Yeah Baby!

Coke has a promotion going on right now Share a Coke with ____

Everytime we walk near a display we have to stop so that the girls can look to see if they can find their name.   She was so happy to find hers today!

As an adult these personalized things just aren't as cool but I do remember needing to find my name at every chance I had.    This one was real excited!

CBPA Track N Field Day

I came out to Track n Field day today.  It was a very cool event!  Each grade level has their own colored t-shirts and as the kids rolled in for the opening ceremonies it looked so powerful having them all sitting there in their matching shirts.  What a cool moment of school spirit!

There are also parents everywhere!  It is really neat to see all of the parent involvement.

 It was VERY warm today.  Miserably warm.  And since it goes from spring to summer in a matter of minutes in Minnesota, those first few hot days feel really really hot. 

Another downfall of the first hot days in Minnesota is that sunscreen is not on my mind yet.  Good thing the school reminded us to get the kids covered before they left for school. Obviously I underestimated the power of the May sun.....

 

H2O

I am not a huge fan of water.  I don't really like drinking it and it would never be my first beverage choice.  Like ever.  But, I am trying to take better care of myself and one of the first habits I need to get into is drinking more water.  So, I purchased a water bottle, hope to drink three of these a day and plan to be in the bathroom a lot.

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a Goose Egg?

The other day the girls were taking a walk with the neighbor and they came across an egg.  Hannah really wanted to show it off so tonight we walked over to see if it was still there.  You can't tell from the picture but this egg was HUGE.  It must be from a goose.  I can't imagine what other creature could lay an egg so large.  Unless there are alligators in the pond...

Pine CIty 2015 Kick Off!

Cabin season is finally here!  This little guy also wanted to 'hang out' with us.  BLECH!  It gives me the chills to look at that picture.  I am NOT a fan. 

But this.  These pictures never get old.

Testing Day

Today Hailey and mom are having a girls day so she can complete her Kindergarten screening.
We started the day with a trip to Hans Bakery and Hailey ordered a donut that was as big as her face!

After our breakfast we made our way to the school location where the screenings are done.

Hailey was a little nervous but warmed up quickly when she saw how easy it was going to be and that I was going to be right by her the whole time.

She did AWESOME!  As expected, passed with flying colors!

Kindergarten here we come!!

 

You stay here

Today Hailey had to get her baby set up so she wouldn't get bored while we were gone.

She looks pretty intense here.  Her mom must know just what she likes.

More from Hailey's Bedtime Stories

 We are having a little baby obsession these days.  Clearly these girls wiped their mother out because you can see how bright it is in this room and Hailey hasn't moved yet.

Behind the Plate

 

Hannah was so excited she got the chance to play catcher tonight!  

All these girls love to try to play catcher, which I guess is good, although it was never my favorite position.  I am sure the excitement has something to do with the fact that you will actually get some action during the game, it can get pretty boring out there at this age.

HEY! We know him!

At Cub today and noticed that Ethan was pictured in one of the ads for his school St Vincent De Paul.

So cool!  I sent Amy the text figuring that she had known about it and much to my surprise she had no idea (he's the middle guy in the top right circle).  Looking good Mr. Tickletoes!

Friends Forever

The girls had a playdate with Morgan today.  Hailey talks about her all the time and it always makes me so happy that Maissa still reaches out to keep these girls connected.

This fall when Hailey starts school the girls will be able to see each other much more often.

Happy Mother's Day (TRULY!)

It all happened so fast.  

As usual, the messages started flying around about what we were going to get mom for Mother's Day this year.  We discussed the typical items: gift cards, new shoes, a shirt, something for the house, blah, blah, boring.....

Kristin had mentioned something about Las Vegas and within a few hours we had all 5 Millers agreeing that this was a MUST.  Kari will be home for a few weeks before Andres, Grandpa Dan can stay with the boys, the rest of us are good to go so why not?!  What's holding us back??  

I got busy thinking of a clever way to present her gift to her and we decided that a "Let's Make a Deal' style would be the way to go.

We had 5 questions ready and if she got all 5 answered correctly she would win the GRAND PRIZE!  A trip to Las Vegas!   

Now.....how to make sure she wins ;-)

Question 1:  How many daughters do you have?

She couldn't possibly get this one wrong.  Right?  She was pretty hesitant but eventually had the answer.  5.

Question 2:  What is your favorite slot machine to play?

There could not possibly have been a wrong answer here, we didn't know so she was right with whatever she said but typical mom, she thought and thought and you could see the nerves pouring from her skin.  She then rattled off a bunch of games with a few "ohhh wait, maybe it's xxx".  She finally settled on one (I can't remember because truly, it didn't matter).

Question 3:  How many cents are you playing when you bet 9 lines on a penny machine?

Come on.....you know this!  9?  Yep- movin' on.

Question 4:  Who is Tucker's favorite babysitter?

Again, hesitation and then an answer.  Kyle. Time for the final question and the big reveal!

Question 5:  Are you free in July?

"Ummmm, yes.  I think so"

The next step was to hand her the Grand Prize envelope and watch her open it to find the word VEGAS written on the card.  

YAY!  She did it!  The Miller girls are headed to VEGAS!

She is beyond excited!

It's such a great feeling to be old enough to treat your mom to a trip to Vegas (well, she will need her own spending money, ha ha).  And how nice to be a mom of 5 girls who gift you with a trip to Vegas!  Man, she sure is lucky :-)

I want a bun (scratch that) NEED a bun

 Hailey needed to have a bun today.  The only trouble is that she asked her mom (who is not much of a girly girl) to help her.  And she has a lot of hair.  A LOT!  This was the best that I could do.  She was actually real happy with it and with a face like that she could pull off anything!

Did my Grandma move in?

This is my new daily medication habit.

4 Ibuprofen (to combat my recent headaches)

1 very large Fish Oil

1 teeny tiny baby aspirin

3 Vitamin D

I recently learned that my Vitamin D levels were critically low.  I had been feeling tired, sluggish and all around icky for months now.  I have gotten to the point that my skin feels like it's crawling.  People touch me and it almost hurts, like a burning sensation.

I finally went in to the doctor, they ran some tests and a few days later I was called with the news.

My Vitamin D level was critically low.  I needed to start taking supplements daily to increase my levels.  It was amazing how much different I had felt only a few short weeks after starting.

I can't wait to feel better.  I am sure my family is looking forward to my mood changing too :-)

Mini Football

Hailey:  "Hey mom!  Look what I found on the floor.  Awwww.....it's a mini football!"

Sitting Pretty

I love that our homeowners association makes us plant an ornamental tree in our yard.  Now each spring I get to look at this flowering beauty!

Set in Stone

Tonight Hannah played at Andrews Park.
While we were walking in we noticed that the memorial bricks at the park had been laid.
We were finally able to see the brick we purchased for Jackie a few years back!
What a fun 'permanent' way to say thank you to a woman who helped us raise our kids.

Sleeping Beauty

I love walking into Hailey's room in the morning.

I never know what I am going to find.  Sometimes this girl is naked, sometimes she has already gotten dressed for the next day, sometimes her bed is full of toys and other times I will walk in to find that she is sleeping on top of her bed that has been made.

This morning was especially cute :-)

And......she slept in a little so we all win!

Recital Time

This is always a bittersweet time for me.

This is always a busy time of year- new activities are starting, school is coming to an end.  Its starting to get nice outside so everyone wants to be outside.  The days seem longer because it stays lighter longer but in reality we still don't have enough time in the day to do everything we want to do.  We still have to wake up and my kids still have to get up every morning and leave the house by 6:30/7:00.

I like that they have several performances throughout the year.  They learn 4-5 dances throughout the season and it's fun at the end to see how much better they have gotten.

This picture!

This picture!  It makes me so happy!

Tonight was a rehearsal for the girls dance recital tomorrow.  They ran through the order of the show and some of the girls did their full dance, others did parts of their dance.  They were mainly there to see the gym, get used to their spacing and then run through the finale a few times.
While other kids were looking around trying to see what they were suppose to do, there was Hailey.
Holding her pose.