Tree Set-up

With Thanksgiving behind us, time to start setting up the tree.

This year we decided to go with one tree in the living room and one in the family room.  

Double the prep time

Double the enjoyment!

Thanksgiving

It's a Miller Thanksgiving

Drumsticks and all

We also had the  pleasure of having 'Timmy the Pilgrim' with us that day

Pass on the Shirts

We have a lot of race shirts, like 100+.  We have bags and bags of them under the sofa in our room and today we pulled them out to donate to the Philippines.  Our friend Jumbo (Elder Johnson) was serving in the Tacloban mission when the typhoon hit.  The roof was starting to cave in with water, so he and his companion used machetes to try to poke holes in the roof to release some of the water.  They both severely injured their hands and returned home this week for surgery.  Jumbo's family is collecting clothes to send back to the Philippines and we thought this was the perfect time to pass our shirts on to others who could use them.  Lots of memories of fun runs and people we love in this stack.

Dance Time, Again..

Aubrey got asked to the Christmas Dance by her friend Baylor.  I feel like there is a dance ask, a dance reply, or an actual dance like every other weekend.  I love having teenagers!

Nathans Roommates

Nathan brought his roommates, Nathan and Ryan, over for dinner tonight.   They are a great group of boys.  I'm glad he's surrounded by such fun return missionaries.

Gingerbread House

All the girls are helping out with the Gingerbread House this year.

The boys were kinda just watching the action... none of them volunteered to decorate.

The finished project!  Beautiful!

Katie's 19th Birthday

We must love to catch Katie full of emotion.  These pics look a lot like her mission call opening, but it wasn't nearly that cool.

Brenna has an Talking Elf game that Katies likes, so we got her a talking Owl game, that speaks Spanish

We hope she and Nathan have a blast with this on their 12 hour drive home for Thanksgiving!  Can't believe you're already 19 Katie.  Robert and I came up to visit you in Pittsburg, CA just after you were born.  So proud of who are are and the young woman you continue to become,  Puerto Rico is very lucky to get you!

Bingham Ball

Aubrey's  "If the Savior Stood Beside Me...." photo.  Not planned, but funny.

Her hairdresser that night, Lori

Pinning Matt's boutonniere on, which went smoothly this time

Her beautiful coursage

Aubrey and Matt - 2 really awesome kids

Photos from Matt's house

Love you Aubs!  Glad you had a fun night with Matt, he was a great choice for Bingham Ball!

Emi Indoor Soccer

This week Emi was the goalie for Indoor Soccer.  She was awesome!  Though she prefers to dance, her athleticism still shines forth on the soccer field.

This is what a sweaty, well worked goalie looks like after a game.  

Babysitting Madelyn

Best part of being off track for Brenna so far - being home to help babysit our neighbor Madelyn.  

Aubs & the Piano

Well, that day that many warned us about has finally come.  Aubrey told us she wished we would have not let her quit piano lessons when she was younger.  Now she likes to play and wishes she were better and had spent more time developing that talent.  It's a fine line, knowing when to push then to continue and when to let them set something aside to pursue other interests???

Young Women Medallions

These beautiful girls both received their Young Women Medallions in recognition of their completion of the Personal Progress program.  This is something they started working on when they were 12 years old.  It entailed completing 6 experiences and one 10-hour project for each of the following 8 values:

Faith - Divine Nature - Individual Worth - Knowledge - Choice and Accountability - Good Works -
Integrity - Virtue, as well as attending their Sunday meetings, reading the Book of Mormon and journaling their feelings about that, living the standards taught in the "For the Strength of Youth" and having annual interviews with their ecclesiastical leader.

Here is an example of an experience they each did for the value "Knowledge"
Learn about the importance of gaining knowledge by reading Proverbs 1:5;4:7; 2 Nephi 28:30; and Doctrine and Covenants 88:78–80, 118; 90:15;130:18–19; 131:6. Think about why you need to gain knowledge and understanding about how to apply gospel principles to your present and future home and family life. Write in your journal what you have learned about knowledge, and discuss it with a family member or Young Women leader.

Though young women have 6 years to complete the program, Kayla set a goal early on to finish before her 14th birthday, which she did. It just took me awhile to get a picture of them together. This program is all about setting and achieving goals, progressing in all areas in our own lives, and learning how to become more like our Savior Jesus Christ. Now these girls will continue to progress and develop themselves and help others girls to work towards these goals.   

Katie's Mission Call

We were so happy to be able to see Katie open her mission call. The following pictures tell the story perfectly.

Katie skyping with her family in Mesa, Arizona.

Katie will be serving an 18-month mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Puerto Rico. She will be reporting to the Dominican Republic MTC on March 26, 2014.

Katie and our family.

Katie and some of her friends.

Excited for LAX

Our two lacrosse girls getting excited for the next LAX.

Season number 2. She loves this game!

Kayla's first attempt at LAX. We know she'll do great!