One Week Old

It's hard to believe it's already been a week since she was born! Well, for those who want to know, I'll give a brief sketch of the labor story. All my "nesting" energy went into cooking Thanksgiving dinner! Since we couldn't travel, this would be our first Thanksgiving with just our little family all by ourselves-- and, therefore, my first chance to cook the meal all by myself. :) So, I cooked a feast! But, after all that work, I didn't get to eat it. I had some warning signs that said I might be going into labor that night, and I didn't want to chance it (and it's a good thing I didn't). So, I just nibbled a few bites as everyone else chowed down. Then Daddy read from the Bible about the 10 lepers and having a thankful heart. It was a wonderful Thanksgiving! We tucked the kids into bed and warned them that there might be someone else watching them when they woke up in the morning. Still, I was only having Braxton-Hicks (practice) contractions when we went to bed. But, neither of us could sleep, so we were soon both up doing random things (Monte worked on his grad paper and I think I was doing laundry or something). We went back to bed at about midnight. And, just when Monte was beginning to snore peacefully . . . "Oh, that was a real one!" I felt so bad waking him back up, but I said we'd better go to the hospital. For those of you who don't know, my last labor was two and a half hours from first contraction to first baby's cry, so we wanted to get to the hospital quickly in case it went fast again. But, as it turned out, we needn't have worried. This baby was in no hurry to come all in a rush. We got to the hospital at about 1:00am. I was dilated to 4cm or so, but contractions were in no consistent time pattern. We labored while walking the halls of the maternity ward for a couple of hours. The doctor got there at about 3:45 or so. It was actually kind of a fun experience. The pain was handleable (I make up words) and in between contractions, the doctor, the nurse, Monte and I had a great conversation about kids and family and Thanksgiving and God's blessings. All through the labor, Monte was a tremendous help and comfort (he also changed most of the poopy diapers in the hospital). What a guy! At 4:30 or so my water broke and a few pushes later, Vala was born! I didn't tear at all! I've had it the other way with previous deliveries, so I can appreciate what a blessing it is to give birth to a small baby and feel great afterwards! Overall, best labor, delivery, and recovery. :) Before going into the hospital, I prayed that the Lord would give me His strength because I was so exhausted already that I couldn't do any of this on my own. God answered all my prayers specifically. He does truly care about every intimate detail of our lives!

Now, we have our beautiful baby girl! She eats, sleeps, and poops just like a little baby should. She's been an easy baby so far. The kids love her and have been great little helpers. I think we may be making a trip to Lincoln next weekend to show her off to family and to meet her little cousin who was born a couple of days ago.

Vala Hope is Here!!!

Vala Hope Miller

Born November 23rd at 4:43am

6lbs. 9oz. and 19'' long

She suprised us by coming two and a half weeks early! We're so glad she's here!! God is good!!!

Church Update

Well, Timberline Church had it's first annual "church business meeting" where we reflected on and praised the Lord for all the wonders and heart-changing works He's done over the past few months. And, WOW! Praise the Lord for His mercy and grace to us all!

Monte and I prayed for a long time over what role the Lord wanted Monte to fill at Timberline. He has been serving on the leadership team up until now, but he felt the Lord tugging us in a little different direction. Monte and I are both passionate about the body of Christ functioning as it should, growing in maturity, and reaching those who don't know God yet! So, Monte will be heading up the small groups ministry starting in September. We are excited to see how God will use us.

So, we are beginning phase three of our church plant- "going public". Up until now, we've mostly been inviting the people who were natural connections in our lives-- friends, family, neighbors, co-workers, etc. via word-of-mouth. And, we've seen God at work in our lives and in those relationships. Now that we have had a few months together and have worked some of the administrative kinks out, we are ready to tell the whole Timberline area that we are here. We are putting up signs, broadcasting on some radio stations, and canvassing the neighborhoods. We'll kick of the fall with Church In the Park on Sept 9th at 9:30am followed by food and lots of family fun including inflatables, Miss Missy the Clown!

Thanks again for all of you who are praying for us and for Timberline Church. I'd love to fill anyone in on more specific things the Lord is doing, but it would be way too long for this blog post. So, e-mail if you're curious!

Nienna turns two!

Well, our current "baby" of the family just turned the corner into toddlerhood. Nienna Joy turned two on Wednesday. She blew out all . . . well, both of her candles out all by herself. She received her own booster seat and can now join the rest of the family at the table, which she loves (although it's a lot more mess for mom).

She's really started to develop her own personality, which is so fun to see. She is generally shy around strangers and will just stare at them with a "don't talk to me" face. But, if they hold her, she doesn't cry. She's pretty serious and straight faced most of the time, but can really ham it up when she thinks she's being funny. She loves her big siblings and copies everything they do with great enthusiasm. She's mastered the phrase, "Beren took away from me. I had it first!" When asked how old she is, she responds with five splayed fingers and says "TWO"!

So, now that our youngest is a big girl, I guess it's about time to have another baby. Number four is due to arrive December 11th or so. Nienna, I hope you're ready!

Andy and Angela's Wedding

Andy's big day finally came. The whole family gathered in Colorado Springs for Andy and Angela's wedding. Since we got there a little early, we took a day to see the sights also. We all went to a museum, at some ethnic food (pizza), and hiked in the hills behind Andy's house.

The day of the wedding we all got ready, divided up in cars, and took off into the mountains. It was about an hours drive, and after several wrong turns, we arrived. The wedding was held in a really beautiful ranch in a valley with streams and lakes around, and mountains on all sides.

The ceremony was short but nice, ending with the expected result (marriage). Then the real fun began. There was horseshoes, ladder golf, fishing, canoing, and several rounds of eating. We're Miller's after all.

That evening we all took off back to Andy's house, but for some reason Andy and Angela stayed at a hotel, so we didn't seem them again. Then it was back to the cornfields and humidity of Iowa.

Mountain Men

Spring, that magical time of year when a young man's fancy turns to mountain climbing. Monte and Tim, being young men, heard the call of the Rockies and answered, visiting Andy in Colorado Springs in late April.

They spent their time jeeping, climbing, throwing rocks off cliffs, playing poker, and helping Andy put up awnings at his dental office. It was also a good time for them to get to know Angela, who Andy was recently engaged to. Monte got home sore, sunburned, and with a new respect for 8,000 feet (don't laugh, Andy), but he had an awesome trip.

Nienna tries her hand at make-up

. . . or should I say her lips? She really did a pretty good job. She just needs to learn where mascara normally goes and she'll be a pro. Although, I can see that we're going to have a little issue with vanity. She spent the next five minutes making kissey faces at herself in the mirror.

Hey, Hey, We're Still Alive!

We Survived the Long Winter.

Well, the snow is FINALLY starting to melt. Today was a balmy, 50 degree day! We look forward to getting the kids outside to play more and being able to see the neighbors outside again. We have a wonderful neighborhood and anticipate another fun spring and summer.

A lot has happened since we started school in August. We had a lot of fun with school this year, but since Nienna has stopped taking her morning naps and is trying to cut all of her molars at once, we decided to take a break until she gets to the point where she will play by herself for a while.

For those of you who don't know, we have been/are involved in helping to start an E-free church plant in Urbandale, IA called Timberline Church. This has been and continues to be such an exciting time in our lives. It has been amazing to see God's hand in everything that has transpired. It's been such a joy fellowshiping with our fellow Christians as we're being challenged and stretched to growth and maturity in Christ. We can't wait to see what God does in the Timberline area! Thus far, we've been meeting in the building of the "planting" church who has been very generously letting us use their space and has given us a great start, but we will be moving out into our own space on April 1st. We would ask all friends and family to please keep Timberline Church in your prayers.

Well, that's our update for now. I'll try to do a better job of keeping you all updated in the future! :)