It sure has been a long time...

I knew it had been quite awhile since I posted anything, but I didn't realize it had been that long!! We have been super busy, so I'll bullet some highlights!

• McKenna finished 1st grade with great success. She participated in the science fair, played in her first soccer tournament, made great friends and had great grades! She learned so much this year!
• Caris finished her last year at FBC KIDS...and I must say, I was a little sad. Not only that she'll be starting kindergarten and is growing sooo fast, but that we have been attending that preschool since McKenna was just 2! We have made some awesome friends through school! Caris had a wonderful end-of-the-year program, full of songs and tears from me...no surprise there!
• We have been swimming alot and begin swim lessons next week.
• We just got back from our summer trip. We were in Kansas City for one night and got to see my family, including my wonderful Grandma, whom I love so much. Great visit, but short. We were off to Guttenberg/Colesberg, Iowa to spend several days with the Miller's. Grandma Miller passed away in December, so we were there to remember and celebrate her life. We had a great time with our extended family and the Texas/Florida Miller's had run of an inn on the river. We shared alot of laughs and made some great memories. We were then off to Chicago for a couple of days of fun! We visited Navy Pier, the Chicago Children's Museum, the Hancock Building, ate at Giordano's, went to Legoland Discovery Center, the Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium, went by Wrigley Field and did a little shopping. Then we were off to spend on night in Memphis. The next morning, before starting for home, we went to Graceland. I'm not big fan of Elvis, but my MIL and Chris are...the house was interesting, surprisingly small. Visitors aren't allowed to view the upstairs, which kinda bummed me out. We finally made it home. The girls were great travelers and did great in Chicago with all of the walking. I'll try to get some pictures posted soon.
• Looking forward to the 4th of July. It is one of my favorite celebrations!!
• We also have some big changes coming to our home in the upcoming weeks!! After being a stay-at-home mom since McKenna was born, I am going back to work. I'm excited, nervous and anxious. I will be working at Byron Nelson High School, which is opening this fall. It is the new high school for the Northwest ISD. Caris will be able to go full day, which our current school was not offering. This means of course, that McKenna will have to change schools. We know that this change will offer up different challenges for all of us, but we are ready! However, all prayers are welcome!!

Hoping that this post finds everyone well and having a wonderful summer!

~Beth

8 Things...

My sweet friend Kim tagged me on her blog, so here goes!

Here's how to do "8 Things..."
1. Mention the person who tagged you...in this case...Kim
2. Complete your list of 8 things
3. Tag 8 friends, or like Kim, as many as you can! It's 3 for me too!
4. Tell them they have been tagged!

8 things I'm looking forward to...
~Visiting Chicago this summer. Tips, anyone?
~Swimming
~Sleeping in once school is out for the summer
~Dinner, which hopefully will be Mexican...my favorite!
~the next girl's night out
~checking Facebook
~reading blogs of people I have never met, and most likely, never will.
~Chris coming home at the end of the day

8 things I did yesterday...
~got groceries
~went to Hobby Lobby
~finished reading a book
~quizzed McKenna on spelling words
~made dinner
~went to the library
~watched The Office and 30 Rock...hilarious!!
~started a new book

8 things I wish I could do...
~play the piano
~sing...well I can sing, just not well
~sew
~jet off to Italy, Hawaii or New Zealand
~hire someone to clean my house
~meet Troy Aikman, just to get his autograph for Chris
~be an extra on CSI:
~find time to scrapbook

8 shows I watch...sadly, I could name more than 8.
~Castle
~CSI:
~The Office
~Brothers and Sisters
~30 Rock
~Law and Order:SVU
~Without a Trace
~One Tree Hill

Now these are the people I am tagging...we'll see what happens!!

Nacar Crew
Journeys of Jessi Joy
The Norwapps-a 'beautifully blended' family

Hope everyone has a great weekend...we have soccer games and a birthday party!

~Beth

Random Thoughts

Not much exciting going on here lately...just busy running! But I do have several random thoughts to share...

1. We have been advised to turn our king bed 1/4 turn. Both my Aunt Glenna and friend Mindy have offered this solution for our trouble sleeping and sore backs. We rotated it last night...we'll see if there are any results.

2. McKenna devours books! I can't believe how fast she reads. It is truly amazing. I worried if she was comprehending the text, so I ask her questions after she completes each book. She answers and gives detail. She has read 5 books in less then 3 days. They are all books from the Magic Tree House series. I must say, I love, love, love the fact that she loves to read. I guess the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree!

3. On Sunday evening, as we were tucking the girls in at bed, Caris was playing with one of her phones. I asked her who she was talking to...she replied, "No one." I said, "then what are doing?" She looked at me as she continued to push the buttons and said, "I'm sending a text to Logan." I turned around and started laughing...she was so serious about it! She is hilarious! I guess it's just a sign of the times.

4. Chris and I are having date night tonight! We are going to dinner and a movie. So a big thanks to Gram and Grampy for allowing us a meal with no kid's menus or trips to the bathroom!

Have a great day!!

~Beth

A Tribute from my Cousin

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The One That Makes Me Wonder

I wonder how this could happen? Twice within six months, at the exact same eating establishment...I mean, who does the ordering of products?
On Tuesday, I pulled into the drive-thru of a fast food restaurant, famous for its colors of orange and white and the 45, 326 (or something close to that number) different ways to order its burgers...
I place my order and was told, in a very friendly voice, that this restaurant was out of my drink choice...Dr.Pepper. How is this possible? I mean twice in six months? Shouldn't every restaurant have Dr.Pepper stockpiled, it being the official drink of Texas? (Not that this is factual, but hey, Waco has a museum celebrating the wonderful soft drink.)
The first time, the girls and I walked out. This time, I said, "Ok, well, please cancel my order" and drove off.
I wonder, who drinks it all? Who orders the syrup for the machines? How many other people were disappointed that day? Did the truck delivering said syrup get lost? There is a big Dr.Pepper plant on 35W...I'm just wondering...
Yes, this might seem rather shallow and petty, given the state of our country today. I understand that...but I just really needed a Dr.Pepper. Those of you that love this soft drink as much as I do, will get it. Sometimes you just have to have a Dr.Pepper and nothing else will do.

I know that this post isn't profound or life-changing, but as I write this, I realize that there are somethings in life that just aren't worth compromising for...whether it be a silly Dr.Pepper, how you mow the grass, or standing up for something you believe in or have a passion for, how you raise your children or how you value relationships or your personal faith. So take the road that leads you to be uncompromising, unwavering in whatever it is that you believe in.

~Beth

24 Hours Ago...

it was sunny and 80 degrees. Now, it is cold, rainy and just slightly above freezing. As I told Caris, a great day for a nap! The weather is forecasted to remain like this through Friday evening/Saturday morning.
Tomorrow, I'm heading to The Cheesecake Factory with my wonderful friends Mindy and Vicki...oh and Rhett, Mindy's son, who is about 5 months old. He loves cheesecake! We try to go have brekfast or lunch once a month and we are totally splurging this time! And I can't wait...Orange Chicken and a slice of cheesecake...yummy!
Have a great day!

Made with My Cool Signs.Net

Another Busy Saturday!!

McKenna had individual and team photos this morning at 9:15, followed by the game at 10:15. Not cold this week, but overcast and WINDY! But McKenna had a great game! She played goalie for the 2nd quarter and no goals scored on her! Yea!! And then in the 3rd quarter, McKenna scored! We were so excited!! So that's 2 so far this season for her! Awesome!! And they won, even though we don't officially keep score. Go Gator Girls!
We had about 25 minutes after McKenna's game, before Caris's game was scheduled. So we ran and got the girls a quick bite and got back to the fields. Her pictures were after the game...all windblown! Caris really hustled and she scored her very first goal! And then she scored another one!! So two for her today! Caris was soooo excited! And we were so proud!! And her team won as well! Go Doodlebugs!!
Now we are off to the carnival at school. Caris would like there to be a roller coaster, but she's out of luck. Nothing that elaborate!
And then to dinner...Caris gets to pick since she scored today. And guess where she picked to go??? Pappasito's! I just have to laugh, because I didn't put her up to it~she just loves it too! So a great day, followed by a great dinner. Sounds like a pretty wonderful day! Hope everyone else has a great weekend!

~Beth

We have been so busy the last few weeks! Soccer has started. Caris had her first game and McKenna scored her first goal this past Saturday It was a wonderful day...until they both started running fevers that night. Not so wonderful! Caris has been fever free since yesterday, while poor McKenna is still running a fever and I finally took her to the doctor this morning! She is not herself and is really missing school. Her class has 6 out today! I will be glad when we free of sickness!
On a positive note, the girls and I are heading to KC for spring break. We are excited to see Great Gigis and just spend time with our family. The girls are crossing their fingers for snow! My cousin's wife, Michelle, is having a baby shower the day before we arrive. We're sorry to miss it, but hopefully we will get to see her and Jay before they head home! They only have a few more weeks before their world changes, but totally for the better!! Best get back to nurse duties!! Have a great day!

~Beth

Family Time!

It has been a whirlwind of activity here the last few days!

Out to dinner with my Mom on Friday evening, while my Dad was in DC. Saturday morning began early as I drove to NHS to administer the SAT-good times! Then it was of to Casa de Miller in beautiful Euless!
We celebrated Gram and Callie's birthdays with everyone! Callie, Nicole and Brent flew in from Florida on Saturday morning, while Doug, Laura, Camry and Adi drove in from Big Sandy. The sister-cousins were so excited to be together again! They played, watched movies and engaged in alot of silliness and on Saturday evening had a giant sleepover! Nicole, Laura and I spent a good amount of quality time walking through the aisles of Target. While the boys bonded while sitting in the dank RV and then headed out for a delicious(ha-not!) meal at Panchos. Yesterday, we all celebrated Callie's 8th birthday with a party at The Main Event. We bowled and played laser tag-so fun!! Unfortunately, Caris is still to small to play tag~I know she would have loved it! Then we had cake, opened presents and then hit the game floor for game time! Caris won two toys out of the machine with the claw! All by herself! It was very exciting. She also bowled a spare, with the help of some bumpers. All the girls had so much fun together! At the end of the day, we were sad to say farewell to the East Texas Miller's as they headed back to prepare for the new week. The rest of us went back to Gram and Grampy's for a rest before heading out to dinner at everyone's favorite, Pappasito's. I was giddy~we had eaten there Friday night too! Great food, great conversation and great family time! We headed for home and within moments Caris was fast asleep, while McKenna asked questions the entire ride home. Sounds about right!
I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend~I know we did!!

The Sister-Cousins

Laura, Nicole and Me

~Beth

KLTY...

McKenna's class will be reciting the pledge next Wednesday on KLTY! McKenna is so excited and has been talking about it since they recorded it several weeks ago. She always has news updates at breakfast from the station, so she thinks it is really exciting to be on the radio! In fact, she's talking about it right now..."We're gonna be famous"...is her direct quote! So tune in at 6:45 am and 8:25 am next Wednesday!

~Beth

Happy New Year...

a little late, I know, but things just haven't settled down yet.

We had a wonderful Christmas~spent lots of time with our family, ate a ton of food and made alot of memories! We also experienced some sadness as well...Chris's Grandma passed away quite unexpectedly. She was 93 and lived an amazingly full life! We are so thankful that we spent time with her this summer as we toured the Midwest. Grandma Miller made wonderful sticky buns and even went four-wheeling with McKenna. We know that she is in a much better place now. Here is a picture of Grandma and the girls...



Chris surprised me with a trip to Vegas for our anniversary. We celebrated 10 years of marriage in November and were finally going to get some time for just the two of us. We left after Christmas and had a great time. We didn't have anything planned out, but we did have tickets to see Mystere at Treasure Island on Sunday evening. The rest of the time we spent shopping, eating, walking, some gambling and just enjoying each other's company. It was nice to have "us" time, but we were also glad to get back home.
Now we are just trying to get back into the routine, but Chris has been sick, so its been challenging...he throws my routine off! McKenna went back to school yesterday and Caris was back today. Chris has been home and he hopes (and I do too) that he will return to work tomorrow. Of course, I can feel my throat starting to hurt...big surprise there...it will just keep making the rounds through the family until we've all had it!
No resolutions for me...I never keep them. However, I do need to start exercising again and cut back on my Dr.Pepper intake. These will be challenging!
I guess that's all for now...hope everyone has a great start to the new year!

~Beth