Octomom's got nothing on Abby

Merry Christmas!! Hope you had a great time...we sure did! Nothing like spending a couple days with all of our families and watching the magic of Christmas through the eyes of my three-year-olds. Their excitement about all of it big ("We got a kitchen!!") and small, ("Oooooh Ben, you got another box!") made me not care about anything but watching them open all of their presents. We truly are blessed. I couldn't have asked for a better day. Well...I could have done with out the breakfast time excitement...betcha didn't get one of these for Christmas! Not to worry, everything is a-okay. My Grandpa (he's 90 remember) had an "episode" but recovered before the medics got there. Good news. They showed up with the aid car and a fire truck (which they left in the cul-de-sac) and ran the lights and sirens for the kids as they left. I'm pretty sure the neighbors appreciated that at 8 am.


After two straight days of presents, I spent this evening putting all of the new toys away. I made Abby a little area with her kitchen and babies where she can play house. See?

That is when I made a horrific discovery. Abby is giving the Duggars a run for their money. She has seventeen, YES, I SAID SEVENTEEN, kids!!! She takes very good care of them. Tonight as we were driving to a family dinner she said, "Mom, I left the big ones at home to take care of the little ones." And she loves them all very much. And she has a huge heart. She is always willing to take in new children. But 17?!? I think that the part that disturbs me the most as that when they are playing "Mommy & Daddy" (don't get me started on that) they refer to me as "Gwamma" and their father is "Papa Robbie". When I questioned my new title Ben told me matter of factly, "If I'm the daddy you're the Gwamma." The kid's got a point I suppose. Allow me to introduce you to my grandchildren.

This is Aubrey. She was Abby's original baby. She got her from her auntie for her first birthday. As you can see, Aubrey (the name she came with), is well loved and in need of a bath.

The following Christmas, Nana and Papa gave her this baby. Abby (who was not quite two at the time) immediately named her New Baby. (Two kids in 11 months should have been the first clue that things were getting out of hand.)

This is Uncle Jacob. He's Ben's baby. He is a Cabbage Patch Kid and came with the name Jacob Marshall. Ben got him for the same Christmas that Abby got New Baby and at the time, because his uncle is named Jacob, any Jacob that he came across was not just Jacob but Uncle Jacob. (The kid named Jacob in his swimming class was really confused by this). So his baby has been called Uncle Jacob ever since. Because of this we have conversations that go like this. Me: "Ben, time to clean up. Uncle Jacob's coming over." Ben: "Uncle Jacob my baby or Uncle Jacob my uncle?" Me: "Ummmm, your uncle."

The baby on the left is named Little Tiny baby. The baby in the middle doesn't have a name that I know of bet is definitely the fanciest of all the babies. The baby on the right came from Santa yesterday and, to my knowledge, has not been named yet.

This baby is named Abby. She has a twin brother named, you guessed it, Ben and they talk to each other. And sing songs together. It. Is. Crazy.

The one on the left is the twin brother and I think that the one on the right was adopted while we were visiting friends. She just came home with us. Gee, thanks Michelle. The problem with having so many kids is that you run out of places for them to sleep. That's why these two are in the bathtub. Don't judge.

This baby is appropriately named Big Baby. I call it creepy. I have no idea why it looks like a sumo wrestler, but I don't mess with it.

The baby on the left was a Christmas gift this year. She wanted a baby with a paci and she talked to Santa about it on Tuesday. On Wednesday she opened a gift from friends and found this baby with a paci (the paci is connected to her clothes so when Abby changed her into her pajamas, she had to lose the paci) and went into a panic that Santa wouldn't know that she already had one. Luckily we sent our trusty elf, Kelf, to give the message to Santa and that calmed her down. The baby on the right is named Pink Baby.

The little baby is one she bought with her winnings from the coloring contest. Her name is Boo. Or Kaboom. I can't keep them all straight. The other one is Anna. She got her for an early Christmas gift too. Since she is a Cabbage Patch Kid she came with a birth certificate so we know that her birthday is September 1st. Abby has already been busy making her some presents. Some of her presents ended up under the Christmas tree and since Anna was still sleeping (according to her mother) Abby had to open the present for her. She pulled out all of the little strips of paper that she had made and squealed with delight at each one. When she had looked at all of them she smiled a proud smile and said, "Anna will like those. Good job my own self."

This is her newest child. Apparently she is a toddler. She just got her from Nana today and has yet to be named but so far she seems to be fitting in with everyone else.

So there you have it. Oh, I almost forgot. There is another set of twins, Ben & Abby (are you picking up on a pattern?). They were tucked in with their mama tonight. You may have noticed that some of the babies were naked. I know that seems neglectful, but before you go calling CPS you should know that the reason is Abby is doing a load of laundry. See?

She would love to have more than one outfit for each of them but raising all of those kids has not left her with a whole lot of disposable income. That's looking to change soon. Abby is currently in talks with TLC about a new "project."

Christmas is coming and I am getting fat...and other weekend happenings

Remember the other day when I made 4 batches of Chex mix? Well, that's long gone. I told you. I love it and when it is in the house, I eat it all day long. I did not eat ALL of it myself, but I did put a good dent in it (along with the cookies and other Holiday goodies I have (had) around here). So tonight, I made some more. LookHope that's enough to last a while! It's not healthy but it sure is yummy. I promise when that is gone I won't make any more until next December. Probably.

What else did I do today? I thought you would never ask. Here's the lowdown.

This year, we decided that Santa would be bringing the kids one big gift (along with a stocking full of little ones) and they would each get two gifts and a stack of books from Mom & Dad. They are almost 4 and the Christmas magic is in full effect, so we figured that the big man could get the credit for the main presents. We have been planning for over a month, looking for the perfect surprises. This week, they came in the mail so today while the kids were playing at their grandparent's house we put them all together and they are sooooooooooo cute! Take a look at Abby's new kitchen and Ben's train table:

I think that they are going to be so excited when they walk downstairs Christmas morning and I can't wait to hear what they say.

Now I am torn between being anxious for Christmas to get here ASAP and wanting this week to go super slow since I don't have to work. I am going to try to balance fun and relaxing and just enjoy the time I have with my family. I am pretty close to ready for the crowd that is coming for Christmas, just have to do the final cleaning on Thursday. I would have cleaned this weekend but somehow I don't think that my 3 roommates would have kept clean until next weekend.

It is good that I don't have too much more to do around my house because I have much more important things to do...like hold a brand new baby!! The best thing I did today was visit my friend Megan and her new little man, Scott. When I got to the hospital this morning, he was only two hours old. He was so tiny and so sweet. I always forget how tiny newborns are and how quickly they change. The bright red, wrinkly skin that is too big for their body. The way their little tongues curl when they cry. Their little fingers and toes that look as fragile as toothpicks. The way that they never really open their eyes. He was perfect and he is so lucky to have parents who I know will do an amazing job. Can't wait to spend some time snuggling him before I have to head back to work...way more exciting than vacuuming.

WARNING

This is a public service announcement. I feel that it is important for me to caution you about my lack of patience with adults. I am sorry, but I CANNOT HELP IT. Believe me. I have tried. I have just recently (not sure what took me so long) come to the realization that because I am so patient with them...
and them... (who by the way are not actually kids from my class, just kids I found when I googled "pictures of kindergarten kids at school")

I do not have the patience that I have come to realize I need for the adults in my life. So if you say something stupid or don't do something that you say you are going to or can't figure out how to do your own job or can't make it through the day with a stuffy nose I am probably going to be annoyed with you. I apologize, but consider yourself warned.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Did you know? I love Christmas!! I love the music and the decorations and the colors and the food and all of the fun stuff that comes along with it. So in our house we have a lot of traditions and they start the day after Thanksgiving. Here's a look at what has been going on in the Miller household. Brace yourself...we've been busy!!



The Christmas Tree: The day after Thanksgiving we went to the tree farm near our house only to find out that we were an hour early. We didn't have an hour because we were celebrating Thanksgiving at my parents' house that afternoon so we figured we would get one on Saturday. We headed to dinner and at some point the conversations turned to Christmas trees and long story short, we ended up with something similar to the Griswold's tree, cut from my parents' front yard. Here, Clark, I mean Robbie, is on a ladder using a window washer with a hook (that he made from a hanger) to hang our lights. I'm pretty sure that it is not at all safe and I couldn't watch so I left him to his work and went to take a bath.

This is our tree stand. In case you can't tell, it is homemade. But it sure beats the one I found online for $465! I am working on a super size tree skirt in hopes that it will be slightly less distracting.

We weren't going to let them hang anything up high and then the bottom row of branches got so full of ornaments that they were dragging on the ground so we thought, "What the heck. Why not let our 3 year olds climb 18 feet in the air and lean over to hang a fragile heirloom on an unstable branch?"

Gingerbread Jamboree: This is going to be our new tradition! A friend (thanks Jennie!) gave me a gift certificate for my birthday so we tried it out. It is put on by the Children's Museum every year and we had soooo much fun! The kids loved going to pick out their candy from the candy bar and we all enjoyed working on the house together. They even got to go up on the stage and sing songs ("Mom! Jingle Bells! We know this one!!")

Christmas Cookies: Each year, since I was 2, we have made the same cookies. This year the kids were REALLY into decorating. And by that I mean that they buried the cookies in sprinkles.

Wrapping Presents: It is my FAVORITE thing to do! I love to save all of my presents until I am done shopping and then sit down for a marathon wrapping session. I have a little addiction to wrapping paper (especially the stuff they sell at Costco!) and I love to arrange them under the tree when I am done. Today we spent the day finishing up our shopping so tonight was wrapping night!

Decking the Halls: We bought this garland long before the plans for our house were drawn with the idea that we would be able to hang just like we do. It is my favorite decoration in the house. We did it at night while the kids were sleeping and when they woke up Ben said, "Wow! Who decked the halls?"

Advent: Our house is full of Advent calendars. We have one that we used in my family when I was a kid that tells the Christmas story and has a door to open every day. We have magnetic one that hangs on our back door, the kids each have one that they made at school which hangs on the door to their rooms and they pop out of bed each morning to put a sticker on the new day, and we have the house that my dad built for my brother and I as kids. Each day, one of them gets to open the door and find a little present.

Elf on the Shelf: This is new for us this year too. The story goes that the elf watches all day and then at night goes back to the North Pole to report behavior, be it good or bad, to the big man. Then, before we wake up he comes back home but not to the place where we left him before we went to bed. We named our elf "Kelf". (They are really into rhyming and it was better than the first two options which were "Ben" and "Diet Coke".) Hopefully I can remember to move him each night. Check him out...waiting to be found tomorrow morning!

Chex Mix: I love Chex Mix. And I love making it. I have a system. I get ready for the next batch while the current batch is cooking. I can crank out a ton in just a little bit of time. I make it every year. In my old kitchen I had to us the kitchen table, when I lived with my mother in law I had to get out the card table to make sure I had enough room. When I designed the kitchen in this house a big island was a must and it's all because of Chex Mix. It worked perfect! Tonight I made 4 batches and I have enough stuff to make 4 more another night. I only make it at Christmas time but when I have it I eat it for every meal. It is so yummy!

I told ya we've been busy! The rest of this week will be spent getting ready for a big ol' party this weekend. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I LOVE the holidays!!

Happy Thanksgiving

I love Thanksgiving! For me, it is the official beginning of the holidays. I was lucky enough to be born into a big extended family and marry into an even bigger one and holidays are all about being together. I have so much to be thankful for and today I tried to just enjoy it. I didn't worry about what the kids were or were not eating or if everyone was wearing matching clothes (as in individual outfits that actually go together, not matchy matchy family matching...I'm not THAT crazy). I was just happy to be with my family. It was soooo relaxing. I think I will do that more often...well I'll try. Anyway, no Thanksgiving post would be complete without a list of the things I am thankful for, so here goes (in no particular order).

1. I am thankful for my warm cozy house. I am very thankful for the wood stove that not only heats my house to what I consider comfortable (anywhere between 74 and 80 degrees) on a daily basis but also did not fail me this week when our power was out for 15 hours and the outside temps were in the low teens. I know that not everyone was so lucky.
2. I am so thankful for my parents. All 5 of them. They watch our kids, feed us dinner, laugh at my jokes (thanks Mom!), support our dreams, and pick us up when we feel like we can't do it ourselves. I know that we are so very lucky to have parents that are so close (geographically speaking) and who we are so close to.
3. I am thankful for my friends. I seriously have the world's best friends. A whole pile of 'em! My girls have been there for me through everything for the past 10 years and I am grateful to have friends who I know I can count on. As life has gotten busier with marriages, jobs and kids, we don't see each other nearly enough. But when we do, it is like we haven't missed a beat. I love you girls! Thanks for being the best friends a girl could have!
4. I am thankful to have a job that I love. I mean I really love my job. Some days definitely go better than others but I really wouldn't want to do anything else. I feel like it is the job that I was meant to do. I work with some really fun people and I am lucky to have an awesome class this year. And let's not forget the 3 best things about my job: June, July & August!
5. I am thankful for my husband who works hard for our family and is an amazing dad. He does such fun things with the kids that I would never think of and they love it! He puts up with my OCD (although I know he thinks I'm crazy) and I am so proud of all he has accomplished.
6. Last, but certainly not least, I am thankful for these two goofballs:

They are cheesey, they are silly, they never look at the camera at the same time and they ask MILLIONS of questions but I love them so much. They are happy (most of the time), healthy (knock on wood) and they make me laugh about 100 times a day. They are smart (too smart sometimes) and goofy and genuinely so sweet. I am constantly amazed that God gave me the perfect kids for me. I certainly wouldn't have planned it this way and some days go better than others (the other day I felt like a walking public service announcement warning against the dangers of having more than one kid on the same day) but really it has turned out to be the perfect situation and I wouldn't change a thing. Well, I would like my old stomach back, but that's about it...and even that is worth it! Ben & Abby, I love you more than you will ever know. Thanks for making me such a proud mama!

Here we go again

We go through this every year. A ridiculous attempt to get both kids to look at the camera at the same time for a half way decent Christmas card photo. If you have been on the receiving end of our cards you know that some years have worked out better than others. I have dreams of being an amazing photographer, always getting perfect pictures at every occasion. In reality, I am rarely satisfied with my pictures and typically end up bribing my unwilling subjects. It usually isn't pretty.

This year I am feeling simultaneously excited and stressed for the holidays. I feel like I have so much to do. So this past weekend I was determined to get a head start by getting the dreaded photo shoot out of the way. Look at the pictures below and you will start to see why I must dedicate the better part of a day to this process.

They really wanted to pose with their pumpkins, so we got that out of the way...

This is the "look how much we love each other" shot.
I actually really like this picture because it pretty much sums up how things go on a daily basis, he tries to make her smile, she is clearly not impressed.

Finally they are at least sitting near each other

Yeah...that's a keeper!

Try not to look too excited guys.

I LOVE this one...just doesn't scream "Holiday Cheer" like I was hoping.

I have about 30 variations on this one.

Soooo close...if only Ben didn't look like he was in so much pain. Come to think of it, looking at her smirk, maybe he is!

Ummmm....trying a little too hard, Buddy. And Ab, a little effort. Puhleeese!

These are just a few of the hundreds of pictures I took Saturday morning. I am happy to report, however, that my cards have been completed, ordered, and are sitting on the counter waiting to be addressed. You will have to check your mailbox in the coming weeks to see the winner!

A special Thanksgiving recipe from my little turkeys

Every year, I ask the kids in my class how to cook a turkey and then write it up for all of the parents to read. It is always quite funny and interesting to see what they know (or don't) about cooking a turkey. Maybe when I retire 77 years from now I will put them all together in a little book. You know, one of those ones that they sell at Hallmark that you read once and then put on a shelf to collect dust.

Tonight I decided to see how much my own kids know about preparing for Thanksgiving. So without further ado I give you:

HOW TO COOK A TURKEY

by Ben & Abby

You have to get it from the farm. Ask the farmer if you can get the turkey and if he gives it to you say, "Thank you." Put it in the backseat and drive home. When you get home, take off the feathers and the beak and give them to me because they are my favorite. I will use them to make a project while you are cooking.

Put foil on the turkey and then put it in the oven. It needs to be really super hot. Leave it in there for however many minutes the oven tells you. When the timer beeps it will be done. If there are any leftover feathers or beaks give them to me. Then cut the turkey open and eat it for Thanksgiving!

You should know that most of this recipe is word for word what my kids said. And yes, I am as concerned as you are about Abby's need to collect feathers and beaks for "projects". I would open any Christmas presents you may receive from her with caution. If any of you end up using this recipe, let me know how it turns out. GOBBLE GOBBLE.

The calm AFTER the storm

I am not a fan of wind. None whatsoever. I don't like the breeze, I really don't even like air conditioning! And the hurricane force gusts that we had last night were way too much for me. We could hear it howling from inside our warm house and I watched as the massive trees swayed back and forth as if they were tooth picks. Last year, I drove out of the driveway to find that one of our trees had fallen and hit the neighbors car. Luckily the damage was minimal. However, the fact that any one of our hundreds of trees could blow down with the wind is not lost on me.

In our house, the kids sleep upstairs and our room is on the first floor. With the wind blowing like we rarely see, Robbie and I decided that we would bring them down to our room for the night. That was the beginning of the end. Just as we had gotten them settled in our bed and ourselves settled back on the couch, something (a branch, most likely) blew across the roof. The kids started screaming and Robbie ran outside to check it out. When we were satisfied that it was not an entire tree and the kids were calm again, we once again tried for our relaxing evening. It was about that point that it became clear that was not meant to be. No sooner had we sat back down than the power flickered 3 times and then went out for good. The kids started screaming and at this point they had decided that they would not be stopping unless we stayed in the room.

Sooooooo, at 9:15 we headed for bed. Robbie was okay with it. He can sleep anytime, anywhere. I, on the other hand, am a night owl and as much as I love my kids I love them so much more when they are sleeping in their own beds. I figured that the kids were tired and would go to sleep if I ignored them and just read by flashlight. Wrong! Ben kept leaning over and "reading" with me by running his finger along the page. Abby wanted to hold my hand across the bed. Robbie was snoring. Finally, I gave up. I figured that once the light was off everyone would go to sleep. Wrong again. Ben kept trying to use my head as his pillow. Abby's arm was squished. Ben's knees dug into my back. Every time he moved he said, "Sorry. Sorry. Sorry." Then Abby would ask "Why are you sorry, Ben?" And I would say, "Goodnight!" And then it would start all over. I think we all finally fell asleep.

At. 3:30 the power came back on and we all woke up to turn off the lights and then at 5:15 the phone rang to announce that school would be 2 hours late. At 5:45 I gave up my 6 square inches of bed and came out to sleep on the couch. By 6:30 we were all awake. It was not the type of night that I would choose to repeat.

Tonight, I am running on fumes (but still have report cards to work on) but I am so excited to get to bed. For a few reasons. Number 1, I am exhausted. Number 2, I get the bed to myself...and I plan to sleep in the middle. Number 3, Robbie washed the sheets today and I LOVE clean sheets. And number 4 is my brand new duvet cover! Our old cover was over 8 years old (it was a wedding gift) and had seen better days. For the past month (or more) I didn't dare move while I slept for fear of ripping it even more than it was. While I am sorry to say goodbye to this,





I know that tonight I will sleep MUCH better. Nighty night!

Audience Participation Required

Okay...I am going to brag for just a minute here. I am getting pretty good at grocery shopping. And by that I mean buying things when they are on sale so that A. I always have a full pantry and B. I don't spend an arm and a leg on groceries.

When I was a kid, my dad would spend all day going from store to store to get the best deals and then put all of the groceries on the table for us to guess how much (or how little) he had spent. I don't have time to run from store to store but I have learned that it is worth spending a bit of time clipping coupons. So now it is your turn. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to guess how much money I spent on today's Safeway adventure. Here's what I got:

1 roll aluminum foil

1 package of slow cooker liners

5 cartons of chicken broth

1 box of hot cocoa

2 bags of apples

3 packages of chocolate chips

8 cans of soup

4 boxes of instant oatmeal

1 jar of garlic

10 packages of tortillas

1 19 lb. turkey

10 lbs. of flour

2 blocks of cheese

18 yogurts

3 tubs of cool whip

3 packages of English muffins

1 bag of spinach

1 bag of marshmallows

2 packages of brown sugar

2 gallons of milk

1 box of stuffing mix

5 boxes of cereal

1/2 gallon of egg nog

10 bottles of Powerade

So what do you think it all cost? I will announce the winner and the correct amount soon!

It's not you, it's me

Alayna I love you but I just don't think we can be friends for the next couple weeks. I'm sorry. I know we have been friends for a long time and while it is true that you have been there for me more times than I can count, I just don't think I can stand by you through this. Here's my beef. At 35 weeks pregnant you look like this: Soooooo not fair! You and your cute little basketball belly that you can't even see from the back. And your cute maternity clothes that don't look like maternity clothes. And heels? What?!? Seriously, I love you and I can't wait to resume our friendship after whatshertoes is born but for now, I hope you can understand why we just can't be friends. No? Maybe this will refresh your memory:

Me at 32 weeks pregnant. A couple of things you should note:

1. I cut my head out of the picture so you couldn't see all of my chins.

2. If you look closely you will see that I am roughly the same size as the Christmas tree I am standing in front of.

3. I am not only NOT wearing maternity clothes, I am wearing Robbie's clothes. In this picture, it is Christmas eve so I am wearing my fancy outfit.

4. At the time that this picture was taken I had not driven for over a week because I could not fit behind the steering wheel. It was 4 more weeks until the kids were born and then I was on painkillers for two weeks after that. By the time I was able to drive again I had to retake my driving test.

5. I was still pregnant for 4+ weeks after this picture was taken. The pictures taken after this were so bad that I could not show them in public. I am saving them in the event that one day I need something from the kids and I can guilt them into doing what I want by showing them the pictures and saying "Look what I went through for you!"

6. Heels were not an option for me. Heck, shoes weren't even an option for me. I spent months in slippers.
7. The weird looking thing hanging from the sleeve of my shirt is, indeed, my puffy swollen hand.

I could go on but I think you get it. Now, I don't want any pity because I had two kids using my gigantic belly as their temporary residence. I know that it is different but it still isn't fair! I love you Lai and I can't wait to come and hold your sweet little girl when she is born and I hope to be the same "Auntie Nobody" to her that you have been to Ben and Abby. So give me a call when you give birth or gain a couple of chins.

Pumpkins Pizza & Popcorn

This has been a super busy week and so we didn't get around to carving our pumpkins until tonight. We've been talking it up and planning all week. I even brought home "It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" from school so we could have the complete Halloween experience. As soon as I was home from work we got to work on digging the guts out of our pumpkins. Abby loved to grab the gooey mess and pull it out of her pumpkin. Ben on the other hand...not so much. He preferred to use a spoon at all times. Can't say either of them surprised me.

I love the way she watched as Robbie carved her pumpkin, giving him directions and asking "what job can I have now?"

Ladies and Gentlemen I give you Abby and her silly pumpkin!

The kids decided that they wanted some friends to watch the movie with them so we invited Izzy, Annie and Joey over. We all snuggled up on the couch and ate some popcorn and Ben didn't even ask too many questions!! The kids have been excited about tonight all week and they loved every minute of it!

In other exciting news: Robbie's work hosted a company wide coloring contest and Abby was crowned winner of her age group! When Robbie first gave the kids the papers there was a little confusion about the way a coloring contest works. Ben colored (scribbled) his as fast as he could and announced "I'm done. I win!" Apparently he thought that the fastest artist would win. After a lot of tears, we tried again (thankfully Robbie had brought home extras). This time Ben colored a bit slower but after about two minutes he was done. His sister on the other hand, used lots of colors and worked hard to stay inside the lines. She worked very hard and when she was finally done she was convinced that she would win. Now, I'm not going to lie. Her picture was good. She did a nice job. But it still looked like something colored by a three-year-old. I knew that what she had done was pretty good, but she is no art prodigy. Just a girl who loves crafts and who worked very hard to do her best. Turns out that her best was THE best and she won! The prize? A $25 Target gift card! Next year I'm entering.

Tonight, I leave you with the picture of our pumpkins all lit up. Happy Halloween!!