What a Trip!

 What a trip we had from Rangely, Co to Palmer Alaska!

We're Off

 We're off!

I have been working incredibly hard getting ready to move and thus have not taken the time to update the blog -- but we are officially off and we have begun our Adventure headed North to Alaska.

We hope to make the trip in 8 days with Hubby's parents driving our truck, which is pulling one trailer, and Hubby and I driving our suburban.  The kids and our cat will ride with us, and our black lab will ride with Memaw and Pepaw.

I am not sure how often I will blog while on the trip, but I am trying to chronicle the trip through videos on Instagram Stories, so if you follow instagram, you can find me @mountainmillers

Thank you for your prayers as we are off on this very big journey.

Summer Adventures Begin

 We have started the pattern that every other summer we road trip like crazy... and this year is no exception.

School has been out for a week, and we loaded up SO many things for an action-packed three weeks of family fun, and memorable experiences across America.

We hugged good-bye to our wonderful animals, always with the awareness that they are older pets, and we hope and pray to see them again in three weeks... and spent 1108 miles in the car for our first stop -- St. Louis, MO.

All those miles, and these smiles make them all worth it.

Long Weekend, Long Trip

 We just got home from a long trip over a long weekend.  We went 3150 miles in 5 days with our 6 kids.  Events included dinner with family in St. Louis, a day and dinner with family in Michigan, a wedding in Michigan, a family reunion and birthday fish fry in Michigan.

It feels good to be home.  And it will feel even better to sleep in a bed tonight instead of our suburban while Hubby drives cross country.

Here are a couple of favorite pictures:

More pictures and stories from the trip coming another day.

Brady -- Two Months

Well, I'm already running behind on Brady's growth updates and we're only on month 2... but I'll try to get better.  (It really was to just take a little computer break while we were traveling this summer... and I'm still not really ready for time on my computer yet, but I don't want to delay this any more because Brady is changing every day and I need to document as much as possible.)

Here is Brady at 2 months of age:

And here he was as a newborn

 

And here is the comparison of all five kiddos at two months of age:

Top left to right - Lee Lee, Tracey, Caroline

Bottom left to right - Hunter, Brady, Howard

Weight: 

I weighed him unofficially on our home scale a few days ago (so almost 2 weeks after he turned 2 months old, and he was over 12 pounds.  Way to go little Brady! (7 lbs, 15.8 ounces at birth).

Length:  

I'm not entirely sure, but he has outgrown his newborn sleepers... so longer than he was last month.

Clothing size: 

He is comfortably in size 0-3 month clothing, and depending on the style (or how many times it was been washed and shrunk in the dryer), he has grown out of a few 3 month outfits.  He is wearing a couple of 6 month outfits, but they are plenty big on him.  Frankly, I don't have that many 3 month outfits that are suitable for summer time.  Most days he wears a cute onesie and that's it.  My summer baby is awesome (but dressing him has totally different from all my 5 winter babies)

 

Eating:  

Brad is still a terrific eater.  He and I both had to adjust to the HEAT of summer nursing as we traveled this summer, but he has done really well.  He and I have both hung in and nursed on all of our family adventures regardless of the temperature, and regardless of if I had to walk around and/or push a stroller while nursing.  He's been awesome.

Sleeping:  

As we've traveled, Brady has slept in a bassinet next to our bed, in our bed in a dock-a-tot, on the floor in a dock-a-tot, in a pack-in-play in a dock-a-tot, and now, just on his back in a pack-in-play without a dock-a-tot (which is a wonderful step toward his moving into his own crib and his own room in 3-4 months.  Before we left Michigan, Brady was on a really great sleep schedule where he nursed fro the last time around 10:00pm, and then slept until 3:00am or so.  Now, back in Colorado, we're back to a 2:00am feeding.  We're getting through though.  As my dad so wisely says, "Time is on our side," and I know Brady will be sleeping longer and longer soon.

 

 

New things/discoveries:

• First smiles!

 

 

  New Accomplishments: 

• Smiling at 5 weeks of age -- AT ME!  He has been our youngest baby to smile, and it is such a gift.  Not only is he the youngest baby to smile, but within 2 weeks of his first smiles, he was smiling at other family members.  Our kids get SO excited when Brady smiles at them, and he is so generous with his eye contact and smiles.  Often, when you try to put a passie in his mouth, he just looks at you and smiles, so the passie falls right out.

 

Likes: 

• Being held
• Pacifiers
• Nursing
• His siblings
• The car seat
• The stroller
• Being worn in a carrier
• Mama
• Smiling
• Baths or showers

Dislikes:

• Being hungry
• Spitting up
• Burping

 

  Places He's Gone:

• Oregon, California, Nevada, Utah, Nebraska, Missiouri, Illiinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan
• 3 zoos
• 3 museums
• 1 Ark
• A 90th Birthday party for his great grandfather
• To his Memaw and Pepaw's house
• To his Grammie and Papa's house
• To the houses of some aunts and uncles and his parents' friends
• To the church where Hubby and I got married just over 10 years ago (where he was dedicated)
• Two date nights with Mama and Daddy
• Gymnastics classes with his older siblings
• Vacation Bible School show with his older siblings
• Swimming lessons with his older siblings
• A Michigan PEO coffee with Mama and Grammie (where he was the only male present)
• A Michigan Farmer's Market

Special Memories:

•  We were able to dedicate Brady in church while we were in Michigan, which is the church where Hubby and I were married by the same minister who performed our wedding ceremony.
• Meeting his 12 older cousins on the Miller side of the family (a baker's dozen cousins and the oldest just turned 8)
• Meeting his two living great grandpas
• First 4th of July
  
• First time on Lake Michigan
• First Father's Day
  He attended multiple tea parties in Michigan where one of his older siblings was serving and Grammie and Papa were in attendance - while holding Brady
• Being in a picture with Great Grandpa Holified and all his 16 great grandchildren at his 90th Birthday party

Nicknames:

• Brady
• Buddy
• Brady Boy
• Brady Blue Eyes
• Braidster
• Brady Buddy

Pictures in no particular order: