The Miller Family

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Spring is here!

Things are still really busy. We found out last weekend that my father's sister was really sick and she ended up passing away a week ago today. So, Clarence and I attended our third funeral in seven days last week. We are so over funerals. Period. It makes my heart hurt to think that both my mother and daddy have lost their brother and sister in such a short amount of time. I can not imagine losing my parents, and I hope that it is many many years down the road.

The only good thing that has come from all of the sadness in the last couple of weeks is getting to see the family that I don't get to see that often. It was great seeing my cousin who lives in Chicago. It was also great getting to see all of my cousins on my daddy's side of the family too.

After all the funerals, we still haven't had time to slow down and we won't for the next couple of months. The boys' soccer season started yesterday. The boys' games started within 30 minutes of each other, so we had to split our time between their two fields. This year is even more challenging to see both of the games because Isaac has moved up to a bigger field that is on the opposite end of the complex from Alex's field. However, both of the boys played great yesterday, and it is going to be a great season!

blooms on our Bradford Pear tree

Alex going after the ball

Alex's girlfriend Sierra. They're on the same team this season.

Isaac with his new sport glasses. He thought it was the coolest thing ever that they have transition lenses.

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Remembering Them

Well, this week has gone just as I hesitantly expected it would. My mother's brother, Uncle James, passed away early Monday morning. His funeral services will be tomorrow. The most vivid memories I have of him are when he and my cousin, Jen, would come to visit in the summertime. To me, he seemed like a very intelligent man who had seen and done many things. He had travelled to places I can't imagine. Sort of mysterious in a way. He was a Mason and a Military man. Two very important and wonderful types of person to be. I am very thankful for him for if not for him, I would not know my cousin like I do or have the memories that she and I do. He will be greatly missed.

Clarence's grandmother also passed away, today. I am not sure when her funeral services will be. What I remember about her the most is her personality. She was very kind and loving. She seemed to enjoy cooking and looked forward to preparing meals for her family. I remember Christmases at her house. I remember the home cooked meals. I remember my favorite meal of hers: goulash. She will be greatly missed.

I can not imagine the feelings that are being felt right now. The loss of a father, brother, husband, grandfather. And the loss of a grandmother, mother. If I allow myself to dwell on it too long, it can become overbearing.

Uncle James holding grandson, Jake

Nanny and her daughter, Sharon

Sunday, March 4, 2012

We haven't slowed down yet!

After my last post, my full intentions were to have a nice normal rest of the week and a slow lazy weekend. Well, that didn't happen. Clarence decided not to work on Thursday, and he ended up buying us the new van we had been looking at!

Friday we had some major storms come through town. Almost every county surrounding ours closed school early. Ours did not. But, my employer let us leave early and I rushed, carefully in our new van, to get the boys and get home. I was so nervous driving. The sky looked very eerie. But, it never rained or hailed on the way home; it was just very windy.

Saturday we went to visit my parents to show them the new van. After we left their house, we went to Clarence's grandmother's house. She has been very sick, and hospice care doesn't think she has much time left.

Today, we went back to visit his Grandmother again and took their dog, that we took back when she got sick, to visit them. She didn't really know who he was, but her husband was so glad to see him. But before we went over there, I found out that my mother's brother isn't doing well either. He is in the hospital and the doctors think he doesn't have much time left either.

This weekend has been a whirlwind and filled with a mixture of emotions. Excitement and sadness all rolled into a couple of days.

the green machine

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

It's Time to Slow Down

After my busy week last week, we still haven't slowed down. Friday night the boys spent the night with our friends Kelli and Steve. Their son, Aiden had been asking for someone to spend the night with him, so Kelli invited the boys to stay the night. On Saturday Clarence and I did some shopping. He got a new pair of Z-Coils and I got a new laptop. We decided to have lunch while we were out and ate at Longhorns. It was so nice to enjoy a meal, just the two of us. While we were out, we also got presents for my Father and Logan's birthdays. When we got home, I wrapped the presents and Clarence started setting up my laptop. Later on in the evening, we went to Kelli and Steve's to watch the UFC fights. It was so nice to hang out with friends and just enjoy their company. But, it was another late night added to my string of late nights that week. Sunday would have been a nice day to rest, but not this one. We were invited to a birthday party at Chuck E Cheese at 9:30 Sunday morning. Nine.Thirty. Hmp! It would have been nice to get to sleep a little later. Anyway, we took the boys and they had a blast, as usual. Then after CEC, we went to my parents' house to celebrate my Daddy's birthday. We had lunch at Logan's, and then after visiting with my parents a bit, we came home. We watched Puss In Boots with the boys and then headed to bed.

This week hasn't slowed down one bit though. Monday afternoon Clarence called me and asked where the closest hospital was that he could go to for insurance purposes. After I told him I asked him why he needed to know. Well, he cut his thumb while at work and felt he probably needed stitches. So, to the ER he went. Oh but before he could do that... Despite leaving work early, because of traffic, I was afraid I wouldn't make it to pick the boys up before aftercare closed. So, when I was talking to Clarence he said he had just passed the school and asked if he should go back and get them. I told him to go ahead just in case (all the while his thumb was wrapped with bandaids and a paper towel to contain the bleeding). So, I ended up going to the ER too to get the boys from him. It turns out that he didn't get stitches. He ended up with glue and steri-strips and a prescription for pain pills. Tuesday afternoon I got a call from the boys' aftercare telling me that Isaac's glasses got broken while he was playing outside. Turns out that another little boy actually hit Isaac in the face and broke his glasses. He has three small cuts by his eye. Anyway, Clarence picked him up that day and took him to get new glasses. Conveniently, it was time for him to get another eye exam anyway, and since his prescription changed, he would have needed new lenses anyway. So, today I had to take him back to pick up the new frames.

After all that... I think it is time to slow down. Tomorrow I want to take the boys to school, go to work, leave work, pick the boys up from aftercare and then come home and do our usual routine. Nothing extra. It seems like here lately I'm only getting about half as much accomplished as I would like to. It's starting to get on my nerves.