The little Diva in training!

I can not believe how BIG my little girl is! She is so FUNNY, Bob just thinks she's the funniest thing around. She loves to sing and dance. She adores her big brother (and he adores her too), and misses him while he's at school. She is a little monkey and tries to climb everything! She wants to do everything the bog kids do and is surprisingly good at most things. She loves to cook in her kitchen and serve you food. She is a drama queen though and hates to see Mommy leave her (except when she's with Ms. Jamie) She loves everyone, although she will act shy for about 5 minutes, just to fool you. She eats with utensils (most of the time), and loves to take Mommy's just to be different. She is big into reading right now, most of the time it's on the potty. She has really taken to the potty and has started to tell us BEFORE she goes instead of after, and has kept her big girl pants dry for the past 2 days!! She really is the princess in this house!

First Day of Kindergaten August 17, 2009

Bobby LOVED his first day of Kindergarten. The whole family dropped him off at school together. His teacher's name is Mrs. Pollard. He is in a Kindergarten/ First Grade split class. There are 8 Kinders and 14 First Graders in his class. They go to music, the library, and Spanish weekly and have PE daily. Some of his friends from Pre-K are in his class, as well as some friends from sports teams, plus lots of new kids. And although he gets no homework from his teacher, I have him read me a book daily or do some workborkd when he gets home from school!

Florida FUN!

While I was still doing the show, Bye Bye Birdie, my mom, Beca, took Bobby down to FL with her. It was a great time for him. He got to spend LOTS of time with Uncle Doug and Lily and Allen. He swam in the pool and played Lego Batman on the XBox (which he still loves to talk about).

While he went to FL, Amaryllis had to stay home with Mom and Dad. She didn't miss Bobby to much, probably because she was constantly on the go here. She got passed from house to house while Mommy did the show and we also spent lots of time at the coffee shop. She got to come and see the show a few times and became the youngest member of the Conrad Birdie Fan Club, although she got so shy and wouldn't take a good picture with Conrad Birdie (Jim Ballard) himself!

After the show closed, Amaryllis and I went to FL to join Bobby for 2 weeks before school started. We were lucky enough to be in town when Papa came through. We hadn't seen him since just Amaryllis was born, so it was so nice! We went swimming in Uncle Doug and Aunt Paula's pool, which the kids LOVED. We also got to visit Disney and go to Aquatica, the waterpark at Sea World. I think the waterpark was their favorite. Bobby also rode the Tower of Terror for the first time, and it won't be the last!





After our time in Orlando, we got to spend time in Jacksonville. We were so lucky that Nonno had come up to spend some time there too, so we got to enjoy his company! The kids loved it so much! Amaryllis loved to sit in Nonno's lap and help him with his walker, and Bobby enjoyed playing cards with him! It was wonderful with Grandmom and Grandpop, and Vinnie too!













Then we had to leave because Bobby was about to have his first day of Kindergaten!

Father's Day

Bob had to work in the evening, but we were lucky to have him in the afternoon and go out o lunch with him! It was a nice time at a restaurant in town we hadn't tried yet! And after that, we both went to work. At least we got to spend a bit of time together!

Thomas the Train at Tweetsie RR

At the beginning of June, Thomas the Train made his way back to Tweetsie Railroad, our local theme park. It is always something that Bobby, and this year Amaryllis, look forward to! When we got to the park in the morning, I thought that Amaryllis was going to fly out of her car seat! She was so excited, her arms and legs where going a 100 miles a minute! We have to pass the park every time we go to the next town and every time we pass it, Amaryllis starts yelling "CHOO CHOO, Mommy, CHOO CHOO!!!!" It was so nice to see her so excited. Bobby on the other hand? I wasn't sure if he was getting to old or what, but I knew my answer as soon as we pulled up too! He screamed, no... SQUEALED like a teeny bopper at a Jonas Brothers concert! I couldn't beleive that that sort of excitment was still held for Thomas, but very happy!

After entering the park, we heard Thomas coming and got in line to ride the next train!
After riding the train, we went to meet Sir Topham Hat. Amaryllis was not a big fan, so I had to be in the picture too, but at least she doesn't scream as long as I am there. Well, doesn't scream, until I ask her to give them a high five or something! HA!
Thomas was just pulling out of the station when we were leaving, so we walked to wave to him as he left.
The kids got their tattoo's and Bobby saw some friends from school, so we got to hang with them for awhile and ride some rides.
After some rides, we went to the Thomas bounce house and then headed home! What a day!

SUMMER?

So I am a little behind... ok, I admit, I am REALLY behind in updating this blog! Summer is the busy time for us! As most people are off relaxing and enjoying summer vacation, the Miller family goes into OVERDRIVE!! The theatre is open and producing show after show. That means Bob is taking care of a million and one things. Tonight that meant that he was closing one show, cleaning the lobby and doing some of the numbers of how the show actually did compared to his predictions. Then he was welcoming in the choreographer and director for the next show (and actors later in the week), and he had to clean the rental houses that some of the actor's are moving out of so that the new ones can move in! Ahh, the glamorous life of theatre people!

Me? Well, after having Bobby in school this past year, he is home full time, and I have to admit that I really do love it. I was kinda scared cause I got so used to him being gone for most of the day, but he is just so funny to be around! And then we have to add in that the coffee shop is open full time, which wouldn't be so bad, except that the kidscome along with me 98% of the time! That means that I have to have plenty of stuff to do and snacks on hand! Thanks goodness for the lap top and DVD player! The kids have been so good considering that they really are cooped up at the shop about 5 to 6 days a week for about 4 hours each day (sometimes it's 8 hours though). And then we have other things! Last week I taught a theatre camp. Bobby was in the camp with me, and one of the sweetest people I know took care of Amaryllis for me. The camp was half day, so we would come home, eat lunch, Amaryllis would nap, and (3 out of 5 days) go to the coffee shop for 4 hours! FUN!? Not really.... And next week I start rehearsals for the show that I will be in this summer at Bob's theatre! Thank goodness for awesome friends and grandparents who are gonna watch the kids during that time, for the most part! That will be my relaxing time!!! Hee!!

Well, I hope that everyone is enjoying their summer! I have enjoyed the time that I actually get to spend at home with the kids and whatever time allows Bob to be with us (which he works very hard at spending any time that he's not at work with us!) I will try to update on the things that we have been able to do this summer, and the cute pics of the kids! Here is some fun we had today, playing on our front porch in the sand and water table!

Fastest Person and new phrases

This morning as Bobby and I were walking to school, Bobby asked me who the fastest person was. I told him that I wasn't sure, it was more of a Daddy question than Mommy, since Daddy knows more about sports than I do. Then he tells me how he thinks that the fastest person is "Lucky Charms". I asked him why he thought that, and made sure that I was thinking about the same Lucky Charms as he was, we were. He told me that Lucky always gets away from the people and no one can ever catch him (except for one time, he added) so he must be the fastest person! How funny the thoughts of a 5 year old!

Amaryllis is also starting to talk away. She has a handful of words that she uses all the time, plus she is starting to repeat words that you ask her to say. Recently we were in the car and she kept repeating the same thing over and over and over again, to my amazement, I finally figured out she was saying "Awe man!" It was so funny! Now whenever she falls over, or really anytime, she says "Awe man!" She also loves to sing that how the wheels on the buss go "round and round" and whenever we get outside she wants "bubbles"... she will be telling us off any time now!

Giving for a cause!

Bobby's school is having a team for Relay for Life and taking donations for the team. They had sent home a letter and some "feet" for you to fill out if you donate. I asked Bobby is he would like to help out and donate HIS money for this, and he was ready to help! Today we brought in HIS $2.00 and the feet, one say's "In Honor of Uncle Ben" and the other "In Memory of Nonni" Hopefully one day this disease can be beaten for EVERYONE!

Mother's Day

It was a nice Mother's Day for me. The kids and I went to church in the morning. After that I ended up going into the coffee shop. Going there without kids is like a day off for me. Bob took them home and played with them and got some fun daddy time with them. The coffee shop was completely dead, so I got to look through a few magazines and start a new book. After closing the shop, they took me to dinner and walk around Super Walmart (oh the joys!) It was a nice relaxing day!

And today... back to normal, dishes are already done and a load of clothes already in the wash!! FUN!

First T-Ball Game - May 2, 2009

Bobby's first t-ball game was yesterday!! He had a great time and did really well. And boy, did he look so cute in his little outfit!! Before the game, they had pictured taken. In t-ball, no one wins or loses, everyone gets to hit the ball and run all the bases...




And Amaryllis had fun too...

Opening Day at Tweetsie- May 1, 2009

After picking bobby up from school on Friday, I took the kids over to Tweetsie for some fun for a little bit. We met up with some of Bobby's classmates and got to ride the train and some other rides before the park closed! Amaryllis wnt on her first ride by herself, the planes and helicopters. She rode on a plane and did fine for a little bit. Then she freaked out and wanted off. She got to ride the Ferris Wheel for the first time too and did ok on that, although the ride attendent did stop thinking we wanted off, but she pushed through and had fun on it! We finally found a ride that was her style, the little boats! She LOVED ringing the bell and sitting with Lily!t

Bobby loved everything!! Go figure, especially being able to hang out with his friends! We ended up running into the kids Pre-K teacher and her daughter!! Poor Mrs. Knight had all the kids that she had just gotten away from riding the Mouse Mine with her!! SORRY!!

We had fun and after we left, we went home, ate dinner, then off to the theatre to see HSM2. Bobby got to go on stage and dance with the cast during the show!! He had a blast!

Watching the show stop

Amaryllis always has to get her Ms. Season time!!

Before the big FREAK OUT!

Bobby and one of his friends

She really loves Ms. Season!

The ride that Amaryllis really enjoyed!!

Before leaving a fun afternoon at Tweetsie!

Trout Derby 2009

Well, we woke up on the morning of the derby. And although there was no snow on the ground, you could hear the wind... yuck! Can't we have one year where the weather is actually decent to fish in? We met up with Gary down at the pond and got out the fishing gear. The wind was blowing so strong that it was making waves break in the pond!! CRAZY!! Amaryllis was NOT happy about the wind and only lasted about 15-20 minutes before her and I headed up to the legion hall to warm up! Soon enough, in walks in Bob, Bobby and Gary. They headed back out a little later, the wind seemed to calm down a bit and we picked a different spot to fish from. Still no luck in the water a it was still blistering cold. By this time, the Billman's, the Suyao's and the McIlnay's joined in the fun. With all those rods in the water, we still had NO LUCK!! After 3 and a half hours, we finally turned in, and tried to defrost some! Oh well, better luck next year!