New Family Photos

Hello All,

I will continue to admit that I am the least active blogger out on the web, life just continues to keep us busy with the normal daily grind. But I promised I would post some updated photos and I always try to keep my promises. Those can be found here in our media gallery.

I am still working two jobs and Raylene still manages things at home. The kids will be starting school soon; Zach will be attending Kindergarten and Livy will be going to Pre-School, both are very excited. They seem to make friends well enough at church and have been invited to a couple of birthday parties already. We are all still making adjustments and getting settled. The kids have come along way in accepting the drastic changes in their lives, but honestly 6 months far too short of a time to expect them, or us, to adjust completely.

Despite growing pains we still manage to have moments of fun and laughter. Just a few weeks ago at the La Verkin City Pioneer Day Celebration Zach asked Raylene if he could have one of the candies he had gathered from candy cannon. She handed him one and he says, 'No the wrapper.' A little confused and curious, Raylene complies with his request. He calls out thanks as he runs back to the adults handing out candy to the children, and then returns with another payload and giggling to his hearts content. It turns out the children were being rewarded with more candy if they picked up trash. So barely five years old and already Zach has demonstrated his cunning and intelligence.

There was something Livy did this weekend that made Raylene and laugh and for the life of me I can't remember right now. So when I do I'll post an update.

Hope this finds you all well! Sincerely, the Millers.            

On the brite side

We have been home for about three months now and things are doing better than when we first arrived home. We are all beginning to adjust and perhaps even find our own little groove. Putting the kids to bed is not perfect but is infinitely better than when we first started out. Last night I was even able to put the kids to sleep by myself! Shocking isn't it, amazing how much our goals change once we have kids.

So far Saturdays are Raylene's day off, usually, so I attempt to perform an approximation of my parental duties by feeding, bathing, playing with, and generally keeping Raylene from completely going insane from the total lack of adult conversation or those awful toxic playdough fumes, I am not quite sure which it is. Actually, Raylene tells me that I do a good job the kids seems to like having me around so I think it is safe to say I am not a terrible father or husband.

We all still have our good and bad moments, and most always still glad be together! :) Here are some more photos of the kids I posted on our photo gallery.

1 day down, only about 4745 days till they are 18 years old

I am just kidding, right now we are really enjoying this time with Mamush and Kefelech. It was the most exciting day in my life next to our wedding day! Just FYI, Internet connection will be intermittent so we may or may not be able to post regularly.

So Children's Hope International (CHI) picked us up at Melkham House around 9:30 am local time and it was about 15min driving to reach House of Hope (HOH) and then we were shown into a room on the second floor with couches, chairs and what not, basically the equivalent of the torturous hospital waiting room, 10 min later one of the nannies walked in with the kids. Neither one of them knew who to look for ( we found out later the photo book, stuffed animal, and toy caddies made for them never arrived so they have never seen us until today. ), once they were pointed in the right direction it was hugs and picture taking city. I wish I could write more however time is limited. Overall it was the awesomest day ever, life is good when you are thirty years old and it is OK to play with the big wheels!

P.S. Ethiopia is 3+hrs ahead of greenwitch time, 10+hrs ahead of Utah.

In His own time ... is finally here!

The long awaited time has come, we are officially parents! No more psyche gotchas, no more just kidding pranks from life, our adoption was approved in the courts of Ethiopia on December 23th, 2009. We are the happy (ecstatic, lucky, etc. fill in your own exciting verbs, whatever) parents of two siblings, an almost 5 year old boy and a 3 year old girl, by the name of Mamush and Kefelech. We will be keeping their Ethiopian names as their middle name, along with one of our choosing, so their new names will be Zachariah Mamush Miller (the almost 5 year old boy) and Olivia Kefelech Miller (the 3 year old girl). We are tentatively picking them up during the first week in February, so we only have four weeks to prepare since until now we could not be sure what ages and gender we would be getting so things will be crazy insane for the this next month getting everything ready we are supposed accomplish.

I've been told to inform everyone that Shiloa, Raylene's sister, will be planning to hold a kids shower on Saturday, January 16th, 2010. So if you think you'll be in the La Verkin, UT area around that time put a note on your calendar. All friends and family are invited and we will do our best to get everyone an invitation but odds are we will miss a few so just give a heads up by emailing kids.shower@millermoments.net. Patrick's cell at 435.767.1235 or Shiloa's cell at 435.669.8555

Lastly, we will be back posting the events that lead to this point of the yo-yo ride over the next week or two.

We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and wish you all a very Happy New Year!

P.S. Here are some additional photos of them. media.millermoments.net