$5 of fun!

The other day, we were at Wal-mart and bought a $5 waterslide. The kids were so excited about trying it out. Rachel loved every part...the sliding, the water in her face, etc...but Bradley only uses it when the water is turned off. The slide is still slick and he can slide, but he does NOT like the water spraying him in the face. Anyway, the slide has been fun, but is not the best quality...it ripped the 2nd day we used it and after the 4th time, Nick had to use a ton of duct tape on it just to keep the water flowing through the tube. But, I think we've already gotten our $5 worth, so we can't complain!

Nick's B-day Celebration

Our lovely, more confident swimmer!

All 3 of my precious children...I didn't set this up!

We laid Trent here because he fell asleep and then Bradley wanted to lay next to him,

then it started raining and Rachel laid down next to Bradley.

I love the picture!

Nick and his 2 sweet helpers!


New swimmer!

Loving the pool!

All Nick wanted to do for his birthday was go swimming...so that's what we did. The kids were both so excited about swimming this year, which is a huge improvement over last year. Bradley would hardly get in last year, but this year was eager to get in the inner tube and swim his little heart out. Rachel was very excited about how much better she's doing at swimming too. She's also taller, which makes her even more confident since she quite easily reaches the bottom of the pool. I didn't get in yet and neither did Trent. I'm thinking Trent won't get to try out the pool until next year. Anyway, we ate steaks and veggies and of course, the kids and I made a lovely birthday cake for daddy. It was a VERY low-key, fun celebration for a fantastic son, husband and father!! Love you Nick!!

Rachel's Pre-K Graduation

Our beautiful little graduate!

Rachel's about to get her diploma

Our proud family

Rachel and her Adventure Bible



Rachel with Ms. Susanne-the wonderful Preschool Directore

Cutest little graduate!

Bradley tried it on too!

We truly cannot believe that our little girl is going to be in Kindergarten next year!!!!!!! (In fact, we're trying not to think about it too much!) Her Pre-K graduation was absolutely adorable and complete with caps, gowns, graduation music, kid's songs and diplomas. I felt sad at times, but I really enjoyed the happiness of the occasion and the excitement and joy on all the kid's faces. All the kids looked just precious in their caps and gowns. After the ceremony, they had cake and punch in the gym. Rachel enjoyed the whole thing and Bradley was an awesome little brother, happy to see his big sister and sit relatively still for the whole program. Trent was an awesome little brother too; he slept straight through the entire evening! Each kid was given a children's adventure Bible along with their diploma. It was a great night and a wonderful end to a fabulous year!

Rachel's End of Yr. School Party

The SWEETEST teachers ever!!

Ms. Kim and Ms. Jan

Riding on one of the really cool scooter-things

Jumping on the bungee-pole;
it sprang up and down and all the kids loved it!

The chilly water wasn't too cold for Rachel!!

Well, we couldn't be happier with Rachel's first experience in school. It was such a wonderful year...with wonderful teachers, friends and so much learned! We're so thankful that Rachel had such sweet, caring teachers who really did nurture and love all the kids in her class. Rachel really loved them too, and we felt so good about leaving her with them every school day. Her class had an end of year party at one of her classmate's houses. The house was beautiful, and there was an abundance of things to do from ride-on toys, to a swingset, to an egg-laying chicken pen to a trampoline, to a pool. We had a great time and tried not to think about how we wouldn't be seeing these wonderful people on a regular basis anymore. We know we were blessed to have met all these people and will miss them next year!

The bouncy house for Rachel's b-day

The adorable carousel

Woo-hoo!!! This is so much fun!!

I love the ponies!!

Nick and Joe set up the moonwalk on the Friday evening before the birthday party. Rachel and Bradley were so excited!! They couldn't wait to try it out. They had a blast jumping and sweating all evening. I loved the carousel look of the moonwalk and Rachel had fun picking her favorite horse as her own.

Rachel Jane turns 5!!!

"Wow, Look Ray!"

Wow! A new barbie...and I can cut her hair!

Rachel's birthday at school...

it was also "wear purple day" and

"Muffins with Mom" to celebrate Mother's Day

Hannah, Rachel & Bradley



Hot and taking a popsicle break
L-R: Bradley, Rachel, Samantha, Hayla, Hannah, Mimi K

Bradley & Thomas jumpin'!!

Rachel's beautiful cake!

She insisted on buying the ponies and placing them on the cake herself

(like her cousin Juj!)

Hot and sweaty little sweetheart

Rachel knocking open the pinata!!

We can't believe our baby girl is already 5!!! It seems like just yesterday that we were so blessed by her arrival. Our lives changed and we have experienced more joy than we ever did before we had kids!! Nick, Bradley, Trent and I gave Rachel her presents on the day before her birthday so she could play with them all afternoon. She loved them all, from her My Little Pony stuff to her barbie stuff to her SpongeBob microphone. She played with them and tried very hard to share with Bradley, who was just as excited and eager to play with her new toys. We ate chocolate chip cookies and then sang "Happy Birthday" to her. Since her birthday fell on a Monday, she was able to celebrate her special day at school with her friends. She was so excited about wearing the special birthday hat and I was so excited to get to take cupcakes to her school for her to share with her friends. We made yellow cake cupcakes with pink strawberry icing (Rachel's favorite!) and then she put (an abundance of) special princess sprinkles on each one.

We celebrated her birthday with her friends by having a bounce-house party the following Saturday. She invited several of her little girl friends and her cousins and they jumped and jumped! Rach chose to have a My Little Pony theme (like her cousin Juj did last year!) so we picked a carousel moon walk for the party. It was adorable and all the kids seemed to enjoy jumping even though it was so humid that everyone got very hot and sweaty! Rachel is really into watching America's Funniest Home Videos and decided that she wanted a pinata at her party. She thinks it's really funny that so many people in the videos get bonked on the head (or the crotch, although I don't think Rach really gets that part) when hitting a pinata. I warned Nick to stay away in case she decided to imitate the videos. :) Anyway, much to my surprise, all the kids really got into hitting the pinata. Nick had tied it to our basketball goal and gave them a wooden broom handle. He did a great job of making sure each kid who wasn't swinging at the pinata stayed behind one of the driveway lines, since they did absentmindedly swing that stick around. All the kids seemed to have a great time and they all got along very well. Most importantly, Rachel had a blast and enjoyed her friends. Bradley loved the moonwalk so much that when Nick and Joe were deflating it and putting it away that evening, he just stood there with his face in his hands and cried. I guess the poor boy thought it was ours to keep!

Anyway, we love our little girl so much and look forward to

many more years of watching her grow up!
Happy 5th Birthday Rachel Jane!!

A very special Mother's Day!

All ready for church!



Pastor Charles talking to Bradley

Me, boo-hooing

sweet girl

I don't think Mother's Day this year could have been any more special than it was. This year was my first Mother's Day to be an active member of a church since we've had children. I couldn't feel more blessed, honored and privileged to have 3 beautiful children. That's why it was so special that we were able to have our children dedicated at our church. It's a very traditional Southern Baptist thing to do and I remember my parents talking about dedicating me, Wendy and Tommy at Glenwood Hills Baptist. This was such a special service from the preacher's words to the choir songs to the actual baby/child dedication part. Nick and I went up to the front with Trent and then Rachel and Bradley were brought in from the nursery. They looked so cute and were so well-behaved standing in front of the church with us. I wasn't sure how Bradley would do, especially once he spotted Papa sitting in the pews, but he did great! The preacher talked to each child, touched or held their hand and read the certificate that he had printed up for them. It had their name, what their name meant, a life verse and a blessing. Each one was so sweet and meaningful, that I want to type them word for word for you to read too. I was so emotional that I pretty much started crying when the preacher started talking to Trent. He went in reverse birth order and I cried during all 3 presentations. I just felt such overwhelming love, joy, gratitude, and honor to be a mom to such special kids. I also felt such joy and thankfulness for my own mom and how much she loves me and has taught me. Rarely do I have any control over my emotions, especially if they involve tears, so there was no chance that I was going to be able to get them under control until the entire baby dedication was over...and then I was fine. I was still thankful, but no longer crying. I took Rachel and Bradley back to Sunday school and came back to listen to a wonderful sermon. It was such a special day! We were so glad that mom, dad, Joe and Deborah were able to be apart of such a wonderful service. Then, we went to Joe and Deborah's for a yummy dinner.

The certificates read this way:

Trent Nicholas Milligan

"Thirsty, Victory of the People"

Life Verse

But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.

2 Corinthians 2:14 NIV

The Blessing

May God Bless you as you lead others to discover victory in Him.

Bradley Franklin Milligan

"From the Broad Meadow; Free man"

Life Verse

Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. John 8:32 NIV

The Blessing

May you discover freedom in Christ and help set others free.

Rachel Jane Milligan

"Sheep, Ewe; God is Gracious"

Life Verse

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."

2 Corinthians 12:9a NIV

The Blessing

May God give you His grace and strength to serve Him faithfully.