Watch Your Language...

This is an excerpt from a book I am reading called
Loving The Little Years Motherhood In The Trenches by Rachel Jancovic
This was really convicting to me in the phase of life I am in right now and I know I have friends in the same boat. So I thought I would share! Hope you get as much out of it as I did.

" ....I had better stop being overwhelmed.

God gave me this to do. I may not be overwhelmed about it. I can try as hard as I can, and maybe fail sometimes. I can try as hard as I can and fall asleep at the dinner table. I can try as hard as I can and be completely burned out at the end of the day. But I may not be overwhelmed. Actually, I may be overwhelmed, but I may not say that I am overwhelmed! The words have a real power over us. If you say it, you allow it for yourself. You give yourself that little bit of room to say, "But I can't!"

When you get up in the morning and the house is a mess, and the kids are being a little edgy, and you didn't get to the grocery store, do you like to drape yourself across the work that God gave you and whimper? Or do you just dive in? Do you take a few steps and then go limp? Do you like to dwell on the discouragement? Do you spend time not working but tallying the work that you think is too much for you?

...I was going to try and not say that anymore, not even to myself. It was time for me to adjust to the work load that God had given me. You have to know that you are giving up those moments you were allowing yourself. Deciding not to say it is different than never actually being in over your head. But God loves a cheerful worker. I am still in over my head. Actually, most of the time! But deciding to not wallow in the fact has removed one of the biggest obstacles to my work-my own calculations of how hard the job is.

If you decide to do this. Tell the people you are most likely to complain to. Tell them you are not going to say "______" anymore. Whatever terminology you use to allow yourself a little self-pity. It is pretty funny how much this feels like jumping off the high dive, and it can make you realize how much you were using that little excuse. I am sure I say "overwhelmed" from time to time, but it is no longer that little crutch for droopiness it once was to me. "

So there you have it. This is me (Talia), telling you, I am going to try to not use this word anymore. And I really hope it helps me to get over myself and depend on God!!

2013...an INTENTIONAL year for me

This year I want to be intentional. Intentional with loving and serving my God. Intentional as a Christian, as a wife, as a mother, as a friend, as a daughter and a granddaughter, as a sister, as a cousin, as an auntie, as an in-law. I love and cherish every relationship I have. And I want you all to know that. Life is c-r-a-z-y with four kids. I am so overwhelmed most of the time but I absolutely love it. And only God knows what the future holds for me as far as our family of 6 is concerned. As of now I have a BIG job in front of me. And that is balancing and prioritizing my life. I pretty much have no phone life. Partially because if the conversation is longer than a few minutes one of the 5 kids in my house will surely need something. And I get horrible reception in my house. So I have to sit perched in the front window sill. Not practical for me, at all. So then, you ask, how do I plan on cultivating all of these relationships and do my normal everyday life? That is a great question! And... I have no idea really. God obviously needs to be very first. I think if I can prioritize things and find a healthy balance, with prayer and time it will fall into place. Maybe? So, as 2013 takes off at the high speed it is already going, keep me in your prayers as I keep you in mine. And please have a little grace with me? I love each of you and am SO excited to see what the Lord has in store for all of us his year! xoxo

2012 reflected...

Jan-June

Normal family life going on. Some ups and downs as expected.

July

Moved to Hayden, Idaho

August

Thomas lost job

September

Birth of beautiful Ella Mae

October

Trying to figure out God's plan for us

November

Thomas lands a new job

December

We move again, to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

Got to make a quick and full trip to western Washington, finally

Quite an eventful 2nd half of the year! So very thankful for God's provision and supportive family and friends. Seriously don't know what we would have done with out each of your sacrificial help with gifts of money, food, time and prayers. God taught me a LOT during that period of time. And looking back I am so thankful for trials where we can learn to rely on God and grow closer with Him!  

180. Well worth your time.

I have seen this video going around for quite a while now and just haven't taken the time to watch it.  Well I just watched it last night and I am so, so glad I took half an hour to sit down and watch it.  It is one of the most thought provoking things I have ever seen!  Please take some time to watch it and let me know what you think.  (Not kid friendly)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7y2KsU_dhwI

One month + sweet, sweet, sweet.

So, so, SO in love with this sweet little darling!  And her wild hair.  And I can not believe that it has already been a whole month.  She managed to capture every single heart in this house in about a second.  And has all of us wrapped around her sweet little finger.  Elijah likes loves to snuggle his sweet EllaMae. Ethan whispers sweet nothings like, "I love you my beautiful baby sister." in her tiny ears.  And Lyla Jane has given her the sweetest nickname.  She calls her MaeMae.  I love it!  She is our little sweets.

Welcome to our world sweet girl.



Ella Mae. 1 day old.

Sweet Ella Mae joined our family on Friday the 21st at 830pm. She was born in the water at the birthing center. What an experience! I had contractions all day long and sometime around 4pm (while walking around Target) they started happening about every 10 minutes. That was a bit embarassing.. Finally at 6ish we called and went into the birthing center and little Ella came 2 hrs later weighing 7lbs8oz and 20in long. We are all SO much in love with this little darling! More pictures to come..

Counting down....

10 days to go!!!

God really is good ALL the time.

Just sitting here.  Missing my hubby, who is out camping with his brother and 2 of his boys and our boys.  I am sure they are having such a blast. This past month has brought so many emotions to our fast growing family.  We moved to Idaho.  Such a great decision for us.  We are loving being so much closer to our church family and being abe to easier serve at church.  Thomas has started a kids/youth choir at church with our Pastor's wife and my dear, dear friend, Karen.  The kids are all loving it and so is Thomas.  And I love sitting in the back watching it all come together while my 3 year old girly who thinks she is a ballerina dances and twirls around.  I have 20 days left until my due date.  We are all so, so excited to meet sweet Ella Mae.  I can't belive how fast this pregnancy has gone by.  And then while all of this good is going on.  Thomas lost his job.  Just like that.  Bam.  You're done.  Zero income.  What?  God, don't you think this timing is really bad?!  Didn't we just move in to a new house and sign a year lease?  Don't I have a baby coming in less than a month?  Aren't we supposed to be buying curriculum to start our home school this year?  Let alone food and bills....and God whispers into my ear shhh be still and know that I am God.  I will care for you.  I will get you thru this.  But you need to trust me.  Fully.  Give it to me and have joy.  Be an ensample to all that believe...and then, then I can breath again.  And smile.  And know with absolute surety that I and my ever growing family will be just fine.  Because Jesus loves me.  Even me.  And over these past 3 weeks I have watched God work.  More real than ever.  He has blessed our family with THE most amazing people.  I know that He has a plan.  I can not see around the corners of this rough river, but He can.  He knows how it will all turn out.  And I want so bad to learn whatever it is that He is trying to teach us.  I have recently prayed for compassion.  A real compassion for people and their souls.  I know we can better reach out to people when we have been thru some harder times.  So we can not only sympathize but really empathize with others.  So I thank God for this situation.  Everytime I think about it.  I thank Him and I pray my heart and attitude will be in the right place.  And that I will not give place to the devil and become bitter.  I am not a strong person and I tend to overthink and get angry and bitter.  But I have a God who knows all these emotions, faced them and got thru them without sin.  And I think turning to Jesus Christ will get my family through this little valley better than anything else.  So pray for us, as we will have quite a few decisions to make in the very near future.  God really is good ALL the time.           

33 weeks down 7 to go !

                                                 

Hayden House

Here are some photos of our new home !  Hopefully we will be here for a few years before we move again, and then hopefully at that point we can buy and stay put.  I absolutely LOVE this house.  It is beautiful + spacious + so open.  Not somewhere I would buy because of the close neighbors, nice as they are.  I prefer not to be able to look inside there house from mine..and would love some acreage someday.  But for now, this is the perfect blessing from God !  And we are SO very thankful.  Can't wait to start up bible study again in the fall !

Master bedroom

Ready for sweet Ella Mae

Guest bedroom

Main bathroom

Living room

Play room

Family room

Kitchen + Dining

Kitchen + Dining + Living all open

and the backyard :)



Birthday Girl !

Happy, happy 3rd birthday to my dear, sweet, spunky, loving little totally girly tomboy :) We love you so, so much Lyla Jane !!!!

Baby name !

We can not wait to meet our new baby sister...
Ella Mae !! :)

Guess who's riding a two-wheeler ? !

Way to go Ethan !

Half Way

Well, we have hit the half way mark !  So exciting.  Everything looked great on the ultrasound today.  Lord willing, coming late this September we will be welcoming another healthy baby girl into our family !  And I have to say we are all more than a little thrilled about this !  Thomas said that now that he knows what the baby is we can start talking names.  I have a few in mind...I hope he likes at least one of them !
Name to be announced when we come to an agreement.  Could be a while. *wink
 

19 weeks 4 days along

Little baby body

Hello everyone

Sweet profile

Love pink !

Lyla jane decided to paint her toes on her own...you can imagine what my bathroom looked like! Here are her pretty tootsies after a good scrubbing in the bath! She had pink polish on her legs, arms, belly and in her hair! Wild child :)

A bunch of blessings!

Lyla Jane (2), Elijah (7), Nathaniel (6), Ethan (4), Judah (2), Josiah (2), Joshua (4)

Abigail Sconyers and baby Miller coming this summer

I just love this picture !  This is the Miller and Sconyers bunch.  Seven of 'em.  And you can add two more this summer.  We met the Sconyers about 8 and a half years ago.  A couple months before Thomas and I got married.  They were weird(they didn't want kids and Adam had this really long thing growing off his chin).  So were we(we wanted a dozen kids and well, you all know Thomas !).  Notice they now have more kids than we do ?!  Yep that was God.  Anyway, we were fast friends, hanging out almost nightly playing nascar(the guys) and eating ice cream.  An occasional outburst of "You can go to bed now." or "You're obnoxious !" would enter into conversation with enough heat you think someone would be hurting, but it always rolled off every ones shoulders.  Since then, the Lord has given us Millers four sweet babies, three into this world and one in Heaven.  And He has given them Sconyers four.  We Millers also moved to the other side of the state.  We stopped hanging out every night after babies came into the picture.  We have had the best times and the worst times.  And by God giving us each mercy and grace and love and forgiveness for one another, we have made it through with a friendship that is stronger than most.  And I love that no matter how long it has been since the last time, we can always pick up right where we left off.  Now if the Lord would just call the Sconyers over to eastern WA or even ID....Well, I can dream can't I ?!  Anyway, ever wonder what the term "best friends" means?  Well, we are so blessed to have a couple of those, and these Sconyers definitely fit the bill !  Can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for both of our families.    

Baby Miller

15 weeks...

Baby's first (identifiable) photo

11 weeks 5 days along. Our dear little peanut..

Recent pictures..

Our 8th wedding anniversary.

Lyla Jane. Snow time.

                                                

Ethan Landry.

                                      

Park. Sunny but SO cold.

                                      

Me. My biggest and littlest.

                                     

Janie.

                                     

Elijah boy.

                                     

Turned 7.

Ethan swinging.



God. A giant?

The kids have been asking so many questions about God lately.  It has been very amusing.  Elijah and Ethan have been saying how big he is.  In Ethan's head this translates = giant.  Lyla believes he can fly and pick us up with his strong muscles.  Ethan says that he would like to ride on God's shoulders, but we wouldn't be able to climb ALL the way up there so God would need to reach down and pick him up and set him up there.  Then Ethan asks me if God has toenails?  Elijah says, No way.  I told them that the bible says we are made in the image of God and that I think we must look something like him.  Elijah says Oh yeah.  God must have toenails.  To which Ethan replies, Well he wouldn't need any toenail clippers.  Cause he's God!  All he has to do is schick them off with his hand.  Ethan also thinks very intensely about how God squishes things with his enormous finger.  I love how they think about God and I love all the questions.  I also love the images they come up with.  Oh, to have the faith of a child.