Love is in the air...

I apologize ahead of time if this blog is terribly long. I just want to get the past weeks events all in one blog.

I promised some pictures of soccer, and while I remembered my camera this week, I couldn't get a decent picture for the life of me! Here are a few shots of what I did get...

Everyone in the house has seemed to get bits and pieces of the nasty virus that we have been seeing a TON of at work. I think Josh got the worst of it, however, Leila got the fever and Malakai got the random throwing up. Everyone seems to be getting better though...thank the Lord!

Josh took Bella to the Vet to get the rest of her puppy shots, and we got some not very good news. She has a level three heart murmur. Basically they rate these things on a scale from 1 thru 6 with 6 being the worst. The vet told us to cut our losses and return her to the breeder. Have you met us?! We spent a small fortune on Oscar when he needed back surgery! Even though we have only had Bella for a month, she is a part of our family. We called the breeder and they were SO nice. They offered to have their vet check her also which we welcomed the second opinion and he said the same thing. Level three heart murmur. The thing with these things is you just never know what can happen. She can live a week or she can live 10 years. The breeder gave us a couple options, one of which was trading her right then for another female that still had from Bella's liter. We thought about it and we decided to keep Bella. Let her live out her life in a loving home. The breeder has also guaranteed us another puppy out of a future liter. The hardest part was explaining everything to Malakai. I'm not sure if he still really gets it, but he is old enough we had to tell him something. So, Bella will be remaining in the Miller house, hopefully for many years :)

Josh and I had an AMAZING Valentines Day. We have never been the ones to make a big deal about the holiday, we usually just do dinner. However, we had the opportunity to get a room at The Chase Park Plaza and we couldn't pass it up! We ended up doing dinner there at the Tenderloin Room and it was TO DIE FOR! Definitely required some extra cardio!! We had a great time and Malakai and Leila had a wonderful time with Grandma. She stayed the night and followed all the directions that were left for her :) They kind of had a tradition of getting a heart shaped pizza and watching movies every Valentines Day. It's SO cute!

Valentines Day always gets me thinking about love. There are so many meanings to "love". The meaning of love differs, I think, according to your circumstances. If you are a teenager, love is sometimes a challenge. For a girl, it can mean endless hours by the phone, waiting for "him" to call. Passed notes in class, "Do you like so-and-so? Check yes or no." Butterflies in your stomach every time you see that special person in the hall at school, and giggles with friends when he smiles at you. When you become an adult, love is most of those things, with a little maturity thrown in. Not so much giggling, a little more worrying about IF he is going to call, and finally, when you feel a little more confident, thoughts of the future. For a mom, love can mean lots of things. Baby toes and fingers, little smiles and gurgly happy sounds when you come into the nursery in the morning (or the middle of the night). Kissing owies, and comforting a sad or disappointed little one. Big hugs, big tantrums, and big fun just being silly sometimes. A walk on the beach, a trip to the park, or sitting in the stands cheering your big kid on as he hits a home run, or makes a goal, or a basket...or not. Picking up dirty clothes, getting backpacks ready, making lunches, and soapy baths before school. All of these things and many more go into mommy love. For a child, love is seeing your mom or dad in the morning, knowing that they are always there for you, and feeling secure. Knowing that your parents will always be on your side, and that they love you more than the world. Pillow fights and pajama parties with friends, and fighting with little brothers or sisters, making cookies, and watching movies or playing games on a "family night". Showing off your work at Back to School Night, seeing proud smiles on your parents' faces when you are singing in the school program, and kisses goodnight. When you get a little older, love is comfortable. Knowing what your spouse is going to say even before he says it, having him bring your favorite latte as a surprise, and fill your gas tank or wash your car without you asking him to. Love is many things to many people, and what it is to you depends on what you make it. Love is my family...Love is my friends...Love is Josh...and more than anything, Love is what I feel for these two every second, of every minute, of every, single, day!

I'll close this post with a few pics like always :) I hope everyone had a great week!

XOXO,

Miller

Best thing since I last blogged: Hitting the 4 mile mark in my training

Worst thing since I last blogged: Finding out about Bellalicious