Oh Iris...

Brent and Noelle had their anniversary a few weeks ago and asked me to watch Iris. Heidi warned me that she may cry for hours. Oh Iris...poor thing...she just wails forever. I knew she had to have been tired. She fell asleep on the way to my house. Brecken was SO excited to have her over and kept trying everything to make her happy. He even got new toys out hoping that would help. It didn't. Both of them took a great nap and when they woke up, Gunnar was home from school. That helped quite a bit for Iris to have Gunnar around trying to make her happy.

I'm glad the boys got to spend more time with her. Since they've been gone so much since she was born, they haven't gotten to know her as well and I'm happy they got the time together.

And It Was Supposed To Be a Secret

The day we found out what we were having, Mindy and I used our unborn children to negotiate. She said that if I told her what we were having before Gunnar got home (because we didn't reveal to anyone until we told Gunnar first-he deserved that right), she would tell us the day she found out. But I couldn't tell anyone else outside of Jeff. She had this plan to tell everyone on Christmas Eve which was about 6 days later. I totally agreed to the deal!

The best part of agreeing is that Mindy and I would talk about what she should do to tell everyone. Eventually they decided to tell everyone shortly after instead of waiting and making Christmas Eve all about them. It made it even better. Everyone would least expect it that way. After going from one idea to the next, we came up with the best. I scratch off gender reveal card that would randomly arrive in everyone's mailboxes. It was awesome. I created the cards for her and ended up mailing them all out because it was easier that way to our family members and Rillz's side as well. It was SO much fun!

I made the boy and girl version up the night before she found out and just printed the right one off the day she found out. The scratch off stuff was so easy to make and awesome! I'm excited to do it again on something. It is one part any color paint to two parts liquid dish soap. I used a metallic silver to make it look more authentic. Then you paint clear contact paper with it a couple of times with thin layers and then punch whatever shape that you want. With the cards that were mailed, a penny was included.

Look how awesome those look! I was seriously so proud of them and SO excited for everyone to get them. At first Mindy and I would text or call back and forth and wonder why she wasn't getting any phone calls. We knew that they had to have received them on a certain day. Eventually the calls came in to Mindy. The best part is that so many of us thought that they would be having a boy. I sure thought that they would and really hoped they would but indeed its a GIRL! Mindy I think was in a little bit of shock over it. Jeff drives me bonkers sometimes because he doesn't get hung up on stuff like that and tells me that we shouldn't because then your hopes won't be shattered when the gender is the opposite of what you want. Oh Jeff...you are so a boy and don't understand girls at all...

I had so much fun working with Mindy on these and I really think that she was thrilled with the outcome. This is totally their style.

It's A...

BOY! 

Oh yes, you read that right. Another little dude will be joining the Miller clan. Was I over the top thrilled...nope. I was a little shocked and a little sad. We had a girl name picked out, I already had two boys, so having a girl just seemed logical to me. I was sad for about a week about not having a girl but then the following week things changed. I was watching Cami like I normally do and she was just getting over the flu bug, she was especially whiny both days because she wasn't feeling herself still but man she changed my perspective really quickly. I just don't know girls at all. I am so used to boys and I am realizing they are more my speed. They always have been. In school I was more drawn to my guy friends then girlfriends. I just couldn't tolerate the unnecessary drama. I think I wanted a girl so bad for two things. I wanted to use the name we picked out and I really just want to see what a Jeff and Kristi Miller girl looks like. That's all really. So thank you Cami for being you and making me realize that I am completely okay with having nieces.

When we found out what we were having with Brecken, we took Gunnar to the store and picked out an outfit. We did the same with this little guy too. Brecken LOVED the monster shirt but Gunnar LOVED the camo pants, so we put them together and made an outfit to make them both happy. This is what the little guy will come home in. Gunnar was really into this robot outfit but we were not about to buy both. We do not need anymore boy clothes at all. We are set.

Right now I am 24 weeks and feeling great. I don't even feel that big at all which is great. Many people at church are just now figuring out that I am pregnant because I really don't look it for as far along as I am. This little guy always has a dance party at about 8:30/9ish every night which is fun. Gunnar loves to give my belly hugs and kisses and is excited for a baby. Brecken is slowly starting to catch on and will give my belly raspberry kisses over and over again. The other day, he turned to me, I thought he was going to give loves and instead he head butted my belly super hard. That was not fun at all. He had a little lesson about being soft. I had to laugh when I read Mindy's blog because I knew that she liked yucky Spaghettios but I had no idea that she liked sour things too. Heidi did with Cami and I like sour patch kids with this baby and Brecken. Funny the similarities and it didn't make a difference whether they were girl babies or boy babies. Speaking of Mindy, she is finding out what they are having tomorrow and I can not wait to find out!!!

The last month and a half has been so busy but for some odd reason I feel ahead of the game. Not sure why. The gift buying is all done, I've made treats for all of the people that needed them. I'm feeling pretty good. We've had busy fun days with cousins and siblings and just over all silliness.

Gunnar and Brecken got it in their heads that they were going to play school. They got winter/rain boots on, lunchboxes together, hats and vests...silly.

A box provided hours of fun. They thought they were so silly.

Brecken walked around for days with this hat on saying he was a worker. Funny kid.

I caught these two reading books on the steps. I had to laugh because Cami was literally telling Brecken all of the right colors and shapes. Brecken is so clueless. 

I made these for our Home Teaching and Visiting Teaching families. They are little oven safe ramikens and homemade flavored popcorn. Yum!

We made these for one of Jeff's brother's family for Christmas and for our really good friends the Sartell's. I'm not going to tell you what is inside...yet. I would hate to ruin the surprise, but it is fun. I bought empty, new paint cans from Home Depot, spray painted and poly'd them.

I made these for Gunnar's teachers at school and for a hostess gift to a party we were going to. They were fun, easy and super cute!

I better get back to my projects. For a week that looked calm compared to others last week, turned into a really busy one when I started filling in the calendar. I can't wait to post some of the super fun things that I am excited to give as gifts this year!

My Two Little Goblins

Thursday I had Cami and it was library story time. One of their favorite times of the week. I am so glad that Heidi dressed Cami up in Halloween because it was all about the holiday this week. It was fun and they had fun. They even got to go trick or treating to the children's area main desks for a book. They were so excited!

Revamp

Some things around my house need revamped every once in a while and I am sure your house is no exception. I found these awesomely huge square frames at Savers a while ago. The best part is that they happen to be 50% off that day making them like $2.50 each. I bought all that they had and finally got them up. Well, Jeff got them up after I botched the task. I've gone back and forth about painting them. Who knows. I just wanted them up. I kind of like the gold in them. The colors work well for our front room. The prints in them are 12x12 so the frames are a nice size.

Another project that I worked on was our dining room light. I love this light! I found the idea on Pinterest and just made my own. The wire baskets are actually those plant hanger baskets that usually have the cocoa liner in them. Then I found an old brass fixture at Habitat for Humanity ReStore. My dad and Jeff worked on rewiring it and putting it together and I spray painted it and Jeff hung it. I love it. It makes TONS of light.

I also love the color. Just a little something different than I would usually pick. We plan on painting all of the walls gray. You should see all of the paint samples painted around my house right now. I think we finally have that narrowed down to the choice.

Spring break was a couple of weeks ago so I had all three kids a couple of days a week. Gunnar was thrilled to have Cami over and it was actually pretty easy having them all together. Some of you are probably laughing right now but Gunnar can get out of control and disruptive to the routine. He was actually really helpful and fun to be around for 2 weeks. However I was glad that it was over and he went back to school. Summer break should be interesting.

Running A Marathon...

(this was all written a few weeks ago and I am just now posting it)

...or so it seems right now. At this very moment, Brecken is in his crib. Just woke up from a nap...or maybe he never really fell asleep. I have no idea. One thing that I do know is that he is BANGING his body...head...arms...I have no idea, against the side of the crib. Like super hard. And it is so loud! And every time he does he yells, "ooowww!". BANG, "ooowww!" BANG. Really child!? That child falls so much and bumps into these more than we can count, that it rarely phases him when he gets hurt. And if it does phase him, he is over it pretty quickly.

Back to the rest of my life. I feel like I am running a mini marathon without a break. I am getting exhausted and trying to figure out how to balance work, family, church stuff, hobbies. I have to regularly remind myself that I am a working person now.

(I did a wedding show at the beginning of the month)

Paparazzi Accessories is very much a job for me. Granted I am blessed to be able to stay home with my kids and set my own schedule, it is still a business. On top of that, I continue to get orders through my Etsy store. Right when I think I may be a little caught up, another order comes in. I've considered taking a break from it, but I love it and the orders really are sporadic and random. I thought with Paparazzi, my schedule would lighten up a little the first part of the year. Boy was I wrong and I am okay with that. In order to be where I want to be, I knew that I needed to push this hard and work hard at it the first year or so. I have been blessed and

surrounded by the best hostesses, event planners, team members and guests. I have gotten fantastic support from so many people. Right now I have 6 people on my direct team with 8 total in my downline. I have open house after open house scheduled. It never really stopped after the holidays for me. No I don't have 4-5 per week like I did before but consistently 2 per week with events thrown in there. I love it! My team is fantastic!! I love all of my girls! I am in the process of team up with a friend and team member to create a professional brochure for our Paparazzi business. It helps that one is a photographer and the other a graphic designer. I am also excited to have secured several big events in the Treasure Valley. I am going to be a part of two Cinco

de Mayo events, Taste of Home and Women's Expo, the Canyon County Fair and the Western Idaho Fair this year. These are not even the winter ones I plan on being a part of again. It's amazing all of the things that I can be a part of as I have searched them out. I am so happy that Paparazzi is a part of my life. Oh ya, and I put together my website. You should check it out. I am pretty proud of it. It is Jewelry Just My Style. I think I figured out the other day why I wake up tired and can't wake up earlier any more in the mornings. I pretty much go to bed thinking of Paparazzi or just things that I need to do. And then I think it all seriously finds its way into my dreams. Then I wake up facing the day head on. It never heads.

On a fun note, Brecken turned 18 months last month and entered nursery at church. Boy were we both so excited for him. Boy was he not excited at all. I teach a primary class that shares a wall with his nursery. I could hear him for the first 10 minutes crying. Honestly I felt bad for the teachers, not really him. I knew he would survive and love it. This last Sunday was probably the first time that he actually walked in there on his own and didn't care if I turned around and walked out. I was so proud if him. He is my sensitive child. He loves to cuddle, he loves to be near. Quite the opposite of Gunnar. Don't get me wrong, he still has his wild streaks, is outgoing, and totally daring. But when it comes to new situations, he is so quiet and shy.

Speaking of new situations. Heidi and Ren have been taking Cami to the library story time on Thursday. I always forget. They took Brecken for the morning while I had a Paparazzi meeting a couple of weeks ago and he would not leave Ren's lap. This last Thursday I remembered the library and showed up. Heidi and Cami did too. He was fine and dandy in the hall until we got to the meeting room doors and he flipped! He cried on and off the first half of storytime. He would not leave my lap and push himself deeper into my lap when I suggested he get off and play. I think I am going to be taking him more often. He needs the socialization.

Brecken has a best buddy and her name is Cami. Oh man, he loves his cousin! Those two are hilarious together. They get SO excited when they see each other. The other day, I have never witnesses so many kisses and hugs between two people as I did between them. It was pretty cute!

I have been off the coupon bandwagon for a little while now. I think starting Paparazzi right before the mix of the holidays and my Etsy shop always explodes with action during that time too, coupons have taken a backseat. Hopefully not anymore. This last week I was able to take advantage of two awesome deals without any additional coupons. I was SO excited! The first one was at Albertsons. Thankfully Heidi told me about it. For 3 days, Albertsons canned vegetables, canned tomatoes, canned beans and canned broth (these were the ones that I was interested in anyways) were all $.39 each. That is seriously the cheapest I have seen any of those in a really long time. Remember, this was without additional coupons. Well, it was with an in store coupon but they just had those at the registers. I spent $50 and got 120 cans total of canned tomatoes, both chicken and beef broth, corn and black beans. I was excited! I just realized about a week ago that I was on my last couple of cans of corn. I have been out of beans and broth for a long time now and I have been saving this one token can of tomatoes. Why...I have no idea. One of those mental things where I wouldn't use it.

My other awesome find was at Walmart. I was running through the store like mad getting a few things on my list when I ran into someone that is actually interested in signing up with Paparazzi. She works there but was off at the moment so I started chatting with her. She proceeded to tell me that Walmart was matching the Fred Meyers ad of 70% off the lowest clearanced price for clothes. So I was able to find Gunnar 6 pairs of jeans, 4 pair of uniform pants for next year, pack of underwear, long sleeved shirt/pant set, pajamas for Christmas this year, and a red polo for school next year. I spend $40 total! I was SO excited! I could not believe it. Little boys go through pants like crazy. Let's just say he will have lots of shorts for the summer with the amount of pants and holes in the knees he has.

Cami's Many Expressions

Brecken received this ball for his birthday from his grandma Miller. Cousin Cami loved it too! Boy do I really, really wished that I had a better camera. One day...

Easter 2011

Everything is hands down better with kids. Not really exciting when you are married without children. It just isn't. Kids make everything magical and fun. You and I know the Easter bunny isn't real but little kids do.

Brecken this year got a yellow chick basket. For weeks Gunnar was pretty determined that he needed to trade. The chick was bigger than his hippo therefore he would get more in it. I adamantly told him the trade would not happen. He had the hippo since his second easter and will have it right up until he has his own kids. Plus it really doesn't matter if the goodies were bigger anyway.


We had Stake Conference at 10am and Jeff was concerned that Gunnar would sleep in. Right on cue he woke up at 7:30am like he does almost every morning. He was so excited. He started into the basket when he noticed hidden eggs. He darted after those and eventually found the trail of sandbox toys leading outside to the new sandbox (new to us anyway. I love craigslist). This was the big gift for both boys. He also found his special golden egg in his room with a dollar in it. Brecken got food items that we would have bought anyway. Gunnar's basket was so cheap. He got Beauty and the Beast that cost me $4, little spendy cereals, fun twisty straws, and free candy.

We then got ready for church and headed out.


We headed to my parents afterwards. Dustin and Stephanie with kids came over. It wa perfect. Stephanie didn't have to do all of the cooking being pregnant and feeling yucky and my mom got her Easter egg hunt. She wanted one so bad but we told her it isn't fun with Gunnar being the lone hunter out there. So it worked out perfectly. Five kids to 200 eggs! The odds of getting plenty were pretty high.

(Reese, they were running fast and everywhere. She shares a birthday with Camden)

(Gunnar missed that green egg in the plant so many times. Rillz and I were laughing)

(Dylan is definately blurry because I barely got her to stop for this picture)

The adults had a great time watching. The kids were running 100 mph around the yard, darting in all directions. We would laugh when a kid would come running past, missing about 10 eggs on the way to the one lonely one that they were after. We just left the two babies sitting in the yard. I kind of forgot about my baby sitting there. Ooops. But he was enjoying Cami, the grass, and plastic eggs. Boy was the egg hunt fun.




We enjoyed lots of yummy food (like always) and great company this year.