Friend & Family Photos

Two beauties...Julie Brown & Christie DeSantis...at our Christmas festivities!

Our close friends...Angela & Greg Murphy...in front of our tree!

The master gingerbread house maker...Lukas & Rachel did a great job decorating it!

Papa's getting into the spirit...and NeNe is all about getting the milk in!

My beautiful sister and her handsome son Lukas...at AC Gilbert House...
where we celebrated Mateo's 2nd birthday. The cousins had a blast hanging out together.

Papa comes to visit

Who would have guessed that Papa would be so interested in taking a picture by this sign...

but it was quite a big deal. Perhaps he really is a liberal at heart!!

Papa and the grandsons...there are few things better than

having Papa in the house with all the grandsons!!

Mateo turned 2, and we celebrated at the AC Gilbert House.
Check out that turtle cake...Mom did the baking, Tia Rachel did the frosting.

Oh the joys of the toilet box house...who taught Mateo to be such a ham??

Nona is wearing all her finery at our Christmas party...

Love from Oregon, the Millers

Papa Pictures

So Papa is coming on Thursday, so we figured we should get up some pictures from our last visit with him.



Mateo loves tickle torture...if you ask him if he wants it, he says please and starts shrieking in anticipation.



Mateo helped Papa open his new toaster oven...an early Christmas present. He way digs unwrapping presents...so birthday and Christmas back to back should be fun!



We decorated our tree last week in anticipation of our annual Christmas party with our Silverton friends (which happened on Saturday night). I'll post those pictures soon. This kid makes me believe in Christmas again! :)

Miller Family Dinner

So here it is again, two weeks since I made a post...I ran across these pictures of our last family dinner at Mama Nona's. Our two nieces (Pamela's daughters), Tegan and Cielle, both brought home beaus to meet the family.



Cielle and Dario traveled from Rome to celebrate Thanksgiving with us, and then at the coast for their traditional Thanksgiving celebration with family friends at a camp on the beach.


Tegan brought Sam whom she met at work down to meet everyone. They are both working for a company that recently got purchased by Microsoft, so there was much joking about them going to work for the evil M.

Nona put on quite a feast (she always does), and we ate until we had to be rolled away from the table (and then she pulled out not one, but two pies). I felt bad for the boys who were indoctrinated properly into Italian eating...I remember how bad my stomach felt for more than a week after I did the tour in Connecticut. I didn't think it was possible to eat that much at one time.

There really are pictures from Thanksgiving at my dad's...I just need to get them downloaded to the computer.

Hugs from Oregon...Sarah

Cole's Book Club Birthday

Mateo is in that stage where he wants to do what the big kids are doing. Ellie came with Cole for his bookclub birthday party...and they were dancing, jumping fools!!

Cole always brings his portable DVD player...they were watching Meet the Robinsons...well, at least Cole was watching.

Cole turned six on November 18th...he loves book club presents. We celebrated at Aunty Teresa's house...which has become a ritual for his birthday. And as a special Cole birthday present...Aunty Kristi came from Salt Lake City to celebrate.
Mateo enjoyed visiting with all the Aunties...here is Aunty Natalie.
Aunty Kristi & I got Cole the game Operation for his birthday...first let me say they have changed the buzzer since I used to play it...it is not so loud. That said, however, it is just as annoying when you go on and on and on...

We jumped a quick plane home and had enough time to do one load of laundry and then we were off to North Idaho to see Papa for Thanksgiving. Those pictures will come in a couple of days. We had a very good time...and are excited that Papa will be coming in just 3 weeks to celebrate Mateo's birthday with us.

Hope all is well for you and yours...Sarah

Mateo pics

So I have not been very good about getting photos up lately, so this is one of those days when I will load like 3 blogs worth...

These are precious shots of Mateo being a big boy wearing Mama's slippers...

and all dressed up at Uncle John Miller's funeral dinner. This will also be the Christmas outfit this year!

And then cousin NeNe (Nathan) might be the cutest blonde kid I have ever seen.

The cutest costumes in Silverton...

First of all, our apologies to the Petrik kids, who were the cutest Minnie Mouse and Spiderman we had ever seen...but we forgot to catch them in action.

Lily Kelley AKA Bat Woman

Maggie Kelley AKA Princess Mags

Maddie Broyhill AKA Dr. B

Andrew & Kate Fronza AKA Big Bad Wolf & Grandma

Lucy Fronza AKA Little Red Riding Hood

Pudding and Halloween

Mateo has found pudding...and he loves chocolate. Could you guess??



So I am finally getting around to posting the pictures from Halloween...Mateo had a blast and is still enjoying treats from his pumpkin. We had a costume fiasco...the monkey one Matt bought was too small...so he found this dalmation get-up on Halloween morning. We celebrated at Nona's so that we could actually have some trick or treaters. We gave out almost 100 full-size candy bars!!



Hope all is well with you and yours.

Hugs, Sarah & Matt & Mateo

My super cool studly brother...and a few more Connecticut pictures

So Joe sent a note from West Point this past weekend:

"This morning I did a 18 mile ruck march with a 22 lb ruck (very light). It was for the German Proficiency Badge among other requirements for it. I had to get under 5 hours to get the Gold and we did it in 4:13. It was just fun to do it with my buddies Jake and John (Idaho Falls boy) and a couple of firsties from my company who are awesome guys. I really am starting to have a few guys who I can call, my best friends, and family. And Jake and John are among those guys. School is good. Hard but thats the way things go. Working hard and hope to do well enough on a couple of exams to get to go to the Air Force/Army Game this next weekend."

Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers...



Cousin Yvonne sent these pictures from our visit in CT...below from left to right Yvonne, Robert, Stephen (Yvonne's son), and Sandra.



Yvonne is definitely well-trained in the art of feeding people until their stuffed to their eyeballs...Mateo was introduced to manicotti and loved it!!



We're looking forward to our next trip back east when Joseph graduates from West Point in Summer 2010!! Until then, we are hoping our Connecticut family will trek west to see us.

Love from Oregon, Sarah

Papa Photos

So we had a great visit with Papa this last weekend. He came in on Thursday night (after a plane ride that probably could have made a milkshake with the turbulence). Matt picked him up and we had a feast of a dinner at MamaNona's. Dad hasn't been trained in the fine art of eating Italian...so when we told him there was dessert, I wasn't sure he'd be up to it. But any of you who know my father, know he loves apple pie. And Nona makes a mean apple pie.

On Friday, Matt took Papa & Mateo to the AC Gilbert House (Children's Museum in Salem) where Mateo got to play on equipment and in the bubbles.

It is right next to the Salem Carousel, so of course, there were several rides on that!! Hope you enjoy the video below...





On Saturday, we hung out and watched college football. I worked on a web page for Dad...which will be unveiled soon, so keep checking back. The portrait of him is for the website...and for those of you who are wondering, I don't really do websites...I just dabble in them.



Sunday, we went to Mass and then finished a visit to Maggie Kelley's sixth birthday...which was a ballerina fest. I have never seen so much pink in my life!!

I am back to work and trying to keep my head above water. It's a challenge, but I am grateful for all the flexibility that comes with it.

I am headed to bed now...hope all is well with you & yours. Hugs from Oregon, Sarah

One more picture (and the 100th post!!)

This one came today in email from Grandma B...we had a great time seeing her family!

Catching up #2

John & Andrash Britschgi teaching ladder ball to Mateo


Kinga Britschgi, Mary Goode, and Papa LaPlante filling up


Nancy Gomez (wife of Colonel Gomez who helped Joseph get into West Point), Grandpa B, and the guest of honor!


Cousin Whitney tossing Lukas around...


Colonel Gomez speaking about how proud he is of Joseph...and encouraging us all to come hear him speak to prospective candidates and their families. I got a chance to hear him talk, and it was awesome. I respect what he is doing and am proud of the choices he is making.

It was a great time...Rachel throws a great party!!

Catching up #1

Mateo loves Tia Rachel's big back yard...



Joseph and Lukas had a rousing game of hide & seek...



Cousin Andrash Britschgi kneels and is still taller than Mateo...



Mateo loves sitting in a little chair...



More pictures soon...Hugs, Sarah