Bullet Points

Again, I've got nothing cohesive to say, but a few little things, so bullet points here we go:

• Today marks the first official day of summer for us. This morning at 8:56am I'm sitting at the kitchen table having coffee. The girls are sitting in the living room and MacKenzie says to me, "Mom, can we figure out something to do or somewhere to go since we have no one to play with." "Um, I'm sorry...what? You have each other to play with don't you?" Reagan pipes in, "Yeah, but me & MacKenzie don't really get along." Lord help me. It's going to be a long summer.
• Ty is on the move. Like seriously on the move. People keep asking me if I'm losing weight and how I'm dropping pounds. It was sort of baffling to me at first because I'm not working out too regularly and I definitely don't have the healthiest diet on the planet. I think I've figured it out though. I am constantly chasing my 11 month old. All. Day. Long.
• Ty is also overdue for his 11 month white chair picture. If I'm being totally honest I'm afraid. I'm afraid of how difficult it's going to be to sit him in a chair and get a picture of him. Did I mention he's on the move? Just the thought of the energy and sweat it's going to take to get him to sit his bottom down for 5 seconds is exhausting. Hey, maybe I'll lose a pound or two!
• I leave in just over a week for Italy. I still can't believe it's actually happening. It's like it is too good to be true. Oh and get this: Marty was paying our water bill the other day and noticed a letter in the bill. The letter said they were going to be flushing out the main water supply and when they do there can be natural sediments in the water that discolor it. They suggest that you not do any laundry on the days they are flushing it because it could possibly ruin your clothes. The days they are flushing: June 1, 2, 3, & 4! As in the 4 days leading up to me leaving!! I leave on the 5th! How in the world am I supposed to not do ANY laundry for the 4 days leading up to leaving!? Not to mention the kids' clothes that are going to be piling up prior to me leaving town. If I don't do laundry for ONE day, it starts to get overwhelming. Imagine four. Then I'm out. Fun times at The Miller house while I'm gone.
• I'm sitting here trying to come up with another bullet point so I can procrastinate going to the grocery store just a few more minutes, but I got nothin'. So I'm off to Wally World, my second home.

23

I found this pillow cover in a corner in Pottery Barn recently. It was tucked into a basket that was on a shelf in the corner of the store. Everything on the shelf was on clearance, so as you can imagine it was a random array of items. I've been admiring the whole writing-on-a-pillow style for a while, so when I saw this I was intrigued. Especially when I saw the price tag. I thought, "How could I use this? Would it work on my couch? Why would I need a pillow that described the number 2 on it?" Then a thought occurred to me. 23. 23 is our number. Man, too bad this is on clearance and there's only a 2, 4, & 6 left. That sure would have been cool. Oh wait, there's one more buried under all of these other covers. What is it? What is it? It's a 3! It was a sign. I had to have them. They needed to be, belonged actually, in my house.

You see 23 has been "our number" for a while now. We didn't really choose 23. It sort of chose us. Marty & I were engaged on the 23rd of the month.

The Saturday that happened to be the perfect date for when we wanted to get married and our venues were available was the 23rd.

Our first born child entered this world on the 23rd. And she was born just after midnight, so she barely made it. Our third child also entered in on the 23rd with a little encouragement from us and the doctor. But hey, it just so happened that the 23rd was one of the days of the month that fell within the week my doctor was willing to induce labor. And I firmly believe had we not "encouraged" my second child to come when she did she would have come on the 23rd on her own. It was July and I was miserable. Too miserable to wait even a few more days for her to continue our tradition. Ladies, you understand.

When we built our house we chose our lot based on location and yard space, etc. We liked that we would have one of the bigger backyards and that it was on a small cul-de-sac off of the main road. The lots were numbered not by the address but by some system the builder had. So it was lot #3789 or something along those lines. After we began the building process I was looking at a paper that listed the addresses that would be assigned to the lots. I think you know where this is headed.

23

When I went to register Reagan for Kindergarten the other day, one of the papers read at the top, "Welcome Class of 2023!" Well of course. It is only appropriate that we would have a child that would graduate in 2023.

When you flip around my nifty pillows, they display the numbers. Fun, right? They are definitely a conversation piece. I love that we have "our number" represented in our home at all times now.

Now please don't tell me about that horrible Jim Carrey movie, The Number 23. I never saw it, but I heard it was about how the number 23 is some evil number. Whatever. I choose not to believe that because look at all it's brought our family!

Oh and since we're on the subject of 23, in 23 days I am leaving on a jet plane....

And I will be landing here...

Someone pinch me! I cannot believe it. My Mom is taking my sisters & I to Tuscany to have cooking lessons from Tuscan women! I will turn the big 3-0 while we're there. I can't think of a better place to turn 30! Ciao!