Parker is 7 Months Old!

In the past month, Parker...
...had his first sleepover at Uncle Chris and Auntie Mandy's house (which has become a weekly tradition!)

...learned to blow raspberries - thank you, Uncle Chris!
...cut his second tooth!

...'s favorite toys have been his stackable rings and counting cookie jar.
...has grown out of his 9 month clothes.
...celebrated his first Shark Week with Mommy!
...has tried chicken, white potatoes, apricots, and cherries!
...attended Auntie Mandy's Bridal Shower.
...went on his first date with Lana.
...got his first car, a Mercedes.
...learned to steer his walker and likes to chase Cooper around the house.
...has not yet learned to crawl, but instead moves like an inch worm when he is on his stomach. It is quite entertaining!
...likes to stand and hold onto things - he can't quite pull himself up on his own...

Sleepover at Uncle Chris and Auntie Mandy's

Fun in the bathtub!

Parker likes grocery shopping about as much as his Daddy does...

HAPPY SHARK WEEK!

Helping Daddy fix his mower

Trying to stand like a big boy!

Parker's first date with Lana :)

Part of his infamous "inch worm"

Parker is 6 Months Old!

In the past month, Parker...
...attended his very first Birthday Party!

...celebrated his first 4th of July - and fell asleep DURING the fireworks...?
...learned to sit up on his own!
...cut his first tooth!
...made another trip to Maine to visit our family!

...'s favorite toy has been his piano!
...has grown out of his 6 AND 6-9 month clothes.
...has tried bananas, buttercup squash, peaches, and pears!

And on top of all that excitement, Parker has his first sleepover at Auntie Mandy and Uncle Chris' house tonight!

Here are a few memories we shared over the past month:

Bedtime stories with Uncle Chris (28 Jun)

Happy 4th of July!

Visiting with Nee Naw (5 July)

Snuggles from Auntie Meg during our visit to Maine (10 July)

Trip to Rockland, ME to visit Papa Charlie! (13 July)

Pool time fun at Mimi and Papa's! (14 July)

Playing his piano! (16 July)

Playtime! (18 July)

Daddy's little buddy! (21 July)

Family Updates!

August is right around the corner, and things in the Miller household are just as busy as ever!

Mandy and Chris will be getting married in early September, so we have been busy preparing for the big event! Dress shopping is complete, tux measurements have been made, and plans are in place for the bridal shower, bachelorette extravaganza, and a shark fishing adventure for the boys! Not to worry, pictures will be added to the blog! We will also be traveling to Maine the weekend after their wedding for my cousin's wedding...love is in the air! :)

As I had mentioned in our last update, Michael's business is going great! He is truly falling into his niche as a business owner. And for those of you that know Michael, one adventure is never enough...he can now add "Private Investigator" to his growing resume!

The back story: A family friend has been a private investigator for 15+ years and introduced Michael to this line of work a few short weeks ago, and he was hooked! He submitted his resume and after a few phone interviews, training courses, and piles of paperwork, he got the job! He was able to consolidate his lawn accounts to a few days a week, and fill in his other days with this new job. We are both excited for this new adventure, and things really seem to be falling into place for us! He will hopefully start this week, so we will keep you posted!

I have finished my course for Medical Transcription and will begin the job hunt this week. Here's to hoping my next update will be more employment news :) which is the last step before house-hunting commences...

Wishing you all the best
xo The Millers

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

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

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.

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!