Late Christmas card

Due to a lack of addresses, postage funds and responsible behavioral choices many of you didn't get a Christmas card.  I'm sorry.  We still love you.  And really, even the people who got them got them late, so don't feel too left out. 

But Merry Late Christmas from the Millers.  I'll add the text of our letter after the picture... and eventually I'll post about Christmas.  But it was great.  :o)

Dear Family and Friends,

           

            It's been too long since we've sent out an update, but it's awfully late to decide to attempt this... so, here is your bulleted list 2011 review letter from the Millers

Who: Kevin, Kristen, Madison is 3 and Shayne is 1

What: Enthusiastically surviving Pharmacy School and growing up too quickly

Where and When: Henderson, Nevada until June 2012 then off to Boise, Idaho in July

Why: Why not?

details...

Kevin

·        With hard work, diligence and prayer Kevin is excelling in Pharmacy School
·        Can't wait for rotations and his final year to start in June
·        Amazes us every day when he comes home from a long exhausting day and can still be upbeat and full of energy to play with the kids before they head to bed
·        Accomplishments this year: was recognized by classmates and faculty as exemplifying kindness and good character, received a passing grade (90% or better) on every exam this year, dominated the doubles ping pong fundraiser tournament, still finds time for his family

Kristen

·        Swings back and forth from having a handle on the kids and life and living in complete chaos, but wouldn't have it any other way
·        Can't think of anything she loves more than the sound of the kids laughing together or finding them quietly reading a book
·        Has been sewing a lot more this year and enjoys creative time with friends (and kids) every Wednesday
·        Accomplishments this year: improving her sewing skills, found time to read several books, made many new and delicious meals for the family, survived and loved a month of bootcamp

Madison

·         Still a very caring and gentle girl who loves her family, just a little more 3 now...

·         Loves books and can't wait to be able to read them all by herself

·         We're learning about her creativity as she colors in the lines but mostly refuses to sing the known lyrics to songs as she prefers her own lyrics (and sometimes her own language too)

·         Plays well with and adores her brother most the time

·         Loves to swim whether it is in the pool, hot tub, bath or even the kitchen on occasion

·         Accomplishments this year: reading many words, potty training, going all the way under water long enough to pour tea, learning to write her name,

Shayne

·         Is a determined and passionate kid... when he is happy and loving he is REALLY happy and loving, but when he is not everyone knows
·         He amazes us with how much he understands and can communicate (with or without words)
·         Shayne's most frequently used words include: Happy, dog, hungry, cheese, cracker, swim, no and up
·         He loves dogs, balls, cars, babies, books and his big sister
·         Accomplishments this year: learning lots of words, jumping, learning to open the fridge (NO!) and mastering running

We have been so blessed in 2011. We are happy and healthy and full of gratitude for this fun time of life.  We hope that you all are doing well and know that we think of you and love you even though we are not good at keeping in touch.  We wish you all the best in 2012!

                                                                                                            Love, the Millers

Kevin's a Winner!

So I think it is lame that there is so little to say about Kevin's life beside, "He's studying so hard and performing amazingly in school..." blah blah blah, not so informative.  Well, this post is different.

In addition to the blah blah blah stuff... Kevin's a winner!  There was a fundraiser Ping Pong Tournament at his school today and he and his partner, Kelvin, won the Doubles tournament!  The kids and I got to go watch the semis and finals (I love that "semis' makes it sound so serious) and were impressed by his skill.  I guess the Ping Pong Table upstairs at Brookings was worthwhile after all.  Oh, and I have to mention, those of you who knew Kevin's former angry competitive self, he was not there... this competitive beast was replaced by a humble Ping Pong ninja whose skills spoke for themselves :o) He'll be embarrassed that I said that.  But he doesn't usually read the blog anyway, just skims and sees what pictures I post (like most of you I assume).  I guess this is a test.  ANYWAY...  Wahoo!!! For Kevin!

Okay, not so informative still, but better than just telling you he passed another test.

We love Kevin.  He's exhausted everyday but manages to get a second wind just for us.  We're so lucky.

Sorry, no pictures.  I wasn't thinking of this as a major life event requiring photography, but now I wish I had taken it, for the humor of it if nothing else.  But, I know the girls to steal pictures from later anyway.

One more, YAY KEVIN!

Around Thanksgiving with the Millers...

The day before Thanksgiving we finally made it back to Red Rock for another hike. We've been wanting to go but it is hard to take the time and skip the naps and studying etc. Well, we were soo glad we did. It was a gorgeous day, perfect for hiking and although it was busy up there it was still incredibly peaceful, just a little more social than you expect hiking to be. We had a really great time, we didn't lose anyone off rock faces or into canyons, but we did lose Shayne to the Sandman (see last photo).

Then came Thanksgiving. Madi was soux chef for the traditional rolls, and Shayne had green bean casserole responsibilities. And yes, the children were properly sanitized before helping :o) Thanksgiving was just us and we enjoyed having it that way, although next year if we don't have guests I refuse to cook as many different dishes. I love leftovers, but this was a little excessive. This year's star was the new stuffing recipe. We had a good day filled with cooking, football and loads of dirty dishes. Next year we'll remove some of the food and dishes and fill it with more giving thanks. That got a little lost this year. We're learning.

On Saturday we headed over to the District (a fancy outdoor mall) to enjoy the carosel. It was a hit. I think we rode it at least 8 times and the kids would have been happy to continue. It was another gorgeous day so we were thrilled to be out.

Then Kevin and I got a big treat on Monday. At school, Kevin's friend was trying to get rid of two tickets to Blue Man Group that he couldn't use. We gladly helped him out. We felt like young dating kids going to a 10 pm show on a Monday night, well, we FELT like young kids... but now that it's Friday and we're still tired, we FEEL like old folks :o) It was so fun to be out and date my husband. We don't do it nearly enough. The show was fun and we were so close to the stage (4th row) we were among the poncho crew. Apparently I just LOVE theaters. I was so giddy my cheeks hurt from smiling. We need to get out more. The show was fun but my need for real theater is not satisfied. I have to find a way to get to a musical before we leave this fine state.  (PS, if you read this Maraea, THANKS AGAIN for last minute sleepmonitoring/sleepsitting!)

We've had a really great couple of weeks and I'm already starting to get a little emotional about leaving next summer. But I need to be better about enjoying what we have while we are here. There are so many wonderful (and often free) things to do here and so many incredible people that we should be spending time with. Time is flying too quickly, I wish we could pause all the real responsibilities and just play. But life moves on and we're doing what we can. It makes me laugh that sometimes our blog makes it look like we are always busy and playing... I didn't mean to, but I tricked you. We are quite the homebodies actually. Blog readers just get to see the big events so it looks like we do a lot. But whether we are home or out we are a happy crew. We are so fortunate to have eachother, good friends, food on the table, a warm apartment to live in, incredible mentors and examples, and a loving and forgiving Savior. Thank you friends and family and examples for being among the many blessings in our lives.

"Have I told you lately... that I love them.

They fill my heart with gladness, wipe away all my sadness..."

 We took family pictures a couple weeks ago (thank you Groupon! for the deal and Heather Harris for the skill) and just got to see the gallery today. I wish I could have all of them!  If only money grew on trees.  But here are a few that got me singing that song.

Followed by a little
"You are so beautiful to me... can't you see? You're everything I hoped for. You're everything I need."

 Overkill for you, happiness for me.  Sorry, I couldn't resist.

Grandma Came to Town!

Instead of heading home after her Utah trip, Grandma made a Nevada detour.

While she was here we did a few fun things, but you know how it is when Mom comes to town and regular life is just more enjoyable... we spent a lot of time just enjoying enhanced regular life mode. (in other words, I'm lame and like to sit around with my mom). And I love when Mom visits because we get more time with Auntie too.

We did hit a park...


And of course, the Bellagio...

This is just the registration desk... below is the actual display

hmmm... poor representation of the display, it was much cooler than my pictures show.

Thanks for coming Grandma!