FYI

Just to let everyone know what I am going to be doing during the next few days, I am going to go back to Dec 2008 and catch my blog up. Ever since I found out I can make my blog into an actual book, I want to make sure I get all the big events in it. So, please bare with me :)

Oquirrh Hills Temple Open House

Yesterday, my family and I, went to the Oquirrh Hills Temple Open House. It was a great experience to be there with most of my family. Infact, at the end of the tour, they took us all into a sealing room and talked about sealing families together forever. I glanced around the room and a sadness came over me because I'm only sealed to 3 people of the 18 present. I hope that the experience in the temple has softened a few of their hearts and that some day we WILL be sealed together forever.

What a wonderful and basic principle of our church, because we are the only church that teaches that families can be together forever. Most others think the family units we create here on earth are not exsistent in heaven, or that you may see someone who used to be your sister/child/husband/mother but they're not longer that. They're just another "angel" hanging out in heaven. That thought makes me so sad...so, so, sad!! Why would God create families, just to separate them for eternity? I know He wouldn't. Before the actual tour of the temple, we watched a video, in which one of the Apostles stated that "Heaven would not be Heaven if he wasn't with his family!" I took it as if he was saying it would be more like Hell, if he wasn't able to be surrounded and still apart of his family.

Another wonderful thing that has happened recently is...I got about 150 names, of my deceased relatives, ready for their temple work to be done, which means, 150 baptisms. I have told several of my family members about it and several have stated that they would like to be apart of doing the baptisms for the dead. Now, these members of my family are completely inactive and it touched my heart so much to see that, once again, the temple might bring us together! They are now saying that they want to return to church so that they can participate in the ordinance of baptism for our deceased relatives. I'm so happy and I can only hope that some of them will be able to make it and come participate in those baptisms.

These two recent events (temple open house & baptisms for the dead) have helped me see just how powerful the temple is, when it comes to families!! It's been able to stir up emotions in some who I thought had completely given up on having the gospel in their lives. It's just so amazing to me! But that's what the temple is all about!! Inspiring us and preparing us, as families, to be together forever!!

Here's a couple of photos of "the fam"...it was rainy, windy, and really cold so they're not the best pics. but they're still special to me. These are the only pics I have of so many members of my family, in front of the Temple of the Lord. (We had to swap out photographers, so each photo is different)


L-R (back row) Rachel, Patty, James, Crystal, Alexa, Jenny, Jennasie, Willis, JoAnn, Gabriel & Me.
L-R (front row) Ethan, Eolana, Hannah, Jocelyn & Braydn.


R-L (back row) Gabriel, Greg, Patty, Crystal, Alexa, Rachel, Jenny, Jennasie, Willis, Tamera & JoAnn
R-L (front row) Ethan, Eolana, Hannah, Jocelyn & Braydn.

"A Nother One Mommy"

Gabe told me today that he wants "a nother one mommy". I was getting him out of time-out and I was going over with him that he shouldn't hit me, he shouldn't scream at me, he should mind his mommy...and so on and so on...and he looked me right in the eye and without any hesitation, he matter-of-factly made his request for "a nother one mommy". I was shocked at first and I wasn't sure if I heard him correctly, so I said, "What?" The same response with the same matter-of-fact attitude..."I want a nother one mommy". I almost started to laugh because I couldn't believe what he had just said to me. But before I could react, Hannah went into "protect-mommy" mode and started telling Gabe that I was the best mommy ever and that he should never say those things about me! She was SO upset! It felt good that she was defending me, instead of backing him up, especially with the way it's been this past week or so. I had to calm Hannah down and explain to Gabe that I'm the only mommy he's got so he might just want to get used to it.

I thought it was going to be one of those days but actually, since then, it hasn't been too bad but I'm still keeping my fingers crossed!

Tough Times

My two adorable children are driving me crazy! I'm not sure why they both desided to enter a "phase" at the same time but it is really weighing on me. I keep crying and praying and having a pity party then crying and praying somemore. I just don't feel like I can make it through this. I've never felt like this before in my 8 1/2 years of being a mother so it's taken me off gaurd. Not sure what to do.

Gabe likes to hit, scream, and fight with his sister. Hannah likes to complain, whine, and fight with her brother. Not sure how an 8 1/2 year old can manage to fight with a 3 year old but it happens constantly!

Today Greg let me have the morning off so I could go get a massage and do a little shopping. The massage was amazing!!! I really needed it!!! And the shopping was fun, too...3 new pairs of shoes and 3 new shirts! :)

So, the next time you see me and I look like I'm completely frazzled and barely hanging onto reality, it's because I am!

These are the times when I am so grateful that I have the gospel in my life, that I have an eternal perspective to look toward. Without the support of my Savior and the strength I receive from reading the scriptures, I'm sure I'd be huddled in a corner, rocking back and forth. I keep telling myself, "This too shall pass...this too shall pass."

Changes....

So, recently, after to speaking to one of my closest friends, I decided that one of the reasons I never blog anymore was due to me feeling like I couldn't be "me". I began thinking, "no one's gonna care about what I'm blogging, etc.", which caused me to focus on others instead of myself. Now, usually, that's not a bad thing but I feel in this case it was. I feel that I was depriving myself of keeping an "online journal" of our family dealings because I either didn't want others who aren't close to me to read it or I was afraid they'd wonder why I'd blog about something so "worthless".

Well, I'm happy to say that I've decided I'm only going to let my closest friends, whom I feel completely comfortable with, read my blog. That sounds mean, I know, but it is what it is and I feel it's best.

I will also be deleting alot of the links in my "friend's blog list" or else I was going to have to rename it my "people I've at least met one time list" because ANYONE and EVERYONE was on there. I feel by doing that, I won't get so overwhelmed when I want to look at other blogs. I'll just have a short list of my best friends to check in on.

I think this all comes back to the "Good, Better, Best" talk. The way I was doing it before was "good" but I'm looking for "best"!!

I'm glad to be a part of the blogging world again!! :)

After I take a nap, I may do my first "real" post in a while, complete with my thoughts and opinions, without worrying about what others might think......YIPPEE!!!!

These are Cool!

Do you see more than one deer?

A face or the word 'liar'?

2 or 3 columns?

How many horses? They claim 7 but I only saw 5. How did you do?

This one you have to have an open mind for!! Took me a while but I love it!!

I hope you enjoyed! :)

Easter @ The Millers

This post is for you Karie!! :)

Here are some fun photos of our Easter celebrations in the Miller household. We just got back from San Diego, so I'll make sure to post something on that soon (incase this isn't enough for you Karie).

Easter Saturday at my sister's house. We were celebrating my neices 15th birthday.

Me and my cousins, Jenny and Patty

This is a picture of me and my neice, Shailee. Isn't she beautiful!?!

Beautiful Hannah, Easter Sunday

Handsome Gabers, Easter Sunday

Me and the kids, Easter Sunday

Greg and the kids, Easter Sunday (Greg was at our ward the whole 3 hrs!!! Great Easter present! :)

I thought it would be fun to put some silly string in the kids baskets. Hannah loved it!!!! But Gabe was a different story!

Hannah got a little carried away with the silly string and I was the innocent one who got the worst of it!

Poor little Gaber's didn't like the silly string at all. He sat there screaming the whole time we were shooting it at each other. I think he may be scarred for life!