December...Christmas Parties all month long...

Last week we had a party with my family. My brother and his family came up from Texas, where they are stationed...and it was fun to get together!

All the Millett grand kids:

Back Row: Hudson W & Shae M
Front Row: Jacob M, Alex W, Ethan M, Thomas W, Olivia W

These cousins haven't seen each other since May...so they were excited. Add the fact that it is Christmas and they are getting presents.......



We wanted to sing some Christmas songs, and my dad had my old (1988?) Yamaha electric piano. So, Brandon played and we sang. Then things got a little out of hand..David (my brother) remembered that there were songs/rhythms/backgrounds saved on the pianos...so they all started to sing and rap to the beat of the keyboard. Really, these 3 boys were the ones having the most fun!!




We all pitched in and got Grandpa the 4 pack of Indiana Jones!!!

He is such a great dad and grandpa. He means the world to me. He has been a shoulder to cry on my whole life, and these past two weeks, I have been able to lean on him, and cry with him. I am one lucky daughter!




Here is Grandpa Millett reading "Santa Mouse" to the kids. We grew up with this book, and if you don't have it, buy it. So Cute! Anyway...it is hard to get pictures of Grandma Dee, but here she is with Thomas reading with him! She is a wonderful Grandma (and Mom) and did a great job of planning this Christmas party!!!!

In fact...she can do it every year.
(Just Kidding Delores!)



Ethan, Jacob & Shae


Hudson & Alex

Thomas & Olivia


All in all, a great Family Christmas Party!!!

Ella Marie

Our sweet Ella passed away sometime earlier this week. During a Dr. appointment Friday with our family Dr. (Laura has a terrible cold), we asked him to listen to the heartbeat. When he was unable to find one, he did an ultrasound. He claims to not be good with ultrasounds, but he was unable to find a heartbeat there also. My OB was in surgury, but his office suggested we head to the hospital, and they would have a specialist do an ultrasound.

We got checked into the hospital, and our OB was out of surgery in time to be with us. They brought up the high-teck ultrasound machine, and confirmed our fears. Baby Ella was no longer alive. There was no heartbeat, and there was no flow within the umbilical cord.

At this point there were very few options. Because I was 32 weeks, I had to go through labor and delivery. They asked if we wanted to go home and be together, then come back the next day, but we decided to just stay in the hospital and start labor.

They gave me a suppository at 3pm, and I could feel some contractions, then another suppository at 7pm...along with a shot of morphine. After the 11pm suppository, the contractions came hard and fast, and I could tell I was going to have a baby soon.

Ella was born at 12:11 AM, Saturday Dec. 13, 2008. She was beautiful!

She weighed 2 lbs 10 1/2oz and was 15 inches long. She is definatly a White! Long toes and feet, long thin fingers.

We were able to spend about 3 hours with her, and it was wonderful. We took some pictures, and Brandon said a beautiful prayer. We weren't sure if we could give her a name and a blessing, but we have since found out that we can, so when we go to dress her, we will be able to do that too.

We have had such great support from our family and friends. We are struggling to understand what has happened, and why, and have so appreciated the love we have felt. Thank you!

We will be having a small grave-side service Tuesday, at the Bountiful Lakeside Cemetary. Ella will be able to rest and wait with her Grandma Jo.

So, I am in desperate need to update my poor blog...but I have no pictures to add, so I have been putting it of. However, I am tired of looking at the same old stuff. So, I will do a little life update.

First, pregnancy. I am 32 weeks, which is awesome! I am not ready to be done, or have the baby here...but it is nice number to see.
However, there is a bad number in my pregnancy right now. 148/100 That would be my blood pressure last Friday. A solid 30 points up from two weeks previous. I am trying not to stress (thus increasing the blood pressure), eat lots of protein, drink more water, and have lots of helpers with the kids. We are not worried, yet, but cautious.

Brandon has a birthday coming on Thursday. 32 whopping years old. Not exactly life-shattering, but still a birthday! Happy Birthday, baby!

Hudson will be 9 in eleven days. How did that happen. He is a good sport about having a Christmas birthday. I keep telling him that he chose a bad time of year to be born...but he just rolls his eyes!!

Thomas and Liv and Alex are great! Life is busy, and they are full of energy, and excitement over Christmas.

We put the tree up the weekend after thanksgiving...but didn't finish decorating it or the house until last week. Too many things to do in life. But our house is all decked out, and jolly and twinkling!

Let the Christmas countdown begin!!!! 14 days left!!!

I know that I am not the first wife to say this...and I'm not the first wife to truly believe it, but I have The Best Husband. One thing that makes me so lucky, is that he loves me. There is no doubt in my mind that Brandon loves me, and that he thinks he is the lucky one in our relationship.

He does little things for me, like make sure that I am covered and warm when he comes to bed at night. He is so sweet to rub my back or feet, especially since I can't reach them myself right now. He never passes up an opportunity to kiss my neck or swat my bum, even when it annoys me. He is always making sure that I know that he loves me, and he is there, and that he is happy with us! I love his sense of humor. He can be corny with he kids, and we love it. I tell them their dad is weird all the time, and it's true. He makes me laugh pretty much every day. He is a happy guy, and smiles a lot. It makes the hard times easier to deal with when he is smiling at me. I love that he kisses me in front of the kids. They get all grossed out, but they KNOW that Dad loves Mom. He makes a point to take me out as often as we can, and the kids know that dad and mom are going on a date because we are in love!!!! I love it!

Brandon is a big kid at heart! Here he is, trying to shovel the driveway, and takes a break to throw a snowball at the kids. He tries so hard to play with them, and make regular, boring stuff fun. What a great man I have. Did you know that he sent me on a goose chase, kind of, when he proposed? It was Christmas day, 1997, and we were in his back yard, and there was a gift hanging in the tree up above us, and he was convinced that Santa had dropped it out of his sleigh. So I had to pull it down, and unwrap it. It was not my ring...but a decoy gift. Then he got down on one knee and told me he loved me, and asked me to marry him! What a fun and memorable proposal! I am eternally grateful that he asked, and I said yes!!!

I don't know when you'll see this, Bran, but I want the world to know (well, or our small corner of it) that I love you. You are the greatest, and I am so blessed, lucky, fortunate..... thank you for choosing me to love!!!!!

Good Old Hudson. He was the first to join our family, and we have loved every second of it! What changes your first baby brings. Until I was a mom, I didn't know how much love I could feel! He was a great baby, and has stayed that way...mostly!

Hudson has a great memory, and is super smart. He can quote movies and books without a second thought! He is in the Spectrum Program this year (the advanced class for his age group). He makes friends easily, and is extreemly loyal to his friends.

One thing that brings a smile to his face is spending one-on-one time with either parent. This can be hard to come by when you are the oldest of 4 kids. He plays computer or video games with Brandon, and will read or draw with me. He takes after me in that he loves to read. If he gets involved with a good book, it can be hard to pull him away!

Hudson has a tender heart, and is very sensitive to my needs. He wants to make sure that I am ok, and is quick to give hugs to his brothers and sister when they need them. He can be a little sarcastic, and we are not sure how he learned that. He has a great sense of humor, and is always making us laugh. I love the fun that he adds to our family, and am so grateful for him in my life!!!

What can I say about Thomas...except AWESOME! He is so much fun! I love how much he is learning this year. He liked kindergarten, but was kind of shy. This year he is a whole new kid. He has tons of confidence, and isn't afraid to try new things, or make mistakes!

He has always been our "dare-devil". He has no fear of water and swimming, and took off his training wheels the same summer that his big brother did. He rode every ride at Disneyland that he could, including Tower Of Terror, twice.

He needs some convincing to help with chores, and to do his nightly reading, but is a hard worker once he gets started. He is really into making projects...things like cutting and gluing papers and creating drawings. He has a great imagination!

One thing I love about Thomas, is that he is so loving. He likes to be snuggled, even at 6. When we are watching a movie, he will come sit right by me, and usually pull up his shirt so I can tickle his back. He is becoming a great example to his younger brother, and it is fun to watch him teach Alex and how patient he can be with him. They are getting to be good buddies.

Thomas is the comic relief when things get tense, which can happen often. He is quick to diffuse the situation with a joke or a silly action. I love how much fun he is, and the good time we have with him. I love Thomas!!!

Olivia (or Livvy) is a total girl. She would wear a dress every day if we let her. She likes purple and pink. She likes her hair done pretty, but has this horrible habit of cutting it herself!

She was too impatient to wait until her due date, so she kicked her way out 5 weeks early. For some reason she also didn't want to be the youngest, so she made sure to be born 20 minutes before her brother.

It is fun to see her play with with other girls, and dress up and be all "girly". Then she will be covered in dirt, fighting her brothers, and holding her own. I love that she is able to be both a princess and a warrior!

She is obsessed with our baby right now. If I am gone, and return, she runs up to hug my belly and say hi to her sister. I am an afterthought.

She likes to snuggle and gives lots of loves and kisses. But she also wants to hang on your leg and knock you over as a game!
Having her in our family has changes the dynamics more than I thought possible. We love having a girl in the house, and just totally enjoy her!

Alexander is our smiler! From day one..even hour one, he likes to smile. When we called people from the hospital to spread the news that our babies were here, that was the thing we said about baby Alex...he smiles. And not only does his mouth smile, but his whole face lights up. I have never seen someone use their whole face to show that they are happy.

He is a smart kid. At 4 years old, he can answer quite a few addition problems, and lately has been writing random letters, and then having us tell him what they spell. He likes to share (sort of) and has fun with his twin sister.

He likes to go to friends houses and play, or to ride his bike or scooter around the neighborhood. He is fearless, so I get a little frightened to leave him unsupervised outside for very long.

He is so loving to me, and will climb up on my lap to give me a hug. When I kiss him, he wipes it off...but it is just so I will attack him with more kisses.

He loves to play with his big brothers, and is learning all kinds of things from them. He can be rough, but is quick to say sorry when he hurts you...at least if it is an accident. He doesn't like to apologize when he hurts on purpose!

His favorite movie was Cars, but now it depends on the day. He loves blue, and mac & cheese. He is not a big fan of pizza. Not many parents have to tell their kids that they can't have more salad until they have finished their 1 piece of pizza, but that's Alex!

He is exhausting, and tries my patience on a daily basis...but I wouldn't trade him for anything! I love him so much, and he is a fabulous member of our family!!!!!

I have read several blogs over the last few days, and there seems to be a theme. Thankfulness. I am so blessed, and have much to be thankful for, but, believe it or not, my greatest joy is my children. They make me smile daily, and give me the giggles all the time. So, bear with me over the next few days as I highlight each of my fabulous children...and my wonderful husband!

Our family were all Star Wars charcters this year. Brandon is a Jedi, Hudson is Darth Maul, Thomas is a Jedi, Livvy is Padme, and Alex is Yoda! It was fun. I was going to turn my belly into the Death Star, but we ran out of time. I guess I could be "space"?

Field Trip

Alex and Olivia had a field trip to Black Island Farms. They got to pick their own pumpkin, and they had fun rides and activities for the kids. All you sad people without twins don't get to do fun stuff like this!!

They have never been on a real teeter-totter. As you can see, they are having a great time!

Snow in October

This morning, October 12, I was awakened early (thanks Alex) and went to the kitchen to get a drink. I saw something on the back porch and decided to see what it was. I was totally speechless when I saw 7 inches of snow!!!! I decided to go tell Alex, since he was already awake. Soon the boys came upstairs and were equally excited. Once Liv woke up and Alex told her, she ran in to tell Brandon (it is now all of 6:30) "Daddy, Daddy, guess what day it is? I looked outside and it is wintertime!"
After seeing their excitement and joy over snow, I am trying to remember what it felt like to be a kid, and see the fun in little things! Maybe we'll have a mellow, no stress day. We can all be kids!!

Alex's Halloween pupmkin on the front steps!



Yes... that is our garden. I was not expecting this snow!!!

The kids thought this was a snowman. It is just our trike, left out in the weather. Who did they think had built a snowman at 6am?

Liv playing and freezing in the snow!

Alex showing how he makes snowballs!

Thomas and the "base" of the snowman!

Hudson working on the 2nd layer of snowman!

Amazing! Proof that they can work together!

The final result...

Pumpkin-Head Snowman

We took a family vacation day (skipped church) and drove up around the Alpine Loop. The trees were beautiful, and the air had that crisp fall scent!! The kids had fun seeing all the changes, and we only had a little bit of "are we there yet?" These are some pictures taken at Cascade Springs!


September 28, 2008