The Miller's

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Parker is 5 Months Old!

In the past month, Parker...

...celebrated his first Memorial Day.
...helped his first yard sale!
...read his first bedtime story with Mommy :)
...learned to love pool time!

...has learned to sleep through the night consistently! {*happy dance*}
...had his first play dates with Makayla and Cyrus!
...'s favorite toy is still his walker.
...has grown out of his 3-6 month clothes (and almost his 6 month clothes!)
...made his first visit to Great Granny and Pop Pop's house!
...celebrated his first Father's Day with Daddy :)
...discovered his voice, and likes to hear himself scream.
...has tried zucchini, sweet potatoes, apples, and bananas!
...met his third cousins: Jesse, Mike, Alice, Bill and his fourth cousins, Jacob, Kendal, and Emma for the first time!

Smiles during my car ride (12 Jun)

Visiting with Great Granny (15 Jun)

Visiting with Pop Pop (15 Jun)

Father's Day with Daddy

Smiles for Mommy (17 Jun)

Meeting his cousin, Emma, for the first time!

Although this month was full of fun and some new milestones, it also comes with a heavy heart. We said goodbye to Parker's Great Great Grandpa (Pap Pap). He was an amazing man, and both Michael and I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to introduce Parker to him. Each time we visited with Pap Pap, he would always say "Pap Pap loves his little boy!" and would call him "Little Zeke". We will always treasure our memories with Pap Pap and hope he still smiles when he sees his little Zeke...

Visiting with Nee Naw and Pap Pap

Cruisin' around with Pap Pap

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Family Updates

Greetings from sunny Florida! We have been back on U.S. soil for almost 2 months (can you believe it?!) and things are just starting to settle down for us!

Michael has stared his lawn and landscape business and he is doing great! [alltimegreen.com] He already has about 15 accounts of his own and is also doing some contract work with a property maintenance company. Needless to say, he is pretty busy and comes home pretty dirty :)

I am in the very last section of my classes for medical transcription so I should be done very soon! I am really excited to start working again, and even more to start looking for our first home!

Parker had his 4 month check-up yesterday and he is doing great! He weighs in at an enormous 19.5 pounds (which is in the 70th percentile), and 25.25" (which only puts him in the 10th percentile)...so we have a short little chubby boy on our hands! The doctor was very impressed and confused with his milestones. He had to check the chart 3 separate times to see how old he was because he kept thinking he was 6 months old! He has already hit his 6 month milestones, so even though he's short, he is doing great!

We have received our household goods and vehicle from Germany, so our weekends have been pretty busy moving and organizing. Only downfall, they lost the headboard to our bed in the move, which makes our "matching" bedroom set totally useless. Oh Army...how I will not miss your moves...

04 June 2013

Friday, May 24, 2013

Parker is 4 Months Old!

This has been a very busy month with some interesting new adventures!

In the past month, Parker...

...went on his first domestic flight to Maine!

...met his Papa for the first time.
...slept through the night for the first time...and a few after that :)
...has discovered the T.V. and "talks" to it on a regular basis.
...visited the ocean for the first time.
...celebrated his first birthday with Daddy!
...celebrated his first Mother's Day with Mommy!
...rolled from his back to his tummy.
...learned to appreciate tummy time.
...started sleeping in his crib in his own room.
...had his first taste of baby cereal, and loves it!
...'s favorite toy has been his walker.
...has grown out of his 3 month clothes.
...discovered his toes!
...has really started to discover his little voice and how to scream..
...had his first taste of baby carrots!

Some of our memories from this month

Happy Birthday, Daddy! Parker and I made him a chocolate peanut butter cake!

Happy little baby boy!

Our first baby food feeding...it got quite messy...

His favorite new hang out! He has even started to scoot backwards!

Still not so sure about the pool...I think it is still a little cold for him.

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Maine : The Way Life Should Be

After a few weeks in Florida to get rid of some jet lag, we loaded up once again to head to Maine to meet the rest of the family!

Parker did wonderful on the flight! And when we landed, his Papa was anxiously awaiting our arrival!

...Let the spoiling begin! We were fortunate that my parents were able to be home with us during our entire stay, so Parker got more snuggles than he bargained for!

The next night, we joined some family for dinner and Parker was passed around the table at least 5 times!

Auntie Amber

I think Uncle Brian provided the best seat in the house!

More Adventures!

The Saturday after we arrived, we traveled down to New Hampshire for more meet-and-greets! My closest friends from college traveled from Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New York, and Connecticut to meet us in New Hampshire...

Russ is a natural!

Brett...not as much...

Elise and Rachel enjoying the beautiful day with Parker!

Russ and Elise trying to decide if babies really are as scary as they thought...

These people are amazing. Once again, a reminder of how blessed we are to have such a genuine group of friends that, no matter how many months or years may pass between the times we meet, are always there with open arms to welcome us home!

The next day, my parents hosted an open house at their home for our family and friends to meet our newest addition.

Alex was a natural and even helped make some bottles!

Auntie Meg and Alex talking to Parker

Mayleigh and her little sidekick for the week!

Auntie Jeanne waiting VERY patiently for Parker to wake up from his nap...

Parker, meet Donovan :)

It was a great day full of good food, great company, and amazing memories! We are so grateful for our family, friends, and loved ones that came to meet Parker and spend the beautiful afternoon with us!

Mid-week we traveled down to Portland to have lunch with Parker's Great Aunt Monica and Great Uncle Shawn. While waiting for the restaurant to open, Parker and Daddy ventured down to the water's edge to explore a little bit of the Maine coastline...

I had to make sure to share where Parker REALLY spent most of his time in Maine...

...with his Papa :)

But Mimi snagged some time with her little man too! (notice Papa isn't too far away..)

Even though Mimi and Papa fought over who was going to hold and feed the little monster all week, Spur was his biggest fan :)

Before we headed back to Florida, Parker had to visit Teri's farm to meet the horses! We were not too sure how he would react to them, but as you will see...

He could not have cared any less. Doesn't he know that expression doesn't make for very exciting photo memories!

Oh, Parker.

My Mom and I were also able to get in a little bit of "crafting" time. I found this cute pattern online and figured I would try to re-create it while my parents were around to provide some creative support. The entire project took only a few hours, and Parker LOVES his new swing!

Our last Saturday in Maine was spent in Boothbay Harbor, my absolute favorite place on Earth. I have spent many summers with my family in Boothbay and truly look forward to our visits each time I return home. Unfortunately, I didn't take very many pictures that day :( but this is one that my Mom captured that made me smile! Apparently, Parker's hat is one he still has room to grow into...

...sorry buddy!

Captain Parker!

Our visit to Maine was incredible! We are so thankful for everyone who spent what little time we had with us. We look forward to seeing you all again in a few months when we return!

Parker is 3 Months Old!

I think this has been Parker's most fun-filled month to date! We had lots of interesting first's this time around!

In the past month, Parker...

...has really started to discover his little voice - and "yells" quite often, which is charming.

...had his first babysitter. (Thank you Auntie Sarah!)
...went down his first slide with Daddy.
...attended his first hockey game in Germany.
...went on his first flight.
...got his first stamp in his passport.
...met his Grandpa for the first time.
...went in a pool for the first time.

...still loves his glow seahorse.

...hates tummy time a little less.
...met his Great Great Grandparents.

Parker's first pool adventure!

Parker, Meet the Family!

After a long day of traveling and Parker's first plane ride, we were ready to meet the rest of the family!

Auntie Mandy and Uncle Chris were waiting with open arms when we arrived at the house!

Great Grandma and Bud couldn't wait to get their hands on that little guy!

...And an incredible surprise - Parker's Great Aunt Cindy flew in from Georgia because she just couldn't wait until she got back from visiting her son in Japan!

Even after a day full of travel and a 6 hour time difference, little Parker soaked up all the kisses and snuggles and even held on until after 10 p.m. before he headed to bed...and slept through the night!!

The next day, it was off to meet his Great GREAT Grandparents!