Welcome Doug3

We are so exicted to welcome little Nolan (aka Doug3) into our family. He will be known as Doug3 (cubed) to Doug Mills. When we went up to Alison's and Doug's wedding, Doug Mills immediately nicknamed Doug Pilsner Doug2 or Doug squared.
Lets hope it will be many years before Doug3 takes after Doug and Doug2 (no beer for a while...unless he takes after his Uncle Scott and decides to have a beer with Saturday morning cartoons!)

Easter in Boston

We went to Boston for Easter weekend and enjoyed visiting with everyone and going to church with Mama and Daddy. Wonder if Don has figured out how to work his converter box yet?

Amanda, Meme, Granddaddy,Kristen

Amanda,Meme, Granddaddy, Kristen
Walker, Eileen, Doug, Nick

Old school bus at creek.

Creek

Alice, Lindsey, and Kelsey

For those of you who don't know, Alice and Kelsey are in Italy this week visiting Lindsey. I wanted to share this picture of them in Cortona with everyone. Aren't they beautiful!
To see more of their pictures, visit Alice's blog and look in the left hand column for photo album.

Pups in Little Bed

Amanda found a doggie bed on sale for $10 and got it for the pups. It is a "small" bed but Charkee and Kolle don't care. They enjoy snuggling in it and watching the action on the beach. I really think Kolle is saying, "I wish Charkee would get off me and let me have this bed to myself."

Sunset

"Water Over Road" or "Road Under Water"

We have received over 10 inches of rain the last couple of days in GA and FL. Water is everywhere! On our way to the beach on Friday we encountered a few detours!

The first "Water Over Road" sign greeted us south of Albany. Since we weren't sure if it was safe to continue and drive through the water, Doug decided to walk through the water to see how deep it was. As he was checking the conditions out, a man drove up and said he lived close by and that it was safe to drive across. However, he did tell Doug that he was smart to check things out because a guy had driven across Plantation Road, which was covered in water, and drove into a sink hole...the road had just disappeared!

Doug checking things out

Next, when we got to Newton we saw a dreaded "Road Closed" sign. Thank goodness there was a convenience store at the intersection so Doug went in to find out how we could get to Colquitt. The detour took us to Blakey but it was not without some "Water Over Road" signs. This time, we waited until we saw a few vehicles drive through to see how deep it was and if it was safe for us. We were worried because all we were seeing were trucks or SUV's, no little gas saving Hondas. We finally made the decision to brave the elements and drove through. See, I have these reoccurring nightmares about being on roads covered in water and can't get to safety

"Water Over Road"

Driving through water on detour to Blakey

After we finally made it to Colquitt and were ready to turn on the road to Donaldsonville, guess what...another "Detour" sign. We saw lots of water and, unfortunately, a few houses that were flooded but no more "Water over Road" signs.

We finally make it to Florida and then in Grand Ridge we saw a"Road Under Water" sign. This really took me for a loop...after reading "Water Over Road" for almost four hours, I translated the "Road Under Water" sign as "Water Under Road". Doug just looked at me and shook his head! I guess he thought I was a little crazy. It finally dawned on me what I had said..."Water Under Road". Boy, was I glad when we finally made it to Alice's Beach House!

There has been so much rain here, and the Bay has gotten so much fresh water, that there are no oysters being harvested for a while.

Congratulations Kristen!

About a month ago Kristen interviewed for an internship with the Medical Center in Columbus. She has been waiting to hear from then since then...she was told they would contact all those who interviewed within a week. Well, the week turned out to be a month. She got a call last night around 10:00 informing her that she had been accepted into the program. She will be in the July session, which runs from June 30 to August 1.

Congratulations Kristen!

Animal Auditions

Amanda caught the animals auditioning for various roles last weekend.

Kami auditioning for Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum.
The dog with two tails and no head.

Bubba Joes "weighing in" in hopes of being a contestant on "The Biggest Loser".
"I really don't think I'm overweight. Hey, where's my food!"

Watch out KISS...here's your new bandmember.

Gene Simmons would be jealous of this tongue!

Or, I could be a balldog at Wimbledon.
Move off the court all you ball boys and girls.
I can retrieve all the balls with no help!

Kami trying out for the Olympics Marathon.

"I think I may settle for the food bowl dash!"

Or mabye I'm more suited for the role of "Sleeping Beauty".

March Birthdays

March is filled with birthday celebrations in our family. Birthday wishes go out to

Al, Amanda, Virginia, and Judy!

Amanda letting Kolle have a little taste of cake from candle.

All the girls posing for a picture for Amanda's birthday
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April birthdays coming up are Mama, Alan, Taylor, Emma Grace, Frances, and Lindsey (hope I didn't leave anyone out). We are also waiting for the new addition to the family who is due in April...Baby Pilsner.

Link to Kristen's and Nick's Video

Kristen and Nick shot a short (well 8 min) video of a walk in the snow around the apartment complex in Columbus.

To access the video, click on the following link
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_type=&search_query=kami+bauer+kristen+nick&aq=f
and then click on "Snow falling in Georgia".

You have to watch long enough to see the snow on Kami's feet.

Dogs in Snow

We took the dogs out for a little run in the snow. They loved it but came back soaking wet and quite smelly!

Kolle is trying to teach Charkee how to make a snowball!

Short video of them playing.

Amanda's Snow Pictures

The snow finally made it to Atlanta around noon today. Amanda was beginning to wonder if they were going to get any. Here's some pictures she sent me.

Amanda, Walker, and SnowMan

Snowwman and Flamingo with Amanda and Walker
Don't you just love my lips!

Maybe I'm a SnowWoman!

The flamingos were a little lonesome and wanted some company!

Hey, where is that wierd white girl with the pink lips?

Kristen's Snow Pictures

Here's some pictures Kristen sent of the snow in Columbus.

Kristen's Apartment Complex

Kristen, Nick, Kami, Bauer, SnowMan

Snowman, Kristen, Kami, and Bauer

Bauer isn't quite sure what to think of this snow creature!

Bauer is asking Kami what she thinks!

From Beach Sand to Wet Snow

Just a day ago we were enjoying the beach and sunshine and now its cold and snowing. Yes, snowing in Central GA!

Big Snow in Thomaston, GA

Charkee, Bubba Joe, & Kolle checking out the snow!

Our woods during the big snow!

Charkee says, "Let me inside! I hate this wet, cold stuff!"

Kolle says, "I'm having a blast at the beach!"
" What are we doing out in this mess? "

" We love the beach more!"

“If you are lucky enough to be at the beach…you’re lucky enough…”

“If you are lucky enough to be at the beach…you’re lucky enough…”Alice has this saying painted in the outside shower at her beach house and I love it! Each time we visit her place I feel like I’ve been granted a special gift! If only she knew how much a visit to the beach seems to revive me and gives me a new outlook on life! While I truly love my job, it is very stressful and being able to get away every month or so helps so much!
I love getting up in the mornings and taking the pups for a walk. However, on this trip, Charkee had different ideas of what a “walk” meant. She played her “Sally Mae Mule” impersonation and did not indulge me on my long walks. She wanted to walk only long enough to” take care of business”and then she was ready to go back and jump in bed with her daddy. No matter how hard I tried, she was not going to walk farther than she wanted to. On the other hand, Kolle was game for anything. If I had asked her to walk forever, she would have done it. That dog loves the beach! She is the ultimate “beach bum”!

Children's HealthCare of Atlanta - Amanda's Employer

Amanda sent me the following release and I wanted to share it. I think Amanda is very lucky to be working at Children's.

I’m pleased to let you know that, for the fourth year in a row, Fortune magazine has recognized Children’s as one of America’s “100 Best Companies to Work For.”

Children’s is one of three companies with headquarters in Georgia selected and the highest ranked pediatric hospital on the list. Landing at No. 67, Children’s also received special recognition for being a top company for women, placing fourth in a sub-category for percentage of women. In addition, Children's was ranked as having the 17th most diverse workforce.

Fortune evaluated organizations from across the country—more than 81,000 employees from 353 companies responded to the survey nationwide—to identify the top 100 companies for this list. One of the world’s top business magazines, Fortune measured Children’s against some of the most well-known, highly respected brands and companies in America, including Microsoft, Publix Super Markets and Google.

Right on the heels of our Parents magazine ranking, this recognition reinforces that Children’s is a great place for kids and a great place to work. We are proud to be acknowledged as the kind of place where people with strength and passion for their jobs can do what they love to do—give that special kind of care to the patients and families we serve—and thrive in the kind of environment that helps them be all they can be both personally and professionally.

Three Dogs

Three Dogs

All the pups in the Mills’ household
Are pampered and live the life of royalty.
They dine from fine designer bowls
Filled with morsels to enhance their beauty!

All three canines are very high maintenance
Requiring trips every six weeks to Bark Avenue.
Getting their locks and nails snipped in our absence
Returning home to flaunt their new “DO”!

Kolle thinks she is Marie Sharapova
Chasing tennis balls with a vengeance.
Bringing them back to Doug over and over
As he continues to throw them into the distance!

Charkee believes she is Marion Jones
Sprinting like a greyhound around the grounds.
Daring the others to chase her into unknown zones
Before collapsing from her many rounds!

Kami thinks she’s Sherlock Holmes
Loving to run, sniff, explore, and dig.
Hoping to find one of her many bones
So she can chew on it like a little pig!

These little creatures love Cape San Blas
Running and romping in the water and sand.
Not worrying about the future or the past
Just enjoying the moment and thinking life’s grand!

Dog Photo Shoot

Kristen and Kami

Look at our new outfits!

(L-R) Kolle, Kami, Charkee

Kristen and Amanda

Kami, Kolle, Charkee

Kolle and Amanda

Eileen and Charkee

Family Pictures

We all got together at the camphouse over the holidays and had almost as many four-legged animals there as we did two-legged. I guess Cotton (Alice's little white kitten) was the only one that wasn't with us. Below are some pictures of our crew.

Kristen Mills & Nick English

Amanda Mills & Walker Searcy

Granddaddy Hallman & Dawn Stein

Taylor Hoskins, Kelsey Durham, & Olive Durham

Emma Grace Rayburn & Lindsey Durham

Jennifer Rayburn & Amanda Mills

Kristen & Kami

Kami

Lindsey with Olive & Cotton in Sasser

Walker with Charkee, Kolle, & Kami

Dawn & Bailey Stein

Jesse Hoskins & Cotton in Sasser

Bear Catrett & Kami Mills

Harrison Hallman & Olive Durham