Big boys don't need naps!

Bradley has been trying to convince himself and us that he doesn't need a nap anymore. I admit we messed him up while we were on vacation. I didn't even try to put him down for a nap while we were gone and if he got a nap, it was because we put him in the car and drove around. Since we've been back, he's taken some naps, but other days he's just sat in his room and talked and even cried until I got him out. If he cries, I don't make him stay in his room...what's the point? And, frankly, I don't really care if he takes a nap unless he's just miserably tired in the evening. So, yesterday we had been playing upstairs and it was about 3:45 and I decided we needed some fresh air. So, we headed downstairs to use the potty and get shoes to go outside. I was changing Bradley's diaper and he had a little diaper rash. He got upset and kept crying about his rash, so I took off his diaper again and got a washcloth to try to soothe it. This made him cry more and I thought, we'll just leave the diaper off for a few minutes to give it some fresh air. I could tell that his rash was hurting, but I could also tell that he was really tired. So, he laid his head down on my leg and started to settle down and then he fell asleep! It was so cute that he was curled up in my lap with his head on my leg and no diaper on and he was asleep! I called Rachel in and she got me his blankies. I put one where my leg had been so I could lay his head on it. Then, I lifted his leg and put a diaper on him...he never opened his eyes. I couldn't believe how tired the poor little boy was! I covered him with his blankie and left him on the floor and he slept there for almost 2 hours! We had to wake him up because it was already way too late for him to take a nap since bedtime is at 8:00. Anyway, I decided that he is obviously not ready to give up naps yet, and I'm going to have to work a little harder at convincing him of that! Today he fell asleep on the way home from the store after picking up Rachel from school, so it was very easy to put him in his bed. We'll see how tomorrow goes!

2nd day of school!

Today was another success! Rachel was very excited this morning as she got ready for school and when we got there, she was ready to start! Bradley and I kissed her and scooted off! I wasn't sad today and Bradley and I had a great time playing together. It has never really occurred to me how much I don't give him my undivided attention. But, today we went home and played with play-doh, which he loves! He loved to squish it and stack it and poke it and I just couldn't stop looking at him and enjoying his facial expressions as he "created" like a 2 year old. We also played in his room with his Little People Noah's Ark toy that he got when he was 1. I was fascinated with how he liked to put all the animals and Noah, into the big boat door and close it, one at a time. He was so precise. He was just so cute and I really enjoyed the one-on-one time with him. Of course we missed Sissy, and were very glad to pick her up, but there are definitely going to be advantages for both kids with our new schedule. By the way, Rachel had another great day. She got in the car very excited about what all they had done at school. She told me about the yummy snack, which she couldn't pronounce and I couldn't figure out. She also said she played with Kate today and ladybug girl was nice to Mimi K. Thank goodness! Can't wait till Monday!

Rachel's 1st Day of Pre-School

Well, today was the big day...the much anticipated, much talked about, much prepared for first day of school. I have been ready for it for awhile, I thought, until Nick and I went to the parent orientation meeting last Thursday night. That night it just hit me that my little girl would sit in the chapel by herself, hang up her bookbag by herself, figure out how to handle playmates, problems, potty time, snacks, and everything else...by herself! I got teary-eyed as I thought about how she's not a baby anymore (even though I didn't think she was) and that it's time for her to do some things independently and I KNEW deep down that she would love it and that she's ready for it. But, that doesn't change the fact that I'll miss her. I'll miss having her with me every day even if we just stay home or run an errand. It is a change and one I'm sure we'll all get used to, but a change nonetheless. Honestly, the pros FAR outweigh the cons. I'm looking forward to Rachel learning all the cool things she's going to learn. I'm excited about her having friends to play with 3 days of the week! And, I'm really looking forward to having Bradley all to myself...something he and I have never had. But, I couldn't quite celebrate today, not yet.

Anyway, Rachel woke up very excited this morning and very ready for her first day. She got dressed and I think it just hit her that she was really going today. She got a little emotional and said she didn't want to go and had a few concerns. But, I hugged her and talked to her about them and then she got distracted...gotta love this age...the distractability factor is HUGE! So, Bradley and I took Rachel to school, walked her in, helped her hang up her bookbag, took a few pictures and then kissed her goodbye. Piece of cake! Rachel was fine...she wasn't sad or anything. The teacher had an activity for them to begin immediately and we left. I started crying pretty soon after we got in the car as all the above mentioned thoughts went through my head. But, I recovered and Bradley and I ran a few errands. Thank goodness her school only lasts 3 hours, because I couldn't wait to pick her up and see her precious face. I got to the school a little early and got in the car-rider line with all the other parents. I was so anxious for it to be my turn to pick up my child...the other cars just couldn't move fast enough. As soon as I was close enough for the pre-school worker to see my "Rachel Milligan" car sign, they brought her to the door. She just looked so adorable standing there with her backpack on. I almost started crying because I was so happy to see her! She looked happy, but tired and when she got in, she immediately started telling me all about her day. I loved it...every little detail was so cute and so innocent and a precious 4 year old's perception. She said that they had to "zip their lips" in the hall and that she played with her friend Mimi K and that her friend hurt the "ladybug girl's" feelings. I'm assuming this was another classmate with some kind of ladybug on her shirt, and Rachel obviously doesn't know her name. I thought that was a great description, though. She also said her teacher made special sugar cookies for their snack and that no one wanted to eat the bananas. So, it was definitely a FABULOUS first day and went far better than I could have imagined. I hope it lasts!

Last Day at the Beach

a jellyfish that someone else caught

Our last day at the beach was definitely one of my favorites. It was an entire day spent at the pool or beach. We never got a shower to go into town, and it was great! Rachel, being the water bug that she is, soaked up every ray of sunshine and every drop of water. She also made friends with two little kids who were staying at our condo. They were all sweet and had fun chasing each other in the sand. Rachel, me and Nick spent a long time looking for seashells and got some pretty good pieces...nothing large and whole, but some great small ones. After the sun went down and the sand was cool, I bribed Bradley with 2 suckers so he would come out for the last evening. He loved the sand, played in a HUGE sandcastle that someone else had painstakingly built and then, to our surprise, joined us in the ocean! He just came walking over and then acted a little scared of the water. Then, he saw how much fun me and Rach were having and he joined us. It was about the cutest thing! He liked the waves and didn't even get upset when one knocked him down and his head got completely wet! I was thrilled that he had made it into the ocean at least once while we were at the beach. Rachel was beside herself with excitement trying to help Bradley and hold his hand and show him what to do. It really was the perfect ending to our vacation!

The only thing I had planned on doing but didn't, was to take a nice family picture on the beach with cute outfits. It just didn't happen. We were too tired every evening and that last night, we were nasty and no one had the energy to get bathed and re-dressed and then go back out to the beach. Oh well!! Maybe next year!

The whole trip was so much fun and such a nice break from our usual routine!! Thanks Gege and Papa for taking us and making it such an awesome vacation!!!!

Non-Amusement Park

One of the times that we played putt-putt, we also went to a small adjoining amusement park. It was VERY hot and I guess we were all a little tired. (I know I was.) They had about 6 kiddie rides and 6 different college workers who were all foreign. I'm not sure what their nationality was, but it wasn't just hispanic, it was like croatian or serbian or something middle-eastern like that. Anyway, there were NO kids there and that's no exaggeration. Rachel and Bradley were the only ones who were there to ride the rides. The workers were literally sitting at their stations talking and studying (which is why I assume they were college students). Anyway, the first thing Rachel and Bradley wanted to do was the dinky choo-choo train. I asked the worker if I could go with Bradley since I wasn't sure he would do it by himself. At first he acted like he didn't know what I said, but then he said, "No, this ride for kid only." I said, "well, I'm not sure if my son will ride it by himself...if he gets upset, can we stop the ride and let him off?" He looked at me again and seemed to ponder this request. He almost shook his head, "no" but then said, "okay." I was like, what's the big deal, it's not like there are ANY other kids here that this will affect!!! So, I was a little aggravated. Rachel and Bradley got on...success! Bradley seemed to like it and was calm on there with Rachel. The dinky little train had a dinky little track and it went around about 5 times...then another and another and by this time, both kids are bored and Bradley's starting to get upset because he's ready to get off. The worker has started talking to his fellow co-worker again and doesn't seem to be anywhere close to turning the train off. Bradley's crying and REALLY ready to get off now. So, we yell at the worker to turn off the train and he non-chalantly walks over and flips the switch, almost like we were making him break the rules. I don't know how long the kids were "required" to be on the ride, because I sware they were on it for a good 5-6 minutes. Have you ever heard of being on a ride for that long??? I haven't! Anyway, we walked 5 feet to the swings and Rachel got on..there still weren't any other kids there. Bradley acted like he wanted to get on too, and again I asked this foreign worker if Bradley got upset if we could stop the swings. AGAIN, the worker got this stupid look and then he seemed to be contemplating his "no" answer. I admit I lost my temper and said, "Oh my gosh, it's not like there are any other kids around here...what's the big deal? Does anyone here speak ENGLISH????" And, I grabbed Bradley and took him away from the swings. He was very mad, but probably wasn't ready for the swings yet. I was just so aggravated! So, next we went to the spinning circle thing and both kids got on...there still isn't a single other kid around. Thankfully, both kids liked this and seemed to enjoy spinning in a nauseatingly dizzy circle over and over again. They both smiled and had a good time but the ride lasted too long. We had to ask them to stop it because they had been on the thing for a good 5 minutes, and no one was near stopping it. (We had to do this on the swings too...we figured Rachel had ridden for long enough.) Bradley wasn't upset or anything, but we didn't want them to lose their dinner from all that spinning. The last wonderful ride was this puny little Ferris wheel that we only let Rachel do. That was just too old for Bradley and I didn't even ask the preposterous question this time about stopping the ride. Rachel rode it and loved it, but AGAIN we had to ask them to stop it. I tell you, I usually enjoy these little kiddie amusement parks, but this one was about the worst I've ever been to. Maybe I was tired and maybe my request was stupid, but I never would have asked it if there were other kids around. And, it only affected my children. I also didn't enjoy the language barrier. Heck, maybe that's why there weren't any other kids there...maybe everyone else has already figured out that it's not an amusing park to visit. I'm glad Rachel seemed to enjoy the rides even if I wasn't too impressed!

Pool time at the Beach

The weather was so perfect while we were at the beach, so there wasn't one day that went by where we didn't get into the pool. There's nothing more refreshing on a hot day! I don't remember what day this was...just one of the many spent swimming!

Fun at the park

Wylie, Ashley and Rachel

Rachel & Bradley are playing Wylie's alligator game...

they're alligators and he keeps throwing them "food" to eat.

Bradley

Bradley, Eli & Raquel

Tyler and Bradley

On Friday morning, we met some of our friend's at the park to play. With everyone starting school next week, we wanted to get in one more play day. So, we met Wylie, Ashley and their cousin Tyler as well as Raquel and Eli at Bishop Park. We had so much fun playing, running and sliding. After a couple hours of hard play, we all went to chick-fil-a for a nice lunch. What a fun morning!!