Rachel, our lovely, caribbean girl

We've had the joy of taking Rachel to the beach many times and it just seems to get more fun each year. Rachel swims like a fish so she's super confident in the pool. She liked the ocean and gave it a fair try, but it was just too rough. She did like the sand, though, and enjoyed building some sand castles. She also LOVES putt-putt and would have played at every miniature golf venue if we had let her. She and Bradley went once with Gege and Papa and once with me and Nick. She does not want to putt correctly, so it takes her about 9 or 10 times to get her ball in the hole, but she enjoys every minute of it. Of course, her beautiful brown skin is even darker and more caribbean-like as usual for the summer. This year, Rachel took her own room at the condo. She said she wanted her own bed and was (scarily) almost like a teenager. (However, after the first night, she got scared and wanted Nick to sleep in her room.) She took snacks and drinks into her room, watched tv all the time and kept her doors closed. It was kinda funny, but also a glimpse into her teen years. She is such a sweet girl, always wanting to take care of her brothers, full of compassion and kindness. She's so smart and observant and is truly becoming a big girl...her interests are changing and she doesn't always want to hang with her brothers. She also thinks she knows more than she does and can make decisions without asking her parents. This is something we're working on with her and she's so bright that I know she gets it. She's still such a cuddly, sweet little girl who loves to get attention from us and her grandparents. We love our sweet caribbean girl!

Big, brave Bradley @ the beach!

This was by far Bradley's favorite trip to the beach. He really embraced the sand and the pool. He even tried the ocean, but the waves were too rough. Unfortunately, no one got to spend too much time out there. Our big boy Bradley has gotten so much more confident and has become quite the little swimmer. He now puts his head under water for long periods of time, blows bubbles and tries to go farther and farther when he swims. It's so exciting watching him gain confidence in his abilities. He also LOVED playing putt-putt and was really good at it, even with a faulty technique!This year he has really blossomed into such a sweet, easy-going, enjoyable little fella. He fully embraces the "toughness" of being a boy. He likes rough stuff, super heroes and hanging with other boys. He watched some older boys using skim boards on a large puddle of water on the beach and then spent about 30 minutes trying to copy them with his boogie board. It was so cute. His favorite words are doo-doo and poo-poo. He's silly and funny and loves to tell jokes, mostly including his favorite words. He loves his baby brother and also likes that he has the upper hand with him. He spent one evening at the beach playing a friendly game of tag with Trent and Rachel and then we realized that his "tags" for Trent were also knocking him onto his butt every time. We have to reign him in sometimes, but he's such a sweet, kind little boy. He loves his big sister and she can still make him giggle like no one else. He still copies her and thinks she's the coolest. He gets his feelings hurt very badly if she doesn't want to play with him. He's sensitive and smart and very inquisitive. His feelings and interests are intense and I think he's going to be really good at whatever he wants to do when he channels that intensity. We had a great time at the beach with our big, brave boy!!

Trooper Trenty @ the beach

1st time in the ocean and in all that sand! He loved it!

kid pics in the white/khaki combo- little cutie

I love walking in the sand!

I think I'm so funny!!!

It's reeeeeaaaaaaallly windy on the balcony...look at my hair!!

Just hangin' with Papa outside the condo

running around

standing in a hole

trying to climb out of the hole

I like this!

I love using this huge shovel!

See ya!

Daddy's helping me in the rough waves.

Just enjoyin' the ride.

Papa made this so much fun!

I'm so dirty, I need to rinse off...

AHHHH, that's MUCH better!!!!

This was Trent's 1st time at the beach and he really enjoyed it! He liked playing and walking in the sand and loved watching and trying to follow the seagulls. He was interested in the ocean, but the waves were rough most of the time we were there, so he never got to get in it for long. Trent did like the pool and especially the steps inside the pool where he wanted to do his own thing with no assistance. He also loved the outdoor shower...pulling the chain and letting it wash all over his head-it was too funny to watch! He liked the condo and made his way into every possible area. He liked the music that came out of the speaker on the ground floor outside the elevator...he waved or clapped his hands every time and definitely has some "groove" in him. He was tired from all the activities we did every day and was really quite a trooper about everything. He went to bed easily at night and at nap...but unfortunately he would wake up every night, and it was very hard for me to get him to go back to sleep. His favorite activity was definitely walking and exploring, whether it be on the beach, in the condo or just around the condo. He is such a sweet boy and was such a "trooper"!! Trenty loves his big brother and sister so much! He cries when his brother gets upset and cries. He hugs his siblings to make them feel better when they're sad. He's a little lovey-boy. His most recent form of communication is his emphatic, negative head nod. In other words, he shakes his head "no". But, it's so cute how he emphatically shakes it from side to side and almost puts his whole body into it. And, he really does understand exactly how and when to use his "no" nod. Example: Trenty, are you tired? "no-nod". Trenty, do you want to get a bath? "no-nod". Trenty, do you want to go outside? .... he gives no response except a hand pointed toward the door and a grunt and fuss until he gets to go. It's really cute. Trent really enjoyed spending time with his Gege and Papa...they are so sweet to him and he loves them so much!! It was so much fun getting to take our baby to the beach and watch him take it all in for the first time!

My main squeeze

After we took all the family and then kid pics outside, we came up to the room and realized we had not taken any of just me and Nick. Again, thankfully, Deb took some pics for us. I usually take so many pictures of the kids and forget to take some of me and my main squeeze. Here we are...my awesome, handsome, loving, sweet, caring husband and me! I love you Nick Milligan!

Our "original" family picture(s) at the beach

This year we copied everyone who goes to the beach and does a family picture in tan shorts and white shorts. It was fun! Yeah, right! Getting everyone dressed and outside was a chore, threatening the kids to make them smile was lots of fun and then pretending like we were enjoying it was a farce! But, I'm tickled we got some good shots. Thank goodness Deb was taking the pics and Joe was entertaining/distracting us behind her. Thanks J&D!! As soon as we were done with the pics, it started raining, the wind got fierce and it was "hurricane-y" for several hours. But, the overcast weather made it ideal for taking pics!