We did something different this year, and it was AMAZING!! My older sister and sister in law (side note, I use "in-law" to clarify, I really don't like the term and, of course, think of her as a sister)  were in Mexico, on the beach AND living it UP! Soooo My mom decided to head down to S.L.C. and have a Mother's Day date with Candice and myself! SO SO BRILLIANT. What a thinker!!  :)


Candice and I met my mom at the hotel in S.L.C. during the lunch hour. We stayed at a lovely hotel that was close to the new mall, City Creek (great mall, Utah is finally getting it right). We walked to the new mall and had lunch at Kneaders, than went shopping! Shopping where I didn't have to bring snacks for anyone or say "I will try this on so fast", or bribe! Sooooooooo verrrrry relaxing, we took our sweeeet time.... in every store! This was fabulous and so was the company! After our great shopping excursion we later rode the tram back to the hotel (a couple blocks but since I have never done it, it was fun and not scary. I am branching out :). Before we left the mall we of course grabbed all of the catologs at Hardware Restoration, then went back to the hotel, drank Diet Coke and Mountain Dew while soaking our feet in the hot tub. Awwww, so nice and refreshing.








 Later that evening we walked around the temple grounds and headed to our reservation at The Roof. So lovely! I think that was the first time for all of us and we were seated with a perfect view of the temple. We made a later reservation in the evening so the blinds were going up as we were seated. We saw a great sunset! They had a piano player there, she was great. She played all of the good stuff, Les Mis, Phantom, Clair De Lune; it was perfect. They had great creme brulee, so in other words- it was perfect!! We came home, tried out a fun face mask and watched HGTV.
Sunday morning we woke up and went to the Spoken Word and sat on the 4th row. I have a SUPER mom and am SO very thankful for her. Candice and I had a blast!!!!

Posted in: 2012, candice, millers, riss on Friday, June 1, 2012 at 2 comments  

Boise is always a blast. Candice and I have been able to see each other a lot these last couple of months and it has been so much fun. Colby and Ethan love Charlotte. Alright so Colby is great with her and Ethan and Charlotte clash some BUT by the end they were playing great together. Her they are giving her some L O V E!

( AND of course, Colby with no pants, I know we are working on that, my kids would be great at a nudist colony:)



Ethan has had a rougher time lately. With Darrin being gone for 3 weeks, me constantly working on the house and yard( 5 acres..is TOUGH) and trying to get packed for Omaha, busy- is an understatement. I headed up to Boise for a little fun! By this point Ethan has had it, and is exhausted. He had a rough time going to sleep and when I was checking up on him... this is what I found. He is in my suitcase!!! He had fallen asleep like this. The funny thing is, there were paper and things on the bottom, so it couldn't have been comfortable it's a duffel bag. Exhausted after his tantrum, he is still a keeper!



I am trying to organize all of my pictures and my conclusion is... I have almost none of myself or Darrin. I always wished my parents had more of themselves, but now being a parent, I have noticed it is hard to remember. This is before church. I also discovered posed picture with both kids smiling are nearly impossible, from now on it's going to be candid!



The munchkins exhausted from lots of playing at Grandma's!! On our way back home:)

We had a great time in Boise! We stopped at Nat and Cob's house to play with the cousins and spent the night there. Natalie showed me that there is stuff to do in Burley............ well they have a great mexican food place and yogurt shop:) 

Went swimming at the Dunkleys! Oh, how I love that they heat the pool to 90! Awesome! Not so awesome that Colby freaked out with his swimming lessons, like hysterical- thanks for getting me through that, Ju! Ethan loved them, and Colby did too, well after he was out of the pool! Swim lessons are going to be fun this summer!!

Lot's of yummy food, Idaho Pizza Company and Westside will be missed, best garden burgers ever!!! Of course my moms food.

The bunk beds, along with the trampoline, books, bath time, grandpa making them awesome breakfasts every morning and me getting to sleep in, why do I ever leave???

P.S. Juliann, love the moves at night............ Candice thought we were soooooo FUNNY!!!!!!!!

Posted in: 2012, candice, colby, ethan, millers, riss on Thursday, May 31, 2012 at 2 comments  

Colby and Ethan love to take Andy on a walk, luckily it was a good day and not too cold. Notice Colby picked out his shoes, gotta' love his swagger!





Colby loves Andy, he knows it is Grandma's dog but until then it is HIS! He is always in charge of Andy on our walks, he is great with him.





Ethan is my wanderer. Colby will stay to the side of the road and Ethan is oblivious. He just wanders around exploring, which means I watch that kid like a hawk! I will turn my head for a split second and the next he is 20 feet ahead of me and in the middle of the street. I am getting faster on my feet :)





Ethan noticed the neighbors fence had a slight gap, he got close to sneaking in to go find the horses. ;)

Posted in: 2012, colby, ethan, millers on Saturday, February 25, 2012 at 0 comments  

My parents just bought a bunk bed for when the the grand kids come visit. Who doesn't love a bunk bed? This one is great because both beds are full size. I really want one! Probably should have a house first:) When it's Darrin's night to tuck the kids in.......I often find all three boys tuckered out!
Colby and Ethan love the trampoline. I loved having one growing up and it is nice because it is in the ground. Much safer. The kids and I always have a blast on it.

This Christmas we went shooting, I love shooting. Soooooo much fun. Kayle has a handgun which is super powerful and had a nice kick to it. Darrin really loved this bad boy and Kayle would start from where we were shooting and take a ton of shots walking and jogging up to the target. I swear it was like watching some undercover agent/ James Bond kind of thing. Pretty sweet! Darrin was great at knocking off all of the targets we lined up.
( We also (each couple) bought an airsoft gun and we would print off a target and have competitions in the basement, I love those things!!)




The day we went shooting, it was freezing! By the end, Candice and I would warm up in the car and only get out when someone else was nice enough to load up the guns:) This gun we borrowed from the Dunkley's, it was super fun. You could load 2 shells and when you pulled the trigger the smoking shell would fly out, how awesome! I really want this bad boy, it's kind of heavy for me so I would leave the gun down until the skeet was thrown than lift it and aim. My shot might improve if I held it up the whole time!

Candice and I had a blast. Her official gun stance, that's how people shoot right? We had all of the fun while the guys were nice enough to go set up the targets( thanks to Darrin's massive pop addiction we had plenty) P.S. The guns not loaded, We do practice gun safety!!

I am shooting my dad's 22. I think this is my favorite gun. It is super lightweight and no kick, I am more comfortable with this one so my aim is a little better. Candice, my dad and I would have competitions to see who could knock down all of the cans. My dad hit every single one. Let's just say Candice and I had fun! :) At least I have swagger when I shoot!! HAHA

Posted in: 2011, candice, christmas, dad, millers, riss, vacation on Friday, December 30, 2011 at 1 comments  

A couple of days before heading to Boise, for Christmas, we found out my Grandpa was not doing well; a few days later he passed. Darrin stayed in Boise taking care of the boys while I drove down to Rexburg, ID with my parents, Natalie, Spencer and his wife Juliann and their newest baby, Tanner.
  I have been to funerals before but never a close relative. Being L.D.S I know that he truly is in a better place. If anyone knows my Grandpa he definitely made it! (unlike myself for example; I could go anywhere :) But not him- he was amazing!
  Having my Grandpa pass is sad.  I get teared up knowing my Grandma and him will be apart. Now that I am married, I know how hard it is to be away from my husband and it makes me sad to know that my Grandma will be missing her loving and devoted husband everyday until they meet again.
  The funeral service was amazing. My Grandpa was such an amazing guy. Each of his kids gave a talk about different aspects of his life and being there made me realize (even more than I had already known) what a great guy he was. My Grandpa was a great dad, great at his job, served our country, great husband, served the Church, I could go on and on. I am proud to say that he is my Grandpa and know he will be missed. I am exited to see him again.

Grandpa Miller loved sage. When he was far away during World War 2 he missed the smell of it, he said some of his favorite letters he received was when someone sent a sprig of Sagebrush in the envelope. It just flooded him of memories back home. He was a good ole' Idaho boy who always wanted to get back home.
If anyone has been to Rexburg they should know how cold it gets; it is freezing. The wind does not help.  It always feels a good 10 degrees colder because of this. The day my Grandpa was buried it had snowed and the ground had a good foot of snow. After the burial service, everyone started getting in their cars when I noticed my cousin, Lincoln, discretely trudging deep through the snow to the very outskirts of the cemetery. I wondered what he was doing.  As he made his way back to our Grandpa's burial site I saw that he held something in his hand. As he approached the casket, he laid a bundle of sage upon his casket.
I could picture my Grandpa smiling down.





My Grandpa was a patriarch. He gave me my Patriarchal blessing and sealed me to my husband. The last song that was sung at his funeral was God Be With You Till We Meet Again. I have grown to love this song and which now has a new meaning for me.

Posted in: 2011, millers, riss on Friday, December 23, 2011 at 1 comments  

When Candice and Kayle stayed with us for a couple weeks, we went shooting a couple times. I fell back in love with guns. We sold our guns when we moved to California for Disney passes, I think I want them back! We had a blast. Kayle is great to go with. I totally trust him and he gives me lessons and teaches me all about gun safety. I would NEVER go shooting with someone I didn't fully trust. We had a great time, that hand gun is POWERFUL! Thanks Kayle, Darrin and I had a great time!

Posted in: 2011, candice, darrin, millers, riss, us on Sunday, November 20, 2011 at 0 comments  

 Here is "Paga" and Ethan on the plasma car.
 Ethan scootin down the driveway wishing he was on the plasma car.
 Ethan on the scoot and ride. He has no fear. He will scoot along super fast- face plant and get right back up to do it again but even faster. Hmmm like father like son.
 Colby and Paga carving pumpkins. My dad is an awesome pumpkin carver.
 The boys at the Pumpkin patch with Grandma and Grandpa. The Pumpkin Patch was a ton of fun. We picked out pumpkins, the boys went through the maze, they went on  a hay ride, we had a great time.

 These are some of the many pictures of Ethan with his most favorite person ever. Paga! We can't wait to see you guys again.


Ethan enjoys Gramps all to himself. He would not let Paga put him down the whole week. Thanks for visiting Mom and Dad. We love Ya.

Posted in: 2011, colby, ethan, millers, riss on Sunday, November 13, 2011 at 1 comments  

Okay, well technically she was not coming down for a couple weeks but she moved her flight up for me! I guess that's what happens when you call your mom crying. Hmmmm... I should do that more often!
I have been sick for the entire month of January, finally I couldn't take it anymore and got on some antibiotics. I feel much better now. Since January was so crazy, I was totally neglecting my duties, my super Mommy came to save the day! She spoiled my children, she always brings them pj's, toys and books. By the second day my kids new that MaGa's suitcase held fun treasures. They were in Heaven. I was in Heaven, my mom took care of the kids at night, let me sleep in, made me tons of delicious food( she should be a professional cook) and cleaned my entire house. Awww, how nice.


Funny story
I always try and replicate my moms potato cheese soup, it is alright but nothing amazing. Darrin and I will still eat it. Every time my Mom is in town I have her make it for me, that day my mom had to leave but still made the soup for us. When Darrin got home, we started eating her delicious soup. He thought I made it since my mom was already gone. He looked at me and said "What did you do different this time, it is sooo good!" I said "My Mom made it." I just laughed, luckily I was in a good mood so he didn't get in trouble.
Yes, it is that good! Yum, now I am craving it.

We are sad MaGa left. (Colby switches Grandma around and now he calls both of his grandmas MA-Ga. He is sometimes a little dyslexic, I think I do that sometimes)

Posted in: 2011, colby, ethan, millers, riss on Friday, February 11, 2011 at 2 comments  

We had a great Thanksgiving. My parents have always wanted to drive down the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway, aka Highway 1- I didn't know that is what Californians call it, such useful info :) My parents drove to see Candice and Kayle first than everyone came here for Thanksgiving, it was a blast. We played games, ate great food, went hot tubbing, woke up for Black Friday shopping, it was great!!!! The only sad thing- I didn't get any pictures, I was to busy playing. I did take one of the boys and my dad. My parents love buying them adorable pj's. I think these are my new favorite.

Posted in: 2010, candice, millers, thanksgiving, us on Sunday, November 28, 2010 at 0 comments  

Darrin is in his busy season at work, at first I thought the busy season was a couple of months but I am pretty sure busy season for him is like 9 months out of the year. This last month has been especially hard, when he is in the field him and Bryan will wake up at 3:30-4 and get done close to 11 or midnight. Yeah, CRAZY hours. My hubby works really really really hard, and the kids and I appreciate everything he does for us. He was going to Vegas again, they do a lot of work in Las Vegas, I decided to be brave and travel with the kids. I have been on tons of flights with the kiddos but I have never driven farther than the beaches and San Diego. I decided to be brave and drive the 6-7 hour drive to Monterey to visit my sister Candice and her hubby Kayle. I am extremely proud of myself that I went and did something like that on my own. That was a long drive but it was nice to explore a new area and hang out with family. I had a great time in Monterey and had a blast hanging out with my sis.

Posted in: 2010, candice, colby, ethan, millers, riss, vacation on Saturday, October 16, 2010 at 5 comments  

Yeah- for Aunt Candice. She was able to spend 3 weeks here. We had a blast. It is not that often you get to hang out with your sister for that long, especially now that we are married and don't live by each other. I am sad that she has to be away from Kayle for 10+ weeks but we had a blast together. Colby is quite her little admirer.




Sometimes I wonder if he is around his mother too much. He has seen me do one too many hair cuts and colors. Here Colby is seriously combing through Aunt Candy's hair.




Here is Colby getting ready to go to the pool. What killer hair! Why couldn't I get that...

If you notice closely, he has to have his most genuine smile... he is "secretly" going through Candice's purse!

Posted in: 2010, candice, colby, millers on Wednesday, June 9, 2010 at 1 comments  

Ethan is blessed. We are so blessed to add him to our family. He was a surprise but I am so grateful Colby and Ethan are so close in age. They are becoming best buds and I can't wait to watch them grow up together. Ethan is a great baby. I am so thankful he is my healthy, handsome boy! Love him!

I am also thankful my husband is a priesthood holder and can bless him. We are lucky and Darrin's parents and my dad were able to come to California for this day, THANKS!

Posted in: 2010, colby, craners, darrin, ethan, millers, riss, us on Monday, February 15, 2010 at 0 comments  

So, while in Boise, I discovered that your mother is needed at all times during pregnancy. With hormones galore I should have just stayed up there the last 4 months of pregnancy. I should say if crazy pregnancy hormones were rated on a scale of 1-10 I think I would have been a 10 or even an 11. With that said I am now for the most part a 5, so doing much better. I do have new found respect for anyone that lives away from family or their mommy especially during pregnancy or just raising little kids. I will say crying helps because then my parents get to see me more. :) Haha.
I had a blast in Boise. Good thing I am pregnant because all of my mom's wonderful cooking and my favorite joints to eat at did not help the scale much but of course well worth every bite. Yum, Yum. Colby and I had a blast getting spoiled and loved every second of it.



Colby was able to play in the cockpit on our flight home. He loved pretend flying. The captain was super nice and was letting him hit buttons that made missile sounds and lots of cool things like that.

Posted in: 2009, colby, millers, riss on Thursday, October 29, 2009 at 3 comments  

Posted in: 2009, colby, millers, riss on Monday, August 17, 2009 at 4 comments