The Miller Family

It's taken 2 years but the Miller Family finally decided to visit California.

They spent a couple days with us. Jessie and I enjoyed a couple runs and Taylor and Scott enjoyed a nice bike ride. Clara and Brody enjoyed... well.... this is pretty much what their mornings looked like. :)

I pulled Jack out of school an hour one day for us to venture out to Disneyland and California Adventure.

Me and my sweet babes.

I sure had fun living next door to this lady. It felt like we were college roommates at times, but married with kids of course. Now we are states away and hardly talk... life happens.

 The enjoyed their COTTON CANDY. I was too distracted and they ate it all before I was able to have a taste. Darn those devouring kids! Cotton Candy is my favorite!

 This kid has so much personality. Just look at all his face expressions! We love you BRODY.

 Me and my buddy.

 Scott finished his last final and joined us all for the last few hours before Disney closed. It was so fun having dad with us!

 And on the way back to the car... these exhausted kids finally crashed! A nights rest after Disney is always one of the best!

Momma's Day!

 My drama queen. She still changes her clothes 5 times a day. I take her shopping to buy what she likes only to get home and she bursts into tears because she decided she doesn't like the ruffle, or the color, or the lack of "twirls"... but we cuddle, we kiss, we laugh, we play. She is my side kick and I love being her momma.

I love this little guy. I hug him and kiss him as much as I can because I know he will soon be pushing me away. I hold his hand when we cross the street and I tell him I love him in front of all of his buddies. I love his sweet tenderness and I love being his mommy.

This is the card Jackson wrote for me all by himself (minus the trampoline word)...
"you are The BesD. I Like when you Jup on The TrampooLine."
It was so sweet.

Mothers Day could not have been more perfect. I love my life.

Cinco De Mayo

Cinco De Mayo was so fun this year! My friend had a party at her house. We had good food and the kids broke open a pinata! It was  a fun day with friends.

Parent Day at Kindergarten

The kindergarten class put on an end of the year parent day celebration for all of us mom's, dad's, and family's to come to.

Jackson was SOOO excited and was literally talking about this day for WEEKS! They were working on some projects, songs, and sign language before hand. The sixth graders came in and taught the kindergarteners the ABC's in sign language. LUCKILY -- that is one thing I remember doing when I was in kindergarten so I was able to help him practice his ABC's... and you better believe he knew EVERY SINGLE LETTER up there - it was darling!

Ready to perform.

I love that these boys had their arms linked together.

 This is a terrible picture -- but it gives the view all of us parents had... the pictures behind them are all portraits of their mom's and dad's. :)
Oh - and can you see his cute face staring right at us? He did not take his eyes off us the ENTIRE TIME! He never looked at his teacher leading them, he looked right at us. I could not stop laughing!

After the program... this kid was so proud!

LUCKILY... Scott had the morning off and was able to come watch him! Look at that cute picture. It looks just like his dad. :)

 And my portrait... I love that he added on the earrings... I pretty much always have earrings on, and obviously that detail was in his little mind.

 We then went to his class and he had a gift for each of us for Mother's and Father's Day. He couldn't wait for us to open them, so we did. A mug for dad... of course with a sports theme.

 And a plate for mom.... with a rainbow, flowers, and the moon & stars. I have eaten on this place almost every day since. I LOVE IT!

 Clara was not happy that the day was ALL ABOUT JACKSON. And with mom behind the camera, and no attention on her --- she was a total mess.

Jackson and his teacher Mrs. B. We have loved loved loved her! She is sweet, yet firm. And serious, but has a wild sense of humor. She is great!

Now that she has attention on her, she can give a smile. DRAMA DRAMA DRAMA.

And of course... they found a bug while walking to the car.

I can't believe this year is almost over. Can time ever just freeze? My life is flying by... and my kids are growing up way to fast --- PLEASE, MAKE IT STOP!

A MUST TRY DINNER

I made this dinner last night for my family and it was INCREDIBLE. The combination of everything was perfect. The chicken is a bit on the spicy end, so I didn't put too much rub on the kids pieces of chicken. And the recipe is for 2, so I doubled it and it was the perfect amount for us, plus a little extra for lunch the next day. 

Healthy and delicious - give it a try! 

Recipe found HERE. 

Hair Product... My New Fav!

I have been so unhappy with my recent hair products. I felt like no matter what I used I could not get enough moisture. My hair has been feeling dry and brittle at the ends - yuck!

So I went to the hair supply store and talked to one of the girls behind the counter. She recommended I try this "It's a 10" line. I have tried so many different lines: Biolage, Pureology, Back to Basics, Amplify, AG, Healthy Sexy Hair, Redken, Kenra, Bedhead... and of course the cheaper brands... Dove, Garneir Fructis, Pantene Pro-V, Herbal Essence, and Suave).... and I am sure there were a few others in between.

So when the lady recommended this, I thought 2 things....
a. Why not, I have tried a million other things, what is one more?
b. She told me the shampoo and deep treatment had Keratin in it, and the shampoo is sulfate free. Bonus - I will take it.

Here is what I bought...

The Miracle Shampoo plus Keratin.

The Miracle Deep Conditioner plus Keratin

 The Miracle Daily Conditioner

 AND the Miracle Leave-in Lite

FOR REALS you guys - this stuff is amazing! My hair has NEVER... I repeat, NEVER... been so soft and shiny. I am completely obsessed and it has only been 2 washes. Immediately after the first washing I wanted to run back to the beauty supply store and give the amazing girl that recommended this to me a huge hug. I am not even sure of her name - but thank you CosmoProf Employee - you are currently my favorite person, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart every time I touch my silky soft hair.

Our Favorite Toy...

We have wanted a trampoline since before we had a place to put it. We have been looking online for sales but nothing was coming up that was cheap enough. We decided to check out Craigslist... BEST IDEA EVER. There were so many, most of which were almost half the price. We found one that was older and a few things needed to be replaced, but he really wanted to get rid of it so we were able to talk him down to $60. YES PLEASE!

This has seriously been the best purchase EVER! We have had so much fun. We put the sprinklers underneath and jump in our swimsuits, we do family time on it, we lay out on it, we have snack time on it, we play toys on it. We are on it all the time - it has been a blast!

The kids LOVE when we bounce them up super high. And we love to watch dad do tricks.

 We got the hose and sprayed the kids while they jumped. It was freezing cold water, but it was hot outside so the kids loved it!

That is of course until Scott doesn't stop spraying when Clara is yelling "too much, too much!" and then the fun and games end because someone gets hurt... :)

We finally got the new matt on. Now we just need to get the net up.... Scott is trying to talk me out of it, he says it is too restricting... agreed until a neighbor is jumping, falls off, breaks their arm and then sues us. Hmmm... pretty sure we need to get that net on there ASAP.