We Have a Two Year Old in the House

On August 29th we celebrated out little girls second birthday! 

 We celebrated Maia as a family on the 29th, and then on the 30th we celebrated her with family and friends.  It was a fun party and I think Maia felt extra special! For her cake I made some colorful cupcakes. When you take a bite into these you will encouter swirls of many colors.  It was supposed to be stripes, but then they started to resemble tye dye of a sort.  I feel as though they fit Maia's colorful and excitable personality.  

 Paxton was pretty excited about the party too!!  He loves his big sister and often has a big smile on his face when she is around.

(Hmm... she must not have been around in this picture.) 

Daddy was in charge of the grill or BBQ 
(for those who prefer to call it that).

Gathering in the backyard with Uncle Jeff and Aunt Farrah along with sweet Carson.  And don't forget our friend Leah there in the background.

 Maia's friend Grayson.

 Jordan, Maia's cousin, and her two good friends Eben and Naomi.

 Getting excited about downing that cupcake!

 Jedd and Michelle holding Paxton.

 Jamie and Dave and their little guy Benjamin

 All the kids were so excited to help Maia open her gifts.  I began to wonder if it was more exciting for everyone else than it was for Maia. She sure enjoyed the help and has been having a blast with all her new toys. 

What a blessing it has been to spend these two years with our little Maia.  Its been so fun watching her change and grow and become the person she is today.  She never ceases to make me smile; she's so constantly full of excitement for the things she loves.  And she's one determined little girl; when her mind is set she pursues that thing continually to its end.  We love out little girl and are so glad she's in our family! 

Grandma Jo Came to Town!

Little Guy's Trick

This was first wittnessed when Paxton was 3 weeks old.  I had him on his stomach on the couch and he rolled, and another time on the bed.  So I thought lets make it official.  So I had him the floor and sure enough he rolled.  So I don't know if it counts or not, but in my book my boy is rolling over.  Yea Paxton!

A Song In Her Heart

One thing that Maia does most frequently is sing a little song and dance along with it.  Sometimes its just her dancing and other times it includes other objects or people.  I don't know about you, but it just puts a smile on my face when I encounter the loud, da da da da.....  She never ceases to smile right along with you.  My hope and prayer is that this bold statement of happiness will not be taken from her and that she will always have a little song in her heart that she can dance to. 

Paxton at Two Weeks

Paxton and I had a little photoshoot the other day to mark him being 2 weeks!  So these are a just a few of the shots I took of the little guy.  He loves loves loves to sleep and so I thought why not get some shots of what he does best (and he did not want to wake up either).  Enjoy the pictures!

I forget how little they are!

This shot was taken today because we got some neat gifts in the mail from our dear friend Julie!  Plus Maia loves holding her brother.  Often she says, "hold baby, sit down, hold baby".  Pretty sweet!

Family visits

 Having a new baby is a fun event in itself, but then it also creates an opportunity for family to come out visiting to meet the little pumpkin. We got the opportunity to have my (Jeanette) siblings come into town to visit.  This led to a third fun event of getting to show off the beautiful area that we live in!

Siblings at Multnomah Falls!

Then there is our little family!

Lots of fun with Uncle Nick

We even all got to go to the Ocean, here is Maia having a blast in the sand.  It was not a warm day either. 

Maia chasing a seagull. She has become pretty sneaky when in comes to chasing animals that are scared of her.  We owe that all to our cat Meko who is always running away from this little girl. 

Paxton's first time at the ocean.  However, he slept through the whole time we were on the beach.  In fact, he actually slept through the entire trip to the Coast.  That's a newborn for you!

With all the activities Maia was a bit tired.  I thought she was actually going to take a nap at the Farmers Market with her blankie, or nummies is what she calls it.  

Our week with family was great and we were sad to see them go.  However, it is definitely time for us not to be so up in the air, but to set our routines and figure out how to function as a four person family.

Paxton Everett Miller

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Born at 9:03am May 25th.  8lbs., 10oz. 20.5 inches long. 





Heading to the Hospital at 5:30am



 

 

Everett for his maternal grandfather. Miller for his parents and his ancestral paternal lineage.

Paxton: Peaceful Village

Everett: Wild Boar

I love the juxtaposition of these two together. It’s what the book Wild at Heart got wrong in setting up a false dichotomy between the two, and it’s also what we hope for Paxton. The peaceful and the wild. It’s bringing peace yet being adventurous. It’s calm that belies a deep strength. It’s quiet strength or focused power. It’s the love of all things wild, yet with nothing to prove. It’s active, strong, powerful peacemaking. It’s being a perfect gentleman, yet under that suit is one who is daring and a little dangerous. It’s Raw, Untamable, and yet directed towards Good. It’s living in Shalom; in right relationship with all around him, yet through active effort not weakness. It’s a pioneer carving out a home for his family in the midst of the wilderness—making a quiet spot to live within the four walls of the log cabin he’s constructed himself. It’s being a man, yet sacrificially spending that manliness in the service of others.  It’s Powerful yet Good. It’s a peacemaker bringing peace to an entire village through his manly efforts.

"Baby Tita!"

Blocks, Blocks, and More Blocks

Here's a proud Maia having success with the blocks.

But sometimes playing with blocks can be a little frustrating. 

Ah, the joys and sorrows of play.