Repeat

 I apologize for the lack of attention my blog has been getting lately... I'm not sure if it will continue into the future or not, to be honest.

It just comes down to hours in the day, and the time I do NOT want to spend on my computer.

But, I'm here tonight... I thought I'd clue you in on a song I have been playing on repeat that has been encouraging me and giving me joy every time I hear it.

John Denver's Alaska and Me

I listened to it a few nights ago and shared it with my husband and the song speaks to both of us in an incredible way regarding this move.  The only part of the song we find not really fitting with our story is the second verse about the women who became a bush pilot's wife -- not so much the case here.

The first verse talks about how the man came to Alaska (it echos very closely with my husband), and the bridge at the end has a line about what the couple hopes their children will gain from Alaska.

It is such a wonderful song, and like I said, I've been listening to it on repeat.

Lyrics:

When I was a child and I lived in the city

I dreamed of Alaska so far away

And I dreamed I was flying over mountains and glaciers

Somehow I knew I'd live there one day

Well it took me some growing, and a fair bit of schooling

And a little bit of trouble to get on the move

And I felt like a loser but I turned out the winner

When I came to Alaska the land that I love

Here's to Alaska, here's to the people

Here's to the wild and here's to the free

Here's to my life in a chosen country

Here's to Alaska and me

I was born in a cabin on Little Mulchatna

Raised in hard times but I had a good life

From the first time I flew with my father a singing

I knew that I'd wind up a bush pilot's wife

We sleep near the sound of a slow running river

And wake up most mornings to a drizzling rain

And we face every day like the first or the last one

With nothing to lose and heaven to gain

Here's to Alaska, here's to the people

Here's to the wild and here's to the free

Here's to my life in a chosen country

Here's to Alaska and me

Oh, for the fire on a cold winter's night

And once more to gaze at the great northern lights

For all of the beauty my children will see

Here's to Alaska and me

Here's to Alaska, here's to the people

Here's to the wild and here's to the free

Here's to my life in a chosen country

Here's to Alaska and me

Ticket to Pardise

 As a part of my birthday celebration, I took some time Saturday night to watch a movie I have wanted to see for a few months now -- Ticket to Paradise with Julia Roberts and George Clooney.  It looked like a funny romantic comedy, (which seems to be hard to come by these days).

It certainly was a cute, funny romantic comedy... but can I just say, movies are so different once you're a parent!!!!

This is about a divorced couple and their daughter graduates from school and then goes on a fun summer trip to Bali before beginning her job as a lawyer (they never talk about law school... so I'm not really sure what liberties were taken by the writers in terms of the reality of qualifications for becomming a lawyer... but I digress.

While she's on her fun summer trip, she meets a man in Bali, a seaweed farmer and she decides she is going to marry him (in four days time) and stay in Bali for the rest of her life.

The movie was funny... but so HORRIBLE!!!   This is any parent's nightmare no matter how many jokes you incorporate.

The kids and I watched Cool Runnings on my birthday, which if you remember is about the Jamaican Bobsled team who goes to the Olympics.  One of the bobsledders is very well-off and he decides not to tell his father that he is becoming a bobsledder and that he is going to the Olympics.  I found myself pausing the movie to explain to our children that they can always tell us anything I hope they would not lie to us if they were ever in a similar situation.

Oh goodness.

Movies are so much harder now that I'm a parent.

9-11

 I will never forget 9-11-01

Victoria's Secret!

 There's a gal, Jax, that I follow on Instagram who writes the most HILARIOUS original songs... I think she won Song Writer of the Year for Tic Toc last year, and she came out with a song a few weeks ago that is SO great!

She baby-sits for a middle school girl (she has a pretty funny song about her baby-sitting escapades) and recently the middle school girl came home from bathing suit shopping in tears... and so Jax wrote a song for her.

Here is the original video Jax posted... so good!

Then, a few weeks later, she organized a flashmob in front of Victoria's Secret and added another verse... so here is that video as well.

ENJOY!

The Battle Belongs

Almighty fortress, You go before us
Nothing can stand against the power of our God
You shine in the shadow, You win every battle
Nothing can stand against the power of our God

Mama Mother's Day Video

This was fun to put together leading up to Mother's Day

He's Alive!

 He's Alive!

Buy Dirt

 The kids and I have been listening to this song lately, and I LOVE IT!

I usually cannot make it through the song without tearing up.  As we listen to the song, it gives me a chance to pause it and ask my kids what a certain phrase means...

Like, "Get a ring, let your knee hit the ground."

And, "Add a few limbs to your family tree."

It reminds me of road trips when I was a kid, when my family would play the same John Denver 8-track on repeat, and every time the song "Back Home Again" played, my Daddy would stop the 8-track and ask me about a certain phrase of the song...

Like, "The whining of his wheels just makes it colder."

And, "Sometimes this old farm feels like a long lost friend."

All things full circle... because...

"No doubt about it, it all goes by real quick, you can't buy happiness, but you can buy dirt."

Hope you enjoy:

Skiiers

 This was a good laugh...

We Don't Talk About Bruno

 Around my birthday, the kiddos made sure I sat down with them to watch their latest favorite movie, Encanto,

I have to confess... its now my latest favorite movie too.

I certainly enjoy good Disney movies, especially those with great music, and Encanto fits the bill.  The music is WONDERFUL, and it is a beautiful story about a multi-generation family.

One of the songs from Encanto, "We Don't Talk about Bruno", has officially surpassed "Let It Go" as the highest grossing Disney Song.

You should see my children singing and dancing to this song.

Big Ten Championship Today

 If you've following my blog for awhile -- like decades, you might remember when I used to post various things about Michigan football on the blog.  Not just pictures of my adorable children in Michigan gear, but also updates about the Michigan team, who they would be playing, and excitement about upcoming games.  I think it has been a long time since I've done that.

Well, Michigan beat Ohio State last Saturday for the first time since 2011 and Michigan will be playin for the BIG TEN Championship this afternoon for the first time the BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIP Game was created.

So... now feels like a great time to post some hype for this game.

Here are clips from last weekend's game against Ohio State.

IT. WAS. AWESOME!

Youngest of Six

 Ever wonder what Brady's life is like as the youngest of six Mountain Millers?

This video gives you some idea...

5 People

 This made me laugh really hard!

Fatherhood

 I came upon this video last night and the children are a little older than ours are at the moment... but I just had to smile seeing this father do so many things that Hubby does every day for our six tiny humans.

Comedy Clip

 After we announced the arrival of our Baby Number 6, a friend of mine texted me and said that she and her husband were thinking about adding a fourth child to their family.  She said that her husband sent her the following comedy clip, and Hubby and I watched it last night as we silently prayed that Brady would sleep better than he has the past three nights...

It Is HILARIOUS!

Enjoy:

The Marathon

 I saw this ad on Facebook the other day and I LOVED it -- the marathon that never ends.  It just left out that its the marathon that you also never want to end -- the best journey of all time.

Skijoring

 Although there were some big differences from this video due to COVID... this is what we watched yesterday, live and in person.

Lee Lee's New Song

 Lee Lee does not go to preschool anymore, and this is nothing new.

She (like all our children) came home from school on Friday, March 13, 2020... and she never went back.  Our other children did not go back to school (in person) until August of this year... but they did go back to school.  Tracey started first grade, and the twins enrolled in PreK... but Lee Lee was too young to enroll in the same school as the twins, and she has stayed home with Hunter ever since March 13, 2020.

The world shut down due to COVID, and for our little Lee Lee, that meant the end of school for a long time.

It's a little sad to think about, but, like all parents in the world right now, we are doing our best and making the best decision possible given our options and current realities.  Hopefully it will not significantly impact her long-term ambition, or her short-term happiness.

All that said, Lee Lee LOVES attending her big girl Sunday School class at church, and we LOVE taking her.

She came home from church this past Sunday having learned a new song, and she pretty much hasn't stopped signing it since.

Please Mute Yourself

 This Youtube video of a teacher's online zoom call made me laugh out loud...

Mountain Miller Christmas Pageant 2020

 I feel acting out a Christmas Pageant is an important part of learning the story of the Nativity for children raised in the church and in a Christ-centered faith.  This year, due to COVID, there were no options for my children to participate in a pageant through a local church or organization...

Well, we have five children, and I have a little experience directing a past Christmas pageant, and my Hubby is tech-savvy... so we have spent these past few weeks putting on our own Christmas Pageant.  

Please enjoy our The Nativity Story by the Mountain Millers (Bloopers at the end):

Lessons learned from our Mountain Miller Christmas Pageant 2020:

1. Tracey makes a good actress... an even better director
2. Lee Lee will not be signed up for acting classes any time soon
3. Have fruit snacks on hand to bribe Lee Lee and Hunter