The addition that I didn't think would happen...

Well, we did it. I didn't think we would and outright said no at one point, but here we are. Meet the new addition to the family, Buckeye.

Buckeye is a chocolate lab and is going to be a monster. He is six weeks old and as cute as anything you have ever seen. Unfortunately, having a puppy is a ton of work, and the world is his toilet. Thankfully, he spends a lot of time outside with Sophie (who I think would rather not have a little ankle biter after her, but is coming around and will eventually love having him here) and seems to enjoy being out there more than inside. I am happy that the boys have a dog to grow up with them. God put this dog in our laps, so he must really belong with us! If we can get past the not sleeping, pee on the floor, whining, and nibbling, I think this will be a great thing! Pray that this all comes together quickly so that I don't totally lose my mind!!!

PS. I think it is funny that Christopher can't quite say his name, yet, and lovingly refers to him as Buttguy. Hahahahahahahaha!!!!

My latest endeavor...

I did it! I finished the Virginia Beach Rock 'N Roll Half Marathon. My official time was 2:29, but according to my friend and training partner Carole's Garmin watch, it was actually 2:23. Her watch stopped when we stopped, so it's actually more accurate. At least that is what I am telling myself! It was a great accomplishment for me and I am very excited. I am already signed up for my second one at the end of the month in Myrtle Beach--I must be crazy, considering that my recovery took me so long and I walked around like a very old lady with terrible arthritis for at least a week! Oh well, I will rest someday!!!!

I also raised almost $500 for T.A.P.S (Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors) which takes care of fallen soldiers' families. I was honored to be a part of that. I ran in honor of Sgt. Jason Schumann, who was with my brother in Iraq and was killed. I am including a picture of my brother, who also ran the race (much faster than me) and is the reason I know about T.A.P.S in the first place. It's a great organization and if you want more information, you can go to http://www.taps.org/.

Here is a picture of Sgt. Jason Schumann.

Colin's and Christopher's first days of school...

And they're off...

Colin's first day of Kindergarten was August 16th. It is quite a bit early around here, but no one seems to mind it in the great state of South Carolina that they cut off a month of summer. Oh well, I guess he got an early start on learning how to speak hillbilly...just kidding. Well, sort of.

His first day went well. He came home telling me how much he loved his teacher and all about it. The next day and the days that followed (for the first 3 weeks) were not so hot. He cried every morning, told me it was boring at school and that he missed me when he was at school (blatant lie because he would proceed to do nothing but give me a hard time when he got home and often told me he wished that I wasn't his mommy anymore), and even claimed to not feel well a couple of mornings. Eventually, he came around and now goes in happily and comes home with lots to tell me. Mostly he tells me about who was on yellow or red, what kind of backpacks and shirts the kids have, or everyone's name and carpet number. I think he is fine and doesn't miss me anymore. I am anxious to go to the conference this month to find out how he is doing academically, because he won't (or can't) tell me too much about what he does in school. We'll see if I will have to bring up all of the teacher's spelling errors or not...

Christopher started preschool on September 1st. He did great except on the playground. What kid doesn't love the playground? Mrs. BethAnn said that he was happy until she told them they were going out and he burst into tears and cried the whole time! He did that for a few days and then she learned that bribery works. She told him (and the rest of the class) that they could have a gummy if there were no tears on the playground. Apparently that was all he needed to hear because he has been great since. Also, he changes his superhero identity daily so they never know who he is going to be on the playground that day. If he starts to tear up or get weepy, they just ask him to show them who he is. He gladly obliges and forgets about whatever it was that was making him sad! By far, his favorite part of school is his new backpack, and he proudly shows it to everyone he sees. I love that he is so happy about it!

All in all, the start of school has been a smooth transition and we are enjoying it. I will let you know when the redneck accents start appearing and I have to fix their pronunciation of things. That might end up a blog all its own!

Very important day!

This is not one of the greatest pictures of us, but it's the one we got that night!!!

Roger and I celebrated our 6th anniversary on August 28! I got a hotel for the night and splurged for a babysitter to stay with the kids. We headed to downtown Greenville on the motorcycle and spent the evening walking around downtown, eating dinner, and eventually heading to Sharkey's pub, where we enjoyed some adult beverages. We haven't been able to do something like this since before getting married because I found out I was pregnant 4 weeks after we got married! It was so nice to be just "us" for the night. We had a fantastic time and I still feel so blessed that God gave this man to me!

Rundown of 5 months in one post? Let's roll!

Yep, I don't want to post too many times, so here is a basic rundown of our spring and summer. Hold on to your hats, ladies and gentleman!

1. April--We went to Florida! Disney accepted us with open arms, as did Universal Studios and the Epcot Center. The boys had a ton of fun and even though we couldn't ride the big rides, it was enjoyable to watch the kids' faces every time a character made an appearance. We got to eat lunch with Winnie the Pooh and his friends (who all gave lots of hugs to the kids), and we saw many more!

At Universal (or Universival, as Colin called it), we had the best interaction ever--Spiderman! Colin was in awe, especially because he was wearing his Spiderman t-shirt (and so was I, just for the record). Then there was a call for heroes and we watched him run out of the store! What an experience. While at Universal, we saw lots of Dr. Seuss stuff. There is a whole section devoted to him and his zany stories! Colin and Christopher were super excited to meet Thing 1 and Thing 2, to whom Colin proudly announced, "I have your shirt!" Watching their reactions were priceless! I would be posting a picture or two, but crazy Angela has lost the memory card with all of the pictures on it. Oops. So much for those memories! If I find them down the road, I will be sure to post them.


2. May--My birthday and Mother's Day were on the same day this year. I got treated like a queen. We went to Concord, NC and visited the Great Wolf Lodge. It was a lot of fun to be away and to hang out with the kids and Roger, but jeez, it was unexpectedly expensive. It is definitely a trip to take with older children and after some money saving! We had a good time together, though and it meant a lot to be the special one for a whole weekend!


Also this month was Colin's 4-year-old graduation. I think it is silly to have a big graduation with gowns and hats, but that is what was done. He was so proud and earned "Most likely to replace Toby McGuire as Spiderman" for his class. He sang some super cute songs and there was an adorable slide show put together for the class. Again, no pictures due to that pesky memory card. Bah.

3. June--One 5-year-old and one 2-year-old coming up!! We celebrated with the kids and their friends the weekend before their birthdays since both were in the middle of the week. I actually have some pictures of that! We braved the massive thunderstorm that hit right as we set up shop at the park, and the kids ended up having the time of their lives playing in the rain and puddles! It turned out awesome, albeit a little bit wet and windy!



On Colin's actual Birthday, we filled him up with Iron Man toys and let him pick dinner. He picked Red Lobster! I guess all my bad mouthing of McDonald's has worked! I have a couple of those pictures, too.


Christopher also had an Iron Man kind of day, although those pictures are on the same memory card as the rest that are MIA. (Ugh. This is starting to depress me!) We had another fun day, and I believe we went out for lunch on his day, although my memories are a bit blurry here.



On June 5th, we headed up to my parents' house to stay for a 3 week long vacation. It was such a blast! We celebrated the boys' birthdays yet again, and were inundated with toys (mostly super loud ones thanks to my lovely family members). They had the time of of their lives! I was able to help mom weed her flower beds (it took us quite a while, but we got it done) and I helped my Grandma prepare for her move to Florida. I got to spend a lot of time with her which is always such a blessing to me. I loved spending so much time with my mom and dad as well...and I even got a little bit spoiled by them. :)



During this trip, Roger had a business trip in DC, so he was up for the weekend in the middle and we got to spend an evening in DC while Mom and Dad hung out with the boys for us. We went to Morton's Steak House for dinner, and once we stuffed our eyes back inside our heads after getting the bill, we walked back to the hotel and just relaxed without worrying about what the kids were up to. We still have nightmares about that dinner bill, but we figure we don't do stuff like that, say, EVER so one time will not ruin us! We headed back to my parents' stayed one night, and then drove to Stafford to visit with Roger's family for Father's Day. What an added blessing that they live so close to my parents. We had a wonderful day of water slide and food, some adult beverages and Rock Band, with some badminton thrown in for kicks. It's always a lot of fun with Bobby, Elizabeth, Danielle, and Sue. There was also the added bonus of Aunt Doris being there that put the cherry on top. It's times like these that we really wish we lived closer to everyone so we could have more weekends like this! After our weekend, Roger drove back down south, and I headed back to my parents house.


Colin was also taking swimming lessons during this time, and in 3 weeks, went from non-swimmer to being able to float without assistance (in deep water) and swimming like a fish under water. It was really fun to watch! He had a lot of fun, and Christopher even decided that he wanted to learn to swim...he is an eager kid and wants to do everything that Colin does. He thinks Colin is the bees' knees!


4. July--I was deep into training for my half marathon, Roger was deep into studying for his full load of courses, and we were all deep into the summer heat! We had several days over 100, which keeps my "I hate heat" self inside. You would think that this would make me do things around the house, but nope, I just enjoyed my leisure time with the kids. My nephew came down for a week during this month and stayed with us. It is always fun to experience my nieces and nephews on a solo trip. It's cool to get to see more of their personalities that sometimes get overshadowed by their siblings when everyone is around. It is also a special bond for me. Watching them grow up has been amazing!



5. August--This month has been spent preparing Colin for Kindergarten and me preparing to kill my body in a 13.1 mile run over Labor Day. Colin had shown anxiety about Kindergarten all through the summer because he was afraid of not knowing anyone. We talked and talked about how great it would be, and finally, right before the meet and greet with his teacher, he decided that he was excited about being a big kid. I found out that his teacher was Mrs. Watson (the same teacher who in the parent orientation told us that we could make learning "funner" for our kids if they don't know they are learning. Anyone who knows me can attest to the fact that this blatant mistake in speech drives me bananas. I was none too pleased with this teacher selection, but decided to give her a chance. Upon actually meeting her, I found that she is a very nice and seemingly knowledgeable person and Colin seems to like her, too. Unfortunately, at the meet and greet, he had one of his famous headaches and couldn't wow them with his happy, smart, talkative self. I felt so bad for him! He started school on August 16, and cried every morning for the first 2 weeks. He seems to have finally gotten used to it, and has loads to tell me every afternoon!



Christopher is going to preschool! He starts tomorrow for 2 days a week in the 2-year-old room with Ms. BethAnn. I had gone back and forth all year about whether or not to send him this year, and when the job thing kept changing, I just decided to not put him in. Well, as soon as Christopher saw that Colin was going, he literally was begging to go to school, too! "Me go school! Me go school, too!" I was so excited to get the call that there was an opening!

I am also excited to announce that I will be working at the preschool those two days a week that Christopher goes in. I will be in the baby room! I can't wait to get my hands on those adorable little ones! It will be nice to be in the same place as Christopher, with people that I trust, and also be here for Colin in the mornings and afternoons. God blessed me with this schedule! I will also be able to maintain my training schedule with my clients and will be picking up a couple of new ones in the process. Looks like it will be a busy year for me! Can't wait.



So this leads me to now...I am supposed to run the Virginia Beach Rock and Roll Half Marathon this weekend with my brother, Jimmy and my friend, Carole (who I have been doing all of my training with). I will have to let you know how that turns out, considering that Hurricane Earl is supposed to hit at the end of the week. Hopefully, I don't blow away!

I hope you enjoyed this encapsulated version of the Millers' lives this summer, and I will do my best not to wait so long in the future...it was annoying to try and remember it all.

Months later, but here I am...

Well, my hiatus is coming to an end...for now, anyway. I always restart my blogging with a renewed vigor and then it fizzles out on me. This is unfortunate especially considering that our lives don't stop during these breaks. This means that there is always a lot going on and those of you who still read this (or attempt to read my lack of posts) are missing out. I just simply haven't felt like writing. Now that summer's over, I will try to write more. I promise. Maybe.

Work, shmirk...

Yep, it's happening. I'm going back to work. Not just 7 hours a week when I see my clients regularly work...real, get up in the morning and go to work, work.

This brings on many different emotions for me. Fear (can I still be an effective teacher?), anxiety (what has changed in the last 5 years?), excitement (It will be nice to be with adults and to use my skills again), and, oddly, pride (I was a great teacher to my students!).

Mixed emotions doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad thing. Yes, I have been out of teaching for 5 years and I am sure there have been some changes. Not to mention that I will be starting in a totally different state and having to relearn different state methodologies. I will have to get used to a very regularized routine again and will have to do it with two kids in tow rather than just myself. This is probably what brings me the most anxiety. Anyone who knows me knows that I HATE MORNING. Even with all of these doubts, fears, and what ifs, I am feeling overall pretty positive about it.

I did some great things with my students. For example, take the 10 year old 4th grade ESL/non reading student with a learning disability who after 3 months of intensive reading help was reading on a 2nd grade level by the time she entered 5th grade. I hadn't even started with her until January and by the end of 5th grade, she was doing even better. I also remember a 4th grade student with emotional disturbance who would shut down and not talk and told me he "f***ing hated me" on the first day of school, who was able to be totally mainstreamed into the general ed math class in 5th grade. Then there is the 4th grader who was pulling his hair out, literally, and had bald spots due to high anxiety over his home life, who was able to go in the general ed classroom for most of his day by 5th grade. Then there was Edwin (he passed away while a part of my class in 2002) who till the day he died referred to me as the one who loved him the most. These stories are some of my greatest joys from my days of teaching and those are the things I have missed.

Unfortunately teaching was not always fun and games and joys and triumphs. I had run-ins with administrators who didn't see that what I was doing was effective because the test scores didn't reflect that. I was told by one that I was too emotional about my students. I was told I was not doing a good enough job by an assistant principal who had me under a microscope about everything from my wording on IEPs (Individualized Education Programs), to my teaching methods, and right down to what I drank my coffee in (she didn't like that I drank out of a mug). Then watching them totally botch Edwin's situation (ask me about it, it's too much for this blog) and treat he and his mother like dirt really pretty much ruined me for teaching back then. I couldn't get past the fact that if all I had to do was be with the kids and work with them the way they truly needed and the administration and yep, I'll say it, the GOVERNMENT would stay out of my classroom then I would have a lot more of those great stories to share. There were too many rules that they tried to apply to my kids that wanted them to fit into a mold and didn't take into account why they were in my class in the first place. Just plain stupid of them if you ask me.

Anyway, I have chosen to get re-certified and get back into the grind. I am hoping that my experience will be better this time and hopefully I can make a difference for some kids who need it. Frankly, who need ME. Please pray that God is able to make the best use of these talents of mine to be the best wife, mother, and teacher that I can be and that I don't want to punch too many administrators in the face. That would look bad on my resume, right?