The Millers Embrace the Big Sky Ethos

Catching up with Bode and Morgan Miller—and their full house.

Every time Bode and Morgan Miller return to Big Sky after visiting family in California they take a pulse check to see how the kids are handling the move, and every time Montana wins hands down. “The kids are loving Big Sky,” says Morgan. Little did they realize when they arrived in Big Sky in July of 2020, that one week would turn into three years and counting. “COVID, for so many people, was challenging, but we received so many blessings from it, too,” says Morgan. “It gave us the opportunity to put down roots.”

Fast forward to 2023, and the Miller household in Spanish Peaks is brimming with energy, joy, and morning “rock, paper, scissors” sessions to see who gets driving duty—there are nine kids to shuttle to local schools with the addition of Morgan’s sister Erin and brother-in-law Jon and their three children. In Big Sky, says Morgan, the simplicity of life, slow pace, and focus on healthy living has allowed them to reevaluate what’s important. And what’s important is family. Bode describes cooking breakfast for the clan like trying to feed a summer camp. A normal morning sees them burn through two full bags of pancake mix. Their new daughter was born in 2021, which made Morgan exclaim: “Now we’re done!” But one of the biggest reasons the Millers now call Big Sky home is the role the community plays caring for and lifting up one another. Here, says Morgan, people are open minded, try new things, and “cut out the fluff.” “I’ve lived all over the world,’’ says Morgan. “But I’ve grown so much being here.”

It’s hard not to embody grit and determination when you live somewhere that hits -37 degrees. The kids, all 10 of them, are learning that same Montana resilience: “They can explore, find their limits and boundaries, and learn skills they can’t learn anywhere else,” says Morgan. She knew she belonged when the schools opened up after COVID and she could start participating. “Once we got to know the parents and our kids could have playdates with all their friends everything clicked,” says Morgan. Bode has also made deep inroads with the Montana ski community and is now the co-founder and Chief Innovation Officer of Peak Ski Company in Bozeman. “We’re grateful how accepting people have been to our family and we have a lot of gratitude for the community welcoming us to Big Sky,” says Bode. Look for the clan at Albertos, at the Hungry Moose after school, a PTO meeting, or the pie auction. Actually, the best place to find them is on the ski hill. As their seven-year-old likes to say whenever they travel home to Big Sky: “There’s snow again!”