Snow Day!!

Daddy and Allie going down on the sled

Now for the hike back up

Mommy and Allie's turn

Wiping the snow off her face

Day 2 sooooo excited!

Building a snowman

Daddy and Allie with the snowman

Mommy and Allie with the snowman

On Sunday it started snowing and after several hours, we had about 1 inch of snow, so we decided to bundle up and go sledding. Allie LOVED it!! She went down the hill by herself several times but still liked going down the hill with either me or Kevin.

Then overnight it kept snowing. We got another 1-2 inches: this is 2-3 inches total. Once again we bundled up and went outside this time to build a snowman. As soon as we got in the backyard, Allie picked up some snow and shouted SNOWBALL FIGHT!!! and threw some snow at Kevin and me. We laughed and a snowball fight was started. It didn't last too long because the snow was really powdery and not good for snowballs. Then we built a snowman...well, I say we but it was really Kevin while Allie and I ran around in the snow. What a good Daddy! Allie did help put the scarf, eyes, nose, and buttons on the snowman.

After building the snowman, Kevin was ready to go inside; and Allie and I were going to go sledding again. We have the perfect hill about 3-4 blocks away so rather than walk Allie and I drove to the hill. Allie loves sledding! When we got there, Allie and I went down together a couple of times and then she said "I want to go by myself." I said ok and sent her down the hill. Since she went down on the sled, I was standing at the top of the hill without one. I had to "ski" down on my tennis shoes and grab the sled and help her back up the hill. She couldn't make it up the hill by herself because it was really slippery and steep and she definitely couldn't bring the sled back up. There were a couple of other families there too. Allie saw another girl go down hill on her stomach. She said, "Momma, I want to do that!" I said "ok, it is a little scary but really fun and fast." So, she went down the hill on her stomach and got up smiling and saying that was so much fun. One of the times Allie was going down, the front of her sled scraped a fence and almost caused her to flip. Thankfully, she didn't flip and was just fine. We had been there about 1 hour and both of us were starting to get cold and tired so we went home. The first thing she told Kevin when we got home was "Daddy, I was going really fast and almost flipped!" She really is a daredevil!

On a Cold Cloudy Day....

Allie had me put as many books as I could in the glider.

Then wrap her up so she could read some books.
Allie LOVES to read!

Jingle Bells

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Allie singing Jingle Bells for me. We are still working on the words.

 

Be sure to turn the volume up so you can hear her singing. In case anyone is wondering, Allie doesn't realize that the candy canes on the tree are really candy. She hasn't asked to eat one, yet. :)

 

Our BIG Miller Family Picture

Everyone

All the Grandkids

A few weeks ago, my family got together and had a big group picture taken. We were only missing 3 people, Jennifer, and Becca and Kevin Foster. Wow the family has really grown!

Halloween Weekend

Allie with a giant pumpkin

Jack O'lantern face painting

Meeting Snow Bird



On Saturday Allie and I decided to go to Pumpkin Fest in Franklin, Tn. It was so much fun. We were able to get a balloon hat, Allie's face painted, played in an inflatable, and looked through the booths. Allie loved it! I think Allie's favorite part of the festival was seeing all the dogs dressed up for Halloween.

Our sweet Tinkerbell

Trick or Treating with cousins at

Grandma and Pa's house

All her loot

Pure Happiness

On Sunday, we went to Grandma and Pa's house for their Halloween party. While we were there Sydney, Thomas, Hannah, and Allie all went trick or treating to a few houses. We hadn't even been gone for 5 mins and both Thomas and Allie had tripped and fallen on top of each other in the dirt. They both got up laughing and then we all started laughing and ran to the next house. All of us going together was quite an experience. Around 6:30pm Kevin, Allie, and I left and headed home to do some more trick or treating in our neighborhood. Allie loved going house to house getting candy. At one point she said candy everywhere! Most of the houses in our neighborhood were handing out candy. After looking through all the candy Allie was completely worn out and ready for bedtime. It was a GREAT Halloween!!!

Our Many Halloween Activities

Riding in the tire swing

Allie's version of the bean bag toss

Riding on the hayride

This year we decided to go to Gentry Farm in Franklin. It was amazing! There were 2 corn mazes, tire swings, hayride, bean bag tosses, lots and lots of play areas, and the corn troughs. We could have spent the entire day there.

Trick or Treating at

Ghouls at Grassmere

After we went to the Pumpkin Farm, we went home and took a nap. Then it was off to Ghouls at Grassmere (the zoo Halloween event).  It was even more fun! This time we had a haunted hayride. I think during the first time on the hayride Allie got a little nervous but the 2nd ride she did fine. Allie got some candy on the trick or treat trail. We had a really fun day and evening! By the way, the pink pumpkin was a must.

Here we are working on our jack o'lantern. It was a Mickey Mouse face. Allie wasn't so sure about cleaning out the pumpkin. She really didn't like touching the seeds. The pumpkin turn out great!

Now, we are looking forward to trick or treating Sunday night.

Our Big Girl

Allie's 2 yr pics

We went last weekend and got Allie's 2 yr pictures taken. It went so well. Allie was so good.

Allie looks like a big girl in these pictures. Also, she keeps reminding that she is a big girl and doesn't need my help. She is growing into an independent and beautiful girl.

Be sure to click the link to be able to see the pictures.

Swimming at Disney

Allie learned how to jump in the pool and swim off the steps while we were at Disney World. She loves swimming. It won't be long before she is swimming all by herself.

Disney!!!!

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Meeting the characters was sooo much fun! Allie ran right up to all of them and gave them a HUGE hug. She wanted to meet Mickey at every park. We were able to go to Chef Mickey's which is a character dinner. It was so good. The characters came around to every table and spent a little time with us. It was lots of fun watching them dance around while the music was playing.

I loved how the princesses got down and really spent some time talking to Allie. It was sweet and Allie left every princess with a huge smile.

After the first day of seeing Mickey and his friends. Allie was asking about Daisy. We asked a cast member and they said Daisy was hard to find and is usually around in the morning hours. So, that became a quest for me and Kevin. On Thursday (our 4th day in the parks), we were at Hollywood Studios at opening expecting to go straight to Toy Story Mania without any distractions. You have to get to Toy Story Mania quickly so the line doesn't get too long. As we were walking, I spotted Daisy. So, Allie and Kevin went to see Daisy and I went and got our fastpasses. We got to meet Daisy and ride Toy Story twice that morning!!

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Magic Kingdom is where we spent a lot of our time. We were at that park for 2 1/2 days. I would say that Magic Kingdom was my favorite park. When we got there the first time, Allie had really big eyes and kept showing us Cinderella's castle. She loved the rides in Fantasyland. When we were riding Snow White, about halfway through the ride she asked me if I knew how to get out of there. After we got off, she kept saying "that was not scary but fun!" That meant it was scary but I want to ride it again. Around nap time, we took Allie on the People Mover. We told her this was a special ride that she got to lay down. Our plan worked perfectly; she fell asleep quickly and I just stayed on the ride. I rode the People Mover 8x in a row (she woke up after that). Allie took in everything that first day. She was so excited about the shows, the rides, and meeting all the charcters. It was a very busy day but sooo much fun. You could see the magic in Allie's eyes. We were unable to see the fireworks that first night in Magic Kingdom. There was a really bad thunderstorm. The fireworks were delayed. After waiting for an hour, we decided to go back to the room and see the fireworks another night.

On our second day in Magic Kingdom, we went staight to see Ariel first and then Tinkerbell. The wait for Tinkerbell was always 1 hr or more on the first day we were there. When we arrived the wait was 1 hr so Kevin said he would wait while Allie and I played on the playground and shopped in the giftstore.  We knew the wait time would only get longer. He waited and called us when he got close and we were able to easily join him in line. What a great Daddy! After meeting Tinkerbell, we went over to Frontierland's Tom Sawyer Island to explore. Allie didn't like the caves but did like running around playing on the bridges and trails. When  it was nap time this day, we went back to the People Mover and Kevin rode with her this time. I'm not sure how many times he went around but he rode it for a little over an hour. While she was napping on both days, it gave Kevin and I a chance to ride Space Mountain and other rides Allie wouldn't be able to do. This was the day we were going to be able to see the SpectroMagic Parade (my favorite parade). It was really awesome. Allie loved it! Then we were able to go see the fireworks. We knew Tinkerbell would be flying that night so we got a spot under her flight. It was a great evening watching Allie light up when she saw Tinkerbell and smiling and saying "that's my favorite!" during the fireworks.

We had 1 more day for Magic Kingdom and we decided we would swim in the morning, take a nap, and then go to the park since it was an extra magic hours day. It worked out perfectly! We got to Magic Kingdom around 4pm and had a few hours to do some things before the fireworks. Then after the fireworks, we went staight to Fantasyland and let Allie pick what rides she wanted to do. The Mad Tea Party was one Allie's favorite rides. She would laugh out loud during the ride. The faster Kevin spun the teacup the better. On the last day we stayed till 11pm riding rides and having LOTS of fun!

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We were able to go to all 4 of the parks and then did Hollywood Studio twice. At Epcot there were lots of characters to see and we rode Soarin and Mission: Space. Kevin and I both enjoyed Soarin. I rode Mission: Space for the first time. It really made me sick. I will not ride that again but I'm glad I rode at least once. Kevin rode Mission: Space several times.

Animal Kingdom was a nice slower day. Allie enjoyed the bird show. It was funny when the bird flew right towards us. During It's Tough to be Bug, Allie got a little nervous but still did fine. We did have tons of fun in Dinoland. This is the playground at Animal Kingdom. I think Allie's favorite thing at Animal Kingdom was the Jammin Jungle Parade. She was dancing and waving the whole time. After our day at the park, we went back to the hotel and swam in the pool (a great ending to a fun day).

At Hollywood Studios, we were able to ride Toy Story Mania 3 times over 2 days. Allie enjoyed the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse show and the Little Mermaid show. Allie also liked playing on the playground there. It was like we had been shrunk to the size of a bug. There was giant blades of grass, spider webs, and an ant. Allie and Kevin went up in a huge spider web. I was surprised how well Allie did. She was asking to go back after we left. On our 2nd day at Hollywood Studios, we were able to spend some more time in the playground. Thursday evening was the day that Fantasmic was showing. Kevin and I love this show. I had thought Allie would love it but she was scared. We didn't have to leave but she did tune her head away from the show so we only did that show once. There are a lot of villians featured in Fantasmic.

On one of our last days at Disney, we went to a dinner show called Hoop De-Doo Revue. None of us had ever been. It was so fun. We were seated on the main floor right in the center. GREAT SEATS!! The singers came by our table a lot. Thankfully, they didn't sing to us like they did some other people. Allie was clapping the whole time. I had to help Allie remember to eat because there was so much going on. This was a great show and a fun night.

Before we left for Disney World, Kevin said that he would like to do some pin trading with Allie and the cast members. I did some research online and we got Allie some pins to trade. I didn't realize how much Allie would love this. It was also a great way to spend some time while Kevin or I was waiting to ride a roller coaster. Allie would spot the pins and go running to the cast members saying "will you trade with me?" She was so cute. We left Disney with some great pins that Allie loves. She wore her pins everywhere.

We had a great vacation and it was truly magical. We are already looking forward to our next trip to Disney.

Fun Videos

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The Mad Tea Party ride was Allie's favorite ride at Disney. She and Kevin rode this several times. Allie loved Kevin making the tea cup spin faster. They convinced me to ride just one time because I get sick on rides that spin. I was really dizzy when we got off.

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Allie also really liked the Pirates of the Caribbean ride too. We heard this song a lot.

More pictures and stories to come.

Labor Day Weekend

We had a great Labor Day weekend. We didn't do much but it was really nice to just relax and have some fun together. On Friday night, it was pizza and Titan's football night. We had recorded the game from Thursday and just watched it on Friday night since Kevin has been so busy at work. Then on Saturday we all went to the park and then came home and took a nap. After nap we went to Best Buy and to the mall. Allie had a coupon for a free cupcake from Cinnabon so we decided to eat at the food court and then go play on the indoor playground and get the cupcake before we left. I didn't try the cupcake but the Cinnabon that Kevin and I shared was so yummy. Allie seemed to love the cupcake because it was all over her face. Sunday was just a lazy day around the house. Then on Monday we all enjoyed hanging around the house. After dinner we went and got some ice cream to end our Labor Day weekend. It was a fun relaxing weekend!!!

Fun with Kayla

"Going to Sleep"
Playing in Kayla's Crib

We went over to my brother Scotty's house last Friday night. It was lots of fun. Allie and Kayla (who are 2 months apart) had so much fun together. They spent the evening cooking, trying on each other's shoes and purses, talking on the phone (to each other) and jumping in the crib. It was so funny watching them jump in the crib. These are the only pictures we got when one of them wasn't moving. At one point they were going to pretend to go to sleep. Kayla looked really comfortable and tired. She quickly woke back up and was jumping again. However, Allie couldn't stop talking and laughing when she was pretending to sleep. It was a fun evening.

Happenings Over the Last Several Weeks

Over the past several weeks we have been living life and enjoying every day. We have been trying to stay cool during this oppressive heat. My running has really slowed down. I try and go 3-4 times a week but lately it has been more like 2-3 times a week because of the heat. However, the heat doesn't seem to be letting up. I now plan on picking up my running again 3-4 times a week. I go early morning (around 8:15-8:30). I also noticed this morning about 1 block into my run that the tires on my jogging stroller were REALLY low that would make pushing it harder as well. I now have tires that are fully inflated and that should make tomorrow a little easier.

A few weeks ago, Allie and I went swimming with a friend at her apartment pool. Allie was jumping in and trying to swim "all by myself." I went and bought some water wings. I thought Allie would be happier with a little more freedom in the pool. Then last week we were able to go swimming with my sister at the YMCA. It was our first time to use to water wings. I put them on Allie thinking Allie would need a little adjustment time with me holding her hands but no she swam right off and didn't want me helping her at all. We had a great time swimming with Allie's cousins. Allie was a lot happier being able to swim around without me holding her. We have a little fish!

All three of us are starting to get really excited about our Disney World trip. We are less than a month away. We have been planning this trip since March. Honestly, Kevin and I have been looking for to taking Allie for her time since our Disney trip when I was pregnant.

In a previous post, I posted a video of Allie getting really upset because we were in PA. Well lately we were driving through Georgia and I told Allie we are in Georgia! She cheered Yeah! I guess that is an approved state. :)

Life has been really good and we feel very blessed.

Jesus Loves Me and Cinderella

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Here is Allie singing Jesus Loves Me and the opening song for Cinderella.

July 4th Weekend

What a great 4th of July weekend we had. On Saturday we went to Cumberland Caverns with Julia and Stephen. Allie enjoyed going in the cave.

Grabbing a small snack since there is no eating in the cave

"I do it." Is a phrase we hear a lot.

Yes, even in the cave with lots of stairs.

Daddy carrying Allie. Who is now tired of walking.

On Sunday it was the 4th of July. A fun holiday full of cookouts, fireworks, and sparklers. We had a great time. I was a little worried about the fireworks this year because she ran screaming with the few fireworks we set off in our backyard. However, at the Adventure Science Center you could barely hear the fireworks and so Allie wasn't scared at all. Actually, she only watched about 1/2 of the show and then was more interested in collecting the rocks around us. The sparklers were a big hit. Allie loved holding the sparkler and watching it. We actually saved some to do on Monday so we could so a few sparklers in the dark. We had a great 4th of July.

Holding the sparkler

Waiting on the fireworks to start

Allie and her friend Clay.

Fun Videos from our Trip

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This is what happened when Kevin announced that we were now in Pennsylvania. This went on for about 10 mins. If you ask Allie if she wants to go to PA, she will still say no. I have no idea what's wrong PA??

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Great view from Top of the Rock

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Allie playing at Fire Island. She was running toward the waves

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Niagara Falls so beautiful!

Niagara Falls State Park

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After visiting Grandpa and Toni, we then went over to Niagara Falls. It was absolutly beautiful!! We were able to ride on Maid of the Mist and we did get wet, really wet! We were the first people on the boat so we went up to the top front of the boat. Allie was having such a great time but when we pulled up to the Horseshoe Falls we were really getting wet on our faces. Allie started yelling to go back to the hotel. I told her that this was all part of the Niagara experience but she just kept saying she wanted to go back. So, I took her downstairs and we were able to view the Falls without getting wet. After Maid of the Mist, Allie did say she wanted to go swimming and pointed at the Falls. I laughed and told her that was not water she could swim in. Our little girl is not scared of anything.

We spent the rest of the afternoon walking around looking at the Falls and the rapids. It was a great day! After grabbing some ice cream at "Twist of the Mist," we went back to the hotel and took a nap. Around 7pm, we decided that it would be lots of fun to see the Falls with the lights on them. We ate at the Hard Rock Cafe and then walked around the falls until dark.

Allie really wanted to ride the trolley. We were going to ride it at night and they closed earlier than I was told. So, the next morning Allie and I rode the trolley around the park once and then we got in the car to drive home. What a great trip!!

Visit with Grandpa and Toni

Ferry Ride from Long Island to Conneticut

Riding on the ferry

Grandpa, Toni, and Allie

Grandpa, Kevin, and Allie

We left Long Island and headed to see Grandpa and Toni. We had a great visit with them. Allie was able to run around their backyard. She collected every stick or leaf and put them in a bucket for Grandpa. She was so sweet and cute. It was great to see Grandpa and Toni.

NYC and Fire Island

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On June 25- July 1, we went on a vacation to visit Kevin's family up north. We first stayed with Kevin's Uncle Karl and Kelleen on Long Island. We had a great visit and loved seeing them. We arrived on Saturday night and then headed into NYC on Sunday. NYC was a lot of fun. We rode the carousel in Central Park, visited FAO Schwarz, and Toys R Us in Times Square. We also went to Top of the Rock at Rockefeller Plaza where the view was amazing. At FAO Schwarz, Allie loved looking at all the toys and playing on the big piano (it's the one from the Tom Hanks movie "Big"). I really liked how they had the Barbies doing a runway show.

Top of the Rock was great! The line was really short and it wasn't crowded at all. We went there near the end of the day so it was really neat to see the city and where we had been thoughout the day.

At Toys R Us, when we first walked in Allie started trying to climb out of the stroller and shouting "Allie, ride that!!!". She was pointing to the huge ferris wheel right in the store. What a great store! I love Toys R Us in Times Square, there is so much to look at and it really is a kid's wonderland. We were able to ride the ferris wheel but had to catch a later train. Allie fell asleep on my shoulder while we were walking through the train station. She slept the whole way back.

After we went to the city, we decided that it would be really nice to have a day to relax. So Uncle Karl suggested we go over to Fire Island. He was able to come too. Fire Island is a beach where you have to take a ferry and there are no cars allowed on the island. Allie loved running around playing in the water and sand. Someone had to be right next to her because she would run straight for the waves. She wasn't scared at all. At one point a wave crashed right in her face, and I was ready for her to be upset. Instead, she wiped her face and started laughing! Allie spent a lot of time playing in the waves and building sandcastles. The water was pretty cold but it didn't seem to bother her. The beach was really relaxing and just what we needed before leaving Long Island and heading to see Grandpa and Toni and then Niagara Falls.

Ariel Birthday Party

Waiting for our guests to arrive

Dining room all decorated

Ariel Cake

Blowing out the candles

Opening all the presents

Trying on her new dress up shoes

After putting on the ballerina skirt, princess wand and purse,
Allie needed her dress up earrings too.

For Allie's 2nd birthday we had an Ariel birthday party. During nap, Kevin and I decorated the dining room and living room with balloons, Ariel napkins, plates, and cups. When she woke up, Kevin brought her down and showed her all the decorations. Out of all the things we had set up, Allie pointed and said "fork!" So funny, that out of all the decorations she was excited about the forks.

Allie had a great time with everyone at our house. We had dinner and cake. Allie normally loves playing birthday party but decided to be shy while we all sang Happy Birthday to her. After cake and ice cream, we opened presents. Allie really took her time reading all the cards and opening presents. One of her gifts was a dress up box. Allie loved wearing the heels around.

Allie had a great 2nd birthday!

Allie's 2nd Birthday

Enjoying the hot fudge cake from Shoney's -with 2 spoons

Helping Daddy build the Little Tikes Car

Riding her brand new tricycle

Allie's 2nd birthday was June 16. We had a great day! Allie is growing and learning so much. Allie is always talking or singing and when she sings it is really loud. :) It has been a great 2 years with more joy then we could even imagine. We feel so blessed!

Allie weighs 24.2 lbs, at least on our home scale. We won't go see the doctor again until September. At her last appointment in March, she was 31 7/8 inches which puts her at 20% for both height and weight. However, her growth curve is steady and that is our main concern. We just laugh and say that Allie is petite.

Here is a peek into Allie's everyday life.

Sleeping: Wakes up everyday between 7-7:30am. Allie doesn't always take a nap. Some days she just rests in her crib for about 1 1/2 hrs. When she does nap, it is typically from 1-3pm. Bedtime is around 8:00pm. We will clean up our toys at 7:45 and start the bedtime routine at 8pm. Our routine is very simple, change diaper, put on pajamas, brush teeth and hair, read a couple of books, recite/sing a few nursery rhymes or songs, then hugs good night. Allie is normally alseep by 8:15pm.

Favorite Foods: strawberries, pears, ice cream, rice, peas, graham crackers, granola bars, McDonald's fries and chicken nuggets, Mommy's baked chicken, peanut butter, carrots, oranges

Foods she doesn't like: green beans, some meat, sweet potatoes, raw carrots, celery, lettuce

Favorite things to do: wave to Daddy as he leaves for work and then running to meet Daddy in the garage when he gets back home, swim, play outside, storytime, playground, stickers, reading, go to Bible class, singing

Favorite Nursery Rhymes and Songs: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Mary Had a Little Lamb, Jesus Loves Me, Pat the Bible 123, Wheels on the Bus (with lots of verses), Humpty Dumpty, Jack and Jill, Ring around the Rosie

Favorite Bible Stories: Noah and the Ark, Daniel and the Lions' Den, David and Goliath

Favorite Toys: Books, Cinderella doll, Baby dolls, Teaparty, Little People house and bus

Favorite Shows: Special Agent OSO, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, My Friends Tigger and Pooh

Allie is always making us laugh with something she is saying or doing. She is also always moving which keeps Momma moving too. It is so much fun staying home with Allie!