Since we last wrote, we announced that we are expecting another boy the end of August. Now that baby is just weeks away from being born!
William turned four the end of March, and had a small party with a few friends at a nearby park. David did an amazing job decorating a Lightning McQueen cake! Among other fun toys, William is excited to have a new, bigger bike to ride. William and Emily both really miss their neighbors and friends, the Roach family, who moved in May. William has decided he wants to study dinosaurs when he grows up, but is satisfied by reading library books about them and playing with toys in the meantime. He enjoyed listening to a 200-page novel about some children who find a real stegosaurus. Recently he and David went on a two-mile bike ride on a trail near our home. He was very pleased with himself to have done that with his dad.
Neil learned to walk in March and loves getting around faster. He is a delight—often smiling, and always has a big hug to give us. He went through a phase where he did some signs for us, and would tease us by attempting to say a word here or there, but does a lot of grunting for the most part. Neil loves to do two things: whatever William is doing and throwing objects. The bigger or noisier the projectile is, the better. The two boys also have a great time putting our couch pillows in a big pile in our living room and climbing all over them. Neil is quite a climber and recently learned how to use chairs to get on the dinner table and access steak knives in the kitchen.
Emily has managed to survive most of another pregnancy. She has enjoyed taking the boys to the zoo and the Cincinnati Children’s Museum and Natural History Museum this spring and summer since we now have a family membership. She played her violin in church on Easter with her 12-year-old violin student, and she played again recently with a violist and cellist. After months of an on-and-off toothache, she finally gave in and had one of her last remaining unpaired teeth pulled. She is excited that some of the zucchini seeds we planted sprouted and are beginning to bear fruit. The past several months she and Neil have participated in several Proctor & Gamble studies for diapers and baby wipes, which has helped bring in a little extra cash. At David’s request, she made zesty bread and butter pickles, and they turned out well. In February Emily compiled 400 recipes from her family members for a cookbook. Everyone seems pleased with the published book.
David does an amazing job providing for our family and still making time for Emily and our children. Recently he felt the earthquake in Ottawa, Canada while at work. His team broke records in May for the number of patients seen, which did not make for easy shifts. He has a great attitude, nonetheless (after it was adjusted, of course). In June he and Emily enjoyed attending the neurology resident graduation. It is exciting to think he will be graduating in two more years! David is now officially a senior resident, which has already proven to be much more pleasant for all of us. In preparation for the reunion, David indexed and mastered a five-DVD set of Miller home videos to give to the family. The process was not without roadblocks, but we were pleased with the end result.
David and Emily enjoyed a trip to Chicago for a few days in March, thanks to David’s sister Lisa coming out to watch our boys. We stayed in the heart of downtown and enjoyed seeing several museums and eating out at restaurants. It was nice to get away—our first trip without the boys. Emily’s parents came for a couple days in May to visit before leaving on their full-time mission for our church. It was great to spend some time with them. We also enjoyed going to southeast Minnesota for the Miller family reunion to get better acquainted with family. William and David enjoyed going on a roller coaster, a canoe trip, and we all went on a tour of Niagara Cave while there.
