Lexi & Joey's wedding...

This past weekend, I had the honor of shooting one of my favorite weddings to-date.  Lexi and her family grew up next door to me.  I remember their move-in day, peering out the window of my house to count how many kids stepped out of their car.  One, two, three.  And to my delight, they were all girls which meant more kids to play with.  Never in a million years would I have known just how special they would become to me.

Lexi and Joey had one of those picture-perfect days.  The church was as white as snow and had a beautiful tall steeple.  It reminded me of a 100 year old New England church but instead it was nestled into the quaint little town of Richland.  They had a warm spring day that was slightly overcast which allowed the sunlight to peek thru from time to time.  

And can I just say...she looked stunning!  Her wedding gown couldn't of been more perfect for her.  I knew the moment Joey saw her, he was going to loose it.  She was head to toe beautiful.  And I was right, he lost it...


As I looked thru my lens and captured their day, I couldn't help but notice just how happy they were together. It felt like life had come full circle for them and nothing made it more special than to see their happiness together and to celebrate it with those they love the most.    

Congratulations Joey & Lexi!  

Here's to a many more years of 

life, happiness, favor, 

and knock you off your feet kind-of love.  

two

it's been said to be terrible.  even after producing 4 kids, i have yet to experience that.  sure it has it's moments every once in awhile, but what age doesn't?


knowing this is the last baby to exit my womb, i've intended to cherish this time of lighting speed growth.  in nearly 12 years, i've watched every child grow at weed speed.  just like the back of my hand, i know with each added miller, time passes twice as fast.


my goal is to slow this pace down.  savor it.  grab a hold of every belly laugh and terrorizing tantrum.  behold the big and small moments.  yes, even the not-so-fun parts where he throws himself on the floor while i pretend he's someone else's child.   


life happens. change occurs in a blink of an eye. we all know this...some better than others.


as life demands more, schedules fill up, and distractions occur, i want to be present.  my intent is to be here, be in the now.  i want to take it all in like a tall drink of water on a hot day... cherish what i have. every. last. drop.  it can be a challenge, but it's where i desire to be.


if there was a title for age two i would name it the good, the bad, and the ugly.  even with all the no-no's, time-outs, and tears here are just a few reasons why i absolutely love josiah being two.

his 'no-task-is-to big-for-me' attitude spite his smallness...

seeing his intense fierceness as he wrestles his brothers to the ground...

trying to keep up with his older siblings because to him, they are the coolest people who exist on this planet...

those moments through out the day that stop me dead in my tracks and cause me to erupt into laughter...

watching him play, explore, learn new things...

finding him asleep on the floor after a day of playing, exploring and learning new things...

his daily reminders to stop and enjoy the simple things, like an empty box...

seeing him become less of a momma's boy because he wants to be just like his daddy...i love that.  

knowing even tho he loves his daddy, he still adores me to pieces... 

receiving a few days each month that tell me he's just a little boy who needs to "nuggle"...

...smelling his head after bath time and being reminded of that not-so-long-ago intoxicating newborn smell.  

...even tho he's two and demands to do it himself, he still needs my help from time to time.  

...knowing that every passing day 

he gets a little older but to me, 

he'll always be the youngest miller

my baby 

my precious little one who's two.    

{all images were taken and edited with my iPhone}

30 something and thrifty...

the place we call home

an old crate made into a shelf

We've lived in our 1951 cottage-like home for almost eleven years.  We had it on the market for the second time last year.  We prepped it, got it in tip-top shape to sell, and cut the price as much as we could without giving it away.  Even tho we were a little disappointed it didn't sell, there are a few things to celebrate...

1. We have an incredibly low interest rate, small mortgage, and low payments in a time when the economy isn't the best and many mortgages are thru the roof.  Blessing.

2.  Our kids still qualify for the Promise which pays 4 years of their college tuition to any state, university, or community college in the state of MI.  Knowing they will graduate without student loan debt is important to us.  Not having to save hundreds of thousands of dollars for all 4 of our kids to attend college is a removed burden.  It means we can spend those funds on vacations and fun trips as a family.  Major blessing. 

3.  A smaller home means less time is needed to clean and more time with one another. 

4.   Our cozy quarters brings us closer together as a family.  

5.  We can remain a one-income based home which takes the pressure off of me and my photography business and puts the focus where it needs to be: on family.
6.  Because we took the time to get it ready to sell, we now enjoy living in a home that's in pristine shape. 

7.  A smaller home goes well with our moto: simple living.  

an old barn window as a frame for our photos.

Unless someone knocks on our door and asks to buy our home, our plan is to stay put.  While we 'wait and see' what the housing market does, we've decided to move forward and transform our living quarters back into a home.

I've always enjoyed making our home just that; a home.  It's where we make many of our best memories together.  Home is where we spend time with those we are closest to.  There's safety within these walls.  It's a refuge from the chaos of the outside world.

Not wanting to spend unneccassary money, we stuck with the vintage/modern/retro feel by upscaling some of our old pieces via spray paint, stain, etc.  Believing less is more, we searched for pieces that were free or low cost...items that wouldn't sacrifice the feel of what we wanted to accomplish yet within our budget.

my most recent purchase a1978 chair from a thrift store.
it immediately reminded me of the furniture my
grandpa handmade at his upholstery shop years ago.

I'm happy to share we've done an incredible job so far.  Many of the things in our house were less than a penny.  The few must have pieces that we've purchased were on clearance or from a thrift store.

One of our biggest finds is a barn door that literally landed in our lap. I had pinned something on Pinterest months ago and have been searching for one ever since.  We were *thrilled* when we found one for free...I mean c'mon!  You know this dutch girl was doing a jig dance about that!!

We completely adore the way the barn door has transformed our living space.  It's a fully functional piece of art and adds even more character to our charming cottage of a home.






Here's a quick look at our living room thus far.  We'll be adding a few more shelves and pieces to our walls but I love how it's starting to come together...

We feel this 100 year old barn door is telling it's story, so we kept it as is; weathered and rusty

  

Our dining room...

*all images were taken via my iPhone.*

I'm finding the older I get, the more sentimental I am.  I enjoy looking around our house and seeing things that create unshakeable memories.  When I stumble upon these finds at stores or garage sales, my heart skips a beat as I'm taken back to a fond place in my mind.  We've added a few of those important pieces in our home that trigger many of those memories Ryan and I had as children.  It's those things that keep us grounded and remind us of where we came from.  I love that.

For those of you looking for a new feel on a tight budget, it doesn't have to take hundreds of dollars to redecorate a living space.  Someone's trash can always become another's treasure which is the case in our situation.  With a little imagination, spray paint, a hammer and a few nails you can make most anything into something that fits your style and budget.

lots of. lots of.

My head is reeling from an incredible spring break.  When I think back over the past week and a half, my heart brims with thankfulness.

It was one of those fairy-tale weeks.  We never get enough of them in life and when we do, we don't want them to end.  We spent lots of time together.  I heard lots of laughter.  Everyone had lots of fun.  We made lots of memories.  Lots of.  Lots of.

Spring break started with Ryan taking Elijah and Aidan on a two day fishing trip to the Pere Marquette.  The weather wasn't so kind to them but their memories together will not be forgotten. The snow and icy conditions didn't stop them from telling us great stories of what happened while they were away.


While the older Miller men were away, Selah, Josiah, and I kept busy.  I took Selah out on a dinner+movie+haircut+manicure date.  It was time to catch up and just be girls.  I knew Selah needed time together as much as I did.  She also had a few friends over to play and stay the night.  We played board games and ordered pizza.  I sat with Josiah in my lap and watched the girls dance in the living room and I listened to giggling travel through the crack of her bedroom door.  I sang, "Girls just wanna have fun" in my mind.  Those lyrics are so true.

Our family was put back together on day 3 of break which fell just in time for the weekend.  My sister and her hubby were in town for a few days. We spent time at my parents house and we watched the kids run around the back yard with their cousins.  I went outside to snap a few photos just in time to see my nephew (the wolf) tackle and feast on Josiah (the turkey).  They chased one another around the yard in a comical-like fashion.  Both the wolf and turkey enjoyed the moment as much as I did.  

One thing that makes this break so delicious was that it was the perfect combination of busy and relaxing.  Many mornings were spent piled in our queen-sized bed watching cartoons.  We'd  all try to do the impossible and fit under the covers together. No words were needed. It was simple, cozy living and the perfect way to start a new day.

Because we had beautiful weather, I took the kids to the drive-in Root Beer Stand.  They each had two hotdogs, home made root beer, and lays potato chips.  The outside air was brisk but the sun kept us warm inside the car.  A few of the seats were removed which beckoned the kids to have a picnic-like lunch in the middle of our van.  They loved that. The kids finished up there lunch in time for me to drive them over to the local park to play.  All four of the kids hopped out of the van and ran with enthusiasm towards the playground.  As a mom, there's nothing greater than watching your child's excitement shine through their expressions and movement.  I saw both that day and it will be a sight that's forever etched in my mind.

Another highlight of Spring break was joining up with my sister's family for a road trip.  We ventured over to Chicago to visit Shedd's Acquarium.  To make the trip more memorable, we drove to Michigan City and hopped on the South Shore Train.  It was the first by rail trip for Josiah's as well as my niece and nephew.  I cannot count the amount of time Josiah exclaimed, "Choo choo!"  or "Train tracks!"  Ryan and I never got sick of it and smiled every time.

The kids soaked up the time with their cousins, we had fun with my sister and bro-n-law and enjoyed watching the kids take in all the sights and sounds of our mini vaca.  No matter how many times we've been, Shedd's Acquarium is never disappointing.  Everyone looks forward to it each and every time!

Spring break ended with a bang as we celebrated Easter with family.  We went to our church's Easter service on Saturday night and then had a low-key Easter morning at home with the kids.  They woke up Easter morn to a hunt in the yard for their baskets which then led to coloring eggs.  My parents came over for lunch.  The food was nothing short of amazing.  Later that afternoon, Ryan and I packed the kids into the van and headed to the park.  It was the perfect spring-like, low-key day! 

I will forever remember the time I had with my family over the past 10 days.  This one's going in the books!!  

            Josiah playing with marbles & sleeping in his new bed

while Selah became the queen of rollerblades!  

New shelf in our dining room                                   

Veggies for Easter dinner

Hope you had a great break, too!!