New Year's Resolution...

After enduring much "you need to update your blog more often" I have decided my New Year's Resolution will be to post updates more frequently - we'll see how that goes!

I really would have written sooner in the month, but I have just returned from being out of town where my computer access was very limited.

First, we had a wonderful Christmas! We spent Christmas Eve with our Opp Family at the Chinese restaurant and as unorthodox as that is it was an absolute blast! It's fun when no one has to worry about cooking or cleaning. We had the missionaries with us and one of the Elders is Alan Osmond's sons (from the Osmond Brothers) and no he wasn't on the Oprah special because he was on his mission (I hear that question a lot!). After dinner we got a guitar in his hands and man he could play! Then later on that night we got home and I spent until the wee hours of the morning wrapping presents. The next day we woke up and got Madeleine up (actually I believe she got us up). We said a little prayer thanking Heavenly Father for the birth of our Savior and Andrew went downstairs to turn on the Christmas lights and to see if Santa had come - HE DID! So Madeleine got to play with all the toys that Santa had brought her - a johnny jumper, a new piano, teddy bear, mirror, new bibs, a bunch of little rattles and plush toys and her big present - a Fisher Price Laugh and Learn House that she'll get to really enjoy over time. She acted so excited every time she got to play with a new toy - almost like she really knew what was going on (at least that's our story and we're sticking to it!!!). We then packed up all our other presents and headed over for a Mills Family Christmas celebration which included a yummy breakfast with dad's homeade biscuits, opening lots (and I mean LOTS) of presents, and watching several movies (my brother Ryan bought my parents a home theater projection system - it was awesome!). We thoroughly enjoyed this Christmas holiday.

We celebrated our five year wedding anniversary two days after Christmas by having Madeleine sealed to us as a family (A sealing is - An ordinance performed in the temple eternally uniting a husband and wife, or children and their parents - you can find out more at Mormon.org). It was such a special day! Who knew that five years previous our lives would have been blessed by that experience. Madeleine smiled the whole time, like she knew what was happening. Afterwards we celebrated at Andrew's parents with my Cafe Rio concoctions - everybody left stuffed!

Madeleine has been growing leaps and bounds and the most exciting thing is that she can sit! I just tried it one evening while wondering what she would do - she sat marvelously until she would teeter to one side and fall. That has been a big thing as she is able to sit and play with her toys and bounce a little as she does. She has also started to shake her head like no - it's pretty darn cute, but drives Andrew crazy! She loves to laugh and smile and is thankfully a very good-natured happy little girl. We're working on the solid foods and we've found she really likes carrots and squash she'll even eat the whole jar!

It has really felt like we've been gone most of the month of January - which we sort of have! We took a nice little vacation out west to Utah and Idaho to ski and visit family and friends. When we arrived in Salt Lake it was white with snow and cold! Andrew and I ended up taking separate flights - he let me take the direct flight with his Delta ff miles (so I could take Madeleine) and he took a Frontier flight with a connection through Denver. We arrived within a little over an hour of each other picked up our rental car and we were off! First stop was to drop off the skis to get tuned up and ready to go and then we went to lunch to - where else - Cafe Rio! I have to say my recipes are pretty darn close to the originals which made me pretty happy - it was good! We checked into our hotel and my old roommate Kim was in town visiting her family and stopped by with her cute little girl - Addy (yep, so there was Addy and Maddy). It was so fun to see her again.

That night we went to see Emily (Andrew's sister) and our nieces Gracie and Megan.

The next day we made the mistake of attempting to ski. It was absolutely a mess! Our first clue should have been when we couldn't drive up into the canyon because it required snow chains or 4 wheel drive so we attempted to take the bus up there. We waited over an hour for a bus to finally pick us up and we were packed in like sardines! We finally made it up the ski resort (we ski Alta) but the bus dropped us off at the wrong end so we had to take the wretched rope tow to the other side - I thought I was going to die! Oh and I should also mention that it was like an absolute BLIZZARD up there! After all that we ended up skiing down only once, the visibility was so bad you couldn't see but a few feet in front of you making it difficult to see if you are about to ski off a cliff, definitely not my favorite. As I was skiing down, I went off into a major snow bank and got completely buried!!! I thought I was just on top of the snow but as I tried to pry myself up, I was quite a bit deeper! Losing your skis in deep powder is quite exhausting and I was beat! We later learned that Alta got 25" of snow that day - no wonder!

Luckily Emily was able to watch Madeleine for us (Big thanks to Emily and Spencer) and even though we were the concerned parents, Madeleine was so happy to spend some time with her cousins she almost seemed disappointed when we came home she was having so much fun playing!

We decided the next day we were going to go up and see Temple Square. It is so beautiful there I absolutely love it and never seem to tire of it. Later that day we went swimming in the frigid indoor hotel hot tub, but it was still fun!

Then of course we had to do some shopping! Andrew loved the REI in Utah - quite a bit bigger then the one's we have in Georgia. Plus we were able to go to Deseret Book, get some Lion House rolls, go to Downeast Outfitters and hit a nice Old Navy Sale! Emily and Spencer took us to this really great BBQ place and somehow was able to convince the waitress that it was both Andrew's and Emily's birthdays for the mud pie (they said they were twins - big laugh!).

We also attempted skiing again and we hit the jackpot! It was gorgeous! Beautiful sunny skies with occaisional snow through the sun, fresh powder with some groomed trails we had such a nice day skiing.

That night we drove down to Orem and got to have a mini Ricks Reunion with my roommates and friends from my second year at Ricks. It was so fun to see everybody and to laugh at old pictures - thanks to all who took the time to attend and for they pictures and a big thanks to Melissa for hosting us and pulling it together!

We also got to spend some time with one of Andrew's old missionary companions Elder Perry and his family. We celebrated by going to (can you guess?) Cafe Rio!

Andrew then left to come back home to work and I ended up extending my trip and drove to Idaho to stay with my Aunt Susan who lives in Idaho Falls. Andrew was so worried about me on the drive up and I kept thinking - give me a break, I've lived out here for 3 years - I know how to drive in the snow! So I dropped him off at the airport and started my journey north. All was smooth sailing until I hit the Malad Pass - holy cow! It was a complete white out with drifting snow, I couldn't see past the hood of my car. I would be lying if I didn't say I was terrified! The speed limit was 75 mph and I was going like 30! Luckily I made it through and as I drove further north the roads were no longer a problem - I seriously thought I would be staying up there until spring! It was so much fun to stay with my Aunt Susan and to spend some time with her and my Aunt Sherry and to see and spend time with lots of cousins up there.

One thing I was really excited about was getting to go back to Rexburg to see the new temple. My trip just so happened to coincide with the open house of this new temple so we were able to go on a full tour - it was absolutely breathtaking. Right when I walked in to the chapel for the open house I ran in to a counselor from my old bishopric when I was up at Ricks (Brother Southerland) it was nice to see a familiar face and even after 10 years be recognized!

That same night we went to a restaurant I had always wanted to go to while I was at Ricks, The Loft (now the name has changed, but I was still very excited). All of my Aunt Susan's kids and their spouses (or significant others) and grandchildren and my Aunt Sherry and Uncle Will and my cousin Emily's little girl Bailey were all able to attend. It was so special to be able to spend an evening with family I don't get to see very often - I was so thankful that I was able to see everyone.

Also while I was in Idaho my old roommate Renae (from my 1st year at Ricks) came up with her little girl Marinn (who was adorable!). I hadn't seen Renae since Elsa's wedding 7 years ago.

That same day it snowed like 2 feet in Idaho Falls and I was to be leaving the next morning early - I was terrified! Luckily the Lord heard my prayers and I made it back down without incident - the Malad Pass wasn't even bad. I made it to the airport somehow was able to carry my four bags and push Madeleine in her stroller, amazingly I made it to our terminal. The flight home went without incident until we made it into Atlanta. I gate checked her stroller and car seat in Salt Lake and in Atlanta, unfortunately only the stroller showed up - I was livid! The airline gave us a crummy replacement and the witchy agent in baggage services said it should show up in five days (yea right!). I was tired and exhausted but very thankful to make it back home. I have to say, I was getting a little homesick. We will definitely miss our family and friends, Cafe Rio, and yummy Arctic Circle shakes! Thanks again to everyone who made it such a wonderful trip, we truly had a great time, definitely a good vacation to remember!

Long (and Overdue)

So much to write! November and so far December have been very busy months. At the first of November my sister was remarried and the following weekend we attended my cousin's wedding in Chattanooga, TN. My cousin's wedding was a blast! We went up the day before the wedding for a much needed break and visited Rock City. Now those ignorant to the South would know nothing about what used to be one of the best advertising campaigns. Back just before the Great Depression a couple bought a piece of land in North Georgia, right on the Tennessee border on Lookout Mountain with the intention of creating a housing development, well with the stock market crash so did the building boom and the development was nixed. However, the wife had created these gardens and rock developments on this parcel of land on the side of the mountain. They decided to open it as a tourist attraction and to advertise they painted barns on the side of well-traveled highways. These barns were painted as far west as Oklahoma and as far north as Kentucky. The "See Rock City" slogan was big - so big it was almost mythical - did the Rock City really exist? I can tell you it does! It was really fun to go (it was mine and Andrew's first time) although we had always seen the signs (there's a little southern info for those who needed the education). The wedding took place on the Tennessee River aboard the Southern Belle riverboat. We got to see a lot of family and have a lot of fun - and I might also mention Georgia beat Auburn! On our way back home we stopped at

Point Park and had a lot of fun looking at the fall colors.



Other events that have transpired include Thanksgiving and Madeleine's blessing. We had our Thanksgiving this year with the Opp family and were able to fully stuff ourselves (that never seems to be a problem). While we were there I mentioned to my SIL Lynnette that I was looking to get Madeleine a Johnny Jumper for Christmas so she brought out her's to give it a try. It was so funny because Madeleine is so petite that it seemed like it was almost all the way to the floor, but she loved it! She's been trying to stand since she was about 3 months old and she loves to be upright and I've tried the Exersaucers, stationary jumpers, and walkers and none will adjust low enough so that she can touch with her feet so it was a big hit. I've already got all of her Christmas presents bought, now it is just so hard not to have her play with them until the big day - luckily I only have a little more than a week to go (finally)!



The first Sunday of December we had Madeleine's blessing (like a christening, except the baby isn't baptized until the age of accountability which is 8 years old in the LDS church, but the baby receives a name and a blessing by an authorized priesthood holder, in our case Andrew administered the blessing). It was such a wonderful experience to have our family attend - we ended up taking up about a third of the chapel. Madeleine's birthmom was also able to make it and that was so special.

One of my old coworkers from Belgium was able to make it here to the states. It was so fun to see her and see some old friends and introduce Madeleine to them. We got to have a real yummy meal at Bahamma Breeze and afterwards took Marjolein around to find American goodies to bring back home with her.

Just this past weekend was my grandma's 85th birthday and small family reunion down in Newnan where my mom's family is from. It was so much fun to see my cousins, aunts and uncles, including my greats! For a present for my grandma I made her a small scrapbook of her life. I introduced myself to the world of digital scrapbooking and I have to say - I am in love! It only took me about 3 hours to complete this little book, where traditionally it would have taken me a couple of days with cutting paper and printing the right photos. Here's one of the pages I created (I use the Shabby Princess papers and elements). It was pretty funny when we sang Happy Birthday to my grandma and sang, "and many more" and she kept saying, "no, please no, I'm ready to die", unfortunately Grandma, we're not ready to let go yet.



At 4 months Madeleine seems to be growing leaps and bounds. It is so fun that she is learning hand eye coordination and can almost hold her bottle by herself. She has more fun playing too and now when placed on her back, she almost immediately rolls to her tummy. She is a very happy baby and loves to smile and laugh. I'm a little bit of a pickle, I still swaddle her at night because she will sleep so well swaddled (she'll usually sleep through the night, or maybe just once). I started to feel a little guilty about her swaddling so I tried to do without - not fun at all! She couldn't sleep well therefore I couldn't sleep well. I now envision her spending the night away from home when she's like 12 and asking, "Umm, excuse me, would you mind helping me into my swaddle so I can sleep?" Hopefully we can transition her (easily - fingers crossed) before then. She takes her naps well throughout the day, but she is in her swing.

We're now looking forward to January as we have our tickets to go to Utah for a little ski vacation. We are so excited, we haven't been skiing for 3 years and poor Andrew bought skis then and hasn't had a chance to use them, he's itching to give them a go. We can't wait to see friends and family while we are out there, it should be such a fun little trip and we've already vowed to make a few runs to our favorite Cafe Rio.

Other than all those activities we are excited for Christmas. This past week it didn't quite put us in the holiday mood with it being almost 80 degrees in a freak warm front, we're now back in our normal 50's and so we're ready to have the fire going in the fireplace. However, the little warm spell allowed me to put Madeleine in some of her warm weather little outfits that I love, for instance the little leopard print top...

I do love this special time of the year, and I would be lying if I didn't say it isn't a much more enjoyable holiday season with our new little one. I'm so grateful for the bounteous blessings that 2007 had in store for us. A year ago I couldn't have possibly imagined the changes that have taken place in our lives, and for this I am so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father. They say hindsight is 20/20 and I would love to say that handling our childlessness was a breeze, but in reality it was very painful and one of the hardest things (if not the hardest thing) we've had to endure. There were times when we wondered if things would ever improve and little did we know, our Heavenly Father was mindful of us all along and was waiting to send us this special spirit that has blessed our lives so immensely both by having her in our home and our relationship with her birthfamily. For these miracles we know that Heavenly Father was preparing us for this most perfect experience. As well we are grateful to be loved by so many and we have felt the prayers you have offered on our behalf. We are so blessed by the life of Jesus Christ and love this time to reflect on his birth and his life. We hope your lives are also touched.

Merry Christmas!

Finalization!

On Friday we had our adoption hearing at the Gwinnett County Courthouse with Judge R. Timothy Hamil of the Gwinnett Superior Court. We had to wait a little bit because the judge was a little backed up, but we finally were able to go back with our parents and our attorney to the judge's chamber. It was so easy, it amazed me! We sat around the table and our attorney read us questions like, "Do you still want to adopt this child?" we said yes, yes, yes, yes, and yes. After about two minutes of questions the judge said he signs off on the adoption to make it official - and that was it!

I knew it was a good sign when we were sitting there and the judge was wearing a Georgia tie - for those ignorant to the biggest weekend of college football Georgia played Florida and WON (we've only won like 3 times since 1990)! I think the judge's tie was such a good omen. We were so happy about Georgia's victory that Madeleine wore her GA bulldawg cheerleading outfit to church on Sunday to celebrate. 42-30 Go Dawgs!

Taken at our church "Trunk R Treat"

Madeleine's New Man...

Madeleine has a new man in her life - her Uncle Scotty-Body (our family nickname for my BIL -Scott that Katelyn so nicely coined). Scott is not the most comfortable around newborns, when Madeleine came home from the hospital he wouldn't even hold her, but I've found a great way around this. I was over at Cassidie's and Scott's last Saturday and said, "Scott, can you hold her real quick while I run to the bathroom?" - see this has him both cornered and trapped. He's too nice to say no so I plop her in his lap. He's too afraid to get up and pass her off to someone else so there he will sit until he is freed. Humorously, Madeleine loves him. Check out this picture of her staring up at him (and note his thrilled expression :)

Motoring~

One thing I have noticed about Miss M lately is that she is starting to move, now I have to be even more careful! Yesterday, I was doing some work in the office and I had her in her travel swing and next thing I see is this:

I was cracking up - but it did remind me I need to be a little more watchful, she is becoming quite the active baby!

Exciting News!

So I almost forgot to mention our most exciting news - my parents bought a modest bridal & formalwear business that was formally located in Peachtree City out of a home and will now be located in a store front in Loganville. The dresses are beautiful - it's too bad that I don't need one anytime soon, but this would be great for prom, homecoming, mother of the bride dresses, bridesmaid dresses, Christmas party formals, and of course cruise wear. The clothing featured in this store bridges the gap between teen-y boppy and matronly (dumpy) formalwear. I have hated to shop for formalwear in the past because it was nearly impossible to find something that didn't expose all my goods or make me look totally frumpy. I will get to help with the marketing side of the business so while being home with Madeleine, I'll still be able to stay sharp on my other skills - the best of both worlds!

The store will be open the middle of November and will be located in the historic district of Loganville off of Hwy 78 on GA Hwy 20. I have created a poster to go in the window to advertise the upcoming opening so that it will be send for this weekend's fall festival.

So if any of you are desiring really nice formal wear (or tuxedo rentals), I know just the place for you to go!