The McMillins

It's been 3 days since we've been home from Maryland and we are back on the road to Missouri. We were originally planning on going out there the first week of July but Corey's grandfather passed today. So, we decided to go out now instead. Fortunately, we have awesome friends who are watching the house and cats for us. :)

It's pretty hard to pack in one night for one week. We actually did it, though. Corey is driving so hopefully Gretchen can sleep some. So, we're off..... yet again. We traveled 8 hours to Maryland and 8 hours back. We're traveling 12 hours to Missouri and 12 hours back. We'll let you know when we get back. :)

Last weekend, we made a trip to visit Gretchen's side of the family. We had a really nice time. We got to see Gretchen's grandmother, Aunt's and Uncle, cousins, her brother & Sister-in-law and our 2 nieces. We met our one niece for the first time. She's only 6 months old. Corey actually held her, too. It was really good to see everyone, especially since we only get to see everyone once a year. Hopefully some people will come down to visit us. :)

We also got to see Zach's Aunt Janet. She didn't really know Corey, so it was nice that she got at least a glimpse of who Corey is. It sounds like she might come down to visit sometime, which will be really good for Zach. :)

We were at Toys R Us with Gretchen's parents and ran into a friend of Gretchen's, Elesha. She really liked seeing her and her son, Elijah. Then, we went over to one of Gretchen's friend's house, Vanessa. All in all, we had a really nice time. There was only two people that Gretchen wanted to see that she didn't get to see.

While it's always nice to visit family, it's even better to be back home.... especially in our own bed! Our next trip will be even longer.... a 12 hour trip to Missouri to visit Corey's family. Then, we're done traveling for the rest of the year..... at least we think. :)

Saturday, Gretchen & Zach met up with some of Gretchen's friends from church up in MD. They were down on vacation. So, we met up with them downtown and had lunch. We walked around quite a bit and tried to show them around downtown, even though Gretchen isn't real familiar with it. Then, they came back to our house and we got to fellowship for the evening. It was such a nice evening.

When we went to put Zach to bed, he was really cranky and wouldn't listen (which is NOT like him at all). He felt really hot. So, we got the thermometer out. The first reading said 102.3 F & the second reading said 102.8 F. Both of us were really concerned about him. Gretchen was suppose to lead worship at church the next day but had to call the Pastor and tell him that she couldn't be there since it was the one Sunday Corey had to work. The Pastor was very understanding, though.

Zach ended up waking up a couple hours later, he was crying & couldn't tell you what was wrong. We think he was just hurting all over & so tired, especially from a busy day. Gretchen was up with him until 2:30 AM. He finally went to sleep for good for the night. The next day, his fever was down to 100.5. Gretchen took him to McDonald's for his favorite pancakes and then had to go to Walmart for groceries. He seemed in a pretty good mood when we got home. He played his video games for a little bit. Then, Corey came home & wanted to go out to eat. While we were out, Zach just looked really tired. We could tell he was sick b/c he didn't eat but one bite of his mac & cheese and when we asked if he wanted dessert he said "NO". That's when you know kids are sick.

He's feeling better today. His fever is probably down to 99. He's developed a cough, now. Gretchen gave him some medicine and he seems to be fine now. We'll see how he does the rest of the day. Keep him in your prayers! :)

Corey & Zach made it very special for Gretchen for Mother's Day. They made all these different cards with different messages in them and put them around the house. Then, when Gretchen walked downstairs to the kitchen where they were lined up across the kitchen counter and stove and they spelled out "Happy Mother's Day". Gretchen was so surprised and loved it so much. She definitely felt appreciated.

Corey & Gretchen, together called his mom & step-mom, and Gretchen's mom to wish them a Happy Mother's Day and to let them all know that we love & appreciate them.

Our heart goes out to those who lost their Mother, which I'm sure made the day hard for them. Our heart also goes out to those Mother's who have lost their children and to those Mother's who didn't hear from their children on this special day. We hope you all still had a Happy Mother's Day!

This weekend, we spent all day Saturday painting our living and dining room. We also picked out drapes and rods for the rooms as well. We actually started painting Friday night. We had decided to paint the room a deep gold color. When we started painting, it was a bright school bus color. Corey was REALLY worried about it. He said that he only wanted to paint one wall and then see how it looked in the morning. He said that if he liked it, he would never question Gretchen's judgement regarding paint again. Well, he likes it.

After we got done painting the walls and finishing the trim, we went out to eat and also went and got rods and curtains for the room. Today, we put the rug that was upstairs, downstairs under the dining room table. We really like downstairs now. It's VERY modern but comfortable. We hope everyone will get a chance to see it sometime. :)

Zach went to the chiropractor for the first time. We both go pretty regular whenever we need to. Zach always goes with us. So, he was pretty excited when it was his turn. They took x-rays of his spine and then made him lay on the table. He was really excited until the Doctor came in and started "cracking" his back and neck. Then, he just stopped talking. He looked at the Doctor with some confusion. The Doctor was really good with him but Zach didn't look too sure about it. When he got done, he talked the nurses' ears off. They gave him yet another sticker after giving him 2 when we had arrived.

The Doctor said that he has a lean in his spine but that it could be from how he was standing. Although, he doesn't think so. So, he will be going over the "report" with Gretchen tomorrow morning and then adjusting Zach again.... and hopefully Gretchen too. :)

Gretchen's parents came down to visit with us for the weekend. It was a fun visit. The weekend seemed to go by so fast but it was very relaxing. Everytime Gretchen's parents come down to visit they start to like the area more and more. We're hoping they'll move down here within the next couple of years. They have a very close and special relationship with Zach, since Gretchen did live with them for the first 2 years of Zachariah's life. They are very special to Zach, too. He cried when we got home and he realized that they weren't coming back to our house.

They seemed to really enjoy their visit. Gretchen likes to cook for them when they come down but there are a few places that they really like to eat at that they don't have where they live. So, we go to their favorite places when they are down here. They LOVE our couch. Gretchen's Dad actually fell asleep on it. Corey calls it the "George Foreman" couch because when you sit or lay on it, it knocks you out. lol

Gretchen started back at the gym today. It's been about 3 weeks since she's been. She hasn't been watching what she's been eating (and she's been loving it). Although, she doesn't love the weight that comes with eating what she wants. So, she's back on her diet and back in the gym.

Gretchen has gained a little bit of weight recently, no more than 6 or 7 lbs (she thinks). So, she's going to go back on her "diet" and start at the gym next week. Her parents are coming down to visit us this weekend, so she can't start this weekend.

Gretchen is thinking about teaching at Zach's school next year. It's really an ideal job for her. She'd be there during the same hours Zach is AND we would only have to pay 50% of the tuition fee for Zach. Plus, the kids are so sweet at the school. The teachers are really nice too.

Gretchen has been cleaning and putting stuff on ebay to sell. It's a great way to get rid of our stuff and make a little extra money. :) She's been trying to figure out how to use some of the software on our computer. We can record from our cable on our computer. She's been recording the "Planet Earth" series. She's been working on taking the commercials out so we can burn them to DVD's. Now, we just need some blank DVD's.... time to go to Walmart. :)

Gretchen was gone this past weekend to go to the Beth Moore Conference. She left Thursday afternoon and came back Saturday afternoon. She had a great time. She loved having a girls' weekend with NO children. They stayed up late, went swimming, went shopping, ate and of course enjoyed the Beth Moore conference. They had an awesome time worshipping God with 18,000 other women. It's almost a glimpse of what heaven will be like. Just seeing all those women raising their hands and singing to God. It was an amazing sight.

She missed Corey and Zach a lot. What mother and wife wouldn't miss their family.? It's always good to get away from the family for a couple of days. It's so important for women to spend time AWAY from their children, for those who are always with them. It's also healthy for the children. Of course, Zach didn't mind too much. He got Corey all to himself. :) Gretchen really didn't want to leave at first b/c she knew how much she would miss both of them but Mothers often have to force themselves away in order to get the time they need for themselves, no matter how much they know they'll miss their family.

God was definitely at work at the conference. Ten people became christians (dedicated their life to Christ). Beth Moore is so funny and really motivating. She really digs into scripture and teaches you the greek words from the original text of the Bible. Corey & Gretchen both LOVE that kind of teaching.

Last Saturday night, our friends watched Zach while we went bowling with some other friends. Zach's teacher at school, Alissa, and Gretchen have became friends. Alissa asked Gretchen if both of us wanted to go out with her and her husband, Mike. So, we went bowling with Alissa and Mike and another couple that they are friends with, Cameron and Emily. We had so much fun. We went to Olive Garden for dinner and then went to the Naval base to go bowling. Cameron is in the Navy, which is how we got into the bowling alley. This bowling alley is nice because it is no smoking. It was so nice getting to know both couples. We are planning on getting together this weekend as well. Here's the guys being all tough. :)

This week is spring break for all the kids. It's kind of nice not having a schedule for Zach. We plan on getting together with Alissa and her daughter, who is 4, and going to House of Bounce this week. That should be a lot of fun.

A week ago, from last Friday, Gretchen went with her Women's Bible Study on a Canoe at a park. She had a lot of fun and some adventure. They went canoeing in a swampy area. They saw some alligators. They canoed down the whole waterway and stopped and ate lunch at a picnic area. Then they canoed the rest of the way back. They had a lot of fun! Here's a picture of one of the alligators they saw.

Corey's been spending time with Zach everyday when he gets home from work playing video games with him. That's the first thing Zach asks Corey about when he gets home. That has become their "bonding time". Although, Zach likes to wrestle with Corey a lot, too.

We had to get a new computer last week. Our other one was having a lot of trouble. We had to redo the entire system and it still had problems. So, we went to Best Buy got another one. We love it! We got a 24" widescreen HD monitor to go with it. It's been nice not having to worry about computer problems. Our last computer was a Sony but we got a lot more system for less money by getting a Gateway instead. We're thinking about making the other computer Zach's if we can ever get it fixed.

We finally got the rest of our new furniture this week. We LOVE it! It's so comfortable and warm feeling. We also ordered a modern piece of artwork to hang above the couch. As soon as we get that, we can pick out curtains and paint. We're very excited! The house definitely has a nice "warm" feeling to it. We can't wait for people to come down or out to visit. (especially our family members... hint, hint!!)

We also are enjoying our online subscription to Blockbuster. It's VERY nice. We especially like the fact that we can go into Blockbuster and exchange the movies. That way, we don't have to wait for them to receive it. Plus, we get a free coupon every month to rent either a game or another movie for free. We've found that we've been watching more movies lately. That's probably the only downfall of these types of things. You want to make sure you get your money's worth but you don't want to spend all your time in front of the TV.

This week has been so nice outside. Gretchen picked Zach up from school, came home and took him on a nice long bike ride. He has 2 bikes to ride. One is for kids just learning how to ride and he has another that is a regular bike with training wheels. We've been really trying to get him to ride the bigger bike. The more he rides it, the less scared of it he will be. He did it. He was on the bigger bike a good bit around the neighborhood. Then, Gretchen fixed him a sandwich and chocolate milk so he could have something to eat and drink while she took him on a wagon ride. He LOVED that. It's so nice to be home during the day while all the kids are at school and while there isn't as much traffic going through the neighborhood. Now, we just can't wait to get a fence. :)

As much as Gretchen planned on going to the gym, she didn't. Corey was able to easily convince her to take this week without Zach and sleep in. He convinced her to eat whatever she wanted and to just enjoy her freedom. Of course Gretchen thought it was a good idea as well. She hasn't done much this week except sleep in and watch a lot of movies/ tv shows. This wasn't exactly what she planned in her mind. She planned on really cleaning the house and getting some reading done. Oh well.... there went that plan. lol

So, today she is cleaning some. She did get Zach's room clean. Now she's working on our room.

We went shopping the other night for some furniture for the living room and bought some. This wasn't planned but it was a nice time to go to a furniture store WITHOUT a 3 year old climbing over everything. (We're sure most of you parents know what we're talking about) We're both very picky about what kind of furniture that we like. We finally found a set that we liked and they had a "sale" too. So, we were sold. We should be able to pick some of it up this weekend before we get Zach back. It would be really nice if we could get the painting done before we get Zach but we're not sure if that is going to be possible.

This is Corey's first week with his "regular" schedule. Yesterday he had to work a 13 hour day. That's the downfall of working days, Mon-Fri. If a project isn't done, Corey HAS to stay until it's done. It's been different. So far, Gretchen likes the shift work better. He's not tired on the days that he's off during shift work. Now he comes home from work and is tired everyday. The nice thing about this is that if he doesn't like "days", he can go back to "shift work" in 6 months.

We dropped Zach off with Gretchen's parents this afternoon. :( We're so sad. We miss Zach already. The only reason we let him go to Maryland is because it's his cousin Kara's 4th birthday. We wanted him to be there for her for her birthday. Zach was so excited to see Nana and Pop-pop. We told him we were going to be so sad and he said, "It's okay. I'll come back." Isn't that so sweet?? :(

On the way home from dropping him off with Gretchen's parents (we met them a little less than half way for us), we were talking about how much we already missed him. Of course, we do realize that we need to take advantage of this opportunity for it to be the two of us. Especially since we haven't really gotten a lot of that from the time we even met.

Gretchen is kind of looking forward to this week alone. She can sleep in. She doesn't have to worry about fixing meals for anyone except for Corey. She can go to the gym without worrying about Zach crying because she leaves him in child watch. She's planning on really watching her diet and going to the gym and cleaning the house this week. Oh yeah... and lots of R&R. :)

We decided to join Blockbuster online since we could exchange movies at the store with our online account. We haven't received any movies yet because we just signed up yesterday. So, we'll see how long it takes to get the movies and how their services are. If we don't like them, then we'll be joining Netflix.

Corey starts his normal hours tomorrow. We're pretty excited. Corey's hoping to get up around 4:30 AM so he can go to the gym before he actually starts work. They have a gym at his work for everyone to promote exercise and healthy living. Corey likes it a lot. We'll see how he feels in the morning, though. lol Before Zach was born, Gretchen used to get up and be at the gym by 5:30 AM. That got old quick!! However, it was very energizing and she did see lots of results from it.

It's that time.... to shed the weight. Ever since we went on that cruise, we haven't been eating as healthy as we should. In fact... we've been eating ALL junk food for the last month. Gretchen started her "Fat Smash" diet today. She also starting going to the gym again.... FINALLY! She has tried over the past month but has been sick twice! Hopefully it will stay away this time.

We haven't been doing a whole lot. We sent our taxes off to Corey's Dad. Hopefully we'll be getting that next week. It will definitely help us to pay off our bills. We'll be down to just a house payment and truck payment along with all the utility bills. lol Our goal is to try to pay off the truck next year. Then, we'll start working on paying the house off. That will probably seem like forever. lol :)

We've rented about 4 movies in the last 5 days. So, we figured it's time to join an online movie subscription.

This is Corey's last week of working night shift. It's a bitter sweet thing. He starts working straight days Monday-Friday next week. It will be an adjustment. We know... most people don't understand HOW it could be an adjustment when we're the ones going back to the "Norm". It is though. Technically, we won't get as much time together but at least he'll be home every night with us. :) Plus, it helps Gretchen because now she doesn't have to worry about bringing Zach to worship team practice. Although, he is such an angel while at practice. The Pastor even commented on how good he was. :)

Thursday was Gretchen's birthday. She turned the big 27!! She doesn't like it at all because it means she's closer to 30. She had a pretty nice birthday. We took Zach to school in the morning. She was sick but wanted to go look at furniture while Zach was in school and while we could do it together. We didn't get anything but we were looking at what we wanted.

We picked Zach up from school and went out to eat. Then, we went to Walmart and got some paint to paint the kitchen. When we came home, Zach took a nap and Gretchen wanted to start painting. We started painting around 3:30 p.m. and didn't finish until 11:30 p.m. Plus, we had to clean up our mess for the next morning because Corey had Bible Study the next morning. We did get all the painting done except for touch-up stuff. It looks soooo much better! We took a picture during the day but it didn't turn out real good because the sun was shining in pretty bright.

Some bad news to report is that Corey is being forced to start working days starting the beginning of March. We're really going to miss having his whole 4 days off. He'll have to work Monday-Friday, 8 hours a day. He has to do this for 6 months and if he doesn't like it then he can go back to his shift work. This affects mostly our vacation. We were able to go to Maryland during his 4 days off. Now, we don't know when we'll be able to go. Plus, we had to cancel our trip to Missouri in March. It's a difficult time but we did pray that if it was God's will that they would make Corey go to all days. So, it must be God's will. Everything will work out. It's just a matter of adjusting. I guess in some ways it could be good news because now Corey can get involved with church. We will see!

We've almost made it. Two more days and it's official. We'll be married for 1 whole year!! Time sure does fly. Don't worry.... there WILL be many more to come! We're so happy and excited.

The first year was a little tough. Of course, we were instant family also. The hardest part was Gretchen moving to a new state and not knowing anyone. Some of Corey's friends' wives really helped with that after about 6 months of being married. So, the first 6 months were definitely the hardest with Gretchen being in a depression and Corey not knowing how to handle that. Then, Gretchen got involved with a women's bible study which helped to get to know more people. Plus, Gretchen was so used to being a single parent that it took some time for both of us to learn how to work together to discipline Zach & other areas of how we wanted to raise our child(ren). Overall, it's definitely been a growing time for both of us. We're closer and much more stable than we were a year ago and that's what counts. God has stretched us and b/c we have had faith in HIM, we have a wonderful marriage.

So... to celebrate, we're going on a cruise.... with Gretchen's parents and Zach. lol Well.... it'll be nice. Gretchen's parents are taking Zach for Saturday night through Monday (at the very least). That way, we can still see them if we want or we can just be by ourselves. Corey is looking forward to EATING! lol He has no idea what's coming to him. He has never been on a cruise before. We feel so fortunate that God has blessed us to be able to do something luxurious as this. If it wasn't for God's blessings that He's given us.... it wouldn't be possible.

Gretchen just started reading a book called, "Shepherding a Child's Heart" by Tedd Tripp. It's very good. It definitely gives a better perspective on how to parent. We focus on what God wants for him now, instead of what we want for him. That way he understands that it's about glorifying God and not just obeying us b/c we're his parents. We're God's messengers to him. We especially like how he talks about parents being disobedient to God if they don't spank their children. Proverbs 13:24 says, "He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him." The world wonders why we are living in such a corrupt society yet psychologists are telling parents to do the exact opposite of what the Bible says to do like put children in time out instead of spanking them. They took prayer out of schools, they want to take out "UNDER GOD" out of the pledge of allegience and NOW they want to make it illegal to spank your children. Our society is the way it is b/c it's going AWAY from what the Bible is teaching. A child learns to receive correction, not b/c parents are always right, but b/c God says the rod of correction imparts wisdom, and whoever heeds correction shows prudence (Proverbs 15:5, 29:15; "Shepherding a Child's Heart"). Parents only muddy the waters when the bottom line in discipline is their displeasure over their behavior rather than God's displeasure with rebellion against His ordained authority. We tell Zach, when he disobeys us, that God says that we have to spank him when he disobeys us. So, if we don't spank him then we're disobeying God. He really listens when we tell him that. It really seems to make a difference. God definitely knows what He's doing better than any psychologist. If you are a parent with children living at home and haven't read it, we recommend that you do.

Okay... we're getting off our soap box. No posts for the next week. We will definitely let you know how the trip went. Have a good week, everyone! :)

It's been so nice getting back to a normal schedule lately. We're kind of glad the Holidays are over with. There's usually so much chaos and business. Plus, it's nice to have the Christmas decorations packed up and put away. They are nice for a time but can feel like clutter after a while.

Gretchen started back at the gym on January 2nd. The gym was definitely busy with all those people making "New Year's Resolutions". Although, the gym has already slowed down some. Gretchen is trying to lose some weight before the cruise. Corey thinks she looks great already but she's very self-conscious. She was doing really well until she got sick. Last Saturday, she had a really bad headache and could barely get off the couch. It progressively got worse throughout the week. Her head started feeling better and she went to the gym 2 days this week but she started getting really congested. So, she's been trying to rest and eating chicken noodle soup and drinking lots of orange juice to get better. She can't wait to get back to the gym.

We go on the cruise with Gretchen's parents in 2 weeks. We're really looking forward to it. We'll be celebrating our 1 year anniversary on the cruise! Can you believe it??? ONE YEAR!!! It should be fun! We're going parasailing, kayaking and snorkeling on Grand Cayman Island. Corey is going scuba diving on Cozumel while Gretchen, Zach and her parents go to this "Beach Break" thing. Then, we're planning on just relaxing the rest of the trip. It'll be a nice break for Corey since he's been working so hard the past 5 months.

HAPPY NEW YEAR to everyone! We've had a nice couple of days together as a family. We've been able to relax a lot. Corey has been able to play his xbox 360 except he's had problems with it the past day. He called Microsoft yesterday and they are sending a box to us to ship it in. Hopefully they'll be able to fix it. It plays on a regular TV but when we try to play it on our new 62" HD TV, it won't stay in the HD setting. So, hopefully we can get it fixed so all of us can play it. :)

We got this TV about a month ago. We weren't planning on getting a TV but Gretchen saw an ad on craigeslist.com for this TV. The guy had bought it 4 months prior w/ a 4 year warranty but had measured wrong in his house. The TV was too big for his house. So, we got it for half the price that it cost him (including the stand). It was such a good deal, we couldn't pass it up. Plus, Corey works really hard to support his family.... he deserves to buy what he wants, which he basically does. lol Besides, he has the final say anyway. He IS the leader of our home.

We're not doing much tonight. New Year's isn't a huge event for us. It's just the beginning of another year that we've been blessed to still be here for. We hope all of you have a Happy New year! BE SAFE!