Firsts

Disclaimer:

I don't ever want my readers to think "Oh, poor Millers."  This blog is purely for fun and to give a realistic view of the life of a military family.

You may now commence reading.

Today was a HUGE day of firsts in our house.  Dude played his very first t-ball game against another team.  He also played in his very first piano recital.  Madelynn also played in the piano recital and while it was not her first, it's just as special and important as if it was.

In a military family the Soldier tends to miss a lot of firsts.  Whether it's a deployment to Afghanistan or Iraq, living in Korea with out the family, an NTC rotation or just being out in the field, they miss out on a lot of family firsts.

Because military kids have learned to share their Daddy/Mommy with the Army/Air Force/Navy/Marines they rarely complain about not having that parent there to cheer them on, clap or help blow out candles.

In our house, over the last 10 years, Steven has missed first steps and words, a first birthday, 1st grade play, choir performances, piano recitals, t-ball games and preschool graduation just to name a few.

But you know what?

In our house we try to look on the bright side of life!  He did not miss their births (thank the good Lord!).  He has been here for another first birthday and a sixth birthday and several other birthdays.  He was here for the first day of school this year.  And with the help of technology, he was able to watch today's piano recital and see pictures of t-ball in real time.

All this to say, this military life is what you make of it.  We choose to celebrate now and we will celebrate again when Steven comes home!  This works for you civilians, too! 

And from my point of view, this just means more cupcakes to eat!

(Easter) Egged

Growing up, I don't remember our house ever being egged.  Toilet papered, maybe, but not egged.  The wrath of my father on the youth that would dare egg his house would not have been pretty. 

On Thursday morning we walked outside to find that our house had been egged!  Not in the way that you would think, but Easter egged!  Yes, a dozen plastic eggs were scattered in our front yard. 

Honestly, I was a bit freaked at first, but the kids thought it was awesome!  I found this note on our front door explaining what was going on.  (I wish I had pictures, but it's really dark at 6:45 a.m.)

 

 

I've never heard of doing this, but this is such a neat idea to do in your neighborhood or for your kid's friends. 

 

I was able to "egg" our neighbor's house this afternoon in the day light where her girls could see the eggs (I didn't want to do it at night because I do not need to have the police stop me and question my good deeds).  She sent me a message telling me the girls were so surprised and excited to find the eggs!

 

So join in on the fun and go out and make some kiddos (or big kids) day by (Easter) egging their house!

My front door signaling my house has already been egged.

Shhhhhh.... going to do some egging.

The after egging!
 

Making Wishes

 

A dream is a wish your heart makes
When you're fast asleep
In dreams you lose your heartaches
Whatever you wish for, you keep
Have faith in your dreams and someday
Your rainbow will come smiling thru
No matter how your heart is grieving
If you keep on believing
The dream that you wish will come true

 

 

 

 

 

 

To Dude On His 5th (kind of) Birthday

 

 

 

 

Five years have gone by way too fast!  It makes me a little sad that you are a whole hand old. I guess there is comfort in knowing that you are really only one years old, being born on Leap Day and all.

You are the best little boy any parent could ever ask for.  You are easy going and laid back.  You are still rough and love to wrestle and, to my chagrin, fart.  And on command at that.  You are also hilarious!  You are by far one of the funniest 5 year olds I've ever met.  You've got some crazy mad dance moves, too.  I don't know where you get them from, but you've got them.

You have been  very obedient in your first five years of life.  You came out of the womb being obedient.  Your due date was March 21.  Your Daddy thought it would be great to have a Leap Day baby.  I told him he was crazy!  That was way too early.  The doctor said he was crazy, too!  So, he had a little talk with you.  He told you that it would be so awesome for you to be born on February 29th.  Sure enough, you obeyed and were born on Leap Day.  For being born 3 weeks early, you were 7lb and 7oz and completely healthy.

You have been our Dude from day one.  You love Superheroes and "Sirs".  I think that's a great combination.  When you are asked what you want to be when you grow up, you say an astronaut, a teacher, and a "sir".  (For those of you wondering what a sir is, that's all military people)

 You love picking out "Dude" trucks and going to baseball games.  You would be happy just to eat at Chik Fil A every day.  Oh, and yogurt, too.

I know that you are going to be a great pianist like your Daddy and sister. You already impress me with what you can play and you're only 5 (kind of)

You are just beginning to understand that life as a military kid is tough. You still ask about all your friends in New York and when are we going to move back. It's not easy to move, but like your sister, you make friends so easily. As you grow up you will think it is awesome to have friends all over the world.

I'm so proud of how you remember the scriptures that we learn every week. I'm glad you are hiding His word in your heart. I'm excited to see what you do for Jesus as you grow up.

I hope the next five years will be as easy and fun filled as the first, but I'm sure we will have some bumps along the way, but remember that I will forever love you.

Happy 5th Birthday (kind of), Wesley Tate!

A song for Wesley

                                        

Dude Through The Years

 



Always the ladies man.

He has a very repentant heart.

 

To Madelynn On Her 10th Birthday...

How can it possibly be 10 years since you were born?  How can you possibly be two full hands old?  It really only seems like last week that you came into this world on your actual due date (which I appreciate your timeliness, because we discussed while you were still in the womb my obsession with being on time). 
You came into the world with a little drama, which should have been warning right then.  You were bigger than they thought (8 lbs and 13 oz bigger) and they had to do an emergency c-section.  For a split second (which actually seemed like an eternity) we thought you were a boy.  The nurse said, "look at the little guy" and in the split second all I could think about was the pretty purple outfit my new son was going home in.  Your Daddy quickly got clarification that you were actually still a girl.  So from birth you were a drama filled red head. 

I remember being alone with you late that night in the hospital room thinking what in the world am I going to do the with this baby.  I was new mom, what did I know?  I still sit alone in the house at night with you now and wonder what in the world am I going to do with this baby?  I'm still a new mom, what do I know?  I've never raised a pre-teen before!

You have been through so much in your short 10 years.  You are so strong.  Stronger than many adults.  It's not easy being a military kid.  In just 10 years you have had your Daddy deploy three times, moved 6 times, and have gone to 4 different schools.  My heart breaks for you a little with each move because it's hard to move to new schools, but you have done so beautifully.  Making friends so easily. 

You are a wonderful student. With each move you have had to learn the different ways of each school, but you catch on and you do it. Some days are tougher than others, but you don't give up.

You have made me and your Daddy so proud.  You are an amazing piano player. A terrific singer that has tried out and made the school choir twice! For only being 10, it's unbelievable what you can do.

You are a traveler.  You like to see the world.  It doesn't scare you try something new.  You have been on more adventures and seen more amazing places than most people.  There's so much more!

You can be full of drama at times.  Many times it leads me to extreme eye rolling and you in some trouble, but honestly this could be your way to scholarships for college.  Yale and Harvard have great drama programs.

You are extremely headstrong.  Sometimes that gets you in trouble, but I know that it will do you well as you get older.  You will not be pushed down.  You will go for what you want and not let anyone tell you that you can't do it.  I think of the Shakespeare line, “Though she be but little, she is fierce!”  It describes you well.

You have a kind and sensitive heart.  You have a special place in your heart for children with special needs.  That's a calling that only a few people get.  Special people.  Very few children would give up their recess to volunteer in the Special Needs class.  Not many 10 year olds would already know that they want to be a Special Needs teacher.  That's amazing.

Most of all you love Jesus.  It makes me very proud when you play and sing worship songs.  It's a joy to watch you get excited to play for church.  I can't wait to see what you do for Him in the next few years.

We have our days when we get on each others nerves and I know there will be many more in the future, but I am so glad I get to be your mom!  I'm so glad that He chose me to raise you.  There are days that I fail and days that you act, well, like a red head, but you should always know that I will forever love you.
Happy 10th Birthday, Madelynn Claire!

I think this song was written especially for you

 

 Madelynn through the years

 

Operation Kid Comfort

This past Wednesday I was able to see what true, selfless giving was.  It was given to my kids in the form of a pillowcase and quilt.

A while back I had heard of Operation Kid Comfort.  This service is for children of service men and women who are deployed.  It's an all volunteer organization who make pillowcases and quilts for the children.  I submitted Madelynn and Wesley's names along with some pictures and these wonderful ladies worked their magic.

I was so glad Madelynn was with me on Wednesday when they called to tell me that they were all done.  I had not told either of the kids about this very special gift.  The look on Madelynn's face was priceless when the sweet lady who made her pillowcase unfolded it.  Madelynn gasped and whispered, "It's beautiful." 

Madelynn seeing her pillowcase for the first time.

Wesley saw his when he came home from school and he was thrilled! You would have thought Batman was sitting on the couch!  He loved it!  He also likes to wear his as a cape.

He loves his special quilt

You can find out more about Operation Kid Comfort here

I'm not a crier, but when I saw the love and time that these wonderful ladies put into making these quilts, my eyes nearly started sweating. 

A few of the wonderful ladies who do wonderful work.

My children have never known a world without war and probably never will.

They will never know of a time when you could get on an airplane without pat downs and screenings.

In our town a majority of the kids have one or both parents in the military.  They worry about whether their parents will come home from Iraq/Afghanistan.

They live in a world where we look over our shoulders wondering if someone around us is a terrorist.

This is just the normalcy in the world they live in. 

It should not be the norm. 

My heart breaks for the town of Newtown, CT.  I cannot even imagine the nightmares those children, parents and teachers/administrators will face because of that terrorist.

When I saw the videos of those little kids, the same age as my own, with tears streaming down their faces it made my heart hurt.  Looks of confusion and disbelief that veiled the innocence.  The pictures of teachers trying to keep calm and get everyone out, it made my stomach turn.  This could be my kid's school.  It could be the schools my sister and sister in law teaches at.

I was working at my children’s school when I heard the news of the school shooting.  As a parent, I immediately wanted to find my kids.  I knew they were okay, but I just wanted to see them.  I wanted to give a hug to every child that I came across.  I wanted to assure them that they are safe.

But that’s not the world we live in.

My only assurance is in Christ.

Every morning, I place them in His hands because that's all I can do. 

Each morning before they leave for school, we hold hands and pray.  We pray for their safety.  We pray for their bus driver.  We pray for their teachers and we ask that angels are all around their school.

While today’s events would make many of us want to keep our children home or if we had to let them out, bubble wrap them and have them wear Kevlar, I’m reminded of the scripture that gives me strength,  2 Timothy 1:7 “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” 

My prayers are with the families, school, and people of Newtown, CT. 

 

This is the song that came to my mind when I heard the news today.  I hope this every one's prayer.