C.C. Miller Photography » Blog

Pictures brought to you by the amazing Bethany Good Photography.  She is an amazing photographer.  But an even more amazing best friend.  You can read my ode to my bestie on this post.  I posted a few of the pictures she took for us here and here but am just now doing the official post of ALL of my favorites.   Probably not hard to see why.  She took a million amazing pictures for us and it has taken me quite some time to narrow it down to just 50 or so to post!   Thanks for rocking the Miller Party of Five photo shoot for us B. Good.  The Millers love you!

My sister and their kiddos were in town for Christmas which means my kids were pretty much in heaven.  We really didn’t see too much of them other than when it was time to eat.  It was playtime nonstop everyday, all day.  The last night my sister was here we got a hold of Easton’s new itouch and somehow started looking through the pictures.  And starting cracking up.  I’m talking DYING.  LAUGHING.  If we had any question of what they had been up to all the time, it was answered.  Non-stop fun.  Wrestling matches on the trampoline.  Dance Parties complete with choreography devised by the older cousins.  Wipe-out on the Kinect.  Ping Pong games.  Like I said, nonstop fun.  I had to download these pictures from Easton’s itouch and give the Kid’s perspective on Christmas 2011.  It was way better than any picture I could have taken with my dslr.  I love it.  THIS is what Christmas with family is all about.

And here is Christmas at my parent’s house.  Love these pictures of my dad on the guitar.  My mom and dad came up with a Christmas program where the kids read from the nativity scene and they each had a part.  Then we sang Christmas carols while my dad played the guitar.  It was stinkin’ precious.  Little momma was the cutest thing ever.  She had only one line to say because she can’t quite read yet.  Her line was “AND THEY NAMED THE BABY JESUS.”  She wasn’t quite sure when she was suppose to go so she kept saying her line over and over at the wrong times.  Nobody cared.  It was precious.  Coco, of course, wanted nothing to do with it because if he thinks he is SUPPOSE to do it, he will do the EXACT opposite.  That was, until we sang Jingle Bells at the very end.  Then he got busy…(see pictures below). We Thundered up.  The entire family.  All 16 of us….my sister’s, their husbands and kids, my parents, and Michael’s mom.  It was AMAZING.  Of course the 3 point shot by KD with 1.4 seconds left to win the game and beat the defending National Champs didn’t hurt. And finally…here is a few pics from Emmy’s school program at Grace. They all wore their Christmas pj’s and sang to the residents at Grace Living Center. She was talking about this for weeks and wanted to make sure that absolutely everyone was going to be there to watch her. So of course absolutely everyone was. Including Coco. Which probably didn’t go quite like she had hoped when he refused to “leave the stage” for the performance. Oh Coco. One day it will be your turn. I promise. I know. I know. It’s just so hard to be patient and wait for your turn when you’re the youngest

Last October we took Easton to NYC.  This October it was Emmy’s turn.  She opted to take her brother with her on her special trip which I thought was pretty darn sweeet.  We had SO much fun visiting my sister and her family and experiencing The Big Apple with little momma.  Here she is on her first flight.  It’s a rough life I tell you.  Of course daddy had her HOOKED UP in the electronic section and she was diggin’ the free snacks and drinks for sure!

The first day we were there we went to check out the Statue of Libery and on the way you could see this view of the rebuilding at Ground Zero… This statue was in Battery Park.  It really struck me, especially the picture below this of the immigrant mother who just made it to America holding her baby. I truly can’t imagine what it must have been like for these people who risked their lives to come over to America for a chance at a better life.  I really look forward to taking the ferry to Ellis Island and spending the whole day there eventually.  I definitely want to wait until all the kids are older though and they can truly understand and grasp what they are experiencing and seeing. My sister and the kids checking out the Statue of Liberty from Battery Park. State Island Ferry Sign. Loved this pic of the kids on the ferry looking out the window…. It’s not hard to see why they were looking.  Check out that view of New York! And the statue of liberty… And some more of New York. Kind of lovin’ this black and white…the bird flying in the sky on the far right.  The ferry in the water on the far left.  New York.  I’m just feeling it in this picture. Why not have a little fun on the ferry ride? I may or may not have cried when I saw this picture and the next one.  I’m so proud of my big sis and her husband and the work they are doing in New York City at Orchard Group but I miss her like crazy!  Guess we will just have to plan another trip out soon.  I could DEFINITELY handle that! Little momma on her first subway ride.  Not sure what to think perhaps? Easton on the other hand thought it was his job to be the “co-pilot” and help Aunt Rhesa navigate where we were going.  Shocker. Little momma was tired after alot of New York City walking. Um, I do believe that’s a “go to you know where look” if you take another picture of me, mom….
We took the kiddos to see Times Square. And Toys R Us and FAO Schwarz of course.  Little Momma loved the Barbie House.  Again, Shocker. Uh-oh….she also wanted this “boy barbie” as she called it who happened to be a shirtless Jacob Black from Twilight.  I know honey, I know.  Mommy likes Twilight too.  What can I say? Riding the carousel at Toys R Us. And here is a picture from that evening when we did a little birthday celebration with little momma and her big cousin Elana at the American Girl Store.  More on that store here. Dylan’s Candy Store.  If you go to New York City you  must, I repeat MUST, go here.  I don’t think there will ever be a time that I visit that I don’t stop by.  World’s coolest candy store ever. They have tons of fun candy and goodies and clever things like this….Can I get an Amen?!? And another Amen?!? And a BIG AMEN on this one!!!! The kids enjoying a hot dog after Braden’s basketball game.  No I didn’t take any pictures of the basketball game last year after I embarrassed myself by my Midwestern antics at his game last year.

And here are some pictures at FAO Schwarz. Little momma was pretty excited about the magic tricks.

And one of my other favorites from the trip.  A carriage ride through Central Park.  Let’s be honest…part of the reason I loved this is because first of all, I love horses and second of all, I love movies and celebrity gossip.  Our tour guide was pretty much awesome and told us every single place in Central Park that we passed where movies had been filmed as well as famous celebrities he had seen and where.  It was amazing!  I felt like I could skip reading my US Weekly and People magazine for the week after his very comprehensive tour! OK I would just like to say that clearly I didn’t not take this picture.  Or at least I hope it is clear.  I specifically tried to boss the driver around gently mention that the lighting was horrible where he was trying to take the picture but he wouldn’t listen.  So this will just have to do….our only family picture from the trip.  I’m a little sad about this and one of the many things I want to do this year is attempt to get in more pictures with my kiddos…especially when we take awesome trips together like this! This one is for D-Dad.  He always told the story about going to New York City and staying at the Plaza.  When I saw the kids standing there on the steps of the Plaza,  I thought of him and smiled.  I had to take this picture for him.  He would love it. And finally.  We took Emmy to the Eloise store downstairs in the Plaza.  It was a cute little place and had lots of fun things for the kids to play with and do.

And so ends our trip to New York 2011.  AMAZING.  The City is unlike any place I have ever been.  Each time I visit, I just find myself wanting to go back for more.  Can’t wait til our trip again next year.  The question is…should we take Coco or should we not?!?!  Hmmm….I think we all know the answer to that one!