Christmas 09

The boys put our tree up several weeks ago. We have been known to put up to 13 trees up, but not this year. One was just fine.


Cookie Day!

The boys had a cookie making day. Dakota made sugar cookies and Elijah made rice cookies.









Elijah and his cookies.



Dakota and his cookies.

Merry Christmas

We have had a very Merry Christmas.

Happy Birthday!

I can't believe Elijah has turned 10! The years have flown by so quickly.

Each year on birthdays my guys want money so they can have a shopping day. Elijah always has Toys R Us on his list of places to go. I figured we would be there all day long, but Elijah wasn't feeling so great and didn't feel like walking around too much. He picked out a few things and was ready to go home. He didn't even spend all his money.

I think he made some good choices. He bought some Legos, robot bugs, a remote race car and a few more small things he wanted.

This year Elijah requested a birthday cake. He said he didn't care if it made him sick, he wanted a cake. So I went by our local health food store and found him stuff to make a wheat free, dairy free, gluten free cake. I found the cup cake mold at Wal-Mart and new that would make his day special.

This was Elijah's second birthday cake. He was so proud of that cake.

My niece Jessica

Today was a week that my niece, Jessica, was in a car wreck. We are so very thankful that she is alive. Things could have so easily have went the other way. Praise God for keeping a hand on Jessica.

Last Saturday morning Jessica was on her way to beauty school. As she topped a hill there was an 18 wheeler stopped in the road and he didn't have any lights on and no cones set out. Jessica slammed right into him.
You can see where her head went through the windshield. They had a helicopter come to the crash site and get her so she could get to the hospital faster.


At the hospital they sewed her face up and did a lot of xrays and CTs. Jessica was in so much pain.


The following days were filled with xrays, CTs and MRIs. Thankfuly the only thing broke was her foot. She will have surgery on her foot this coming Wednesday.

She has been in so much pain this past week. Please pray for a speedy recovery after surgery.

Still needing prayer.

I stopped taking Lyrica and the swelling in my hands, feet and legs have went down. I can get my shoes on now! I'm back to my regular dose of Prednisone. I just can't taper off. Even on the regular dose I'm still itchy, but it's tolerable.

I feel very weak. I have no energy, my arms feel so heavy, I can barely raise them up. My legs are also heavy, weak and feel like jello. And I can't stand for very long at all or my back starts hurting. I feel like I am such a mess! Please pray all this passes soon....

My health

Posting an update on my health to ask for prayer.

I am miserable! I don't know any other way to put it.....

Prednisone is surely killing me. I'm on Prednisone and Lyrica and they both cause weight gain. I have gained so much weight in the last month it is scarey.

I've tried to taper down the prednisone several times, but my body won't let me. The itching never completely goes away, but on the prednisone it settles it down to a tolerable amount. When I try to tapper off, it flares up and I am itching like crazy.

I can not stay on prednisone. Oh and the lyrica causes my hands, legs and feet to swell up like Popeye.

I just feel like crying. I need to start going in the other direction soon! I feel horrible! Please pray I can get off prednisone.

Elijah

Dakota made this collage of Elijah's Christmas pictures for me.

Dakota Miller Photography

Dakota has had a small photography business that he started at the age of 16 taking pictures of sports teams and making memory mates. After a year of playing around with that he has decided to go full blown with a photography business. So he made himself a website and got out there and started taking pictures.

http://dakotamillerphotography.com

He has been getting more business than I really expected.
Of course his life consist of editing photos now, but he is learning about about business and marketing.

He has taken engagement pictures for a couple and will be taking bridal pictures of Katlyn soon. He will also take their wedding pictures on November 20. He is excited about getting his first wedding.

You can see all 196 engagement pictures in this video.
http://www.youtube.com/dakotamillerphoto

Dakota also has this photo deal where someone can host a picture party and earn free pictures.

Host will have free sitting and earn a free package according to how many appointments show up.
15+ PKG A
25+ PKG B
30+ PKG C
35+ PKG D
40+ PKG E
50+ PKG F
60+ CD with your edited pictures.

• Host and Photographer will set date and time.
• Host will set location. This can be your home, church or any location.
• Photographer will provide Host with fliers.
• Host will advertise and make appointments. If Host plans to book more than 30 appointments, plan for a two day event.
• Appointments will be $12 paid at the time of sitting and will cover an 8X10. Additional packages may be purchased.
• Photographer will set up 2 – 3 picture stations according to the season.


He has two picture parties booked already. The first one is this Saturday. He'll have a fall scene set up and a kid friendly backdrop that he painted for Halloween costumes. The next one is a Christmas picture party and he will have 4 different scenes set up for pictures.

You can also check Dakota out on facebook.
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Dakota-Miller-Photography/188402868905?ref=nf

H1N1

Yep, H1N1 got Elijah. He was very sick for about 5 days then the next day he felt so much better.
He can't take meds so we just suffered through it.

He started out with a headache that he cried all night long with. He had fever, chills and was shaking. Then his nose started pouring and he started coughing and then the throwing up came.
It was a rough few days.

We stayed home all week and gave him the weekend to recover, but on Monday we jumped back into life and took some field trips, then Tuesday we had some running around town to do. Last night he felt bad when he went to bed and today it is nearly 1 PM and he is still asleep. He gets run down so easily, he needs his down time.

We had planned to make it to co-op this week, but last night I got the van stuck in the mud when I got home. I guess Elijah needed the day off anyway.

H1N1 seems to be making it's way around in our homeschool group, as I'm sure it is everywhere.

Art Fair 2009 Part 1

Dakota and Elijah take a lot of photos though the year. Jody also loves photography so many of our family days are spent out and about with those three just taking pictures of anything and everything.

Dakota and Elijah went through their pictures on their computers and picked out some to enter in the fair.

Dakota got 3rd place with this black and white.


Dakota's black and white landscape got 1st place.

Dakota's digital photo got 1st place.
Dakota's black and white person got 1st place.
Dakota's color person got 2nd place. This happens to be my favorite photo. He took it of Molly one day when they were just clowning around, she didn't he know he took it.
Dakota's color landscape got 1st place. He took this at the zoo one day.
Dakota's color animal got 3rd place.
Elijah's color landscape got 3rd place.
Elijah's color person got 3rd place.
Elijah's digital got 3rd place.
Elijah's black and white animal got 5th place.
Elijah's black and white person got 1st place.
Elijah's black and white landscape got 2nd place.
Elijah's color animal got 2nd place.

Fair Art for 2009 Part 2

Over the summer Dakota and Elijah worked on a lot of art. The fair finally came and they entered their projects. I was in the hospital the day they turned their art in and several of Elijah's items got put in the wrong categories, but he still did great.

Elijah's black and white landscape got 4th place.

Elijah's charcoal abstract got 1st place.
Dakota's colored abstract drawing got 2nd place.

Elijah's acrylic bird got 2nd place.
Elijah's acrylic portrait got 3rd place.

Fair Art for 2009 Part 3

More art and crafts.

This is a necklace Elijah made and it got 4th place.

A photo frame Dakota painted got 2nd place.
Dakota designed this layout and painted it on a small surf board got 1st place.
Dakota's oil tree got 2nd place.
Dakota's acrylic flowers got 2nd place.
Dakota's oil portrait got 2nd place.
Dakota's acrylic abstract got 4th place.
Dakota's oil Paris landscape got 1st place.
Elijah's acrylic landscape got put in the wrong category and he got 4th place.

Elijah's castle got 4th place in small wood items.
Elijah's acrylic abstract got 3rd place.
Elijah's tin punch art got 3rd place.

Elijah's charcoal portrait got 1st place.
Elijah's any other art got 4th place.
Elijah's watercolor abstract got 4th place.
Elijah's mosaic tree got 1st place.
Elijah's watercolor bird got 1st place.
Elijah's black and white abstract got 2nd place.
Elijah's black and white animal got 1st place.

Elijah's charcoal still life got 2nd place.
Dakota's acrylic landscape got 1st place.
Dakota's black and white portrait got 1st place.

Elijah's charcoal landscape got 1st place.
Dakota's colored drawing got 2nd place.
Dakota's colored landscape got 3rd place.
Dakota's black and white abstract got 1st place.
Dakota's black and white still life got 1st place.
Dakota's black and white landscape got 2nd place.
Elijah's black and white portrait got 2nd place.
We went and walked through the art display one night so they could see how they did and they were very pleased with how all their art placed. It was fun to look at all the art, crafts and photos.

Sunday we went back to pick up their art work.
Boy was we shocked at how much money they made. Dakota made $177.00 and Elijah made $178.00!

Both of the boys ordered themselves an ipod touch. Now they are waiting for them to come in the mail.