGAIN) for my 2 month blogging vacation. Summer vacation has started and I will try to be much better at keeping you up to date with the happenings around our hitching post.

The building of our house has been moving along nicely. Although the below pictures do not demonstrate all the work that goes into each step, it will at least give you a good idea of where we are at in the process. As of 6/19, several of the windows have been installed. I plan to take pics this weekend and post them next week. It's amazing how much excitement can come from a pane of glass. I have finalized our entire kitchen (cabinets, counter tops, etc.) and spent yesterday morning picking out our plumbing fixtures. I am trying to find a nice hardwood floor to compliment our hickory cabinets, and that has been the toughest part thus far.

Bryan is pretty much "out" of the this process, as he is focusing completely on trying to build the house. He trusts my decisions, but I'm not sure he'll be happy when he finds out I ordered a Disco Ball for our bedroom! I don't remember being so overwhelmed with decisions with our last house, but that could have been because I was just so tickled to be building a house of our own...or I was too young to really have opinions. Regardless, this time around is a bit more complicated, but I do feel blessed to have this opportunity again.

Bryan's dad was nice enough to loan us his 33 foot camper trailer for the summer. We have it set up at the land and its a great convenience, as Carter can nap, and as my projects build, it will be great to spend more time out there. We will probably spend a few nights camping out there as well. Campfires and s'mores are a few things we CANNOT live without in the Miller house.

Enjoy the pictures, and I promise, there will be more to come.

Moving right along

2009-04-24T05:23:00.001-07:00

Here are the recent pics of our house project. It should be ready for shingles soon.
A few things to note-
*Carter loves to help out, and Bryan is so patient with him. It's great to see Carter learn from his daddy.
* The picture of the sunset is at the end of our driveway. It was absolutely breathtaking in person. We look forward to many beautiful sunsets and great memories in our new home.

Easter 2009

2009-04-24T05:02:00.000-07:00

I must preface this by saying I have not been voluntarily tardy with blogging lately. My camera decided it did not want to upload to my computer, so I had to take the memory card to Wal-Mart to get these pics downloaded from my camera. Thanks to Troy's suggestion, I reinstalled the software and I'm back in business.

This year, my mom and dad had Easter at their house. It was a great day. All 8 grandchildren made a nice mess of their house, and then moved outdoors for a spectacular egg hunt. Thanks Grandma Sue for going to all the work you did to buy prizes, etc. I know that Carter had a great time, and Bryan and I sure enjoyed being with the entire family.

RAISE THE ROOF!

2009-04-04T14:15:00.000-07:00

OK...I know the post title is a bit silly, but really, what else can a person say when the roof has been raised on their house? Today was THE day. With 7 guys graciously helping, the "rafter party" officially started at 9am today. The pictures are posted from most recent, so you may want to scroll to the bottom and start with the first picture to see the progression.

I can't wait to see what it will look like by sun-down on Sunday. What an exciting time for us!

Stay tuned for more pictures soon.

Ready for riding!

2009-03-30T19:23:00.000-07:00

Bryan came home tonight with a gift for Carter. A shiny, new 4-wheeler helmet, sized just for him. Now I know what you're thinking from the pics, it's huge, but don't worry, IT IS JUST HIS SIZE! Grandma Sue was worried he would have a neck problem if he wore it too long and I assured her he would only sleep in it if he said please (totally JOKING!)

We can't wait to start riding as a family. For some reason, Carter doesn't like to ride with Momma, only Dadda. Could it be he's already an Arctic Cat fan and not a Honda? Someday he'll learn!

What's happening with the Millers?

2009-03-30T18:52:00.001-07:00

Sorry I have been so bad about blogging...I just don't know where the time goes. Things are well with our family. Carter continues to grow and develop into an amazing little boy. He is so happy all the time. I cannot recall one photo I've ever taken of him where he isn't smiling. His newest thing is when he see's the camera, he says "EESE"!
Our house is coming along nicely, despite all of the blows mother nature throws at us. We thought we had made it through the coldest of cold and it cold COLDER. We thought we had made it through our last snowfall (early March) and it's supposed to snow 15 inches over the next 2 days. We THOUGHT the melting snow and mud couldn't get worse, and then it rained over 2 inches and our basement filled with 6 inches of water...then it got cold again, and we have a skating rink in our basement now. We are thinking of keeping it that way permanently. We will have Carter start training for figure skating soon. He will be the next Scott Hamilton!

Despite all of these setbacks, Bryan continues to push forward, working nearly every night and weekend. I cannot personally express the gratitude I feel towards him. I know he misses us, and soon, it will be over and we can resume enjoying family things together.

Here's the scoop on what we have finished so far. All walls have been built and this Saturday (4/5) the roof trusses will be set (assuming the weather cooperates).
Once the roof trusses are set, shingling will come next and after that the windows and exterior doors. Soon, it will make a dramatic transformation. I will be sure to post pictures of the truss day.

Thanks to all who have helped with this project, whether it be babysitting, or actually swinging a hammer to help us out. We hope the project begins to move along a bit quicker, but can't be sure, as Mother Nature seems to be on a rampage lately. We are strong and prepared though for her next move. We have our goals in site and won't let anything get in the way of the finished project.

Next year we are already planning a trip to Arizona and LOTS of fun, family time together. NO house building plans in our future.

I promise to keep up the blog better from now on. Thanks to all the devoted readers that check often to find NOTHING! I will be better...Bryan already scolded me for it:)

Miscellaneous Fun Photos

2009-03-30T18:42:00.001-07:00

Carter fell asleep in the car on our way home. I carried him in, set him on the floor in his winter clothes to undress him...got him to his bed, and 5 minutes later he WAS NOT tired anymore...any other parents out there feel my pain?

Is there something on my face? Carter enjoying chocolate pudding...we took this picture just for you, Grandma Sue!

Having a pizza party picnic with his friend Hayden.

Enjoying his tractor outside for the FIRST time since his birthday.

Playing drums with Ryan. I think they will start a band someday.

Birthday Party- 2/21/09

2009-03-30T18:36:00.000-07:00

Carter's friend Hayden turned 3 in February, and we attended a fun, dinosaur themed birthday party for him. The kids got to play games and had a great time!

Bowling

2009-02-16T12:56:00.000-08:00

Sunday night, Carter and I went bowling with the Blexrud's, while Bryan helped Luke cut wood. We had an awesome time. I love 3 day weekends!

Frank Caliendo Show

2009-02-16T12:50:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, Feb. 7th we loaded up the car and headed south to Treasure Island Casino. For months, Bryan, I, Anne and my mom have been keeping the secret from Troy. Anne and I had gotten tickets to see the comedian/impersonator, Frank Caliendo, LIVE, 6 rows from the stage. This was a birthday surprise for Troy, as he got our family started on Frank several years ago. We had an awesome time! We had 2 adjoining rooms and Grandma Sue watched Carter, Nicole and Gavin while we enjoyed the show. Thanks Grandma Sue!
What an awesome mid-winter break!

We're FLOORED!

2009-02-16T12:29:00.001-08:00

Bryan and I are very excited to announce the arrival of our PLYWOOD floor! What a labor of love!

Houston, we have a floor joists!

2009-02-16T12:20:00.000-08:00

The weekend of January 31st was a great weekend. With the help of some friends, Bryan was able to get the floor joists in place and secured. Up next? Plywood sheeting which will make our house feel even more like a home.

Almost a sleepover in our mini apartment

2009-01-26T13:20:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, Bryan and I babysat for our great friends, Kelly and Luke. They were WAY over due to get out and be kid free for a bit. We haven't had any "extra" kids over since we moved to our mini-apartment, but sometimes less is more. Hayden is almost 3 and Everett is almost 9 months old. Pair Carter, who is 2 up with Hayden and Everett and you've got a great comedy show. Hayden and Carter have a love hate relationship. I love you till' you have a toy I want, then it's MINE and I need it. Everett just sits and watches. Soon, he will be part of their "Mine" fest! Bryan and I had such a great time. We had tacos, and as Bryan helped himself to seconds Hayden said so clearly "Bryan, aren't you full yet"? It was hilarious! Around 7:45pm, all boys were in their jammies watching Toy Story. It was so cute...Hayden loves Mr. Potato Head but insists on calling him Tomato head. SO CUTE!

Kelly and Luke ended up coming home around 9ish (They're party animals like us!) and we enjoyed visiting for a few hours. Friends are a blessing and it's also a great blessing to be able to watch their children.

Our house project FINALLY moves forward!

2009-01-26T12:58:00.000-08:00

After nearly 3 weeks of blizzards or sub-zero temps, Bryan was finally able to get some work done on our house over the last week. Our excavator was actually able to get his machines started and bring some sand for our basement and backfill around the house. This has already made working out there so much easier, as a ladder isn't needed to reach much anymore. Here are a few pictures I took this weekend. Bryan, Luke & Jon were able to work on Saturday (it was a high of -1) and get the 1/2 wall in the basement build. It sure is exciting to see some wood vs. that darn concrete!

Up next...floor joists and hopefully capping of the first floor soon!

Fun pictures from the 3 day MLK weekend

2009-01-26T12:55:00.000-08:00

Carter's 2nd Birthday

2009-01-21T10:01:00.000-08:00

Carter turned 2 on January 12th. It is hard to believe that 2 years of memories have been made with our little miracle.

Enjoy the pics.

Christmas Memories

2008-12-28T14:44:00.000-08:00

Old man winter...I mean Bryan!

2008-12-22T08:13:00.000-08:00

This picture tells it all. It was COLD and snowy yesterday and Bryan spent almost the entire day removing snow from our construction site and around our rental properties. Carter had fun watching him from the window. Over the last 2 weeks we've accumulated about 15 inches of snow. I would like to see it start melting around January 1st.

Finger Painting Fun

2008-12-22T08:05:00.000-08:00

Carter got a cool finger painting kit from one of his friends from daycare and we cracked it open on Sunday as it was REALLY too cold outside to play in all of the new snow. Carter loved it and hardly made a mess. I think we might have a Picasso on our hands!

Sertoma WinderWonderland

2008-12-22T07:38:00.000-08:00

Soft, white snow falling gently from the sky, drifting gracefully through the air, and landing in glistening billows on the ground . . . a beautiful sight. A sight that kindles that magical feeling of the holiday season and inspires us to partake in wonderful seasonal activities such as singing Christmas carols, sculpting snow forts, and stringing strands of bright holiday lights.
Breathtaking lights, reflecting off of the sparkling white snow and strung into captivating displays will delight visitors as they drive through the Sertoma Winter Wonderland. This spectacular, new holiday tradition includes over 50 colorfully lit, animated displays that are sure to add a sparkle of excitement to the eyes of families. (Excerpt taken from the Sertoma Winterwonderland website)

On Saturday night, amongst the blizzard, we loaded in the car (even Scout ) and headed for the Sertoma Winter Wonderland. Bryan and I had both been anticipating this night for weeks, as we couldn't wait to bring Carter. We went last year but he was just too little to really enjoy it. Once you arrive at the entrance, you turn off your headlights and slowly travel through a lighted Wonderland. The displays were amazing! Bryan's employer, Ascensus, had what I believe to be the best display. It was a 3 dimensional looking church, but once you got close, you could see that is was just 2 dimensional. Such thought went into every display, and Carter was so amazed and excited. It was all we had hoped for. We topped the night off with some custard from Culver's. We were all in bed by 9pm and we couldn't have asked for a better family night out.

Although the below pics of the lights don't do the experience justice, Carter's facial expressions should sum it up for you. And YES, he got to sit on my lap in the front seat.

"Dual" Technology

2008-12-22T07:28:00.000-08:00

As I've mentioned in prior posts, Carter likes to impersonate his dad. Whatever Bryan does, Carter does. I snapped these pictures one night while Bryan was checking his email on his Blackberry. Carter insisted on getting a pillow, finding Bryan's cell phone, and "checking" his email too. I LOVE IT!

W-A-L-L-S

2008-12-13T13:50:00.000-08:00

The post titles says it all. The day we've been waiting for has arrived and our concrete walls have been poured.

Bryan awoke at 5am today, got dressed and set out to pour the walls for our new home. Concrete was scheduled to arrive at 8am, and thanks to the help of many good friends (Luke, Jon, Blex and Ben), all preparations were made and the pouring of the walls began shortly after 8am.

Without going into too much construction detail, it's quite simple. You put together these foam forms that will serve as the mold for your exterior walls. The key word is "the mold". Without proper bracing, the weight of the wet concrete can easily blow out the foam mold at any weak seam. Bryan did a great job bracing and patching any seam with OSB (plywood) but the chance of a blowout always exists. I anxiously awaited to hear from Bryan this morning. It was the first time I had ever prayed this prayer "Dear God, thank you for all of the great blessings you give us, and by the way...please no blow outs, God!" Thanks to Bryan's great preparation, and I'm sure, some help from God, we had no blow outs.

God has continued to bless us with decent weather (most days) and very little snow. He knew we needed to get these walls poured. THANK YOU GOD! Tonight and tomorrow we are scheduled to get over 12 inches of snow. Walls, just in the nick of time.

Wood is good!

2008-12-13T13:37:00.001-08:00

Yes, folks...take a look at the below picture. We had our FIRST load of lumber delivered to the job site last week! What an exciting thought to know that soon the hammers will be swinging and the walls will be erected. Boy, this post kind of went south with the references to wood and erected, didn't it? GET YOUR MIND out of the gutter people, we are talking about home construction here!

I've also included some pictures of the walls, as the foam forms are complete and ready for concrete. Bryan has done an amazing job thus far, and has not complained for one moment about having to go out and work on our house in 0 degree weather AFTER he finishes his day job. He works nearly every night of the week until 10-11pm.
Thank you Bryan. Carter and I love you very much.

Saturday, the cement trucks arrive at 8am to bring the concrete for our walls. I'm so excited, it's like I'm a child and its Christmas morning.

2008-12-01T19:06:00.000-08:00

Family time is a great time!

2008-12-01T14:00:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, the Nelson's came down to Brainerd so Troy could help Bryan work on the basement. While the guys worked, the girls and kids "chilled". Carter enjoyed playing with Nicole and he newest cousin Gavin. Nelson's went home on Sunday morning and we were sad to see them go. I have to say, it's been a long time since I spent the night in the same house with a 5 week old. Thank goodness Carter sleeps through the night as I was tired for Anne and Troy the next day.

On Sunday evening, Bryan and I and Carter AND Scout enjoyed putting up our lil' Christmas tree. We decided we just didn't have room this year in our little apartment to put up a full sized tree so we opted for a 4 foot Wal-Mart special. What a great decision. We had so much fun putting it up and together. Last year, Carter was just 11 months old and didn't really know what was going on, but this year, LOOK OUT, he is all over the ornaments and lights. It was such a great night, spending family time together. These moments are some of my most cherished.

A Thanksgiving full of blessings

2008-12-01T13:52:00.000-08:00

Our Thanksgiving was nice and relaxing. We had Bryan's sister down and the 4 of us enjoyed a traditional Thanksgiving meal. Carter enjoyed the pie the most...IMAGINE THAT! Bryan was set on making the mashed potatoes and I didn't argue. I wish I would have been able to get a picture of him when he got the hand mixer cord caught in the beaters. It was truly a memory I will not forgot. Scout even got a plate of her own. We were thinking that if she got one of her own she wouldn't beg. Did we seriously think that would work? It was a great Thanksgiving and we have so much to be thankful for each day, Thank you God for the great blessings.

Lego-Land at the new Miller homesite

2008-11-29T11:08:00.000-08:00

Progress is being made on our new home.

Bryan continues to work nightly and every weekend to keep the project rolling forward. Here are some pictures of the massive stacks of foam "Lego's" that will soon be our basement walls. Instead of doing concrete blocks for our basement walls, you put together a massive puzzle of foam forms. In between the forms goes poured concrete. When the concrete sets or hardens, you have cement walls instead of block walls. A great bonus to this type of basement is that we increase our "r" value or insulation rating and we can attach the sheet rock directly to the foam on the inside. This means we don't have to frame up the exterior walls with 2x4's?
Too much shop talk for those of you that aren't "handy"? Take a look at the pics, it will make much more sense.

Could this kid be more like his parents?

2008-11-29T10:50:00.000-08:00

Each day, Bryan and I notice more and more things that Carter does that completely resemble us! I have a tendency to walk around while I talk on the phone, multi-tasking when I can. Now, granted, I don't do it in only a diaper, but the attire aside, this kid is a spitting image of me! Bryan shot this video while I ran to get a movie one night. Please disregard all of the toys and junk lying around, its been quite busy around the Miller house lately.

I should also mention that Carter now knows how to "toot" on purpose. I'll let you, the reader, decide who he's imitating when he does that.

Let's get this "potty" started!

2008-11-29T10:43:00.001-08:00

The day has arrived and Carter is interested in the toilet. He has managed to pee-pee in the potty at least 5 times. He now goes into the bathroom when Bryan or I do and wants to sit on his potty chair. Sometimes, we come up empty handed, other times, we are successful. Carter is not even two years old yet, so we are naturally very excited. It does seem that he's not quite as interested in pooping in the potty as he is peeing. That's a shame because retirement from changing poopy diapers could not come soon enough.

Oh well...we're not going to wish our little boys life away, so we'll keep changing, and doing the pee-pee dance until he shuts the bathroom door on us for some privacy.

Fun misc.pictures

2008-11-16T10:20:00.000-08:00

We got a bit of snow overnight, so Carter and I and Scout played outside this morning. It is nice and warm out so who knows how long the snow will last. It was fun because last year at this time Carter was only 10 months old. It was a little hard to play in the snow with him.

Deer Season-2008

2008-11-16T10:01:00.000-08:00

What a great weekend! Per our tradition, we spent the weekend at my parents, while Bryan, my dad and brother Tom attempted to slay a day so we could "have food on the table" for the winter. I always have to laugh at that statement because I'm pretty sure that the Indians, when living off the land didn't have deer sticks and summer sausage "on the table". Regardless, I really enjoy this annual tradition. While some hunt, the rest of us sit around and eat, drink and be lazy. Well, almost lazy. This year there were a few kids around. Tom's 3 month old, 16 month old and 6 year old PLUS Carter PLUS my sister's 2 week old and 7 year old. It was a blast watching the kids play and also EXHAUSTING! (Tom's other two kids (14 & 12) were hunting with their grandpa Fox in Hill City for the weekend.

Bryan got a 4 point buck at around 7am opening morning and my brother got a doe and a buck later that day. It was a great weekend, and I'm relieved Bryan was able to "put food on the table."

The big day arrives!

2008-11-16T09:58:00.000-08:00

FINALLY, the big day arrived. Friday, November 14th, the concrete trucks arrived. Well, they almost arrived before they got stuck in our driveway. BOTH trucks!

It took over an hour to get the trucks out of the mud and close enough to the basement to use the GIANT conveyor belt to bring the concrete to the footings.

Carter and I went out and watched for a bit and he was very interested in the trucks.

Next on the "To Do list of building a house" is the insulated foam forms that we will use. Once those are put together, they will be filled with concrete (instead of using concrete blocks). They are like a giant puzzle. Bryan will be working very hard to put the puzzle together as quickly as he can because we are working against the weather.

And our home project moves forward

2008-11-16T09:44:00.000-08:00

For the last month, Bryan has been working very hard setting up the forms for our concrete footings. A month ago, it was still nice out and he could enjoy the fall weather while working. Carter and I and Scout visited every time he was working out there. 2 weeks ago, everything changed.
#1...Daylight savings time-Fall back an hour! Obviously the people that agreed losing an hour of daylight was a good idea have NEVER tried to build a house in the dark. We worked around that by using construction lights.
#2. Old Man Winter decided he would make an appearance. Last week, Bryan worked every night using a pick to get through the hard, FROZEN earth so he could continue with the footings. He did not complain once.

A fun fall weekend

2008-10-27T17:38:00.000-07:00

Bryan had a hunting weekend away from home so Carter and I played and had fun while he was gone. We attended a Halloween party at the Moose club. He and Hayden posed for a picture while in costume. After the party, we headed over to Hayden's house for a sleepover. Hayden's mom had been my friend since 3rd grade, so we had a sleepover too. We had so much fun. After the boys went to bed, we sipped Cosmo's and watched Sex and the City, the movie. We had a great time. The boys enjoyed playing with Playdoh and also enjoyed a bath together. It sure makes bathtime more fun for the boys. What a great weekend for all of us.

A new Nelson arrives!

2008-10-27T17:33:00.001-07:00

On October 22nd, my sister Anne Marie gave birth to our new nephew Gavin Troy. He is a precious little miracle. I think he looks so much like Anne! Nicole is a very proud big sister. Carter is very lucky to have 7 cousins.

"Driveway to heaven"

2008-10-27T17:26:00.000-07:00

The transformation of what used to be a vacant piece of land is taking place. What an exciting time for us. We are looking forward to settling down in our new home next summer.

Our new driveway

The view from our future family room and dining room!

And the digging begins...

2008-10-27T17:18:00.000-07:00

About two weeks ago the excavator started the digging of our basement. It sure is a fun feeling to know our project is heading in the right direction. We hope to be in our new house by mid summer. Judging from the pictures below, we've got our work cut out for us!

Firemen are our friends

2008-10-14T19:24:00.000-07:00

Today, our daycare provider scheduled an awesome event for the kids. She had a firefighter from the Brainerd Police Dept. come to her home and talk to the kids about fire safety. Parents were invited to attend, and of course, I didn't want to miss it.

Did I forget to mention, he drove a fire truck there?

It was so fun to watch all of the kids listen to the fireman (Mark) talk and even more fun to see their eyes light up when they saw the fire truck. Carter was such a good little boy, he actually sat and listened to his entire talk about fire safety. He gave an occasional "yah" while the firefighter was talking, but I think he was just saying "I hear ya brother, fire ain't nothing to mess around with!"

Enjoy the pics.

1,000 miles from nowhere

2008-10-13T07:27:00.000-07:00

This weekend we took a great trip to Mercer, WI. What do you mean you've never heard of Mercer? Ok, in all seriousness, neither had I, until we loaded up the 4-wheelers and hit the trail (about 4 hours from Brainerd). Mercer is known for over 200 miles of 4-wheeler trails and the entire county is very accepting of the sport. They even allow you to drive right down main street. I wish MN was a bit more accepting of the great sport.

We arrived in Mercer around 12 noon on Friday. Bryan and I put about 30 miles on our 4-wheelers that afternoon as we waited for the rest of our group to return to camp. Our friends Kelly and Luke also made the trek, and arrived around 9pm Friday night. We enjoyed campfires and great conversations.

On Saturday, we put 125 miles on our 4-wheelers! YES, 125! That might explain why I could hardly walk or lift my arms on Sunday morning. What an awesome time.

There were a total of 10 riders this weekend and we are already excited for a winter ride and also a spring ride.

(Carter spent the weekend at G-pa and G-ma Boeges. He went shopping with G-ma and got his first pair of flashy shoes) Pics of those to come.

Rollin' with my daddy!

2008-10-06T19:25:00.000-07:00

Carter absolutely loves to ride in the truck with Bryan. He's ALWAYS in his car seat when they actually go anywhere, but when he has the chance to sit in the truck with his dad and just listen to some tunes, he enjoys every minute of it. Here are a few photos that paint the picture nicely.

Our little "muddy buddy"

2008-10-06T19:09:00.000-07:00

What a great joy as a child to play in the mud.

There is nothing more I need to say.

Enjoy the video.

A new place to hang our hats

2008-10-06T19:01:00.000-07:00

The project has officially started. The excavator has cleared our building site, burned all of the brush, and we are left with a beautiful future home site.
We will be situated on 10 acres, not too far from our great friends, the Pattons. We look forward to spending many great years at our new home and have already begun finding a spot for a swing set for Carter (and a hot tub for mommy, if the Powerball would ever pay!)
The first photo is the huge pile of brush that had to be removed for building. The second is the site once the pile was burned.
Carter has also enjoyed seeing the big machinery at the building site.

Goodbye...Crow Wing Heights Drive

2008-10-06T18:49:00.001-07:00

Our last family photo taken at Crow Wing Heights Drive. Carter is 20 months old in this picture.

Well, as I mentioned in a previous post, we sold our house. It was definitely a plan from above. We had taken our house off the market on June 1st, deciding that 1 year on the market was enough. We decided we would stay where we were and build the 26x32 garage we always wanted. 1 week after starting the garage, we got a call from a realtor. There was a couple that wanted to look at our house EVEN though it wasn't on the market anymore. Bryan didn't want to, but I decided that if this couple was so interested in our house, they deserved a chance to look at it. They are living in our house right now! They loved our house and even looked at 50 total houses, yet still came back to ours. I feel like God knows what direction we should be heading in, and moving from Crow Wing Heights Drive was the right move.

So, back to the garage. Poor Bryan. In order to sell the house, he had to complete the garage in 4 weeks. What an amazing man Bryan is, along with our friends who helped so many nights and weekends. It all worked out in the end. We are settled nicely into your rental property and I'm very thankful we have somewhere clean and warm to rest our heads for the winter. We have already started to get the building site prepared for our next house and Bryan will be working on it from now until probably next summer to complete it.

It will be an interesting journey, but we feel blessed to have the opportunity.

All the right moves!

2008-10-06T18:42:00.000-07:00

Since the day Carter could move his body freely, he danced.

He moved to the beat and could sometimes pick out music playing in the background at the grocery store before I could. Now he's just a dancing fool. I think I posted a dancing video from several months ago, but since then, his moves have improved and he's even started to get a little vocal while dancing.

Take a look at the attached video if you think I'm kidding.

A bun in the oven...

2008-10-06T18:36:00.000-07:00

NOT ME! But I knew I could get your attention if I put that in the post title. In all seriousness, my sister AnneMarie is due to have her baby any day now. A couple of weeks ago I attended a baby shower for her. It was fun and exciting. Enjoy looking at some of the pictures.

Can you say blog TARDY?

2008-10-06T18:21:00.000-07:00

I know, I know. It has been FAR too long since I updated our blog. Where shall I begin?
First of all, our house sold. We are officially living in one of our rental properties as of 10/1. It's quite a change from country living. Scout, perhaps has the toughest adjustement of all. She's wondering why I keep putting that leash-like thing on her, and why she can't chase the squirrels across town like she did at our old house.

Carter has adjusted well and is on the verge of talking in sentences. I can't wait for that. We'll see if he's a talker like his mommy or a quiet thinker like his daddy. Right now...it's not looking too good for daddy.

Here's a few photos from the month of August and September. Most are random, but worth taking a look at.

Look at the bugbites!

Never a bad hair day for this kid!

Trying to give Scout a kiss through the screen.

Yes! Moving is exhausting!

Como Zoo

2008-08-17T19:05:00.000-07:00

On August 11th, we went to the Como Zoo with AnneMarie, Troy and Nicole. We had such a wonderful time. Carter and Nicole enjoyed seeing all of the animals and we enjoyed them just as much.

Carter and Bryan ended the day riding the HUGE carousel. What a great day!

Pool party with my friends!

2008-08-17T18:56:00.000-07:00

Carter had several of his friends over a couple of weeks ago and enjoyed a fun time in our yard. They ran through the sprinkler, played in the two kiddie pools and even enjoyed lunch on a picnic blanket. I thoroughly enjoyed visiting with my girlfriends as our little angels played.

I'm sad that summer will be soon be ending but I'm looking forward to the beautiful fall colors.

Crow Wing County Fair

2008-08-12T18:01:00.000-07:00

On July 30th, we attended the Crow Wing County Fair. This was the first year Carter had been to the fair. He had a great time. He also got to see his friends Hayden, Everett and Ryan at the fair. Carter, Hayden and Ryan all shared a corn dog...it was great!

Carter made friends with most the animals and even enjoyed a kiss from a goat.

Namakan Lake Excursion

2008-07-24T06:20:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday, we loaded up the car and headed north towards Canada, eh! To be precise, we were heading to a little cabin that sits all alone on a small rocky island on Namakan Lake. This cabin can only be reached by boat. The island is quite small, and the cabin is perched smack dab in the middle, surrounded by rocky cliffs that fall to the water's edge. This lake shares part of its waters with Canada too.

The story behind the cabin is long, but I feel worth sharing. Many, many years ago (like at least 60) Shayna's grandparents bought the island and put a small, primitive cabin on it. No running water, no electricity, just gool ol' nature. Shayna made her first trip to the cabin when she was 8 weeks old, in 1976. She and her family and extended family have been enjoying this cabin for many, many years. Here's where the story gets interesting. About 20 years ago, well after Shayna's grandfather had passed away, the federal government approached land owners on the lake (including her grandmother) and offered to buy the island from her AND extend a 25 year lease for the cabin. Her grandmother accepted, and now, only about 5 years remain before the cabin will be returned to the federal government and burned down. The federal government is working at restoring the rustic nature in that area. The cabin sits within Voyageurs National Park, and once destroyed, the island will be left to return to its natural state. It's such a neat story, and the history that this cabin has shared with Shayna's family is amazing. We feel so lucky that we got to make some memories at this cabin and will always think fondly of the story behind it.

Shayna and Chris have a little boy who is 14 months old. He and Carter got along quite well. We enjoyed campfires, boat rides, and a trip to Kettle Falls, which is the damn that regulates water between Namakan Lake and Rainy Lake in Canada. Thanks to Chris and Shayna for bringing their boat so we could explore the surroundings and even do a little fishing. I cannot forget to mention that Scout got to come with as well. She swam for 3 days straight and was on the same sleeping schedule as the boys. Totally zonked out by 8pm. It was so great to see her enjoy herself. I attached a photo of one of her many lunges from the dock.

Its not too often that people can take the time to appreciate the simple things in life. Watching pelicans perched on a rock, bathing in the lake, seeing amazing sunsets and a full moon and the sound of silence when your head hits the pillow at night. All of these things came free with our visit to the cabin. I know I write this in many blogs, but all my thoughts usually come back to this simple statement.

"Thank God for this beautiful country we live in and for wonderful family, friends and experiences."

Catching up with old friends

2008-07-24T06:05:00.000-07:00

Our friends Katie and Jed made the long trip from Texas to visit good ol' MN last week. They took off in their minivan with their 3 girls, ages 6,4 & 1. I cannot believe they were sane when they finally arrived here, but they were. We spent Wednesday evening at Jed's brothers about 15 minutes from our house. We had such a nice time visiting and catching up. Our friend Becky and her boyfriend Bryan also came to visit from the cities.
It was fun to laugh about old times and relish the silly things we did in college. Carter had a great time playing with their girls and also made a few "furry" friends while we were there.

Boating day at Breezy Point

2008-07-24T05:58:00.000-07:00

Shayna's parents had a time-share at Breezy Point Resort, just north of Brainerd. On a Monday, we loaded up our boys (minus Kelly's oldest, who was at daycare) and hit the water. There was 9 of us in Shayna's parent's boat and it wasn't a bit crowded. We anchored at a sand bar and enjoyed the water and great company. We even rocked out to Bon Jovi (thanks to Shayna's brother for bringing the CD, I like him already!)

Boege Family Reunion

2008-07-23T14:53:00.000-07:00

July 12th marked the usually annual Boege reunion. This year is was held in Anoka at my Uncle John's. This reunion was Carter's first Boege reunion and it was really exciting to see all of my family meet him. He was such a great boy the entire day. He played from 11:30am until almost 5pm with no tears, tantrums or a nap! Our ride home from Anoka was great as Carter fell asleep immediately. About an hour from home, he awoke VERY unhappy. Let's just say I had to remind him "DON'T HIT MOMMY" several times. We are still working on that...God help us.

Below are a few pictures from the great day. I'm sure you'll have no problem seeing the resemblance my dad shares with his siblings.

(Jennifer with her godparents Al (my dad's brother) and Lorraine)

My dad with his brother's Al and John

My dad with his sister Audrey

Fishing at the river

2008-07-23T14:26:00.000-07:00

Family Fishing

We are blessed to live in an area that is only a short walking distance to the Mississippi River. A couple of Sundays ago, Carter, Bryan and I loaded up our backpacks and stroller and headed to the river to do some fishing. Carter had never been fishing before and we really didn't know what to expect. He seemed to really enjoy himself even though he really didn't get to fish. (Casting for a 1 1/2 year old is like expecting them to solve an Algebra problem!)
Carter did enjoy holding the fishing pole, walking around poking trees and weeds with it. We didn't catch anything, but we sure did enjoy ourselves.

Mark another day in the Miller memory book. What a great experience!

Beach Party at Blexrud's

2008-07-14T18:13:00.000-07:00

Carter and I had a great time at Shayna's house last week. They live on a small lake in Brainerd/Baxter and we had a beach party. My friend Kelly and her two little boys came to
(One was too little to make the pictures.)
It was great to see the 3 older boys (Carter, Hayden and Ryan) playing in the water together.

I am so thankful for great friends. I hope that one day, Carter can reflect on his friendships and appreciate them like I do.

Our Hobby

2008-07-14T18:05:00.000-07:00

As you've probably seen from my prior blogs, 4-Wheeling is a hobby Bryan and I enjoy so much together. A couple of weekends ago, we rocked the dusty trails with some great friends. Carter enjoyed the day at Grandma Sue's. What a nice time for all!

Pool Fun!

2008-07-14T17:57:00.000-07:00

I'm beginning to notice a common thread in all of my blog titles. "FUN!" Oh well, I guess I could have a worse habit, right?

Carter enjoyed playing in his inflatable pool on a Sunday. We also filled Scout's pool, and sure enough, Carter wanted to be in Scout's pool and Scout wanted to be in Carter's. Apparently; "the grass is always greener" applies to toddlers and Golden Retrievers as well.

We ALL had fun! GOD LOVE SUMMER!

4th of July Fun!

2008-07-07T19:31:00.000-07:00

What a great Independence Day! We enjoyed the parade in Walker. This was Carter's first parade, as he was only 7 months old last year. He had a great time! Bryan kept him by the curb to see the horses and firetrucks. He tried to say horse, but something inaudible came out. Regardless, it was so enjoyable to see the joy and amusement in his eyes.

I'm still wondering why the grown women that ended up in this picture NEEDED to be at the curb. Why couldn't she have sat back a bit so the kids could actually stand along the curb?

Cousins Amanda, Jennifer & AnneMarie

Kristen with Tyler, Breanna and Michael (Makayla was off catching candy)

After the parade, we had a BBQ at Dardie and Gary's. We had a nice time and enjoyed visiting with family.

Troy, Bryan and Carter

Cousin Chad and his wife Jamie

Tom & Amanda

AnneMarie and Lynette

After the BBQ we went back to mom and dad's around 8:30pm and enjoyed a super fireworks show across the lake. We still haven't figured out where they were coming from, but it was great. It sure beat slathering down in bug spray to watch them outside. Carter was fast asleep well before the fireworks started. Someday, he'll be old enough to enjoy them.

Overall, it was a great 4th of July. I of course get choked up when I think about all that has been sacrificed so I could freely walk the streets of my old hometown on this very special day.

I am proud to be an American and I'm so thankful to those that have lost their lives to protect our freedom! God bless America!

What's been going on with the Millers?

2008-06-28T18:04:00.000-07:00

Where has June gone? Seriously? I cannot believe that Tuesday is July 1st! We have been busy since my last post on June 15th. We celebrated our 8 year wedding anniversary on June 17th. Bryan left for the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness on June 18th and returned the night of the June 22nd. I left at 6am on Sunday, June 22nd for Denver, CO., for a training seminar. I have been hired as a Weight Watchers Leader for the Brainerd area. I am SOOOO excited. I got to meet up with my wonderful, dear friend Jen I. while I was there. She used to work for the MNVA, but moved to CO over a year ago. I miss her so much, she is truly a wonderful friend. I just have to talk her into moving back to MN!

As many of you know, I've been fighting the "weight" battle for many years. I have finally won and reached my healthy goal weight! I WANT to help others that struggle with their weight while still keeping my own weight off. It's a win-win situation in my mind. I will be leading some meetings in the area to get my "practice" and soon I will be turned loose to lead some "at-work" type meetings. I'll keep you posted as I enter the field. As mentioned, I CAN'T wait!

We've been enjoying some outdoor time. We rented a bobcat type machine and Bryan got the site ready for our new garage (we've completely outgrown our 2 car garage.) and I cut the grass while Carter took a 2 hour nap! After he woke, we worked on weeding the garden. I got to "harvest" some radishes today and also eat a sugar snap pea. As silly as this may sound, it is an amazing feeling to eat what you've actually grown with your own two hands. I LOVE it!

Carter enjoying ice cream. As you can see, he really gets into it!

I hope all is well for everyone. July has so many great things in store. Here are just a few things!

*4th of July

*Boege Family Reunion

*Katie and Jed visit from Texas

*A fun camping weekend at Shayna's parent's cabin in the "boonies"

*Housewarming party at Nelson's

I'm sure each day will continue to feel like a blessing, plans or no plans!

Love you all!

Jennifer, Bryan, Carter and Scout

30 Years Young!

2008-06-15T19:22:00.000-07:00

June 14th marked a special day for me. I turned 30. I'm not sure if I'm just totally oblivious or if I really just don't care that the 20's are behind me. I reflected on all the great things that happened in my 20's and thanked God for all of the blessings. I can only hope that my 30's will be just as wonderful and that God will continue to bless me and my family and friends.

We had a birthday party and boy was it a blast! I have two words for you. Sumo Suits. Yes, you read correctly. Now that I know I've peaked your interest and YOU'RE dying to learn more. Read on, and enjoy the pictures below.

We started the party around 4ish. My family came down from Walker (mom, dad, brother, sister, nieces, nephews, aunt and uncle). In addition, many of our friends joined us as well. We had great food, great yard games and GREAT fun! Around 8pm, a huge rain/wind storms rolled through, but it only lasted about 15 minutes. When it was over, we were left with this beautiful rainbow...which I personally believe was a birthday gift from God.

We were able to have a campfire for a little while before the 2nd round of rain came through. We used the reprieve from the rain to break out the Sumo Suits (we rented) and have some friendly wrestling matches. Let me tell you, I have not laughed that hard in so long. It was absolutely hilarious. I would recommend that everyone Sumo wrestle at least once in their lifetime. For that moment, you feel as though you are invincible (and you should feel that way with the 6+ inches of padding surrounding you!) and are a child all over again. I think 30 is the new 15:)

Thanks to all that came and welcomed me (or pushed me) into the "Thrilling 30's!" I'm ready for the ride, as long as I have my family and friends to ride with me. Thanks for the great gifts and warm wishes. I love you all!

VIVA LAS VEGAS!

2008-06-15T18:53:00.000-07:00

Departure Date: June 5th

Destination: Las Vegas, NV

Task at hand: FUN, FUN, FUN!

We took a quick trip to Vegas June 5th-June 8th and we had an awesome time!

We stayed at New York New York Hotel, right on the strip. What a great opportunity to people watch at all hours of the day. Our friends Chris and Shayna went as well, and we shared some great laughs and made some great memories.

Bryan and Chris played a few games of poker, and we also watched two guys from Brainerd play in one of the World Series of Poker Events. It was fun and it brought back fun memories of when Bryan played last year. Shayna and I enjoyed lounging around the pool and shopping. The night life was great too. We saw and Elvis impersonator who was called "big Elvis". He was over 700 lbs and still got up and danced. Let's just say it was an experience that will be hard to replicate.

Carter stayed with Grandma and Grandpa Boege and of course, had a wonderful time. He got sick while he was there and had a bad ear infection upon our return, but he's such a great kid, despite being sick, he was still amazing! He's doing great now and is back to his old self.

What a great way to start the summer. That last day of school was June 6th and I was ready for a break! We are so thankful that we are able to take these little trips occasionally. We always know Carter is in great hands, and for that, we are extremely grateful.

Carter's got a new ride!

2008-06-10T20:43:00.001-07:00

Ok...we did it. We broke down and bought Carter a 4-wheeler. It is absolutely the cutest thing and he LOVES it! He could hardly wait while Bryan put it together...then...it had to charge for 12 hours. That just about killed all three of us.
When it was still a bit chilly out, he would ride it around the house but now we keep it out in the garage with our 4-wheelers and he rides it in the yard. He still likes to push it around more than he does ride it. Nonetheless, it was a great $60 purchase.

Mother's Day 2008

2008-06-10T20:37:00.001-07:00

We had a great Mother's Day. We went up to Grandpa and Grandma Boege's and spent the day. Carter was a great boy and gave me lots of loving on my special day.
He also enjoyed spending time with Grandma Sue too. I really enjoyed snapping the pictures of Carter and my mom together.

I know...it's been a long time!

2008-06-10T20:29:00.000-07:00

Here are some miscellaneous pictures of Carter. I'm sorry there's not really a story to accompany them but I'm sure you'll enjoy looking at them!

Finally some beautiful weather

2008-05-04T17:05:00.001-07:00

This weekend proved to be a great one. The weather was wonderfully nice, 50-60 degrees. We had the opportunity to do so many things. Read on to learn about what we did!

Bryan rented a rotortiller and tilled up the spot for my vegetable garden. I planted corn, carrots and radishes today. I still have more corn, cucumbers, squash, pumpkins and snow peas to plant yet. Hopefully the evenings this week will be warm and I can get outside after Carter goes to bed and get those planted. Bryan and I are so excited to have fresh veggies. We want to make small batches of salsa until we find the PERFECT recipe. It could be a long summer of mediocre batches but it will be worth if if we can find a great recipe.

Our friend Ben came over on Saturday and Carter got the chance to sit on his motorcycle. We were going to tell Grandma that he went for a spin, but we didn't want her heart to skip a beat!

Carter also took a few rides with Bryan around the yard on his 4-wheeler. Carter is OBSESSED with the 4-wheeler and cries everytime he has to get off. It's pretty cute.

Bryan and I also took a few hours on sunday afternoon to hit the 4-wheel trails. We found a little mud to play in and had to snap a few photos.

4-Wheeling in the snow!

2008-04-27T13:54:00.000-07:00

What a great weekend we had! Carter stayed with Grandma and Grandpa Boege while we headed up north to Eveleth (iron range) on Friday morning for a 4-Wheeling weekend with some people we had never met. Bryan talks with them online on the Arctic Cat chat for um. We met some great people and enjoyed riding in some of the deepest mud we have ever ridden in.

We decided to head home on Saturday afternoon, as the snow was flying and it was getting cold. We bought 4-Wheelers NOT snowmobiles for a reason.

The above picture is what our machines looked like by the time we got to my parents on Saturday night. What a mess, but what an awesome time we had. We cannot wait until next fall's mud-ride!

Sweet Summer Treat

2008-04-23T06:41:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful summer treat. Last night we enjoyed strawberries and cool whip for dessert. Carter enjoyed it so much he cried when he finished his last bite! I can't wait for summer to be here for more great treats like this. Summer may be delayed a week or so, as the weatherman is now forecasting 3-4 inches of rain, topped off nicely with snow. Can we Minnesotan's EVER get a break?

Sweet Child O' Mine

2008-04-21T18:35:00.000-07:00

Many of you already know of Carter's passion and knack for dancing. He will hear a tune and begin to dance before most even know music is playing. Bryan is convinced that this behavior is of my doing...and he's right. Carter and I dance every day. What an amazing gift to be physically able to dance with my little boy whenever I want to. Just another reason I thank God every day.

A new way of reading

2008-04-21T17:55:00.000-07:00

Sometimes there are very simple moments in our life that we must take the time to appreciate and enjoy. These photos sum up one of these moments.
Bryan was reading a newspaper when Carter decided he wanted to read with his dad. Actually, he decided that the only way he could read with his dad was to sit perched upon his chest. I could have taken 20 photos, as this was too priceless. As you can also see, Scout did not want to miss anything good either.