No C-Section and Baby Shower Details

I found out this morning that it doesn't look like I'll have to have a c-section!!! I'm very happy about this and it was fun to see her again on the ultrasound. She appears to have the Cahow nose, but obviously the picture was not good enough to be completely sure. Only 24 days left but I'm betting I go over. She supposedly weighs 6 pounds, 7 ounces already and when the ultrasound tech saw that she gasped because she said that's what her babies have weighed at birth. Since Anna is supposed to gain 1/2 pound per week until she's born, she could well be over 8 pounds. I was a little nervous about that until the nurse later told me not to pay attention because ultrasound measurements are almost always wrong. Let's hope that doesn't mean she's going to be over 9 pounds :).

So here are the details of my baby shower this Saturday in case you don't have them yet:

When: Saturday, March 31st at 1:00 pm
Where: 2878 Shady View Circle, Lehi (just northeast of Cabela's)
Directions: Take the Alpine Exit off I-15 and head east
Take your first left on Frontage Road then your first right on Cabela’s Blvd
Go left at the T stop, pass Cabela’s
Take your third left onto Shady Bend and the first left is Shady View Circle

Taco Casserole

Chelsea requested this recipe for her dinner this tuesday- it also goes by the name Layered Enchilada Pie...but I like Taco Casserole- so that's what I call it...here it is. This is also one of Porter's favorite dinners...

1-1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 small onion- chopped
1 clove garlic (use your garlic press)
1 Tb. Chili Powder
1 (small can) chopped Olives
1 (12 oz can) Tomato Sauce
6-8 corn tortillas
2 cups Cheese- grated
2/3 cups water

In a large frying pan cook ground beef (season with salt and pepper as desired), onion & garlic- until onion is tender and beef is browned. Stir in Chili powder, olives & tomato sauce. In an 8 x 8 baking dish layer 3-4 tortillas, 1/2 the meat sauce and 1/2 the grated cheese- repeat. Pour the water around the edges. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes. Serves 4-6

First Official Movie Review!

Bridget was kind enough to write the first official movie review for Miller's Online Outpost. How a woman with a three week old has time to go to the movies and then actually write a review is beyond me (oh yeah, and she's finishing her thesis too), but she happily continues to set the standard so high that I'm sure I will feel like a massive failure when I inevitably won't even be able to find time to take a shower. Anyway, here is what she thought:

Ben, Paige, and I went to see the movie Wild Hogs last weekend. Why did we choose to see that movie on our first theatre outing with a baby, you ask? Well, mostly because Ben refused to go to Music and Lyrics and by the time we got to the theatre, Premonition had already started and we figured that’s probably a movie you want to see the beginning of. Wild Hogs was pretty much the only other movie we could agree on. So, now I’ll be the first to post a movie review on the Miller family blog. ☺

Wild Hogs is a comedy starring John Travolta, William H. Macy, Tim Allen and Martin Lawrence who play 4 friends all frustrated with their personal lives. They are occasional motorcycle riders (you wouldn’t call them bikers) who hang out with each other on the weekends to ride to their favorite restaurant/bar for a drink. John Travolta’s character convinces the group that they need to get away on a cross-country ride and discover America, themselves, the road . . . it sounds like a mid-life crisis kind of thing. Anyway, eventually they all agree and off they go. The rest of the movie recaps their crazy adventures from starting fires to skinny-dipping to angering a group of “real” bikers. As you would expect, this movie has some really dumb moments but some funny ones as well. It didn’t get good reviews (in fact it got terrible reviews) but did anyone honestly think that it was going to win awards? If you like the main actors, then you’ll probably be entertained. And even though they sound like an unlikely group of friends, it works somehow.

Bottom Line: It’s not going to make it into my top 10 favorite movies (or even into my top 50), but it did make me laugh. It’s a good compromise if your husband suddenly develops a strong aversion to “chick flicks” but I’d suggest you wait for it to come out on video because it’s not quite worth a trip to the theatre (especially if you’re taking a long a 2 ½ week old).

Chicken Curry Salad

Another recipe...how exciting! This is being served at Noelle's Baby Shower next weekend, and I just thought that we could all enjoy it together- especially those who will not be able to attend. So here it is. Please note that this salad may be served by itself, as the main dish, or put it on a croissant- and you have a lovely lunch too- it's great both ways. I am also including a list of add-ins that you can try so as to create the combinations that's just right for you!!

Salad:
2 Boxes Chicken Rice-a-Roni (or prepare our own family version- recipe will follow)
1 (large can, drained) Canned Chicken
1 (med-large) can Pineapple tidbits
1 cup Craisins
1 (large can) Sliced Waterchestnuts

Dressing: 2 cups Mayonnaise, 2 tsp curry powder. Stir together, set aside.

Cook rice-a-roni as directed, place in bowl and allow to cool somewhat. Add drained chicken, pineapple, craisins, and waterchestnuts and toss. Pour dressing over salad and toss again to coat. Chill and serve. As with my last recipe, the flavor will get stronger and better in flavor if allowed to sit for a couple hours. Serve in a lettuce leaf bowl, or on croissant!

Now here's the family Rice-a-Roni recipe. This tastes great as a side dish to chicken, or any other dinner that you might usually serve bread with. This is a general recipe- meaning, you will need to adapt how much of these ingredients you use depending on how large a batch you would like. For the Chicken Curry salad, you will want about 6 cups of prepared rice- so refer to your rice cooking directions as needed.

Rice-a-Roni

Angel Hair pasta- use quite a bit- not as much as your rice though. Break into smallish pieces.
Rice (as much as desired)
Chicken broth instead of water

In saucepan, saute angel hair in butter until golden brown. Add rice & chicken broth- prepare rice as directed on package.

Bergen Spring Break '07

Jenn sent in a report of their trip to California and it looks like they had an amazing time, but when you're staying at Grandma's, going to the beach, and hanging out at Disneyland, how can you go wrong? Here is her report...

"Here are some pictures of our trip to California for spring break. We went to the beach on Tues and couldn't of asked for nicer beach weather. The kids dug in the sand all day and Allie buried Garrett. The beach and Gma's house definitely make me miss home! We had a great time visiting with Gma and Gpa even though they both got sick while we were there and had to be in bed. Me, Honey, Ann, and the girls went to The American Girl Place. We were in doll heaven. Cami's doll had her hair done and we had lunch at the cafe. We shopped and had a lot of fun. Garrett went off with Ruben and visited a lot of old men, but as a reward Papa bought him a pellet gun. They did their best to shoot squirrels and crows, but there were no animals killed during the visit.

We tried California Adventure for the first time and had a blast. The ride Soarin' Over California is really cool. We loved California Screamin'-it's an awesome rollercoaser, and Mike and the kids must have ridden the Maliboomer (similar to the moon shoot on the top of the Stratosphere in Vegas) at least 6 times! I rode it once but was too sick for the other 5! Also, the Electric Light Parade was at Cal Adventure for the first time since they cancelled it at Disneyland! Cami and Tori loved it!

Thanks Gma and Gpa for having us! I think the reason we don't visit as much as I'd like is because it makes me never want to come back home!"

Of Course He Likes McDonald's Fries

Andrew had his first taste of McDonald's French Fries last week and as you can see from the pictures, he knows what's up. Check out those rolls on his fingers and his double chin! So cute you almost rather eat him than the fries. Also, more photographic evidence that thumb sucking amongst the great grandkids is turning into an epidemic.

Paige's First Modeling Shoot

This past Tuesday Ben, Bridget and Paige stopped by to see Jill (MacAllister) Fellow and her new daughter (Quinn) . Jill's mom was there and so they ended up having an impromptu photo session. Carol, Jill's mom, started a photography business a few years back. If you're interested in seeing the pictures just follow the link below to her website. Carol is coming back to Utah this week and has offered to take more pictures of them so Bridget says they will plan ahead and try to match and comb their hair. I don't know what she is talking about since 1) she doesn't even look like she just had a baby (I always wonder if people are asking her if she adopted Paige) and 2) she doesn't look like a new mom - she is bright eyed, always groomed, and making it look like having a newborn is the easiest thing anyone has ever done. Hate her.

http://web.mac.com/cmacallister/iWeb/Page%20Reed/Iluminar%20Photography.html

Oh, and by the way...

Emily sends out this email yesterday giving an update about the kids and then almost casually mentions before she signs off that she's pregnant and due in September! This is such exciting news. Even better than hearing they're going to move back west, although that would be some really welcome news. Here is the email and the photos!

------------

"Things are good right now. I am just glad that it is the middle of March and we are warming up here in Virginia (although rather slowly). The weather here is crazy, yesterday the high was 42 and today is supposed to be 70! Greg's mom is flying in today for the week and we are SO excited to have a visitor! We (especially me) really miss being able to see everyone on a regular basis.

Greg is taking boards this weekend and hopefully everything will go well! He is going to be up in Richmond Th, Fri, and Sat.

The kids are doing great. Oliver (16 mo) is such a smarty these days, he is learning all sorts of new words- including no. It's so funny, he obviously doesn't really know what it means. He and Elena are so funny together, he'll do something he knows she doesn't like and then he'll run away really fast as if to avoid her wrath. They really do entertain each other. Elena is still the same silly girl, her new thing is pretend cooking, actually her and Ollie both are into it. They get out my tupperware and bowls and silverware and I find it all over the house.

Another interesting new development for us is that we are expecting baby #3 this September. We are really excited and so far everything is going smoothly. Right now I'm 15 weeks along and our due date is Sept 3. My prediction so far is a girl but I've been wrong both other times, so we'll see.

That's about all that's new with us, we hope you are all doing great.

Love em

Fiesta Salsa Chicken

Recipe from Marci

Marinade: Equal parts; Soy Sauce, Teriyaki Sauce and Worchestershire Sauce. Season each chicken breast with salt, pepper and Garlic Salt. Marinate chicken for as long as you want- do not discard marinade- you will use it to baste chicken as it cooks.

Grill chicken over medium heat. Baste frequently.

Salsa: 2 Avocados (diced)
1 pkg. Frozen Corn- spread on cookie sheet to thaw- then broil until golden brown
2 Tomatoes (medium- large, diced)
1 can Black Beans (rinsed & drained)
1 Red Onion (medium- diced)
1/2 bunch Cilantro (chopped)
3-4 Green Onions (chopped)
1/4 cup Olive Oil
Salt to taste
Toss gently. Squeeze 3 limes over the top & cool in fridge. It tastes best if allowed to sit for awhile so the flavors can combine.

Grill chicken and top with a generous helping of salsa- sooo yummy!!

Margaret Finds Her Thumb

Margaret found her thumb yesterday. Amber says she took all three of her naps with her thumb in her mouth and is continuing to do so today as well. She drags her whole hand across her face to find her thumb and pokes herself in the eyes while sucking on it. Garrett finally might have a cousin he can relate to!

Blessed Margaret

Does she look adorable or what? Nice work on the dress, mom. Wish I could have been there.

Videos of Andrew

Chelsea posted some videos of Andrew to uTube. I watched all of them and hearing him laugh is so adorable (towards the end of the second video, the video titled "Andrew2". And for those of you who miss hearing him cry, you can be reminded of what that sounds like about two minutes into the first video link :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqFKYvB-bvs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceKKZOxX0v8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8fj94v5Znc

They're all about 9 minutes long. Chelsea reports there is nothing new really going on, except Andrew has started making two new faces. He sticks his tongue out of the side of his mouth like a true Miller and just leaves it there (you can see that in the third video about 7 minutes into it), and he's started thrusting his jaw and lower lip out a la Bubba from Forrest Gump.

Chelsea, just move back here. Videos are not doing it for us.

Suggestions, please

So you guys know I'm the Laurel Advisor in my ward. There are seven of them, and I couldn't have a better group of girls. The first 10 minutes of every class are spent with them feeling my belly and chattering excitedly about the baby, asking me all kinds of personal questions about pregnancy and childbirth, and watching the other advisors blush as I happily answer them. They all swear they will babysit as much as I want but I know they are little liars. Anyway, we have had the hardest time coming up with good activities for Wednesday night, particularly ones that 17-18 year old girls will want to come to just a few months away from graduation, so I'm asking for suggestions. If you can remember a particular activity or something you did with a class you think I could replicate for my girls I would appreciate it!

Update on Baby Margaret's Blessing

Just a reminder that Margaret is going to be blessed this Sunday. Sacrament meeting starts at 10:30 there is going to be a get together/lunch after church at about 2 pm at Bruce and Carole's!

Book and Movie Reviews

Honey had a great idea last night that we should post book and movie reviews to the site. We were thinking Beth would be the ideal "official" book reviewer, and we need a volunteer to do the movie reviews (Matt?). Also, don't forget to send in recipes or request recipes that you want posted to the blog. Beth, and future movie reviewer, let me know what you think!

Paige is 1 (Week)

Paige is a week old today! Bridget sent me the following note about being a new mom and this cute little munchkin's first week at home...

"Paige seems to have transitioned into our family beautifully. I know she's only a week old and things may change, but so far she's an angel and I couldn't be luckier. We've had a lot of fun during her first week with us! She eats (very enthusiastically) every 3 to 3 1/2 hours, and sleeps soundly in between. We haven't had any bouts of crying (from Paige), although she does get a little restless in the evenings and likes to be rocked. She seems to enjoy her sponge baths (as you can tell from the picture), and her first outing to the McEuen's for Sunday dinner was uneventful - I was a little worried about that long car ride. Yesterday we ran errands to Target, Roberts, and Nordstroms, and she never made a peep. I feel like a real mom now that I've nursed her in the the Nordstroms Women's Lounge! Papa surprised us and came up one day early so we went out to dinner last night and Paige slept through it; she didn't even seem to notice. I've had such a great time being her Mom!

Sadly, Honey's stay with us is coming to an end :( She's been a HUGE help and I'm a little nervous for her to leave. Tomorrow will be my first day alone with Paige. I only hope I can remember everything Mom has taught me and be as good to Paige as Mom has been to me. Thanks Mom!"

Jack Attack

We had Sunday dinner at Ann and Scott's last night. It was Paige's first official outing and we all got to meet Jordan, Kurt's girlfriend. I'm allowed to call her that because I confirmed 1) he calls her that and 2) he has kissed her.

John told me he has all these videos of Jack posted on uTube and I told him to please send the links to me, so he did, along with these pictures and this note...

"Jack has been growing like crazy and is a very photogenic little baby. He likes moving, jumping, kicking, and watching anything moving at all times and that is probably why he seems so happy in his johnny jump-up. We took him to his first BYU basketball game and charmed everyone around us in his Y t-shirt. You can see videos of him on youtube.com at the links below."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o67HACG7hLA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHgFT7vY0dk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhgjHPds8pM

I can attest to the supreme cuteness of Jack, as well as all Miller greatgrandbabies including Seth who is growing so tall that he's becoming a string bean. It only furthers my theory that Anna is going to be unfortunate looking and break the spell - we really can't have this kind of luck for this long. It's got to end somewhere. Sort of like how there's no way I will be in my regular jeans less than a week after giving birth (Bridget, in case you were wondering - and they were BUTTONED, and Beth who was only a few weeks post pardum before she was back in her regular clothes). Ridiculous, and setting an unrealistic standard for pregnant women everywhere.

I also showed Marci how to post stuff to the blog last night so now she is an official author and blog poster!!!

Postcards from the Edge

Just a reminder that Kate would really appreciate having family members send postcards to her class for their class project. Specifically, she was hoping to get postcards from Chelsea and Little Ruben...for SURE she's the only kid in the class with such cosmopolitan aunts and uncles and she will feel really cool when they come. Here is where you send them...

Amanda Leach
10135 W. Quail Ave.
Las Vegas, NV 89148

Kate thanks you!

Finally!

Okay, everyone can relax now! Here are some pictures of Paige. I can't wait to go see her again after work - she smells as good as she looks!

Steve is Very Tricky

I got home from California last weekend and once we walked in the door Steve started asking me if I had to go to the bathroom. Now going to the bathroom at this point is about an hourly production so I suppose it's not a super odd question, but it was still puzzling that he kept suggesting I go. When I walked in, however, I realized why he had been acting so strangely, because he remodeled the bathroom while I was away and turned it into the best bathroom in Provo, including running electricity and cable into a wall so he could mount a flat screen TV for me to watch while I shower, bathe, or get ready for work. It swivels out so I can see it from anywhere, and he mounted a remote control so I can keep things nice and tidy. He also painted, and put up new shelving and hooks. This is my "thank you for having a baby" present from him and I couldn't be more pleased with it. I actually look forward to getting up in the morning!